In the second year of being with Liang Zhen, Shao Mingyin spent the New Year with him in Shijiazhuang.

During those ten days, they didn’t stay in that neighborhood the whole time. After all, there were still traces of their parents’ lives there, and Shao Mingyin wanted to preserve them. The room was a small layout that Liang Zhen liked, with two bedrooms and a living room, and the rooms were spacious. There was even a piano in Shao Mingyin’s bedroom.

Liang Zhen hadn’t heard Shao Mingyin play the piano yet, but he wanted to. Shao Mingyin said, regardless of whether it sounded good or not, it had been so many years, he didn’t even know if his piano skills were still accurate.

So Liang Zhen sat beside him, lifted the piano lid, and said, “You won’t know if you don’t try.”

Upon hearing Liang Zhen’s words, Shao Mingyin knew he had already had it tuned beforehand. He smiled, placed his right hand over the middle C area, and after a while, pressed down a chord. When the familiar notes rang out, he muttered to himself, “It’s been so many years,” before sitting down and playing a few bars with fingers that seemed to remember the muscle memory.

Liang Zhen remembered those few bars; they were the ones Shao Mingyin had played on the accordion before. Those black and white keys immediately brought back too many memories for him. Like any child who didn’t want to practice the piano, he would also engage in a battle of wits with his mother. When he was young, he didn’t feel much and didn’t understand, only knowing he had to practice, and sometimes he would do so reluctantly. But as he grew older, he remembered that time more and more. Although he couldn’t remember a lot of things, some melodies and beauty remained deep in his heart, even in his subconscious.

After the New Year, Liang Zhen accompanied Shao Mingyin to sweep the graves. Shao Mingyin had a lot he wanted to say but couldn’t find the words. Liang Zhen helped him, reassuring them not to worry, saying Shao Mingyin was doing well now.

Liang Zhen also introduced himself to Shao Mingyin’s parents, saying “Hello, uncle and aunt,” and after saying “My name is Liang Zhen,” he became shy, unsure whether to say boyfriend or partner or something else. Shao Mingyin just held his hand, the exchanged glance confirming that Liang Zhen wasn’t lying when he said “don’t worry” earlier.

After they left, Shao Mingyin said he would come every year from now on, and Liang Zhen agreed, saying he would accompany him every year.

After the New Year, Liang Zhen still had two more stops on his tour. The last winter vacation of his student days was particularly long, but Shao Mingyin had to go back to work. So Liang Zhen had to go alone.

After the concert in Beijing, he finished signing autographs and taking photos with fans, then returned to the backstage area and found someone he didn’t know talking to other rappers. When he arrived, the other singers left first, but the uninvited person remained seated. When he approached, the person tapped his shoulder as he passed by and said, “Dude, you’re going to be big.”

Liang Zhen walked over in confusion and sat opposite the person, looking at him inquiringly. The person just smiled and didn’t say anything, but handed him his own business card. Liang Zhen looked at the name of the company below and raised his head to look at the person again, then back at the business card, finding it hard to believe.

Later, that business card also ended up in Shao Mingyin’s hands. Shao Mingyin certainly didn’t know who this agent was or what kind of company “rising sky” was. Liang Zhen got excited, talking about how many singers he liked had been signed by this company and how they had music festivals in various cities every year. The agent also had a rap group lined up for a North American tour in the second half of the year.

“And he wants to sign me,” Liang Zhen pointed to the name on the card. “We talked for quite a while in Beijing, and he had a clear plan for me. Basically, if I agree, I’ll be making money lying down for the next few years.”

After Liang Zhen finished speaking, he dramatically spread his hands on the bed, feeling like he was dreaming, murmuring, “Damn, rising sky wants to sign me.”

Shao Mingyin asked, “So what did you tell him?”

“Of course, I said I’ll think about it,” Liang Zhen sat up and leaned towards Shao Mingyin. “I said I need to discuss it with my partner.”

“I’ll go along with whatever you decide,” Shao Mingyin didn’t beat around the bush. He had never interfered with Liang Zhen’s choices. And from Liang Zhen’s description, this should be one of the best entertainment companies in the country for rap music. Liang Zhen cooperating with them would be harmless, not only would he have a more professional production and promotion team, but also people to help him arrange various schedules. He already had talent and worked hard; if he signed, his future would be bright.

“But…” Liang Zhen was originally excited, and although Shao Mingyin’s attitude was supportive, he should have been happier, but then came a “but” that didn’t fit the mood.

Shao Mingyin looked at him without asking, just waiting for him to complete the “but” on his own. He watched Liang Zhen’s increasingly troubled expression and pondered why Liang Zhen was hesitating.

Perhaps it was the length of the contract. Liang Zhen said it had to be at least five years. But he would only be twenty-six after five years, which was the golden age for many singers. He might even renew the contract.

It could also be a fear of losing freedom after signing with a company, but this reason didn’t hold much water. This wasn’t the first time Liang Zhen had received such an invitation. Before this, whether it was from entertainment companies or labels set up by like-minded friends, Liang Zhen hadn’t agreed. If he refused only because of commercialization, he didn’t need to refuse even when friends in the circle wanted to bring him in.

But Liang Zhen wasn’t the kind of person to go solo. The reason he hadn’t added a team name before his own or put “For cooperation, please contact XXX” in his Weibo profile was because he had his own considerations. It’s just that the pie from “rising sky” was too big, and he was a bit dazed when it fell on his head.

“Liang Zhen?” Seeing him not saying a word for a long time, Shao Mingyin asked him, gently smiling, “What do you want to do most now?”

Liang Zhen crossed his legs, propping his elbows on his thighs, his hands supporting his chin as he began to contemplate. Shao Mingyin asked him if he was making money, and Liang Zhen didn’t hesitate at all, shaking his head vigorously like a drum.

“You can never make enough money. I don’t compare myself to those top-tier guys. I think I’m already making quite a lot in the independent rap scene. And that excitement of ‘Wow! I’m making money myself’ has really worn off. Making money?” Liang Zhen furrowed his brow, continuing to shake his head.

“Maybe I still hope that more people will listen to my songs,” he said, looking somewhat confused at Shao Mingyin, “Then I should sign with rising sky. If I sign with them, I’ll go from underground to mainstream, I can soar to the sky!”

“Okay,” Shao Mingyin nodded, not doubting Liang Zhen’s bright future at all, but he still asked in a guiding manner, “What about others?”

Liang Zhen hesitated, thinking about others.

“Yeah,” he slapped his thigh, finally understanding why he was conflicted. If he signed, he wanted the team and resources, but if he became popular, it was only him becoming popular, then what about others?

“Liang Zhen,” Shao Mingyin asked him, gently smiling, “Do you want to establish your own label?”

Liang Zhen instantly straightened his back, looking at Shao Mingyin as if to say, “How do you know me so well?”

“Of course, I do,” Liang Zhen spread his hands, starting to list some rap friends from Lanzhou he knew, who were quite famous in the scene but faced similar challenges. Economic disparities inevitably manifest in various aspects, such as the late start and slower development of local rap scenes like Lanzhou.

“But that doesn’t mean nobody is doing rap in Lanzhou,” Liang Zhen smiled, remembering last year’s underground battle in Lanzhou. During the event, an underground rapper from Lanzhou who was developing elsewhere was connected via live stream. He said a thousand words in one sentence, “Lanzhou can stand up to the underground.”

Liang Zhen also wanted Lanzhou to stand up to the underground. He couldn’t do it alone; he wanted to do whatever he could for this cause.

That’s what he wanted most, to have a small-scale record company, and to establish his own label, absorb young people who rap in Lanzhou, and work together to make Lanzhou rap rise.

“I’ve even thought of the name. The label would be called LZC, meaning LANZHOU CITY, and the registered record company name would be YYRL,” Shao Mingyin said, “I thought it was liang (梁) Zhou (洲) Ci (词).”

Liang Zhen hadn’t expected this himself, “Why are you so into these word games now?”

Shao Mingyin shrugged.

Liang Zhen asked again, “Then guess what YYRL means.”

Shao Mingyin was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what English word this abbreviation represented. Liang Zhen looked at him expectantly. When he came up with words like “you,” “young,” “real,” “legend,” Liang Zhen said it wasn’t English, it’s a Chinese idiom.

Shao Mingyin knew which idiom it was, but he didn’t say it, just smiled.

“But if it’s not just about establishing a label, but seriously starting a record company,” Liang Zhen calculated his savings, and also included the income from the next few commercial performances, “then I’ll be losing money again.”

“You talk as if you weren’t losing money two years ago,” Shao Mingyin said, poking Liang Zhen’s nose, making a pig nose curve, “or you’re good at losing money.”

“No, no, I have to think about it again. I can come up with a down payment, come out, and register a record company, I…” Liang Zhen covered his chest, crying fake tears as he leaned into Shao Mingyin’s arms, “I can’t bear it. I’ve become a man without backbone or courage.”

Shao Mingyin: “…”

“Isn’t it you who said if you want it, you can get it all?” Shao Mingyin said, “Or have you forgotten who you are.”

Liang Zhen sat up straight again, tilting his head to look at Shao Mingyin, not understanding the meaning of this sentence.

Seeing his clueless look, Shao Mingyin sighed, “Have you forgotten who your father is?”

Whether it was two years ago or many years later, Liang Zhen still found it unbelievable and miraculous that his first venture capital in life was invested by Liang Chongwei.

It also proved that what he had learned was useful, as long as he encountered the right timing. Liang Zhen originally thought he would bid farewell to financial engineering forever after graduation, but when he handed Liang Chongwei a series of reports he had compiled and written, including market research and risk assessments, after Liang Chongwei finished reading those well-founded analyses, he invested in Liang Zhen’s YYRL record company.

With capital behind him, Liang Zhen naturally became more resolute. Although he still lived in the same old neighborhood with Shao Mingyin, he set up studios in both Lanzhou and Wenzhou. He also had reliable veterans join him in Lanzhou, organizing competitions and performances locally, discovering many talented and passionate young people. Liang Zhen, being away, was more responsible for arranging performances outside the province and coordinating with other labels. It did initially cost a lot, but with Liang Chongwei’s money, half a year later, after the LZC label signed a temporary contract with rising sky and participated in their music festival in the second half of the year, Liang Zhen and his Lanzhou comrades finally emerged together.

After signing the contract, Liang Zhen finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although the money spent before was all Liang Chongwei’s investment, he definitely couldn’t cheat his father, he must have wanted to make money together. And after finalizing the music festival tour, Liang Zhen finally became the pillar again and was no longer a money-losing asset. He was happy, checking next month’s schedule with great satisfaction, when he suddenly received a phone call.

Since starting his own small company, Liang Zhen’s phone had never stopped ringing. His ears were calloused from answering calls all the time. This time, without looking at who it was, he reflexively answered.

Before the screen touched his ear, he caught a glimpse of the caller ID, it was Song Zhou, but the urgency in the voice from the other end was completely different from the previous Song Zhou.

“Hey buddy, do you need a house?” the voice on the other end shouted urgently, sounding like a street vendor.

Liang Zhen: “???”