"Sound test, sound test."
"Cough cough cough, hello everyone, maybe a lot of people here know my old rough face!"
"That's right, I'm one of the earliest founding members of this club, the He Ming that you're all tired of looking at."
As one of the four founding members, He Ming, who often showed his face in the club, was very familiar to the new and old members.
Therefore, his self-deprecating joke naturally caused friendly laughter in the venue.
"Mr. He, you know we're tired of looking at you, but you still want to stand up there. Can't you do something new every time?"
Facing the jeering below the stage, He Ming shook his head and pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses that never changed over the years. "No, as long as I'm here, we still have to follow the old rules here!"
"Fine, you're old, you do it!"
"According to the old rules, every time the club gathers, we will introduce a new friend to everyone. Naturally, he will also have to be like our seniors, in order to build relationships and continue the club's tradition."
"What are the rules for our club's newcomers?"
"Perform!"
The roar below the stage was loud and clear. There were people here who had shamelessly performed all kinds of strange skills on various stages. This was the best way for people to get closer to each other.
A short ten-minute performance, when the newcomer stepped off the stage, would naturally be welcomed by old and new friends from all directions.
This showed that this newcomer was open-minded, knew the rules, and was a person who could be made friends.
And in the ensuing applause below the stage, He Ming on the stage waved his hand. The lighting technician beside him received the order and instantly adjusted the brightness of the lights in the venue.
"Then you're in for a big surprise this time. The new members who joined us may be afraid of everything, but there's one thing they're not afraid of, and that's performing on stage."
As soon as He Ming's voice fell, the high stage's light shone on a place that had been blocked by a movable back board. And as this thin board fell, a delicate piano and a fat man with thick eyebrows and big eyes appeared in front of everyone.
"Let us welcome the pianist from the United States: Lang Lang!"
"Hua hua hua …"
As the piano sounded on the stage, the people in the audience stopped talking and listened to the piano solo.
The spacious deck was shrouded in the starlight of the night, illuminated by the distant lights of New York City, and seduced by the beautiful women's gowns.
Qin Guan smiled at He Ming, who was walking towards him quickly. He had changed his image in the United States, as a bad military counselor in China. He had become more temperamental.
The more freedom he had, the more carefree he would be. This was a very smart man who could find his own position.
They exchanged glasses. "Are you not going back to China?" Qin Guan was the first to ask about his old friend's current situation.
'I won't be going back for the next few years. Now is the year of ambitious expansion for domestic enterprises. It's good for those state-owned enterprises to have people like me abroad.'
Even when he was abroad, he was still worried about the country and its people.
When Lang Lang finished playing the song on the stage and recovered from the crazy trembling, thunderous applause rang out from the audience.
'It seems that I'm really a vulgar person. I only care about connections and economic benefits, but I don't have a deep understanding of elegant art. Looking at the performance of the top pianist both at home and abroad, I can only think of my neighbor's electrician when I was a child.'
He Ming said it calmly and leisurely. He did not feel the slightest bit ashamed of his lack of artistic appreciation. He said these words with the most excited expression and the warmest applause. There was not the slightest bit of peacefulness.
Qin Guan looked at his good friend helplessly. Clapping his hands, he said, "You called me here today because of the pianist, right?"
"Yeah, it's not easy for the Chinese to be in foreign countries. If an artist wants to get recognition, he has to rely on real talent. He can be considered our junior. It's not a big deal. Let's help him if we can."
Qin Guan nodded. As expected, he saw Lang Lang walking toward him.
The young pianist with white skin, big eyes, thick eyebrows, and a bear's body was greeting the other members of the party with a simple smile on his face.
'Hello, Mr. Qin! I'm Lang Lang, a new member of the club. Nice to meet you. '
'Hello!'
Qin Guan hadn't expected the man, who had been studying piano since he was a child, to be so lively. He wasn't reserved at all.
In just a few sentences, he had clearly stated the purpose of his visit.
'I think I understand now. You want my QC accounting firm to sponsor your Grammy Awards nomination in terms of public relations and canvassing for votes?'
'Yes.'
'As far as I know, IMG Music has a budget for that, right?'
"This is a convention in the music industry. In addition to the company's publicity, the higher the popularity of the winning singer and the more sponsors there are, the higher the possibility of winning the final award."
To put it bluntly, it was a competition between competitors of the same level. The one who invested the most money would be the final winner.
Lang Lang's objective for this trip was very clear. In this club that was made up entirely of Chinese people, he had a unique advantage.
That was to make use of the patriotism of the Chinese people to get more sponsors in this rare event.
This wasn't just a matter of short-term awards, but also a long-term feasible goal.
Whether he held his own small concerts in the future, returned to China to develop, or cooperated with various advertisers, he needed a lot of money as support.
It was getting harder and harder to make money from classical music. It was too expensive to support a musician.
What's more, this musician had an ambition that was different from ordinary people.
He had both financial strength and connections in the circle, so he was Lang Lang's first choice.
'Yes.'
What?
He Ming's eyes were wide open. Qin Guan was a CPA. How could he make such a bad deal?
If it was up to him, considering that they were both Chinese, it would be rare for a businessman to sponsor a hundred or eighty thousand yuan.
What was the difference between throwing money to build fame and throwing money into the water and listening to the sound of it?
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