Rock and Roll: Glorious Years

This incident made Wei Lan see through Bian Lang's true intentions, so she really didn't dare to agree to such uncertain conditions on her own.

After a moment's hesitation, she continued, "Teacher Bian, thank you for your trust in us. However, I think it's best to clarify the terms first, otherwise, this authorization contract can't be signed, right? I'm currently near your home. If it's convenient, shall we meet and discuss this?"

Bian Lang wasn't in a hurry. Since Modie wasn't going to back down, it meant they didn't want the hype to die down. He just had to wait.

"Okay, see you at Heaven Records!"

Half an hour later, Bian Lang arrived at Paradise Records, munching on a roasted rice cake and carrying a package of rice noodle soup.

Wei Lan, dressed in a dark green business suit, was already waiting there. Bian Lang noticed that she was wearing a pair of glasses, so he guessed that she hadn't slept all night and had been keeping an eye on Weibo.

"Ms. Wei, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Bian Lang said as he unlocked the door.

After leading the person inside and finding a place to sit down, Bian Lang casually handed over a bowl of rice noodle soup: "Here you go, Miss Wei, this is breakfast I brought especially for you. Have a bite to tide you over before we talk."

Wei Lan was really hungry. She had been drinking coffee since yesterday's performance and was feeling dizzy and nauseous.

She didn't stand on ceremony with Bian Lang. Feeling a little warm inside, she accepted the rice noodle soup, said "thank you," and started eating.

Wei Lan choked a little on her first bite because she wasn't used to the combination of wasabi and chili oil. But as the warm rice noodle soup entered her stomach, she felt much better.

After finishing half a bowl, Wei Lan wiped her mouth with a tissue and said, "Teacher Bian, let's talk about the conditions you want."

Bian Lang took out a Yuxi cigarette and rhythmically tapped the butt against the cigarette pack, watching the tobacco slowly sink in the cigarette roll... After a few seconds, he seemed to come back to his senses and looked up at Wei Lan with a sincere expression, saying, "Don't worry, I won't make any pointless demands like asking you to issue a public apology or give up on Li Yiliang. I just haven't decided what I want yet. This doesn't need to be written into the contract. I trust Miss Wei and Modie's character."

The licensing of a video copyright shouldn't cost much anyway, so Bian Lang would rather let Magic Disc owe him a favor, even if he doesn't use it, he'll still keep it running.

Although Magic Disc has clashed with the original owner over copyright issues, it was actually Li Yiliang who caused it. Based on his two lifetimes of feelings for rock musicians, Bian Lang doesn't really have any ill feelings towards this company that has always been committed to "revitalizing Chinese rock".

Hearing that Bian Lang had already defused the two largest mines, Wei Lan immediately relaxed a lot.

Perhaps touched by Bian Lang's sincere eyes, or perhaps because of that bowl of thin bean noodles, Wei Lan put aside her previous opinion of Bian Lang and chose to believe him: "Then let's consider this a gentleman's agreement. Teacher Bian can contact me anytime when he has decided on the terms!"

"There are also cover song copyrights and inclusion in Magic Disc..."

Before Wei Lan could finish speaking, Bian Lang interrupted her, saying, "I haven't considered that yet, so Miss Wei doesn't need to say anything more."

Seeing Bian Lang's decisive refusal, Wei Lan inwardly sighed with regret before pulling out the copyright licensing agreement she had already prepared. Although the terms of the exchange were a gentleman's agreement, the authorization was still put in writing.

After signing the agreement, Wei Lan didn't linger and immediately got up to say goodbye and leave.

While waiting for a car by the roadside, Wei Lan saw the ruins across the street, then glanced back at the Paradise Records sign and the "For Sale" notice on the pillar, and was deeply shocked: "So this is the source of his inspiration? What a talented musician, what a pity!"

Having agreed to help Zhu Yan with the shop, Bian Lang started taking out the already packaged CDs and vinyl records and putting them back on the shelves. Looking at those unfamiliar yet familiar record names, Bian Lang gradually deepened his understanding of the music market on Aquamarine Star.

Around noon, Old Tan arrived.

Looking at the record store, which had mostly returned to normal, Old Tan chuckled, "It would be best if it could just hold on. By the way, I saw that Magic Disc released the video; your Weibo is buzzing with excitement now. Wu Ya's fans are planning to drag out your ancestors for eight generations!"

"Go ahead and do it, I was born under the red flag and I'm devoted to my country. What could they possibly have to say about me? By the way, I want to reform the band. Lao Tan, you have a lot of connections in the industry, do you have any good musicians you can recommend? I want to get the four main instruments together first."

"The Rolling Stones? That's a good name, much better than that Mask band!" Old Tan praised first, then thought for a moment before continuing, "Go hang out with Li Hao in Beijing for a month, and you can basically find them all. But to be honest, given your instrumental skills from your Loop Station days, you probably wouldn't look down on the second-rate ones, and the top-tier ones are all too proud to play with you. This won't be easy to arrange in a short time!"

Bian Lang knew this was true, but he didn't want to delay forming a band for too long. Summer was just around the corner, the time when various music festivals were springing up everywhere, and the best opportunity to make his name known among rock music fans.

Without a solid, stable team, he felt uneasy. He hoped that these works from his hometown could meet the music fans here in the best possible way.

After all, a Loop Station, a powerful tool for showing off, is only useful once or twice. Once it's been used too often, music fans stop finding it particularly sophisticated. Besides, most of the hit songs in Bian Lang's head aren't suited to this style of performance; they're better performed live with a band for a more memorable and impactful experience!

Seeing that Bian Lang remained silent, Old Tan sighed and then said a name: "Da Yong! If you think you have the ability to win him over, then go and talk to him in the next few days. I heard that he's been having a falling out with the two partners at the music store lately."

Upon hearing this name, Bian Lang's previously unfocused eyes instantly brightened!

Da Yong's full name is Chen Shaoyong. He is three years older than Bian Lang and is the most outstanding drummer among the third generation of musicians in the Chinese rock scene.

But this guy just wasn't very lucky. In his more than ten years in bands, he joined seven bands that were all famous at the time, but they all disbanded for various ridiculous reasons.

Either the lead singer stole the bassist's girlfriend, or the guitarist and keyboardist teamed up to fire the lead singer.

The last time, the other three guys actually fired Dayong because they thought he was too fat, not cool enough when playing drums, and didn't match their skinny image. In the end, because they couldn't find a suitable drummer for the time being, the three of them simply quit the scene.

In short, if Da Yong's story were written down, it would be a dramatic and absurd history of the rock and roll scene.

From then on, Dayong became disheartened and refused to join any bands. In the end, he went back to his wife's hometown of Chuncheng and opened a music store with two acquaintances.

Now, besides teaching students, he also takes on jobs when bands come to Kunming for a performance and need a drummer. Having worked with bands of different styles, his drumming skills have steadily improved, showing signs of transforming him into a master.

The Masked Band originally invited Da Yong to be their drummer for this performance, but Da Yong said he had too much bad luck and was afraid of causing trouble for their first concert with a thousand people, so he declined.

The music store wasn't far from the CD shop; it only took about 10 minutes to get there by slingshot. With the intention of going there first to check things out, Bian Lang didn't call Dayong to make an appointment. He just said goodbye to Lao Tan, closed the shop door, and went.

When he arrived at the music store, he saw Dayong, with a dreadlocked braid, standing by the reception desk, with two other partners standing opposite him, and a master with a tai chi topknot holding a compass and swaying around in the middle.

Seeing that everyone was busy with important matters, Bian Lang wasn't in a hurry. He just stood outside the glass door, watching and waiting.

The master lingered for a while, then carried the compass to Da Yong, pointed it forward without looking up, and said, "This object is ominous!"