Chapter 20

Without a driver's license, Li Mu drove the car all the way to the outskirts of Jinling City. By then, it was already 11:40 AM. Although he encountered some traffic police along the way, none of them tried to stop the A6 for inspection, which made things much easier.

Before entering the city, Li Mu switched places with Chen Wan again. He didn't know where Chen Wan was going, and she herself wasn't sure either, so she decided to drive herself.

Chen Wan first took out her phone and made a call, telling the other party that she had arrived in Jinling but needed to eat first before meeting up. They agreed to meet at 1:30 PM at a certain place.

After Chen Wan hung up, Li Mu asked curiously, "Sister Wan, what are you doing in Jinling? You didn't tell me the whole way."

"I, well," Chen Wan giggled and winked mysteriously, "it's a secret!"

"Alright then," Li Mu felt a bit disappointed and didn't press further.

Chen Wan was more familiar with the provincial capital, so she drove slowly into the city. They first found a restaurant and had a meal together, then Chen Wan drove Li Mu to a commercial area not far from the restaurant.

Li Mu had studied in Jinling in his previous life and knew that this commercial area was very special.

Originally, this was a failed commercial street development project in Jinling, intended to be a pedestrian street but never materialized. Later, many vacant storefronts were occupied by artists, including painters, sculptors, photographers, and musicians. Even a few teams that produced original videos developed here. It had a flavor similar to the later 798 Art District in Beijing, but on a much smaller scale and less mature. At this point, it was just a雏形, a place where local young artists liked to show off.

There were a few music bars along the street, and further in, there were several coffee shops with a higher artistic taste, a few music stores, a few art galleries, and dance training rooms.

Initially, this place was popular among college students and a few international students and foreign teachers, and gradually became a gathering place for young artists.

Li Mu didn't know what Chen Wan was doing here. He helped her park the car, and then she led him inside.

They walked all the way to the deepest part of the commercial street before Li Mu was brought to a place called "Jinling Noise."

"Noise?" Li Mu stared at the graffiti-style sign and asked in surprise, "Is it for making noise?"

"Yep," Chen Wan smiled and raised an eyebrow, "It's my cousin's place, a band rehearsal room and recording studio."

Li Mu pursed his lips. Could Chen Wan be into this too? Did she come all this way just to watch local underground bands rehearse?

As someone who had attended university in Jinling in the second half of 2001, Li Mu had truly experienced the level of local underground bands in 2001.

Most local bands at the time couldn't even play "Really Love You" well, and they all used low-end domestic instruments. The lead guitarist might have a Japanese ZOOM 505 effects pedal, but the speakers were terrible, producing a sound like shit. The metal rock sounded plastic, and if the bassist played a note with a bit of force, it sounded like an elephant farting through the speakers.

However, since they were here, Li Mu didn't think much about it. He was just accompanying Chen Wan, and she could do whatever she wanted.

As they stepped into Jinling Noise, Li Mu began to realize something interesting.

Although the place was hidden, once inside, Li Mu found that it was a very high-end band rehearsal room.

Li Mu had played in a band part-time in college, and with his half-year salary, he could only afford a low-end electric guitar. He used to drool over pictures of imported instruments online, but he never imagined that he would see the things he had dreamed of in his youth here.

A four-person rock band was in the rehearsal room, holding their instruments and apparently rehearsing.

Li Mu immediately recognized that one of the long-haired guitarists was holding a sunset-colored Gibson, the same model as Slash from Guns N' Roses, which would cost around 70,000 to 80,000 RMB.

The other guitarist and bassist also had top-notch equipment, mostly from world-renowned brands. The drummer was even more impressive, with a top-tier Japanese TAMA drum set and a variety of cymbals that would cost tens of thousands of RMB.

Li Mu was stunned. These guys were all rich!

The long-haired guy with the sunset-colored Gibson, who looked about 24 or 25, whistled when he saw Chen Wan and said with a smile, "Xiao Wan, didn't you say you'd come at 1:30? It's only 1:00 now."

"I came to watch you rehearse," Chen Wan smiled. "Brother, it's been a while. Your hair has grown longer."

The long-haired young man laughed and looked at Li Mu, asking, "Is this the guy you mentioned?"

"That's right," Chen Wan quickly pulled Li Mu and introduced him to everyone, "Guys, this is my brother, Li Mu."

Li Mu was confused. Why was he involved in this?

Before he could understand what was happening, the long-haired young man extended his hand to Li Mu, saying, "Hi, I'm Zhang Kexuan, Chen Wan's cousin. Chen Wan told me you can write songs and that you wrote a very good one?"

Li Mu's eyes widened, and he stared at Chen Wan with a bewildered expression...

Chen Wan felt a bit awkward under Li Mu's gaze and quickly said, "Li Mu, the song 'Zebra, Zebra' you sang last time was really good. I really wanted to record it, so I contacted my cousin. This is a rehearsal room, and the recording studio is in the back. I didn't explain it to you before, but please don't be angry, okay?"

Zhang Kexuan also nodded and said, "Li Mu, right? Let me tell you, the equipment here is top-notch. I can't say it's as good as famous studios in the U.S., but it's one of the best private studios in the country. I can help you record a demo. If you're interested, you can send it to record companies for a try."

"Never mind," Li Mu waved his hand. "I'm just an amateur music lover. I don't want to release any albums."

"Hey!" Zhang Kexuan said casually, "It's no big deal. Even if you don't want to release an album, recording a demo as a keepsake is a good idea!"

"Exactly!" Chen Wan pleaded, "I really think your song 'Zebra, Zebra' is amazing. If you record it, you can keep it as a memento and give me a copy for my MP3. It would be great to listen to it whenever I want."

Li Mu sighed. MP3 players were quite expensive in those days, not much cheaper than mobile phones. Moreover, he was really impressed by this rich and beautiful sister, who went to such lengths just to record a song.

And Zhang Kexuan and his three bandmates, damn, the soundproofing, lighting, high-end speakers, mixing console, and their instruments in the rehearsal room must have cost millions!

If the recording studio was built to high standards, it would be even more expensive. A vocal microphone could cost tens of thousands, and a pair of monitoring speakers could also cost tens of thousands. Not to mention the recording equipment. My God, spending millions on rock music? Are they crazy?

In this era, with that much money, they could do anything in China and make a fortune... Is this how rich second-generation kids live?

But Li Mu thought, it's better for rich kids to spend money on rock music than to buy a sports car and cause trouble for ordinary people.

Li Mu couldn't say much. Since they were here, and Chen Wan really wanted to hear "Zebra, Zebra," he might as well record it. It wouldn't cost him anything, and in the future, when others bragged about their past achievements, he could also brag that he had a demo album in high school.

At this moment, seeing Li Mu's expression soften, Zhang Kexuan said, "Why don't you sit down for a while? We're rehearsing for the Ice Power National Band Competition. The preliminary round is coming up, and we're in intense practice."

Li Mu nodded and sat down with Chen Wan. Zhang Kexuan communicated with his bandmates and said, "Let's run through the songs."

Li Mu thought to himself, I don't remember Zhang Kexuan from my previous life. With such high-end equipment, this band should be famous in Jinling, even if their skills aren't great. Why haven't I heard of them?

As he was thinking, the band started playing.

"You are my angel, my ANGEL, bringing me luck and endless happiness..."

Isn't this the hit song by Dada? Li Mu spat out a mouthful of blood. Dada released their album in January this year. These guys have such great equipment, yet they're still playing covers. Don't they know that original music is the key to success for a band?

However, although they weren't original, their playing skills were decent. The lead singer was Zhang Kexuan, and his voice was pretty good, but Li Mu felt it didn't suit the pop-punk style of the song.

Li Mu and Chen Wan listened to them play three songs in a row, including Dada's hit, Beyond's "Earth," and Black Panther's "Don't Bother Me."

After the three songs, Zhang Kexuan was exhausted, especially with the last Black Panther song, where he couldn't hit the high notes and struggled.

"Li Mu, since you write your own songs, you must have some experience. Can you give us some feedback?" Zhang Kexuan looked at Li Mu expectantly.

No matter what, in this era, anyone who could play the guitar and write songs must have learned something, even if most of their songs were terrible in Zhang Kexuan's eyes.

Li Mu hesitated for a moment and then said seriously, "Your styles are too mixed: pop-punk, pop-rock, and hard rock. Moreover, you only imitate, copying the original versions without any original adaptation."

"Most importantly, your voice doesn't suit these three styles, and you haven't tried to sing in your own style. You've spent so much money on your band, but you haven't even found your own style?"

"Damn!" Zhang Kexuan and the other band members were stunned. This kid hit the nail on the head...