I am a Big Player

Chapter 71: 70, South of South Mountain, north of the sea there is a gravestone_1 Chapter 71: 70, South of South Mountain, north of the sea there is a gravestone_1 The two spent the entire day at the zoo until the closing time at 5 p.m., and by the time they left, they had left behind a legend: a young guy came with his own carrots to feed the animals…

After this round of feeding, Ren He had made a point clear to Yang Xi… pandas don’t eat carrots, and these national treasures aren’t allowed to be fed by visitors anyway.

As they had dinner that evening, they overheard people at the next table discussing the two songs they’d sung at yesterday’s event. The pair exchanged a smile; last night’s experience was like a secret shared between just the two of them, bonding them tightly like a small clique.

When they thought about this secret, there were only two kinds of people in the world: those who knew the secret, and those who did not.

In their hearts, these two kinds of people were distinctly separate.

A trip to Capital wouldn’t be complete for Ren He without seeing Zhou Wumeng. Ren He remembered fondly the kindness the old man had shown him. He dialed Zhou Wumeng’s number: “Hey, old man, I’m in Capital. Let me take you out for dinner.”

Zhou Wumeng, who was reviewing manuscripts in the office of Capital Journalism Group, perked up instantly, “When did you arrive in Capital, kid?”

“Er… just this afternoon. I’ll take you out for dinner tomorrow,” Ren He couldn’t possibly confess that he had been there for a day without getting in touch.

Laughing merrily, Zhou Wumeng said, “Smart move contacting me first thing. Coming to Capital just to buy me dinner, I will have to make you spend a bit, and then I’ve got some great news to tell you!”

Great news? Ren He’s first thought was that it might be related to Kunlun’s copyright issue. It couldn’t be the rich guy Xia Yuting spoke of, could it? As for Zhou Wumeng’s comment about bleeding him dry, that was no big deal. The other man knew how much he had made in royalties and that he had money now.

Moreover, Ren He was well aware of the kind of person he was—just saying so without choosing anywhere too expensive. He knew Ren He loved money, so he was probably just teasing him.

“Alright then, I’ll look forward to hearing your good news tomorrow,” Ren He hung up, chuckling.

Yang Xi transferred all the beef from her bowl of beef noodles to Ren He’s bowl: “Mr. Zhou Wumeng?”

“Yeah, that’s him. Kunlun’s smooth release is all thanks to his help,” Ren He explained. He really had nothing to hide from Yang Xi. If she didn’t ask, he wouldn’t show off needlessly, but if she did, he would definitely give her the truth.

But there was one thing Yang Xi couldn’t figure out: How had Ren He met Zhou Wumeng? When she transferred schools, her classmate Zhou Muqi happened to be Zhou Wumeng’s granddaughter, so her classmates were also aware of the influence Zhou Wumeng had on China’s literary scene.

She asked, “How did you meet him? It seems like you’ve known each other for more than just a day or two.”

“Oh, I wrote a Three Character Classic before; I met him around that time,” as Ren He ate his beef noodles, he replied: “Why are you not eating the beef?”

“You eat more; I’m not very hungry,” Yang Xi said with a serene smile.

Ren He suddenly remembered a joke from his family. His dad, Ren, was most touched when his mom, Mrs. Ren, would always give him the meat in the noodle stew. Back then, they were poor, and going to a restaurant for a simple noodle dish was considered a treat.

Thinking back, Ren He found it amusing.

However, it was only then that Yang Xi realized, “You wrote the Three Character Classic too?”

“Yeah,” Ren He nodded.

No wonder when she initially refused to accept the songs he gifted her, he told her he had other ways to make money and didn’t care much about it. Thinking back to when she thought he was bragging, Yang Xi wanted to laugh.

Turns out, this young man was far more extraordinary than she had ever imagined.

Ren He wiped his mouth after finishing his noodles and stood up with determination, “Let’s go, we’re taking on another place today!”

The two of them headed straight for Back Sea. Ren He had scoped it out yesterday: there were exactly four folk-themed bars, perfect for singing one song at each, to complete all five songs! After that, they would call it a day and head home!

…

Come evening, as the bars became busy, Xie Zexi envied the bustling crowd at the bar opposite, she too owned a folk bar, having decided to stay in Capital after graduation to struggle and eventually earned her first gold nugget. Because she loved folk music, she opened this bar named “Alley”.

Actually, business at both bars was initially similar, but after yesterday’s incident of two teenagers making a surprise appearance during Wang Quan’s new song release, the other bar’s business was noticeably better than hers today.

People were drawn there by reputation.

At 27 years old, Xie Zexi sat at the bar counter, her face leaning on her hands as she looked outside, in the bloom of youth but with a trace of melancholy.

Just then, the sound of the doorbell rang, and she turned her head to see two young men in duckbill caps walking in from the outside. Xie Zexi was stunned because she had been in the bar opposite yesterday, due to liking Wang Quan’s song “On the Road”, so she had personally seen Ren He and Yang Xi…

But now she was stunned because she had never imagined that these two would appear here. Why?! Xie Zexi couldn’t help asking herself.

“Boss, can we sing here?” Ren He’s lips curled upward slightly beneath his duckbill cap.

“Yes!” Xie Zexi suddenly stood up from the bar, “You can sing! Absolutely you can sing. Do you need any help with anything? Do you want a performance fee?”

“No need for a performance fee, we’ll sing for free, a new song!” Ren He said with a smile, as the whole purpose of this trip was to help Yang Xi launch his career, so making money was not necessary.

Xie Zexi felt as if her head had been struck by a huge surprise. Her brain was a mess for a moment as she had listened to the two of them sing “Go to Dali” and “The Brightest Star in the Night Sky” yesterday. That stunning feeling was beyond words. But what had he just said? Another new song?!

Would the new song continue to be amazing? Xie Zexi secretly wondered. It’s a widely acknowledged fact in the industry that good songs are hard to come by. That’s why she thought this way.

Two good songs already, could the new song continue to impress?

Ren He seemed to see through her thoughts and said with a laugh, “If it’s not good, I’ll pay you.”

“No, no, I didn’t mean it that way,” Xie Zexi, realizing that he was very confident, worried she might say something wrong and cause them to switch to another bar. Even if the new song wasn’t good, at least her bar would definitely do booming business tonight. Xie Zexi cautiously asked, “Can I promote the fact that you guys are singing here? After all… my place is a bit empty.”

“Sure, of course. We’ll start singing in 10 minutes. You have 10 minutes,” Ren He knew she would do this because no one would turn away from money. Plus, he hoped she would do this because he wasn’t some self-admiring artist. Ren He’s greatest dream was to have others say he reeked of the smell of copper…

He hoped that even if he sat quietly somewhere in the future, people would say he emitted a warm and wealthy aura…

“Could you tell me the name of the song you’re singing today?” Xie Zexi asked.

“South of South Mountain!”

“Um… Boss, does your place have a back door?”

“Yes!”