Returning to Taiwan in 2000 as a patriotic artist

Wooden Guitar Folk Song Western Restaurant is located on Section 2 of Wuchang Street, Ximending.

The boss's name is Hu Zhaoyu, and he used to be in a band.

In Ximending, where signs are everywhere, the "Wooden Guitar" sign is not particularly eye-catching.

Ascend the stairs to the second floor, pass through the photo wall and enter the store. What comes into view are the distressed, rough walls and wooden tables and chairs.

Behind the tables and chairs is a small stage.

The small blackboard next to it reads:

19:00-21:00

Artist: Huang Hanqing

In the 1970s and 80s, folk song Western restaurants were all the rage.

Zhang Yu, who sang "The Rain Keeps Falling," Yu Hongming, who sang "Xia Sha," as well as the guitarist of F.I.R. and Power Station, all of them have been resident singers at the "Wooden Guitar" restaurant.

Emil Chau and Jonathan Lee also honed their skills at the "Wooden Boat" Western restaurant.

Bao Ge, Zhang Yusheng, and others debuted through a folk song competition held by "Wooden Boat".

In its early days, the Folk Song Western Restaurant was considered a cradle of music superstars.

There are generally two types of people sitting in the audience: those who are just there to eat and listen to the music, and those who are talent scouts from record companies.

However, "Wooden Boat" will go bankrupt in three years.

The acoustic guitar can last another ten years.

Later, with the rise of the internet and the widespread use of electronic devices, people preferred to carry around MP3 players.

When smartphones came out, the trend became unstoppable.

Especially with the rise of KTVs in the last two years, business has become even more difficult for folk song restaurants.

As soon as the three sat down, the owner, Hu Zhaoyu, came over with the menu: "Xiao Bei, making new friends, huh?"

"I knew it! You need to make more friends to build a wider network."

"Brother Yu, long time no see!"

In his previous life, Gu Bei sang at "Wooden Guitar" for several years and received a lot of care.

According to the original timeline, Hu Zhaoyu would pass away two years later, and the Wooden Guitar Restaurant would be taken over by his relatives.

Seeing Hu Zhaoyu again after his rebirth, Gu Bei felt a lump in his throat.

However, he is not the kind of person who is sentimental.

"Are you feeling weak again? Look at your complexion. If you don't get some nourishment soon, I'll have to visit your grave in a couple of years."

Gu Bei teased in a nonchalant tone.

Hu Zhaoyu looked up and laughed, scolding, "You little brat, stop cursing me!"

"No, no," Gu Bei quickly waved his hand. "Do you remember Sister Yang?"

"Is it the one who's been asking you to sing and giving you tips these past few days?"

"Yes, she's planning to bring me into the entertainment industry, so I won't be singing for you anymore." Gu Bei stood up, put his arm around Hu Zhaoyu's shoulder, and lowered his voice: "But I have to go for a medical check-up."

"Brother Yu, could you help me find a place that can produce reports quickly? Let's go together then, it's on me."

"Congratulations!" Hu Zhaoyu was genuinely happy for him. "I'll go if you invite me to dinner, but you can skip the medical check-up. I'll ask about it for you tonight."

"Let's see what you'd like to eat." He picked up a pen and paper and looked at Zhou Jielun and Fang Wenshan: "They're all Xiao Bei's friends, so this meal is on me."

"Xiao Bei is very good. I'll have to trouble you two brothers to take good care of him from now on."

Both Jay Chou and Fang Wenshan were a little embarrassed.

One of them was wearing a baseball cap, and the other was wearing glasses; their demeanor clearly indicated they were artists.

Hu Zhaoyu assumed they were Gu Bei's seniors and spoke to them very politely.

Jay Chou pulled his hat down low and said in a muffled voice, "I'd like an Americano, less sugar, and a black truffle pasta."

When it was Fang Wenshan's turn, he adjusted his glasses and said, "Just give me a glass of warm water."

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he added, "Another medium-rare steak, with a vegetable salad."

"Xiao Bei, what about you?" Hu Zhaoyu asked, then wrote down, "Same as always, how about an iced cola and a cheese baked rice?"

"I'm fine with anything, it's free anyway, and it tastes even better."

"You little brat..." Hu Zhaoyu was speechless at Gu Bei's antics.

The once quiet young man seems like a completely different person after just one day apart.

It seems like he's been through something and grown up.

"Please wait a moment, I'll make it for you myself."

As soon as Hu Zhaoyu left, the waiter brought drinks for the three of them and placed them on the table.

Because they had something to discuss, the three of them specifically chose the corner seats.

It wasn't the weekend, so there weren't many people, and it wasn't time for the evening live music performance yet. The restaurant was playing Zhang Yu's "The Rain Keeps Falling" on a CD player, and there were several posters of him on the wall.

After all, he's an artist who came from the "wooden guitar" genre, and the boss feels proud of him.

Seeing that the surrounding tables were empty, Gu Bei took out the contract. "You two, have you ever thought about opening a studio?"

After a second or two of silence.

Jay Chou stopped tapping his fingers to the beat, looked up, and asked, "Opening a studio, huh?"

"It's probably still a long way off. I don't even know if my album will be released yet."

"I hadn't thought about it either." Fang Wenshan pushed up his glasses, his expression serious.

"If it were to open someday, it should be a place where one can purely create."

"No need for socializing, no need to worry about too many things, just write lyrics, write songs, and then... release them."

He was engrossed in reading a book called "Tang Rhymes," so much so that he didn't even put it down during his mealtime.

Seeing their fighting spirit, Gu Bei felt that there was a reason why they were able to succeed.

After all, hard work pays off, and those who are determined will not be let down.

You have to fight to win.

"What if..." Gu Bei waved the contract in his hand, a meaningful smile appearing on his face, "...we could start right now?"

Seeing that he wasn't joking, Jay Chou suddenly got excited: "Hey, if I really open a studio, I want to set up a recording studio and put lots of weird and wonderful things in it."

"I also need a piano, so I can play whatever comes to mind."

"Well, we also need a guitar, an erhu, and some other instruments."

"Then I'd like a wall." Seeing Gu Bei's puzzled look, Fang Wenshan quickly explained, "To store documents, old photos, newspapers, and dialect dictionaries..."

"Then we can sign some really weird people," Jay Chou said.

"Yes, not the overly commercial kind." Fang Wenshan nodded in agreement.

After a few seconds of silence, the two looked at each other and smiled.

It was as if they had confirmed to each other that the other was someone they could go a long way with.

"Slap slap slap"

Gu Bei couldn't help but clap his hands: "Of course! But I'd also like to join in. What do you guys think?"

"Hey, you? Aren't you our boss?" Jay Chou asked, somewhat puzzled.

Fang Wenshan was also puzzled.

He always believed that Gu Bei bought them so that they could help with songwriting and composing.

"What I mean is, let's invite Yang Junrong and Wu Dali to open a studio together."

"We retain the copyright, brokerage rights, business decision-making rights, and production rights." Gu Bei slowly pushed the contract in front of the two men:

"Let Eagle King provide funding, distribution, promotion, and company resources to offer basic services."

"Both parties will sign an agency agreement, with Eagle King handling the commercial operation and the profits being shared proportionally."

"But I'm not even a newcomer yet." Jay Chou was intrigued. "The Eagle King wouldn't agree, would he?"

"We can sign a performance-based agreement," Gu Bei decided immediately.

There's data from later generations to back him up, plus his own ruthless fighting style.

This betting agreement cannot be lost.

"But why are you going to all this trouble to help us?" Fang Wenshan remained calm throughout, never believing that a free lunch would fall from the sky.

"Of course it's because you two are working hard enough." Gu Bei pointed at the two of them: "Look at you, you're even creating art while eating."

"I really have high hopes for you guys."

Do you believe it?

Anyway, he doesn't believe it.

However, he really didn't have any bad intentions towards these two people.

Both of them valued loyalty and righteousness; instead of resorting to tricks, it was better to bind them with affection.

The main issue is that the system is parasitic on Jay Chou, and making him continue to work for others is not in his own interest.

If they are signed under my name, once they become popular, Eagle King headquarters will definitely come to snatch them up.

The easiest way is to open a studio together.

"Gu Bei, thank you. We'll definitely pay you back for the contract termination once we've made some money."

"Hey, Gu Bei, you must have sacrificed a lot for us, right?"

Jay Chou and Fang Wenshan really listened to what they said.

After thinking about it, the two realized they had nothing to be fooled about and were both very touched.

It evokes a complex feeling, like meeting a mentor when you're down on your luck.

"Sigh." Gu Bei shook his head and sighed, "I've already made a huge sacrifice."

Hundreds of millions of their descendants "died on the battlefield"!