Chapter 17

Sun Yuzhen never thought that this super rocker, who once won five platinum awards, had now fallen to the point of having to apply for a pianist position at a café.

Though it's not uncommon in the entertainment industry for stars to go bankrupt after a period of success due to poor financial management, Sun Yuzhen felt that it was a waste for Lin Zai Shan, who possessed exceptional musical talent, to do such a job.

"Now many musicians are struggling to make ends meet. I used to be in the same situation, struggling to make music while hungry. If you hold yourself too high, you only make yourself suffer. If you can't even feed yourself, what's the point of creating groundbreaking music? I've come to terms with it. I want to earn money first to improve my and my daughter's life, and then pursue higher artistic goals."

Sun Yuzhen nodded, showing her understanding.

"Let's go. I'll take you back first. I'll come back later to see if I can get this pianist job."

"It's fine, I'm not in a hurry. I have to work late tonight anyway, so it doesn't matter. I'll go with you to check it out?"

"Sure, if you're not in a hurry, let's go together. Have you been to this café before?"

"No, it seems to be a new one."

The café they were discussing, called "Water Through Stone," was located in the basement of Building E of Huaxin Apartments. On the first floor of Building E, there was a Western restaurant called "Romantic Paris." "Water Through Stone" was right below this restaurant.

Huaxin Apartments were built near the city's media center, giving the area a strong cultural atmosphere. The complex had over twenty cultural salons, restaurants, and a small bar, most of which were located on the ground floor of the buildings and were rented out when the complex was first built.

As the area's atmosphere and popularity improved, it became increasingly difficult to open a new business in the complex, so now only the underground shops were available for rent.

"Water Through Stone" was one such underground café, and its location was not ideal. Compared to the "Romantic Paris" restaurant upstairs, the entrance to "Water Through Stone" was not very noticeable. If it weren't for the neon sign shaped like a coffee cup, people wouldn't even know there was a new underground café.

Lin Zai Shan was attracted by the job posting and noticed this café.

As they walked down the stairs to the basement, the walls on both sides were adorned with over a dozen warm and romantic photographs of people and landscapes. Each photo had the "Water Through Stone" café's logo watermark, giving a pleasant feeling.

"I remember there used to be a large record store downstairs in Building E. I even bought CDs here. Why did it turn into a café?"

Sun Yuzhen recalled and told Lin Zai Shan.

"The record industry is not doing well, so it closed and was rented out."

Lin Zai Shan said this with a hint of helplessness. The music industry in this world was not thriving, and record stores, as the end point of the industry, were becoming fewer and fewer, unable to make a profit.

As soon as they entered the basement, they immediately heard the soft and beautiful piano music coming from the café.

"Is someone playing the piano?"

Sun Yuzhen found the music very pleasant.

"It's probably recorded music. This is Chopin's 'Fantaisie-Impromptu.'"

Lin Zai Shan recognized the second, beautifully melodic section of "Fantaisie-Impromptu" after just a few seconds. His casual comment made Sun Yuzhen think he was very impressive!

Lin Zai Shan determined that the music was recorded for two reasons: first, the sound quality, which to his highly professional ears, sounded like it was coming from a high-end speaker; second, the performance was too good to be a live one.

In this world, the 19th-century Western classical music masters emerged as they did in the original timeline, unaffected by the changes in the Chinese Empire at the end of the 18th century. However, in the 20th century, especially after the mid-20th century, many Western music masters were influenced by the "butterfly effect" of the Chinese Empire, leading to significant changes.

In the field of music, this world had Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, and many others. However, it did not have Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong, The Beatles, Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, or Michael Jackson. Instead, other influential figures emerged.

Due to the closer integration with the Western world, the Chinese Empire's changes also affected Western popular music culture and the modern music industry, which lagged behind. This period was far from the level of 2007 in the world Lin Zai Shan came from.

Following the romantic "Fantaisie-Impromptu," Lin Zai Shan and Sun Yuzhen arrived at the entrance of "Water Through Stone" café. Although they didn't follow the "lady first" rule, Lin Zai Shan politely held the door for Sun Yuzhen, letting her enter first.

The air conditioning in the café was set to a comfortable temperature, and as soon as they entered, they felt a cool and cozy atmosphere, with the rich aroma of coffee.

The café had a small front but a spacious interior, with a 300-square-meter underground space transformed into a rustic, brown-themed café. The interior was elegantly arranged, with a touch of luxury but not overly so. The seating areas, seemingly casually placed, were carefully arranged, creating a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere under the warm yellow lighting.

At the back of the café was a small stage, indicating that it was a music café. The stage was dark, and a classical piano stood there, but no one was playing.

As Lin Zai Shan had guessed, the beautiful piano music in the café was coming from the speakers.

The romantic music and the intoxicating coffee aroma created a very refined atmosphere in the café. Although the term "bourgeois" might not be appropriate in this world, where the wealthy were more common, for Lin Zai Shan, who had lived in another world for 32 years, the café gave him a very bourgeois first impression.

Since it had only been open for less than a month, the café was not very popular. At 9:30 PM, which was usually the time when the young artists in Huaxin Apartments liked to socialize, "Water Through Stone" only had about eight or nine customers, mostly sitting in scattered groups, with most of the seats empty.

"Welcome, sir and madam."

A handsome waiter in a black vest, white shirt, and black bow tie bowed politely to Lin Zai Shan and Sun Yuzhen. He had a name tag on his left chest with the "Water Through Stone" logo, his name "Li Nan," and his English name "JACK."

"Hello, I saw your job posting outside and came to inquire."

"Are you here to apply for a job?"

"Yes, I'm here to apply. She's my friend and not applying."

Looking at Lin Zai Shan, Li Nan frowned slightly, hesitated, and then apologized, "I'm sorry, sir, are you here to apply for a cleaner position? Our job posting specifies that applicants must be under 40 years old."

Lin Zai Shan felt a sharp pain in his chest, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood!

Sun Yuzhen laughed and told Li Nan, "He's not here to apply for a cleaner position. He's here to apply for a pianist position."

"Pianist?"

Li Nan looked at the thin, sallow-faced man again. The man's silver hair gave him an artistic look, but his attire and demeanor did not match that of a musician.

"Am I that old? I'm not 40 yet!"

Lin Zai Shan was quite concerned about his age, having lost five years of his life.

"Are you sure you're here to apply for a pianist position?"

"Yes, who should I apply to?"

After a moment of hesitation, Li Nan said, "Please follow me. I'll take you to our boss."

Lin Zai Shan and Sun Yuzhen followed Li Nan into the café.

A sweet female waiter, Du Yang, wearing the same black vest uniform as Li Nan, walked up to him and whispered, "What's the situation?"

"They're here to apply for a job."

"Cleaner?" Du Yang's first reaction was the same as Li Nan's, after seeing Lin Zai Shan's casual and loose attire.

"Pianist."

"Really?" Du Yang looked at Lin Zai Shan again, but saw no signs of a pianist.

Du Yang's gaze was more direct than Li Nan's. Lin Zai Shan could sense her disdain from her sweet, slender, and elegant appearance.

He didn't mind this.

It was human nature.

People judge by appearance, and his casual attire and somewhat depressed demeanor made it hard for anyone to believe he had exceptional talent.

He smiled at Du Yang and continued to follow Li Nan.

At the far end of the café, two girls were sitting side by side in a booth.

They were about the same age, around 25 or 26, similar to Sun Yuzhen.

They were listening to music with a split headphone.

The girl sitting on the outside was wearing a light blue princess dress and holding a graceful adult Russian Blue cat in her arms. From the side, it looked like she was holding a child, with the cat's long head resting on her soft chest.

Her hair was elegantly styled with a light luxury crystal hairpin, and the curls on both sides of her face framed her serene and gentle face. The soft, warm yellow light gave her chestnut-red hair a captivating luster.

Her skin was very fair, almost like a Westerner's, and her complexion was excellent.

Her facial features were soft, giving a dreamy impression at first glance.

She was closing her eyes, leaning on the shoulder of the girl next to her, enjoying the music from the headphones. Her long, curly lashes, under the warm yellow light, created a very aesthetic scene.

Like the cat in her arms, the girl exuded an elegant aura.

The other girl, wearing a white shirt and red vest with short hair, was not elegant and had a more masculine appearance, reminiscent of Wu Junru with short hair.

Especially her deliberately styled thick eyebrows, which gave her a boyish sharpness.

She was hugging the elegant girl's shoulder, sharing the music in a close and intimate manner.

The short-haired girl wore black rings, similar to obsidian, on her left ring finger and little finger.

The elegant girl wore matching red gemstone rings on her right ring finger and little finger.

Their rings were likely a couple's set.

From their complementary postures, they seemed to be a couple as well.

Li Nan led Lin Zai Shan and Sun Yuzhen to the booth where the two girls were sitting.

He gently tapped the shoulder of the elegant girl and whispered, "Sister Shi Shi, someone has come to apply for a job."

Lin Zai Shan and Sun Yuzhen were surprised. They didn't expect the young girl holding the cat to be the owner of the café!