ECG -Chapter 19 The Depths of Black Knight Are Too Shallow

In the blink of an eye, it was already the beginning of August. The weather was becoming more and more unbearably hot, and Lin Hao had been in a bad mood these past two days because that [China Music Copyright Association] was actually still under construction.

It annoyed him so much that he really wanted to go help them add some bricks and tiles, just so they could hurry up and “build” it!

He had even gone to a public telephone booth to call them, but the staff told him they didn’t know when the website would officially start operating either. They even suggested that he bring his materials and personally go to Yanjing to register…

Wasn’t that just nonsense?

It made him so angry that he almost wanted to smash the phone!

Although he had tried to sing songs from this world as much as possible at the bar during this period, he had still performed several classic songs from his previous life in order to stand out.

So naturally, he felt a little uneasy about not being able to register them.

Actually, he also knew that in such a chaotic era of copyright protection, even if he registered them, it wouldn’t stop people from stealing and performing his songs. After all, no one cared about this!

But he had come from his previous life, and the concept of copyright was deeply ingrained in him…

However, at this point, he could only comfort himself.

The bar customers were strong witnesses to his ownership of the songs. Even without that “insurance,” no one could steal them!

Besides, this small city where he lived was remote, and the speed of spreading information was still very slow.

…

That night, after Lin Hao finished singing and was about to leave, Chu Yu called him up to the second-floor office.

Chu Yu first gave him the money from the past ten days.

The total was 4,620 yuan, of which 2,620 yuan was his share from the flower baskets.

Lin Hao felt that settling accounts every day was too troublesome, so he and Chu Yu had agreed to settle payments every ten days.

Lin Hao put away the money, said thank you, and was about to leave.

Chu Yu quickly stopped him.

“Come, sit for a while. Sis will make you a cup of tea!”

Chu Yu gestured for him to sit down.

Looking at her fair jade-like hands and her smooth, flowing movements, Lin Hao chuckled.

“Sis Chu, you’re busy working at the TV station during the day, and then you still have to come to the bar at night. Aren’t you tired?”

Chu Yu smiled with her lips pressed together.

“This is what you call being tired but happy!”

Lin Hao didn’t say anything. He quietly looked at the woman in front of him.

Chu Yu wasn’t the type of classical beauty.

Her short hair looked very capable and neat, while her soft, fair face carried a hint of stubbornness and confidence.

Her eyes were large and bright, her nose delicate, her teeth white, and her lips red.

Lin Hao secretly thought:

Perhaps only a woman like this could match someone like Zhou Dongbing.

“Sis wants to ask you for a favor!”

Chu Yu interrupted Lin Hao’s wandering thoughts.

“Oh? Go ahead!”

Lin Hao wasn’t surprised.

He knew what Chu Yu wanted to say. These past few days, he had always left right after performing because he didn’t want to have too much contact with the band members.

One Wu Xiaozhou was already enough trouble for him.

He really didn’t want to become a teacher again.

But he also knew that Chu Yu was currently his source of income. Some things couldn’t be avoided.

What was meant to come would come sooner or later.

Chu Yu finished brewing the tea and placed the cup in front of him.

Lin Hao picked up the cup and took a sip, praising:

“Anxi Tieguanyin from this spring? Good tea!”

Chu Yu found the boy in front of her somewhat difficult to understand.

In those eyes of his, there was a lack of the innocence and immaturity that should belong to someone his age.

Whenever she talked with him, she always had the illusion that the person in front of her was actually a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.

He was mature and steady, yet carried a hint of seeing through the ways of the world and a carefree attitude.

He seemed indifferent toward everything, but often, with just a single glance from someone else, he could immediately understand what they meant.

This person was like a bottomless pool of water, making it impossible for anyone to see through him.

Every night, Chu Yu was one of his most loyal fans.

His voice could be described as ever-changing.

Every song perfectly matched the mood and meaning of the lyrics.

When you closed your eyes and listened, you could completely immerse yourself in the song.

As the songs changed, he was sometimes a passionate young man, sometimes a flirtatious man who had experienced countless romances, sometimes a weathered middle-aged uncle who had gone through life’s hardships, and sometimes an elderly person who had seen through all the ups and downs of the human world.

“Sis wants to ask you to help the band rehearse a few songs!”

After saying it, Chu Yu even felt a little regretful.

Actually, she didn’t want to bring this up.

But the band members had come to find her many times, and last night even the band leader, Old Qian, had come.

Old Qian first explained everything that had happened between him and Lin Hao, then repeatedly said that he could apologize to Lin Hao.

He even said that as long as Lin Hao was willing to help the band, he would do anything.

Actually, Chu Yu also understood clearly that wanting to improve this group of musicians’ skills in a short period of time was unrealistic.

But if Lin Hao could leave behind a few good songs, it would still be a good thing for the bar.

Besides, in less than a month, Lin Hao would be leaving to start school.

By then, the bar’s customers would drop by one-third.

After all, far too many people came every day just to listen to him sing.

Once he left, it would definitely be a huge loss for the bar.

If Lin Hao wasn’t a student, things would have been much easier.

As long as the price was reasonable, he wouldn’t leave Black Knight.

In other words, no one would dare leave without permission unless she no longer wanted them.

But Lin Hao was still a student, and he was also so talented. Dongbing had once said that this person’s future was limitless.

“Alright! Tomorrow afternoon at one o’clock, have them come over! Forget the singers, just bring the band!” After Lin Hao finished speaking, he stood up under Chu Yu’s surprised gaze.

“Elder Sister Chu, I’ll head back first then!”

“Oh, alright!” Chu Yu walked him out, but she was still looking confused.

After all, Lin Hao had a conflict with Qian Yu before. She had originally prepared a whole speech to persuade him, but she never expected Lin Hao to agree so readily.

In the middle of the night, Zhou Dongbing arrived driving a black Mercedes-Benz G-Class, with several people following behind him, of all different heights and builds.

After listening to Chu Yu explain what happened, he remained silent for a long time.

Chu Yu let out a quiet sigh. “What a pity. The waters of Black Knight are too shallow; they can’t support this big fish.”

Zhou Dongbing shook his head. “He’s not a fish!”

“Then what is he?”

“A dragon!”

……

The next afternoon at one o’clock, Black Knight Bar.

Lin Hao walked into the bar. The lights in the hall were all dim, with only the stage illuminated. The band’s four members were all there.

Seeing him enter, everyone started clapping together.

Qian Yu looked extremely embarrassed. When he saw that Lin Hao had already walked onto the stage, he hurriedly stood up, holding his guitar and muttering:

“Lin, Lin Hao, about what happened before… I’m sorry!”

Lin Hao chuckled and waved his hand.

“The past is the past. You’re older than me, so you’re like an elder brother. Don’t hold it against me!”

Qian Yu’s face was full of shame, and he didn’t know what to say.

Lin Hao smiled.

“Elder Sister Chu talked with me about things already. No need for polite words. I also want to exchange ideas with everyone! There’s no difference between high and low skill levels among us. We’re just here to discuss music together, so everyone can speak freely!”

Everyone started clapping again. Lin Hao helplessly waved his hand.

“Alright, then who wants to start? What direction does your band want to develop in from now on? Pop? Rock? Jazz? Metal? Latin? Tell me all your thoughts.”

Fatty Wang chuckled.

“I like rock!”

Lin Hao nodded and looked at the others.

Keyboard player Liu’er answered without hesitation:

“Me too!”

The drummer raised his drumsticks.

“Same here!”

Lin Hao looked toward Qian Yu.

Qian Yu hesitated for a moment.

“I-I guess anything is fine!”

The other band members didn’t say anything. Lin Hao slightly frowned.

Among the four members of the band, Qian Yu was the oldest, and he was also the slickest.

People like this often have a very good sense and feeling when it comes to music, but their problem is that they are too restless and can’t calm down to practice.

For example, if it was the same simple and gentle passage of music, this kind of person would definitely play it with more flavor than ordinary people.

But when they encountered an extremely difficult solo that required painstaking practice, repeating each line over and over again, their weakness would show. People like this simply couldn’t sit still.

Just like how he said that any style was fine—actually, it meant he liked everything, but wasn’t good at anything. He was mediocre at everything.

A bottle that isn’t full will still sway around; this was exactly the kind of person he was.

After thinking for a while, Lin Hao said:

“Since everyone likes rock music, then I’ll briefly talk about rock.”

The four of them nodded together, their faces filled with excitement.

“First, let’s talk about the origin of rock music. It developed under the influence of rhythm country music, blues, and Tin Pan Alley music. Therefore, the earliest rock music was mostly covers of rhythm and blues songs.”

“There are many categories of rock music, such as heavy metal, punk, British rock, industrial metal, black metal, blues rock, and so on.”

“……”

The four of them looked at each other, all wearing awkward expressions.

Their understanding of rock music was simply too shallow.