Life Mentor

After signing the contract in black and white, Song Ya had a long, one-on-one conversation with Daniel, from which he benefited immensely.

For him personally, this dialogue could no longer be called a simple chat; it was a process of being subverted and reshaped. After obtaining his "cheat code" from the apocalypse, his mind had been filled with thoughts of studying hard, keeping a low profile, waiting for the buckets of gold his cheat would bring in, and then naturally rising to prominence to enjoy a life of luxury and romance.

However, Daniel told him a truth: among the stars in the black entertainment and sports industries, very few managed to avoid bankruptcy after their fame faded or they retired. A large portion of them even met an early death due to the combined effects of indulgence, debauchery, and the abuse of alcohol, drugs, and medication.

For instance, by casually signing a document handed to him by a trusted associate during a drunken stupor, he might inexplicably lose a property or find himself saddled with a massive debt.

A mundane pursuit of romance could result in being sued, forcing him to face baseless rape allegations. He would either have to pay a fortune for a private settlement while carrying the stigma for life, or spend even more money on a legal team to reclaim his reputation, only to suffer a mental and physical breakdown under the barrage of endless court battles and media scrutiny. He might also face years of exorbitant child support and constant extortion due to a "seed" intentionally left behind by the other party. He could even contract a new type of sexually transmitted disease and die within a few short years.

Unclear ties to gangs were another major hazard for black stars from the slums. On one hand, living and growing up there made it inevitable to get involved with gangs; on the other hand, this background made them special targets for various law enforcement agencies. After becoming famous, a single misstep could lead to paying for peace at best, or ending up in prison at worst.

Greedy relatives and childhood friends, pervasive small-time hustlers, swarming Wall Street con artists, agents, managers, lawyers, and accountants who might stab him in the back, the guns and drugs that hangers-on might bring into his car or room, an accidental tax error, a slip of the tongue...

Any of these could deal him a fatal blow. Therefore, he had to possess energy, self-control, discernment, and vigilance far exceeding that of ordinary people, and even that of white people in similar positions.

While the road ahead was fraught with crises, Daniel also told him that in this era of increasing emphasis on equality and political correctness, he could also gain countless benefits through his skin color. The prerequisite for obtaining these benefits was a thorough understanding of how American politics and interpersonal relationships functioned, along with the corresponding social skills and initiative.

Wanting to reach success while remaining a "nobody"? That didn't exist. A "nobody" who studies well is just a nerd, a target for bullying; only a leader who studies well is worthy of success.

Take this BMI membership application, for example.

"If you want institutions like BMI to speed up their work, you have to put pressure on them, and the race card is an excellent means of pressure. Therefore, you must understand how to use politics and public opinion to exert such pressure."

"Besides money, Americans love something else. This thing is like supermarket loyalty points. Supermarket points can be exchanged for goods, and when enough of these points are accumulated, they use them to exchange for money, power, friendship, attention, and spiritual sublimation and satisfaction. For example, some rich people are willing to spend one hundred thousand dollars in New York to host a charity gala, and then spend a large sum of money flying back and forth to Africa just to give the locals plastic schoolbags worth a few thousand dollars. Why don't they just buy a hundred thousand dollars' worth of schoolbags and mail them over? For the points. By handing the schoolbags to the local children personally and taking a photo as a souvenir, the rich person exchanges these points for moral self-satisfaction and prestige, the star exchanges them for the favor of the public and the media, and the high school student uses them to accumulate social experience for college applications..."

"There are many ways to spend points, and countless ways to earn them, but you must remember: only those who become people capable of providing points to others are the true, invincible winners."

Under Daniel's earnest instruction, Song Ya replanned his life. He returned to school and first went to find his music teacher.

"Wow, Ya Li, so you're the APLUS who wrote Thrift Shop. You did a great job, congratulations! We were all kept in the dark."

This was the first thing the music teacher said when they met.

Song Ya said, "Thank you. I mean it; all my musical knowledge comes from you. I never thought this song would be a success. Little Lowry is my brother's best friend, and we hang out often. I gave him a song I wrote on a whim, and then... sometimes beautiful things just happen suddenly, like a dream. Everything caught me off guard. After coming out of the dream, there was a voice in my heart telling me to thank God and many other people. In this school, you were the first person I thought of. Without your help and encouragement, I wouldn't be where I am today."

The music teacher smiled, "Oh, it's nothing. All students receive the same teaching, and you are the only one who achieved such success. It's mainly due to your personal talent."

"You're too kind." Song Ya said modestly, "Actually, I was planning to thank you on a more formal occasion. Because of my song, BMI, the Broadcast Music, Inc., allowed me to join. They planned to hold a small membership ceremony—just setting up some chairs in the gym and then... you know, just something very simple. But unfortunately..."

He carefully adjusted his facial muscles to form a bitter smile.

"Oh?" The music teacher's interest was piqued, "Why wasn't it held as scheduled?"

"I... it's hard to say. It seems like it got stuck at some point. Actually, I have a feeling I encountered racial discrimination..." Song Ya replied.

"Racial discrimination!" The music teacher's eyes widened.

"It's just a feeling... maybe. You know, we are very sensitive to this, we can feel some things..." Song Ya shrugged, "I was planning to go and report it to the principal..."

"You must!" The music teacher pulled him along, "Don't hesitate when it comes to discrimination. Let's go now! Come on!"

He was led by the music teacher to the principal's office.

The principal was a bald, elderly black man who listened patiently as Song Ya repeated his story.

"They planned to hold a small ceremony, but were intentionally blocked, is that right?"

The principal picked up the phone, "This kind of thing cannot be tolerated. I understand. Some white..." He glanced at the white music teacher and changed his phrasing, "In institutions with a long history like BMI, there are often many old, racist minds hidden away..."

He didn't know who he called, but after finishing, he smiled at Song Ya and said, "So the author of that Thrift Shop is in my school, haha. What grade are you in? How old... Wow, a fifteen-year-old composer, a BMI member. Yes, yes, a ceremony is indeed needed. If you need any more help, just ask."

"It's like this," Song Ya replied, "My agent suggested I ask if you could let the local councilman help? He also told me to try writing to the civil rights organizations in Chicago."

"That's a great idea. I will call Councilman Underwood; he will definitely be willing to help. As for the civil rights organizations... yes, that's right, it's better for you to contact them personally. Young man, you have a good agent. I'll give you the address and phone number of a civil rights organization. They have an office over by the University of Chicago..."

With the help of the music teacher and the principal, Song Ya executed Daniel's plan perfectly.

Maybe it's a bit too perfect. If I play it too big, won't BMI hate me later? After all, they didn't actually do anything... he thought to himself, feeling a bit nervous.

Walking out of the principal's office and saying goodbye to the music teacher, he didn't expect to be blocked in the hallway by two thugs.

"YO! APLUS..." one thug leaned in with a sleazy air, "Is that song Little Lowry sang written by you?"

"Yeah." Song Ya, who had already been reborn, didn't panic at all.

"Let's make a deal. How about you write a song for my brother too?" He pointed to the other thug, "His rapping is also pretty good, you know."

Song Ya pushed him directly, "Are you serious? Huh?" He stepped forward, pressing his forehead against the other's, looking straight into his eyes, "You know I wrote a song for Little Lowry, but you didn't think to ask who my boss is? Huh? Ever heard of Bobcat? Huh!? You're blocking my path!?"

The other party retreated step by step, eventually being pushed against the wall like he was in detention. "Are you the one who wants me to write a song? Huh? Your rapping is pretty good, is it?" He switched targets and continued to press in...

The two thugs fled in a panic.

Song Ya wanted to put his hands on his hips and laugh at the sky right then and there.

Unexpectedly, joy turned to sorrow. As he turned his head, he saw the cheerleader goddess walking toward him with "alluring charm," and soon he discovered that the football team's forward at the other end of the hallway had already started warming up his fists.

"FXXX!"

Thinking quickly, he rushed into a group of passing girls and picked the most pleasing one, "Hi, can I get to know you?" To avoid getting beaten up, he was really going all out.