novelraw Chapter 5: The Betrayal by a "Good Friend".
Chapter 5: The Betrayal by a "Good Friend".
A "friendly" call lasting several minutes
Li Shuo arranged a time and place to pick up the Gibson "Black Beauty" electric guitar that afternoon.
The only difference was that, in response to the unintentional question from the other party on the phone, he also "unintentionally" revealed his afternoon audition performance accompaniment time.
It was just half an hour later than the answer in the previous life.
After hanging up the phone, the "bright" look on Li Shuo's face disappeared.
He gripped his phone tightly, his knuckles turning white, forcefully suppressing the pent-up confusion and resentment that threatened to erupt within him.
However, now is not the time for it to flare up.
In the late 90s, the Singaporean music scene was in its golden age of growth, deeply influenced by the later stages of the "Xin Yao" movement and deeply integrated with the Chinese pop music scene, especially the Taiwanese music scene.
Singaporean campus folk music has entered the mainstream, with a large number of local singers and songwriters emerging, which has also led to the emergence of many live music performance venues.
The bars and music restaurants in Clarke Quay and Boat Quay are often home to local bands, and musicians from Hong Kong Island, Taiwan and even Europe and America also frequently exchange performances.
At the end of 1997, Li Shuo, a newcomer to the area, had just passed the entrance exam for the "Li Weisong Music School" and enjoyed visiting these places in his spare time.
Raj, this Indian-Singaporean mixed-race "good friend," was someone I met on such an occasion.
At a music restaurant called "Echo," I saw Raj's band performing Bon Jovi songs. Although their skill level wasn't particularly high, Li Shuo generously gave them a substantial tip because it was a style he liked.
With his experience in dealing with people from years of navigating the social world, Raj immediately took the initiative to get to know this generous young man.
Knowing that he was from China and came to Singapore to study music, they enthusiastically invited him to perform a piece together on the spot.
Unexpectedly, after seeing Li Shuo's excellent guitar skills, they showed great enthusiasm and admiration, and frequently invited him to play music together.
Raj, being a local bigwig, is quite influential in Singapore's performance scene and can find all sorts of performance opportunities.
For Li Shuo, who was going through a rebellious phase at the time and craving recognition and recognition, it was undoubtedly very attractive.
Looking back now, this local bully was really venomous; he bit him hardest when he was completely unprepared.
In his previous life, shortly after he retrieved his guitar case that afternoon, the audition performance for the Warner executives was halfway through.
Singapore police suddenly stormed in, bringing with them a local gangster they had arrested. They identified Li Shuo as the one who possessed and provided the contraband.
The police search will uncover a box of "Fisherman's Treasure" that he had forgotten about in his guitar case.
The throat lozenges inside... just like that, turned into a fluffy ball of contraband plant-based drugs.
Later, perhaps by "luck," the weight of this fluffy plant was just below the 15-gram threshold for "presumed trafficking," and he was two months shy of turning 16, which would have made him a minor.
Thanks to the efforts of her aunt, lawyer, and father who rushed to the scene overnight, the case was ultimately not prosecuted as the most serious charge of "trafficking."
He was then sentenced to a juvenile detention center (PH) for several months of reformatory education.
He endured six humiliating strokes of the thin rattan whip in full view of everyone, bearing the shadow of a lifetime of hideous scars.
This "near miss" looks rather forced...
Little did he know that this incident would completely shatter and cut off many of his future "possibilities".
Now that I've been reborn before this event happened, looking back, the entire timeline is filled with terrifying details!
This sudden "accident" in the afternoon was clearly intended to harm him, but not to kill him!?
At the same time, a more distant and vague memory, which was not paid any attention to at the time, was stirred up.
In his previous life, when he was middle-aged and "lying down" in Hong Kong, he occasionally overheard people in the industry chatting. They seemed to have mentioned that Raj later went to Peninsula to develop his career and apparently got a job at a medium-sized entertainment company, where he seemed to be doing quite well.
Now, considering the "bad luck" he experienced afterward, some of his father's unreasonable arrangements, and his instructions before his death.
Then connect these things with the Bangkok street attack that led to his rebirth... thinking of that bearded man who spoke in the Peninsular language and called himself "VIP".
What he initially thought was just bad luck in making friends and being innocently dragged into something turned out to be a meticulously planned scheme to ruin his future...
Who is this? My dad's enemy or a business rival?!? It doesn't seem like either!
Why does it feel like this woven net is specifically targeting Li Shuo?
What is this secret that I don't know about?
He shook his head, forcibly suppressing these unverifiable yet unsettling conjectures.
The most urgent task is to deal with the impending crisis.
The prophet's greatest advantage now is his rebirth, and he also has a system that he hasn't yet tasted "salt and blandness".
The primary task is to maximize one's own safety.
He quickly composed himself amidst the noise of the food court and got up.
"Auntie, the bill's due." Her tone was relaxed, then she seemed to suddenly remember something, adding with a smile, "Oh, by the way, auntie, could you please change the bills for me? Two 50-dollar bills, ten 10-dollar bills, and the rest are all 5-dollar bills, thank you!"
He handed over five 100-dollar "tickets" in Singapore dollars.
"Alright, let me look for it for you. Young man, be careful carrying so much cash!" the auntie said kindly as she exchanged the money.
"Okay, thank you, Auntie." Li Shuo smiled as he accepted the neatly stacked change.
These newly exchanged dollars will be very useful later!
On his way back to the music school, Li Shuo couldn't help but laugh at himself.
The reason I suffered such a terrible fate in my previous life was not only because of the sudden betrayal, but also because of how I handled the situation, which can be described as a "classic negative example".
My first reaction to this was to stubbornly refuse to call my parents.
They could have waited for an adult family member to be present before conducting the search.
Lin Junjie quietly reminded him, "Do you want to call home?" Principal Li Weisong also subtly indicated at first, "If needed, the school can help you contact your guardian."
But what brand of cement was in my head back then?
They were persuaded by the Singapore police to agree to the search.
Then, faced with the evidence, he was taken away in a state of panic, unable to defend himself...
By the time the second aunt arrived at the Singapore police station in a panic with her lawyer, the best opportunity for negotiation had passed, and the situation was extremely passive.
Now that he's been given a second chance at life and has been assigned to this position, he naturally won't make the same foolish mistake again.
He hadn't told his father yet, since distant water can't quench immediate thirst, and it would only make him anxious.
Once he had made up his mind, he walked to a relatively quiet street corner, took out his phone, and dialed his second aunt's number.
The phone rang a few times before being answered. A capable yet undeniably affectionate voice came from the other end: "Xiao Shuo? Calling at this hour, have you gotten into trouble again?"
Uh…why is your reaction to me so surprisingly similar to my dad's…?
"I didn't cause any trouble! There's something important that I might need... to ask you, Second Aunt, to help me out."
"Oh? What is it? Tell me." Li Dongli's tone became more serious.
"This afternoon, Warner Music representatives came to our music school to audition and watch performances. Today, I wrote lyrics for a song composed by a senior student, and he said it was very good. I have a good chance of being selected this afternoon. I also have some original works, so I feel pretty good."
"My senior reminded me that it's best to have an adult from my family present in this situation. Just in case, and I mean just in case, someone really takes a liking to it and wants to discuss copyright, contracts, etc..."
Before she could finish speaking, her second aunt, Li Dongli, said happily with a smile, "Come! You absolutely have to come. I'll cancel all my other plans right now."
"Alright! Second Aunt! You're the best, beautiful inside and out!"
Feeling the long-lost care and attention from his family, Li Shuo happily joked around.
"Alright, kid, go and get ready. Don't worry about anything else. Of course! Our Xiao Shuo's work will definitely be the best!"
"Yes, please go ahead!"
After hanging up the phone, Li Shuo smiled slightly.
His prepared work was not just the best... it was absolutely amazing!