In 1994, rock musicians were still gnawing on cold steamed buns in Shucun, while folk singers were still moping for no reason on the grass.
Shen Lang transmigrates into the body of a hapless musician at the forerunner of the Midi Music Festival. Two guitar strings are broken, and all he has in his pocket are ration coupons.
While honest folk still worship Hong Kong and Taiwan superstars, Shen Lang has already figured it out:
Can art put food on the table? Copyright is king!
To stay alive, he sells a catchy, tacky pop song to a record company and makes his first fortune, earning himself the label "cancer of the music industry" from critics who consider themselves refined.
When the industry closes ranks against him, Shen Lang writes an epic film score overnight, bringing international award judges to tears and making the whole industry eat its words.
"You say I don't understand art? I use popular trash to make money, then use high art to kick down the door!"
When bootleggers run rampant, he turns around and recruits their ringleader to run a nationwide distribution network.
When a diva is heartbroken, he sings her to tears with a love song, then signs her to a long-term contract while he's at it.
No showing off, no pointless chatter. Keep a low profile, grow stronger, and let those who follow me prosper.
When the bells ring in the new millennium, he looks back to find every king and queen of music working for him. Half the entertainment industry's glittering social scene has to call him "Brother Lang."
