Chapter Eighty-two
Zi Yichen was the first to take the stage, his performance was not bad, but in addition to rock, he also added some soul elements, successfully warming up the audience. The newly arrived spectators were able to get into the mood after just one song, and when the host announced Luo Fei's name, a burst of applause erupted from the audience.
The gangster father incident is still fresh in memory, and the arrest of the eight vendors makes it seem like a clumsy rumor-mongering campaign. However, on forums and Weibo, "Truth Emperors" and "Leakage Kings" have emerged one after another, passionately dissecting the complex web of interests involved for everyone. For a time, the masses had their own judgments in mind, and the so-called truth was almost enough to fill a book with 100,000 whys. The behind-the-scenes play is even more interesting than what's on stage.
He alone in the midst of a storm, calm and unmoving, neither making a statement nor speaking out, still participating in activities, and when faced with reporters' questions, just smiled and ignored them. As a result, today's live broadcast ratings soared, everyone eagerly anticipating whether Luo Fei would break his silence at home court and make some comment on this sensational gossip.
And so, when the host left the stage, the lights went out and the entire broadcasting hall was plunged into darkness, the audience seats were silent as a tomb, with everyone's heart in their throat.
"You understand my loneliness and sorrow, you pity me for being alone"
You accompanied me in the turbulent waters, you saw me struggling day by day.
Can't take off, can't get rid of the hypocritical mask...
A beam of light shines alone on the central stage, illuminating a solitary screen.
On the screen, a clear black silhouette stands out.
Luo Fei's voice was clear and delicate, with the good sound effects of the stage, it caught everyone's ears in an instant. There was no accompaniment, no drumbeat, only his tired but deeply emotional voice, and on the screen, that dancing silhouette.
She is a woman.
The woman behind the screen had a wonderful figure, wearing an exaggerated hundred-pleated skirt, with long hair draped over her shoulders. As Ruo Fei's song echoed, her silhouette seemed like a night blooming jasmine unfolding alone in the darkness, its lonely outline swaying to the rhythm. If the song was just a fleeting and intangible emotion, then looking at her black silhouette, people seemed to have seen the substance of the song for the first time.
It's hard to express, can't be explained, yet it's right in front of your eyes, making one's heart ache...
Sweating with red face, pretending to be ugly, unable to cry out tears
Who is willing to wear a mask, who is whose mask...
Suddenly, the music swelled, the drums rolled, and the stage lit up in an instant. The audience was still reeling from the depths of this emotional dream when they were swept away by the surging light and rhythm in the blink of an eye.
On stage, the screen was torn apart with great force, and a woman dressed in men's clothing, Luo Fei, walked out from behind the shattered screen.
He was extremely tall, and even in women's clothing, he didn't look strange at all, but rather had a unique and elegant beauty. However, the audience who were used to seeing Luo Fei being masculine and sexy on stage couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when they realized that the beautiful woman was actually him.
On the stage, Luo Fei was completely unaware of his surroundings. He wore a silver flying feather mask that covered half of his face, making him look mysterious and enchanting. The expression behind the mask couldn't be seen clearly, which made him even more enigmatic. As he walked out from behind the screen, he stripped off the disguise that had been covering his masculine attire. His wig was tossed aside, his long skirt was torn open, and his necklace was ripped off without mercy... Each piece of disguise was discarded as he moved, as if their existence had made Luo Fei feel suffocated, yet they were impossible to shake off. This moment of shedding them was the true desire in Luo Fei's heart.
Sweating with red face, pretending to be ugly, unable to cry out tears
Who is willing to wear a mask and who is whose mask?
If I'm lucky enough to get your true heart wearing a fake mask for life, I'd be willing...
He sang out every sentence with great force, as if the previous oppressive and gloomy singing had caused him immense pain. At this moment, he must vent his emotions that wanted to destroy everything through loud singing.
The audience stands up, this song is too familiar to everyone. When was it that it was popular on the streets and alleys, being recited by countless people as an inner holy scripture in the depths of extremely painful nights.
This is Shu Mu's song, Shu Mu's signature song, "The Mask".
This song was the first collaboration between 22-year-old Shu Mu and 25-year-old Shi Dongning, requiring extremely high singing skills and rich inner emotions. It is said that Shu Mu recorded nearly a hundred times before completing this song.
The brilliance of this song propelled it to the top spot on various music charts as soon as it was released. At that time, network downloads were not yet popular, and people still used round CD players to repeatedly loop a disc. For many people, this album was their first CD in life, playing for themselves on their own nights.
Luo Fei, how dare you sing this song!
The audience's ears are the most fastidious, especially for such a classic that made Shu Mu red in the Chinese music scene for ten years. Luo Fei's interpretation only needs to have slight flaws, and it is enough for him to be ruthlessly abandoned by all the audience.
But no, he didn't just have no problem at all, and the emotions hidden between every word and sentence were even more destructive than Shu Mu's back then.
It's like... this is what he has been wanting to confess to everyone for a long time but didn't know how to start.
"Sweating with red face, pretending to be ugly, unable to cry out tears..."
Thunderous applause, the audience stood up, even singing along with the music. On stage, Luo Fei wore a silver mask, singing and dancing passionately with his female partner. He effortlessly glided between different partners, embracing them to the rhythm of the music, cherishing and loving them, only to abandon them heartlessly. Underneath the mask, his expression remained obscure, but there was no need to see his face, for his emotions were all in the song.
The ending of the song is a long segment similar to an aria, which is also the most challenging part of the song in terms of technique and emotion. Luo Fei leaves all his dance partners behind, standing alone at the center of the stage, surrounded by so many people, yet it seems as if no one is his ally, and he is the only one left in this world. He sings solo, his voice no longer filled with outbursts and anger, but seemingly releasing all emotions, leaving only exhaustion and helplessness, and a hint of heartache.
"Is that what he wanted to say?" A voice whispered from the shadows beside the stage, where the spotlight couldn't reach, behind Li Jin.
Li Jin had been standing here listening for a long time. The person appeared behind him after Luo Fei's performance. Without turning his head, he knew who the newcomer was. At this moment, hearing him speak, he didn't feel surprised at all, but just smiled faintly and replied: "Words are so pale, it's better to sing. Different flavors, different opinions, let everyone appreciate them in songs."
Lu Xiao Yun also smiled and said calmly: "Congratulations, you won, you can stay."
Li Jin tilted his head slightly, but didn't look at him: "Thanks for not making things difficult for me." He paused, "As the young master of the Lu family, it's easy for you to make things difficult for me, isn't it?"
Lu Xiao Yun's eyes were deep and sunken, his voice low and sarcastic: "Young Master Lu? He's just a bastard son who can't see the light of day."
The real estate mogul Lu family has three sons, two of whom are in the family business, openly competing with each other. Another son is said to have been born out of wedlock while studying abroad and only returned to the family at the age of ten or so, and has since lived overseas, never getting involved in family affairs.
Who would have thought that the legendary Lu Gongzi, who was said to have disappeared, had actually returned home quietly and relied on his own efforts to accumulate a deep network of connections, reaching his current position.
Li Jintou was also shocked when he found out about this heavy news through his friend's inquiry.
However, with some guesswork, he could figure out a thing or two. Lu Xiaoyun's two older brothers were eyeing the family property like tigers, and every day was a dog-eat-dog fight. Once their father passed away, it seemed unlikely that this unfeeling younger brother would be left with even half a penny. Lu San Gongzi's good life wouldn't last long if he didn't start making his own plans soon; who else could he rely on?
This was someone else's business, and Li Jin wasn't interested, but there was one thing that he just couldn't figure out.
"Manager Lu, I have no grudges against you in the past or present. No matter how hard I think, I just can't figure out what I did to offend you that you must force me to resign." Li Jin turned his head and looked at Lu Xiao Yun, "I wonder if you could do me a favor and tell me?"
Lu Xiao Yun laughed: "Your connections aren't very powerful, are they? You were able to investigate my background, why not investigate why I'm making things difficult for you?"
Li Jin didn't respond, he had already made up his mind to get an answer from him.
Lu Xiayun was also a calm and collected person, but he couldn't help but watch Ruo Fei's performance on stage. After Ruo Fei finished his extremely difficult high-pitched solo, it was as if the painter had captured the most beautiful sunrise of his life - all passion, joy, pain, and entanglement came to an abrupt end at that moment. With a forceful motion, he tore off the mask from his face and threw it high into the air, then suddenly lost strength and knelt down on the stage.
The silence in the audience lasted for a full half minute.
Immediately followed by prolonged and thunderous applause that shook the sky.
"Then just...". Amidst the thunderous applause, Lu Xiao Yun's voice returned to its usual playful and irreverent tone, "Consider me a psychological deviant who can't bear to see others succeed and rise through the ranks."
After finishing speaking, he didn't even look at the stage and turned around to leave.
