68: Chapter 68 The beast that slumbered within me has awakened!

Zhao Yang thought about finding an assistant for Gao Qiqiang. He was currently traveling all over the country for sales and setting up outlets, and he was sorely lacking a qualified assistant.

However, Guan Zhizhi had just gone through a breakup, so it wouldn't be appropriate to introduce her to an eligible bachelor right away.

So, in the end, Zhao Yang called Chen Shuting: "Hello, Shuting, I heard the Construction Group is developing well."

"I haven't failed the boss's trust, after all."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"It's only right, boss. Do you have any orders?"

"I have a friend in the capital." Zhao Yang paused, "She's been through some unhappy events and wants a change of environment. Do you still need an assistant?"

"Yes, boss. I've had HR interview several candidates, but I wasn't quite satisfied. Most of the applicants were either young girls or young men, and they weren't very steady."

Zhao Yang smiled and said, "Then my friend is just right. She's about the same age as you, just broke up with her boyfriend, and is very steady. I'll give you her number; find some time to chat with her."

"Okay, boss."

...

Hanging up the phone, Zhao Yang returned to the dining table and told Guan Zhizhi to wait for a call.

After the meal, Guan Zhizhi took her leave, Huang Zhenhua went back to his unit to work overtime, and Zhao Yang took Huang Yimei to the 798 Art District.

This time, he planned to record an album under the name "Passerby."

Since his last stage performance, Meimei had received a large number of letters regarding "Passerby," most of which were inquiries about him.

Both Meimei and Phoenix Legend hoped that Zhao Yang would take this opportunity to release an album of his own.

Zhao Yang also noticed that his emotion points had surged after he went on stage, so he accepted the suggestion. He would come to record the songs once the accompaniment for the new tracks was ready.

By this time, Tomorrow Culture was no longer just a handful of people. Phoenix Legend reached their Peak upon debut and had gradually secured their position as a first-rate group, so the number of staff members needed to serve them began to increase.

As soon as Zhao Yang and Huang Yimei arrived, many newcomers whispered among themselves, "My god, are these the company's newly signed artists? What a golden couple!"

However, they soon realized how wrong they were when they saw that both Meimei and Phoenix Legend treated the two with great respect.

Entering the recording studio, Meimei leaned toward Zhao Yang and whispered, "Brother Yang, the accompaniment teacher said that these songs have such different styles that putting them in one album is a bit messy."

Zhao Yang smiled faintly. "Messy is right. The name of this album will be 'playing around.' All my future albums will be called 'playing around,' numbered sequentially."

Meimei was stunned and still didn't quite understand, but Zhao Yang was the boss, so naturally, what he said went.

Zhao Yang didn't waste any more words and started directly.

Over ten songs were completed in one go, including not only ringtone hits like "Mice Love Rice" and "Two Butterflies," but also operatic ancient styles like "Yu Xi Tan" and "The New Drunken Concubine," as well as high-pitched vocal displays like "Loving Even in Death" and "Song of Departure."

The difficulty of the songs varied, and the voices switched between male and female.

It was truly a case of "The male rabbit kicks its feet, the female rabbit has misty eyes; when the two rabbits run side by side, how can you tell if I am male or female?"

This album would be fine if one picked out the songs they liked to listen to, but listening to it all the way through was an indescribable experience—it felt like a messy stew of offal and abalone. Most importantly, it was impossible to tell the singer's gender.

Once the recording was finished, Zeng Yi couldn't help but laugh. "Brother Yang, I finally understand why you named the album 'playing around.' You're literally just playing around!"

"Actually, my intention is for the listeners to play around with it. I believe most people will be able to hum a few lines after hearing them, and anyone can sing them for fun. This is what I meant by 'serving the people.'"

Zeng Yi was stunned and gave a thumbs up. "Brother Yang really has depth!"

...

At that moment, Meimei's phone rang. She ran out to answer it and then rushed back in a hurry. "Brother Yang! Brother Yang! Something happened with the song 'bu wei xia'!"

Zhao Yang asked, "Hmm? Is there a problem with that song?"

Meimei gave a bitter smile. "Something happened with the production crew. They actually fired the lead actor and have to pay a lot in liquidated damages; the loss is significant. The director just called and said they might not be able to continue filming, so our 'bu wei xia' probably won't be used either."

"To think such a thing would happen..." Zhao Yang's heart suddenly stirred. He glanced at Huang Yimei out of the corner of his eye and asked, "What is the director's attitude?"

"Actually, I could tell that they were... asking if we have any intention to invest."

Zhao Yang smiled. "No problem, invest! Just say we have an artist here who will bring capital to the set and wants a supporting role."

Meimei was stunned. "Ah? Brother Yang, our artist? Ling Hua? Zeng Yi? To act in 'the smiling, proud wanderer'?"

Ling Hua pointed to her own nose. "It's not me, is it? I definitely can't do it!"

Zeng Yi was also bewildered. "I'm even worse! Unless it's a role like Background Soldier B."

Zhao Yang laughed. "Don't worry, it's not you. Meimei, call them and ask for the role of Yue Lingshan. As long as they agree, we'll provide whatever money they're short of."

Meimei was taken aback, then she noticed Huang Yimei fiddling with a guitar nearby and vaguely understood. She immediately took out her phone. "I'll go ask right now!"

After only a few words, Meimei put down the phone. "Brother Yang, they said she needs to audition. As long as she passes, it's fine!"

"When can we go?"

"We can go right now."

Zhao Yang was amused. "They're so eager for an audition; it looks like they're really short on money. Since they're this desperate, why are they still acting so reserved? Meimei, arrange a driver! Rose, let's go!"

Huang Yimei was startled. "Ah? Where are we going?"

"To an audition."

"An audition? Who? You?" Huang Yimei's eyes flashed. "Haha! You're finally going to be an actor!"

Zhao Yang shook his head. "Not me! It's you!"

"Me?"

Zhao Yang nodded. "Yes! We'll talk in the car!"

Huang Yimei was pulled into an MPV business car in a daze. As soon as she was settled, she immediately asked, "Brother Yang, is this for real? You... you aren't really going to make me play Wang Yuyan, are you?"

Zhao Yang smiled faintly. "So you want to play Wang Yuyan. Don't be in such a hurry. Play Yue Lingshan first, and we'll talk about Wang Yuyan later."

Huang Yimei was so anxious that she was incoherent. "No, no! I mean, are you really going to let me act in a TV drama?"

Zhao Yang laughed. "Just give it a try. What if you pass? 'the smiling, proud wanderer' crew is short on money and wants me to invest. I think this project is good, but I don't want my money to seem cheap, so I made a very reasonable request in this industry—to bring someone into the cast."

Huang Yimei had a strange expression. "But... why me?"

Meimei couldn't help but mutter, "If it's not you, could it be me?"

Huang Yimei was stunned and scratched her hair. "Brother Yang, but I'm not an artist of Tomorrow Culture!"

Zhao Yang laughed. "You... can be!"

Although Huang Yimei was shocked, she also felt a faint sense of anticipation, as if some Bloodline deep within her had been Awakened.

She was silent for a moment, then her expression suddenly turned strange. "Sister Meimei, I suddenly realized something. The boss of Tomorrow Culture is Brother Yang, right?"

Meimei smiled. "Hehe, ask Brother Yang. I don't know."

Huang Yimei looked at Zhao Yang. "Brother Yang, I'm right, aren't I?"

Zhao Yang nodded, his eyes burning bright. "When we were chatting, you said you didn't know whether to look for a job or take the postgraduate exam. Today, we'll just happen to try another path—becoming a big star! How about it?"