Entertainment: Starting with a Song of Rice Fragrance

"Gangzi? Wait, when did you get back? Why didn't you even call to let me know?"

Upon hearing this voice, Zheng Ning was overjoyed.

Zhao Gang, another childhood friend of mine, was in the same class in kindergarten, and then in the same class from elementary school through middle school all the way to the first year of high school.

Then, in their second year of high school, they had a family emergency and moved to the distant city of Sui.

They haven't seen each other for more than five years since then, although they often exchange letters or communicate online.

But after all, they are childhood friends, and I always miss them a lot when we don't see each other.

"Hehe, I just got back. Don't worry, I'll be in Shuncheng a lot from now on, and we'll have plenty of time to hang out together."

The sound of her childhood friend's hearty laughter coming through the phone made Zheng Ning feel very comfortable.

"You mentioned a tavern earlier, what's the deal? You opened a tavern?"

"Yeah, I'm not planning to look for a job after graduation. I'm going back to my hometown to open a bar. And the house here is still unsold, so I'll settle down here. How about that? Aren't you happy? Aren't you surprised?"

"Of course I'd be happy! Just tell me the exact address and time, and I'll be there on time tomorrow night!"

"By the way, did you tell Kai? Oh, you already did? Okay, I'll come with him tomorrow night!"

After ending the call with her childhood friend, Zheng Ning clenched her fist in delight.

I haven't seen him for 5 years, I really miss him!

……

Time flies, and it seemed like it was already 8 p.m. on the second day.

The vast city of Shun is divided into roughly two halves by the Shun River, making it look somewhat like a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) shape.

Wuli Bridge is located slightly south of the middle of this river. Although the bridge is not as long as five li, for some reason, it has been called by this name since ancient times.

"Gangzi! We've missed you so much!"

"Ningzi, Kaizi, I miss you both so much!"

At the entrance of a quaint, old-fashioned tavern.

The three childhood friends hugged each other excitedly.

"It's been such a long time! What have you been up to all these years?"

The three childhood friends stood arm in arm at the door, chatting non-stop for a long time, each with a happy smile on their face.

"Wait, what brings you to the idea of ​​opening a pub? Aren't you an engineering major?"

"Ugh, you have no idea how hard it is to find a job in our field these days. Out of 100 graduates, it's considered good if 20 can find one..."

Speaking of this, Zhao Gang also looked helpless.

"But you, Ningzi, you've really become famous lately! I've seen you online!"

As he spoke, Zhao Gang laughed and took out his phone to open the page.

"Look how popular your busking video is! This is the clearest one, it's already had over 200 million views, right? And over 3 likes!"

"And this, the download from Feixing Music website... Wow, I only looked away for a second, and you've already climbed to 13th place?"

Zhao Gang was stunned. He had just glanced at it a few minutes ago, and "Rice Fragrance" was still ranked 14th!

"Let me see? Wow, Ningzi, your song is amazing! I'd say it could definitely crack the top 10!"

Zheng Ning was also stunned. He knew that Wang Yushu, who had previously assigned him to work, was a new singer promoted by Feiyang Entertainment.

Rumors suggest that nearly 1000 million yuan has already been invested in his publicity and image-building, with the aim of making him the star newcomer of Feiyang Entertainment this year.

As a result, not only did I overtake him, but I also gained a full body length lead over him.

I really don't deserve this...

"No, it's not fair to say I'm undeserving of this achievement. After all, this song itself is a masterpiece from Earth, and the system says my voice is S-grade. This result is well-deserved!"

After exchanging compliments, Zhao Gang led his two old friends into his tavern, which was not yet open for business.

"How is it? Not bad, right? I spent over 50 yuan on this renovation!"

As he walked, he introduced them to the two of them, his words filled with pride and self-satisfaction.

"You rich dog, I'm so envious!"

As Zhu Kai walked, he touched this and that, looking at the brand-new yet retro countertop, the gleaming clean floor, the waist-high luxurious stage, and the dazzling array of fine wines in the bar and the cabinet behind it...

Everything was illuminated by the dazzling lights overhead, so bright it almost blinded his dog eyes.

"Tsk tsk, really good, really good... No wonder you've always been the richest among us since you were little. Your dad really went all out for you... Isn't he afraid your business will go down the drain?"

"No way! My dad recently took on a construction project and earned a small fortune in just three years, haha. I'm his only son, how could he not think about me?"

"Come on, guys, have a seat. I'll go get the drinks!"

Zhao Gang waved his hand generously and said happily.

"Hey, well, I can't drink alcohol right now, so get me some juice!"

Zheng Ning immediately reached out and grabbed him.

"Oh right, you're going to be a singer, you can't ruin your voice by drinking. Okay, Kai, let's drink until we drop tonight."

The wine and drinks arrived, along with a large fruit platter, but Kai Zi complained that in such a nice atmosphere, eating fruit was too boring and he wanted to eat something with a stronger flavor.

So Boss Zhao simply went out and ordered a huge amount of grilled meat and skewers from a barbecue stall. The three of them ate with gusto, their mouths greasy and their drinks flowing freely.

"I see you have a stage here, what's it for?"

After eating and drinking to his heart's content, Zhu Kai suddenly looked at the stage in front of him, which was about half a person's height, and raised his chin.

"This is what the shop uses when they hire live singers to perform."

Zhao Gang looked up and said casually.

"Did you hire a resident singer?"

"Not yet. The renovations just finished, and we haven't even opened yet. We haven't had time to hire anyone... Why? Do you know any singers you could recommend?"

"No, Gangzi, are you drunk? Do we really need to hire someone else to sing for the resident singer?"

Zhu Kai slapped him hard on the shoulder and twisted his neck to the right.

"See that handsome face?"

In an instant, Zhao Gang's face was turned to face Zheng Ning.

"Oh my god, how could I forget about Ningzi? She's practically a ready-made resident singer!"

"Huh? Me? A resident singer?"

Zheng Ning is currently wrestling with a roasted pork hock.

Upon hearing Kai mention himself, he was so surprised that the pork hock in his hand fell onto the plate.

"Yeah, aren't you looking for places to busk right now? Isn't this the perfect stage to showcase your talent? Plus, you get a fixed salary, right, Gangzi?"

"Absolutely! Isn't that right, Ningzi? You're quite the celebrity now, wouldn't you like to come to our humble shop and show off your talents?"

Gangzi ate happily, his greasy hands slapping Zheng Ning's new down jacket shoulder, and then he waved his other hand forward with a flourish.

"Ningzi, we don't need to be hypocritical with each other. If you come, three days a week, three hours each time, I'll give you a base salary of 12000!"

"And all those flower baskets and roses they gave me as tips, I'll give them all to you, not a single one! How about that? I'm a pretty good boss, right?"