Chapter 24

Li Mu had been pondering from the first day of his rebirth how he could use his internet knowledge to earn the tuition for his first year of university and a laptop during the summer vacation.

What he never expected was that his first earnings would come from selling songs, a testament to life's many surprises.

When Li Mu received the demo of his two songs, it was already past six in the evening. Zhang Kexuan was delighted and didn't want to let Li Mu, this "talent," leave so soon. He insisted on taking Li Mu and Chen Wan to the best street stall in Nanjing for a meal.

Li Mu initially wanted to decline, thinking that if he left now, he could still get back to Haizhou without it being too late. However, Zhang Kexuan wouldn't hear of it, saying that driving at night was unsafe and he was worried.

Chen Wan also advised Li Mu not to rush, suggesting that he could return the next morning if necessary.

Zhang Kexuan suddenly remembered something and said, "Right, the Olympic bid results will be announced at ten tonight. If we win, there will be a celebration in Nanjing. I'll take you to the street stall, we'll drink cold beer, and watch the live broadcast!"

Li Mu suddenly realized it was July 13th, and at around ten, Samaranch would announce in Moscow that Yanjing (Beijing) had won the bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was indeed a moment of national celebration. Since that was the case, why not indulge a little?

Li Mu called his parents to let them know, then drove Chen Wan's A6, following Zhang Kexuan's imported Land Cruiser, to a street stall in the most bustling area of the city center.

At this time, it was still possible to find street stalls in the most bustling areas, but in a few years, such a privilege would be gone.

The street stall Zhang Kexuan took them to was quite upscale, with the most prominent feature being a large rear-projection TV in the center. In this era, large rear-projection TVs were still quite rare.

Zhang Kexuan greeted the owner, who then led them to the best reserved spot, very close to the TV and right in front of it.

"We often come here to watch football matches," Zhang Kexuan said after they sat down, asking Li Mu, "Do you like football?"

"I like watching it, but I'm not very good at playing."

Zhang Kexuan laughed, "We're not very good at playing either, but we love watching it."

He then added, "But this year, the national team is doing pretty well. They won all six matches in the World Cup Asian qualifying group."

Ye Tianming laughed, "You should see who they played against in the group stage—Maldives, Cambodia, Indonesia... I think they'll probably fail in the Asian qualifying round."

Xia Xia said, "Hey, I have a feeling the national team might actually make it to the World Cup this year!"

Li Mu calculated the timeline. The national team had already finished the group stage, but the Asian qualifying round wouldn't start until the end of August. He remembered this clearly because he had already reported to his school and was preparing for military training at that time.

As for the World Cup qualification, it wouldn't be confirmed until early October, when the national team won 1-0 against Oman at the Wulihe Stadium.

Li Mu was indeed very excited back then, but it turned out to be in vain. In the World Cup group stage, the national team lost all three matches, conceding nine goals and scoring none, returning home in defeat.

Zhang Kexuan called the owner and ordered a large amount of food and drinks, focusing on a lot of barbecue and spicy crayfish. He also asked for imported Corona beer. His high spirits were evident from his demeanor.

Li Mu was also quite happy. In the backpack in the trunk of Chen Wan's Audi, he had 80,000 RMB, his first earnings from his rebirth. However, this wasn't his first pot of gold. Li Mu decided not to tell his family yet. Tomorrow, he would buy a laptop in Nanjing and then truly begin his internet endeavors.

The summer evening, the street stall, and the cold beer, with Chen Wan by his side, made Li Mu feel that life was indeed quite enjoyable. Since he had established himself as a formidable figure in front of Zhang Kexuan and his friends, they treated him with great respect, taking turns to toast and express their gratitude.

During the toasts, Li Mu learned that the band's name was "Nanjing Noise." Li Mu didn't comment on this somewhat peculiar name, as he didn't understand many rock band names either, like "Frost Before Dawn" or "Sunrise Last Night."

With a shared interest, the conversation and drinks flowed. Li Mu discovered that these four rich kids had an unparalleled passion for music and rock, and since he was also a music lover, they found themselves increasingly in sync.

Before they knew it, it was already 9:30 PM. Li Mu was slightly tipsy but noticed that the streets were filled with people, many of whom were draped in national flags, waving them, and even painting them on their faces. A large crowd had gathered in the bustling area, and the police were on standby, but they didn't interfere.

Li Mu finished a bottle of Corona and looked at the crowds, seeing the large screens on commercial buildings broadcasting the live broadcast from CCTV. He felt a surge of excitement.

The Chinese people in 2001 were fortunate, with two national celebrations: the successful Olympic bid tonight and the national team's qualification for the World Cup on October 7th.

The crowd grew larger and larger, and some young men even bought cases of mineral water and drinks, distributing them to passersby.

"Olympic bid will definitely succeed!" someone shouted, and the crowd immediately erupted in a chorus: "Olympic bid will definitely succeed!"

Li Mu smiled, knowing it would definitely succeed. In about half an hour, the whole country would be celebrating.

Zhang Kexuan, deeply moved, said, "I'll pay for all the Corona beer the boss has, and we'll distribute it for free on the street when the Olympic bid succeeds!"

The other three rich kids immediately agreed to join in.

Li Mu suggested, "You should buy canned beer instead. With so many people, a broken beer bottle could cause injuries."

Zhang Kexuan nodded, "You're right." He then called out, "Boss Zhou!"

The owner, in his thirties, hurried over. Zhang Kexuan was a regular customer, and the business he brought in had made the owner a lot of money. Zhang Kexuan was also a straightforward person without the arrogance of a rich kid, so the owner had a good relationship with him.

Zhang Kexuan took out the key to his Land Cruiser and handed it to the owner, saying, "Old Zhou, help us out. We're all drunk, so you drive my car and buy as much canned beer as you can. When the Olympic bid succeeds, I'll treat everyone on the street to a drink!"

Old Zhou hesitated for a moment, then slapped his thigh, "I'm in!"

At such a moment, a sense of national pride surged in everyone's heart. Li Mu said, "I'm in too. We six will split the cost of the beer."

"Me too!" Chen Wan was not to be left behind.

Fortunately, the police were maintaining order, and the road was reserved for cars. Old Zhou handed his business over to his wife and left with a helper in Zhang Kexuan's car. Zhang Kexuan mentioned that he often let Old Zhou drive him home when he was drunk.

In an era without drunk driving laws, a rich kid with the awareness not to drive after drinking left a strong impression on Li Mu.

Since the results would be announced at ten, Old Zhou didn't delay. He drove around and bought about a dozen cases of canned beer, returning just before ten.

Zhang Kexuan, with a cigarette in his mouth, called everyone to help move the beer from the car, stacking it in layers on the roadside. Each case contained 24 cans, and there were more than ten thousand people in the bustling area, but it was a gesture of goodwill.

At 10:08 PM, Samaranch finally announced, "Yan—Jing."

In an instant, the whole country erupted in celebration...