Chapter 228: Live Busking!

[General POV]

After showing off his costumes, one of his fans asked Edward why he was so excited for Halloween.

Edward mulled over it for a while before he answered,"Well, that's a tough question. Growing up, I've never gone trick or treating."

The fans were quite shocked when they heard his reply. Edward continued casually as he changed his costume back. There was a black tight shirt he needed to wear underneath his batman suit, which he didn't take off, and just placed his cardigan on top of it.

"Yeah. The best memory about Halloween I had was this one time when I was 4 years old…My dad snuck me out of the house when everyone was already done trick or treating, and put a blanket over my head to make me a ghost. All the houses were already done with giving candies, but then there was this old guy who every kid was afraid of– Mr Kleezak, who still had a bucket load of it. I went over there as a last resort, and he gave me every single candy he had left."

"We went in and out in 20 minutes, without my mom knowing about it. That's the only Halloween memory I have other than the constant practising or having musical classes when everyone else was dressed up and having fun. So you know, I kinda want to make up for it." Edward opened up about his past, which created an emotional uproar from his fans.

The chat was silent for a while, and then it exploded!

[59,000 viewers watching]

[Texasgirl: Damn it! And Here I was, thinking he was childish for wanting to go trick or treating. Ed! You Deserve to get a proper Halloween!]

[Lily: I'm choking up right now. What kind of parents did that? Ed! COME TO MY HOUSE! I'll make sure to give you candies!]

[Annie: I'm crying! Ed! BE STRONG! I'll give you candies!]

There would be a lot of fans sending candies to the company after this live session. The amount he got would last him for 5 whole years even if he indulged himself till his stomach burst daily. 

As Edward's friends watched, Enid suddenly wiped down her non-existent tears and said, "He's been through a lot. And….I….will make sure to…. get that CatWoman outfit before it's all sold out!"

"Hey! I thought you were sympathizing with him!" Elsa, who was emotional in the beginning, retorted to Enid.

"Oh Grow up! This is just a ploy for him to get more candies!" Enid accused Edward without knowing that she hit 50% of the marks. 

Jenna, Alex and Elsa who were initially feeling bad for Edward, fall into a confusion and then the same thought arises in their mind. 'He is shameless enough to actually do that.'

"Damn it, and when he does manage to go trick or treating, he's going to rub it in our faces." Jacob muttered with a jealous expression. There was no chance for him to go trick or treating this year after he hit puberty. "I blame dad. If I got my mom's genes, then I could go trick or treat-ing till I was 18." He mumbled to himself.

15 minutes later, as the live session progressed, Edward suddenly announced, "There's something truly special in store for all of you today."

As the chat was curious, he smirked and added," Not only will I be performing a song for you at the end of this session, but it is with great honor that I introduce you all to the newest addition to the Entertain label, the incredible band, Coldplay!"

Jenna muttered in confusion, "Coldplay? Who is that?"

Finneas and Billie looked at each other with the expression 'Do you know these guys', but then both of them shrugged at the same time. Haley was the only one clapping and cheering for the band.

Edward saw the confusion in the chat ground. He smiled mischievously and said, "Figured you guys wouldn't know about them. They are a British Band, who I headhunted to sign with the company myself! Isn't that right Chris?"

[44,000 viewers watching] 

[Hermoine: Really? Then, they must be a great band! I can't wait!]

The numbers of people watching the show dropped for some time, but Edward wasn't worried about it.

Chris Martin smiled awkwardly and replied with a slight British accent, "Well, Ed is the one who convinced us to fly over here." Being in a live show had made Chris feel nervous, and he had completely forgotten the media training Edward had the newly signed artist to the label took.

Edward smiled in disbelief and said, "Why don't you introduce yourself to the audience?"

"Oh, Right. Hello everyone. My name is Chris Martin. This is the band's bassist. Um, Guy?"

"Hello Everyone, I'm Guy Berryman."

"I'm Johnny Buckland. I play the piano."

"I am Will Champion. The drummer."

"And we're the band, Coldplay!" Chris Martin said excitedly.

Edward smiled as the band were finally getting it together and announced to the audience, "As the band handpicked by myself, you won't disappoint the viewers watching today, right?"

Chris held his chest and smiled with exasperation, "That's too much pressure Ed." The rest of the band members, and Edward laughed at Chris's reaction.

[TexasGirl: Ed is a meanie~... Why is that so hot!?]

[Annie: Goodluck Coldplay! I'm sure they will do great!]

[Finneas: Coldplay has been playing all over Europe since 1996. They are not really a newbie band. They are professionals!]

[Lily: Did I see Selena and Vanessa Hudgen in the background, or am I just imagining things?]

[RDJ: Wait, is this happening at your new place? And you didn't. even. think. to invite me.]

In real life, Billie looked at Finneas in disbelief as she saw his comment. "How?" She asked.

"Wikipedia." Finneas replied while looking at his phone. "Also, I'm quite sure that Edward edited the page by himself."

"How so?" Alex was intrigued. Finneas showed the paragraph to her while saying, "It says here, they signed the contract with Entertain with the handsome and dashing artist, Edward Newgate's support himself."

Alex instinctively rolled her eyes and said flatly, "Yeah. He edited it himself."

"Without further ado, ladies and gentleman, the band Coldplay with their song, Yellow." Edward announced. 

After the introduction, the camera panned to Chris while Edward got out of the shot. He turned off his microphone and walked to Pepper who was the closest one to him, "How are we doing?"

"We're dropping fast. But it is still over the estimate you made. Wayyy more than that." Pepper replied with a smile. 

Harvey added mischievously, "By the way, the viewership jumped up to almost 80,000 people when you took off your clothes. We should do a live session where you were just naked the entire time."

Pepper interjected quickly, "Don't put ideas in his head. With enough money on the table, he would actually do it."

Edward contorted his face. "No I would not! What kind of impression do you have on me exactly?" Edward muttered with disbelief. 

Pepper turned to him and said, "Slut for Money."

"Oi!" Edward retorted immediately. While Edward was talking, the band started to play. A mellow melody filled the entire poolside, and the band finally started to capture people's focus. 

[Yellow- Coldplay]

"Oh, the viewership is climbing up again." Harvey muttered.

Chris sang, "♫♪ Look at the stars…Look how they shine for you…And everything you do…Yeah, they were all yellow…"

[Annie: Oh, they really are great!]

[TexasGirl: As expected of Ed!]

[Janine: Wait, shouldn't you say as expected of the band instead.]

[TexasGirl: Yeah, but Ed picked them, so the credit went to him!]

♫♪I came along

I wrote a song for you

And all the things you do♫♪

♫♪And it was called Yellow

So then I took my turn

Oh, what a thing to have done

And it was all yellow♫♪

Edward slightly swayed his body as he listened to the song. While he was immersing himself, the camera recorded him secretly and displayed it on the screen for a short second.

Chris crooned, "Your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones! Turn into something beautiful!And you know, you know I love you so! You know I love you so!"

This was the moment the fans finally accepted Coldplay into their hearts. The instrumental part plus Chris's earlier vocals attracted a lot of people into watching the show live.

[60,000 viewers watching]

[RoyKent: Hey I know that band. I went to their concert early this year.]

The European fans of Coldplay rushed to the live show to watch them play. The band finally got their recognition after over a decade of touring, rocketing their image to the top of the music industry after their album re-release. 

While the band was playing their song, Haley snuck towards Edward. Even though the guests were ordered to not disturb Edward while the filming was still ongoing, none of the staff members stopped her.

"You have a great eye. So, everyone in the company is like them too?" Haley asked with her hands behind her back and leaning slightly forwards to Ed.

Edward saw her and smiled, "Of course. I can see the future, and they are all going to stand on the world stage someday."

"Hmm, I wanted to tease you, but I got convinced instead. Want to make a bet on your word then?" Haley asked.

"If I made a bet on something like this, then, it's really unfair for you isn't it?" Edward chuckled.

"Let's talk terms." Haley giggled.

"Alright. Then, let's make things challenging." Edward said. As he felt confident that the band was going to do well, he didn't want to win the bet too easily.

"If the band manages to sell over 1 million albums in a week, you win. If they sell over 5 million albums in a week, then I win." 

"Alright, if you win, then what's your prize?" Haley asked while batting her eyes seductively at me. However, her grin on her face made her seem a bit silly instead.

Edward still chuckled and replied, "Well, if I win, then…Hmm…this is hard… How about you, what do you want if you win."

"No! You need to tell me yours first." Haley replied quickly.

"You're going to make me do some horrible things, don't you?" Edward narrowed his eyes on her.

"Why? Scared?" Haley stuck her tongue out to provoke him.

"I'm not scared Missy. Alright you're on. No matter what the prize is."

"Deal!" Haley said and they shook hands on it. Edward looked at Haley's gleeful face and then reminded her, "You seem happy. I guess you forgot that I didn't tell you what my prize is either."

She froze and said, "Wait. I-I'm…Uhh…."

"No take backs now." Edward chuckled seeing her reactions. "It could be ranging from not having a party, to some serious fucked up stuff. You have already agreed to it, so you can't say no when I win."

"But that won't happen if I'll be the one winning this one!" Haley shook off her anxiousness and said with a determined tone.

"Courageous. Just don't cry when it happens." Edward teased.

Haley stammered and then retorted, faking confidence, "Y-You too. Don't cry then."

After the song ended, the viewership had jumped to almost 80,000 people. Edward walked back into the camera shot and walked to the band members.

"Coldplay everyone! I told you these guys were hidden treasures."

Chris smiled and said, "Now, it's time for the main character to return then?"

Edward returned the smile and said, "Of course. It's my live session after all."

People were laughing at the chat from seeing the two artist's interaction. As Edward stood behind the microphone, the chat exploded.

[Annie: Would you be singing a song from the album?]

[TexasGirl: I want to hear '7 years!']

[EmmaGeller: ED! I'VE WAITED FOR THIS THE ENTIRE SHOW!]

[Lily: Everyone's here right now! ED! WE LOVE YOU!"

[Fan Club member 1: We love you!]

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[Fanclub member 12003: We love you]

The viewership jumped to 99,000, shocking Pepper and Harvey. In Chicago, Taylor was watching the live show from her laptop while within her hotel room. Her short hair fluttered in the wind as she sat by the window with a stoic face.

"Hm…" She hummed, unsure of what to feel when she saw him standing behind the microphone again.

"Will he sing a song about me?" She muttered to herself. Then, she laughed deprecatingly and said, "Probably not." But still, a little bit of hope lingered in her heart. Next to her, a few music sheets scattered on the floor of the room. It contained lyrics and melodies that she had made when she started the tour.

In Cuba, Camila was watching the live performance while sitting next to her comatose sister in her sister's room. "Why don't you wake up Miranda? You're missing your own son's brilliant performance today."

Back to the live show, as Edward stood behind the microphone, he said, "The live session will end after my performance. Before I sing, I need to tell you guys something."

Edward took a deep breath. At the same time, Ted closed his eyes as he prepared himself. His son had told him that the songs he created today were from the passages of his diary, and he felt that he needed to confront his past so that he could move on. 

Despite not going to therapy himself, Ted told everything to Dr Linda about Edward's decisions, and she highly encouraged it. Except she told him to make Ed apply his decision in a safer environment. But that was ignored.

Edward continued speaking to his fans, "For my next song, it's a new song that I had just finished a few days ago."

[Lily: I DIDN'T MISS THIS! THIS DAY IS FREAKING GREAT!]

[Annie: AHH! I WANT TO RECORD THIS! But it will be uploaded in the video blog right! Thank god!]

"But, it is also an old song for me. It was half-written when I was around 10 years old, and finally completed now. I hope that you guys enjoy it." Edward said.

[Madison: Wait, how old is he exactly?]

[Lily: No one actually knows. He would never admit to it. (grin.emoji)]

"Lily, I'll just act like I don't see that." Edward called out.

[Lily: SORRY]

Edward looked at the band Coldplay who were helping him with the instrumental music and counted, "1.2.3.4.."

"The song is called, Someone to you." Edward said before the music started playing.

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪

[Banners– Someone to you]

"Oh, this is an uplifting song. I was so worried." Pepper sighed as he rubbed his chest in relief. Then, his expression froze as he heard the first lyric. 

"♫♪I don't wanna die or fade away~" Edward crooned. Haley automatically started imagining a lone violinist on the stage, and everyone in the audience was leaving. 

"♫♪I just wanna be someone…I just wanna be someone♫♪" Edward looked into the camera directly, and his gaze made the girls fans of his become intoxicated. 

"♫♪Dive and disappear without a trace~" Edward continued while closing his eyes as he sang with emotions. "♫♪I just wanna be someone…Well, doesn't everyone?♫♪"

Harvey muttered, "The melody is really cheerful, but the lyrics are quite…"

"Sad." Pepper finished her sentence.

"♫♪And if you feel the great dividing, I wanna be the one you're guiding, 'Cause I believe that you could lead the way♫♪" 

"♫♪I just wanna be somebody to someone, oh. I wanna be somebody to someone, oh. I never had nobody and no road home. I wanna be somebody to someone–♫♪"

"♫♪And if the sun starts setting, the sky goes cold! Then if the clouds get heavy and start to fall!I really need somebody to call my own! I wanna be somebody to someone♫♪"

"♫♪Someone to youuuuu~~! Someone to youuuuu~~! Someone to youuuuu~~!

Someone to you (Someone to you)♫♪"

The guests started crowding behind the cameraman. A shot of them dancing was inserted into the live show. This time, the viewers could see clearly who the guests were.

The band members acted as the background singer as Edward sang.

"♫♪I don't even need to change the world (Change, change the world)

I'll make the moon shine just for your view♫♪"

"♫♪I'll make the starlight circle the room (Circle the room)♫♪"

Finneas suddenly let out a burst of mirth. Alex looked at him and asked, "Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing. I just felt that. What he is singing." Finneas said as he suddenly hugged Alex from behind, making her flustered and her face turn red.

"W-what-what are you doing?"

"Nothing. I just feel like hugging you." Finneas whispered, an answer which didn't help calm Alex's rapidly beating heart. 

"♫♪And if you feel like night is falling

I wanna be the one you're calling♫♪

♫♪'Cause I believe that you could lead the way♫♪" Edward jumped as he sang, which made the crowd do the same. 

He stopped and sang seriously, "♫♪I just wanna be somebody to someone, oh.I wanna be somebody to someone, oh. I never had nobody and no road home. I wanna be somebody to someone♫♪"

"♫♪And if the sun starts setting, the sky goes cold

Then if the clouds get heavy and start to fall

I really need somebody to call my own

I wanna be somebody to someone~♫♪"

"♫♪Someone to you~~~~

Someone to you~~~~

Someone to you~~~~

Someone to you♫♪"

Next to Camila, the comatose Miranda's finger suddenly twitched as she heard her son's voice.

Coldplay and Ed sang together, "♫♪The kingdom come, the rise, the fall

The setting sun above it all

I just wanna be somebody to you♫♪"

[120,000 viewers watching]

[Annie: I can't help but dance!]

[Lily: Ahh he's so hot with his long hair!]

Haley crossed her arms together as she tried to hear the lyrics intently. Ted saw this and chuckled. He muttered to her, interrupting her focus, "Isn't it funny? In the song, he shouted what he wanted multiple times, but because of the melody, people still are not able to hear it. They will think it's a love song instead."

"It kinda is." Haley replied. Ted nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah. It kinda is."

Edward continued as the camera filmed a rotating shot around him, "♫♪I just wanna be somebody to someone, oh! I wanna be somebody to someone, oh! I never had nobody and no road home! I wanna be somebody to someone♫♪"

"♫♪And if the sun starts setting, the sky goes cold! Then if the clouds get heavy and start to fall ! I really need somebody to call my own! I wanna be somebody to someone♫♪"

The crowd danced feverishly. Edward smiled at them, his eyes were searching for those close to him. 

♫♪Someone to you! Someone to you! Someone to you!Someone to you♫♪

The instrumental slowed down, and Edward sang by himself, "♫♪Someone to you♫♪…"

The crowd cheered after the song was over. Edward looked into the camera and said, "Did you guys enjoy it? The live session will end right here today. Thank you so much for all of your support. I love you guys."

[Annie: ED! I Wanna go to your concert again! Please]

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Thousands of messages spammed the screen with requests to Edward. The people were begging for him to hold a concert again soon. People also requested for him to release the song officially. The screen turned blank for the audience, but Edward kept the chat going. 

Pepper hugged Edward as the song was over. While the CEO was emotional, Harvey said mischievously, "Now that it's over, we can finally get the party started!"

"I knew it! It is a party!" Edward retorted.