Chapter 62

The next noon, Li Qian received a call from Wang Jingsnow.

At Huage Records, their producer Li Baolong had no objections to the demands Li Qian made the previous night. After obtaining authorization from the company, he set out from Shuntianfu that morning with the other four girls of Wuxing Wusu, and they were expected to arrive in Jinanfu in the afternoon. It was also said that Li Baolong had promised to provide the recording studio and musicians that Li Qian requested, and the local office in Jinanfu had guaranteed that these would be available at any time.

Thus, after making an appointment with Wang Jingsnow to pick him up at his rented house at 6:30 PM, Li Qian went straight to Cao Zhan's restaurant after school.

Going to get the guitar was a minor matter; the main reason was that he was now a part-time employee of the restaurant, and although his position was a bit special, if he needed to take a few days off, it would be more polite to come in person to inform them.

After telling Chu Bingbing about his leave, he took the guitar Cao Zhan had given him and hurried home on his bike.

Sure enough, Wang Jingsnow was already waiting downstairs.

So, Li Qian took his things upstairs and got into Wang Jingsnow's car, heading straight for Huage Records' Jinanfu office.

The office, in fact, was a small record company.

Not just in Jinanfu, but after the government gradually relaxed its control over the music market in the past twenty years, the domestic pop music scene had become increasingly vibrant. More and more people were releasing albums, and the overall market and influence of the music industry had grown significantly, showing a thriving state everywhere. As a result, record companies of all sizes sprang up everywhere. It could be said that in almost every major city in the country, there were several record companies.

Of course, these record companies were often very small. Some of them did not even make money by producing and selling records. Selecting and training young singers and musicians, organizing local fan meetings, concerts, and taking on commercial performances were all ways they made money.

But no matter which path these small record companies took, they ultimately relied on the music market for their survival. To do well and to make a profit, they had to establish good relationships with famous record companies in the country.

Given Huage Records' position in the domestic pop music scene, finding a temporary office and recording space in Jinan was a simple matter.

So, when Li Qian followed Wang Jingsnow to the 14th floor of an office building, he saw the words "Lao Dou Records" at the reception desk of the company.

The way record companies operate is a bit different from ordinary companies.

Ordinary companies can have a 9-to-5 schedule, but record companies mainly serve singers, who are creatures without a regular biological clock. Therefore, while administrative staff, internal staff, and financial staff can have a 9-to-5 schedule like other ordinary company employees, there must always be someone on duty 24 hours a day.

So, when Li Qian and Wang Jingsnow took the elevator to the 14th floor, they saw that the lights were off in the surrounding office areas, but Lao Dou Records was brightly lit.

Because they had been informed in advance, about seven or eight people were waiting at the elevator door.

Li Jinlong, the producer of Wuxing Wusu, was a slightly overweight middle-aged man with a loud voice and a ruddy complexion, clearly a very shrewd person. The general manager of Lao Dou Records, Fu Zhenbang, was also slightly overweight and very enthusiastic. Seeing that Li Qian was really a young man of about seventeen or eighteen, his expression did not change at all. He shook hands and kept trying to get close, calling Li Qian "Teacher Li" and inviting him to come over for tea when he had time. Judging by his age, he was probably around the same age as Li Qian's father.

Then, there were the four girls.

It was unclear whether Huage Records had specifically regulated how high their heels could be, but when Li Qian saw the four girls standing in a row, his first reaction was amazement.

The four girls stood there, all of the same height!

Four pairs of long legs, four youthful and charming faces, and the four of them shouting "Teacher Li, hello!" together... If it were a normal seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, he would have been completely stunned.

Fortunately, Li Qian had spent nearly twenty years in the art circle in his previous life, and this was not the first time he had seen such a scene. So, since he got off the elevator and saw the people, besides shaking hands, he had always been in a posture of clasped hands and a slight bow, and when they called him "Teacher Li," his first response was always, "I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it, you're too polite!"

In short: polite and low-key.

When the four girls shouted "Teacher Li, hello" together, he quickly waved his hands, "Hey, hey, beautiful ladies, I'm in my third year of high school, I don't teach third year, please don't call me so old!"

Li Qian's attitude was so humble that everyone could chat and laugh.

So, after introducing Li Qian to the reception room, the general manager of Lao Dou Records, Fu Zhenbang, quickly and tactfully left, leaving the reception room to Huage Records and Li Qian.

After he left, Wang Jingsnow introduced the remaining four girls of Wuxing Wusu to Li Qian one by one.

They were all of similar height and age, the youngest being 20 and the oldest 22. The one with the best figure, the largest chest, and the most prominent buttocks was called Sima Dodo. The one with the prettiest face and a gentle, sweet smile was called Xie Bing. The one with a pair of extremely beautiful almond eyes was called Zhou Pingping. The one who was the most delicate and slender was called Sun Ruoxuan.

If they were to act in a movie, they would all be suitable as eye candy!

After Wang Jingsnow finished the introductions, Li Qian stood up, still in a posture of clasped hands, and said, "Actually, you are all a few years older than me, so please don't call me 'teacher.' If we can successfully collaborate this time, we will be working together for a while, and if you keep calling me 'teacher,' I really can't bear it. So, you can call me Li Qian or Xiao Qian, okay?"

Everyone looked at him, not knowing how to respond. It was their producer, Li Baolong, who stood up to smooth things over, and Li Qian then smiled and continued, "Sister Jingsnow found me and said she hoped I could help you write a few songs. Of course, I can. However, since you are a group, I suggested that I listen to your voices on the spot. For this, I specially asked you to come here, and I apologize for the trouble."

After a pause, he added, "So, can we start now?"

...

Among the four girls, Sima Dodo was the first to stand up and sing.

And, she sang "Persistence" again.

Li Qian sat on the sofa, listening attentively, and occasionally looked up at Sima Dodo.

However, not only was he observing the girls, but the girls were also observing him. Even Sima Dodo, who was singing, would occasionally sneak a glance at him.

This was not surprising at all.

Considering what he had achieved and the results he had produced, and seeing his incredibly young appearance... On the way to Jinan, the girls had even argued about how to address Li Qian. Although they eventually agreed to call him "teacher," considering his age, the first "teacher" they called felt a bit awkward.

Admiration, curiosity, hope, awkwardness...

All these mixed feelings made it impossible for them not to observe Li Qian!

Indeed, from the moment they met, although he was very young, he did not appear immature at all. Even when chatting with two middle-aged men, he seemed very composed.

Moreover, although he had already made a significant name for himself in the music industry, he seemed to have a very gentle personality and did not have the arrogance that many legendary music geniuses had.

Oh, and according to Wang Jingsnow, he still rode his bike to and from school every day and even went to a restaurant to sing for a living.

So, he seemed to be very easy to get along with.

After Sima Dodo finished singing "Persistence," it was Xie Bing's turn, and she sang "Wildflowers."

At that moment, the girls immediately saw a bitter smile on Li Qian's face.

Since it was just to listen to their voices, everyone sang a cappella, and only once, so it was very quick. When Xie Bing finished "Wildflowers," Zhou Pingping stood up, and Li Qian suddenly asked, "You are Zhou Pingping, right? You're not planning to sing my song, are you?"

With just this one sentence, the five girls in the room all turned red.

But soon, when Li Qian shook his head and smiled, everyone couldn't help but laugh.

This made the atmosphere in the room much less awkward and formal.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Pingping finally chose to sing a song by He Runqing. Her sweet and smooth voice was particularly suitable for He Runqing's love songs—definitely better than singing Li Qian's light rock.

Then, the last one to stand up, Sun Ruoxuan, also decided to change her song and sang a song by Zhou Mo.

After listening to her song, Li Qian specifically asked the five of them to sing a song together.

When they started singing, Li Qian finally nodded slowly, unable to resist.

This was the only time he nodded that night.

Whether the album would sell well or not, and even a step back, whether the first album of Wuxing Wusu, their chosen style, and the path they took were correct, were all matters for later. In terms of selecting the members, the voices of the five girls each had their own characteristics. When these five different voices were combined, they formed a harmonious unity, with both contrast and breadth.

It could be said that just from the combination of the five