Chapter Fifty-One: Attending a Commercial Performance
Early the next morning, Jiang Yun awoke to a severe headache. He touched the back of his head and discovered a large bump.
“What happened? How did I get this lump? Who hit me while I was asleep?!”
He sent a message to Li Lulu: “Come to my room!”
Knock, knock, knock!
Li Lulu tapped on the door.
“Come in.”
Li Lulu entered the room. “Boss, what’s wrong?”
“Why do I have a bump on the back of my head? Who hit me?”
Li Lulu hesitated, feeling guilty—she certainly couldn’t admit that when Jiang Yun was drunk, she hadn’t supported him properly and he’d fallen to the floor.
“I don’t know either!”
Jiang Yun didn’t pursue the matter further. He got up and made breakfast, preparing two salmon sandwiches and squeezing two glasses of orange juice.
He took out his phone and sent another message to Li Lulu: “Time to eat!”
Click!
Li Lulu opened the door.
“Boss, what’s with you? We’re so close, yet you keep messaging me?”
“Too lazy to speak.”
“You—” Li Lulu almost swore.
After breakfast, Jiang Yun began writing. He finished thirty thousand words, split them into ten chapters, and uploaded them. “Battle Horses Above the Firmament” had reached its thousandth chapter.
The number of Alliance Masters had surpassed three hundred, with twenty Gold Masters alone.
Jiang Yun stretched, relieving his muscles a bit.
He sent another message to Li Lulu: “Come to my room!”
Beep!
Li Lulu was lying in bed, idly scrolling, when Jiang Yun’s message arrived.
She opened it: “Come to my room!”
Her heart began to race—was the boss finally going to make a move on her? If he did, should she agree or refuse?
Hesitating, she walked to Jiang Yun’s room.
Knock, knock, knock!
“Come in.”
Li Lulu entered, closed the door, and, with a small hand behind her back, locked it.
“Why are you locking the door in broad daylight?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing!” Li Lulu’s face flushed, her imagination running wild.
“Any recent engagements?”
“Hello? Any engagements lately?”
“Huh?” Li Lulu snapped back. “Boss, what did you just say?”
“I asked, any engagements lately?”
Li Lulu was speechless—was this really all the boss wanted to ask?
“Boss, you called me just for this?”
“What else?”
“Alright.” Li Lulu sighed inwardly, disappointed that her anticipation was so thoroughly dashed. “Nothing much recently. But yesterday, I got a call about a commercial performance. Are you interested?”
“How much is the appearance fee? What kind of event is it? Who’s the organizer?”
Faced with Jiang Yun’s barrage of questions, Li Lulu replied, “They're offering three million. You only need to sing. The organizer is WANDA Commercial Group.”
Jiang Yun nodded. Three million? A bit low—his songs now fetched five million in copyright fees alone.
Still, better than nothing. Besides, WANDA Commercial Group was wealthy—it was an opportunity to make connections.
“Go ahead and accept it.”
“Boss, you’re going to perform commercially?” Li Lulu’s voice was sharp.
“Yes, why?”
“A commercial show!”
“Yes, why?”
“It’s just... a commercial show. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”
“What’s there to consider?”
“I thought you never did commercial performances,” Li Lulu asked.
“Hey? Who told you that?!”
“I noticed you never did any, from debut until now.”
“Ha!”
Jiang Yun laughed, saying, “It used to be because I had no time. Now, I have time! And don’t look down on commercial shows—the income isn’t less than appearing on TV programs!”
“Alright! I’ll prepare right away!”
Li Lulu opened the door and left.
Jiang Yun, in good spirits today, wrote another thirty thousand words, split into ten chapters, and uploaded them.
“OK! One step closer to finishing! Then comes the TV adaptation, the movie!” Jiang Yun amused himself with these thoughts.
The next morning, Jiang Yun and Li Lulu boarded a plane bound for Summer Capital.
They exited the airport, where someone was holding a sign with Jiang Yun’s name.
Jiang Yun and Li Lulu walked over, removed their masks.
“You’ve arrived, Teacher Jiang Yun!” The greeter was exceedingly polite.
Jiang Yun nodded.
“Please get in the car!” The greeter opened the door of a Porsche.
Jiang Yun and Li Lulu got in.
The driver started the car and took them away.
He drove them to a hotel and arranged for Jiang Yun to check in.
It was noon now. The greeter arranged lunch for Jiang Yun; the commercial performance would start in an hour.
Jiang Yun was staying at the WANDA Hotel, a five-star establishment. Today was its trial opening, and the commercial performance was meant to promote it.
Jiang Yun and Li Lulu entered the restaurant. Since Jiang Yun had to sing soon, he ate very little.
Li Lulu, luckier since she didn’t have to perform, surveyed the dazzling buffet and began feasting.
“Hic!”
Li Lulu slumped in her chair, hiccupping continuously.
Jiang Yun looked at her with utter helplessness.
When it was time for the show, Jiang Yun went to the dressing room. He wore a yellow sweater and black pants.
He waited backstage.
Because it was an open-air event, backstage was just a simple partition.
Li Lulu came over. “Boss, guess who I saw?”
“Who?”
“I actually saw two singers: Hua Yu and Mao Yi!”
“Really?” Jiang Yun was surprised.
He said, “See, don’t look down on commercial shows. Do you still despise them?”
“Mm, mm, mm!” Li Lulu shook her head vigorously.
The performance began.
At the front, Hua Yu was singing passionately, and Jiang Yun prepared himself.
The host announced, “Let’s thank Hua Yu and Mao Yi for their performances. Now, it’s time for our special guest.”
“Let’s welcome Jiang Yun!”
“Oh my God, it’s Jiang Yun!”
The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.
Jiang Yun walked onto the stage.
The drumbeat began: “Words are empty, your passionate promises drift away with the west wind.”
“Wow!” The audience applauded.
Jiang Yun smiled: “Foolish dreams, my devoted longing, like withered flowers fading away.”
The drumbeat grew intense, Jiang Yun sang with deep feeling: “A spark ignites, my passionate gaze once lit up the brightest sky.”
“…"
“So love and hate intertwine, people grow thin, I fear these pains are without cause. So joy and sorrow rise and fall, people grow silent, wait a while, these wounds will be free.”
...
After finishing his song, Jiang Yun stepped offstage, changed into a punk outfit, and returned to sing.
“Doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo, doo doo doo.”
“Is leaving truly cruel, or is gentleness the shameful thing?”
“Wow!” The audience applauded, their spirits soaring.
“Or maybe loneliness doesn’t matter,
No day, no night, no conditions.
Is there really danger ahead?
…
A step forward is dusk,
A step back is life.
…
Just as one wave subsides,
Another rises to invade.”
As the song ended, the audience burst into applause.
Jiang Yun calmed himself and asked, “What song would you like to hear next?”