Rebirth 03: Starting a Business After Giving Up a Secure Job

Chapter 152 Planning Ahead for Future Pop Stars

While the domestic service sector made a breakthrough, Shen Jingyi's special training was also progressing simultaneously.

Vocal lessons are three times a week, with physical education lessons following the vocal lessons.

Lin Feng picked her up and dropped her off a few times, but it was irregular; he would go whenever he had free time.

Lin Feng never went into the music room; he would just wait by the window at the end of the corridor.

When get out of class ended, Shen Jingyi, carrying her guitar, pushed open the door and saw him leaning against the windowsill, his face beaming with undisguised joy.

Lin Feng arrived early today and went to the entrance of the dance studio first.

Through the glass window in the door, he saw Teacher Yang tapping a small pointer to keep time. Shen Jingyi, dressed in a fitted practice outfit, walked from the side of the stage to her designated spot in the center. When she took her third step, Teacher Yang called for a stop and told her to start over.

Shen Jingyi went back and went through it again, stopping at the fifth step and then going back again.

After repeating this several times, her back was slightly sweaty, but her shoulders stopped slouching forward.

Teacher Yang told her to practice repeatedly in front of the mirror, saying that the catwalk steps had to be practiced until they became muscle memory before she could be considered to have passed.

Lin Feng stood outside the door for a moment without going in, then turned around and went back to his car to wait for her.

After class, Shen Jingyi saw Lin Feng's car parked in the usual spot as soon as she stepped out of the teaching building.

She opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and took a folded piece of paper from her instrument case, handing it to Lin Feng.

"It's a new song, not finished yet. It's for you."

Lin Feng unfolded the paper; it contained handwritten sheet music and lyrics. He carefully read it from beginning to end, then folded the paper and returned it to her.

"Speak to me when you're done writing."

She took it, put it in her violin case, and nodded.

The cars were lined up at the red light, and Faye Wong's songs flowed softly from the speakers.

Shen Jingyi suddenly turned to the side and gently kissed his cheek, then immediately stepped back, sat up straight, and blushed to the roots of her ears.

On his way back from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Lin Feng kept thinking about two things.

The first thing is Shen Jingyi's special training. With Lai Li's professional foundation and Teacher Yang's physical training, the preliminary selection shouldn't be a big problem.

The second thing was the two people I saw in the rehearsal room of the popular music academy that day.

Wearing a white hoodie, with short yellow hair, and the relaxed demeanor he exuded while playing "My Heart Only Has You, Not Her" was exactly the same as the one I saw on TV in my previous life.

There was also a curly-haired girl next to her, clapping along and laughing without any restraint.

One of these two will become the national champion, and the other will come in fourth place.

They're currently just students at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music. The audition registration starts in May, which is over three months away. This window of opportunity is enough for him to finalize things before anyone even realizes what's happening.

The next morning, Lin Feng called Su Wan to his office.

How's the sponsorship deal for the Chengdu division of Super Girl going?

"Liu Fang from Hunan TV's advertising department replied last week. Mengniu has secured the national title sponsorship for 28 million yuan, and there are still slots available for the official cooperation platform in the Chengdu division."

The price is much lower than Mengniu's, and the benefits are concentrated on the display of contestant information in the competition area and the online popularity voting portal.

Co-sponsorship negotiations for the national finals are also underway, but the competition is fiercer than in the Chengdu region. Besides Mengniu, several other FMCG brands are vying for a spot in the finals.

"Let's secure the Chengdu division first." Lin Feng thought for a moment, "We'll discuss the finals after the Chengdu division is finalized."

"The Chengdu audition venue is set for Panda City, and registration will begin on May 14th. If we can sign the contract before April, we can display the Tongcheng Life Network logo at the audition venue."

Lin Feng instructed her to finalize the contract terms this week and also told her to compile a report on the campus promotion data of Tongcheng Life Network in dozens of universities in Chengdu and attach it to the sponsorship proposal.

The organizing committee of the competition area needs more than just sponsorship fees; it also needs promotional channels that can help the event take root locally.

Su Wan closed the folder and left.

Lin Feng leaned back in his chair, thinking about how to sign these singers.

Li Yunchun, He Jie, and Zhang Liangying.

Two of them are studying at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music's Popular Music Academy, and one is a resident musician at a bar.

None of the three had received systematic business brokerage training.

Li Yunchun and He Jie's stage experience mainly came from campus performances and bar performances. Zhang Liangying sang at Music House Bar for several years and won several awards in college student singing competitions, but neither of them were affiliated with any major management companies.

In other words, no one has discovered them yet.

On Saturday afternoon, after dropping Shen Jingyi off at her vocal lesson at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Lin Feng did not wait for her by the window in the corridor as usual.

He walked through the corridor on the first floor of the popular music academy and stopped in front of a rehearsal room.

The door was ajar. Inside, several students were rehearsing a fast-paced pop song.

The keyboardist is tuning the instrument, the drummer is fiddling with the pedals, and the bassist is looking down at the music stand, turning the pages.

Lin Feng knocked on the door frame. The keyboardist closest to the door looked up at him and asked who he was looking for.

"Is Li Yunchun here?"

The keyboardist turned and called out to the corner of the rehearsal room.

A short-haired girl in a black T-shirt stood up from the corner, put the guitar she was tuning on the chair next to her, and walked to the door.

Lin Feng recognized her at first glance; she looked almost exactly the same as she did on television in his previous life.

Short blond hair, a slender face, and a calm, unassuming gaze.

She stood in the doorway, one hand resting on the doorframe, and asked him what was wrong.

"I am Lin Feng, the founder of Fengchi Digital Technology Co., Ltd."

11

Li Yunchun thought for a moment and said that he felt like he had heard the name somewhere before.

Lin Feng mentioned the commemorative MP3 versions of "Lilac Flower" and "Mice Love Rice" on Tongcheng Life Network.

She said "Oh," and then said she remembered.

"Do you have time to chat for a bit?"

Li Yunchun glanced back at the band still tuning in the rehearsal room, said okay, closed the door, and followed Lin Feng to the window at the end of the corridor.

Lin Feng didn't beat around the bush.

Are you planning to participate in this year's Super Girl competition?

"How did you know?" Li Yunchun asked, his hands in his pockets, tilting his head to look at him.

"I heard Ms. Lai mention you. She said you sang a Spanish song at the school's singing competition last year, and the judges praised you highly."

Lai Li has been teaching at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music for many years, and the teachers and students in the vocal music department and the popular music department are all familiar with each other.

Li Yunchun smiled and said, "Teacher Lai has a really good memory!"

"If you participate, you'll need more than just a song," Lin Feng said, offering bait. "The auditions, the advancement rounds, the judges' scores, and the SMS voting—each round requires financial support. Even if you don't ask for anything, eventually someone will need to handle copyrights, performance contracts, and business collaborations for you."

"What you're saying has nothing to do with me?"

"I can offer you a cooperation plan," Lin Feng said with a smile. "You will meet with Teacher Lai Li, who will personally teach you vocal lessons, and Teacher Yang will provide you with special physical training. All expenses will be covered by Fengchi Digital."

In addition, the company provides living allowances and transportation and accommodation expenses during the competition, so you won't be distracted by a lack of money.

Li Yunchun sneered, "You wouldn't help me for no reason, would you? What are your conditions?"

Lin Feng smiled slightly: "In exchange, if you achieve good results on the Super Girl stage, Fengchi Digital will have exclusive rights to distribute your songs as ringtones. Your personal image endorsement rights will also be authorized to Fengchi Digital during the contract period to promote Fengchi Digital's digital products and the Tongcheng Life Network platform."

Li Yunchun neither immediately agreed nor refused. Students rode past the window on their bicycles, their bells jingling all the way.

She countered, "What if I get eliminated in the first round?"

"Then consider it as getting three months of free vocal and physical education classes. It's a good deal."

Li Yunchun laughed out loud. Her laughter was crisp and straightforward, without any unnecessary formalities or hesitation.

She pulled her hand out of her pocket: "Why did you contact me?"

Lin Feng said, "I've watched your rehearsals. You're very special on stage; that relaxed feeling isn't something you can practice, it's innate. I have high hopes for you—"

Li Yunchun looked at him, as if wondering if the other person was a liar.

"Give me a few days to think about it."

"Okay. Call me when you've thought it through!" Lin Feng took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to her.

The front of the business card reads "Lin Feng, General Manager of Fengchi Digital Technology Co., Ltd.", while the back displays the Iogo website and its URL.

Li Yunchun took the business card, glanced at it, put it in his pocket, and turned back to the rehearsal room.

That evening, Lin Feng drove to Jiuyan Bridge.

The night and day at Jiuyan Bridge are two different worlds.

The bars at the bridgehead stood side by side, their neon lights illuminating the entire street in a bright red glow.

Street vendors selling kebabs push carts along the roadside, sparks crackling from the charcoal fires, and the smell of oil and beer mingling and wafting out from the entrances of each shop.

Lin Feng walked deeper into the bar street and stopped for a moment at the door of a bar called "Lan Kwai Fong". He heard the sound of guitar playing and singing coming from inside. It was a jazz-style English song, sung very professionally but lacking distinctiveness.

He didn't go in, but continued walking and found the bar called "Music House" at the end of the street.

The storefront is small, with a hand-painted wooden sign hanging under a dark green awning, bearing a few musical notes and the English words: Music House.

Lin Feng pushed open the door, and a warm yellow light shone in.

The band on stage was tuning their instruments. The drummer struck a snare drum a few times, the guitarist strummed a series of chords, and the bassist squatted on the ground connecting the power cord to the effects pedal.

A few tables of people were sparsely seated in the booths below the stage.

Lin Feng sat down at the bar and ordered a drink from the bartender.

Just after eight o'clock, a girl walked in through the side door, carrying a canvas bag, wearing a light gray sweatshirt and dark blue jeans, with her hair casually tied into a low ponytail.

She walked over to the bar and greeted the bartender, who pointed to the stage and said, "Tonight, a table of guests has come specifically to hear you sing English songs."

She nodded, walked to a corner on the side of the stage, sat down, and took out a small notebook from her bag, writing something on it.

Lin Feng recognized her. Zhang Liangying. She looked younger and more natural than she had on television in his previous life.

When she went on stage, the lights in the bar were dimmed.

She stood in front of the microphone without announcing anything, but simply nodded toward the mixing console.

The intro came from the speakers; it was an English song called "Loving You".

The moment she opened her mouth, Lin Feng paused for a second, holding the mineral water cup near his lips.

Her voice had a penetrating power that was completely out of place in this noisy bar. When the dolphin-like high notes in the chorus slid out of her throat, all the customers drinking at the table below looked up at her.

After the song ended, the bar was quiet for two seconds, then scattered applause broke out.

Zhang Liangying bowed and then sang "Night Fragrance".

This time she slowed the tempo by half, and every note change felt like a new composition for the song.

After listening to her performance at the bar, Lin Feng put down his water bottle and waited for it to end.

After singing a few songs, Zhang Liangying came down from the stage and walked towards the bar. Lin Feng walked past her and called out to her.

"Zhang Liangying".

She stopped and turned to look at him, her expression neither cold nor warm.

He had seen that look before; Tang Lei had also had that look. It was the first look that came to mind for those who had been beaten down by society.

Distrust, inaction, and refusal.

"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?"

"My name is Lin Feng. I'm the founder of Fengchi Digital Technology, and I created Tongcheng Life Network. I'd like to talk to you."

Zhang Liangying shook her head; she'd never heard of the local online community website. "You're in business," she said, "I only know how to sing. What are we going to talk about?"

"Super Girl. Are you planning to participate in this year's Chengdu division?"

"Not necessarily, we'll see when the time comes."

"You won the national college student singer competition last year, and you also won the national championship of the PUB singer competition, but you still sing a few songs here every night."

Lin Feng looked into her eyes: "You don't want to just sing here, do you?"

Zhang Liangying didn't reply. She lowered her head and pinched her fingers on the bag strap.

"I can give you a cooperation plan." Lin Feng repeated the terms, which were exactly the same as what he had told Li Yunchun that afternoon.

Vocal lessons plus intensive physical training, personally led by Sichuan Conservatory of Music professors Lai Li and Ms. Yang; living allowance and travel and accommodation expenses during the competition are fully covered; financial support can be provided for the SMS voting process.

In exchange, if she achieves success on the Super Girl stage, the exclusive agency rights for her song ringtones will belong to Fengchi Digital, and her personal image endorsement rights will be authorized to Fengchi Digital to promote digital products and the local life website during the contract period.

Zhang Liangying remained silent for a moment after hearing this.

"How did you know I could succeed on the Super Girl stage?" she asked curiously.

"Of course."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I've heard many people sing in bars, but your voice deserves to be heard by more people."

Zhang Liangying did not immediately agree, but asked Lin Feng for his business card and wrote down her contact information for him.

Back home, Lin Feng picked up his phone and dialed Tang Lei's number.

"Brother Lei, could you come to Chengdu? I need your help with something!"

Tang Lei said he had a radio interview in Chengdu next week and was planning to come over anyway.

Lin Feng briefly explained the situation: he planned to sign several promising female singers from this year's "Super Girl" competition and asked Professor Lai Li to help train them.

Tang Lei needs to come and support him. After all, Zhang Liangying and Li Yunchun aren't familiar with Lin Feng, but they both know Tang Lei.

Tang Lei chuckled on the other end of the phone.

"You want me to act as your go-between? Okay! I'll come over this weekend."

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