Chapter Ninety-Two: The Leading Figure in Chinese Game Music, Part Two

The young man on the bicycle was astonished to see how respectfully Yang Wei treated Jiang Xiwen, even calling him big brother. He turned to size Jiang Xiwen up, but aside from a certain refined handsomeness, there seemed to be nothing unusual about him.

When Hu Pao had called him big brother earlier, he had not thought much of it. Jiang Xiwen looked like nothing more than a middle school student, but Hu Pao was the sort of man who would call anyone stronger than himself brother, so that had not seemed strange. Yang Wei’s behavior now, however, left him deeply puzzled.

Then he remembered something Hu Pao had said just now: that this kid knew the chief of the police bureau and had helped them get out of the station. So that was it. Some privileged young heir relying on his father, someone who could make life easier for Yang Wei and the others while also getting some benefits for himself. Well, whatever. It had nothing to do with him.

He had met Yang Wei while singing at a bar. He never joined in when Yang Wei and the others fought or caused trouble, but Yang Wei was a loyal and righteous sort, so he did not mind being friends with him.

Yang Wei quickly ran down from the sixth floor. The fellow was indeed strong and powerful, and he carried the sound system with ease. It seemed he wanted to show off in front of Jiang Xiwen, so he shouldered the whole set by himself. The young man on the bicycle offered to help, but Yang Wei kept saying there was no need, and even Hu Pao, his own underling, stood off to the side, watching his boss do the heavy lifting alone.

Before long they reached Yang Wei’s home. The place was decorated quite well and, for those days, was certainly fashionable.

After setting down the sound system, Yang Wei made everyone a large bowl of coffee and laughed. “It’s winter. This’ll warm you up. Some foreign stuff I got from my dad. Just keeping up with the times.”

“Brother Wei, my big brother has an urgent favor to ask you,” Hu Pao said after taking a big gulp. Then he added, “Yeah, it’s great following Brother Wei. We even get to drink this kind of stuff.”

“Don’t call me brother Wei or big brother. It sounds awkward. My name’s Jiang Xiwen. Just call me Xiwen from now on,” Jiang Xiwen said, also lifting his bowl and taking a sip. Drinking it this way had a certain flavor to it.

“Xiwen, then I won’t stand on ceremony. Just say what you need. Anything I, Yang Wei, can do, even if it means storming through fire and water—” Before he could finish, the young man on the bicycle cut in with a laugh. “You’re always talking about storming fire and frying in oil. Enough nonsense. I’ve got things to do. When the money for the sound system is together, let me know and I’ll come pick it up. I’m off.”

“Don’t go, Luo. It took me ages to get you here. Lunch is on me today, and I’ll introduce you to Xiwen too. He’s a true friend.” Yang Wei patted the young man’s shoulder, then turned to Jiang Xiwen again. “So what is it, Xiwen? Tell me first. If it’s urgent, I can handle it right away.”

Jiang Xiwen did not have time for any more pleasantries, so he immediately explained that he was looking for Zhang Ya. As soon as Yang Wei heard this, he thumped his chest and said, “Xiwen, your girl... your girlfriend, right? Don’t worry. As long as she shows up in this district, I’ll know at once.” With that, he rushed into the bedroom and started making call after call.

Jiang Xiwen could not be bothered to explain his relationship with Zhang Ya to Yang Wei. With Yang Wei’s personality, the more he explained, the more the man would make a big deal out of it. Still, Yang Wei being willing to help him like this did leave him genuinely grateful.

The young man beside him, Luo Xiaoyin, had been watching Jiang Xiwen’s expression ever since Jiang Xiwen and Yang Wei began helping him look for people. He did not seem to be the sort of arrogant rich kid he had imagined. Thinking back to the moment he first met the boy, he realized Jiang Xiwen had seemed modest from the start, and his earlier opinion could not help but change. He said, “Xiwen, Yang Wei doesn’t have many qualities, but setting aside the fact that he messes around outside, he really is a loyal guy. I don’t know how you two met, but since you’ve made friends with him, you’ve done well.”

Jiang Xiwen nodded at him. “Brother Luo, since you say so, then we ought to have lunch together today. Now that we’ve met, we’re friends from here on out.”

Luo Xiaoyin said a little embarrassedly, “Xiwen, don’t call me brother either. My name’s Luo Xiaoyin. Just call me by my name. I’m even a little younger than Yang Wei, so being called that feels awkward. I really can’t stay for lunch today. Maybe another day. I have to hurry to another bar to deliver goods. They’ve booked my sound system too. Building this whole setup took me nearly half a year, so I need to turn it into money quickly. I still haven’t collected enough.”

“You’re in such a rush. I was going to pay you after lunch,” Yang Wei said as he came out of the bedroom after finishing his calls. Hearing Luo Xiaoyin’s words, he ran back in again. A few minutes later he reappeared with a stack of bills and handed them over.

Then he said to Jiang Xiwen, “Xiwen, the calls are made. Just wait for news at my place. Or if you’ve got somewhere else to stay, tell me. As soon as I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

“I really don’t have anywhere else to go, so I’ll stay here,” Jiang Xiwen said truthfully. He had already begun to think of Yang Wei as a friend.

“Great. I’ll make sure you eat and drink well while you’re here,” Yang Wei said. Then he noticed Luo Xiaoyin counting the money and hurriedly added, “What are you counting for? You don’t trust me?”

Luo Xiaoyin had just finished counting. He pulled two hundred yuan back out and said, “I knew you’d try to sneak extra in. Eight hundred is enough. Why did you give me a thousand? Don’t look down on me.”

“You said you needed the money to go to Beijing for training, didn’t you? That whole computer music thing. With just that salary, who knows how long it’d take you to save enough,” Yang Wei said casually. “Xiaoyin, we’re brothers, so stop talking nonsense and take it. I don’t have much money either. In the dead of winter, not many people are singing karaoke anyway.”

“If you were a real tycoon, I’d definitely take your money. But didn’t that bastard Zhang Fang wreck your place last time?” Luo Xiaoyin was still refusing. “If I weren’t short on cash, I’d have just given you the sound system.”

Hu Pao paid them no mind and kept savoring the coffee in his bowl, taking a sip and smacking his lips as though afraid that once he finished, there would be nothing left to taste.

When Jiang Xiwen heard the words “computer music,” inspiration suddenly flashed through him. No wonder the name Luo Xiaoyin sounded so familiar. He made sound systems, and he was going to Beijing for training in computer music. And this was 1994.

A flood of information rushed into Jiang Xiwen’s mind. Hell, could this be that Luo Xiaoyin from West Mountain Studio? Back in the day, that man had risen from a boiler room worker to become the number one game music creator in China. When it came to games, just like animation, Jiang Xiwen had grown up immersed in them, and he knew Luo Xiaoyin’s story by heart.

He had come looking for Zhang Ya and instead found a real talent. With someone like this in hand, future game development would be effortless. Since he had the chance to be reborn into this world, how could the global game industry be without him?

Thinking of that, Jiang Xiwen suddenly said, “Xiaoyin, do you like computer games?”

Yang Wei and Luo Xiaoyin both turned to look at him in confusion. Luo Xiaoyin nodded. “Not bad. I’ve played a few. Why do you ask?”

“I’m planning to start a game. When you finish your studies and come back, how about helping me do the music for it? Best if you can make a theme song too. That would be much more interesting,” Jiang Xiwen said as if it were nothing. Yet his words startled Luo Xiaoyin even more.

“You can start a game?”

“I’m just about to begin. I’m teaming up with my teacher. After the New Year, he’ll set up a studio. We’ll be focusing on single-player games. Programmers shouldn’t be too hard to find, but we’re missing someone who understands computer music production and also has a deep grasp of music itself.

Most game music these days is just MIDI. It’s too monotonous. I keep thinking that if games could have theme songs, the way television series do, how wonderful that would be. My teacher agrees with me too.”

Jiang Xiwen deliberately steered the topic toward music. These were exactly the things that interested Luo Xiaoyin.

Of course, Luo Xiaoyin had no idea that Jiang Xiwen already knew all about him. After hearing the boy’s ideas, he fell into thought for a moment before saying, “Giving games theme songs is a very good idea. It might be a bit excessive for some small games, but for titles like Sword of the Immortal Emperor, it could barely work.”

So he really had taken the bait. Jiang Xiwen smiled and said, “Brother Luo, you should know how fast the computer industry is developing. Microsoft’s Windows 95 system is under development right now. When games are made for that system, how can you say they won’t have the same power to linger in people’s minds as television dramas?”

“Home consoles already have plenty of large role-playing games. There’s no doubt personal computers will have them too in the future. My teacher is never short of funding, and he’s a programming expert himself. With your music support added in, why couldn’t we create the first truly homegrown game in our country?”

Jiang Xiwen was not especially skilled at rousing speeches, but his analysis of the future and his grasp of Luo Xiaoyin’s mindset were both strikingly accurate. After hearing this, Luo Xiaoyin could not help but feel excited. This boy really was no ordinary person. Even if he was a privileged heir, he was one with ideals and ability. That was what Luo Xiaoyin thought to himself.

“Xiaoyin, if you’re willing to join our studio, I’ll cover every penny of your training expenses in Beijing. Once you’ve earned money later, you can pay me back if you want.”

Jiang Xiwen tried to make his words sound as sincere as possible. Luo Xiaoyin had a strong pride; that much was obvious from how persistently he refused Yang Wei’s help just now.

“Good!” Hu Pao did not understand what Jiang Xiwen had said, but he clapped hard anyway, leaving the other three staring at him in bewilderment.