Rock and Roll: Glorious Years

Upon hearing this Cantonese lyric, Da Yong was so shocked that he stumbled and almost hit his forehead on the jingle.

He was originally from Guangdong province, but he rarely went back after graduating from high school. He used to hang out in Beijing, but now he's in Kunming. Apart from calling his family, he rarely has the opportunity to communicate in Cantonese. Now, without any preparation, this inspiring hometown accent came out, and the unique cultural sentiment nurtured by the nine tones and six registers instantly broke down Da Yong's defenses.

Li Yiliang, who was standing at the door with his back to the shop, suddenly snapped out of his reverie, frowned, and stared intently at Bian Lang, listening attentively.

"Who decides whether I stay or leave, or the universe within my heart? I only wish to wave to my ideals with my own two hands..."

"Asking how high the sky is, my ambition is higher than the sky; with an indomitable spirit, I'll live to old age..."

After an embellishment of double bass drumming and left-hand snare drum solos and double bass drumming, the song enters the chorus: "Oh~ oh, oh, I have my own stories in my heart, I write down every gain and loss, tear and sorrow and dream by hand..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yiliang's shock turned into anger.

It turns out that the lyrics on that page that he had discarded like trash were actually sung in Cantonese, and when sung, they were surprisingly catchy and inspiring!

Da Yong was already showing signs of tears; he stopped clapping and just listened intently with his mouth slightly open, afraid of missing a single word.

Hearing the drums playing, the other two partners from the music store came over. Seeing the redness in Da Yong's eyes, the two exchanged a glance and made up their minds.

Wei Lan was somewhat relieved that she had stayed to listen to the new song, but along with that relief came endless regret. After the regret came a sense of relief, a feeling of "it should have been this way": "The Cantonese song is already written like this, what could I do if I signed with Magic Disc? What could I have done if I didn't sign with Magic Disc?"

Just as everyone was anticipating what would happen, Bian Lang suddenly stopped: "Brother Yong, that's it for the second half of the song. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Da Yong suddenly realized what was happening, rubbed his eyes, and complained, "You're just leaving it halfway through, it's driving me crazy! If those old fogies were here, they'd be so angry they'd end up in the hospital."

After pondering for a while, he continued, "I didn't listen to the drums much just now, but I think your arrangement is pretty good. It's just that there are a few parts of your Cantonese pronunciation that I don't quite understand... Send me the lyrics and I'll correct them for you."

"Hey! I told you Yong-ge was reliable! He really helped a lot! Can you help me with the drums when we're recording?" Bian Lang put down his drumsticks, took out his phone, and said.

"I have to do it! Don't rush to record. Practice your Cantonese pronunciation until it's perfect before you start recording. It's really not easy to produce a rock song in Cantonese these days. If you ruin it, I'll pack my drum set and block your sister's shop to drive away customers."

Hearing this, Li Yiliang's anger burned even brighter than before. Bian Lang had only been gone for a few days, yet he was already making rapid progress, leaving him in the dust. He was suppressing him at every turn, and most importantly, all his old connections had treated Bian Lang better than he had treated him.

He hadn't intended to speak, but he felt that if he didn't say something now, Da Yong would change his mind instantly: "Brother Yong, please think carefully about the band's matter. We'll go back and wait for your good news."

"Huh? This..."

Seeing that Da Yong started to stammer, Bian Lang added with a smile, "Brother Yong, you don't need to move when you come here. We're right in Chuncheng Lane, and you can even pick up your child from school after rehearsals every day."

"Bian Lang, aren't you just openly trying to mess with me? Yong Ge, don't listen to his nonsense. We all know the situation in Chuncheng. How are we supposed to make music here? Forget about good recording studios, it's hard to even find a few good instruments!"

Bian Lang, a native of Yunnan, disliked Li Yiliang's words the most. As a two-time Yunnan native, he couldn't stand anyone badmouthing his hometown, especially since Li Yiliang himself was also from Yunnan.

"That's true, raising an ungrateful wretch like you is a disgrace to this land of Kunming!"

Upon hearing this, a partner in the music store, who was also from the same hometown, chimed in, "Yeah, what's wrong with Chuncheng? Don't act like a big shot in front of me. Our store is small, we don't have any instruments that you like."

Startled by this retort, Li Yiliang was about to get angry, but then realized that what he had said earlier was indeed inappropriate. Just as he was about to try to smooth things over, Wei Lan stopped him, saying, "Excuse me, everyone, that's not what I meant. Please don't take it to heart. Mr. Chen, please seriously consider the cooperation. We'll be leaving now."

After saying that, he frowned and pulled Li Yiliang out of the music store.

After the two had walked away, Da Yong finally spoke up and asked, "Lang, you weren't lying to me, the band really is in Chuncheng Lane, not going to Beijing?"

"No way, we'll just stay in Kunming! These days, you can just take a nap anywhere on a plane, why squeeze into Beijing? Kunming doesn't have any good studios, we can just set up and fly over to record, why go there every day to breathe in smog?"

In his previous life, during the last period of his time in the hospital, Bian Lang regretted spending so much time in Beijing. He couldn't say whether his leukemia was directly related to the smog he was breathing every day, but he felt that staying in Yunnan Province would have allowed him to live a few more years.

At the very least, he can spend more time with his mother!

So, although Li Yiliang was absolutely right, given a second chance at life, he would never choose to stay in Beijing for an extended period again.

The key is that he has those excellent works from Earth to back him up. Even if he doesn't go to Beijing to mingle in the scene, people will still come looking for him because they smell him!

"Can Cantonese rock music really be produced?" Da Yong asked again.

Bian Lang considered it in his mind for a moment and replied seriously, "One or two albums is no problem, but any more would be too much of a hassle." He remembered that Beyond had more than 100 songs in total, with about 50 of them being widely sung. He could easily recall at least 20 songs that were considered classics. Any more than that would require him to pull up a playlist and painstakingly recall each one.

"Don't brag! I won't say much, but if you can produce one of my copies, I, Chen Shaoyong, will play drums for you for the rest of your life!" Dayong said this from the bottom of his heart.

There's no shortage of Cantonese pop songs here, but Cantonese rock is either hardcore or black metal, which has a very weak ability to spread. It's hard to spread even within the industry, let alone reach the general public.

If he could actually produce a Cantonese rock album that rivals the quality of the song he just heard, then he, as a native of Guangdong, would have something to be proud of. So what if he were to be Bianlang's drummer for the rest of his life?

"I'm not exaggerating, just come!"

Faced with Bian Lang's affirmative answer, Dayong nodded: "Okay, I'll think about it!"

The two partners could now see that Da Yong was truly interested this time, and after exchanging a glance, they spoke up in his defense:

"Brother Yong, what are you still hesitating about? Didn't you see the envious and jealous looks on those two's faces? This song could easily get those legendary drummers to perform. You won't find another opportunity like this!"

"Yeah, Yong-ge. It's a complete waste of resources to keep such a great artist like you stuck in our little temple. Teaching kids is the only way to cultivate a few rock enthusiasts. If this song is released, it won't just affect a few dozen or a hundred people, it could be a generation! Don't worry, we've saved you a share here..."

Bian Lang nodded silently in agreement. He had decided to take this path back then because he listened to Guns N' Roses' "Don't Cry" in high school.

"Brother Yong, think about your child, even if not for yourself. When he grows up and starts competing with others based on their parents' wealth, everyone else will be a second-generation rich kid. If your son says, 'My dad plays rock,' and people ask him what his works are, how is he supposed to answer? Boast with his nose in the air, 'My dad broke up seven bands?'"

"Damn it!" Da Yong's shout was dozens of decibels louder; these words really hit him where it hurt!

Once the song becomes a hit, he'll have to swing his dreadlocks when he goes to his son's parent-teacher conferences. The thought that his son's young female teachers might become fans of the band makes Da Yong feel incredibly happy!

"What's the name of the song you wrote?" Da Yong asked, snapping out of his daze.

"No More Hesitation"

"No more hesitation! No more hesitation!" Da Yong muttered to himself twice, then glanced sideways at Bian Lang: "Wow! Are you using a song to stan me? How come I never realized you had this talent before? Okay, it's settled then, let's go find a rehearsal space..."