PDLP Chapter 29 Meeting Tang Lei
Chapter 29 Meeting Tang Lei
Lin Xiaoqiang pushed open the car door, and before getting out, he turned back to Lin Xiaowen and said, "Wait in the car, don't get out."
Lin Xiaowen nodded nervously.
Lin Feng ran quickly into the residential area, with Lin Xiaoqiang following behind, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
Tang Lei had already entered the building, and the motion-sensor lights in the building turned on. He lived on the second floor, and he took out his key, ready to open the door.
"Teacher Tang Lei!" Lin Feng called out as he chased after Tang Lei upstairs.
The door was already open, and Tang Lei was startled to suddenly hear someone calling his name.
He suddenly turned around and looked downstairs.
"Who?"
Lin Feng rushed up to the second floor and stood in front of Tang Lei.
Tang Lei looked at him with a puzzled expression. "You were looking for me?"
"Teacher Tang, my name is Lin Feng, and I'm a senior at Sichuan University of Technology. I especially love your rendition of 'Lilac Flower,' so I came all the way from Chengdu to visit you!"
Tang Lei looked Lin Feng up and down. Although he dressed a little maturely, his face was the age of a college student.
This finally allowed Tang Lei to relax his tense nerves a little.
But then the burly Lin Xiaoqiang arrived. Tang Lei tensed up again.
Lin Feng immediately introduced, "Teacher Tang, this is my older brother, Lin Xiaoqiang. He's a veteran, and he brought me here to find you."
"What do you want from me?" Tang Lei remained wary.
"Teacher Tang, can we come inside to talk? It's too cold outside."
"Come in!"
Tang Lei turned on the light. The room was small, with an old-fashioned one-bedroom layout. There was an old sofa and a wooden table in the living room.
"Let's sit down and talk."
Lin Feng and Lin Xiaoqiang sat down on the sofa.
"Teacher Tang, I am the president of the Digital Music Club of Xichuan University of Technology. I am taking the liberty of visiting you in Shenzhen. My first reason is to hear you sing 'Lilac Flower' in person."
Secondly, on behalf of the Youth League Committee and Digital Music Club of Xichuan University of Technology, I sincerely invite Professor Tang to attend our school's Digital Music Festival during Christmas. All the teachers and students of our school are eagerly awaiting your arrival!
Lin Feng spoke earnestly, without rushing to discuss the ringtone copyright cooperation. He believed in proceeding step by step, first building trust with the other party.
Tang Lei was delighted to receive the invitation. At the time, he was not well-known in society.
A university in Sichuan was holding a music festival and sent someone all the way to Shenzhen to invite him to attend. This feeling of being respected and valued was something he could never get from singing in bars.
This flattered him greatly!
In addition, Lin Feng calling him "Teacher Tang" again and again made Tang Lei even more happy.
"Thank you for the invitation!" Tang Lei smiled, but then regretfully added, "But I probably can't go. I have a contract with the bar and can't get away."
Lin Feng, understanding his predicament, said, "Brother Tiger has some tricks up his sleeve, and I understand your concerns, Teacher Tang. However, a residency contract is not a servitude contract. Besides, you're not going to sing at other bars; you're just making a business trip to Xichuan to participate in an event. It won't take long."
"This..." Lin Feng's words made Tang Lei a little embarrassed, but they also enlightened him.
"Professor Tang, we will pay your performance fee according to your standards when you come to Chengdu to participate in our university's music festival. In addition, we will cover your round-trip airfare and accommodation."
Hearing Lin Feng say this, Tang Lei was tempted.
Inviting him to perform, paying him a performance fee, and even covering his airfare and accommodation—this kind of treatment is only reserved for celebrities.
Lin Feng had invested heavily, but considering the future revenue from the ringtone copyright of "Lilac Flower," he had no choice but to endure it.
After all, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub...
"I'll think about it some more." Tang Lei didn't agree immediately.
"Okay, I'll stay in Shenzhen for a while and visit you again in a few days. It's getting late, so we'll take our leave now so as not to disturb Professor Tang's rest."
Lin Feng got up and left. It was their first meeting, and he didn't want to put too much pressure on Tang Lei. Besides, knowing where Tang Lei lived would make it easier to contact him later.
Before leaving, Lin Feng and Tang Lei exchanged phone numbers so they could stay in touch.
Three days later, Lin Feng was carrying a plastic bag containing skewers he had bought from a barbecue stall on Dongyuan Road.
Lin Xiaoqiang followed half a step behind him, his gaze habitually sweeping across the street and alleyway.
"Tang Lei likes barbecue." Lin Feng weighed the bag in his hand, the aroma seeping through the plastic bag. "The barbecue stall owner said he comes here often, and his taste is similar to that of people from Xichuan. I asked the owner to put extra spicy, for the taste of home."
Lin Xiaoqiang grinned but didn't say anything.
He didn't really understand why Lin Feng was so concerned about this bar singer, asking about his address and bringing him food, like a fan chasing after a celebrity.
But Lin Feng always has his reasons for doing things. Over the past few days, Lin Xiaoqiang's understanding of Lin Feng has been constantly refreshed, and he has gotten used to following along without asking why.
The two turned into the old residential area where Tang Lei lived. Just as they reached the big banyan tree downstairs, three burly men walked straight towards them, blocking the entrance to the building.
Lin Feng paused. He recognized the air about these three people.
Tight black T-shirts, arrogant expressions. Just like the guys who stopped them at "True Colors Bar".
Lin Xiaoqiang stepped forward and stood in front of Lin Feng.
"Who are you looking for?" asked the man in the middle with a short, shaved head, a toothpick dangling from his mouth. He was a size bigger than Lin Xiaoqiang, and the tattoos on his arms were clearly visible.
"I'm looking for my friend." Lin Feng waved the plastic bag in his hand. "I'm bringing him some food."
"Friends?" The slovenly man scoffed, taking half a step forward with a hostile look in his eyes. "You have no friends here. Get out of here, don't linger."
Lin Feng remained expressionless: "My friend lives on the second floor here."
"Kid, Tang Lei is one of Tiger's men at 'True Colors Bar'," the slovenly man interrupted him, demanding sharply, "Which establishment sent you to poach him? 'Night Without End'? 'Blues'? Or the newly opened one?"
As expected. The other party regarded Lin Feng as a competitor trying to poach his talent.
"It's a misunderstanding." Lin Feng gave an as harmless smile as possible. "I'm not from the venue. I'm a fan of Teacher Tang, and I brought him some food."
Before he finished speaking, the stairwell lights came on. Five or six men came down from upstairs, their footsteps making a lot of noise.
The man in the lead was in his thirties, wearing a floral shirt, with a burly build, a gold chain around his neck, and a smile on his face.
"Hey, what a lively scene!" the man in the floral shirt said, his accent slightly local. "Ah Biao, who are these two brothers?"
"Brother Tiger." The slovenly man, Ah Biao, immediately stood up straight. "These two lads are here to see Tang Lei. They say they're fans, but they don't seem like it to me. They're probably here to scout out another venue."
Lin Feng quickly sized up the man in the floral shirt in front of him and then noticed that there was a scar on his left eyebrow, which made him look particularly ferocious when he smiled.