Her new life
Why does it have to be a lead singer?
Zuo Xiao originally thought that Lao Sun's answer would be "I want to express more through lyrics" or "I still prefer vocals", etc. Unexpectedly, the man looked away and said embarrassedly:
“Because I want to be famous.”
Zuo Xiao was stunned. Old Sun scratched his head and explained, "Most listeners are still used to getting into a song through the lyrics and the emotions of the vocals. Pure instrumental music tests the listener's musical understanding and is not conducive to being widely sung. Generally speaking, it's unlikely to become a hit."
"But..." Zuo Xiao subconsciously retorted, "Rock music itself is a niche music, and if you want to make alternative rock, it will be even more niche..."
The subtext is: it’s hard to become popular even with a lead singer.
"It will be better." Old Sun said softly.
"Why are you speaking so quietly?" Jiang Miaomiao said cheerfully, "If you want to become famous through music, there's nothing shameful about it!" Zhuang Jinghao nodded in agreement, "That's right!"
At this time, drummer Peng Lei came over, flicked his tongue, and said uninhibitedly: "We have a lead singer, and she's a beautiful woman. How can it be fair that she's not popular?"
"That's right." Jiang Miaomiao continued, "With Xiaoxiao's looks, walking sideways in the rolling circle will be no problem at all!"
Zuo Xiao curled her lips, wondering if this couple was determined to get her to join them, was it mainly because of their looks? Then she changed her mind and felt relieved: Who cares what the reason is? As long as the result is what she wants, isn't that enough?
"Zuo Xiao is not only beautiful, but also talented and has a great voice, which is what matters most," said Lao Sun. "Her voice is penetrating, and her bright timbre has a unique sense of fragility and mystery. She is naturally suited to performing alternative rock that emphasizes atmosphere and emotional resonance while also being experimental."
Seeing that Old Sun looked sincere and didn't seem to be trying to please her, Zuo Xiao's mood turned from cloudy to bright, and the corners of her mouth raised imperceptibly.
"Let's get back to the topic." Jiang Miaomiao put her hand on her shoulder and said eagerly, "Xiaoxiao, would you like to join our band?"
Suddenly, Zuo Xiao felt everyone in the room's gaze converge on her. Even bassist Qin Yufei, lazily standing nearby, seemed unusually serious. Old Sun, who was closest to her, stared at her intently, like a defendant awaiting sentencing, so nervous he forgot to blink.
This is normal. After all, the lead singer is usually the soul of a band, and for the development of a band, deciding on a lead singer is indeed a big deal.
"After all this time, the goddess still hasn't decided to join us?" Peng Lei's face changed. "Brother Sun, please don't fool us..."
Old Sun said nothing, just looked at Zuo Xiao. In his expectant gaze, she smiled and said, "I do."
"Wow!" At this moment, everyone's eyes lit up, and Zhuang Jinghao couldn't hide his excitement and exclaimed, and the whole room was filled with an atmosphere of joy.
"Damn, why does it sound like a proposal?" Peng Lei, the conspicuous person, said again. "How about we sing a wedding march? Ding ding ding ding, ding ding ding ding..."
"Oh, today is really..." Old Sun was so happy that he was a little incoherent, "This is a big day for our band! Oh, it's great..."
"It's time to have a drink!" The drunkard Peng Lei struck while the iron was hot.
"Yeah, yeah, time for a drink..." Old Sun tapped his thigh nervously, as if he couldn't release his inner excitement otherwise. "Where to? A bar?"
Jiang Miaomiao chuckled and reminded him, "What time are we going to the bar? Did you forget we had an appointment? And Qiangzi also has to go back to work."
Old Sun frowned, but suddenly his eyes lit up: "I have wine in my office! How about we wash a few cups and drink one here?"
Before long, everyone had half a glass of champagne in their hands, and everyone had a fire burning and a star shining in their eyes.
Zuo Xiaotong and the others formed a circle. Counting from her left, they were: the band's manager Jiang Miaomiao, lead guitarist and leader Lao Sun, drummer Peng Lei, bassist Qin Yufei, keyboardist Qiangzi, and finally, to her right, band assistant Zhuang Jinghao. Her gaze swept over their faces one by one, each smiling face etched deeply into her memory.
At that moment, she had a strong premonition: these people would be very important to her future life, companions on her next journey. No matter what the road ahead held, this journey and these people would leave a precious mark on her life.
"Come on, let's drink to our band!"
"Cheers to all of us!"
"Cheers to the booming rock scene!"
Amidst the roaring calls, a voice suddenly said, "We don't even know the name of the band!"
Everyone looked at Peng Lei, who blinked. "Why, has the name already been decided? Am I the only one who doesn't know?"
"No," Old Sun said with a smile, "Everyone go back and think about it separately, and then post whatever you come up with in the group, and we'll vote on it as a group."
"Even if we don't have a name or surname, it's worth a toast today!" Jiang Miaomiao raised the glass again, "Come on, teammates!"
Amid the crisp clink of glasses, the stars in everyone's eyes merged into a starry sky. At this moment, it was hard not to believe: although the road ahead was unknown, as long as they kept moving forward, the starlight would illuminate the path under their feet.
When the first golden ginkgo leaf falls with the wind, Beijing welcomes late autumn, the most beautiful and shortest season of the year.
The fan-shaped leaves fluttered down and landed in front of a pair of small white shoes. The owner of these feet was wrapped in a long apricot windbreaker, waiting eagerly by the roadside.
Last night, an autumn rain fell, lasting until early morning. The washed sky was a clear, tile-blue, and sunlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled shadows on my body. Suddenly, a cold autumn wind swept over, sweeping away all the warmth. Zuo Xiao crossed his arms, debating whether to turn back and put on a warmer coat.
At this moment, a flamboyant red jeep appeared in sight. Upon closer inspection, both the driver and passenger seats were occupied.
The car stopped steadily. Zuo Xiao was about to go forward to open the door, but she saw the brother and sister getting out of the car. One of them came forward to hold her hand, and the other went around to the back of the car.
These two people...it's okay that they took a detour to pick her up, but why did they get off the car?
"Have you had breakfast?" Zhuang Jinghao showed her signature sweet smile.
"No. I brought some cookies in my bag."
"I brought you breakfast!" The other person opened the car door as if offering a treasure. "My brother makes delicious hamburgers! And a hot Americano, too!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his brother came over with a brown cashmere shawl in his hand.
"If it's cold, you can put it on and don't catch a cold."
"Thank you." Zuo Xiao reached out to take it, shook it open and draped it over his shoulders, feeling warm instantly.
Zhuang Yu'an was driving in the front seat, and the two girls were in the back. Zuo Xiaogang had finished his burger and was wiping his mouth when he heard the cute girl next to him say, "I thought you'd have some free time after playing in a band, but I didn't expect it to be even busier than 996..."
Zuo Xiao smiled.
For the past two weeks, she's been visiting Old Sun about five times a week. Two of those times are for group rehearsals, and the remaining three are for private tutoring. Old Sun treats her like a personal disciple, teaching her vocals, music theory, and electric guitar. She's also been busy at home, practicing her instrument and voice, studying music theory, and researching other bands' performances and compositions.
Zhuang Jinghao had asked her twice if she wanted to take on graphic design commissions. Her senior, Han Zhaoqing, had also extended an olive branch, offering Zuo Xiao a part-time job at his company. She had rejected each offer, citing a lack of time. The truth was, even if she could find the time, she couldn't spare any extra effort.
Yes, she was now completely absorbed in music, practically obsessed. Not to mention devoting time and energy to making a living, sometimes she even forgot to eat, and before she knew it, she'd missed two out of three meals.
She was like being connected to the most tempting game in the world. She forgot to install an anti-addiction system before starting the game, and by the time she realized it, she was already seriously addicted.
"I'm just a little busy right now. There's a lot to learn. It should be better after a while." This was her explanation, but she didn't actually believe it herself.
Zhuang Jinghao looked absent-minded, his eyes flickering, and suddenly said, "How about you move into my house?"
"Ah?" Zuo Xiao didn't react for a moment and looked at her in confusion.
"Look at you..." Zhuang Jinghao said, "You either stay at home or at Old Sun's place all day long. You never go out for fresh air, and you don't eat on time. I'm worried that you'll ruin your health at such a young age!"
Zuo Xiao felt that she was like a little adult at the moment, and smiled, teasingly saying, "Why are you like a little old lady?"
Zhuang Jinghao himself found this amusing. After a brief chuckle, he said seriously, "That's right! I know you're obsessed with music, but you can't afford to lose your health! A music career is a long march, not a sprint. How can you ruin your body right from the start? You'll have to tour all over the place in the future. You don't want to be so weak that you have to go on stage in a wheelchair, do you?"
"Pfft..." Zuo Xiaole said, "Do you really have to be so exaggerated? If someone didn't know you, they would think you were going to switch careers and sell health supplements."
"Oh!" Zhuang Jinghao took her arm. "In short, you must take care of yourself. Health comes first! So, I solemnly invite you to live in my house. I will supervise you to eat on time and exercise moderately! What do you think?"
Zuo Xiao's heart was stirred. It would be a lie to say he wasn't moved, but...
She lowered her eyes: "Let's see again."
"No!" Zhuang Jinghao insisted, saying carelessly, "Didn't you say you wanted to move? Moving to my place is perfect! What's your budget? Just pay me the rent."
A helpless smile crept up the corner of Zuo Xiao's mouth. He shook his head gently and remained silent for a while.
Just yesterday, she mentioned to Zhuang Jinghao on WeChat that she wanted to move house. The reason was simple: she wanted to save money.
She calculated that her 80,000 yuan in savings would sustain her for about a year, but if she moved to a cheaper place, she could extend her life for a few more months. She currently rents a master bedroom for 4,000 yuan a month, and before she's even finished a year, she's planning to sublet it and move to a cheaper place.
She'd set a monthly rent budget of under 1,500 yuan, so at that price, she hardly needed to consider a place within the Fifth Ring Road. But now that she didn't have to work a nine-to-five job or go shopping, living in the city or outside didn't really make much difference. It was just a matter of living further out, meaning she'd have to take a longer bus or subway ride to get to Old Sun's place.
Speaking of buses and subways, she'd barely used them since graduation. Chen Liqing once claimed she couldn't handle hardship, one reason being her inability to ride them. However, after using them for more than two weeks, she found the transitions incredibly smooth, with no issues at all.
Besides changing her mode of transportation, she stopped shopping and rarely ate out. When she felt hungry, she ordered takeout, grabbed some snacks or instant noodles, or found a nearby restaurant for a bowl of noodles or rice. She didn't find this life hard at all. Instead, because she had something to devote herself to, she felt a sense of unprecedented fulfillment and satisfaction, and she didn't even notice the passage of time.
"Are you worried about the inconvenience?"
Zhuang Jinghao's question interrupted his thoughts. Zuo Xiao turned around and saw that the man had restrained his expression and his tone was also cautious. "I'm telling you, after the New Year, my brother will be going on frequent business trips abroad..."
"Huh?" Zuo Xiao's eyes widened, and he subconsciously glanced at Zhuang Yu'an. He was concentrating on driving, his eyes fixed on the road, as if he hadn't heard the conversation in the back seat. However, a faint sense of tension emanated from him, indicating that he wasn't deliberately pretending to be indifferent.
"The company is going to build a factory in Canada," Zhuang Jinghao explained. "My brother has to personally oversee everything from site selection to negotiations with the government and hiring."
The car happened to stop at a red light. Zhuang Yu'an tilted his head slightly and said subtly, "I'm worried about Jinghao being home alone."
Zuo Xiao was still lost in surprise. For some reason, he felt the air inside the car was a little stuffy. He lowered the window and asked, "Why did you drive so far?"
"Yeah, I was also surprised when I first heard about it," Zhuang Jinghao said. "I was wondering if other companies that build factories abroad usually go to places like Vietnam and Malaysia? How come our company, for the first time, is going to such a faraway place? But my brother said... well, I can't explain it! You tell me yourself."
The green light came on, and the car started off steadily. Zhuang Yu'an, steering the wheel, explained, "We're primarily looking to expand overseas. Europe and the United States, especially the United States, are currently the world's largest pet consumer markets. This year, several of our pet food products have gained popularity in the US, and sales are strong. However, high tariffs have resulted in very low profits, so we're looking to circumvent this by building factories overseas."
"As for why we didn't choose Southeast Asia..." he continued, "In recent years, too many domestic companies have built factories in Southeast Asia to circumvent US tariff sanctions against China. They're primarily attracted by the region's low operating costs and proximity to the domestic supply chain. These advantages are indeed obvious. But I believe the US will definitely block this path. It may not be long before Southeast Asian exports to the US are also subject to high tariffs or other US sanctions. Rather than taking a chance, it's better to go all in and build a factory in North America. While operating costs will be significantly higher, there are almost no tariffs, and the proximity to the end market can significantly reduce logistics costs."
This was the first time Zuo Xiao heard him talk about the company's operations. She hadn't expected him to explain the company's strategic decision-making logic to her in such depth. Unsure of how to react, she said calmly, "I see."
"Anyway, that's what's going on," Zhuang Jinghao said seamlessly. "My brother said it'll take at least a year and a half from planning to production. He'll be spending a lot of time in Canada, leaving me alone at home, lonely and bored! Xiaoxiao, baby, can you come keep me company?"
So the topic returned to where it all started. Zhuang Jinghao kept trying to persuade him, but Zuo Xiao refused to budge, finally saying, "I'll think about it."
Zhuang Jinghao hung her head in frustration. After a while, he grabbed her hand and said, "Then promise me you'll seriously consider it and don't be so quick to refuse!"
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