Chapter 25

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

At 9 PM, outside the West Gate of Dongyi University, at a large street stall.

Lin Zaishan, Bai Ge, Sun Yuzhen, and Liao Bo were drinking draft beer and eating grilled squid, celebrating Lin Zaishan's qualification for the main competition of "The Strongest Singer-Composer."

"Gezi, you didn't see it, but your old man was so cool this afternoon! He sang several songs in a row and stunned everyone from the production team!" Recalling Lin Zaishan's impromptu performance that afternoon, Sun Yuzhen praised it to Bai Ge.

"What a pity! Old man, why didn't you call me to go with you for the interview? I didn't even record it."

"Haha, it was just a casual sing, no need to record it."

Liao Bo raised his glass and said, "Uncle, when the formal recording starts, you must continue to perform like this. With your talent, you have a good chance of making it to the top three in this competition."

"Not just the top three, I think Uncle Lin has the potential to win the championship of this competition!" In Sun Yuzhen's eyes, Lin Zaishan was already a semi-god in the music world.

"Thanks for your good words. If I win the 1 million yuan prize for the championship, I'll treat you to the best Chinese cuisine!"

"Old man, you're dreaming too high again!"

"Haha, I'm not dreaming too high. I have a clear goal, and I will definitely win the championship of this competition!"

"Uncle, I believe in you!"

Sun Yuzhen had a slight flush on her face from drinking, her innocent cheeks turning rosy.

"Thank you."

Lin Zaishan raised his draft beer glass, clinked it with Sun Yuzhen's, and took a small sip.

Although he was happy about getting the qualification, Lin Zaishan was still quite restrained. He planned to only have one glass of draft beer that night, just to celebrate with everyone. He would never drink too much and ruin his voice.

Seeing Lin Zaishan and Sun Yuzhen clink glasses and drink, their eyes exchanging too intimate and confident glances, Liao Bo smiled helplessly.

Liao Bo was also impressed by Lin Zaishan's musical talent, but he thought the chances of Lin Zaishan winning the championship were still quite small.

This competition had several singers signed by the Oriental TV station participating, as well as over a dozen veteran musicians with extensive connections in the industry. In Liao Bo's view, these people had a much higher chance of winning the championship than Lin Zaishan.

Having worked at the Oriental TV station for more than five years and personally experienced several singing competitions organized by the station, Liao Bo knew very well that there were always behind-the-scenes manipulations in these competitions.

Not just the Oriental TV station, but other major stations also did the same with such programs.

The champions of these programs were almost pre-determined.

For someone like Lin Zaishan, who had no connections, making it to the top three would already be a significant breakthrough.

Winning the championship would be almost as difficult as climbing to the sky.

The executives of the Oriental TV station would never let someone who had been in prison win the championship of their most prestigious music program.

Otherwise, they would be too easy to attack and smear by the media of competing organizations.

A major station like the Oriental TV station would definitely not take such a risk.

"Haha, Uncle, the more I think about it, the funnier it gets." Sun Yuzhen said to Lin Zaishan with a hearty laugh, "After you sang that song about the snowy day, Director Ma's fat face looked like it was frozen, he didn't even dare to test you anymore, haha."

"I thought he would test me again, but I didn't expect him to give up. But, Xiao Bo, does Director Ma have a grudge against me? Why did I feel he was particularly targeting me during the interview? Does he do the same to others?"

"How did he target you, old man?" Bai Ge was quite concerned about this.

"I felt he was picking on me."

"Uh-huh!" Sun Yuzhen nodded vigorously in agreement. Everyone in the meeting room could feel that Ma Xiaodong was making things difficult for Lin Zaishan.

Liao Bo hesitated for a moment and asked, "Uncle, have you forgotten? When you were at the peak of your career, you had a verbal spat with Director Ma. According to rumors, your relationship wasn't good."

"Ah? That was so many years ago, I had long forgotten, and he still holds a grudge?"

Liao Bo smiled bitterly and took a sip of wine, unwilling and not daring to privately comment on his boss's character.

Bai Ge said irritably, "Are all men so petty? A verbal spat from 20 years ago, and he still holds a grudge?"

Sun Yuzhen also found it hard to believe, "I can't believe Director Ma has such a small heart."

Liao Bo laughed, "In this industry, whether on stage or behind the scenes, everyone has two faces, some even have several. The water in this industry is very deep, Uncle, you should know this well, right?"

Lin Zaishan nodded helplessly with a smile.

From what Liao Bo said, the entertainment industry in this world was indeed very murky.

No wonder.

The more splendid the fur coat, the more lice it may hide behind.

The entertainment industry, which looks glamorous on the surface but is arduous inside, is bound to be deep and murky.

But no matter how bumpy and winding the road ahead, Lin Zaishan would no longer be timid or weak. With his extraordinary talent, he believed he could carve out his own path in this industry.

...

The next morning at 10 AM.

Huaxin Apartment Building A, Room 2505.

Lin Zaishan was listening to classic Chinese songs from this world and continuing to study the history of music development in this world.

Click, click.

The door lock sounded.

It was Bai Ge returning with a large bag of pears.

Lin Zaishan now particularly enjoyed eating pears.

Before going to bed at night, he would even put half a pear in his mouth to absorb the impurities in his lungs and soothe his throat, spitting it out in the morning to protect his voice.

Wearing thick monitoring headphones, Lin Zaishan didn't hear Bai Ge enter the room.

Seeing Lin Zaishan diligently studying music and not slacking off, Bai Ge smiled sweetly.

Without disturbing Lin Zaishan, she quietly put down the fruit and started tidying up the room.

It wasn't until Bai Ge went to the floor-to-ceiling window to open it for ventilation that Lin Zaishan caught a glimpse of her with his peripheral vision.

"Oh my!"

He was startled.

Instinctively, he grabbed a popular music magazine from the table and covered his lower body.

He was only wearing a black pair of boxers with a hole in one leg.

"What are you doing?"

Seeing Lin Zaishan's startled and flustered reaction, Bai Ge was also startled.

"Throw me the big shorts on the sofa."

Lin Zaishan, sitting in his work chair, was embarrassed to get up.

Bai Ge smiled helplessly, went to the sofa, and brought the big shorts to Lin Zaishan.

Lin Zaishan quickly put them on, feeling more at ease.

For a moment, it was as if he was looking at a shy big boy, and Bai Ge was puzzled: when did her father become so shy?

She remembered that in the past, when he was drunk, he would play music at home without any clothes on, and she could come and go without him caring. He even went to the hallway naked to scold her.

Why was he now embarrassed to face her in boxers?

Was it because the boxers were too old?

But her father wasn't the type to be picky about details.

Suddenly, Bai Ge asked Lin Zaishan, "Dad, are you... doing that?"

"Doing what? ... Masturbating?" Lin Zaishan asked awkwardly.

Bai Ge smiled mischievously and nodded her head.

In her memory, her father hadn't been intimate with a woman for over half a year.

The last time she knew he brought a woman home to sleep was during the Spring Festival.

"You're thinking too much! I was listening to music, and you scared me!"

"If you were scared, you could just be scared. Why did you rush to put on your pants?"

"You're a grown girl now, you understand the little things between men and women. I can't always be so casual in front of you, right?"

Lin Zaishan changed the subject, "Don't you have classes this morning? Why are you back so early?"

"I finished my classes. I came back to pack some things and leave some money for you." Bai Ge said, taking out her wallet from her canvas backpack.

"Why are you leaving me money? Didn't you just give me 100 yuan yesterday?"

"Our class is going to Xia City for a field trip, for five days. We're leaving at noon and coming back on Sunday afternoon."

"Go ahead, you don't need to leave me money. 100 yuan is enough for me to eat for five days. There's still a lot of food in the fridge, and there's a box of instant noodles too."

Lin Zaishan advised Bai Ge, "Take more money with you. Eat well outside, don't always rely on your classmates for meals."

This made Bai Ge feel a bit sad.

Their family was very short of money.

The day before yesterday, they had just paid the rent, and Bai Ge had reported the current financial situation at home to Lin Zaishan—after paying 2500 yuan for rent, they only had 800 yuan left.

Last night, they spent 120 yuan on the street stall dinner with Sun Yuzhen and Liao Bo, and Bai Ge had left 100 yuan for Lin Zaishan, leaving her with less than 600 yuan.

Taking out another 200 yuan from her wallet, Bai Ge handed it to Lin Zaishan, "Our expenses for the trip to Xia City are covered by the class fund, including meals and accommodation, so I don't need to spend more. Dad, here's another 200 yuan for you. If you need to treat someone to a meal, you'll have more money."

Lin Zaishan pushed the 200 yuan back, "Don't leave me the money. I don't need it. I'll go out and find a job these few days, I won't stay at home."

"Don't rush to go out and earn money. You need to focus on preparing for 'The Strongest Singer-Composer' competition. The recording starts in a month."

"What's the point of the recording if they don't pay?"

"They do pay! Sister Sun said you get 1300 yuan for each recording session as a participation subsidy!"

"1300 yuan isn't much." Lin Zaishan smiled helplessly.

"1300 yuan is enough to pay half a month's rent!"

Bai Ge was used to hard times. She had lived a hard life with her mother, and it had been even harder since living with Lin Zaishan.

To Bai Ge, 1300 yuan was a lot of money.

Lin Zaishan ruffled Bai Ge's head and said, "Put the money away. Have a good time in Xia City. By the time you come back, our financial situation will have improved. I've already talked to Sister Sun and Xiao Bo. If there are any opportunities to write songs or compose music for pay, they'll let me know. If I can sell one song, we'll be able to live well. If not, I'll go to a bar to sing, and I'll definitely earn some money. Don't worry about me, just take care of yourself while you're away."

Seeing Lin Zaishan insist on not taking the money, Bai Ge put it away.

That noon, after making lunch for Lin Zaishan, Bai Ge repeatedly warned him not to get into fights or cause trouble, especially not to go to hotels or nightclubs to sing. For ordinary people, those places were for relaxation, but for Lin Zaishan, they were dangerous. She was really afraid he would get into trouble again.

"Alright, stop worrying about me. I've turned over a new leaf and won't cause any more trouble."

"Okay, Dad, I believe you. You're getting better and better. Hehe."

"Call me when you get to Xia City."

"Okay, call me if you need anything."

The class was having a group lunch before heading to Xia City, so Bai Ge didn't eat at home. After hugging Lin Zaishan goodbye, she left happily.

Lin Zaishan ate the lovingly prepared lunch made by his daughter.

Afterward, he returned to his work desk to continue studying music.

As soon as he sat down, he saw 100 yuan under the photo frame of Bai Ge and her mother.

"That girl!"

In the end, Bai Ge had still left him money.

Taking out the money, Lin Zaishan smiled, feeling both helpless and warm.

Feeling the enthusiasm and hardships of this new life, Lin Zaishan decided that he had to earn some money while Bai Ge was away.

Apart from music, he had no other skills.

Even if he did, with his prison record, it wouldn't be easy to find a job.

He might as well go to the bar district in the afternoon and see if any bars were hiring singers.

That kind of job paid quickly.

He took a nap at noon to refresh himself.

At 2 PM, Lin Zaishan was woken up by his phone.

It was a call from an unknown number.

Could it be from the female owner of the Shuichuanshi Cafe?

Lin Zaishan's drowsy spirit perked up a bit.

If Shuichuanshi hired him to perform, he wouldn't have to waste time applying to other bars.

Cough, cough.

Sitting up on the sofa and clearing his throat, Lin Zaishan answered the phone in a deep voice, "Hello?"

"Hello, are you Mr. Lin Zaishan?"

A polite female voice came from the phone.

Lin Zaishan frowned slightly. He was sensitive to voices as a musician.

This voice was icy and sweet, not like the voice of the cat-holding female owner of Shuichuanshi.

"Yes, who is this?"

"I'm from the Music Department of Oriental TV, my name is Liu Mengmeng. We met yesterday. You came to the Music Department for an interview."

"Yes, I did. I heard from the Talent Department that I was accepted, right?" Lin Zaishan thought there might be some issue with the Music Department. Was Ma Xiaodong still holding a grudge and trying to cause trouble?

"Yes, you should have been accepted for the main competition."

"Then why are you calling...?"

"I'm calling to discuss some matters with you. When would be a convenient time for us to meet?"

"I'm free this afternoon. Should I come to your station?"

"No, no, if it's convenient for you, I can treat you to a cup of coffee."

Lin Zaishan was taken aback. Coffee? Was it about official business related to the program?

He didn't ask more and agreed on a time and place with Liu Mengmeng.

At 3 PM, Liu Mengmeng personally met Lin Zaishan at a nearby cafe in the Huaxin neighborhood.