I am a Big Player-Chapter 68 - 67. Go to Dali_1
Chapter 68: 67. Go to Dali_1
Chapter 68: 67. Go to Dali_1
Everyone in the bar actually knew that there were quite a few people who wanted to climb up the ranks by stepping on Wang Quan’s fame — that’s just how the entertainment industry works, even in places like folk music that seem laid-back and carefree.
The fame game spares no one.
But what no one ever expected was that on the very day Wang Quan announced the release of his new song, someone really came to challenge him!?
How to challenge? Most of the people present were Wang Quan’s supporters — who would acknowledge you if you didn’t present an impressive piece?
And… the challenger seemed very young! And logically, even if it was a challenge, it should’ve been someone with at least a bit of fame — you couldn’t possibly have two unknowns, completely outside of the circle, suddenly pop up!
However, Ren He didn’t care about all that. Yang Xi turned her head in shock to look at him, and because of the duckbill cap, others couldn’t see her expression.
She suddenly realized that from the very beginning, Ren He intended to lead her down an exceptional path to debut, to astonish everyone from the get-go!
No wonder he had joked about needing some aggressiveness while shopping for clothes, saying that it would make a clear impact. This was a challenge, after all. Yang Xi suddenly remembered something — she’d heard a few days ago about a folk singer who wrote “On the Road” and was releasing a new song today at a bar in Back Sea. She had wanted to come and listen, but Su Ruqin had grounded her.
But she had originally planned to come to listen to songs, not for a challenge!
Ren He gave her a mysterious smile and whispered, “Perform well, the path to debut starts today.”
No one heard what Ren He said; they just turned to look at Wang Quan, because today was his turf, and he surely wouldn’t have no reaction to being challenged.
Yet, Wang Quan smiled calmly, “Little brother, did you come to challenge with your work today? Why don’t you sing your song first? If I admit it’s better than mine, I’ll delay the release of my new song by half a year! If I think your song isn’t good, you don’t need to pay any price. Just sit down, listen to my new song, have a drink, and we’ll consider the matter closed. How about that?”
Wow, he just gambled the timing of his new song release. Everyone knew that in the entertainment industry, if you lacked exposure and gradually faded from everyone’s view, your popularity would decrease, appearance fees would go down, and all treatment would decline — that’s all money.
Of course, Wang Quan seemed to have absolute confidence!
“Looks like it’s just two kids, probably here for some fun, right?”
“Wang Quan’s handling this pretty well; no one can say he lacks graciousness.”
“Haha, let’s listen to their song and then hear how good Wang Quan’s new song really is.”
Ren He laughed and led Yang Xi onto the stage, quietly moving two stools; he gestured for Yang Xi to sit down, and then he pulled his stool slightly behind and to the left of hers and sat down.
Holding the guitar, while Yang Xi didn’t even take a microphone, they were about to start the performance directly without the aid of a mic. The bar quieted down, the background music was turned off, and the only thing left was the sound of breathing!
However, when people saw Ren He moving the stool slightly behind Yang Xi, thereby putting her in the spotlight, they realized that it was the young girl who was going to sing!
Yang Xi was very nervous; this was the first time she would sing in front of so many people, and to make matters more intense, she had appeared as a challenger out of the blue. Her Knight seemed to have perhaps a bit too much of a fighting aura…
But she was happy, thinking that Ren He was right beside her, and he was going to play guitar accompaniment for her, she began to calm down bit by bit.
What to sing? She would let Ren He choose. She turned her head to look at Ren He under the duckbill cap, smiled, and nodded. Ren He also smiled, his fingers strummed across the guitar strings, and the master-level guitar skills brought out his exquisite playing at this moment, enchanting everyone.
Just the sound of the guitar made everyone’s spirits lift!
“The guitar sound seems a bit different, like there’s a special charm to it!”
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“So he actually has some skills, no wonder he dared to challenge us. Even if their song isn’t pleasing to the ear, I would still like to invite him to join my team as a guitarist.”
However, the smile on Ren He’s lips never faded. Most people look at life through tinted glasses. They think from their own perspective and believe that two kids couldn’t possibly create anything worthwhile. Impossible, impossible, impossible… Their lives are filled with too many ‘impossibles’. Imagining they could never become famous, complete the feat of leaping over the Leap Teaching Building, or go wing-suit flying, yet all these ‘impossibles’ are just shackles they place on themselves.
Once you get used to these shackles, you become more and more mediocre.
Until someone jumps out and tells you that all these things are possible. By then, you’ve already spent your time living in the realm of impossibility.
And Ren He was just waiting for Yang Xi’s voice to rise, shattering all the condescension and prejudice in this bar!
“Are you somewhat dissatisfied with life?”
“It’s been a long time since I laughed, and I don’t know why.”
Yang Xi’s voice was clear and steady, and Ren He felt a bit of surprise. Within that voice, there seemed to be an added sense of weathered experience. He had always worried that Yang Xi couldn’t interpret the song well, but now Yang Xi had given him an immense surprise!
And with those opening lines, many of the older singers in attendance felt as if their hearts had been pierced. They had struggled in the Capital for years, performing in bars at night until midnight, sometimes not even knowing where to go afterwards, lighting a cigarette and standing on the empty, wide roads alone.
Despite their years of struggle, they were still alone, without anything to their name. The girl they once liked had drifted away with the wind as well. Apparently she married a stable man and had a son.
But here they were, still standing, almost devoid of everything.
They began to grow tired of this place, wanting to escape.
In that moment, when they heard the song “Go to Dali,” tears nearly filled their eyes. They didn’t even know with what kind of emotions they listened to the song. When the song ended, many people were silent.
It was these two youths whom they had once looked down upon who had brought such a song to challenge them!
The next thought on everyone’s mind was: Wang Quan… might lose!
Almost everyone gave a high appraisal after listening. Such songs were a rarity, perhaps only one or two would appear in the entire music scene in a year. The opponents came prepared!
Wang Quan was silent, not knowing how to respond because he knew he had lost!
After writing “On the Road,” he had indulged in the flattery of others, lost in a world of luxury, but today this calm and collected song brought him a great shock, as if reminding him of his original aspirations.
He was about to concede defeat. Wang Quan decided to take his new song back with him, to step away from all the socializing and take a good look at his own creation. Just like the lyrics of the song, he wanted to visit Dali.
However, at that moment, Ren He’s guitar began to resonate again with the melody of another song!
“Could there be another song?” someone whispered in astonishment.
…
Thanks to Tingfeng Kanyue, Love in the Ice Age, chenchenxu, Sniper of the Skies, Thunder Shattering the Heavens, Fu Yaoguo, xBeast Beast, Flowing Years and Dreamlike Illusions, Eternal Memory, Purple Wisteria Emperor Jun, My Surname Is Qian So What, Lu Xiaotu, euifu, Dark Shadow Wind, Six-Winged Angel of Words, ejejd, Yi Shao Xie, Big Screen, Super Delicious, CW Pawn, Song’s Youngest Brother, Endless Chicken Feathers, Diao Wen, Naming Is Really Annoying, Dance of Fire@, Flying Yang 125410, Gemini Transformation, Camellia Ball, Flea, elf Maple, Cloud Past Wind Flying, User 10086, Book Friend 16110912, Mi Luan, Ink Night Yin, Now the Tomb Is Covered in Tall Grass, Mu Qi Brother, Delicious Beef, Maple Kyle Muran, Jade Silk ads, Silent One, jonghi, Under the Night, Travel to Joyful People, Pure White Memories, The Dawn of the Cloud Dragon, Ah Lie What Should I Call, Book Lover, The Gloom of Someone’s Affection, and everyone else’s tips…
So many… Thank you, everyone, if this goes on subscription, I’d have to post this in the author’s notes, otherwise, it would just be padding the word count…
