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"Transcend the light!"
"Transcend the electricity!"
"Transcend everything!"
Cheng Xiaodong's voice, accompanied by the intense music, relentlessly assaulted everyone's ears. His sharp, piercing voice soared skyward with a penetrating power, giving the classic rock song 'Transcendence' a unique flavor.
Especially during the high notes, which were the most challenging parts of the song, Cheng Xiaodong effortlessly handled both the transitions and the finer details.
It was hard to believe that such a small figure could produce a voice of such a "Golden" quality without witnessing it firsthand. Cheng Xiaodong's vocal talent was indisputable.
The more than 2,000 people in the audience were electrified by his performance. Whether or not they had glow sticks, everyone was waving their arms, jumping, and partying to the rhythm of the music!
Anyone knowledgeable about music would realize after hearing the first two verses that Cheng Xiaodong hadn't chosen this rock song without reason. It was likely that he had sought expert help to recompose 'Transcendence' in a way that better suited his vocal range and style, essentially taking a shortcut.
However, this shortcut was so clever and crowd-pleasing that the audience's response was proof enough.
The Flying Range Band clearly had both creativity and ability, and Cheng Xiaodong's talent exceeded expectations.
There was a reason the Flying Range Band had become so popular in the industry!
But the stronger Flying Range Band appeared, the greater the pressure on Lu Chen, who was set to take the stage next!
Many people at the scene were well aware of this.
For example, Su Qingmei, sitting in the VIP section on the top floor of the bar, had a look of smug satisfaction in her eyes.
Backstage, Qin Hanyang and Sister Na remained silent. Sister Na, in particular, was worried about Lu Chen, who had been sitting quietly in the corner the whole time.
She feared that after the atmosphere set by Flying Range Band and Cheng Xiaodong, Lu Chen might not be able to keep up, thus failing to deliver his best and being thoroughly overshadowed.
This kind of thing has happened many times before at music events.
The competition between street singers and bands was never gentle!
Meanwhile, Gan Lang, seated backstage as well, remained relaxed and composed.
The band he represented, Compass Band, would take the stage after Lu Chen. First, they had avoided a direct confrontation with Flying Range Band, and then they would benefit from Lu Chen setting the stage. With the perfect timing, location, and atmosphere, there was no reason they would be overshadowed.
Most importantly, Gan Lang had a trump card.
No matter how brilliantly the Flying Range Band performed 'Transcendence' and how well Cheng Xiaodong sang, the fact remained that it was a 20-year-old song, a classic everyone knew by heart.
While covering classics could easily stir up nostalgia, people generally expected such songs to be sung well and wouldn't be overly surprised or moved. The primary sentiment was nostalgic.
In contrast, Compass Band's trump card was two brand-new songs they had spent a significant amount of money on just two months ago, written by a famous composer. Gan Lang and his bandmates had worked hard rehearsing, preparing to stun the audience tonight!
One of these songs had already been previewed by industry insiders and was considered a potential contender for the year's Top 100 Songs Chart. This song was set to be Compass Band's crowning achievement as they joined Qingyu Media.
Gan Lang was full of confidence!
Meanwhile, over on Whale TV in Lu Fei's livestream room, many of the Fish Fans were starting to feel nervous.
"Whoa, this guy is really good!"
'"Transcendence' is a hard song to sing, and he's doing great. Our Lu Fei must be feeling the pressure."
"Is the streamer going on next?"
"Yeah, the performance order has been announced. Our streamer is up right after this!"
"That's gonna be tough. The streamer's acoustic folk style doesn't really suit this kind of live crowd, does it?"
"Why are you all so worried? We have to believe in Lu Fei! Come on, stay positive!"
"I remember the streamer mentioning before that he's going to perform a new song. Let's hope it's a good one."
"No matter what, I'll support Lu Fei!"
The livestream room's online viewership had already Transcended 100,000. Among the viewers were some who knew their music, and they quickly pointed out the challenges ahead, sharing their concerns.
For those who hadn't noticed before, the reality soon sank in, and the mood shifted.
What was initially excitement and anticipation for Lu Chen's performance quickly turned into anxiety. No one wanted to see their favorite streamer get overshadowed, and even the usual flurry of Fish Ball tips had stopped.
''Seeing this situation, the live host, Li Feiyu, was so anxious that sweat appeared on his forehead.''
But before Lu Chen went on stage, there was nothing he could do to turn things around, so he could only repeatedly encourage everyone to support Lu Chen and have confidence in him.
Unfortunately, the effect was minimal.
''System Notification:'' 'Call me Li Bai (Silver III) has gifted the streamer 1 Aircraft Carrier!'
''System Notification:'' 'Call me Li Bai (Silver III) has gifted the streamer 1 Aircraft Carrier!'
''System Notification:'' 'Call me Li Bai (Silver III) has gifted the streamer 1 Aircraft Carrier!'
Just then, three striking system notifications suddenly popped up on the screen. Three mighty aircraft carriers paraded in front of all the livestream viewers, exuding an undeniable dominance.
The negative atmosphere in Lu Fei's livestream room was instantly crushed into dust by the three aircraft carriers, vanishing without a trace!
"Long live Li Bai!" "Respect to the boss!"
Suddenly, a wave of comments asking to be adopted or to join the fan club appeared, filled with admiration and screams. Most viewers' attention was diverted, and no one was paying much attention to Flying Range Band's performance anymore.
''Call me Li Bai:'' '"General Lu will surely win, the Lu family army never gives up!"'
'"Never give up!"'
The same message instantly flooded the screen. If anyone wanted to see the livestream clearly, they'd either have to turn off the comments or pin them, otherwise, all they'd see was a blank sea of words!
'Never give up!'
This was the slogan of the Lu family army, which had now expanded more than tenfold. The original group of 5,000 members was already full, and two new groups had been opened.
'Where the army goes, nothing grows!'
Li Feiyu excitedly said, "On behalf of Lu Fei, I want to thank Chief of Staff Li Bai and all the members of the Lu family army. I also believe that our Lu Fei won't lose to anyone. The Lu family army never gives up!"
He couldn't help but clench his fist and gaze towards the grand stage ahead.
'Big Chen, you must give it your all!'
On stage, Cheng Xiaodong ended his performance with a spectacular dolphin note.
This finale was clearly something Cheng Xiaodong had added himself, a display of both vocal skill and technique, pushing the emotions of the audience to an unsurprising peak!
After a 20-second high note, he tossed his now-drenched hair back and said coolly, "Thank you, everyone! Tonight belongs to you, let's keep the party going!"
"Yeah!"
The crowd roared back, the cheers deafening.
Seeing how perfect the reaction was, Cheng Xiaodong smiled smugly. Holding his electric guitar, he bowed slightly to the audience in a cool and aloof manner before turning to leave the stage.
"Cheng! Cheng! Sing one more!"
Several female fans screamed frantically, some even sobbing as if they had lost their most cherished treasure.
With the Flying Range Band's performance over, it was now Lu Chen's turn.
Sister Na gave him a big hug. "Go for it! We're all behind you!"
Qin Hanyang patted him on the shoulder. "Sing your heart out!"
Lu Chen nodded, grabbed his guitar, and strode out of the backstage area, climbing the stairs to the stage.
At that moment, Cheng Xiaodong and the members of the Flying Range Band were just coming down. The trendy young man held his head high, like a victorious king returning from triumph, having just basked in the adulation of thousands of subjects, exuding supreme arrogance!
Seeing Lu Chen walking up the steps alone, Cheng Xiaodong curled his lips into a haughty smile, standing still without moving.
Lu Chen was two steps away from Cheng Xiaodong's position, just enough to be at eye level with him.
Noticing Cheng Xiaodong's smug and challenging gaze, Lu Chen nodded and said, "Nice performance."
Cheng Xiaodong sneered and curled his lip, showing no intention of stepping aside.
Lu Chen smiled calmly, sidestepping Cheng Xiaodong from the left and continuing up without any confrontation.
This little trick didn't faze Lu Chen anymore!
As he reached the stage, he heard the unmistakable sound of mocking laughter from the members of Flying Range Band behind him.
Lu Chen's expression remained unchanged as he took steady and powerful steps toward the microphone.
Then, he faced an audience of over 2,000 people!
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'(End of Chapter)'