During the styling, Xie Yang found that Hu Biao's mood was a bit wrong. He avoided Xu Chenhao and the others, found Hu Biao and asked, "What's wrong?"
Hu Biao had endured it but he couldn't hold back anymore. "There are really more moths as the show begins. Some fans have been brainwashed by the marketing accounts and some Mo Bin fans lucky enough to get tickets are organization people to do a black out when you're on the stage.
A black out referred to turning off the lights of all the support items when someone was performing. Support lights represented support while a black out naturally represented resistance and disapproval. A black out was a cruel thing for any artist."
"Why don't we try to avoid having you come on the stage alone? During your solo in the evening, I will let Tong Jian go and act as a microphone stand for you. He is very popular in the group!"
Xie Yang didn't care. "It's fine. I just want to sing. It doesn't matter if there is any lighting under the stage or if the audience welcomes me or not. Don't trouble Tong Jian."
Hu Biao tried to be persuaded with a few words but Xie Yang couldn't be persuaded. This caused him to scold the marketing accounts and Mo Bin for a while before he stopped mentioning it.
At 7 p.m., the backstage area of Dazhou Stadium.
Xie Yang leaned against the single person sofa with his eyes closed while Tong Jian was talking nervously next to him.
"Weibo actually gave us a live broadcast feature and the popularity of the live broadcast room has already exceeded 9 million... is our popularity so high? Are the outside seats full? Are there any large sections of empty seats?"
Hu Biao couldn't bear it. He reached out to snatch the mobile phone from Tong Jian's hand and said, "No more looking at your phone. The audience is full and you're too nervous. Learn from Ke Lan and Xie Yang and adjust your state. The opening is a new song and you can't drop the ball."
Tong Jian took a deep breath to try and suppress his tension. However, it didn't work and he couldn't help running to see the situation of the front audience.
There was a crowd of people outside and a sea of rainbow lights shone.
"Sing the new song well."
Tong Jian was startled and looked back.
Ke Lan moved his eyes away from the audience, placed a hand on Tong Jian's shoulder and patted him gently. "We have so many audience members for our performance because of all the heat that Xie Yang earned us during this time. People outside are waiting to see us as a joke. The sunspots, marketing accounts and even fans. They scolded Xie Yang for two months. He has clearly done nothing wrong but he was scolded."
Tong Jian calmed down in an instant.
"Sing well."
"Yes!"
It was 7:20.
Qiu Xing, dressed in black as usual, entered the VIP area under the escort of Liu Sha, Wu Shui, He Jun and Zhou Miao. He took a seat in the center of the first row.
Qiu Xing stared at his position and then the unknown person sitting in the center with a hat and mask. His face darkened and he sneered, "The best position?" That liar Xie Yang.
7:25.
Mo Bin entered in a low-key manner, escorted by his assistants and staff. He found that Huang Mo, the representative sent by Wenyi, was sitting to his left.
Huang Mo spoke sarcastically. "Oh, the busy person has come. Why not go backstage? It is IUD's commemorative performance. Why is the captain just sitting here?"
Mo Bin endured it and didn't speak. After sitting down, he immediately looked at the stage. He didn't glance at the man with a hat and mask sitting on his right side. It was the man next to him who glanced at him before retracting his gaze.
7:29.
The main stage was dark and only a few lights resembling stars flashed from the corner of the stage. The fans subconsciously quieted down and stared at the big screen on the stage.
On the Internet, the Zexing's IUD Anniversary Performance live broadcast room. As the performance was about to start, the popularity of the live room rose and it soon exceeded 20 million. On Weibo, the rhythm of the IUD performance special topic rose quicker.
The air seemed to be strained and everyone subconsciously slowed down their breathing.
Finally, the screen on the main stage lit up and a 10 seconds countdown appeared.
Cheers erupted from the audience. The fans excitedly followed the countdown and their voices became louder and more orderly.
In the darkness of the stage, Tong Jian standing on the lift heard the countdown and took a deep breath. Then he lowered his voice and muttered, "No, I'm nervous. It has been a long time since I've seen the scene of 50,000 people."
The guide from the headset reminded them to prepare.
Ke Lan told him, "There is a live broadcast today. Keep your focus."
Tong Jian's voice shook. "I'm even more nervous."
Ke Lan, "......"
Xie Yang stated, "This is IUD's last show."
Everyone, "......"
Tong Jian calmed down for a second. "Come on, let's finish this well!"
The countdown continued.
"Five!"
The starlight on the stage spread toward the center and became brighter.
"Four!"
Xie Yang remembered his previous life where he could only watch others perform on the stage and smiled.
"Three!"
In the VIP seat, Qiu Xing raised his hands to cover his ears. He closed his eyes and endured the discomfort caused by the high pitches.
"Two!"
Xu Chenhao's voice was low. "Come on."
"One-!!!"
The stage brightened and the entire group cheered.
There was a loud beast roar from the sound equipment spread through the venue. Fireworks exploded and music with a strong rhythm was heard.
At the brightest point, the four people of the new IUD appeared on stage using the lift. Tong Jian stood in the C position and faced the audience in front of him. He raised the microphone to his mouth and opened his mouth.
The powerful and high-pitched voice cut through the night sky, officially opening the curtain to the commemoration performance.
The stage heat directly burst and the fans shouted excitedly.
Qiu Xing put down the hands covering his ears and looked toward the stage. His eyes were locked on the figure behind Tong Jian.
The fireworks gradually stopped, the trembling lowered, the stage lights gradually dimmed and the music rhythm gradually slowed.
Tong Jian smiled at the camera and turned sideways.
It showed Xie Yang in the back. He was dressed in a unique black suit. His hair was neatly styled, his eyebrows were trimmed, his body was slender and tall, his temperament was cold and his expressionless face was like an unopened sharp blade.
The music became lower like a caged beast.
Xie Yang raised a hand to bring the microphone to his lips and closed his eyes.
The whispering sound was different from the overbearing and wanton sound sung by Tong Jian just now. It was like a chain winding up, trapping the domineering beast and dragging it into the darkness.
The audience instantly became quiet. The barrage of the live streaming stopped. Mo Bin's eyes widened slightly. Qiu Xing was stunned for a moment before letting out a snort of laughter.
"My god!" Huang Mo was startled. "This tone and expressiveness... it isn't fake?"
After a brief period of silence, the barrage area of the live broadcast room was filled with question marks and exclamation marks, just like Huang Mo's heart. The taunting rhythm on the IUD topic on Weibo stopped and there was a funny blank space.
On the stage, Xie Yang only sang a sentence before turning away, leaving the center position to the next singer Xu Chenhao.
The song gradually entered the rhythm. After the opening of Tong Jian's cheerful and domineering voice, it gradually became depressed and subdued from Xie Yang. The lyrics fit perfectly into the tune and spread out the emotions. Contradictions, arguments, destruction, collapse, gloom, despair and disbandment...
The fans didn't have time to recover from Xie Yang's amazing voice when they were strongly drawn into the emotions created by the song. They all heard it. This was IUD!
IUD's amazing success, IUD's brief scenery, the depression after IUD... their eyes turned red as they stared at the four people on the stage. It was like a stone was pressing on their chest and they were choking on pain.
After a round of singing, the music reached the lowest point. The lights on the stage all dimmed and sobbing could already be heard from the audience.
The moment when the music was completely quiet, a low voice was heard again. The sound was like a clear spring stirring the darkness, like the first wind blowing in the early morning and bringing the breath of spring. Starlight flashed on the stage and hope grew in the depths of despair.
The singing gradually rose, the music restarted and Tong Jian's voice was inserted in time as the first chorus came.
The lyrics spread out again and Tong Jian's voice floated up high. Emotions built up, the darkness faded, hope spread out and the stage became brighter. Rebirth, recovery of everything, the original intention, hard work, perseverance, expectations for the future!
All emotions burst out and Tong Jian roared freely. The road of the beast was loud and the extremely rhythmical drums pushed the music completely to the climax.
The mood of the audience was driven. They wiped away tears, squeezed out smiles and shouted to cheer them on! From here on, the song never fell from the climax. They sang about new life, hope and the future. Finally, after the hearty chorus, the sound suddenly stopped and the entire audience was quiet. There seemed to be something expanding and agitating in the air.
Tong Jian gasped and raised the microphone to his lips. He raised his arms and shouted to the audience, "This is IUD's new song. Do you like it?!"
The audience was briefly quiet before cheering and screaming loudly. The word 'like!' rang all over the audience.
Xie Yang smiled as he touched his palm to the microphone and glanced toward the VIP seats. The lights of the stage were too bright and Xie Yang couldn't really see the people at the VIP seats, but he was sure that Qiu Xing was in his line of sight.
He waved to that side. Qiu Xing smiled. His fingers on the armrest moved before he snorted coldly.
Not far from Qiu Xing, Mo Bin looked at the stage with a blank expression, covered with sweat. His mood was so chaotic that he couldn't manage his expression. In fact, he hadn't been able to manage his expression since Tong Jian sang the first treble.
He had no idea that IUD's new song would be at this level and that Xie Yang actually had such a unique tone. He couldn't help thinking that if he hadn't left, if Xu Chenhao hadn't come back, if it was him standing on the stage...
"Do you regret it?"
Mo Bin's mind suddenly returned and he looked to the right where the sound came from.
The eyes of the man wearing the hat and mask were filled with the excitement of finding a treasure. He leaned close to Mo Bin and whispered, "If I was you, I would definitely regret it. Mo Bin, thank you for letting me discover such a treasure."
Mo Bin stared at the eyes of the man exposed under the brim of the hate. After a moment, he suddenly shivered and his mind became blank.
This voice, these eyes... Long Shuyou?!
***
After Tong Jiang and the fans finished speaking, the stage darkened again.
Xie Yang stepped into the darkness.
The next stage belonged to Tong Jian and he could rest for a while.
On stage, the prelude to one of IUD's famous songs, Dreaming rang out. Xie Yang walked backstage and Hu Biao immediately greeted him. He placed his phone into Xie Yang's hand and was relieved. "Look! Look! The marketing accounts on Weibo are all mute! Before your song even finished, they secretly deleted all the materials scolding you! Bah! I'll go back and settle accounts with them one by one!"
Xie Yang looked at the phone screen and saw the Weibo homepage of a famous music reviewer. This music reviewer had just posted something.
Old Man with Sharp Ears: I just watched the performance of a young rookie who was scolded by tens of thousands of people recently. I just want to say, if you are blackening at this level then how demanding are you? Reserving this as a divine song, reserving the take off of IUD, reserving an award, not to mention, I want to praise Xie Yang. This child's voice is so amazing!
"The live broadcast room has also completely changed its tone. Previously, the barrage was so heavy that it is almost impossible to be seen!" Hu Biao clicked on the phone again and changed to the live broadcast room.
Xie Yang watched it.
The barrage was brushing by extremely quickly and the popularity of the live broadcast room was also skyrocketing.
-My mind is full of Xie Yang's low singing, tone killer, absolute tone killer.
-There is nothing to say. Really awesome.
-I heard there was a reverse face slap here? I didn't catch up with the opening. The atmosphere on Weibo is weird. How is it?
-I got goosebumps when Xie Yang sang in the middle.
-This song is too elaborate. Was it really composed by Xie Yang?
-I'm late. Has the rich second generation overturned things? Has the rich second generation overturned things?
-Turn NM. Get lost!
-I feel that Xie Yang only sang a few words and his position has always been far away from the camera. Didn't people say that he paid for this performance to raise himself? This is it?
-Why are there only three people singing Dreaming? Where is Xie Yang?
-He is afraid to go on stage.
-Weakly speaking, I've always felt that Xie Yang was very handsome. I just didn't dare to say it because I was afraid of being scolded.
-Hahahaha, I'm Mo Bin's black fan and I'm too happy! Xie Yang is awesome! Mo Bin, the song of a newcomer is at this level, a newcomer has this tone, do you regret it?
-The director isn't good. It is time for the camera to move to Mo Bin!
-Did Mo Bin go in the end? Wasn't he saying that, 'Although my brothers betrayed me, I've decided not to be too ugly for the sake of IUD's commemorative performance. I will endure the sadness and watch the stage.' Will he still be sad? Hahahaha, seeing that IUD is about to take off again, is he happy for his brothers? Hahaha!
Hu Biao muttered, "My anger is relieved."
Xie Yang chuckled with a nod and returned the phone to Hu Biao. He walked to the side and sat down, reminiscing about the feeling of just singing on stage. Then he took out his phone and sent a WeChat to Qiu Xing: Was it good?
Qiu Xing replied in seconds: What about you.
Xie Yang: I'll perform again later.
Qiu Xing: How long?
Xie Yang: Around an hour later.
It was silent for a moment.
Qiu Xing: Awful! A waste of time!
In the VIP seats.
Qiu Xing put his phone in his pocket with a dark face. He asked Liu Sha to hand him the earplugs and soundproof headphones, leaned against his chair and started to close his eyes to relax. The live broadcast station was his own and Liu Sha had communicated with them in advance. He wasn't worried about being shot by the camera.
***
On stage, the performances continued.
There was a brief stir when the audience saw there were only three people on stage but then the prelude to Dreaming began. Everyone threw away their doubts and actively invested in this reminder of the old days of IUD. Fans were even thankful. For them, IUD's old songs should only be sung by the old members of IUD, even if one was missing.
Over the five years, there were four albums and 42 songs, of which 20 were composed by Xu Chenhao.
Dreaming was followed by Imagination and then Unity... one by one, the three didn't stop singing. They didn't speak to their fans and only occasionally waved to the fans. They used all their conscientiousness and focus to present IUD's last stage.
After singing all 20 songs composed by Xu Chenhao, they finally stopped. The music was gone and the gasps of the three people were heard from the microphone. The stadium quieted down and fans watched the sweaty IUD members on the stage.
Tong Jian raised his hand and shouted happily, "IUD is five years old!"
The fans shouted back.
Ke Lan and Xu Chenhao smiled. Tong Jian raised his hand again. "Happy birthday to us!"
The entire audience cheered happy birthday.
Tong Jian raised his hand and lowered it. Everyone's cheers gradually fell.
"I am pleased to bring this show to you." Tong Jian took a deep breath, turned sideways and exclaimed excitedly. "Now I am pleased to formally introduce the new member of IUD, Xie Yang! Everyone, welcome him!
The audience was silent and then there was sparse applause that rang out with hesitation and uncertainty. After two months of being brainwashed by black materials, most fans were unable to accept Xie Yang joining the group just because of one new song. In addition, it was said that Xie Yang had bought the new song from someone else...
Qiu Xing opened his eyes and took off his headphones and earplugs. He heard this perfunctory applause and his face darkened.
Tong Jian hadn't expected it to be like this. He paused for a moment before saying again, "Everyone, welcome Xie Yang!"
The applause rang out again and quickly stopped. Ke Lan and Xu Chenhao frowned.
In this unwelcome atmosphere, Xie Yang walked onto the stage with a guitar. He had changed into a simple white shirt and jeans. It was a very youthful and simple outfit that seemed out of place when standing next to Tong Jian and the others who were wearing gorgeous costumes.
Qiu Xing heard a fan whispering that Yang Yang was deliberately acting like this, putting on a fake air of freshness. This caused him to pinch the armrest of his chair angrily.
Xie Yang didn't care about the attitude of the fans. He took the microphone handed over by Tong Jian and glanced in the direction of the VIP seats, accurately finding Qiu Xing's location. He smiled and said, "This song Reincarnation is dedicated to the audience member who came for me."
Qiu Xing paused and slowly let go of his hand.
After the explanation, Xie Yang returned the microphone to Tong Jian. Regardless of the attitude of the fans, he walked over to the microphone and chair that Ke Lan and Xu Chenhao had set up for him. He sat down, held the guitar in his arms and adjusted the microphone height.
The lights on the stage slowly dimmed. Tong Jian and the others exited while only a beam of headlights shone from diagonally above, covering Xie Yang.
There was another commotion in the audience. It was unknown where it started but the rainbow-coloured support lights suddenly went out one by one. The fans who brought their lights turned it off one by one. In the blink of an eye, the stadium was mostly dark, leaving only a few sparse lights.
A black light.
Tong Jian wanted to rush back onto the stage but he was pulled back by Ke Lan and Xu Chenhao.
"XX." Hu Biao cursed and helped hold Tong Jian. "The new song has been sung. How can it still be like this? Don't go! Xie Yang is right. Let's wait until they cry and apologize to him!"
In the VIP seats.
Qiu Xing might not watch concerts very much but even he knew that this situation where the audience lights were mostly black was very wrong. He frowned and turned to Liu Sha. "What's going on?"
Liu Sha lowered her voice and explained the meaning of the black light. Qiu Xing's face was as heavy as water as he glared at the dark stadium behind him. Then he ordered He Jun, "Go and bring me some bright things, the brightest and most expensive ones!"
He Jun, "...Boss, the light cards have to be made by ourselves. The support sticks were issued by the staff at the time of admission and you threw ours into the trash."
"......" Qiu Xing ordered impatiently, "Go and get it back!"
He Jun turned and told Zhou Miao next to him, "The boss asked you to pick up the support sticks."
...You fart! He clearly said for you to pick it up!
Zhou Miao glanced at Qiu Xing's poor expression and didn't dare to speak up. He walked toward the place where he had thrown his support sticks. Liu Sha thought of something and whispered in Qiu Xing's ear. Qiu Xing listened to her and took out his phone.
On the stage.
After adjusting the position of his microphone, Xie Yang glanced up at the darkened auditorium. He was about to retract his gaze to sing when he suddenly noticed that the VIP seats were slightly brighter. Unlike the coloured light of the support sticks, this was like a star and only one point was bright.
He looked over. Since the stage was very dark, he was lucky enough to see Qiu Xing holding his mobile phone with a dark expression. Xie Yang smiled silently, lowered his hand and gently touched the guitar.
Melodious and soothing music flowed out, like wind blowing across the lake. The stage atmosphere that had been heated up by Tong Jian and the others instantly softened. Xie Yang leaned closer to the microphone and opened his lips to sing the first lyrics.
The sound that scratched their ears rang out while the guitar was like a stone falling into the lake. It irritated the itchiest part of their ears and caught the quietest place in their mind.
There was a stir in the audience. Long Shuyou's eyes were amazingly bright and he subconsciously leaned forward.
Mo Bin was the opposite of him. Mo Bin leaned back in his chair, palms covered with cold sweat. He wanted to leave but Huang Mo was on his left and Long Shuyou on his right. He couldn't leave. He would attract even more attention if he left.
And... he stared at Xie Yang on the stage with jealousy.
Xie Yang shouldn't be like this.
***
From the moment Xie Yang sang the first lyrics, his attention was no longer on the stage. His thoughts sank into the music and what appeared in front of him were bits and pieces of the apocalypse.
As he was preparing for the solo track, the first thing he thought of was this Reincarnation.
Reincarnation, the four seasons of reincarnation, endless life. This was what this song was all about.
He might've had a hard time during the first year of the apocalypse but he still had hope. At that time, a melody often appeared in his mind. It was quiet and slightly sad, but with a warm background.
That melody was the prototype of Reincarnation.
Shortly after writing Reincarnation, he truly recognized the cruelty of the apocalypse and no longer had hope. The only thing left was painful survival and he purposely forgot the existence of Reincarnation.
Now the hope he thought was impossible had come to him. He dug out this piece of music from the depths of consciousness and wanted to use it to formally bid farewell to his desperate, last life.
Xie Yang lowered his eyes and sang into the microphone. There were no difficult skills, no complicated arrangements, no gorgeous lyrics. It was a simple song but he sang into everyone's hearts.
He said: Pain and despair have come to an end. The good future, why haven't you come?
The water source was contaminated, animals were mutated, social order was unbalanced and everything was decaying... leaves fell into the contaminated water source. Before they were blackened and rotted, they were washed up into clean soil by the water. The seeds carried on the leaves fell to the ground, took root and sprouted.
He said: A good future will come.
The song gradually stopped. The audience was dead silent.
Qiu Xing's mind returned first and he was the first to clap. Liu Sha and the others followed suit. Everyone in the VIP seats gradually raised their hands. Then it was the audience area behind the VIP seats, the audience area to the left and right sides and the audience area on the second floor. The applause soon spread through the audience.
Xie Yang recovered from his thoughts. He stared directly at the starlight in the VIP section as he got up, put down his guitar and picked up a microphone.
The fans seemed to break away from the confusion of the fairy song. They suddenly sobered up and awkwardly stopped applauding. The audience fell into a deathly silence again.
Xie Yang stared at the audience and opened his mouth. "This is my first performance on stage and I'm very happy."
It was still quiet.
"I once told people who scolded me that you would cry and apologize to me.'
There was a low 'ah' in the audience and everyone started to stir.
"Now I take that back.'
The commotion in the audience grew even greater.
"If you can continue to support everyone in the new IUD in the future, I am willing to apologize to you." Xie Yang bowed. "I'm sorry."
The audience became quiet again.
The barrage in the live broadcast room also stopped.
After a few seconds, Xie Yang straightened. "Now I will hand the stage to Tong Jian." After that, he retreated into the darkness and simply disappeared.
Drums rang out and gradually became dense. The prelude to a new song sounded and the dark stage brightened again. Tong Jian stood on the high platform to the lift in a new outfit with red eyes. Once the camera moved to his face, he couldn't help saying, "Yang Yang's words are too good. You could believe in the words of sunspots, the words of the marketing accounts and even the words of the person who left, but why couldn't you believe in our words?"
The entry point of the first line of the song had passed. Backstage, Hu Biao, Ke Lan and Xu Chenhao didn't blame Tong Jian for this mistake.
The stadium was silent.
Tong Jian wiped his face and spoke. "The accompaniment will start again. Everyone must listen carefully. The next Wutong is a solo song specifically made for me by Yang Yang. It is the beginning of my new chapter. You must listen carefully!" (TL: Wutong is a famous tree species in Chinese poetry and is widely planted for its beauty and usefulness. It is said to be the tree that phoenixes perch on)
The accompaniment stopped and restarted. Tong Jian adjusted his breath, took out his best condition and raised the microphone to his lips.
After a few seconds, the audience roared.
Solo song? The beginning of a new chapter? What did this mean? Didn't he just introduce a new team member? And they didn't want to resist the new team member anymore...
***