Watching as the train departed, Li Zhen lounged on the recliner, feeling as if he had just sobered up from a dream, just when Lu Yan called out to him, he snapped back to reality and dazedly questioned: “Just the pair of us left?”
Lu Yan looked at him, putting his hands back into his pockets, and answered, “En.”
Li Zhen actually hadn’t feel as though anything was amiss in the past two days, he went to the musical department as usual, and brought students into class. He had also been able to sleep and eat well at that. Really, he didn’t know that at specific moments, delayed emotional responses were a thing, He sounded as if he was repeating himself: “It’s… it’s really just us two left?”
“Let’s go back...” Lu Yan said.
Li Zhen lowered his head and wiped his face.
Lu Yan glance outwards towards the sky and finish the rest half of his sentence: “On the way we can stop by the tunnel for a stroll."
Li Zhen: “???” Are you sure that’s what you want to do right now?
Lu Yan’s reply is considerably natural:“Accepting recruits ah.”
The underground tunnel is where major bands gather up for rehearsals, and a site commonly used for interviewing newbies. Li Zhen’s depressed mood was quickly dispelled by Lu Yan.
Li Zhen simply is a bit difficult to be convinced: “Weren’t you just stated that Huang Xu and Da Ming1 will forever be a part of Vent? Your speech was f*cking pathetic, even I was about to shed some tears listening to it! And yet, not even two minutes after getting those two on the train, you take back your words and now you’ve even recruited new band members?!”
[1]: A nickname for Jiang Yaoming.
Lu Yan: “Is there a problem?”
Li Zhen: “….”
Lu Yan was just kidding, he waited until Li Zhen’s mood stabilised and finally spoke up: “Just teasing you. Besides, there’s barely anyone at the underground tunnel at this hour.”
Li Zhen jabbed at him and continued: “Damn you. The main reason is that there’s barely any people there right now. If there was really a crowd over there with people you can recruit, you would’ve rushed in immediately.”
Lu Yan walked in front of him, agreeing in a purposeful way: “Sure, such a pity.”
Lu Yan didn’t say much in order to comfort him, but Li Zhen still noticed what he was trying to convey to him: Don’t be so dejected, if you persist you are gonna get over it.
Lu Yan indeed actually meant it that way.
The positions of the guitarist and the bassist will have to be empty for the meantime since it wasn’t easy to find recruits to fill in for those positions.
It’s demanding to search for a suitable individual, it doesn’t matter even if you squat waiting beside the underground tunnel everyday, you are still not sure how much longer you need to squat until a suitable individual comes by. So, compared to recruiting new band members, Lu Yan would rather fill up the blank part of financial debt from his daily expenses.
…After all, some people here still crave for a proper meal.
“Ai,” Lu Yan jabbed Li Zhen with his elbow while they were waiting for a bus by the roadside, “Wanna ask you something.”
Li Zhen took out a packet of cigarettes from his trouser pocket, and passed one over to Lu Yan: “What’s the matter?”
The two of them squatted on the curb of the main road, smoking.
Lu Yan lets out a puff of smoke and asks, “Do you have any employment over there?”
Li Zhen starts to rack his brain for information. “Jobs, you say? let me ponder for a moment…”
Lu Yan deliberately went straight to the point. Though his lips turned slightly pale whenever he smoked, but his tone carried the same strength he had whenever he spoke. “Don’t you teach drums at the music department? Your job seems pretty decent. why don’t you negotiate with your executives to employ me?”
Li Zhen: “What would you even teach there… guitar?”
“Um,” Lu Yan tilts his head slightly, seemingly in deep thought, “Bass guitar will do too.”
Li Zhen: “…”
Li Zhen exhales a mouth full of smoke, gets up and bids him farewell as a reply: “My ride’s here, then, I’ll be going now.”
Brothers are unreliable, for the meantime, he just has to find a few short-term part-time jobs to take care of his financial shortcomings.
Lu Yan sighs. There aren’t much recently updated part-time jobs located in the city on the internet, Lu Yan searched for it the whole way on the bus. Haven’t spotted a suitable part-time job , he received loads of inquiry instead, asking him what happened.
Good news doesn't ever see the light of day, while bad news has wings spreading miles afar.
The first message came from their fellow brother’s band– the spade orchestra that always competes with their volume in terms of loudness within the underground tunnel.
Bassist Daishu: Did your band really split up?
Disbandment?
Really split up?
…
Lu Yan replied: It’s not disbandment, it’s a reorganization. Don’t worry, your father is still your father.
[2]: I am still better than you no matter what.
Daishu: Hehe.
Once Daishu finished chuckling, his heart still felt a bit of ache for them. After all he has an amiable nature as a person and sent out another message: Moralistic matters rely on fate. Don’t be overly dejected.
Lu Yan glanced outside the car window, his fingers swept across on the screen keyboard and casually typed out: Daishu-ah.
Daishu: ?
Lu Yan: Are you interested in joining our band?
Daishu: ……
Lu Yan: I believe that you and our V club may have quite some fate.
Daishu: ………………
Lu Yan’s fingers were slim, his knuckles protrude while typing, and he clearly had a set of finely trimmed nails – his fingers, too, were very slender. Before departing, Huang Xu’s claims genuinely came from the bottom of his heart ; even as the band’s guitarist, Huang Xu couldn’t find it in him to admire his own hands. And yet, despite this, he still doesn’t know why Lu Yan just can’t properly play any instrument.
Lu Yan: You’re just the right person that we’re lacking, someone who bears many aspirations. Also, your club hasn’t released a new album for a while. I’ve got a demo for a new album, so come here and show us what you’ve got.
[‘Daishu’ has turned on friend verification. You are not his (her) friend yet.]
The next person to show up was this band of spades’ captain.
Once the captain shows up, spams him a bunch of emoticons packs: Lu Yan! According to your meaning,going so far to do stuff like prying away at our corners, you really don’t have a lower limit!!
Even confronting the enraged Spade orchestra’s captain, Lu Yan still proceeded to send out another message: Then… how about you come and join us?
Captain: ……
Lu Yan:I recall that you can play the guitar proficiently, but rather lack skills, here, with enough practice, you can definitely build up your potential. Why don’t you quit being a drummer? Join us, and together, we’ll build ourselves a steady career.
Lu Yan was spammed with a bunch of emoticon packs once again.
A single stickman was in another stickman’s hold, twirled in its hands several turns before it was violently thrown away.
Captain: I’ll be f*cking insane if I took the initiative to look for you!
Lu Yan burst out laughing for a while as he leaned against the bus window, and in the end, he replied: it's alright, anyways thanks, bro.
The public bus altered its original course to avoid the steadily worsening traffic jam, turning south, driving towards the next bus stop under the searing sunshine.
Now, Lu Yan glances number 601’s door out of personal habit before entering his house. The woman in 601, however, is usually elsewhere most of the time. The door is always shut tightly, keeping everyone else out.
The commotion from before was still stuck on his mind; it was too memorable.
Recall back to the phrase ‘prostitute’ it still feels rather ear piercing.
Lu Yan turned his head and decided to just stop thinking about that incident anymore. He inserted his keys into the keyhole.
The door opened.
Once return back home, he begins scrolling through forums in search of part-time jobs within the city. As he searched, some new notifications from the forum began to pop up.
The one that is the most eye-catching one among the bunch is:
Recruiting class attendant,; my bro has been absent from school for several days, in consideration of him for having an enjoyable time and resting assured, we are currently looking for a substitute class attendant who will attend his lessons on his behalf. Studying at C University, major in economics, and the main courses include international economics, business management, marketing, international finance, etc… A suitable salary will be provided.
This was a massive part-time job forum, after all. The jobs they posted up here ranged from a wide variety, and even the most outrageous commentsexist. It's not the first time he has seen students taking the initiative to help with the recruitment: XX Middle School, the cramped space here in this school, requesting ten people, I’m here to snatch back my girlfriend. I’ll let them know who the real man is!
The jobs being posted up on his part-time job forum were usually normal, essential jobs that extended daily for a short period of time. Although unordinary part-time jobs already existed here, recruiting for things like substitutes class attendant were quite uncommon.
In other words, this substituting job is rather intriguing for some.
can learn some meaningless knowledge without being exposed to the storm and scorched by the sun.
Not counting the minuscule misconceptions being made during lessons, the total salary rounded up is equivalent to a paid vacation.
As he changed his clothes, Lu Yan scrolled back up and reread the part-time job description, and his gaze landed on the two characters near the end“C University.”
LY: How do I get in contact?
The person from the opposite end responded quickly: Here.
Lu Yan wasn’t wearing anything on his upper body; he had just taken off his belt, and his jeans hanging halfway around his waist. He didn’t expect the other person to reply that quickly. He didn’t give himself time to pay attention to the other things he had on hand and he began to type frantically to promote himself: Me, myself have plenty years of on-campus class experience. Furthermore, I bear great enthusiasm as a part-timer…
He hasn’t even finished typing yet when the opposite end sent out another message: Do you have a photo?
Requesting for a photo?
What kind of weird request was that?
Lu Yan has browsed through this intercity part-time job forum for years up to now, but he’s never really gotten a chance to actually take up one of the part-time jobs here. However, he’s been through this familiar grove of grabbing jobs twice already – this was the first time he’s encountered someone who requested a photo.
The person on the opposite end also understands this request is quite abnormal, so explained: it’s like this, my bro’s appearance is rather handsome, average-looking individuals can’t be a sub class attendant for him.
Lu Yan: …
Person on the opposite end: Sigh… being handsome can also be an inconvenience, really.
They continued: So… any photos? Can you snap a quick shot and show me?
It’s actually better if you didn’t explain.
The more you explain yourself, the more that I feel like something is amiss.
Lu Yan felt that his person is definitely abnormal, so as he was planning on rejecting their request, his cellphone suddenly received a notification. “Ding dong”.The opposite end once again sent in a message: a lesson for two hundred dollars, if you have any objects, feel free to mention it.
LY: You want a photo?
LY: Sure.
LY: I’ll immediately snap a shot for you.
The speed at which one slapped their own face is remarkably instantaneous.
Lu Yan didn’t even spare a moment to check if his face was in the right condition or not, he opens the camera function after changing, grasping his hair, and felt fortunate by the decision to change his hairstyle. If not, then he must take a close-up snapshot of his face, it’s possible that the other would question: What about your hair? Snap a shot of your hair, too, it’s unlikely that you’re bald, right? Lift up that camera a bit, won’t you?
The indoor lighting is unsuitable, Lu Yan needed his environment’s cooperation when he took a selfie. He usually wore a rock/hip-hop style kind of clothes whenever he performed on stage, once he found a nice angle ‘ka cha’ took a photo and be done with the business. Then sent the selfie to the other.
He assumed that the other person was chatting with all the job post’s applicants simultaneously, since Lu Yan received his reply after two minutes: That’s you?
LY: En.
Person on the opposite end: Alright!
Person on the opposite end: Then it’s decided! Let’s add each other on WeChat for contacting, then I’ll send you a class schedule.
Person on the opposite end: This is seriously so burdensome, I’ve been searching for a suitable person for days!
He didn’t know why, but Lu Yan sensed that the person on the opposite end was shedding tears of joy right now judging by that message they sent.
In the end, the two of them have finally come to a decision, and have also exchanged contact information and discussed the class schedule of this person’s bro.
Although the photo was already sent, Lu Yan still wasn’t rest assured worrying that this person truly may have issues, so he checked his data storage the first message that he managed to click on was: Heng-ge hasn’t been in class for five days.
Located at C University’s lecture building.
Lu Yan glanced at the real-time location, ‘C University,’ and felt this employment is relatively trustworthy.
Person on the opposite end: [Picture…] This is the class schedule.
Person on the opposite end: Student ID number is 12XXX44.
Lu Yan saved both the student ID and the picture of the class schedule.
This person… truly has awful grades.
He’s already headed to his next semester for his fourth year, yet still has to retake multiple courses.
Just how exactly did he flunk so many exams?
The person on the opposite end also mentioned: Oh yeah, our school district is located at the south campus, make sure to not go on the wrong way.
South campus, ah.
Lu Yan repeated it twice in his mind.
How could he ever go the wrong way?
This area he has been through it countless times within his heart, he don’t even need to calculate and can estimate the time period from Xiacheng District to there.
Lu Yan could even hear his own voice from him five years ago beside his ear: I wanted to be admitted into C University, the music department.
The voice was familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time.
Lu Yan couldn’t even remember the circumstances he had been in that had prompted him to say this sentence. Maybe at the time the class homeroom teacher had persuaded him to sign up for volunteering? With your score, being admitted into C University may be quite tough, so I advise you to attend a stable school.
He genuinely can’t recall.
After that, Lu Yan didn’t consider that prospect any further, the person on the opposite end put up a WeChat name card, profile picture is entirely black, name as “Don’t bother me if there are no important matters”.
Person on the opposite end: Add my bro for convenience. If something comes up later, you can contact him.
Lu Yan: Alright, what’s his name?
Lu Yan sent a friend request to that person with the black profile picture.
About ten seconds later, both the person on the opposite end and the void of black replied to him at the same time, Lu Yan’s message column popped up two new notifications simultaneously, one of which was the system prompt: [The other party has rejected your friend request].
Lu Yan: “…”
The person on the opposite end responded: My bro, Xiao Heng.
________________________________________
The author has something to say:
Not a school genre novel ~ but will touch upon the subject within the earlier stage.
Xiao Heng is 23 years old and still a college student, fourth senior year.
Lu Yan didn’t attend college.
(T/N: 陆延’麻油’上大学。
‘麻油’ has a similar pronunciation as ‘没有’.
没有 = denying or don’t)
Translator: Piggybank 🐽
Editor(s): Rae and Muku