Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 206 Going through the motions
[Evening 2]

at the same time.

In the practice room of Magic Stone Records, the Black Panther band, who had just finished practicing their new song, were resting and chatting in the corner.

Luan Shu was also sitting in a corner, but he didn't join in his teammates' conversation.

He's been feeling a bit unsettled lately.

When Luan Shu first met Han Hong, he didn't think about it that way. But Han Hong called him every day to talk about music and life. If he still didn't get it, he would be too stupid.

In fact, he had wanted to talk things out with Han Hong several times, but Han Hong's musical synergy with him and her careful care made him unable to bring himself to do it.

Moreover, communicating over the phone always allowed him to temporarily ignore Han Hong's appearance—of course, he would soon regret it every time he hung up the phone.

In the midst of this struggle and hesitation, he suddenly received an invitation from Zhang Yan.

Is he planning to switch jobs next year to fulfill his dream?

The thought of this possibility filled Luan Shu with both longing and repulsion.

The reason for this appeal is that Yuanmeng Company is currently thriving, and joining Yuanmeng means greater exposure, higher income, and various benefits.

The reasons for their rejection were rather complicated. One part was that they didn't want to get too close to Han Hong, lest things become unclear later; the other part was that they couldn't accept having to work under Zhang Yan.

When they first met, Zhang Yan was completely unknown...

Well, Black Panther wasn't very famous back then.

But they used to be buddies, and now they've suddenly become superiors and subordinates, which makes Luan Shu feel a little awkward.

"Tree~"

At this moment, Zhao Mingyi came up, put his arm around his shoulder and asked, "What's wrong with you lately? You always seem listless, and you're not as focused on rehearsals as you used to be."

"nothing."

Luan Shu gave a perfunctory reply: "I'm just thinking about a new song. I'm completely lost if I can't write it."

He didn't want the Black Panthers to know that he also wanted to leave the group like Dou Wei—of course, he and Dou Wei were different; Dou Wei voluntarily 'left with nothing,' while his contract expired next spring.

To prove the truth of his words, Luan Shu even played a short piece of music—the very piece he had improvised backstage that day, which Han Hong later reproduced at about 70% accuracy.

"The music is good."

After listening, Li Tong commented, "However, it doesn't seem to match the style of our first album very well."

Zhao Mingyi scoffed, "What's the point if every album is the same? Besides, that album was heavily influenced by Dou Wei, and now we..."

Just then, someone pushed open the door and walked in, turning back to introduce the place to a little girl as they went: "This is the Magic Rock karaoke room, modeled after the Rolling Stones..."

"cough~"

Seeing that he hadn't noticed anyone in the room, drummer Zhao Mingyi coughed and jokingly scolded, "Dou Peng, if you want to pick up girls, at least find a secluded place."

The visitor was Dou Wei's cousin, Dou Peng.

He was startled, turned around and saw it was the Black Panther band, and awkwardly greeted them, "You guys are all here, um, this is my girlfriend Zhou Xun—Zhou Xun, and these guys are..."

"You're Black Panthers?!"

Zhou Xun said with some surprise, "I especially like your 'No Place to Hide'..."

"Cough, cough~"

Dou Peng quickly coughed twice to interrupt Zhou Xun. If he wasn't there, it would be fine for Zhou Xun to bring up "No Place to Hide," but since he was there, it felt like Zhou Xun was trying to ruin the event.

After all, Dou Wei wrote the lyrics for that song.

Zhao Mingyi didn't respond to Zhou Xun's comment, but continued talking to Dou Peng: "Didn't you go to Suzhou and Hangzhou for some events? When did you come back?"

Just yesterday.

Dou Peng pulled Zhou Xun aside and said with a smile, "I won't bother you any longer. Let's get together sometime later."

As he spoke, he led Zhou Xun out of the karaoke room.

Zhou Xun also sensed something was amiss and whispered, "What's wrong?" "Nothing, the intricacies of this matter are rather complicated."

Dou Peng vaguely brushed the matter off, after all, it wasn't exactly a glorious thing for his cousin to sleep with his teammate's girlfriend.

Next, Dou Peng took Zhou Xun on a tour of Magic Rock, introducing her to many stories from the rock scene. Although Zhou Xun listened with great interest, she was no longer as excited as she had been when she first saw Black Panther.

After all, Black Panther's album is selling like hotcakes nationwide, while the fame of others is currently mainly concentrated in Beijing, and has no reach to the Yangtze River Delta region.

After Dou Peng realized this, he immediately said, "I'll take you to see the dream when I have time."

"Fulfilling a dream?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun's eyes lit up immediately: "Is that the Yuanmeng who made Wang Luyao, Tian Zhen, Han Hong, Han Lei, Lao Lang, Li Chunbo, and Gao Feng famous?!"

I wonder what Xu Wei will think when he hears this.

Anyway, when Dou Peng heard his girlfriend rattle off these names as if they were old friends, he knew that he had made the right choice in bringing up the topic of fulfilling dreams.

He proudly puffed out his chest and said, "I'm an old friend of Mr. Zhang from Yuanmeng, we're very close."

"real?!"

Zhou Xun excitedly grabbed his arm: "Then can you recommend me to fulfill my dream?!"

"Uh~"

Dou Peng was immediately speechless. In fact, he didn't know Zhang Yan at all, but he had already made his boast, so how could he say no now?
He could only vaguely reply, "I'll give it a try later. Making a dream come true requires a high level of skill from the singer..."

"My singing ability is at least as good as Wang Luyao's!"

"Uh... Wang Luyao was the first to sign a contract. Back then, President Zhang was eager to find talent, but now..."

After finally managing to appease his girlfriend, Dou Peng quickly contacted Dou Wei, hoping to get Zhou Xun recommended through his cousin. He didn't care whether she actually got in or not; he just wanted her to go through the motions.

When did you get a girlfriend?

Dou Wei asked, puzzled, on the phone.

"I met him during my trip to Suzhou and Hangzhou. He traveled all the way back to Beijing with me. I can't just refuse such a small thing, can I?"

"Is it just a formality?"

"If Mr. Zhang takes a liking to it, that would be the best, but if he doesn't, we won't force it."

"Okay, I'll mention it to him later."

…………

in the afternoon.

After discussing the celebrity soccer team with Feng Gong and Niu Qun, Zhang Yan met up with Han Hong and Wang Luyao.

With dark circles under her eyes, looking like a panda, Han Hong said hesitantly, "Brother Zhang, I don't think there's any need to rush. I want to take it step by step, wait until he's completely moved on and ready to start a new relationship..."

Zhang Yan interrupted her directly, asking, "If he were in any other profession, you could wait, but who in the rock scene is ever short of women? What if he leaves one job and finds a pretty young girl the next?"

Han Hong was speechless for a moment, then muttered, "But what if it backfires?"

"Cold salad."

Zhang Yan spread his hands and said, "If he softens even slightly, I can definitely get this done for you. But if he has no intention of doing it at all, you don't need to worry about it anymore."

He paused, then looked at Han Hong's expression and said, "Of course, if you really think this won't work, then pretend I didn't say anything. Let's have a good meal and drinks tonight, and then go back to Tianjin together tomorrow."

"This……"

Han Hong hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Brother Zhang, I'll listen to you—as long as he's willing to marry me, I'll definitely treat him well for the rest of my life!"

There's not even a hint of anything happening yet, how can they be talking about marriage?

In fact, Zhang Yan also felt that this matter was a bit of a trap, but as the saying goes, one should help one's relatives regardless of reason. Compared to his friendship with Luan Shu, he was naturally closer to Han Hong.

Moreover, if Luan Shu really didn't have that intention, what's the point of talking on the phone with that girl for more than half a month?

(End of this chapter)