sinovels Chapter 44 The Will of the People
Chapter 44 The Will of the People
Tang Lei's visit to Sichuan University of Technology ignited the popularity of the digital music festival.
The number of students at the consultation event was increasing. In the past few days, five more bands have signed up to participate in the digital music festival.
With two days to go until Christmas Eve, preparations for the event are in full swing.
Lin Feng stood in Mingde Square. The stage had been set up, the lighting rigs stood tall, and the sound equipment was being tested.
Inside the tent in the Edifier experience area, five speakers are neatly arranged, and staff are testing the sound effects.
The demo unit in the mobile ringback tone experience area is powered on, and clips of the most popular ringback tones are playing on the screen.
Shen Jingyi, who was in charge of the program's content, came over.
"President, there's something I need to tell you."
"explain."
"The 'Blue Sky' band, which was poached by the student council, just contacted me again. They said they want to come back for our digital music festival. Is it still possible for them to join the day after tomorrow?"
The situation has now reversed, and digital music festivals no longer have to worry about the number of bands.
Shen Jingyi added, "Their lead singer said that the student council put pressure on them at first, and they couldn't do anything about it. Now they feel that we are the ones who are more sincere..."
"Let's politely decline," Lin Feng suggested.
"Just tell them the program is already set and there are no seats available. Besides, they chose it themselves in the first place."
"Okay, I'll refuse them right away."
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Jingyi's phone rang again.
The voice on the other end of the phone was a man. "Hello, is it still possible to register for the digital music festival?"
Shen Jingyi looked at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng shook his head.
"Sorry, the program is full and we can't add any more right now," Shen Jingyi replied.
"Oh, I see... That's a real shame." The other person sighed. "Actually, we wanted to sign you up from the start, but the student council... sigh, never mind. Well then, best of luck with your performance!"
The phone hangs up.
As Lin Feng and Shen Jingyi were talking, Tang Lei walked over.
After a brief greeting, Tang Lei gave Lin Feng and Shen Jingyi another surprise.
"I have an old friend who formed a band called The Travelers, which is somewhat well-known in the industry."
"I told them about your digital music festival, and they're quite interested. It's free, just needs food and lodging, and they can arrive the day after tomorrow. If you're interested, I'll give them a call."
"Wow! That's awesome!" Shen Jingyi cheered.
"Welcome, welcome! Thank you so much, Brother Lei."
Tang Lei laughed and said, "Why are you being so polite with me? The students should like their songs. I'll call them now. The four of them will arrive the day after tomorrow; they'll make it in time."
Lin Feng gave a thumbs up.
Su Wan, who had been listening nearby, came over.
"The Travellers... I've heard their song 'Far Away'."
Lin Feng laughed and said, "Su Wan, you have another hot topic to promote."
Su Wan understood immediately and returned to her computer to start typing.
[Bonus Feature! The Travelers will be making a surprise appearance at a digital music festival on December 24th.]
Then he added a picture of them at the event, a group of sunny, handsome young men.
The post was published on the campus forum by the official account of the "Digital Music Club," causing another sensation.
The replies were posted hundreds of times within minutes.
"Is he the traveler who sang 'The Distant Place'?!"
"They're coming too?! The lineup for this digital music festival is incredible!"
"Does the music club have such a wide network? What does Lin Feng do?"
"I absolutely have to go the night after tomorrow! I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I miss it!"
In the student council office.
Gao Yu gasped again as he looked at the posts on the forum.
One shocking piece of news after another came from the digital music festival, and he had become numb to it all these past few days.
Wu Feng also silently browsed the posts on the forum, not daring to make a sound.
"The Travelers Band," Gao Yu murmured the name, "What's their background?"
"A folk band, somewhat famous in the independent music scene, they've performed at the Midi Music Festival," Wu Feng replied quietly.
Gao Yu didn't say anything more.
He stared at the photos of the Travelers band performing on the screen; the photos showed four young people holding guitars and smiling broadly.
Then, he glanced at the final program for the Christmas party on his desk.
The songs, dances, skits, recitations... were all written and performed by the students themselves. Compared to the digital music festival "Tang Lei + Traveler," it was indeed meager.
"Chairman Gao," Minister of Culture Chen Tao knocked on the door and entered, his face extremely grim.
"Three performers from our Christmas party have said they won't be coming."
"What's the reason?" Gao Yu asked.
"Tell them something's wrong at home or your plans have changed." Chen Tao didn't dare look Gao Yu in the eye.
"Bullshit!" Wu Feng couldn't help but curse, "They clearly didn't want to come anymore because they saw it was popular over there!"
This time, despair shifted to the student council.
Gao Yu was under a lot of pressure. He invited school leaders to the Christmas party, and unwilling to accept defeat, he decided to go all out.
"Pass down the notice. All colleges and classes will hold a class meeting tonight. The topic is discipline for group activities. Make it clear to everyone that the Christmas party is an official school event, and attendance will be counted in this semester's group evaluation and individual comprehensive assessment. Those who are absent without reason will be treated as having violated discipline."
Chen Tao and Wu Feng were both stunned.
"Brother Yu, this...this is a bit..."
"What are you afraid of?" Gao Yu stared at them seriously. "What is the student council's responsibility? It's to organize students and maintain discipline. Now that someone is engaging in commercial activities and disrupting normal teaching order, shouldn't we do something about it?"
He spoke with righteous indignation, but everyone in the office knew that his reasoning was far-fetched.
Using administrative orders to go against the will of the people.
Gao Yu continued, "Also, find a few reliable people to spread rumors on the forum. Say that the digital music festival venue is temporary, has a high electrical load, and there might be fire safety issues. Also, there are too many people, which could easily lead to stampedes. Let everyone weigh for themselves whether going out for the excitement is more important or safety is more important."
Wu Feng and Chen Tao exchanged a glance but neither spoke.
"Go do it." Gao Yu waved his hand.
The two silently withdrew.
Gao Yu was the only one left in the office. He walked to the window and looked at the gloomy sky outside. The lights in Mingde Square were already on, and the outline of the stage was clearly visible.
He could faintly hear music; it was the band rehearsing and testing their sound.
The sound was like a needle piercing his ears.
He clenched his fist.
Not long after, a black sedan drove into the campus of Xichuan University of Technology.
Three men in suits got out of the car. The one in the lead was Manager Zhang from the business department of "Swift Sound".
Lin Feng received the call and went to the school parking lot to pick him up in person.
Unlike the last time we met, this time Manager Zhang had a big smile on his face and reached out his hand from afar.
"President Lin! Oh, we've finally found you!"
Lin Feng shook hands with him: "Manager Zhang, the music festival is the day after tomorrow, why did you come early today?"
"I heard that the mobile company sponsored you, so I came to see!" Manager Zhang said with a warm smile.