The younger generation, starting from where the wind blows...

Chapter 79: Versatile and Talented, Both Rustic and Trendy

Yang Muye looked at Xu Hongdou, who was deliberately arguing: "Having money is called investing, not having money is called starting a business, in my opinion they are the same thing."

Xu Hongdou replied very seriously, "The difference between the poor and the capitalists is huge."

Cheng Feng suddenly interjected: "Let me state first, although I am from dormitory 203 and I am not poor, I am on Xu Hongdou's side this time. The difference between the poor and the wealthy is like the difference between a handsome person and an ugly person going to college. The experience is completely different."

Wu Di, with his arm around Cheng Feng's shoulder, joked, "The experience of going to university is completely different for a rich person like you and for a poor person like me."

"Actually, besides being handsome and rich, talented people are also very popular in college," Liu Qing summarized in a tone of someone who had been there before.

The ivory tower of today still retains some of the charm of a bygone era, unlike in a few years when it will be completely in sync with society and everything will revolve around money.

As soon as Liu Qing finished speaking, everyone present turned their gaze to Yang Muye.

A hint of doubt flashed in Liu Qing's beautiful eyes.

Why are they all looking at Yang Muye?
Do you all think she's wrong?
"Senior, if someone is handsome, rich, and incredibly talented, wouldn't their college life be unbeatable?"

The speaker was Wu Di.

Liu Qing immediately realized that the person Wu Di was referring to was Yang Muye.

"Mr. Yang, you're truly a man of great talent!"

Liu Qing's beautiful eyes sparkled. If Gao Yunyue hadn't been there and no one else was qualified to speak, she would have encouraged Yang Muye to show off his talent on the spot.

"She'll definitely show it!"

Cheng Feng answered first: "At this year's welcome party, not only will Mu Ye show off his skills on stage, but Wu Di and I are also planning to form a duo to have some fun."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xia Qing relentlessly mocked him: "How many times have the bands you were in during high school disbanded? Don't you have any idea what your own level is?"

Before Cheng Feng could refute, Wu Di quickly tried to smooth things over: "I'm just an amateur player too. I'm just having fun on stage with this madman."

What songs are you planning to sing?

Yang Zixi, who hadn't said much at the dinner table, suddenly spoke up.

Wu Di perked up and immediately replied, "Madman and I are still discussing it. Currently, we prefer Grasshopper's 'The Breakup Frontline Alliance'."

"You have a good eye for picking songs!"

Chen Nanxing winked at Wu Di. Anyone with eyes could see that Wu Di was interested in Yang Zixi, but Yang Zixi remained unmoved.

Wu Di's choice of this song can be seen as a way of indirectly expressing his feelings.

"But it also depends on what song Makino will sing."

Wu Di added.

Before Yang Muye could speak, Xu Hongdou turned to look at Gao Yunyue.

"Auntie, I heard that there are antiphonal singing performances at the Dali March Street Festival. Are all the Bai people, young and old, good at singing and dancing?"

“The March Street Antiphonal Singing is just a custom of our Bai ethnic group, and not everyone participates.” Gao Yunyue said, glancing furtively at Yang Muye.

Gao Yunyue and Yang Deyuan met at a folk song competition on March Street. Gao Yunyue was worried that bringing it up would remind Yang Muyi of the past.

Fortunately, Yang Muye had long since taken it all in stride.

She even took the initiative to talk to Xu Hongdou about other activities at the Dali March Street Fair, highlighting the various delicious foods.

Chen Nanxing, who was listening nearby, was drooling. He immediately grabbed Xu Hongdou's arm and vowed that he would definitely find an opportunity to go to Dali before graduating from university.

So, which song will Yang Muyi sing?

Yang Zixi asked again.

Cheng Feng glanced at Yang Muye and tentatively said, "It should also be an original song, like 'If One Day I Become Very Rich'?"

Yang Muye shrugged and said, "Probably. Actually, I haven't decided which song to sing yet."

Wu Di stared wide-eyed.

Which song?

Does this mean there are still many initial inventory items?

Wu Di's throat bobbed with difficulty.

Is this some kind of exaggerated claim?

"Why don't you just pick any song and sing it for us? If you agree, clap along with me."

Liu Qing stirred things up again.

She was genuinely curious about what Yang Muyi's singing was like.

Cheng Feng, Wu Di, Xia Qing, Chen Nanxing, and Yang Zixi all joined in clapping.

Xu Hongdou was focused on playing with Zixuan and didn't intend to join in the fun.

Shi Xiaomeng mainly depended on Yang Muye's attitude, so he didn't applaud.

In the end, Gao Yunyue made the final decision.

"Xiao Ye, why don't you sing a song? Your mother can't even remember the last time she heard you sing."

"Okay, Auntie has spoken, Mr. Yang, give us one!" Liu Qing cheered even more enthusiastically.

Others also responded.

Even Xu Hongdou patted Zixuan's head and asked her if she wanted to hear her brother sing.

"miss you!"

Zixuan answered loudly.

Xu Hongdou looked at Yang Muye with an innocent yet slightly smug expression.

You promised to give way to your younger sister when it came to the inheritance dispute, so surely you're not going to be so stingy as to not even sing a song now?

"This song needs a band accompaniment; the a cappella effect is much worse."

Yang Muye said helplessly.

Chen Nanxing immediately protested: "This is a bit of a scoundrel. You just said you were considering which song to sing, and now you're saying you need accompaniment. When you actually get accompaniment, are you going to say your throat is sore again?"

Yang Muye looked at Chen Nanxing helplessly.

You're good at finding excuses.

"Okay, then I'll sing a short song a cappella. It's called 'Want to Go to the Beach'—"

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Nanxing interrupted, "Is this 'sea' you're referring to the ocean or Erhai Lake?"

Everyone, including Gao Yunyue, assumed that Yang Muye would definitely say it was Erhai Lake.

Yang Muye answered very affirmatively:
"The sea."

"Wow!"

Chen Nanxing turned to look at Xu Hongdou, about to start a commotion.

Xu Hongdou spoke first: "Let me make it clear first, Zibo is not located by the sea."

Unexpectedly, this explanation was exactly what Chen Nanxing wanted to hear.

“Red Bean, you’re getting impatient again. I never said that Yang Muyi wrote this song for you. After all, he couldn’t have just written this song recently, since we didn’t even know each other back then.”

"Actually, I'm quite curious too."

Xia Qing joined in the fun: "The song is called 'Want to Go to the Beach,' who are you going with?"

Yang Muyi explained with a wry smile, "Yunnan Province is all mountains, and Erhai Lake is just a plateau lake. It's normal for me to long to go to the seaside to take a look, right?"

Chen Nanxing urged, "Yes, yes, you're right, hurry up and sing."

Cheng Feng also handed over an empty wine glass, letting Yang Muyi use it as a microphone.

Yang Muyi gathered his emotions for a moment, and then his singing began without warning.

"Waiting for a summer that comes naturally."

I want to take you to the beach.

"Try to capture this moment before it's too late to salvage it."

Yang Muyi's voice was slightly hoarse this time, and as soon as he opened his mouth, everyone present was immediately impressed.

"Actually, profound language is not needed."

"While there's still a little time left."

"Consider this the last time."

"Come on an adventure with me again."

The emotions conveyed in the song have both the flavor of youth and a sense of world-weariness.

Two feelings that are clearly difficult to coexist at the same age are inexplicably harmoniously blended together.

It's like reminiscing about your youth many years later, with a gentle, narrating feeling.

Everyone was listening intently when the singing suddenly stopped.

"Alright, that's all." Yang Muye said, pulling everyone back to reality from their music-listening state.

After that, no matter how strongly everyone requested it, Yang Muyi refused to sing again.

When pushed to the limit, Cheng Feng immediately took out his phone and said he wanted to call a band to provide accompaniment.

He seemed determined to listen to the entire song today.

As a result, Yang Muye said, "Calling for backup won't help; the lyrics haven't been written yet."

Direct KO!

But some people are still unwilling to accept this.

"Cheng Feng, can you really get a band?" Liu Qing asked curiously.

Cheng Feng was just about to show off to Liu Qing, the beautiful senior and student council president, when Xia Qing preemptively revealed the truth.

"Those who play in the band with him are either half-baked like him, just doing it for fun, or they're just there because he's generous and they hang out with him to eat, drink, and pick up girls. In short, not many of them are anything special."

Cheng Feng was indignant: "According to you, I'll just pay for it, okay?"

Xia Qing sneered: "Yes, all you have left is money now."

As the two were bickering, Liu Qing looked at Yang Muye again.

If Yang Muyi is going to sing "I Want to See the Sea" on stage at the welcome party, he will definitely need to hire a professional band to accompany him.

It seems that the only option now is to hire them by spending money, as Cheng Feng suggested.

"The key is to see what kind of accompaniment is needed for this song, right? Guitar, bass, and drums are definitely the three most basic things, right?"

Cheng Feng added.

Yang Muye looked up at Cheng Feng: "Do you know anyone reliable? Preferably someone who doesn't look too old."

The first condition was fine, but the second condition put Cheng Feng in a difficult position.

Just then, Xu Hongdou, who was playing a game with Zixuan, suddenly spoke up: "The busker who lent you his guitar last night is in this circle. He doesn't look very old. You can ask him."

Cheng Feng immediately chimed in, "Yes, find Hu Youyu. That kid works at a bar, he must know the right people."

In front of everyone, Yang Muyi took out his phone and dialed Hu Youyu's number.

The person on the other end spoke first: "Hey, expert, what brings you here today? Why did you suddenly decide to call me?"

Is now a convenient time to talk?

"Sure, sure. I got a job singing at a bar, and it's not until 9:30 that I'm going on stage. I'm waiting right now. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I plan to sing a song at the school's welcome party and I'd like to find three musicians to accompany me: guitarist, bassist, and drummer."

"Just these three things?"

"Correct."

"That's easy. I can play bass, and I met a mixed-race girl at a bar the other day. She's not only beautiful, but she plays the guitar incredibly well too. The drummer is also easy to find—"

Hu Youyu didn't say it explicitly, but those who understand, understand.

You have to pay.

"Okay, I'll send you the sheet music later. You can find the right people, and we'll rehearse one day in advance. Each person will receive a fee of 500, and on the day of the actual performance, each person will receive 1,000."

“Singing just one song doesn’t need to cost that much; rehearsals and performances can be done for a thousand per person.”

"Okay, that's it."

Listening to Yang Muye make a phone call to Hu Youyu, Wu Di turned to Cheng Feng and whispered, "How about we don't go up there and make a fool of ourselves?"

Xia Qing immediately guessed what Wu Di was whispering to Cheng Feng and called him out on the spot: "Running away in the face of battle, are you even a man?"

Cheng Feng glanced at Xia Qing.

It wasn't you who went on stage, so of course you're the man!

Cheng Feng even suspected that Xia Qing deliberately wanted to see him embarrass himself.

At that moment, Xu Hongdou's voice rang out.

"The song 'The Breakup Alliance' is a bit old. I think the teachers sitting in the audience might prefer it. How about we try a newer song?"

Wu Di raised his head:
"For example?"

"How about 'Above the Moon'?"

Chen Nanxing answered quickly.

Xia Qing immediately chimed in, "This song is good, it will definitely have a wide audience, but I'm worried that the two of them won't be able to hit the high notes."

Wu Di and Cheng Feng exchanged a glance.

Phoenix Legend is very popular, but that doesn't stop many young people from thinking their songs are tacky.

At this time, they were still labeled as rustic and agricultural heavy metal.

Wu Di and Cheng Feng didn't say anything, but they were actually quite upset.

So everyone just wants them to be the source of amusement, to go on stage and make everyone laugh, right?
At this moment, Yang Muyi had finished his call with Hu Youyu. After hanging up, he said, "I don't think Phoenix Legend's songs are corny. You can imagine if you replaced Linghua with Angela Chang, Zeng Yi with Will Pan, and changed the arrangement style. I don't think many people would still think the energetic dance music is corny."

The main problem was that they were born at the wrong time, during the golden decade when the Chinese music scene was dominated by top artists.

If Phoenix Legend had debuted a decade or two later, coinciding with the explosion of short videos, their reputation would have been absolutely phenomenal.

The scene Yang Muye described was indeed exciting, but Cheng Feng and Wu Di didn't show much interest on their faces.

Just like Xia Qing said, even if Phoenix Legend's songs are adapted in a trendy way, the two of them still can't sing them high notes.

They can't hit high notes, and they can't rap.

"I did write a song similar in style to 'Above the Moon,' the kind that's both corny and trendy. Do you two want to give it a try?"

Cheng Feng and Wu Di were both surprised and moved.

Yang Muyi's comment that Phoenix Legend's songs aren't corny could be interpreted as just empty words of comfort to the two.

Now they've even brought out their own songs; this is definitely unwavering support.

The two appreciated the sentiment, but Ge still declined.

Wu Di proactively explained the reason: "It's not that we don't want to sing Mu Ye's songs, but we're afraid that, like Mu Ye just gave the example, if he sings them himself, it'll be like 'Angela Chang + Will Pan,' but if I and Feng Zi sing them, it'll become Phoenix Legend—"

"Be more confident, you two are probably not even as good as Phoenix Legend."

Xia Qing complained again.

She then explained that the attack was directed at Cheng Feng, and that Wu Di was simply an innocent bystander.

Why did you two have to go on stage together?
Liu Qing also looked regretful as she looked at Cheng Feng and Wu Di: "Isn't it too early to deny yourself now?"

You two should at least try to trick Yang Muyi into revealing that song first!
Xu Hongdou, Chen Nanxing, and Yang Zixi shared the same opinion. Even Gao Yunyue was curious about what song Yang Muye had written that could be both corny and trendy.

Under the curious gazes of the crowd, Yang Muyi decided to sing a short a cappella piece.

He picked up his wine glass and used it as a microphone, then cleared his throat.

"You are my little apple—"

puff!
Xu Hongdou, who was drinking juice, almost spat it out.

What the hell are these lyrics?

It sounds like a children's song, but something doesn't feel right.

The others didn't react much better than Xu Hongdou; they all stared wide-eyed.

Yang Muye remained unaffected and continued singing.

"Like the most beautiful cloud on the horizon."

Spring has arrived again, and flowers are blooming all over the hillsides.

"Sow hope and you will reap."

A change in singing style:
"I planted a seed, and it finally grew into a fruit."