The bearded man led Xing Baohua around, explaining things along the way.

I listened with great interest, like I was listening to a stand-up comedy routine, but unfortunately there were no melon seeds. I could only light a cigarette and admire the old Beijing cityscape.

The central bank isn't far from the West Railway Station; it only takes about half an hour by tricycle. The central bank's square pillar building is just like that.

I found a guesthouse nearby to stay in. The environment was nice, and even if it was a bit pricey, it was fine, I could afford it now.

Get some rest, everyone go about their own business the next day. Wang Weibao took Zou Wenjuan and others to report to CCTV, while Xing Baohua went for a run.

Xing Baohua encountered a setback on his first attempt.

An appointment is required. Come back and wait! A letter of introduction is useless if you can't see the person; the letter is worthless then!

Xing Baohua was mentally prepared for this. When he returned to the guesthouse, he asked the staff to activate the long-distance call function. There was a special lock under the telephone, and a key was needed to turn it to make long-distance calls.

Long-distance calls are expensive, costing more than a dollar per minute. Prices are also significantly higher than in other parts of the country.

Xing Baohua really wanted to embezzle factory funds to buy property here. This lurking idea kept swirling in his mind.

He sighed, suppressing the greed in his heart.

He should focus on developing his small factory and making it a Fortune 500 company. At that point, things like real estate will be irrelevant to him.

Buying a small courtyard house would be a good idea.

Let's find an opportunity. Since I come here often in the future, I can use one of these apartments as my place of residence.

Wang Weibao and Zou Wenjuan also returned from CCTV.

The date for the first rehearsal has been set; we're waiting for news.

The only thing we're discussing now is what song to choose so we can submit it during the initial rehearsals. Back then, there weren't as many rules as in later years; it was very simple.

The CCTV's suggestion is not to sing the songs from National Day, as those two songs are a bit depressing on such a festive occasion.

Let Zou Wenjuan bring something festive.

Their suggestion was to reject Zou Wenjuan's album.

Pop plus festive, or rock plus festive?

I wonder if Xing Baohua suddenly thought of "Bei Shuang'er".

It was too mesmerizing, so Xing Baohua rejected it for the time being.

"I Believe," that's it.

Get it done quickly. The only downside is that Zou Wenjuan can't reach the high notes.

Grandpa Li and Wang Weibao came up with a solution to this problem.

Finally, after slightly lowering the pitch, Zou Wenjuan was asked to call out.

Zou Wenjuan can only sing this song well twice; any more and her voice will become hoarse.

Sing with your voice lowered first, then let loose completely when you're actually on stage. To prevent Zou Wenjuan from cracking her voice when she shouted, Grandpa Li told her to use this method: sing with her voice lowered.

Shouting sounds better than singing with your voice, but the metal rhythm needs a bit more of a heavy metal feel.

Make the drumbeats more frequent, like a DJ set.

The meaning of drumbeats.

Without electronic devices to assist, it all has to be synthesized manually—it's exhausting!

In short, it's awesome.

Two sentences, very impactful.

It makes you want to shake your head, even stomp your feet – that's exactly the effect I wanted.

It's inspiring, definitely an inspirational song.

This era needs this kind of inspiration to show people the light and encourage them to strive boldly.

This clearly aligns with the prevailing trend of venturing into business.

Once the song was finished, everyone went about their own business. Luckily, everyone brought their equipment, otherwise it would have been difficult to change the song at the last minute.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this is a pre-recorded broadcast by CCTV; these are all high-level performances at a live level.

Xing Baohua sighed inwardly, wondering if it was still too late to remove one of the recorded songs.

What a loss! A song was lost for nothing.

I need to get an album made for Zou Wenjuan when I get back, strike while the iron is hot.

Xing Baohua finally had some free time, so he went to check out the electronics street. At that time, it wasn't very famous yet; the only well-known brand was Lenovo.

Most of the shops were selling individual items. In the early stages, don't expect anything interesting; Xing Baohua was just there to check out the shop locations.

We need to find a good location; we absolutely must set up a flagship store here.

Unfortunately, there are many single-story houses, but they are still unavailable for purchase.

Otherwise, they'll make a fortune from the demolition compensation.

Nowadays, very few houses are owned by individuals. Even if there are individually owned properties, you have to make inquiries slowly!

Xing Baohua took a liking to several photocopiers and printers, but these things were not cheap.

Two or three thousand yuan a unit. Xing Baohua is considering whether or not to buy one.

Forget it, let's import from Yang Jing's place! The price is lower than here. Looking around, there's nothing interesting.

Then we went to Wangfujing to check out the terrain.

These are all prime locations for future prosperity! Buy now while prices are low, don't rent.

I've found a few places I like, but I don't know who to buy from. I'll write down the addresses and ask someone later.

The buildings or bungalows that you like all need to be demolished and rebuilt.

Xing Baohua already has ideas for a flagship store.

To simplify things, just copy the official flagship store from Guozi (the brand).

From now on, it will no longer be called a flagship store, but an experience store.

We'll have to design an anti-theft chain later, so that it doesn't just get picked up and run away while we're using it.

A few days later, Xing Baohua went to the department again.

I still haven't seen anyone.

Xing Baohua estimates that he won't be able to see the person unless he makes five or six more appointments.

They had an urgent meeting, and you, a nobody, stood them up.

While others were busy, Xing Baohua was idle, so he wandered around aimlessly.

I visited many famous places whenever I had time, like the Friendship Store. He managed to sneak in thanks to his fluent English.

I bought two cameras here, which cost me a whopping 1200 yuan. The main problem was the expensive lenses, which were Japanese products.

I bought several sets of women's clothing, one for Su Ya and one for Zou Wenjuan. This girl knows exactly what size to buy; it's not like she's never bought clothes before, she knows the sizes by heart.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!