Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

After borrowing the video recorder, Lu Jiuge waited for Wang Guangjun to finish work and then called him to go directly to Qingfeng Ice Rink.

The ice rink was dimly lit, and the air was filled with the smells of sweat, smoke, and cheap perfume.

Wang Guangjun stood at the doorway and looked around, then pointed to a silver-haired man leaning against the railing:

"Ninth Brother, that guy's nickname is Leng Mo Ai, his real name is Ban Kaiwen. He's the leader of the non-mainstream group in Hengdian World Studios, and he makes a living by delivering food to various film crews!"

"Hey, looks like a motivated young man!"

Lu Jiuge nodded in appreciation, then pulled the speaker she had borrowed from the hotel, plugged in the MP3 player, and stopped not far from Ban Kaiwen.

Set the song "Walking In The Sun" to repeat on repeat and turn the volume up to the maximum.

I'm walking in the sun in around and around

I can believe love is all around

I'm walking in the sun in around and around and around

Walking in the sun in around sun in around and around

……

Instantly, the catchy lyrics and melody of "Walking In The Sun" captured everyone's attention.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Jiuge began to sway to the rhythm she remembered.

He didn't dance very well, he was even a bit clumsy, but his movements were full of flamboyance.

Accompanied by the catchy drumbeats of the music, it stood out conspicuously in the ice rink.

The people gliding around him slowed down, and more and more teenagers with brightly colored hair stopped and looked at him curiously.

Lu Jiuge pretended not to see it and danced the chorus again, this time with much more freedom in her movements.

The music looped three times, and Lu Jiuge, panting heavily, finally stopped dancing.

Ban Kaiwen glided over and stopped in front of Lu Jiuge:

"Dude, new here? You look unfamiliar!"

"Who taught you this dance? The song is good too, where did you download it?"

Ban Kaiwen's tone was unfriendly, as he thought he had encountered someone who had come to cause trouble.

Lu Jiuge turned off the music, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and smiled:

"I wrote the song myself, and choreographed the dance myself. How about it, is it to your liking, Cold Bro?"

"You know me?"

Ban Kaiwen looked at Lu Jiuge with curiosity.

"In the unconventional circles of the film and television city, who wouldn't know the name of Leng Mo Ai!"

A few flattering words, and Ban Kaiwen, as expected, fell for it, smiling as he asked:

"Brother, judging from your attire, you don't seem to be one of us. Are you deliberately trying to get close to me? Just say what you want!"

"My name is Lu Jiuge, and I'm a musician. I often hear people criticizing non-mainstream groups for not having proper jobs, so I thought I'd give them a voice, create some unique music, and declare our stance!"

Lu Jiuge's words, speaking out for the community, brought a sense of excitement to many of the young people around her, who had found kindred spirits.

But Ban Kaiwen just listened with his arms crossed, and only slowly spoke after Lu Jiuge finished:

"Bro, that's a nice way to put it. But in our circle, I've seen at least eighty, if not a hundred, people who talk about individuality and attitude all the time!"

"In the end, these people were either selling clothes or recruiting people to top up their internet accounts at internet cafes!"

After a pause, Ban Kaiwen stared at Lu Jiuge:

"Your song is pretty good, and your dancing is passable. Just tell me straight, what do you want us to do? Hand out flyers or fill in the numbers?"

Lu Jiuge inwardly praised him, knowing she had met someone sensible, and stopped beating around the bush, speaking directly:

"Brother Lengmo is a smart guy, so I'll just say it straight: I wrote the song, and I'm planning to upload it to 12530 as a ringtone. Consider this a form of promotion!"

First, reveal the facts to show sincerity, then change the subject:

"I've come up with a plan. Let's play together; it'll serve as advertising and allow the guys to earn some extra cash!"

Hearing that he could make money while playing, Ban Kaiwen became more serious:

"How do you make money?"

"I'm putting up a prize of 1,000 yuan to host a dance competition specifically for non-mainstream groups!"

"We hope to leverage Lengmo Ge's influence within the community to help organize our brothers and sisters to sign up!"

When Lu Jiuge said she would spend real money to organize the competition, Ban Kaiwen looked completely disbelieving:

"A thousand dollars? That's no small sum. Are you willing to part with it?"

"Everyone's watching. If I were lying or bragging, would I even be walking out of this skating rink today?"

"That's the truth! So what are your conditions and requirements? Do you charge a registration fee?"

Ban Kaiwen was very pleased with Lu Jiuge's flattering words.

"Conditions? Simple!"

Lu Jiuge held up one finger:

"Just one rule: all the brothers who sign up must post a video of themselves dancing this dance on websites like Yangyu.com and Youku every day, with the song title in the title!"

"Just post a status update on your own QQ space and casually toss it into five different family groups, and you're done!"

"I'll provide the video, I'll write the script, all you have to do is tap a few buttons!"

Ban Kaiwen did not immediately agree:

"Isn't this just helping you promote your business?"

"Yes, it's advertising!"

Lu Jiuge readily admitted:

"But I'll cover the prize money. If the song becomes popular and gets more downloads, I'll make money, and the prize pool can be even bigger next time. It's a win-win situation!"

He patted Ban Kaiwen on the shoulder:

"Furthermore, since you're the organizer, I'll give you an extra 100 yuan as a bonus from the first-place prize of 500 yuan!"

"From now on, whenever this song makes money through ringtones, you'll get a share of every event!"

Ban Kaiwen narrowed his eyes and began to calculate in his mind.

After a dozen seconds, he threw away his cigarette butt and held out his hand:

"Okay! I'll help you arrange it. But let me make this clear beforehand: if the money isn't on time, or if you try to cheat us..."

"I'm currently filming in Hengdian, I can't run away!"

Lu Jiuge gripped his hand tightly:

"If that's the case, do with me as you please!"

Seeing that there was profit to be made, Ban Kaiwen readily agreed:

"I'll send a message in the group right now, encouraging everyone to sign up. Send me the video!"

Lu Jiuge held his hand:

"readily!"

"Regarding the videos, my idea is to take this opportunity to increase your fame and make you the main character in the videos!"

"I?"

"That's right, would you like to appear on camera?"

"no problem!"

Ban Kaiwen was genuinely moved by Lu Jiuge's decision.

Non-mainstream groups naturally enjoy showing off their individuality and being in the spotlight, and as the leader, he felt this even more strongly, leaving no room for refusal.

……

For the next two hours, Lu Jiuge stayed at the ice rink, using a portable speaker to play "Walking In The Sun" on a loop, teaching Ban Kaiwen and his gang how to dance.

Wang Guangjun carried a DV camera and filmed the entire process.

Once everyone had learned enough, Lu Jiuge asked Wang Guangjun to take charge of registration on-site while he took the DV camera back to edit the video.

Back at the hotel, Lu Jiuge quickly edited a video of Ban Kaiwen dancing, set it to the music of Walking In The Sun, and exported it as a file.

After thinking for a while, I wrote a few more paragraphs of copy.

"A bizarre song has appeared in Hengdian, and the 'Funeral Love Family' is dancing like crazy!"

"Walking In The Sun"—you'll want to dance after listening to it!

"Attention all members of the 'Funeral Love' family nationwide! Hengdian has been blown up!"

After confirming it again, Lu Jiuge sent it to Wang Guangjun and asked him to add as many QQ groups as possible to the "Funeral Love Family".

……

The next morning, Lu Jiuge was being pulled along by Wu Ziming to go over the script with the crew when Wang Guangjun sneaked up to him and whispered a reminder:

"Ninth Brother, it's exploded!"

"More than sixty people have already signed up! I've joined over a hundred groups and posted the video in them. The discussion is incredibly lively right now; everyone's asking where they can download the song!"

"See, shouldn't we upload the song to a music website?"

Lu Jiuge did not answer immediately, but instead looked at the system panel and found that her faith value was slowly increasing.

[Positive Faith Value +3 +2... (Non-mainstream group)]

[Negative Faith Value +1 +2... (Passersby complain about the noise)]

"Haha, here we come! Let's get this argument going, the bigger the controversy, the better!"

"Once the competition explodes and ringtone downloads surge, the mainstream music scene will definitely panic. The more criticism I receive, the more negative faith points I accumulate, which I can then exchange for better songs and sign new artists!"

With a roar of inner turmoil, Lu Jiuge pulled Wang Guangjun aside and instructed him:

"I absolutely mustn't upload the audio! If I do, my whole plan will be ruined!"