Chapter Seventy-Nine: Calling to Express Gratitude

Guo Lin was scheming, brewing the kind of intrigue so often employed in veteran state-owned enterprises, while Li Mu slept soundly through the morning, oblivious to the sun already high in the sky. Zhao Kang had called him repeatedly from seven until after nine; Su Yingxue had tried a few times as well, but he heard none of it.

Perhaps he was simply too exhausted from yesterday’s exertions, and his sleep was deep and unyielding.

Upon waking, Li Mu glanced at the clock—already past ten. He checked his missed calls and first dialed his father. They had arrived at headquarters and everything was well.

Seeing missed calls from Zhao Kang and Su Yingxue, and guessing both were at driving school, Li Mu decided to return Su Yingxue’s call first.

Ladies first, after all.

Su Yingxue was anxious; as soon as Li Mu called, she picked up, asking if something had happened. Li Mu replied that he’d simply slept too deeply at home. Su Yingxue was momentarily speechless—she’d spent more than an hour worrying, only to discover he’d been sleeping in.

Upon hearing they were practicing starting and stopping at the driving school, Li Mu abandoned the idea of rushing over and instead lay down for another nap.

In the afternoon, Li Mu logged into QQ to check on Kong Lingyu’s progress with the development of EasyListen. Kong Lingyu replied: Progress is on schedule; it should be ready for launch in about three days.

Li Mu asked for the homepage design from the graphic artist, took a look, and was not particularly satisfied.

Web design at present lacked any sense of artistry—even professionally designed pages were inferior to the QQ Spaces of a few years later. The web was still focused solely on practicality; the homepage was divided into rigid sections, images with sharp corners, devoid of aesthetic appeal. Even the choice of fonts was disappointing.

Li Mu spent over an hour making detailed annotations and sent them to Kong Lingyu, instructing him to have the graphic artist produce a revised version within twenty-four hours.

All music sites offered online listening and download services, so the competition came down to user experience. What Li Mu wanted was the future’s minimalist yet sophisticated style—a page where every region, every button, even every hyperlink, was crafted to provide exquisite visual effects.

With Li Mu’s insistence, Kong Lingyu promised to have the beta version online in twenty-four hours. Li Mu knew well that a product, from version 1.0 onward, could continuously evolve through 1.9, always refining features and fixing bugs. To keep the three-day launch plan feasible, he had to push Kong Lingyu to bring forward the beta, so there would be time to patch any gaps.

Li Mu watched the performance of Simple Plan from yesterday and realized their current influence. He believed that once the video of the semi-final aired on television, and combined with online hype, Simple Plan’s reputation would soar another level. Seizing this opportunity, EasyListen must launch, and with it, the release of Simple Plan’s two recorded songs—so fans and netizens could find their music online, and not just the noisy, amateur live versions.

Li Mu gave Kong Lingyu strict instructions, finished discussing EasyListen, and casually searched for news about Shanda.

At the moment, Shanda was still an obscure company. Li Mu searched for a long time before finding a brief news report: Shanda signed a deal with Korean company Actoz to introduce their online work "Legend."

Li Mu was surprised; he’d assumed Shanda was already in beta testing, but the contract was only signed in July. It seemed public testing would begin around late September or early October.

So, it appeared he’d have to wait until the end of the year for any hope of making money.

Unconsciously, the afternoon slipped by until five o’clock, when Li Mu’s phone suddenly sprang to life with a cheerful ring—it was Zhang Kexuan.

“Mu bro!” As soon as the call connected, Zhang Kexuan impatiently asked, “Where’s your house? We’re completely lost out here!”

“You guys?” Li Mu asked in surprise, “Where are you now?”

“The four of us came to Haizhou to visit you!” Zhang Kexuan chuckled. “After winning the contest, we came to thank you!”

“Cut it out!” Li Mu laughed and scolded, “If you’ve got something to say, just say it. Don’t waste my time.”

“We really are in Haizhou. Xiao Wan told us your family lives in the Xiling Coal Mine neighborhood, but we’ve been searching for ages and can’t find it.”

“My place is tricky to find; the gate isn’t on the main road. Where are you now? I’ll come pick you up.”

Zhang Kexuan replied, “We’re parked by the roadside, with a Green Apple Internet Café on our left.”

“Got it.” Green Apple Internet Café was about a kilometer or two from his house. Li Mu instructed them to move closer along the main road, then went out to meet them.

By the roadside, Zhang Kexuan slowly pulled up in his Land Cruiser beside Li Mu. Ye Tianming stepped out from the passenger seat, bowed and said, “Mu bro, please.”

Li Mu shook his head in resignation and climbed into the front seat. Ye Tianming moved to the back, joining the other two band members, Xia Ji and Gu Wei.

“Hello, Mu bro.”

The four deliberately drew out “hello” with a playful twist, as if students greeting a teacher before class.

Li Mu didn’t bother correcting their address, only asking, “You just finished the contest yesterday. Why aren’t you enjoying your stardom in Jinling? What brings you to Haizhou?”

“Mu bro,” Zhang Kexuan grinned, pointing behind him. “We’ve got a gift for you in the trunk. Let’s have dinner tonight—Tianming has already arranged it, at the Haizhou Eco Park.”

Li Mu turned to Ye Tianming with a smile, “How did you think of eating at the Eco Park?”

Ye Tianming laughed heartily and scratched his head, “Actually, I didn’t choose it—Liang bro did.”

Li Mu nodded; he hadn’t expected them to notify Song Liang as well. Glancing at Ye Tianming, Li Mu suddenly realized the four had come not just to thank him. Yesterday, backstage at the stadium, he’d told Ye Tianming about asking Song Liang for help. Now all four had come—perhaps to repay the favor?

It made sense. Li Mu felt touched—these four heirs truly were loyal, no question.

Ye Tianming said Song Liang had arranged dinner for seven o’clock. With nearly two hours left, Li Mu invited them to his home for a short visit.

Zhang Kexuan parked the Land Cruiser in front of Li Mu’s small courtyard. The group got out, and Zhang Kexuan pulled a large black case from the trunk.

Li Mu recognized it immediately—a guitar.

“Martin, bought through a friend at Tongli Music Store in Hong Kong. We know you love folk music, so it’s a gift for you.” Sitting on the sofa in Li Mu’s living room, Zhang Kexuan introduced the acoustic guitar that even left Li Mu a bit astonished.

“They say it’s a limited edition, but I don’t know the details. I play electric, so I’m not very familiar with acoustics.”

Li Mu nodded, cradling the guitar but not playing it. Instead, he looked at Zhang Kexuan, smiling, “You brought a guitar to see me—surely you can’t wait to hear the third song I’ve prepared for you?”

The four members of Simple Plan exchanged glances; Zhang Kexuan gave Li Mu a big thumbs up, “Mu bro, your eyes are sharp as hell!”

Li Mu gave a slight smile. He understood perfectly—Simple Plan had just won the championship, and at such a moment, the band would be anxious about the next round. Without knowing what song to use next, they wouldn’t be able to rest easy.

So Li Mu didn’t tease them, but said straightforwardly, “The third song was originally meant for myself, but I owe Tianming a favor, so I’ve decided to give this treasured piece to you. Let me sing it for you first.”

The four immediately sat up straight, eyes fixed on Li Mu, waiting for his performance.

Li Mu picked up the Martin guitar—worth at least tens of thousands—and after a few simple strums, began singing with a voice tinged with melancholy.

“She is the one I miss day and night, the one I love so deeply,
How should I express myself,
Will she accept me?
Perhaps I’ll never speak those words to her,
Fated to wander the world,
How can I bear attachments…
…
Dreams are always out of reach,
Should I give up?
Flowers bloom and fall as the rainy season returns,
Spring, where are you…
…
Youth is like a raging river,
Gone without time for goodbyes,
Only numbness remains, no longer the passionate blood of years past…
…
Did the wishes of the past come true?
Now all I can do is mourn,
Let time dry my ideals, never to find the real me again…”