PS-Chapter 39 In Spring

Lu Chen had never imagined that one day, he would stand in such a place, performing for so many people.

As the bright spotlight shone on him, Lu Chen's heart was unusually calm.

What wasn't calm were the 150,000+ online fans in the Lu Fei Live Streaming room on Whale TV!

"Lu Fei is on stage!" 

"I see him!" 

"I'm so excited! So excited! So excited! So excited!" 

"Keep it up, streamer, we support you, always support you!" 

"The streamer is awesome!"

Meanwhile, Li Feiyu, the host on-site, wasn't looking at the screen at all. He curled up his body, his gaze fixed on the stage with his eyes wide open. His right hand was clenched into a fist, pressing tightly against his mouth, as if something inside was about to burst out, and only this could hold it back.

He was nervous, incredibly nervous, as if he were the one standing there!

From Li Feiyu's position, 3.5 meters up in the VIP section, members of the show business community were still discussing Flying Range Band's performance. They praised Cheng Xiaodong's singing, recognizing it as the best performance so far among all the bands and vagabond singers that had performed.

Su Qingmei, however, didn't care. She grabbed Dong Yu's hand and said, "That young guy is on stage now. Just wait and watch the show!"

She smiled seductively, like a fox eyeing a little chick.

Dong Yu didn't know what to say. "Do you really need to do this? Even if he doesn't sing well, what do you gain from it? A little satisfaction?"

"Sister Yu, am I really that shallow?" 

Su Qingmei said proudly, "I want to bring him down so he can soberly recognize his place. Then I'll sign him and help him grow because only those who've faced setbacks know how to cherish opportunities!"

Dong Yu had nothing to say.

What Su Qingmei didn't mention was that the opening performance order she arranged was just an appetizer for Lu Chen. 

The real feast was yet to come!

The atmosphere at the venue quickly quieted down. The excitement stirred up by Flying Range Band and Cheng Xiaodong's performance soon subsided. The 2,000+ audience members watched Lu Chen, holding his guitar as he took the stage— some surprised, some curious, others puzzled or confused.

All the performers before Lu Chen had appeared in groups, either as full bands or as vagabond singers with band accompaniment. No one had come on stage with just a simple acoustic guitar like he had.

Was Lu Chen planning to play and sing a love song or folk ballad? 

Would a soft, mellow song match the atmosphere of the venue?

How much courage did it take for him to stand in front of everyone like this?

Many audience members felt that their mood had been disrupted, and some were even dissatisfied. There were even a few boos from the crowd.

Although most of the audience was still respectful enough not to jeer before Lu Chen started performing, even the three or four boos sounded particularly harsh.

This, invisibly, placed a tremendous pressure on the person standing on stage!

Lu Chen ignored the boos and spoke into the microphone, "Good evening, everyone. I'm Lu Chen from Daylily, and I'm here to perform an original song for you. This is the first time I'm singing it in public."

"The song is called 'In Spring'."

'An original song? First time performing it?' 'In Spring'? 

The audience was a bit bewildered, feeling like the information was a bit much to take in.

Lu Chen didn't offer any more explanation and smoothly strummed the guitar to start the intro.

As soon as the steel strings were plucked, his eyes looked forward into the void, and in his dark pupils, it seemed as if flames were dancing.

Countless memories surfaced in Lu Chen's mind— those belonging to Xu Bo.

The fire in his eyes turned into an endless sense of weariness, and with a slightly hoarse, deep voice, he began to sing:

"''Remember the spring many years ago, 

At the time I hadn't cut my long hair short, 

Without credit cards, without her, 

Living in a home without 24-hour hot water.''"

''"But then I was so happy, 

Even with just a broken guitar, 

On the street, under the bridge, in the fields, 

Singing songs that nobody cared about!''"

The opening melody was gentle, telling the story of the past, carrying a trace of weariness and nostalgia for a time that would never be forgotten.

However, just when everyone thought it was a nostalgic folk song, the rhythm of the song suddenly sped up, and the guitar strummed with a sharp and powerful sound!

''"If one day, I am old and homeless, 

Please leave me in those old times! 

If one day, I leave quietly, 

Please leave me in this spring!"''

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching roar burst out, filled with overwhelming emotion, like a battlefield full of rapid-fire explosions, striking everyone's hearts with lightning speed, sending chills down their spines!

It truly touched their souls!

''But at this moment, the song returned to the earlier melodic rhythm.''

"''Do you remember those lonely springs, 

When I still hadn't grown a beard? 

There were no Valentine's Days, no gifts, 

And no lovely little princess of mine. 

But I felt that everything wasn't so bad, 

Even though I only had fantasies of love. 

In the morning, at night, in the wind, 

Singing songs that nobody cares!''"

At this point, the audience, initially caught off guard, finally woke up and became excited.

Everyone present was hearing this song for the first time. Normally, it's hard for a new song to resonate emotionally with the audience; many good songs require several listens to appreciate their true essence. 

But 'In Spring' was different; its melody and lyrics were straightforward and not at all obscure. The intense, profound, and nostalgic feelings it conveyed were so genuine and touching that it was impossible to resist!

People understood, comprehended, and were irresistibly moved.

They were touched not just because of the sadness embedded in the lyrics, but also due to the sense of lost soul, emotional entanglement, the confusion of having gained something only to lose it, and the feeling of helplessness over times gone by that could never be reclaimed.

Listen:

"''Maybe one day, I am old - No [country] home for me, 

Please leave me in those old times! 

If one day, I leave quietly, 

Please leave me in this spring, 

In Spring~''"

The entire venue fell completely silent, with only the sound of the guitar accompaniment and Lu Chen's voice echoing. Those harsh boos had long vanished, making them seem laughable and pitiable in retrospect.

The greatest impact of this song was not on the over 2,000 audience members but on the vagabond singers sharing the stage with Lu Chen.

They came from all over, many of them having drifted to the Capital City in pursuit of their musical dreams. They yearned for fame, for appreciation, for the spotlight.

However, reality is often cruel. When dreams are replaced by the necessities of survival, and youth fades away with nothing to show for it, they gradually become numb, abandoning their beliefs and forgetting their original intentions, becoming accustomed to the status quo.

Until now, listening to Lu Chen's 'In Spring', the deep-seated scars in their hearts were brutally laid bare, exposing an indescribable pain.

How could such a song be sung by Lu Chen? 

He was so young; he was merely a newcomer.

Standing at the entrance for performers, Qin Hanyang and Sister Na stood shoulder to shoulder. The former's face was flushed, his body slightly trembling, while the latter's eyes shimmered with tears, biting her lip hard.

Inside, the members of the Compass Band were completely silent, with Gan Lang sitting there as if petrified.

He felt pitiful.

Cheng Xiaodong stopped in the staff corridor, looking exceptionally grim.

At the bottom level of the Blue Lotus Flower bar, both the vagabond singers and band members, whether they had performed or were waiting to, spontaneously gathered in front of the large floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the stage like pilgrims! 

Because they knew they were witnessing the birth of a classic!

In the middle and upper VIP sections, no one spoke.

At this moment, there was no need for more words; listening to the song was enough.

"''If one day, I leave quietly, 

Please leave me in this spring, 

In Spring~''"

"''Staring at the beautiful spring at this moment, 

Still warm as it was back then.''"

As the song faded away, the emotions lingered, as if spring had never truly left.

---

''(End of Chapter)''

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