Chapter 23

Not even a minute after Li Mu finished speaking, Zhang Kexuan ran to the rest room, took out 20,000 yuan in cash, and directly stuffed it into Li Mu's arms.

"Brother Mu, take the money first. As for that music website thing, just give us a word whenever you need us. We'll do anything for you, even if it means climbing a mountain of knives or wading through a sea of fire."

Li Mu was surprised. They hadn't even heard a song yet, and 20,000 yuan was already thrown at him? Well, the more such people, the better cooperation.

"Don't worry about the music website for now. I haven't set it up yet. I'll let you know once it's in shape."

The four of them nodded vigorously.

Chen Wan felt her worldview was collapsing. These four, who were always full of themselves and never bowed to anyone, how could they be completely subdued by an 18-year-old boy? Especially the drummer Ye Tianming, whose father was one of the most powerful real estate developers in Jinling. She had known him for years; when had he ever shown respect to anyone?

But who could blame these four rich second-generation kids for having a rock dream instead of living a comfortable life? The most frustrating thing was, any one of their families could easily fund a national band competition with their pocket money, but they didn't. They could buy equipment and songs from Li Mu, but they wouldn't buy rankings, which showed they still had some integrity.

Li Mu took the 20,000 yuan and waved his hand. "Get me paper and a pen, I'll write the lyrics for you first."

Although Li Mu could play a bit of guitar, he couldn't write sheet music, which required a solid foundation in music theory and a lot of practice. So he could only write down the lyrics and the chord progressions, and teach the four of them how to play roughly, until they were familiar with the accompaniment, and then he would teach them how to sing.

Zhang Kexuan looked at the lyrics, a bit confused. "Brother Mu, I can understand the first part, but what does 'If I could live again, I'd choose Li Bai' mean?"

Li Mu waved his hand. "It's just for the rhyme. Don't overthink it."

"True." Zhang Kexuan shrugged and continued reading with the other three. Although they didn't fully understand the meaning of the lyrics, they felt it had a subtle rebellious spirit!

To help them get the accompaniment right, Li Mu took the electric guitar from Zhang Kexuan and had him listen and learn to sing.

Fortunately, these guys, although not very skilled, could handle basic accompaniment.

As soon as the rhythm of Li Ronghao's "Li Bai" started, the feeling immediately came through.

Zhang Kexuan, listening to Li Mu and the band's prelude, couldn't help but tap his feet, holding the lyrics, waiting for Li Mu to start singing.

Chen Wan also came over. She was even more excited about Li Mu's "original" songs than the four band members.

"Most people tell me to study and look at the world through their eyes; I studied their eyes, and the world is as mundane as the dawn..."

Li Mu wasn't particularly fond of this song. If he had to give a reason, it was the lyrics. As a pop song, it was good enough, but the lyrics seemed a bit forced. However, the melody was very solid, not only catchy but also rhythmic, making it easy for people to tap along, and the atmosphere at the scene would be great.

So, when Li Mu finished the first two lines, Zhang Kexuan was already almost jumping with excitement.

It was awesome, just awesome!

The other three guys were still playing the accompaniment, so they couldn't be too wild, but the happiness on their faces was evident.

Li Mu sang three times in a row, and Zhang Kexuan had already learned it pretty well. This guy had a good sense of music. After Li Mu led him a few times, he was completely familiar with the melody and rhythm. The remaining part was to find that laid-back feeling.

For the four band members, they felt Li Mu's song was even better than the previous two. As beginners in rock, they could be forgiven for not understanding the deeper meaning, but Chen Wan was much more discerning. She could feel that "Li Bai" was quite different from the other two folk-style songs.

When the four band members were fully engrossed in practicing "Li Bai," Chen Wan quietly asked why he wrote such a different style of song. Li Mu's answer left her speechless.

"‘Li Bai’ was written when I was in the first year of high school. I was young and impulsive back then."

What a mess.

Not Chen Wan, but Li Mu.

He felt his face was getting thicker.

Chen Wan was also speechless. Being young and impulsive in the first year of high school, and now in the third year, he seemed to have matured early. What a strange boy...

No, a strange, god-like boy...

By the time the four band members had practiced until they were proficient, it was already 5 PM. If Zhang Kexuan's voice hadn't been worn out, he would have continued singing "Li Bai" ten more times, no, twenty more times. He thought this song was too awesome. The meaning of the lyrics was actually similar to what he had always wanted to write, "Mom, please take me home," but this one was much more sophisticated and subtle. Awesome, really awesome.

The four band members put away their instruments and gathered in a corner. They sent the bassist out, and Zhang Kexuan then ran to Li Mu, smiling. "Brother Mu, I'll go and get the two songs you wrote earlier. We were so focused on ‘Li Bai’ that we forgot about them."

Li Mu was a bit embarrassed. "You guys are all older than me, just call me Xiao Mu."

He then asked, "What should I call the others?"

The drummer, who had been acting cool but was now thoroughly defeated, extended his right hand. "Brother Mu, I'm Ye Tianming. Just call me Tianming. Don't take the previous things to heart."

The other guitarist also extended his hand. "Brother Mu, I'm Xia Ji, the Xia Ji in winter and summer."

Li Mu shook hands with each of them and said politely, "Just call me Xiao Mu, or I won't come here again."

He then asked, "Where's the bassist?"

Zhang Kexuan said, "He's called Gu Wei. He went out to do something and will be back soon."

Zhang Kexuan quickly got Li Mu's two songs ready, burned a few lossless CDs, and also burned a few CDs in MP3 and WMV formats.

When the CDs were done, the bassist Gu Wei returned, holding a brown paper bag, which he handed to Zhang Kexuan.

Zhang Kexuan opened it, looked inside, and then pushed the bag to Li Mu, saying sincerely, "This is 60,000 yuan. We four discussed it, and we think 20,000 yuan for such a good song is not enough, so 15,000 yuan each."

Li Mu was a bit puzzled and waited for Zhang Kexuan to continue.

Zhang Kexuan, blushing, hesitated for a moment and said, "Well, you see, we four think that for the band to participate in the competition, we need an original song, so..."

Li Mu instantly understood.

Zhang Kexuan wanted the authorship of "Li Bai."

To be honest, 80,000 yuan for a good song wasn't cheap or expensive, but that was for a singer. If a singer like a certain star sang Li Mu's song, the copyright would belong to the star or his record company, and the song would be included in his album. However, the authorship on the cover, lyrics, and MV must clearly state: "Lyrics: Li Mu, Music: Li Mu." Authorship was important, representing the bloodline of the song in terms of creation.

Chen Wan understood the meaning and felt it was too much. She immediately said, "Brother, Li Mu is already very generous to let you sing his songs. How can you do this!"

Zhang Kexuan's face also turned red.

Wasn't it for the sake of face? Think about it, all bands are about originality. Which band would ask someone else to write their songs? That would be a huge embarrassment. In China, bands like Black Panther, Tang Dynasty, and Overload, and abroad, bands like Metallica, Guns N' Roses, and Nirvana, they might cover songs, but the rest were all their own originals!

Li Mu thought for a moment and asked calmly, "If I write more songs for you in the future, you will still want the authorship, right?"

Zhang Kexuan's expression was extremely awkward, and he lowered his head. "Brother Mu, just name your price!"

Li Mu nodded and said calmly, "It's not impossible, but in that case, the music website project will have to be fully funded and managed by you."

One thing at a time. Since they were participating in a national competition, there would be several rounds of regional competitions and a few rounds of finals, which would require at least three or four songs. If Li Mu gave them the authorship, he would certainly need corresponding compensation.

Zhang Kexuan immediately said, "Oh, I see. No problem, just give us the word, and we'll handle the money and effort for the music website. The shares will all be yours!"

"Deal."