bookmarkrole Chapter 171 Good things come to those who wait!
Chapter 171 Good things come to those who wait!
No sooner had Jiang Bai left than Lao Lei, like a dragon guarding a treasure, stared intently at the five newly recorded audio tracks on the computer screen.
"Masterpieces...they're all masterpieces!"
"If I, Lao Lei, manage to ruin these few songs in my lifetime, I'll eat this mixing console!"
Just as he was rubbing his hands together, ready to get to work.
Ding Dong!Ding Dong!
The "Kyoto Top Mixing Engineers Exchange Group" suddenly exploded.
When Lao Lei opened it, it was a barrage of voice messages from A-Qiang; he could practically feel the kid's spittle flying through the screen.
Dream-A-Qiang: "Brothers! Big news! Huge news!"
Dream-A-Qiang: "Remember that forest-style beauty I told you about last week who recorded a song here?"
Dream-A-Qiang: "Case solved! She's Jiang Baizhi, the contestant who got four turns on 'The Voice' this week! The goddess who sang 'Baby' and made the judges cry!"
Dream-A-Qiang: "Holy crap! My hands are shaking! I actually recorded a song for a god like this! My lousy studio is going to be famous! It's trending on Weibo!"
The group chat instantly erupted in envy, jealousy, and resentment:
"Really? Ah Qiang, you got incredibly lucky!"
"I saw it trending online; that girl is really beautiful. I can't believe she went to your lousy place?"
"If I become rich and powerful, let's not forget each other!"
After feeling smug, A-Qiang suddenly tagged Lao Lei.
Dream-A-Qiang: "@Thunder-Old Thunder Bro, didn't you say before that some amazing person came and that their songs would definitely be hits? Where are the songs? Have they become hits?"
Old Lei stared at the screen, his lips twitching.
This is just... bringing up the very thing I shouldn't have said!
He typed a reply, unconvinced:
Thunder's Chris Redknapp: "What's the rush! Good things come to those who wait!"
Lei Ting - Lao Lei: "That guy came again this afternoon! He recorded five songs in one go! Every single one is a hit! And the styles are all different! You guys just wait to be proven wrong!"
However, the sentiment in the group was overwhelmingly negative, with everyone mocking the other side.
"Five more songs recorded? Is this a wholesale order?"
"Old Lei, admit it, you just ran into a rich kid who's all hype himself up."
"If it sounds good but isn't popular, then it just doesn't sound good! The market is the only true test of quality!"
"Recording five songs in one afternoon? Even a superstar wouldn't dare to do that!"
Looking at the screen full of "hahahaha" and sarcastic remarks.
Old Lei was so angry that he slammed his phone on the table.
"A bunch of blind fools!"
He lit a cigarette in frustration and took a deep drag.
But then, Jiang Bai's confident gaze before he left, and his words, "My future is not a dream," flashed through his mind.
"That's right!"
"My future is not a dream!"
"This guy's future is definitely not just a dream!"
To cheer myself up, and also to wash away the bad luck brought by the mockery in the group.
Lao Lei turned the studio speakers up to the maximum and started playing "My Future Is Not a Dream".
"Are you bowing your head like I am in the sun?"
"Working hard silently while sweating profusely~"
The rousing melody instantly filled the entire basement.
As Lao Lei listened, he stopped feeling depressed and started swaying his tattooed arms to the rhythm, immersing himself in the exhilarating atmosphere.
Just then.
The studio door was pushed open.
A stylish young man with slicked-back hair walked in, holding a selfie stick.
This person is called "Karaoke King Xiao Kai". He is a singing streamer with tens of thousands of followers on short video platforms. He usually attracts fans by covering popular songs and doing funny things.
"Family! Today, Xiao Kai is taking you to a different place!"
"This is a hidden recording studio; I've heard many rock legends have recorded songs here!"
"Today, I'm also here to record one of my original singles for my family—'Loving You Hurts So Much'!"
Xiao Kai winked at the phone camera, while a few scattered comments and free virtual flowers floated across the screen.
Old Lei saw the guests. Although he didn't particularly like this kind of flamboyant streamer, it was still business.
He went to greet them and turned the volume down as he did so.
"You're here? It's Xiao Kai, the one who made the appointment, right?"
"Yes, yes, it's me."
While shaking hands with Lao Lei, Xiao Kai didn't forget to point the camera at Lao Lei's full-arm tattoos:
"Look, everyone! This is the boss! He's definitely a hardcore rocker! Look at that vibe!"
Old Lei frowned but didn't say anything.
"The equipment is inside. Shall I show you around first?"
"Alright, alright, let me show the family around!"
The two chatted for a few minutes and were about to go inside.
Sudden.
Xiao Kai's expression changed; he clutched his stomach, looking pained.
"Ouch... hiss..."
"Maybe it's because of that iced Americano I just drank..."
He glanced at his phone, which was still broadcasting live, then looked in the direction of the toilet, and stamped his feet in frustration.
"Boss! Help! This is an emergency!"
"Could you grab my phone? Don't turn off the live stream! I'm going to the restroom, I'll be right back!"
"Don't keep your family waiting!"
After saying that, without waiting for Lao Lei's reply, he shoved the selfie stick into Lao Lei's hand, then rushed towards the toilet with his buttocks tucked in.
"Huh? You......."
Old Lei held his phone, looking completely bewildered.
"What kind of mess is this?"
He glanced at his phone screen; there were only a few hundred viewers online, and the comments were sporadic.
[Did the streamer go to the bathroom?]
This boss looks really fierce.
[This is boring, I'm outta here.]
Lao Lei wasn't interested in this kind of live stream.
He casually propped his phone up on the console table, the camera not pointed at himself, but rather at the wall covered in pink wallpaper and Sailor Moon figurines.
The scene was extremely jarring.
At this time.
The store's speakers were still playing music.
Old Lei wasn't satisfied with just turning the volume down, so he casually turned it up again.
That was Jiang Bai's recording of "My Future Is Not a Dream," and it was playing the second verse, about to enter the climax of the chorus.
Lei sat back down in his chair, completely forgetting that he was still live-streaming.
He closed his eyes, tapped his fingers on the table, and spoke in the same high-pitched male voice.
"I know--"
"My future is not a dream!!!"
His slightly hoarse, smoky voice mingled with Jiang Bai's extremely penetrating voice from the speakers.
The original sound, as powerful as thunder, was transmitted into the live broadcast room without reservation through the phone's microphone.
........
Inside the rental house.
Wang Qiang is an ordinary migrant worker who works 996 every day to make a living.
Today, finally able to rest, he lay in his shared apartment of only twenty square meters.
A day has passed, and my stomach is rumbling.
He opened a packet of instant noodles and, while waiting for the noodles to cook, idly scrolled through live streams on his phone.
Big data pushed a live stream to him called "Xiao Kai the Karaoke King".
Without much thought, Wang Qiang clicked on it.
The scene shows a recording studio decorated in a rather... pinkish style? A rugged, heavily tattooed man has his back to the camera.
"What's this? Macho pink?" Wang Qiang's lips twitched, and he was about to swipe away.
Suddenly, a burst of rousing singing came from the phone.
"Are you bowing your head like I am in the sun?"
"Working hard silently while sweating profusely~"
Wang Qiang's fingers froze.
These lyrics... why do they sound so heartbreaking?
Working with his head down and sweating under the sun, isn't that him?
Isn't this just like the millions of ordinary people struggling in the city?
He didn't swipe away, but listened quietly.
The music went down a bit in the middle, but it was still audible.
"Are you like me, experiencing indifference?"
"I won't give up on the life I want~"
Wang Qiang's eyes felt a little hot.
He recalled his ambitions when he first arrived in the big city, the humiliation of being kicked out by his landlord, and the grievances of being harassed by clients.
But he never gave up. No matter how difficult life got, he still wanted to settle down in this city and live the life he wanted.
Immediately afterwards, the volume suddenly increased, and the chorus erupted.
"I know--"
"My future is not a dream!!!"
That high-pitched, loud, and powerful voice was like a sharp sword, instantly piercing through the gloom in Wang Qiang's heart.
"My future is not a dream..." Wang Qiang murmured to himself.
Looking at the cheap instant noodles in his hand, he suddenly realized they weren't so bad after all.
He ate the noodles in big mouthfuls, swallowing his tears along with the noodle soup.
"This song... is fucking awesome!"
Wang Qiang not only didn't leave the live stream, but he also followed the streamer and typed a message in the chat:
This song really touched my heart! What's the song title?