Entertainment: Starting with a Song of Rice Fragrance

25. If it remains silent, it will be a stunning success.

Hearing this, Zheng Ning finally couldn't take it anymore and quickly called for a stop.

"Mr. Niu, it sounds like you're not going to sign me as a singer, but rather..."

An unpleasant feeling arose in his heart, but he suppressed it with his good manners and did not show it.

"Yes, we want to hire you as a composer and lyricist at Xinghai Entertainment. Your talent will definitely be nurtured and developed greatly here, and we will provide you with the best platform..."

Perhaps they didn't notice the displeasure on Zheng Ning's face, or perhaps they simply didn't care about the emotions of this minor character.

Niu Decheng spread his arms wide, making a display gesture, his face showing arrogance and full of confidence.

……

Zheng Ning did not agree to his proposal on the spot, but said she would think about it.

Niu Decheng, with an expression that said "you little brat, you don't know what's good for you," left his business card and walked away nonchalantly.

As soon as the other person left, Zheng Ning tore up the business card and threw it into the trash can.

"Brother, this guy is so arrogant! His face is like he's giving alms to a beggar!"

Zheng Jingjing, standing to the side, was also clearly annoyed. From the moment that person entered the room, he exuded an aura of "I'm from a big company, I'm incredibly powerful, you think highly of me, and I'm your savior."

"Yes, that's right. After all, it's a giant."

He glanced down at the business card that had been torn in half in the trash can.

"Even though I have such a good voice, they want me to be a stepping stone for their singers. To put it bluntly, it's the arrogance of big companies that looks down on a complete amateur like me and thinks that such a good song is wasted on me."

"From the opponent's perspective, it's definitely more worthwhile to give a top-notch weapon to a master than to a lowly soldier."

"But people cannot betray their class position. For them, it is a matter of course, but for me, it is shameless plunder."

"Perhaps this is a common problem for people who come from large companies."

Stopping thinking about these things, Zheng Ning went back to her room and ate lunch.

But his commotion made the aroma of braised pork and scrambled eggs with tomatoes wafting from the inner room taste bland to Zheng Ning, completely ruining his good mood.

……

Time flies, and a week has passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, the number of downloads of "Rice Fragrance" increased by more than 3, reaching more than 124000 downloads, but its ranking remained unchanged at 13th place.

The reason is that the competition for the top 20 is just too fierce, even though his two videos went viral and spread wildly online.

But this is just disorderly behavior without any company organization. How can it compare to the professional publicity and packaging of large companies?

But Zheng Ning is very optimistic about this. As a complete novice, he is already very satisfied with such achievements.

As for signing with an entertainment company, that's not urgent. The more buzz this song generates, the higher my bargaining power will be.

7 p.m.

Zheng Ning arrived at the entrance of Zhao Gang's tavern in Wuliqiao early in the morning.

"Hey bro, you look really cool today!"

Zhao Gang, who came to greet them from afar, was dressed in a handsome gray cashmere trench coat, with a crisp and stylish shirt underneath. His neat short hair exuded the unparalleled vigor and vitality of a young man.

"Hehe, since this is your opening, how can you not dress smartly? Let's go."

The two walked arm in arm toward the tavern, whose doors were already open.

"Wow, Gangzi, your business is pretty good! So many people already since you opened?"

"Hehe, it's a grand opening promotion! Tonight, every customer gets a 200 yuan discount, so naturally, more people are coming."

Zhao Gang laughed heartily and led Zheng Ning inside.

"The old man didn't come?"

As Zheng Ning chatted with him, he put his arm around her shoulder and led her to an elegant booth further inside.

"What's my little bit of work compared to him? He's earned a small fortune in three years... Come on, let's not talk about it anymore, let's have a good drink tonight. By the way, where's Kai?"

"Kai has class tonight. He's already skipped so many of these classes. If he doesn't show up for roll call tonight, he'll lose half his participation grade."

"Hey, this kid... never mind, let's have a couple of drinks, bro. Oh right, you can't drink alcohol. Xiao Liu, get him two glasses of juice."

As he beckoned to the waiters beside him, Gangzi displayed the demeanor of a big boss.

"How's it going? Are you in good shape tonight? Are you ready to go on stage?"

After drinking for a while and chatting for a long time, the two finally got to the topic of the evening.

"Of course, no problem. I'm in great shape today."

Zheng Ning patted his chest, saying that he had become very familiar with the song "Rice Fragrance" during this time and had also figured out many guitar riffs, which he could show off later.

He also has a surprise for Gangzi. As for how big the surprise is, it depends on how many guests arrive later.

Before long, most of the people in the shop had finished eating. Zheng Ning saw that the atmosphere and the number of people were about right, so she got up and walked towards the stage.

"Great! Singer Zheng, please!"

Zhao Gang led the applause, and when he saw that the boss's friends had all gone up, they also cheered and applauded enthusiastically.

When the customers in the store saw someone carrying a guitar onto the stage, they knew that the performance was about to begin, so they all quietly cooperated.

Looking at the seventy or eighty people in front of him, Zheng Ning no longer felt the fear and tension he had when he first started busking on Chundong Road.

"Good evening, everyone! Welcome to my friend's bar. Tonight, I'll be performing a song I wrote myself, 'Rice Fragrance'!"

Standing on the stage, he held his guitar and smiled as he spoke into the microphone.

"Ha, it's 'Rice Fragrance'! He's actually that street performer!"

"Oh ho ho, I've been looking everywhere for him these past few days and haven't seen him busking. Turns out he's here as a resident singer!"

"Hehe, I really hit the jackpot tonight, getting to see this big internet celebrity perform in person!"

The crowd below the stage immediately erupted in excitement, with almost half of them raising their phones to take pictures of him.

"Wait, who is this person? Why are you all so agitated?"

An unsuspecting passerby asked curiously.

"Hey buddy, you're not from Shuncheng, are you? This guy's the biggest internet celebrity around here right now!"

"Exactly! His song is amazing, and incredibly impressive. As a complete newcomer, he actually made it to number 13 on the newcomer chart!"

"Wow, that's really impressive? I'd better listen carefully..."

Zheng Ning ignored the noise from the audience, placed the guitar in front of his chest and began to play, starting his performance.

The crisp yet gentle sound of the guitar filled the stage.

The cheerful, lighthearted, yet slightly melancholic prelude of "Fragrance of Rice" slowly drifted into the ears of the audience.

"If this world"

You have too many complaints

Do n’t dare to go forward if you fall

Why do people have to be so fragile and depraved...?

"Oh my god, it's this song! I've heard it before, I've heard it before!"

A young man with a headscarf and a very avant-garde style immediately started shouting and waving his phone at the person next to him the moment the song started playing.

"Keep your voice down, don't act so naive!"

His friend next to him quickly covered his mouth and gestured for him to be quiet.

The young man felt a little embarrassed by his noise, but when he turned around, no one was paying attention to him. Instead, everyone's eyes were on the handsome guy on stage who was playing the piano and singing.

Please turn on the TV and take a look.

How many people are fighting for their lives?

Keep going bravely

Shouldn't we be content?

Cherish everything

Even if you don't own it...

The singing was gentle and healing, and the piano music was melodious and refreshing.

The audience's faces gradually began to show genuine smiles.

The guests listened intently and attentively.

Zhao Gang, who was sitting in the best booth, stared wide-eyed at his old friend on stage in shock.

"Wow, this kid's stage presence is amazing!"

He had watched Zheng Ning's videos before, and although he thought they were nice, they were just so-so.

But I never expected that being there in person would be so amazing. This kid's voice, which he hadn't used for more than ten years, was truly amazing when it finally came out!