Street Performance

After devouring a burger, Renly felt his whole body relax.

During the award ceremony, his emotions were too tense to notice, but once the high of dopamine faded, his muscles started to contract, and his hands and feet felt cold. Now, he finally felt better. If he had a cup of hot cocoa at this moment, it would be perfect. However, one shouldn't be too greedy, right?

Sitting there pondering, Renly suddenly felt a bit lost. How was he supposed to get to the "The Pacific" celebration party? He and Andy hadn't discussed this at all, and his winning tonight was unexpected. Andy was probably equally confused. Was he supposed to take a cab to the party and then find someone to pay when he arrived? But... wait, the party was in Beverly Hills—where exactly was it?

Renly decided to go back to the Nokia Theatre and find Rami so they could go together. But as he stood up, he saw a massive crowd blocking the side door, with flashing lights bursting everywhere, turning the night sky into daylight. He could vaguely see two figures surrounded in the middle, with people screaming, "Sheldon! Sheldon!" in heart-wrenching, incessant cries.

Jim Parsons had officially come out tonight while accepting his first Best Actor in a Comedy award, confessing to his boyfriend of three years, Todd Spiewak, on stage. This caused a sensation, with everyone rushing to congratulate him. Now that the award ceremony was over, it was the reporters' and fans' turn to bombard them.

The center of the flashing lights appeared to be Jim and Todd.

"Phew." Renly let out a sigh. Clearly, returning the way he came was out of the question; he didn't want to dive into that frenzy.

Looking around, he remembered a convenience store on the next street where he arrived by car. The store should have a public phone and possibly a computer. He could check Andy's number on the Creative Artists Agency's website and give him a call. If he remembered correctly, it should be in this direction...

"Hey, you! Yes, you." Renly had barely taken two steps when someone called out, "Your trophy, Renly... Hall? This is your trophy, right?"

Renly turned around to see a scavenging homeless man holding a shiny trophy, offering it to him. Renly felt embarrassed, "Yes, that's my trophy. If you like it, you can keep it." He raised his hands in a surrender gesture, indicating his generosity.

Unexpectedly, the homeless man showed a look of disdain, "It's not even solid gold; it's not worth much. Why would I want it? It's too heavy." Then he tossed it over... literally threw it. Renly instinctively caught the trophy with his right hand, "Looks like you did well this year. Keep it up next year." With a tone of an elder praising a junior, the man nodded authoritatively before sauntering away.

Renly stood there for a moment, then burst into laughter, feeling a sense of joy even greater than winning the award.

He juggled the trophy lightly in his hand and then walked towards the nearby street. His steps felt like they were dancing. From a distance, he could see the "7-11" sign glowing in the neon night. Tall palm trees swayed gently in the breeze, and the wide street exuded a different kind of tranquility—a contrast to the bustling scene in front of the Nokia Theatre. Sparse pedestrians strolled leisurely, seemingly enjoying the beauty of the night and the gentle breeze. A group gathered at the bar entrance, engaged in lively discussions, embodying the simple, ordinary life starkly different from the glamorous street behind.

The familiar melody carried by the wind, the cool guitar strings danced joyfully. A boy with a messy bird's nest of hair leaned against the brick wall next to the bar, with a saxophone and keyboard at his feet and a guitar case with scattered bills in front of him. The dim light made it hard to tell if his hair was blond or red, but he was unaffected, softly singing with a voice as gentle as a cat:

♫♪And I left the footprints, the mud stained on the carpet

And it hardened like my heart did when you left town

But I must admit it, that I would marry you in an instant

Damn your wife, I'd be your mistress just to have you around♫♪

A pleasant surprise, this was absolutely unexpected. The boy was playing "Cleopatra," which made Renly's eyes light up. Not only because his music was being played but also because the carefree, wandering style truly captured the unique bard-like spirit of "Cleopatra."

A smile involuntarily tugged at the corners of his mouth and then bloomed.

Renly stopped beside the guitar case, tapping his left wrist with his right hand, the crisp sound aligning with the boy's guitar strings, responding to the melody under the bar's neon lights, joyfully bouncing.

The boy looked up at Renly, seemingly encouraged, and his smile widened, ♫♪When I die alone, Die I'll be on time♫♪ His soft, clear voice drew out a long, ambiguous note in the night, tinged with a bit of regret, a bit of nostalgia, and a bit of comfort.

The first part ended, and the boy stopped his guitar, waving at Renly, "Why not join me?"

"You don't mind?" Renly asked in surprise. The boy laughed heartily, "Of course not, come on, come on!"

Renly looked around, then casually put his trophy in the guitar case, sat down cross-legged beside him, and placed the keyboard on his lap, checking the power. The prelude of "Cleopatra" flowed naturally from his fingertips. He looked up at the boy, "Ready? The second verse?"

The boy snapped his fingers, excitement and joy on his face, and they began to play together. The original "Cleopatra" was just a guitar composition. Since Renly had never entered the recording studio, there was no post-production arrangement, making the melody somewhat thin. But now, with the guitar playing and the keyboard as a background, the whole score became rich and full, brimming with new vitality.

Tthe boy sang with a bright voice, ♫♪And while the church discouraged any lust that burned within me...♫♪

The warm night breeze brought the neon's noise and bustle, the intoxication and haze of red wine, and the melody's moving poetry. The crowd at the bar entrance finally heard the tune, curiously glancing over to see the singing boy. His weathered voice burst with endless energy within the melody, causing the night's restlessness to subtly settle, people stopping at the street corner to watch, then... dancing gracefully.

William Taylor clumsily raised his hand, trying to pat Hope Bates on the shoulder, but withdrew just before touching, awkwardly comforting, "There's always next time. Tonight's award ceremony, there were just too many people."

"Yeah, even without Sheldon, finding Renly wouldn't have been easy," Graham Hughes also tried to console, but Hope still looked a bit glum.

Earlier, they had waited at the side door, but "The Big Bang Theory" fans swarmed when Jim appeared, causing chaos. The three of them were like a small boat in a storm, unable to hold their ground and retreated repeatedly. After a struggle, they were still on the outermost edge, with no chance of getting closer.

In the end, they had to give up in frustration.

Hope kicked a small stone on the ground hard. She had hoped to get close to Renly while he was still not very popular, just to tell him that his performance was outstanding, that he was a natural actor, and to encourage him to keep going, promising her lifelong support.

But now, everything was ruined by those damn "The Big Bang Theory" fans!

♫♪...The only gifts from my Lord

Were a birth and a divorce

But I've read this script and the costume fits

So I play my parts♫♪

The wind carried this lyric, making Hope suddenly look up, unable to suppress her excitement. She liked Renly, not just for "The Pacific," but also for "Cleopatra." This line always struck her deeply, with its helplessness, irony, and sarcasm, making one sigh and feel sorrow.

Hope ran forward, knowing it wasn't Renly, just a street performer—it wasn't Renly's voice. But that didn't matter. She just wanted to enjoy the moment and thank the street performer for playing this song.

But her steps suddenly halted.

Under the neon lights, that brilliant smile, sitting cross-legged on the ground, completely ignoring the neatness and decorum of his suit, with bright eyes reflecting the stars of a vast universe, his relaxed brows blooming with dazzling light, freezing time and space, brilliance and wind, in that moment. Her heart tightened painfully.

Before she could react, her eyes filled with tears. Hope opened her mouth wide, stunned and helpless like a child, fixated on that radiant smile, as if it could light up the entire night sky.

"Hope! Hope!" William and Graham panted as they caught up, "Are you okay?" Their concerned questions halted mid-sentence as they saw the man playing a cheerful melody before them, "Huff... huff..." They panted, but aside from their breathing, there seemed to be no other sound, only the enchanting melody calling out—

♫♪When I die alone,

Die I'll be on time♫♪

At that moment, the night was wonderfully unreal, like a fairy tale world, glowing with a wondrous light, fantastically bewildering and mesmerizing.

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200 powerstones - 1 bonus chapter