Chapter Ninety-Five: A Dojo Challenge?

The previous chapter’s film and television rights fee was incorrect; the seven million was after tax and has been amended.

“Brother Yuan, leave this to me.”

After leaving East Sound Academy, Zhang Chao pounded his chest and took full charge of Liao Yuan’s house-hunting without hesitation.

“Just tell me the price range you have in mind.”

Then Zhang Chao suddenly said, “Brother Yuan, actually, you could rent for a while first. Property prices in the hot areas of East Sea are basically stabilizing now. The cheaper ones go for only a few thousand a square meter, while the expensive ones can run into hundreds of thousands. Take Lin Weiyin and Gao Feiliu, for instance—they live in Lakefront Elegance in the QP District, one of East Sea’s premier waterfront villa communities. It’s now priced one home at a time, averaging around seventy thousand a square meter.”

“And not long ago, Han Yu spent one hundred and twenty million to buy the Seasons Grand Hotel Apartments. The average price there is one hundred and eighty thousand a square meter. It’s a riverside luxury property over by Lujiazui.”

“Even higher-end places include Tomson First and the Peninsula Hotel Apartments, both averaging over two hundred thousand a square meter…”

The more Zhang Chao spoke, the more excited he became. Liao Yuan quickly cut him off. “Do you think I can afford any of those mansions?”

“Uh…”

Zhang Chao looked him up and down, then coughed. “Actually, Lakefront Elegance would be quite suitable for you. You could even be neighbors with Lin Weiyin and Gao Feiliu. It’s just that Lakefront Elegance is in the outer suburbs, a bit far from the city center…”

Lakefront Elegance was a waterfront villa community, and each house averaged more than three hundred square meters. Calculated at an average of seventy thousand per square meter, the total cost would come to about twenty-one million. Liao Yuan now had eight million in hand, so making a down payment was absolutely no problem, but the remaining tens of millions would still be a considerable burden.

Liao Yuan smiled. “Manager Zhang, I’m beginning to think you know everything.”

Zhang Chao straightened his belly and said with confidence, “Of course I do.”

“Where do you live?” Liao Yuan asked.

Zhang Chao looked as though he had been struck in the throat. After a cough, he said, “Me? I rent.”

Liao Yuan patted Zhang Chao on the shoulder. “Then I’ll rent too.”

“No, no. You’re a great pianist. How can you be compared with someone like me, just a wage earner?” Zhang Chao waved both hands repeatedly. “What kind of house you live in, what kind of car you drive—that all reflects your worth.”

“That doesn’t mean I should puff myself up just to look rich.”

Liao Yuan waved him off and stopped him from going on. “Manager Zhang, I’m truly grateful that you hold me in such high regard, and I also appreciate all the help you’ve given me during this time. But you probably know how tight my finances are. In life, and in work, everything has to be done step by step. I don’t think there’s anything shameful about renting. If I can’t afford to buy a house right now, and I don’t want to add too much pressure, isn’t renting the best choice?”

Zhang Chao looked at Liao Yuan, his eyes rolling as if deep in thought. After a moment, he suddenly said, “Brother Yuan, what you lack right now is only an opportunity.”

“What opportunity?” Liao Yuan frowned.

Zhang Chao said with absolute certainty, “An opportunity to make your name known!”

Liao Yuan smiled. “I’m afraid I don’t quite follow.”

The more Zhang Chao thought about it, the more excited he became. “You’re worried about buying a house because, in the end, it all comes down to money. But where does money come from? From work, of course. Yet your income from the radio station is so limited. For so long, I couldn’t understand why a pianist of your caliber would be willing to lower himself to working as a host at a little radio station. It’s truly enough to make one sigh in regret! But now I understand. You are calm and far-reaching, detached from worldly ambition, unwilling to merge with this muddy secular world…”

The more Liao Yuan listened, the more ashamed he felt. Was I really that great?

Zhang Chao went on, “But if you are in this world, how can you be untouched by worldly troubles? For example, right now, you want to buy a house, yet you are constrained by a lack of funds…”

At last, Liao Yuan could no longer hold back and interrupted him. “Manager Zhang, what exactly are you trying to say?”

“Although you have the ability of a great pianist, you do not have the fame of one.”

Zhang Chao said earnestly, “Brother Yuan, what you lack right now is fame. Only when your fame grows will your income rise accordingly! Right now, there is an opportunity. I wonder whether you would be willing to take it?”

“What opportunity?” Liao Yuan asked curiously.

Zhang Chao said, “Originally, I wanted to recommend that you participate in the One Emperor, Four Kings Piano Competition, but the registration deadline has already passed. It’s too late for that. However, there is another opportunity I think you could try.”

Liao Yuan had the sudden urge to flick the top of this fat man’s head. Then spit it out already!

“There are many theaters of all sizes, both at home and abroad. Just in East Sea City alone, there are no fewer than twenty opera houses.”

“And each opera house has its pillar performer. Every one of them is a top-tier musician in the industry.”

Zhang Chao swallowed and said, “What you lack now is popularity. If you go challenge them one by one, taking on these famous masters of music… win or lose, your name will naturally spread!”

“Manager Zhang.”

Liao Yuan wiped the sweat from his brow. “You think so highly of me? I’m just an amateur dabbling for fun.”

Zhang Chao chuckled. “Brother Yuan, you’re the one underestimating yourself. Even Dean Ji speaks highly of you and even recommended you to teach the graduating students. And you still think of yourself as an amateur?”

Seeing that Liao Yuan said nothing, Zhang Chao continued to coax him. “If you are in this world, how can you ignore worldly matters? You’re short of money—very short of money. I can tell that you don’t want to rent. You want to buy a house, and you don’t want to live in the outer suburbs. You want to live in the city center, to live like Han Yu, in the Seasons Grand Apartments, or perhaps Tomson First…”

Liao Yuan fell silent.

“But those mansions are each worth hundreds of millions. Where will the money come from? No one else can help you with this. If you want a mansion, there is only one way: save yourself, darling!”

Zhang Chao gave him a sly look. “If you agree, I’ll handle everything for you personally. Remember what I said: winning or losing doesn’t matter. What matters is fame. I only need to release the news that you are going to challenge the major theaters. Believe me, the entire industry will be shaken. By then, the media and your peers will all turn their attention to you. Once you have popularity, only then will people come to appreciate the concerts you hold!”

Liao Yuan was a little tempted.

Zhang Chao’s words were simple and blunt. Put plainly, they meant hype, hype, and more hype.

Whether in his past life or this one, whether in the entertainment world or any other industry, anyone who knew how to build their own momentum was never to be underestimated.

But was that what he wanted?

In Liao Yuan’s mind, on one side were mansions and villas worth hundreds of millions; on the other was that dark scene from just before his death in his previous life—the reeking trash heap, the mice squeaking as they scurried past…

The two images battled each other relentlessly.

The rising sense of contradiction and conflict made a dull ache begin to throb in Liao Yuan’s head.

It was like a relapse of the aftereffects of prolonged mental exhaustion. A buzzing sound kept ringing in his ears.

Before his eyes, Zhang Chao’s figure and voice gradually vanished.

In his mind, it seemed as though two souls were entangled with one another, trading blows and grappling in endless struggle.

One wanted fame, mansions, and sports cars.

The other wanted to remain hidden, to live this life in quiet and restraint.

Liao Yuan rubbed his head, and before his eyes countless zeros and ones seemed to flash past in a blur.

Then, as if his whole body had crashed, he closed his eyes and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

“Ah! Brother Yuan, Brother Yuan, what’s wrong?”