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

Song Mo didn't expect someone to reply to him so quickly, and immediately his fingers flew across the keyboard.

The skillful movements surprised the middle-aged man next to him who was learning Wubi input method.

"Let's take a look at your previous work. Are there any links?"

Song Mo didn't actually have high requirements for the other party. The reason he wanted to see the work was to prevent anyone from making fun of him.

As the saying goes, with the internet, you never know if the person you're chatting with is a human or a dog.

On the other side, Luo Hongming, upon seeing the message, quickly sent his own profile on Flash Empire.

There was silence on the other end for a few minutes.

Luo Hongming was a little uneasy. He knew that his works were technically sound, but they were just things he did for fun and nothing serious.

The other end replied, "I've seen it, not bad, formally trained, right?"

Luo Hongming was taken aback: "How did you know?"

"Your aesthetic sense is good." The reply was concise. "I have about ten songs that need Flash animation. It doesn't need to be elaborate, just fun. What's your price?"

Luo Hongming hesitated for a moment.

He had little experience and didn't know how much to charge for this thing. He was afraid of scaring people away if he charged too much, and he was afraid of losing money if he charged too little.

He tentatively typed a few words: "Three hundred... all included?"

Three hundred yuan is enough for his living expenses for more than half a month. If he can really earn three hundred yuan, he will be much more financially comfortable this month.

The reply came quickly: "Okay."

Luo Hongming was stunned.

So straightforward?

He was originally waiting for the other party to bargain.

"Are you in Yanjing?" the person on the other end asked again.

"exist."

"Let's meet and talk in detail. I'll treat you to coffee."

Luo Hongming paused for a moment. These days, meeting someone you met online is quite exciting. Who knows who the other person is? But then he thought, it's broad daylight, and meeting at a coffee shop shouldn't be a problem.

He replied, "Okay."

Song Mo didn't expect to find a suitable person so quickly. He had originally planned to spend three or four days looking for someone.

The two met at a coffee shop near Sanlitun.

When Luo Hongming arrived, there was already someone sitting in the corner. He walked over and was stunned when he saw the face clearly.

He's very young, looks to be under twenty, and most importantly, he's really handsome.

Standing before him, Luo Hongming suddenly understood the meaning of the phrase "beginning to take on a human form" that he had seen on Tianya yesterday.

It turns out that I was one of them.

"A wandering swordsman from the border town?" Song Mo looked at the thin man wearing glasses in front of him and asked hesitantly.

Upon hearing his online name, Luo Hongming subconsciously glanced around and, for some reason, felt a little ashamed.

"Sit down, what would you like to drink?" Song Mo asked softly, he could tell that the man was a little nervous.

"Either is fine." Luo Hongming's expression softened when he saw that there weren't many people in the coffee shop.

"Just call me Luo Hongming," he said, immediately offering a heads-up as he sat down.

Song Mo naturally readily accepted good advice.

Luo Hongming took a sip of coffee, looked at him, and asked softly, "Are you... a celebrity? A singer?"

Song Mo nodded: "I guess so."

Upon hearing his answer, Luo Hongming's face showed an expression of no surprise. With that appearance and that aura, it would be a miracle if he wasn't a star. Maybe his songs could even become hits.

Thinking about it this way, he couldn't help but get a little excited.

"Can I listen to some of your songs?" Luo Hongming asked.

Song Mo took out a portable CD player from his bag and handed over a pair of headphones.

He borrowed this thing from Anming. There was nothing he could do; he was poor now, while Anming never lacked these things.

Luo Hongming put on his headphones and pressed play.

The first song is "Mice Love Rice".

The intro starts with a simple guitar melody, followed by vocals. The singing style is straightforward, without any special techniques, just catchy.

As Luo Hongming listened, his expression darkened. He looked up at Song Mo, then lowered his head again to continue listening.

After listening to the second song, "Two Butterflies," he took off his headphones and placed them on the table.

To be honest, it's a bit old-fashioned.

But amazingly, he memorized it after hearing it only once.

He spent two years at Flash Empire and saw many posts asking people to make Flash animations.

Those songs that are good don't cost any money; there are plenty of people vying to make them. At that time, many people played with Flash simply because they liked it.

But is this kind of song good or bad?

He's hard to comment on.

But then I thought, if it weren't for this kind of song, why would anyone ask him to create a Flash animation?

Song Mo didn't care what he was thinking and took out a few pieces of paper from her bag.

"These are the lyrics, and some animated scenes I imagined." He pushed the paper in front of Luo Hongming. "Take a look first."

Luo Hongming looked down.

He had just heard the lyrics to "Mice Love Rice," and they were quite straightforward.

The following description reads: A little mouse falls in love with Princess Rice in the granary, and after many hardships, they finally get together. The mouse and rice should be personified, brightly colored, and the lyrics should be played out in exaggerated ways to match the rhythm of the music. When the lyrics "Just like a mouse loves rice" are sung, the screen should be filled with countless heart or rice icons.

Luo Hongming looked up, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "This..."

"What's wrong?" Song Mo asked, looking at him.

Luo Hongming listened to the song in his headphones: "I love you, I love you like a mouse loves rice."

He looked down at the papers again, and some images suddenly flashed through his mind.

A little mouse, anthropomorphized, wearing a vest? Princess Rice, white, wearing a crown? Countless hearts floated down from the screen...

He discovered that his mind was starting to generate animations automatically.

"This song..." He paused for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Your song is quite interesting."

Song Mo didn't care whether his words were true or false, and said directly, "Listen to me first."

He handed me another piece of paper with lyrics on it.

As Luo Hongming looked at the table, he gently tapped his fingers on it.

The melody is catchy; you can hum along after just one listen.

The lyrics are simple, without any complicated metaphors, just plain language.

He suddenly remembered the song "Northeasterners are all living Lei Fengs" from last year. When the song was popular, he made a fan-made version of Flash animation, just for fun.

The song wasn't complicated, it was written in plain language, but it became inexplicably popular.

Speaking of which, these songs are quite similar to "Northeasterners are all living Lei Fengs"—simple melodies, simple yet catchy lyrics, and now they're paired with similar Flash animations. He suddenly understood what the person in front of him meant; these songs might actually become popular.

At this time, quite a few grassroots singers were already releasing songs online. Although many people were just watching the spectacle, it didn't create much of a stir.

Mainstream music forums are still debating whether David Tao or Jay Chou is better, whether Jolin Tsai is the number one diva, and who is prettier, Jolin Tsai or Elva Hsiao.

Online songs stubbornly and wildly grow only on the fringes of the internet.