Rock and Roll: Glorious Years

Ai Hao was amused by Bian Lang's words: "Brother Lang, you're really too focused on music! It's true that our Xibiqi Beer used to be the local powerhouse, just like you said, in Kunming and even the whole of Yunnan Province, no one could beat us, but outside of Yunnan Province, we still couldn't beat anyone!"

"But the market environment is changing too fast now. Two years ago, Kleiber acquired Cang'er Brewery. We can't compare with their advertising and distribution fees. Last year, Chuncheng's market share dropped from 70% to 60%, and it has dropped another 10% in the past six months. If this continues, our factory may not be able to escape being acquired by those big foreign brands and capital."

Bian Lang thought that made sense; staying in one place would only lead to bankruptcy or being acquired.

In the past, most local beer companies in China followed a similar development path. If they couldn't expand nationwide, they were inevitably acquired. The outcomes varied: some were allowed to retain their brand and grow stronger, while others were simply reduced to contract manufacturers for their parent companies.

"So, what's the plan now that it's settled? Your old man can't possibly hold you back on the budget at a time like this, right?" While asking, Lang skillfully reached out to protect the cigarette Ai Haojing was offering and lit it for him.

"The budget isn't blocked, but my dad and Uncle Bian both felt the proposal wasn't quite right, so it hasn't been approved yet."

Now Bian Lang understands that his father wasn't really involved at all. It was just that Ai Hao's father felt it was inappropriate and was afraid of dampening Ai Hao's enthusiasm, so he brought Bian Lang's father in as a mediator.

Bian Lang's father was a factory manager in charge of production, and he was absolutely in charge of his own area. But getting involved in marketing and having to consider the relationship between the two companies was a task that his temperament and personality, which were similar to the original owner's, couldn't handle. So, he had to let Bian Lan, who inherited Bian Lang's mother's emotional intelligence, take over.

"Then you and my sister talk about serious matters first, and then we can have a good drink!" Bian Lang knew he wouldn't get a word in edgewise, so he opened a bottle of the Pizza Hut that Ai Hao had brought and was about to pour wine for Liu Yingying.

"Thank you, but I don't drink beer in public." Liu Yingying politely declined, her voice slightly affected, whether intentionally imitating or just naturally like that was unclear.

Bian Lang paused for a moment while pouring the beer, then deftly turned his wrist to the left, the mouth of the beer bottle drawing a semi-circle in the air, carrying the foam that was about to overflow, perfectly avoiding Liu Yingying's glass.

Then Bian Lang took a sip of the wine directly from the bottle, grinned, and said, "Hey, this good stuff is going to be a lucky break for this wild boar!"

Upon hearing this, Ai Hao's expression immediately changed, and he angrily retorted to Liu Yingying, "Yingying, what are you saying? Brother Lang and Sister Lan are family. If you're not feeling well, just say so. Don't act like an actor here!"

After "scolding" his girlfriend, Ai Hao apologized to the siblings: "Sister Lan, Brother Lang, I'm so sorry, Yingying just had eye surgery these past few days. Her eyes can't be exposed to direct light, and she can't drink alcohol. I'll take responsibility for hers later! By the way, Brother Lang, you haven't met Yingying before, so let me formally introduce her to you. She's my girlfriend, Liu Yingying, a TV drama actress. Brother Lang, if you ever have any opportunities in that field, please help her out!"

"Yingying, call him Brother Lang. You saw the trending topic today, right? My Brother Lang is a truly talented person. From now on, when directors come to me for OSTs, I'll just mention it to them...!"

When Liu Yingying first saw this trending topic, she thought that the business skills and luck of this company were top-notch, which made her extremely envious!

Not only did they inexplicably gain attention from Wu Ya, someone they had absolutely no connection with, but they also managed to get Wu Ya to personally issue a statement saying that his music video was a video showcasing the Loop Station production process, not an actual recording session!

As for the magical operation of the magic disc, even she, a person in the entertainment industry, said she couldn't understand it at all!

But when Ai Hao enthusiastically recommended Bian Lang as his childhood friend, her positive impression of him immediately crumbled, and she even felt a pang of jealousy.

After hearing Ai Hao's flattery again, she completely lost her composure.

The top singer Ai Hao is negotiating a collaboration with is her idol, Xia Yuxi. If she can finalize the collaboration, she'll have the opportunity to meet her idol directly, and maybe even get a chance to appear in his music video...

But now, her boyfriend puts Bian Lang and Xia Yuxi on the same level, and even thinks Bian Lang is better than Xia Yuxi, so how could she possibly give him a good look? That's why she blurted out a sarcastic remark earlier.

Seeing that her boyfriend had "lost his temper," she didn't dare to continue to show her displeasure: "Brother Lang, I'm sorry about earlier. Once I'm feeling better, I'll treat you and Sister Lan to a nice meal."

After all, putting aside feelings and talking about reality, a fourth or fifth-tier actress like her, with her looks, is definitely not as good-looking as Bian Lang, who is closely related to the family business, in the eyes of Ai Hao, a rich second-generation. Moreover, the promise Ai Hao made to her is not impossible.

"It's okay. I treat you like family, so I haven't been holding back my words. Sis, you guys chat, don't worry about me..." Bian Lang waved his hand and started drinking his beer.

To be fair, compared to the mass-market beers he had drunk in his previous life, his own Xibiqi's taste is above average. However, its malt concentration of 12 and alcohol content of 5.3% no longer meet the current trend of most young people preferring lighter and more refreshing beers. Therefore, the decline in market share is also related to the product itself.

While he was pondering, he overheard the gist of the matter, only hearing bits and pieces of what happened.

Xia Yuxi had never endorsed alcohol before, but his price was higher than other categories. The fee for a year's use of his image plus a custom-made promotional song was seven figures starting with 3. There was also an additional condition that he must exclusively sponsor his concert in Kunming this year.

In the original owner's memory, this 90s-born A-list artist was known for spending a lot of money on concerts. Once in Beijing, he said that he was willing to lose eight figures to present the most perfect stage in his heart to his fans. At the time, the original owner just took this news as a joke.

Bian Lang thought this was really ridiculous. Those eight figures weren't his own money; the organizers paid for them all. The singers just received a fixed performance fee.

Xia Yuxi's reputation is extremely polarized; for every die-hard fan, there are just as many haters, and casual observers' opinions are also inconsistent. The original owner had no recollection of a single word of his songs, only vaguely remembering that he had some kind of title like "the number one singer-songwriter of the new generation."

"Old foxes are wiser! Ai Hao's dad was right to stop it! Putting aside the cost, hiring someone like that as a spokesperson is too risky. I don't know what Ai Hao was thinking..."

Seeing that his older sister was getting a little tired from talking, but Ai Hao still looked very confident, and considering that his family had a share in the money, Bian Lang hesitated for a while before finally speaking up: "Ai Hao, I think you should put this on hold for now, talk to someone else, and see if there's anyone more suitable."

Ai Hao knew Bian Lang to some extent. In the few years since he came back and started working at the brewery, he had never seen Bian Lang come to the factory, let alone visit it. According to Bian Lang's father, Bian Lang never asked a word about the family business.

Why did he actually speak up today? What's going on?

"Brother Lang, you're also in the entertainment industry, so since you've asked, give me some advice!" Ai Hao wasn't just being argumentative; he genuinely wanted to hear Bian Lang's suggestions.

Although Bian Lang is not a professional, he was under Modern Group in his previous life. He witnessed how Carlsberg and Modern Group cooperated and gradually divided up the domestic beer market.

"Why don't you try collaborating with a music festival first? There should be a lot of overlap between people who love beer and people who work at music festivals."

"Music festival? Brother Lang, are you serious? I don't think the influence of those bands at music festivals can compare to Xia Yuxi's at all! A music festival might only have 10,000 or 20,000 people attending at most, but Xia Yuxi's concerts, even the worst ones, have at least 40,000 people." Liu Yingying couldn't hold back any longer this time.