Chapter 40: Expectations and Inheritance

Luo Mo took one last look out the window, gathered his thoughts, and stopped dwelling on memories.

He had intended to return to his A Class dormitory to rest for a while, but saw Jiang Ningxi's assistant jogging over.

"Luo Mo, do you have time right now?" asked the assistant, who had tanned skin, well-developed arm muscles, and looked very much like a bodyguard.

Luo Mo seriously suspected that she could take on at least ten trainees from *Creating Idols* by herself.

"Is Jiang Ningxi looking for me for something?" Luo Mo asked.

The assistant nodded without saying more.

"Alright then, let's go," Luo Mo said.

Come to think of it, Old Master Tong had met this first love of his.

Back then, Jiang Ningxi was thin and small with yellowish hair, yet Old Master Tong said she would definitely be a great beauty when she grew up.

"Did he say it was because she had good bone structure?" Luo Mo couldn't quite remember.

But he did know a saying now: "A true beauty lies in the bones, not the skin."

The result was obvious; she had truly become a beauty with a cold and aloof temperament. She was the type highly favored by the fashion circle, and her fashion resources were exceptional.

After Luo Mo followed the assistant into the room, he discovered that Shen Yinuo was there too.

The two girl group members sat together, forming a beautiful landscape.

Today, both women were wearing tight jeans, each with her own merits.

Jiang Ningxi had always held the title of 【Leg Fairy】; her beautiful legs were slender with astonishing proportions.

They weren't the "bamboo pole" type of legs; her calves were shapely, her thighs were rounded, her kneecaps didn't protrude, and her legs were very straight—you couldn't find any faults.

Therefore, wearing tight jeans, she looked like she had a long-leg special effect on, which was breathtaking.

As for Shen Yinuo, she was naturally youthful in appearance and had a full figure, which was quite "criminal."

She was the type who carried a natural sense of fleshiness, so wearing tight jeans gave her a special sense of tautness.

The jeans looked as if they had been painted on.

As soon as Luo Mo entered the room, Shen Yinuo said, "Luo Mo, have you considered it?"

"Hm? Considered what?" Luo Mo didn't understand.

"Ah? After I finished explaining the contract terms last time, didn't you say you would consider it?" Shen Yinuo's beautiful eyes widened as she said, "You were brushing me off!"

"Oh? You're just calling me out to my face like that?" Luo Mo shrugged and found a chair to sit on.

If he were facing sophisticated negotiation tactics, Luo Mo would actually be able to handle it with ease.

This Shen Yinuo didn't play by the rules when negotiating terms with people.

How did that saying go?

——Dim-witted and very hard to deal with.

Sometimes he couldn't tell if this was a new tactic or if this young lady simply did things based on her feelings.

Jiang Ningxi looked at Luo Mo and said, "Luo Mo, you might not be very familiar with the situation in the industry, so let me talk to you about it seriously."

As she spoke, Jiang Ningxi used her calm, seemingly emotionless tone to explain the issues regarding profit sharing, studios, and resources in a cold, clear voice.

Finally, she concluded, "You can take a look at this new contract Xiao Shen prepared for you; it's basically reached the ceiling."

The meaning of this was that no other company could offer better terms than Star Domain.

After saying this, Jiang Ningxi didn't know if she, as his first love, still held any status in Luo Mo's heart or if she was still someone worth trusting, so she had no confidence and didn't know if she was qualified to be a lobbyist.

But every word she had just said came from the heart and was considered from Luo Mo's perspective.

Luo Mo nodded without saying anything and carefully read through the contract.

After finishing, he was very clear that they had indeed come with great sincerity; if this contract were placed before anyone else, there would truly be nothing to complain about.

But Luo Mo still said, "I still insist on the conditions I mentioned before. I've grown accustomed to being free and unrestrained, and I don't like being managed by others."

"Oh my, that way of thinking is wrong. I'm a shareholder of Star Domain, after all. If I sign you, you'll be my person—who would dare to boss you around?" Shen Yinuo said.

Luo Mo smiled and didn't say more.

A company has its own plans, and many professionals will feel that they are doing it for your own good, and that listening to the professionals is never wrong.

In reality, even Shen Yinuo couldn't always do whatever she wanted.

For example, if the Music Director in the company is of your uncle's generation, also holds company shares, and is a close friend of your father, and he handles your new album, do you listen to his opinions or not?

To avoid unnecessary trouble, even if Luo Mo were to sign with a company, he would need sufficient say and autonomy; he wanted to be the one in charge.

Shen Yinuo looked at the stubborn Luo Mo and said, "Then according to you, if no company can meet those conditions of yours, you won't sign with anyone?"

"Correct. Of course, if everyone offers terms that meet my requirements in the future, I will prioritize Star Domain," Luo Mo said with a smile.

Hearing this, Shen Yinuo had only one thought in her heart: "He's crazy, he's crazy!"

Forget it, let's wait a bit longer.

Once he learns of the sinister nature of people in the industry, he will understand the logic of "it's easy to enjoy the shade under a big tree."

Signing with Star Domain is a win-win!

Jiang Ningxi knew very well that while Luo Mo looked casual, he was actually someone with very firm ideas; saying more would be useless.

She also thought they could talk again in the future; perhaps he would change his mind.

She looked at Luo Mo and changed the subject: "Luo Mo, for the second public performance, will you still... add some Opera Element?"

"That... I also haven't heard you singing opera for a long time." Jiang Ningxi, this cold goddess, stuttered a few times, which was a rare occurrence.

"I will," Luo Mo said straightforwardly.

"Mm," Jiang Ningxi responded softly, already beginning to look forward to it.

……….

……….

After chatting with the two girl group members, Luo Mo returned to his dormitory to rest for a while, then went to attend a dance class.

In the evening, after finishing dinner, it was time for the trainees to have their video calls with friends and family.

Many trainees were only eighteen or nineteen years old; practicing so hard every day, they were actually very homesick.

Tong Shu, for instance, was a bit distracted today; he was raised by his grandmother, and since she didn't know how to use a mobile phone and only used a landline, he would miss the call if she wasn't right next to the phone.

At eight o'clock in the evening, Luo Mo followed a staff member into a small room where a screen was hung; if a video call was connected, the video would be directed straight to the screen.

Luo Mo first called his father, and the video was connected quickly.

As soon as Luo Mo saw the location, he knew it was in the private room of their own small restaurant.

What surprised him most was that his master was also there, which saved him from having to make two video calls.

Luo Mo, who had been sitting on a chair, hurriedly stood up to greet the three of them.

After finishing his greetings, he stood motionless, seemingly waiting for something.

In the video, his father, who was already a bit bald, glared at him in Anger, then reluctantly called out to his own son: "Senior Brother."

Luo Shan was a registered disciple of Tong Qinglin, while his son Luo Mo was a personal disciple; according to the rules of their sect, he was supposed to call him Senior Brother.

So, with the old man present, the father and son each followed their own logic, which was a bit like "I call you father, you call me brother."

Luo Shan didn't mind this at all; every time he bragged about his son's Opera skills to his old friends from his former opera troupe, he would say "my Senior Brother" with every breath, his face full of pride.

However, looking at his father's receding hairline, Luo Mo was very worried about whether he would also lose his hair in the future.

Luo Ma was incessantly fussing over him, asking things like don't turn the air conditioning too low, are you eating enough, are you tired every day, and so on.

That's just how mothers are.

Luo Mo remembered very clearly that in his freshman year of college, his mother told him that winters in Beijing would be very cold and asked if he wanted her to knit something for him.

Luo Mo said a black scarf would be fine, just saying it offhandedly.

But when winter arrived, he received a scarf, cotton socks, gloves...

At this moment, Luo Mo didn't mind his mother's nagging mode at all; he answered every question, and even buttered up his parents' cooking, saying the food here wasn't as good as their own small restaurant.

What he didn't expect was that he had casually said: "I want to eat the braised pork Mom makes."

Luo Ma's eyes turned red.

Unable to bear seeing this, Luo Mo hurriedly changed the subject and asked about his master's health.

Tong Qinglin said with a chuckle: "I'm doing great, don't you worry. As for the braised pork you want to eat, Master just ate half a bowl."

Luo Mo smiled and said to his father: "Junior Brother, put this on Senior Brother's tab; Senior Brother will pay when he gets home."

The bald Luo Shan raised an eyebrow and said unhappily: "Are you trying to act like a big spender with the living expenses Laozi gave you?"

Luo Mo shrugged and ignored him completely.

In fact, he knew better than anyone how hard his parents worked. If he really had to act like a big spender in front of others in this life, he hoped it would be in front of his family.

After some more idle chatter, the topic was brought back to *Creating Idols*.

"You watched the first episode, right?" Luo Mo asked.

"Watched it, watched it." Luo Ma immediately beamed and showered him with praise.

Luo Ba didn't speak; most fathers are not good at giving praise.

But in reality, their small restaurant wasn't like some restaurants that played music while guests were dining; their shop didn't have any speakers installed.

After *Creating Idols* aired, Luo Ba ran to the mall the next day and, knowing nothing, was talked into buying a Bluetooth speaker that claimed to have supreme sound quality.

For the past few days, he had been playing *Gentle* and *Confession Night* on a Loop.

Later, customers even complained, why are these two songs playing over and over? The love songs even sounded like they were cut off, not complete.

Luo Ba didn't say a word, only thinking to himself: "These are my son's songs!"

After listening to a round of his mother's flattery, Luo Mo felt completely at ease, even happier than when ten thousand netizens praised him.

After a while, he said seriously: "Master, I want to incorporate more Opera Elements into my songs on the upcoming stages, is that okay?"

He was truly asking for permission.

Luo Mo knew very well that many people of the older generation were not used to incorporating Opera Elements into such pop songs.

Especially the elders in the opera world.

Like Li Yugang on Earth, who had faced bombardment from many people.

What's more, Luo Mo had an Inheritance from his sect.

When he sang opera in public, he represented his lineage, and even represented Tong Qinglin!

Just humming a little in *Big Fish* was harmless, but it was hard to say for the future.

Tong Qinglin was old; how could he not understand this?

He only said: "Go ahead and do it."

This was a titan of the industry.

"Thank you, Master," Luo Mo said.

Tong Qinglin looked at the disciple he had watched grow up and said: "Master only has one Requirement for you: hold fast to your original heart."

"This disciple will take your teachings to heart," Luo Mo said, bowing.

Tong Qinglin nodded and asked: "Do you still remember the *Ancient Teachings of Learning the Craft*?"

Luo Mo's expression immediately became solemn, and he said: "I remember, I dare not forget."

When Tong Qinglin took him as a disciple years ago, Tong Qinglin would recite a line, and Luo Mo would follow along, until it was etched into his heart.

"Recite it once," Tong Qinglin said.

Luo Mo nodded, and after bowing, he began to recite in a deep voice.

"【Passed down to our sect's disciples, all students must listen with respect:

Since ancient times, those who live in the world must possess the skill of a trade.

Since we have taken up this profession, we must focus our efforts and apply ourselves."

If you wish to be famous throughout the world in the future, the foundation lies in your youth.

Moreover, you young ones are none of you stupid or ignorant;

And the lessons you are taught are not forced upon you, are they?

If you neglect your proper work now, you will achieve nothing when you are old,

And if you listen to the incitement of outsiders, you will waste your whole life in the end!

Among your parents and brothers, who does not hope for you to make a name for yourself?

Especially now that we emphasize self-reliance, it is a time of global competition.

As for making friends, it is also within the Five Constant Virtues,

But because you are all young, how could you know that the path of the world is hard to tread!

If you are not careful in choosing friends, a pack of scoundrels will come to meet you,

Gradually leading you to drink, gamble, and visit brothels, until there is no Evil you will not commit:

Your literary voice will be ruined, and your Kung Fu Hustle will be cast aside,

At that time, if you call out for your friends, not a single one will answer!

Only when your own reputation is ruined will you feel ashamed and unable to face others.

If it reaches that point, regret will be of no use.

There are a few words of loyal advice that you disciples must follow,

……】

He was reciting up to this point when he was suddenly interrupted by Tong Qinglin.

There was one last line of the "Ancient Teachings of Learning the Arts" that he had not recited, because Tong Qinglin read it out.

He read it while facing Luo Mo, and it was filled with the earnest expectations of a master for his disciple:

——"【Having explained the pros and cons, I hope you will flourish day by day.】"

……

(PS: The second update, this chapter is quite long, asking for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets.)

(End of this chapter)