Drummer Jia Lu

Liang Yin said casually, "What's there to be nervous about? He's my employee now, so you don't need to be tense!"

"She's my sister-friend, studied abroad, been a top student since childhood, skipped grades, and is four years younger than me."

"She's an African drum major, now teaching African drums at an educational institution. The moment she heard you were recruiting a drummer, she came straight to apply!"

Jia Lu took a deep breath and said.

"What Sister Liang said is right—I want to be the band's drummer."

Those words must have taken a lot of courage for Jia Lu. Only after speaking did she dare to lift her head and look at Lin Chudong.

With her idol so close in front of her, she was still a bit flustered.

Lin Chudong said, "Relax, don't be nervous. Shopkeeper's wife, bring an African drum and let her try."

Liang Yin fetched a high-end African drum. "This is the most expensive one in our shop, over ten thousand."

Jia Lu clamped the drum between her legs, pulled out her phone, and picked a random song.

"Then I'll start!"

Her cherry-like lips gently exhaled a breath, and with the music, her hands began to pat softly.

The soothing melody, paired with the ethereal sound of the African drum, made the whole body feel at ease.

Jia Lu's high and low tones were struck with great precision, the timbre handled beautifully, and the swing of her arms carried a certain grace.

The song ended, and Jia Lu's face was full of anticipation.

"Brother Fei, was I okay?"

Lin Chudong nodded. "Pretty good. Just on the African drum, you're definitely professional level. Try the drum kit."

Receiving praise, Jia Lu was overjoyed, the dimples on her cheeks refusing to fade.

Sitting before the drum kit, she asked.

"Brother Fei, what song should I play?"

"One of mine—'Keep Up With The Rhythm.'"

This was a fast song by the Da Fei Band, mostly sixteenth notes, a real test of a drummer's skill, considered an intermediate-to-advanced piece for the drum kit.

Jia Lu nodded, her expression turning serious. This was her idol's song—playing it in front of him, the pressure was immense.

Liang Yin patted her shoulder. "Don't be nervous, just do your best."

With that, she folded her arms and stood to the side.

Lin Chudong was left speechless. Am I watching her or you?

Dong dong dong dong...

The intro began, and Jia Lu's hands started swinging.

She was a trained African drummer who had self-taught the drum kit on the side. Both were drums with some commonalities, but they were still two different instruments that required relearning.

Jia Lu's rhythm was steady, but it was clearly self-taught—her posture, the way she held the drumsticks, all looked amateurish.

Just as they were about to enter the chorus, Lin Chudong suddenly stood up and walked behind Jia Lu.

She could feel a hint of pressure, but her rhythm didn't waver. Jia Lu kept pounding the drumhead with her Dong Ci Da Ci.

The chorus ended, and Jia Lu, wanting to show off a bit, began muttering under her breath.

"123412341234..."

Getting ready to add fills!

Drum kit fills were nothing more than a combination of thirty-second notes and large and small syncopations.

Properly placed fills sounded very satisfying, stirring the audience's emotions and elevating the song's appeal to another level.

Dong ci da ci dong dong dong dong...

Jia Lu's hands began to swing rapidly. The thirty-second notes were fast, but then she suddenly paused.

She'd just missed the bass drum hit!

Caught up in her hand movements, she'd neglected her feet, causing a brief lag.

But after a half-beat gap, she continued back into the Dong Ci Da Ci.

"Alright, that's enough."

Jia Lu stopped, a look of disappointment on her face. She'd practiced so long and still made a mistake. Though it wasn't a major issue, Lin Chudong calling a halt at that moment clearly meant her error had cost her any chance of joining the band.

Liang Yin said, "Hey, give her another shot?"

Lin Chudong replied, "No need. I've already seen her level."

Liang Yin frowned and shot him a look. "Inside."

The two entered the room, and Liang Yin said, "She wasn't that bad, was she?"

Lin Chudong laughed. "Who said she was bad?"

"That serious look on your face! You scared my sister—she's your fan, be gentler!"

Lin Chudong sighed helplessly. "Big Sister, this is an audition. If I don't take it seriously, your money won't last a few days."

Liang Yin had no comeback. "Fine, so how is she?"

Lin Chudong said, "Her skill is decent, rhythm is steady."

"The two most important things for a drummer are, first, rhythm, and second, mental fortitude."

"Even with a metronome, the drummer controls the rhythm of every instrument on stage. On-the-spot performance has to be solid. When I stood up just now, she didn't get thrown off."

"After that fill mistake, she left a half-beat gap and handled it quite well. Overall, she's a good prospect, just needs some guidance from a master."

"To sum it up: if this girl's monthly salary is over thirty thousand, don't hire her. If it's under thirty thousand, she's usable."

Liang Yin let out a breath. "Why didn't you say so earlier! You were so serious you scared me to death!" She patted her chest—soft, trembling a bit like jelly.

"I offered her a base salary of eight thousand, and she agreed on the spot."

Lin Chudong gave a thumbs-up. "Good. Once the paperwork's done, we can sign the contract. Don't let her perform on the drum kit outside for now—I'm afraid someone else will poach her."

A stock like this, with just a little training, could become an excellent drummer. If such a cheap professional drummer were made public, they'd be snatched up in a frenzy.

Keeping a treasure hidden at home was basic practice.

Liang Yin nodded. "I get it. Your forbidden fruit."

"... "

That word didn't quite fit, did it?

He went out to tell Jia Lu the good news. Jia Lu's face lit up with joy. She twisted her fingers in her clothes, stood up shyly, and bowed deeply to Lin Chudong.

"Thank you, Brother Fei! I'll work hard!"

Lin Chudong extended his hand. "Welcome to the Liang Yin Band."

Jia Lu excitedly shook it with both hands, her smooth little hands cold from nervousness.

Liang Yin got excited too. Damn, that ceremonial feeling—she could almost picture their band holding a concert.

Lin Chudong let go and said, "I'll find a master to train you another day."

"Thank you, Brother Fei!"

After the tense atmosphere passed, everyone started chatting.

Liang Yin said, "Da Fei, for the release of 'Chengdu,' I'm thinking of spending some money on Douyin. It's short video, easy to blow up these days. Maybe this song could make you popular again."

Lin Chudong shook his head. "Not a good fit. 'Chengdu' is folk music, slow-burn. It doesn't suit short video platforms. Even if we pay for promotion, it'll be money down the drain."

"Then what do we do?"

In releasing a song, promotion is a crucial step. Otherwise, no matter how good your music is, what's the point if no one's heard it?

Truth be told, Lin Chudong was worried about this too.

"No rush. We've still got a few days. Let's wait."

Just then, a crowd rushed past outside, many carrying cameras.

"What are they doing?"

Jia Lu said, "I know! It's the Super Challenge program group, filming a reality show. They're right here in Magic City. Want to go check it out?"

"Let's go! Maybe we'll get picked as lucky audience members to interact with the stars! Hurry!"

"Da Fei, you coming?"

Lin Chudong nodded.

"Let's go."