Chapter Thirty-Five: The Unhurried Master

"When will you finish the ending theme?" Having given the Seven Sons of Taiji two days to consider, Luk Koon-tin and Yan Xu left the bar. No sooner had they stepped out the door than Luk Koon-tin looked at Yan Xu with curiosity.

"I haven’t written it yet, but I have a general idea in mind," Yan Xu replied.

"You’re something else. Other people rack their brains to write a single song, while you seem to come up with a new idea at the drop of a hat." Having spent some time with Yan Xu, Luk Koon-tin was now accustomed to his sudden bursts of inspiration. In recent days, he had witnessed Yan Xu write, in quick succession after the soulful "Devotion for Love," five more songs: "Lonely Heartache," "My Greatest Love," "Winter Romance," "Love Unaged by Time," and "Foolish Affection." Though Luk Koon-tin didn't understand musical notation, he could recognize the brilliance of these songs. Each one was tailored perfectly for Vivian Chow, matching her voice seamlessly—only she could evoke their unique charm. Most impressive of all, every song was strong enough to be the title track of an album. If Yan Xu hadn't insisted on including them all in a single album to guarantee Vivian Chow’s meteoric rise, Luk Koon-tin would have spread them across several records.

"Come on, let’s get back to the company and see what you’ve come up with this time." Luk Koon-tin grabbed Yan Xu with one hand and flagged down a taxi with the other.

"Koon-tin, it’s already past midnight. Can’t we leave it till tomorrow?" Yan Xu yawned, feeling the exhaustion of the day. It was already past one o’clock, and all he wanted was his bed.

"Sleeping a little later won’t kill you. What if you lose your inspiration by morning? Let’s go back now—once you’ve written the song, you can sleep as much as you want." The stream of songs from Yan Xu had brought Luk Koon-tin great benefits lately. He wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip by, especially since inspiration is so fleeting. If Yan Xu slept and forgot everything, it might not matter to him, but for someone in Luk Koon-tin’s position, it would be a huge loss.

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Yan Xu’s company was near Ho Man Tin, not far from Hung Hom. The real estate there was much cheaper than on Hong Kong Island. The Dragon Tribe Records office occupied over two hundred square meters, for a price of just one million.

"Why aren’t you asleep yet?" When they arrived, the company lights were still on. Ko Ming Fai was lying on the small sofa in the recording studio, headphones on, listening to music. The studio equipment was all imported from the US, costing over half a million Hong Kong dollars, and was worth every cent—far superior to the cheap home setup Yan Xu once used.

Ko Ming Fai now worked part-time for Dragon Tribe Records. Yan Xu was deliberately grooming him: he’d given him a small part as a student bullied by a taxi driver in "Taxi Judge," and now had him doing odd jobs at the company to nurture his musical talent. Ko Ming Fai was a professional DJ and would later achieve fame as part of Soft Hard, a group with remarkable musical achievements. Grateful for Yan Xu’s support, Ko Ming Fai attended classes at Caritas Bai Ying Qi by day, then spent his free time at the record company doing whatever needed to be done, even sleeping there at night to act as the company’s night watchman.

"I just checked the neighboring unit. Couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d listen to some music," Ko Ming Fai said, taking off his headphones and standing up. "Boss, what brings you back at this hour?"

"I had a flash of inspiration, and he dragged me here," Yan Xu said, glancing at Ko Ming Fai. Outwardly slow and dazed, Ko Ming Fai was actually quite resourceful. He drew a salary from Yan Xu but was effectively working two more jobs. Yan Xu nodded in satisfaction and asked casually, "What are you listening to? Who’s the artist?"

"I don’t know. It was sent in earlier today—there’s a cassette and a letter, probably a demo submission. It’s self-written and performed, and really not bad." Ko Ming Fai quickly handed Yan Xu a box from the coffee table.

"Koon-tin, your promotion’s really working—people are already submitting their demos to us," Yan Xu said, taking the box. This was the company’s first unsolicited artist submission, and he couldn’t help but feel excited.

"Let me see." Luk Koon-tin walked over, took the envelope from the box, and opened it. "Back in the day, I sent demos to a bunch of labels. A few were interested in signing me, but the moment they saw my face, they just kept the songs and sent me packing. These days, a lot of good singers never make it past the first meeting—they have to work behind the scenes."

"Hey, there’s even a photo in here," Luk Koon-tin exclaimed, suddenly pulling a photo from the envelope. He couldn’t help but cry out in surprise, "Wow, this guy’s even less photogenic than I am. Takes guts to send a picture in with the demo!"

"Worse looking than you?" That caught both Yan Xu and Ko Ming Fai’s attention. Luk Koon-tin was already enough of an eyesore—anyone worse must be a real rarity. Both of them peered over at the photo in his hand.

"He’s not that bad. His face is just a bit square and his cheekbones are prominent," Ko Ming Fai commented, after a glance. Not handsome, but not as hideous as Luk Koon-tin claimed.

"Wait—him?" Yan Xu took the photo. The man in it was much younger than Yan Xu remembered, but the unique features were unmistakable. Anyone who’d seen him would never forget him: the drifting informant in Stephen Chow’s "Forbidden City Cop," the Dream Master in "God of Cookery," and, more importantly, a member of Hong Kong’s legendary rock band Tat Ming Pair—the eternally unhurried vocalist, Lau Yik Dak.

Yan Xu never expected, after just meeting the Seven Sons of Taiji, to now receive a demo from another legend of Hong Kong’s rock scene, Lau Yik Dak of Tat Ming Pair. It seemed he’d truly chosen the right name for his music company, with so many future giants coming his way.

"Electronic music? That’s rare," Luk Koon-tin said as he put on the headphones and listened, while Yan Xu stared at Lau Yik Dak’s photo in a daze.

"Let me hear it." Yan Xu knew that Lau Yik Dak once had a special fascination with electronic music, clearly reflected in Tat Ming Pair’s early albums.

“…Each morning, let the breeze caress my face, gazing at your honey-sweet smile, lingering by your lips, letting you secretly notice, endless love never spent, the sun rising just for you…” Yan Xu switched the music to the speakers. Amid the electronic sounds, Lau Yik Dak’s unhurried voice drifted out, plain and gentle as if narrating a story.

Yan Xu had listened to this song, "Planet of Temptation," many times before, but this version was completely different. It still bore traces of electronic music, but was much gentler, especially in the opening seconds, which felt like a film score, drawing the listener in. The whole piece was calm and soothing; the falsetto in the latter half was mesmerizing. Of all Tat Ming Pair’s songs, this was among Yan Xu’s favorites.

However, the arrangement here lacked the later softness and ethereal quality—the electronic background was too strong, focusing too much on effects and masking the romantic feeling. Still, in terms of composition and performance, there were few flaws. The latter half’s touch of Britpop gave the song a dramatic flair.