Huayu 2002, I'm going to dominate the music scene!

The backstage area was so cramped that you couldn't even turn around.

The dressing room wasn't big to begin with, and now it was piled up with musical instruments and costumes. Several singers waiting to go on stage were huddled in a corner smoking.

The air was thick with the smell of hairspray and cigarette smoke, making it hard to breathe.

Song Mo and An Ming squeezed through the gap sideways, and just as they reached the makeup mirror, Sister Li came to greet them.

"You did a good job just now, here's three hundred, the extra is a bonus."

"Thanks, Sister Li."

Song Mo smiled as he accepted the three crumpled hundred-yuan bills. This was why he was so grateful to An Ming for recommending Hard Rock Cafe to him.

These days, anything connected to overseas places is worth a lot more. A typical small bar might only charge around 70 or 80 yuan a night, and some bars might just include dinner.

Despite the poor conditions, Beijing's bars were filled with musicians chasing their dreams; these people were among the first wave of "Beijing drifters."

At Hard Rock Cafe, a night's stay starts at 200.

"No need to thank me, just sing well from now on." Sister Li patted his shoulder and turned to leave.

Song Mo bent down and sat down, skillfully folding the money and stuffing it into his sock.

He had practiced this move for over a month until he was completely proficient. It wasn't that he didn't want to put it in his pants pocket; bars were a mixed bag, and there were more thieves than flies.

After singing at a small venue in Xidan last time, he checked his pocket and found that the forty yuan he had earned that night was gone. He learned his lesson from that experience.

An Ming grabbed his shoulder, lowered his voice, and said excitedly, "Come on, I'll introduce you to someone from Ocean Butterflies!"

Song Mo was taken aback. He was thinking about Gao Yuanyuan at the moment, and subconsciously replied, "The Ocean Butterflies people really came?"

Anming mentioned it a few days ago, but he didn't take it to heart.

It's not that he doesn't want to sign with a company. This isn't the mobile internet era of later years. These days, even the best wine needs advertising. Without a good music company, even the best works can be forgotten.

However, he had his own plans regarding signing with the company.

"Old Zhu is talking to that person right now, hurry up and change your clothes, don't keep them waiting." An Ming's face was flushed with excitement.

Song Mo changed back into his T-shirt and pants and followed An Ming outside.

It would be nice to see Ocean Butterflies.

Song Mo certainly knew this company. It was headquartered in Singapore and entered the Taiwanese market in the 1990s. In the last two years, it has been gaining momentum.

A-Du, who was signed this year, became an instant sensation with his debut album. And then there's An Jie-yi, whose song "Heartache" was quite popular a few years ago.

Of course, there will be more JJ in the future, but Ocean Butterflies has not yet officially entered the mainland market.

As soon as the two reached the entrance of the corridor, they were blocked by two people.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a square face, wearing a gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. Behind him followed a lean man wearing glasses and carrying a briefcase.

"Hello," the square-faced man said, his gaze falling on Song Mo. "I'm Bi Xiaoshi from Ocean Butterflies Music. Can we talk?"

Song Mo was taken aback.

An Ming was also stunned.

Bi Xiaoshi?

Of course he knew the name. He had heard that Ocean Butterflies' expansion into the mainland was in cooperation with him, but weren't the people from Ocean Butterflies with Zhu Yingjie in the booth?

Anming's first thought was that he had encountered a scammer.

These days there are a lot of scammers, posing as talent scouts and record companies, specifically targeting young people who are desperate to become famous.

A while ago, he heard someone say that a friend of his had been scammed out of tens of thousands of yuan. The scammer claimed they could help him release an album, but in the end, he lost both the money and the scammer.

Just then, Zhu Yingjie strode over from the other end of the corridor, followed by a man in a gray linen suit with slicked-back hair.

"Why are you taking so long? Mr. Xu from Ocean Butterflies is getting impatient." Zhu Yingjie approached, saw Bi Xiaoshi and the other man, and paused for a moment. "Who are these two?"

Bi Xiaoshi turned his head, sized up the slicked-back-haired man, then looked at Zhu Yingjie, frowning: "President Xu from Ocean Butterflies?"

Zhu Yingjie, puzzled, wore a professional smile and said, "This is Mr. Xu from Ocean Butterflies. He came here specifically to see Xiao Song today."

"President Xu?" Bi Xiaoshi's voice deepened as he turned his gaze to the slicked-back-haired man. "You said you're from Ocean Butterflies?"

The man with slicked-back hair exuded confidence, smiling as he extended his hand. "Hello, I'm Xu Yuan from Yanjing Ocean Butterflies."

Bi Xiaoshi did not reach out.

He stared at the man for two seconds, then suddenly laughed.

Following behind him, Xu Yuan took a step forward. "You're Xu Yuan from Ocean Butterflies? Then what am I?"

He then took out his business card and ID card and handed them to Zhu Yingjie. "Let me formally introduce myself. I am Xu Yuan from Yanjing Ocean Butterflies."

"I am Bi Xiaoshi from Yanjing Ocean Butterflies." Bi Xiaoshi handed over his business card.

The corridor fell silent for a moment.

The man with the slicked-back hair changed his expression.

The matter was quickly clarified; it was truly a case of a fake meeting the real deal.

Upon learning the truth, Zhu Yingjie stood there stunned, his expression a complex mix of emotions.

It all boils down to one sentence: "You fucking..."

This guy spent his whole life playing the eagle game, only to have his eyes pecked out by a little sparrow.

As the Chinese manager of Hard Rock Cafe, he never expected to be fooled by this scoundrel.

"Bastard." He gritted his teeth and squeezed out the three words.

The man with the slicked-back hair took a step back, chuckling awkwardly as if he was about to say something, when Zhu Yingjie grabbed him by the collar and slapped him twice.

"Brother Zhu, Brother Zhu, no, no, no..." The slick-haired man quickly waved his hands, "I just want to get to know you..."

"You know your mother!" Zhu Yingjie raised his hand to slap her again, but An Ming quickly stopped him.

"Old Zhu, Old Zhu, don't do anything, there are people outside..."

Zhu Yingjie, panting heavily, shoved the slick-haired man against the wall: "Get out! If I ever see you again, I'll break your legs!"

The man with the slicked-back hair staggered away, his leather shoes slapping loudly on the corridor floor.

Song Mo stood aside, watching the farce unfold. His lips twitched, but he remained silent.

Bi Xiaoshi remained calm, and only after the slicked-back man's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor did he turn around and look at Song Mo.

"Young man, can we talk now?"

Bi Xiaoshi found a booth in a corner and sat down, while Xu Yuan ordered three draft beers.

As Song Mo sat down, he couldn't help but glance at the room next door out of the corner of his eye.

There were some pothos plants on the partition, their leaves drooping down, unable to block out the sound, but able to block the view.

He saw that familiar baseball cap, its brim pulled low. The light-colored thin shirt was draped over the back of the chair, and he could vaguely see the fair arms behind it.

She hasn't left yet.

Song Mo withdrew his gaze and sat up straight in the chair.

Bi Xiaoshi got straight to the point: "Hello, let me reintroduce myself. I'm Bi Xiaoshi from Ocean Butterflies Music. What's your name?"

"Song Mo." Song Mo sat properly, neither humble nor arrogant.

The booth next door.

Gao Yuanyuan held her glass; she had already drunk half of her cocktail.

She didn't mean to listen.

But at this distance, you can hear every single word spoken on the other side.

A slight ripple stirred in her heart; she hadn't expected that this young man would be chosen by Ocean Butterflies.

That's right, he's really handsome and sings well; he was born for this.

She was a little envious that she got Ocean Butterflies right from the start.

Although she is not a singer, the "Undercar Goddess" has become incredibly popular this year, making Ocean Butterflies Records a household name in mainland China.

In today's entertainment industry, singers have a much greater influence than in later generations; otherwise, so many actors wouldn't be thinking of crossing over to become singers.

"How old are you? Where do you study?"

"Nineteen. I studied at Xiling University for a year before dropping out."

Bi Xiaoshi's eyebrows twitched, and he looked at Song Mo with some suspicion. That move just now didn't seem like something a novice could pull off.

Fortunately, Song Mo had already come up with a reason: "My neighbor used to be a music teacher. He had a lot of musical instruments, and I learned them from him."

He had to tell this lie, otherwise, how could someone who only graduated from high school know so many musical instruments?

Of course, if someone asks where your neighbor is now, it's simple: just say you've gone abroad.

These days, it's quite normal to not be able to find anyone when you go abroad.

Bi Xiaoshi and Xu Yuan exchanged a glance, half believing and half doubting.

"Did you transcribe the sheet music for 'November Rain' yourself?"

"Yeah." Song Mo nodded. "I learned it in high school, and practiced for several months."

"Nineteen years old," Gao Yuanyuan thought to herself, four years younger than herself.