PS-Chapter 3 A Small Fry in the Jianghu

The back room of Daylily Bar was a large, separated space, divided into two smaller suites.

The back room was designated for the bar's vagabond singers.

In the main area outside, there were a number of makeup stations and storage cabinets, along with five or six soft chairs for the resident and guest vagabond singers. The two smaller suites had couches, televisions, a liquor cabinet, and private bathrooms and served as the territory for signed vagabond singers and bands.

Even though they sang in the same bar, there was a significant difference in status between resident vagabond singers and guest vagabond singers.

When Lu Chen entered, he found a resident vagabond singer, a man and a woman, already sitting in the outer room. The man was absorbed in his cell phone, while the woman was touching up her makeup. Neither of them paid any attention to Lu Chen when he walked in.

In this small circle, Lu Chen had the lowest status.

"Good morning, Brother Ye, Sister Hong!"

Lu Chen greeted them as usual and then took his seat, putting down his guitar case.

His seat was in the far corner of the back room.

The man replied with a disinterested "Hmm," while Sister Hong, putting down her makeup remover, smiled and said, "Little Lu, you're late today. Did the boss scold you? Hehe!"

Sister Hong was in her thirties and had been a resident vagabond singer at Daylily for five years. She was good at singing love songs with a decent voice, and although her looks weren't outstanding, she was somewhat famous in the Houhai bar scene.

However, she was still inferior to Sister Na Zhang Nana, one of the bar's most famous singers.

Despite this, Sister Hong always maintained a condescending attitude towards Lu Chen. What seemed like a caring question was actually a hint of sarcasm and mockery.

Had it been yesterday, Lu Chen would have felt dejected and frustrated, his anger simmering without an outlet.

However, after experiencing a different life in the dream world, his attitude had subtly changed without even him being aware of it. With a calm smile, he said, "Thank you for your concern, Sister Hong. I've already apologized to the boss."

Sister Hong was taken aback, and the words she had prepared were suddenly stuck.

She let out a soft "humph" and didn't acknowledge Lu Chen any further, continuing with her makeup.

At that moment, the door to one of the small suites opened and a man in a black jacket with long flowing hair walked out.

"Brother Qin!"

Sister Hong and the man quickly stood up, smiling as they greeted him.

Lu Chen was a beat behind them and also stood up, "Good morning, Brother Qin.

The man in the jacket, Brother Qin Qin Hanyang, was the real big shot of Daylily, the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Wandering Band. He was an indispensable figure in the band, and even the owner, Chen Jianhao, treated him with courtesy.

The Wandering Band was a resident band at the Daylily and consisted of five members: Qin Hanyang, a lead guitarist, a bassist, a drummer, and a keyboardist.

Supporting a band like Wandering Band was a challenge for a bar like Daylily, but the band's presence also enhanced the bar's reputation and popularity, making them an undeniable highlight.

Qin Hanyang's face showed no expression as he nodded in approval.

He picked up a few sheets of paper from the makeup station and returned to his room, closing the door behind him.

The faces of Sister Hong and the man were slightly uncomfortable, but they had no right to confront Qin Hanyang. After all, a single word from him could get them kicked out of Daylily and even out of the Houhai bar scene.

Lu Chen secretly chuckled. He was far away from Qin Hanyang, and since he had no intention of clinging to him, he didn't care about his attitude. Of course, he wouldn't be embarrassed by a cold reception.

A bar was like a small Jianghu, and Lu Chen was merely a small fry in this Jianghu.

He sat back down and began to fix his disheveled hair.

The atmosphere in Houhai's bars was different from the chaotic Sanlitun. Outlandish clothes and a disheveled, decadent appearance were not welcome here, so maintaining a good personal image was important.

On the stage outside, the host's voice could already be heard, signaling the start of the warm-up.

Lu Chen had to prepare quickly, as he would be performing soon.

As for the song he would sing tonight, he already had a preliminary idea in mind.

While the host was telling jokes to liven up the atmosphere, the former bartender who had been stationed at the entrance of the bar sneaked into the electronic music room on the right side of the back room.

The electronic music room was small, and equipped with controls for sound, lighting, and computers. Cables and wires were tangled like a spider's web, with red, green, and blue LED indicators flashing incessantly.

In the middle of this "web" sat a man weighing at least 200 jin (about 110 kg), wearing oversized headphones and nodding to the music. Half of an unfinished hamburger lay on the workbench in front of him.

"Hey, Fat Brother, Fat Brother!"

The bartender called out twice, but the man didn't hear. With no other choice, he approached him and gave him a firm shove.

The man jerked awake, saw it was the bartender, and frowned. He took off his headphones and said grumpily, "Little Gao, why aren't you out serving customers? What are you doing here? Get out, get out!"

He was the sound engineer for the electronic music room, and in this small room, even Chen Jianhao had to listen to him.

Little Gao knew this very well. With a grin, he quickly offered the man a can of Jinwei beer.

The man took the beer without hesitation, looked at him and asked, "So, what's going on? You young people don't do anything without a reason. What do you want? Let me be clear - small things are negotiable, but big things are off the table!"

"It's really a small matter."

Little Gao immediately brightened up and leaned forward to whisper a few words into the man's ear.

The man's expression changed as he listened, and he looked up and down at Little Gao as if he saw him for the first time. "You're quite devious, calling this a small matter?"

Little Gao forced a smile and said, "It really is a small matter. I just don't like this Lu Chen. Relying on his looks and acting high and mighty because of Little Bai, we just need to teach him a lesson and let him know that relying on his face won't get him far in Daylily!"

"Hm."

The man, deep in thought, nodded and stroked his chubby chin, "That makes sense. You say he looks good, but doesn't sing well. Instead of being a playboy in Sanlitun, he's come to Houhai to act like an intellectual. And now it's up to Fat Brother to clean up after him. Isn't this upside-down?"

Little Gao grinned maliciously, "Yes, yes, Fat Brother, you're doing it for his own good.

He suddenly pointed to the single-pane glass window of the electronic music room and said, "Lu Chen is on stage!"

The wall separating the electronic music room and the stage had a one-way glass window, so the people inside could see the stage, but the people outside couldn't see in.

The person holding a guitar and walking to the center of the stage was none other than Lu Chen.

"Fat Brother, act quickly!"

Little Gao's eyes were fixed on Lu Chen as he anxiously urged.

"Why the hurry?"

The man glared at Little Gao and said, "I know what I'm doing. I don't need you to teach me!"

As he spoke, he reached for a button on the sound control panel and turned it off, causing the LED indicators on the auxiliary mixer to immediately go dark.

In Houhai bars, vagabond singers usually performed live, including live accompaniment. Without some skill, it was hard to survive here. However, the vagabond singers' voices could be adjusted in the electronic music room, and good sound engineering could work wonders.

Professional sound engineers typically avoided working in bars, and Daylily couldn't afford them. So the back room sound was handled by semi-professional sound engineers, paired with semi-professional digital equipment that effectively hid imperfections from the untrained eye.

There were a few industry insiders among the patrons of the bar, but they were few and far between, and those who knew the inside story would keep quiet.

Lu Chen's singing and playing skills were quite average. His chance to perform on stage and earn some extra money was largely thanks to the sound engineer in the back room.

What annoyed the sound engineer was that Lu Chen had never offered him any perks, and he was even more high-profile than the resident vagabond singers!

Now, spurred on by Little Gao, his resentment flared up, and he decided to temporarily shut down the mixer.

As a result, Lu Chen's performance on stage would lack any optimization, and the sound would be presented raw through high-end speakers worth tens of thousands of dollars.

He would reveal his true form!

The sound engineer chuckled and motioned to Little Gao, "Get ready for a good show!

Little Gao nodded vigorously, his fists clenched in excitement, "Lu Chen, let's see if you still have the face to continue performing at Daylily!

At that moment, Lu Chen was unaware that he was being set up.

He was sitting on the piano bench, holding the guitar in his right hand while adjusting the angle of the microphone with his left hand.

After 8 p.m. on a weekend, the bar was becoming increasingly crowded, with about two-thirds of the seats occupied, many of them by regular customers.

Once prepared, Lu Chen spoke into the microphone, "Thank you all for coming to Daylily. Tonight, I'm going to start by singing a song called 'Flying Pigeon'. I hope you all like it!"

Scattered applause erupted in the bar, and a female customer who knew Lu Chen whistled loudly.

"Little Lu, keep it up!"

Many guests laughed, and the atmosphere became lively and energetic.

Lu Chen, a bit embarrassed, waved back at them and then prepared to start his performance.

"Jianhao-ge,"

Behind the bar, the charming woman watched Lu Chen on stage, her eyes twinkling with interest. "This young man has a good appearance, very much the handsome type, and he can sing and play. Why don't you bring him to my company?"

"Him?"

Chen Jianhao chuckled and shook his head. "Little Lu has decent looks, but his singing and playing are too amateurish. He's just here to fill in, and even that relies heavily on the sound engineering in the back. Do you really want to sign him?"

"Then forget it,"

The charming woman said firmly. "I don't want someone without a solid foundation. My small company can't afford to train someone like that."

Capital City has many talents - many officials, many wealthy people, and many handsome men and beautiful women. Good-looking people are everywhere.

In the field of music alone, Capital City has three major music colleges and various music training institutions. The number of new graduates every year is countless. Why invest time and effort in someone who has no foundation?

The charming woman was just talking casually, not very serious.

At this moment, Lu Chen strummed the guitar strings.

(End of Chapter)