I am a Big Player
Chapter 244 - 242, Yang Xi’s MV (First Update)_1

Chapter 244: 242, Yang Xi’s MV (First Update)_1

Ren He was truly at his wit’s end. It was his first time experiencing the Divine Punishment System’s punishment, and it turned out to be such a huge joke. After Yang Lan’s class, Ren He went to ask for leave. Yang Lan laughed uncontrollably, and as Ren He suppressed the urge to punch him, he wrote a note to Yang Lan requesting leave. Yang Lan approved it on the spot but continued to laugh nonstop.

If it weren’t for the fact that today’s Tear Potion was used up, and the Emetic Water was too disgusting, Ren He would have liked to dose him with it once more.

He decisively took a seven-day leave. When the Big Tongue effect wore off, Ren He not only marveled that his physical skills had not been affected at all but also that his original voice returned immediately after the punishment ended. This Divine Punishment System really was a supernatural existence beyond imagination.

With several days of vacation left, Ren He wasn’t like the other studious students at No.4 Middle School. While experiencing his student days, he wasn’t so inflexible about having to be at school every day.

In the vast Capital, he had very few friends. An Si was at work, the Qinghe Club members were in school, so it seemed the only person he could ask out for a stroll was Liu Erbao. It was perfect timing since he also needed to help Erbao find his groove. Although those three songs were gems, singing them carelessly could ruin them.

When he drove his pickup to Liu Erbao’s factory base, he heard noisy rehearsal sounds from inside. Ren He paused for a moment. Liu Erbao’s group really had no musical talent. They managed to turn the normally vibrant "Spring Comes" into a song with a hint of festivity...

He knocked on the door, and just like last time, the loud music inside meant no one could hear his knocking. Ren He took a deep breath and knocked harder.

"Seems like someone is knocking?!"

"It seems so..."

The music slowly stopped, and Ren He shouted, "It’s me! Ren He!"

"Damn, Ren He is here, hurry and open the door!" Liu Erbao rushed excitedly to the door and pulled open the large iron gate. "We were just practicing. You can give us some guidance!"

In Liu Erbao’s eyes, Ren He had already become an authority on music. They were crazy about those three songs. Now, which top composer in the entertainment industry could churn out three hit songs with such ease and in such a short time? None! And yet, with such talent, he could still go to school earnestly and keep such a low profile, meaning no one outside even knew of his talent. To Liu Erbao, that was true badassery!

In fact, Ren He had another important reason for seeing Liu Erbao. Yang Xi’s album had only been released on cassette and online music so far. They were planning to make a music video and produce CDs soon, and Ren He thought it necessary to have Liu Erbao’s team help shoot videos for a few of Yang Xi’s main songs. For CDs to have better sales, music videos were crucial.

Moreover, this would also subtly boost Yang Xi’s momentum. The fact was, since coming into fame, Liu Erbao’s team had never made a music video for any celebrity. After becoming a world-class commercial photography team, Liu Erbao and his colleagues’ status was no surprise, almost on par with world-leading fashion designers—sought after by stars.

Leaving aside how good their clothing design was, wearing clothes designed by a world-class master was in itself a matter of prestige.

The entertainment industry is all about competition, and those who don’t stand out get overlooked. Yang Xi didn’t care about this at all—she was the type who’d dare to go on stage and sing in a plain white shirt. Ren He didn’t understand much about the design industry and couldn’t afford to hire a master, but Liu Erbao could, achieving the same effect.

He could be low-profile if he wanted, but he didn’t want others to look down on Yang Xi. If there was something Yang Xi didn’t think of, he had to consider it for her.

After Ren He explained the situation, Liu Erbao immediately patted his chest and guaranteed help. It happened that they had planned not to take on any new work for the next two months to have fun with music. Now helping Yang Xi shoot a music video was something they could easily do.

However, they still needed Ren He to guide them properly on how to sing these three songs, as they were going to participate in a small music festival the day after tomorrow, determined to perform on stage.

When it came to singing "In the Spring," Ren He also became somewhat invested, "Do you remember the spring of many years ago? Back then, I hadn’t cut my long hair, I had no credit card, no her, no home with 24-hour hot water. But I was so happy at that time, even with just a broken guitar."

The deep voice carried a sense of melancholy, the notes reverberating throughout the entire factory, with everyone listening in silence. Sometimes, people would reminisce about the hardest times in their lives, as though those were the happiest.

Ren He sang the three songs in their entirety for them, which made Liu Erbao’s face turn red, "Haha, so that’s how it’s sung... hey, do you want to come and play at the music festival with us? Wait, what day of the week is it today? Don’t you have classes?" It was only towards the end that Liu Erbao remembered Ren He was a student at No.4 Middle School and was taken aback to find he wasn’t at school during non-holiday days.

"Ahem, I had a cold a few days ago and took a week off; I got better ahead of time," Ren He awkwardly came up with an excuse.

"After listening to you sing ’In the Spring,’ it really brings back a lot of feelings. It seems like sometimes when you have nothing, you can have endless happiness. I’m really envious of you—not saying you’re poor, I’m envious you’re still in school," Liu Erbao took a swig of beer and said with a sigh, "It’s great to still be in the schoolyard, we are alumni, you know. We all came from No.4 Middle School. I remember at graduation, the principal said that after leaving No.4 Middle School, grades are secondary, life is what’s important, no matter how tough life gets, you should hold your head high. I think No.4 Middle School is a great place. At least it didn’t preach; we learned so much there."

A brother laughed from the side, "We do more than just hold our heads high, we lift our heads up high and look at people through our nostrils!"

Liu Erbao cursed with a laugh, "Get lost!" He gulped down a bottle of beer, let out a burp, and said, "Back then, a simple tilt of the head would reveal our class teacher peeping at us from all sorts of unexpected places. She even told us that if our classroom was moved upstairs, she’d consider abseiling down to check on us... No.4 Middle School’s teachers sure were an odd bunch, like the math teacher who called my name at least three times every lesson and complained about my problem-solving skills resembling crap, the Chinese teacher who insisted on singing at every New Year’s Eve gala and wanted the class representative to present flowers, the history teacher next door who liked to sing folk songs and play the ocarina in the office, and the dean who dozed off while sneakily checking his phone next to the principal during the 100-days pledge assembly..."

Liu Erbao said with a chuckle, "I thought it was interesting but also dreadfully terrible when I was in high school. But on the day I left, I suddenly realized that I might never have anything to do with a single blade of grass here for the rest of my life, and suddenly I couldn’t remember ever disliking them. Sometimes, I really want to drop everything and make a documentary about No.4 Middle School. However, the old principal ruthlessly rejected me, saying I wasn’t serious enough... damn, even that’s a complaint!"

Ren He laughed out loud, even imagining the look of disdain on the old principal’s face, who was also a lovable person.

He said, "Forget it, don’t dwell on the past; no period of time can replace another. It’s enough that your life is good now. If the principal won’t let you film, just do it secretly, haha!"

Liu Erbao’s eyes lit up, "That’s right, fuck whether he lets me film or not. After I finish shooting the MV for my little sister, I’ll go film No.4 Middle School."

"Cough cough, just make sure not to call her ’little sister’ during the MV shoot, especially in front of their boss Su Ruqin..." Ren He said timidly.