I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 291 The Truth: The Crucible (45)

The plane has taken off!
My mom didn't sleep well last night, so she fell asleep as soon as she got on the plane.

Qianqian, meanwhile, was holding a French travel guidebook and listening to the recordings while learning French.

This time, she really wanted to put her heart into it.

Leslie Cheung then took out the sheet music that Liu Jin had given him.

Use somebody?

"I've been roaming around, always looking down at all I see
Painted faces fill the places I can't reach
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Leslie Cheung's eyes lit up.

He's not just someone who sings pop songs.

In fact, Leslie Cheung's musical style was quite diverse.

He can handle pop, dance music, soul, or jazz.

For example, his composition "So Far, So Near" belongs to psychedelic electronic music.

Similarly, he also plays rock music.

But to be honest, there is no fertile ground for rock music to thrive on Hong Kong Island.

Even Beyond, who were once a prominent band, were later forced to leave Hong Kong Island and move to a smaller city.

Yes, it's a place with a strong commercial focus.

But there is no thought!

That land could not nurture the spirit of rock and roll.

Leslie Cheung also sang rock songs, such as his 1989 hit "Stormy Family," which was an adaptation of "I CAN'T BREAK AWAY" by the Australian rock band Big Pig. He also sang "Refuse to Play Again," another rock song that was quite popular in Hong Kong for a period of time.

However, Hong Kong Island did not provide him with the space to continue creating.

What's with all this rock and roll stuff? What's with all this talk about spirit?

If you just buy the copyright to a song and get a few lyricists to work on it, you can make a hit song. Why bother with rock?

That's about it!

But deep down, Leslie Cheung always harbored a rock and roll dream.

Don't forget, the time he was studying in the UK was the time when the Beatles were sweeping the globe.

Music fans all over the world have been baptized by rock and roll.

Leslie Cheung studied in the UK, so he was inevitably influenced by it.

Even after his comeback, his performances in many concerts, including those featuring songs like "Red" and "I," all reflected his singing style.

The song Liu Jin gifted him, "Use somebody," is a 2009 song by Kings of Leon from America. Kings of Leon was founded in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999.

At this point, it was still nobady.

The song "Use somebody" won three awards at the 52nd Grammy Awards.

Record of the Year, Best Rock Group, and Best Rock Song.

The reason Liu Jin chose this song was that he felt Leslie Cheung's deep voice was somewhat similar to that of Anthony Caleb Followill, the lead singer of King Leon. Given Leslie Cheung's singing skills, there shouldn't be any problem.

Whether he could become a hit depended on Leslie Cheung's talent.

Liu Jin just didn't want him to overthink things all day; he should use that time to sing properly.

In fact, since 00, Lao Zhang has hardly released any new works; he has mainly focused on concerts...

He wanted to find something for Lao Zhang to do!
After all, he will need to live in Shanghai for a long time.

While they avoided the Hong Kong media, it still felt a little uneasy if there was nothing to do.

It is now September 2002!

Only seven months had passed since he took his own life.

Liu Jin hopes his brother can live!

It may be tough, but staying alive is the most important thing.

……

17 Rue Saint-Jacques has returned to peace.

After her mother left, Eva was somewhat unhappy.

Julie and Adrian are in a better position; having lost their best feeder, they can now lose weight.

They've gotten quite fat lately.

After a day of feeling unwell, Liu Jin resumed writing.

However, this time, his speed seemed to have increased significantly, from four or five thousand words a day to about seven thousand words a day.

Practice makes perfect!
I hadn't written by hand for a long time, so I was a bit rusty.

I'm writing a bit slowly because I also need to spend time with my mom.

Now that his mother and the others have passed away, he can finally continue creating in peace.

A week has passed in the blink of an eye.

The sadness from my mother's passing has subsided.

The 13th, Friday.

Liu Jin arrived at the school to register.

Upon arriving at school, I heard some explosive news.

Lydia has been fired!

Not only was he expelled, but he was also arrested for allegedly embezzling school assets.

"What's going on? Is it really that ruthless?"

Liu Jin immediately became interested and kept asking Xiao Qiao questions.

Qiao Sang—no, I should call him the Director of General Affairs now—he actually got promoted!

He used to be Old Pi's assistant, seemingly glamorous, but actually suppressed by Lydia. Now, he's turned the tables and become the master!

Xiao Qiao said, "You know about the housing allowance for international students, right?"

"do not know!"

“Okay, so when you international students come here, the Higher Education Agency gives you a housing allowance... You definitely don't need it, you buy your own place to live. At our school, besides you, only Kasimi does that.”

"Casimi didn't leave?"

Where did he go?!

Hmm, that's strange.

As far as I can remember, Kasimmi took a leave of absence and returned to China in the second year, which was Liu Jin's third year.

How come he hasn't taken a leave of absence from school?

Has nothing happened to his family?
Pshaw, it's best if nothing happens. At least he has a good relationship with Kasimi, so why would he want something to happen to Kasimi's family?
However, if he doesn't drop out of school...

Does that mean his BMW Z8, which he bought in the first half of the year, is now out of the question?
Liu Jin hadn't changed his car; he had his eye on Kasimmi's Z8.
It's not actually that expensive, around two or three hundred thousand euros.

But, no matter how you buy it, it's never as comfortable to drive as someone else's car.

Liu Jin felt a little disappointed.

"How much money did Lydia embezzle?"

"Over the past few years, it has totaled more than two million francs."

Yes, the price of a Z8.

"She's in big trouble! But didn't her boss support her?"

Lydia has powerful backers on the school board.

Xiao Qiao chuckled and whispered, "Her boss went bankrupt and has been kicked out of the board of directors! The one who's in charge now is the principal's boss. Didn't you see it just now? The principal's demeanor has become noticeably more outstanding."

“Monsieur le Directeur, your smile just now was so obsequious.”

"Amos, you need to show me some respect from now on, understand?"

"I understand, I understand, I understand!"

Liu Jin couldn't help laughing.

Um, that French phrase means "Director".

……

I ate a big melon and felt completely satisfied.

After reporting for duty, Liu Jin went straight home.

Martina and her two friends had a blast in Argentina and have just transferred to New York. They bought tickets for the 17th.

Serena won't be coming back; we've lost another good friend.

Yang Dongqi is becoming more and more like a working-class person, and he is getting closer to Ma Jie.

And there's not much to talk about...

Sun Yue has broken up with his girlfriend.

Currently shrouded in low pressure, I feel like I have to say something to everyone I meet.

Liu Jin had anticipated this outcome.

French girls crave romance, freedom, and female independence.

Sun Yue gave Elodie too little space, and the two had argued before the holiday.

Liu Jin did not intend to get involved in this kind of thing.

I don't have a very good relationship with the other people in the class, so there's no need to try to get closer to them.

As for the second-year students (the 2001 Huaguo Class), Deng Fei had not yet returned, and Liu Jin was even less familiar with the others.

When I got home, I wrote for two hours on the terrace.

Toulouse in September is not as hot as it is in July and August, but it is a bit stuffy.

This kind of weather will last for a month.

By October, the weather will turn cooler, and the crisp autumn air will make things much more comfortable.

Liu Jin made a simple dinner.

Before my mom left, she made a jar of fried sauce, which can be used after being heated slightly.

I cooked some spaghetti, sliced ​​a plate of braised beef, and then poured myself a glass of local Franton wine…

Of course, not the particularly expensive Franton, but ordinary wine.

Very cheap, five-liter oak barrel for twenty-five euros.

This wine is just an aperitif; there's not much to savor.

Liu Jin sat down on the carpet in the living room, with two small dogs lying beside him, staring intently at the braised beef on the table.

It tastes like Grandma's cooking; we've been drooling over Grandma's cooking.

Eva jumped onto the coffee table and sat there steadily, like a well-behaved little lady.

Liu Jin turned on the TV, gave some food to the puppy and the kitten respectively, and ate his spaghetti with sauce while looking up at the TV.

"Special report tonight at 8 PM: The Crucible, the truth!"

"This program is based on the latest information obtained through the personal investigation of LCI reporter Melissa Terrio..."

A pretty little girl appeared on the television screen.

She seemed to have lost a lot of weight and looked a little haggard.

His arm was bandaged, clearly indicating an injury!
But her eyes were exceptionally bright…

(End of this chapter)