Huayu 1995

Chapter 11 Mining is so hard

"Hi, Little Red Riding Hood!"

Su Chao entered the music store and greeted Lin Zhiqing inside.

"So early, are you ready? Were you too excited to sleep last night?"

Lin Zhiqing saw Su Chao and immediately dropped the rag in her hand and rushed over.

This summer vacation is so boring.

It's rare to find such an interesting person. I'm really looking forward to him singing his original song "Goodbye" in front of a lot of people.

"You slept well. How about Sister Mengmeng?"

How could Su Chao be so excited that he couldn't sleep? He was a man who had seen the world.

Moreover, he now has the buffs of time travel and the system. Fortunately, poverty limits his prestige, otherwise he would be unbelievable.

"She was trying out the piano in the music room... Why do you call me Little Red Riding Hood?"

Lin Zhiqing belatedly realized that Su Chao's way of addressing her was not quite right.

"Because it's cute!"

We definitely can't tell the truth, and besides, the girl is only sixteen or seventeen years old; there's still a chance to salvage the situation.

"You have good taste, sis!"

Lin Zhiqing called out inside, and Lin Zhimeng came out quickly.

Unlike yesterday's more casual, homey look, today Thor is sporting jeans that accentuate his long legs, a white shirt that looks like it's about to burst, and large, Hong Kong-style earrings that even his long, flowing hair can't hide.

Su Chao was full of praise.

With that look and appearance, if she started live streaming 20 years from now, she could definitely build an account with tens of millions of followers.

Those internet celebrities are all incredibly low-class.

"Here, sign this..."

Lin Zhimeng found the installment agreement and laid it out in front of Su Chao.

In business, the proper procedures must be followed.

Don't think that just because you're handsome I won't charge you.

After signing the document, Su Chao also mortgaged the copyright certificate he had just received to Xiaolin Musical Instrument Store.

This thing isn't actually very useful.

Unless the Scottish Premiership needs to be involved in a copyright lawsuit.

"Thank you, Sister Mengmeng..."

Even though he was no longer a good person, Su Chao was still somewhat moved.

Lin Zhimeng gave him not only a guitar, but also a guitar case, guitar cloth, picks, spare strings, string winder, tuner, wrench... she even gave him a guitar tablature and a textbook.

The free gifts add up to quite a bit of money.

Now that we're giving them all to him, Kobayashi Music Store really won't make much money off this guitar.

Moreover, there are also the risks associated with installment payments.

Sis, before I just thought you had a great figure, but now I think you're a really nice person too!
There's no way to repay you, I can only...

"It's getting late, you should hurry up and go!"

Lin Zhimeng couldn't take it anymore.

"Goodbye then, I'll bring you some delicious food next time I come."

"Just don't forget to bring money. If you dare not pay back the money, I'll send you to work in a black coal mine to pay off your debt."

Lin Zhimeng said fiercely.

"One, two, three, four, five, mining is so hard!"

Su Chao hummed a song, slung his bag over his shoulder, and took away the guitar worth five thousand yuan without spending a penny.

"Sis, what are you looking at? Are you worried too...?"

The two sisters watched Su Chao's figure disappear into the distance when Little Red Riding Hood suddenly said something.

"You idiot, I'm afraid he'll run off with our guitars!"

Lin Zhimeng slapped her sister's buttocks.

"Sis, do you think Su Chao, who is so handsome and talented, will be ostracized or taken advantage of at the karaoke bar?"

Little Red Riding Hood was worried.

Actually, Su Chao was only one year older than her, and he had already ventured out on his own.

"With a brain like yours, you actually have the mind to worry about others. You should worry about yourself first."

Lin Zhimeng was so angry she laughed.

"Sis, I want to go to a karaoke bar too..."

Lin Zhiqing is used to being teased. Her sister is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and she must be even more worried than Lin Zhiqing.

"You're not even an adult yet, what are you doing going to karaoke bars? Stay home and study properly, or you'll be in for a beating next year."

Lin Zhimeng wanted to hit someone again.

"Sis, don't think I don't know, you called him this morning."

Little Red Riding Hood isn't afraid at all.

Her sister looks fierce, but she never bites anyone.

"You're overthinking it. Go do your homework!"

Lin Zhimeng started to get annoyed.

It's a kind of anger and embarrassment at being seen through.

Su Chao has just come of age.

She didn't know whether helping Su Chao sing at the Casablanca nightclub was a good thing or a bad thing.

It's still the same theory about raising cats.

When taking a cat to the vet, it's reasonable to wonder if the vet is reliable.

Meanwhile, Su Chao had already trekked several kilometers and appeared at the entrance of Casablanca.

The Guo brothers were waiting here.

"This is my brother Guo Xiaofeng, and this is Su Chao. We all call him Brother Chao."

"Brother Chao, I've heard so much about you!"

"Haha, hello Feng-ge. Xiaodong has only known me for two days, so it's a bit too much to say 'I've heard so much about you'."

Su Chao and Guo Xiaofeng shook hands.

Actually, Guo Xiaofeng is five or six years older than him, so he shouldn't have accepted this "Brother Chao".

But who can blame Su Chao for being so shameless?

"Just call me Xiaofeng. My younger brother has been talking about you these past few days, saying you're a capable person and he hopes you'll take good care of him in the future."

It was indeed the first time Guo Xiaofeng had met Su Chao, but Su Chao had already taken his place in his younger brother's heart.

"Okay, let's go."

Su Chao distributed his belongings to the two brothers and then swaggered inside, only to be stopped by security guards as expected.

"What are you doing? The door isn't open yet."

Lu Bu pretended not to know them.

He and several security guards stood at the entrance, and when the store opened, two rows of alluring, fallen women would greet the guests there.

Welcome, distinguished guest.

Of course, in the eyes of these security guards, Su Chao also had the appearance of a wayward teenager.

This guy is so handsome, it's a shame he's not a gigolo.

Moreover, Su Chao was wearing a black sleeveless vest today. He wasn't particularly muscular, but the muscle lines he showed were very aesthetically pleasing.

It is of better quality than ordinary ducks.

"My friend recommended me to apply for a resident singer position here. Could you take me to meet the manager?"

Su Chao's most impressive quality is that he never shows any remorse, whether he's telling the truth or lying.

He always makes people unconsciously trust him.

He said a friend recommended him to come.

To others, it would sound like this friend had spoken with the manager and then asked him to come and try it out.

"Brother Wang, do we need a singer?"

Lu Bu turned to the security captain and asked, "He's short, right? I'll take him to see General Manager Yan."

The security captain wouldn't give up such an opportunity to shine in front of the leaders to a temporary worker.

He overlooked the fact that he should first check with the manager.

"These two are my assistants, they're helping me with things like my guitar..."

So the Guo brothers swaggered in after them.

There's nothing we can do; Su Chao is just too confident.

So confident were the Guo brothers that they believed someone—perhaps a friend of the karaoke bar owner, or a big shot in the industry—had introduced Su Chao to sing at the karaoke bar.

Even the so-called interviews are nothing more than a formality.

Along the way, the security captain enthusiastically introduced the karaoke bar to everyone.

The first floor is the lobby, with a bar, booths, and a dance floor.

This place is a music and tea lounge during the day, and you can drink and listen to music at night. Sometimes there are even author signings or poetry readings.

This is probably why Casablanca is considered more artistic.

This is why Casablanca's lineup of resident singers is unique in the entire capital city.

The second floor has private rooms with one-way glass.

The security captain had a particularly lewd smile when he introduced this part.

However, he wouldn't go into the specifics.

Su Chao secretly curled his lip.

What's the point of making it so mysterious? It's just choosing a concubine, isn't it?
There will be dancers in the stage area of ​​the lobby on the first floor. You can call any of them you like to a private room. Whether or not you do anything there is up to you.

Of all the filth and darkness, this is the least.

The third floor is the office area.

"Mr. Yan, the applicant for the resident singer position has arrived."

The security captain knocked on the door.

A gust of cool air hit him in the face; this was the first time Su Chao had felt the air conditioning since his rebirth.

Damn it, even air conditioning has become a luxury item.

There are two people in the office.

Su Chao didn't know President Yan, but he knew someone else.

Wu Xiubo.

Wu Xiubo was approaching thirty at this time.

He is definitely a late bloomer.

However, Wu Xiubo at this time was different from the one Su Chao remembered.

It's not that he's that young now.

In fact, Wu Xiubo at this time did not look nearly as dashing as he would later become.

He is a bit too fat.

In the movie "Infernal Affairs II", Ni Kun has a catchphrase: "When you're out in the world, no matter what you've done, you have to pay the price."

The Mandarin meaning is, "If you're going to be in this business, you'll eventually get fat."

Although later public records show that Wu Xiubo is 178cm tall, this guy's real height is definitely below 175cm.

He was 174cm tall when he first became famous, but after he became popular, he became 178cm.
I don't know what the underlying principle is.

However, whether it's 175 or 174, his weight of over 85 kilograms is excessive.

My double chin is almost showing.

His mind was brimming with wisdom, which somehow made his face look bigger.

While Su Chao was sizing up Wu Xiubo, Wu Xiubo was also sizing up Su Chao.

Young, handsome, and has a great physique!
"Applying to be a singer?"

Mr. Yan seemed a little confused.

"The owner of Xiaolin Musical Instrument Store introduced me to this place."

Regardless of whether Lin Zhimeng's name is effective or not, it's better than having no reason at all. What if they say they're not hiring any singers? Then all our efforts today would have been for nothing.

"Oh, I remember now, Kobayashi Musical Instruments, what's your relationship with them?"

Mr. Yan realized what was happening.

“I learned guitar from the owner there, and she also helped guide me on my original songs.”

Su Chao's words were half false, and the other half... was also false.

He reflects on himself three times every night before going to sleep:
Did you tell the truth today?
He didn't say!

Well done!

"You can even write original songs..."

Mr. Yan looked very surprised.

Of course, it was just surprise.

Anyone who comes to Beijing to play music will more or less create some notes that they think they know.

Therefore, there is no reason for them to look at Su Chao with new respect because of this.

"We don't allow original songs to be sung here. If you want to sing your own original songs, you have to wait until after midnight."

Wu Xiubo, who was sitting on the sofa, did not leave.

What style are you good at? Can you sing Cantonese songs?

What the karaoke bar needs most right now is Cantonese singers, and Mr. Yan has been racking his brains over this for a long time.

"Yes, I can. My Cantonese is pretty good. I can communicate normally with people in Cantonese."

This is a skill accumulated from a previous life.

Unfortunately, back when he was in school, this skill was only useful for occasionally showing off or cursing someone; it had no other practical applications.

"Really? Who taught you Cantonese... I'm Yan Siyuan, the music director of our karaoke bar. Come on, come down with me and give it a try. No matter who introduced you, you can only stay if you sing well."

General Manager Yan stood up.

Wu Xiubo followed Su Chao downstairs.

He is Casablanca's star player, but he is currently facing two critical issues.

The first is that he has gained weight.

At first, I didn't pay much attention, but by the time I realized the problem, my belly was already quite noticeable.
Even her face, which she relied on for survival, became swollen.

He had to change his previous dapper style of "tailored suits" and started to use oversized shirts and vests to cover up his outfits.

However, a rich woman's eyes don't lie.

Before, his eyes were full of infatuation, but now they are filled with disgust.

Damn it, these fat bastards!

When he left his wealthy home to come to Casablanca, they claimed to be devoted to each other until death.

Now look what's happened! Just because he's gained weight, they're all going to high-end nightclubs to hug male models.

Wu Xiubo's second question was whether he should continue singing in bars.

In the beginning, he came to perform at the resident venue hoping that one day he could officially debut as a singer.

However, over the years, he has witnessed one generation of resident singers come and go, with only a very few achieving fame and most fading into obscurity.

He's almost thirty, and people still call him the top star.

They demonstrated through their actions what it means to lose face completely.

There will never be a place for him in the entertainment industry again.

He has saved up quite a bit of money over the years.

I was thinking of quitting altogether, quitting my job, quitting being a rich woman, and using the money to start a business.

Whether it's a restaurant or a beauty salon, you become a Buddha or an ancestor yourself.

Today, a man surnamed Yan approached him and advised him to lose weight quickly, saying that if he didn't lose weight, his treatment at the karaoke bar would be reduced.

Oh dear, I'm so scared!
If he doesn't sing and goes into business, then the man surnamed Yan can't control him anymore.

If you work so hard to earn money, but can't even enjoy food, drink, and entertainment on your own, then what's the point of earning money?

(End of this chapter)