Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 1009 After-Sales Service for the Music Festival

Just as the elderly couple from the Bian family were listening and wiping away tears, Lao Tan was receiving a long-lost old friend at the LAB.

The two hadn't seen each other for many years, so they went to their old private room on the hillside to chat in peace and quiet.

The man took off his baseball cap, ran his fingers through his hair which was plastered to his scalp, and then picked up a Rolling Stone beer and took a big gulp: "Old Tan, you guys really have to admire me. I went from Blueberry to Rolling Stone, and the level of popularity was truly enviable! Unlike me, my tour's box office was terrible at the end..."

After not seeing each other for years, the first thing Lin Yun did was praise followed by sob, either because she wanted something or because she couldn't find anyone to talk to. Old Tan listened quietly until Lin Yun finished speaking before saying, "How were the previous shows? I don't think you've ever performed in Chuncheng before. How about we put on a show here? Don't worry, we'll handle the ticketing..."

Having run a bar for so many years, Lao Tan had mastered the art of reading people's minds, and he believed he understood why his old friend Lin Geng had come to him. As the patriarch of Yunnan's independent music scene, he would have been willing to lend a hand even in the past, let alone now.

But Lin Geng shook his head and said, "I'm sorry to come. My plan for this year is 12 stops. The first 7 stops are barely enough to break even, which means about 200 people per show... The LAB is such a popular venue, and it's not a good omen for me, a folk singer, to dampen it..."

Old Tan didn't even ask how much the tickets cost; he knew exactly what it was—around a hundred or so yuan. For a small live performance in a first-tier city, after deducting venue fees and musicians' travel expenses, he probably wouldn't have a penny left in his pocket.

They still persevere, probably sustained by their love for music. It is precisely because of their persistence and dedication that Lao Tan is willing to do what he can to help them.

"Brother Geng, you can't say that. There are still folk music events at LAB quite often. It's all about having fun together. You see, rock used to be even less popular than folk, but now that we're all united, things are different!"

Although the two hadn't seen each other for years, the strong friendship they had built while sleeping in a basement in Beijing was still there, and Lao Tan wouldn't play games with him: "If you feel you're working too hard, just sign over. You should know from your time at Rolling Stones that Bian Lang is also quite good at folk music."

After saying all that, Lin Geng's eyes finally lit up: "He's got some skills! I think the song he sang on stage this time, 'The Love That Cannot Speak,' is the most evocative love folk song I've heard in recent years... The imagery was like my own personal experience! I came to you today to ask if there's any chance I could buy the cover rights to this song."
Before Lao Tan could answer, Lin Geng continued, "Lao Tan, don't be embarrassed. Just tell me the truth. If you think it's hopeless, I won't bother trying."

After hearing the last sentence, Lao Tan laughed and said, "You still have the same temper. If you sign here, then it will be a natural thing."

"I appreciate your kind offer, but as you know, I'm better off working alone. I feel awkward in a large group. Rather than making everyone uncomfortable, I'd rather be free on my own..."

Old Tan knew Lin Geng's personality, but the atmosphere at Rolling Stone didn't really constrain him much. However, some things are better left unsaid, so since things had come to this point, he stopped trying to persuade him: "I'll ask about the copyright for you, because I've never seen this song in the music library before, it's hard to say if Bian Lang just wrote it recently... Your last performance was in Beijing, right? Send me the information, and if the timing is right, I'll ask Bian Lang to come and support you!"

"Okay, just let me know in advance and I'll reserve tickets for you..."

"No need, we'll come quietly if we want. Just leave us two discs when we arrive..."

At this point, Lin Geng felt that making this special trip was beyond his expectations. He had originally intended to look for Pan Jianhu at the scene that day, but decided against it in the end. However, after returning to the hotel, the thought kept looping in his mind: "The days are almost over, the fruit is ripe, we will harvest each other for the last time and from then on, we will be enemies forever..." This sentence made him restless and unable to sleep well all night.

Then, gritting his teeth, he bought a plane ticket to Chuncheng, thinking he'd try his luck with Lao Tan. He was the type to avoid troubling others if possible, and going to Pan Jian seemed far more troublesome than going to Lao Tan. Firstly, they weren't that close, and secondly, considering Lao Pan's current status, it was uncertain whether he'd even acknowledge him.

"Drink up, don't just stand there. After you finish this one, go listen to some music. Liu Huzhou is coming over tonight, and Bian Lang has given him a lot of good songs... By the way, on a side note, Dong Youbian is considered part of the folk music scene, right? Have you two ever crossed paths before?"

Lin Geng never expected that Lao Tan would bring up this topic. He and Dong Youbian actually had some connection: "Why are you asking this? But there's nothing wrong with talking about it. I remember it was a long time ago, when she was homeless for a while. She was there when I had a small concert at a small bar in Fenghuang and bought two of my CDs..."

"Remember so clearly?" Old Tan found it strange. So many years have passed. If nothing special happened, how could he possibly remember Dong Youbian, who was not famous at the time?

Lin Geng was a little annoyed by the interruption: "Why are you still like this? Can't you let me finish speaking in one go?"

"How could I possibly remember that back then! It was only after she became famous that I ran into her at a Jingwei-themed food stall. She greeted me and mentioned it, and that's when I remembered it. Later, she even posted a picture of the CD she bought from me on Weibo..."

"Huh? You haven't used Weibo for tens of thousands of years, how did you know?"

"I couldn't even walk past the CDs I placed in front of Jingwei's consignment shop. Once they sold out in two or three days, and Hu Chen told me this when he called me to ask me to restock! So I think the girl is a nice person. As for what's going on between her and Bian Lang..."

“I didn’t ask you to talk about this. I’m completely baffled by their situation. She posted a demo yesterday that you probably haven’t heard. I’ll send it to you so you can listen to it…”

"Oh!"

Old Tan did make a fortune, but Lin Geng quickly forgot about it because hearing Liu Huzhou sing a song he hadn't performed at the Blueberry Music Festival immediately brought him back into the conversation.

"Sunset"
Birds

The shadow is so long and thin...

Overnight stay

A certain mountain pass

"The mist dampened my clothes..."

"Is Bian Lang from another time? He writes all sorts of random things, yet they're all rare gems. If I were him, I'd be in a mental hospital by now!"

……

Dong Youbian waited a whole day and night for the response she expected, but instead, she was met with a devastating blow when she saw a video on Bian Lan's WeChat Moments. The video showed Bian Lang's entire family, including Guo Sichu, gathered together for a meal. The scene of Bian Lang wiping away tears while listening to him sing made her feel like a complete and utter failure.

And that line, "Where has the time gone? I haven't even had a chance to really look at you before my eyes have gone blurry. Half a lifetime spent on daily necessities, and in the blink of an eye, all that's left is a face full of wrinkles..." reminded her of her parents back home. She felt that she felt even more guilty towards her parents than towards her husband!
When Chen Manman returned, Dong Youbian had fallen asleep again. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes, and a video on his phone was still playing on a loop: "Where has the time gone..." "Why bother?"

Although it was somewhat unethical, as her best friend and manager, Chen Manman genuinely didn't want Dong Youbian to continue like this. So she picked up Dong Youbian's phone and blocked Bian Lan, Luo Suping, and all of Bian Lang's family members. When she got to Bian Lang's profile picture, Chen Manman thought for a moment but ultimately refrained from doing so.

Chen Manman felt that given Dong Youbian's current state, she wouldn't be able to be a good mother unless she changed her ways. If it really came to that, she would probably follow Chen Shuting's instructions and help Bian Lang fight for custody of the child…

……

The aftermath of the Rolling Stones festival lasted longer than expected, but none of those who were waiting to see the Rolling Stones fail actually made a big splash.

All the public opinion and negative reactions surrounding Guo Sichu were completely explained by Bian Lang's words: "There's no such thing as a woman or not. Rock and roll has always been about strength! I believe everyone has heard Teacher Chu's strength today. If I lose my job as the lead singer of Rolling Stones in the future, everyone here today will be the culprit!"

Similarly, it has also prompted many female music fans who don't usually reveal their rock music fan identities to start speaking out boldly on social media.

I used to be afraid of being asked, "What kind of crap are you listening to? Who listens to rock music if they're a decent person?"

If anyone tries to use those words to disgust others now, they will have Guo Sichu's name engraved on the other person's eyes!

Many casual fans who held preconceived notions about Guo Sichu were quite taken aback after watching Rolling Stone's latest live video. Without any prompting, these people themselves used words like "fallen" and "lost" to describe the current Guo Sichu.

Of course, some casual fans became fans after seeing and hearing how cool and stylish Guo Sichu was.

The family banquet at the Bian family's place had just ended, and the two had only just arrived at the underground parking lot when the announcement Liang Kuan had prepared was released. Bian Lang agreed to this; since no one had ever done it before and he had no comparable examples on his original Earth, he figured he might as well do good deeds and not worry about the future, and deal with any problems that arose one by one when they came up.

After they both had a few drinks, Bian Lang called a designated driver. Before, when Bian Lang was alone, he wasn't so picky; he could just use an app to find someone. But now that he was with Guo Sichu, it was different; he had to find someone trustworthy and reliable.

While waiting for the situation to be resolved, Guo Sichu checked Weibo and found that the atmosphere in the comments section was surprisingly friendly.

"Teacher Bian, your 100,000 hippies are here to congratulate you!"

Without even thinking, Bian Lang replied, "It's organized by Liu Xiao Kui, but what are your plans then?"

"How am I supposed to do it? Isn't this all up to you?"

"Now that you're the lead singer, you decide what to sing..."

"Really, you don't care at all?"

"It doesn't matter, you can decide for yourself!"

"Okay, then don't worry about anything, I'll give you a surprise later!"

"Um……"

The protector arrived quickly and even brought a brother to help him drive his car back.

Seeing two people waiting outside the car on Bian Lang's side from afar, he told his brother to stop the car: "Alright, you can go back now, I'll go back by myself in a bit!"

The brother didn't say much, just told him to be careful and then turned and left.

As soon as he got out of the car, he jogged over and said, "I was wondering why you specifically called me to come and drive. Turns out it was because my sister-in-law was here. She insisted on getting me a photo together. My wife is a huge fan of yours."

"Bring your wife to the recording studio at school tomorrow..." Bian Lang didn't explain much, and without asking any further questions, he happily agreed: "Okay! It's settled then..."

On the way home, the three chatted casually. They realized that Guo Sichu, who seemed aloof on TV, was actually quite approachable.

When he got home that evening, he told his wife about it. His wife, surprisingly, started rummaging through drawers and cupboards looking for clothes to wear the next day. She even shared with him, "I watched Chu Hou's video from the music festival several times today. She was so cool! I never imagined she had this side to her. She's such a good person, and the Rolling Stones put on such a great music festival, how come there are still people online who are dissatisfied?"

"Getting paid to insult people, what a satisfying thing that is, which of those online trolls wouldn't want to do it?"

Sister-in-law Zhao picked up a skirt and tried it on in front of the mirror, asking Zhao Dezhu, "Isn't there anyone who can deal with these people? Or at least make them quiet down?"

"Perhaps we can get some professional music bloggers from abroad to give their opinions. Aren't Chinese people the ones who trust foreigners the most?"

As a loyal Chu soldier, Zhao Sao couldn't sit still when she heard this idea: "How do we find it? Aren't you quite familiar with the people at Rolling Stone? Help me ask if they have any connections!"

"I can cover it up" was just a figure of speech, but I didn't expect my arrogance to actually take it to heart: "Well, I've dug my own grave!"

After muttering that, he racked his brain trying to figure out who to contact. After thinking for a while without finding a suitable person, he took out his phone and went through his WeChat contacts, looking at everyone connected to Rolling Stones. Finally, his finger landed on the Little Witch's profile picture!
(End of this chapter)