Upon hearing Ye Cang's words, they all fell into deep thought.
Li Luan broke his usual routine and sat alone in the living room watching TV, looking at Ye Cang's face on the screen.
He sighed softly, "It really looks like it..."
Not only is their stage presence similar, but their demeanor is also very much like Lu Yang's.
Sometimes when he looked at Ye Cang, he felt as if he were seeing Lu Yang.
If Li Luan hadn't known that Lu Yang had no children and that Ye Cang's age didn't match up, he would have really thought the two were related by blood.
Just as Li Luan was lost in thought, his phone, which was lying next to him, suddenly rang.
Li Luan frowned, then relaxed a little when he saw that the name displayed was Li Zihang, and answered the phone.
Li Zihang exclaimed excitedly, "Grandpa! Did you see that?! Ye Cang won an award! He got the Cologne Prize!"
Li Luan hummed in agreement, indicating that he had heard her.
Li Zihang was as happy as if he had won an award himself, completely forgetting his previous fear of his grandfather, and kept rambling on and on.
After listening for a while, Li Luan suddenly asked, "Are you planning to go on vacation this month?"
Li Zihang: "Hmm? Yeah."
He was a little puzzled as to why his grandfather would suddenly bring up this matter.
Li Luan paused, his expression serious, and said, "Cancel your vacation and come back to brush up on your music theory. Your previous album could actually have been even better..."
Li Zihang: "???"
Li Luan said coldly, "Unwilling?"
Li Zihang: "No, it's not..."
Li Luan: "That's good. I asked your manager before, and she said you've been a bit lax lately. I heard you haven't even practiced the piano for the past few days? And you still have the nerve to say you love music?!"
Li Zihang: "..."
He was completely bewildered, almost to the point of tears. What on earth happened to his grandfather?! All that phone call to share the good news with him was for nothing!
Li Luan seemed to sense his grandson's grievance, paused, and said, "Didn't you keep saying you wanted to try a new arrangement style, but the company rejected it? I'll give you money to try it out!"
Li Zihang immediately perked up, and no wonder his grandfather canceled his vacation.
As Li Luan listened to his grandson rambling on about his views on music on the computer, his gaze shifted from the television screen to the sky outside the window.
With the increasing efforts of more and more people in music, perhaps we can truly return to the flourishing state of music thirty years ago.
In that case, you would be comforted if you were watching from heaven.
-
The topic has gone viral online.
[It was worth waiting for those few hours. When Nick said Ye Cang's name, I'm not exaggerating when I say that tears instantly streamed down my face.]
[Cangzai is absolutely right! Our country also has its own excellent music!]
I used to never listen to Chinese songs, only foreign music. I always thought that domestic songs were just catchy pop songs and internet hits. But after listening to "Rebirth," I think I need to change my mind. There are still many musicians quietly sticking to their craft, and I will support Chinese music from now on.
As an independent musician, I'm completely unsettled. I've been walking in the dark for so long that I'm almost losing track of whether I'm on the right path. But Ye Cang's words gave me direction: persevere, and excellent music will reap its due rewards.
Ye Cang is like the one who lit the torch, moving forward in the darkness with the faint light. But now, the companions who keep joining are gradually strengthening this light. One day, this light will break through the darkness, illuminate the night sky, and light the way ahead.
Aside from those online, the most excited were undoubtedly the media outlets.
Many media outlets sent reporters to the Cologne Awards this year, but when they tried to find Ye Cang for an interview and get firsthand information after the awards ceremony, they found that Ye Cang was nowhere to be found.
Ye Cang seemed to have vanished into thin air, and even his agent disappeared.
While all the reporters were frantically searching for Ye Cang in City C, Ye Cang and Shen Huai had already comfortably boarded a plane to Hong Kong.
As soon as the awards ceremony ended, the two avoided the public eye and went to the airport. However, they did not go directly back to Zhongjing, because they knew very well that Zhongjing Airport would be under close surveillance, and they would be discovered as soon as they stepped out of the airport.
So the two of them took a slightly longer route and flew to Hong Kong first, waiting for the public's enthusiasm to subside before transferring back to Beijing from Hong Kong.
After getting off the plane, the two immediately felt a refreshing coolness.
It had just rained, and the ground was still a little damp. A slightly salty sea breeze blew by, which felt very comfortable.
Ye Cang squinted and sensed the surroundings before saying to Shen Huai, "Since we're already here, let's play for a couple of days before going back."
Shen Huai was somewhat helpless. Ye Cang had just won the Cologne Award, which was the perfect time to expand his fame and influence. As his agent, he should have advised him to return to Zhongjing City immediately.
However, seeing the faint weariness on Ye Cang's face, Shen Huai hesitated.
They both knew that when they returned to Zhongjing, they would inevitably face a tough battle. As the largest record company in China, Huayu was not so easy to deal with.
Let's treat this as a brief indulgence before the big battle.
In the past, Mingwei and the others would probably have been calling non-stop, but since Shen Huai's identity was exposed, no matter how anxious Mingwei was, she didn't dare to urge her boss.
As a result, Shen Huai and Ye Cang enjoyed a period of great peace and quiet. Hong Kong's entertainment industry was highly developed and had its own circles. Although Ye Cang was well-known in mainland China, he had only been in the business for a short time and was not yet familiar to the general public in Hong Kong. Therefore, the two of them were quite comfortable during this period.
But even the most comfortable days have their limits. The two stayed in Hong Kong for two days and eventually had to go back.
The two planned to visit the Hong Kong Coliseum as their final stop. It is a landmark building in Hong Kong, and it can be said that singers from all over Hong Kong, and even all of China, hope to hold concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
The Hong Kong entertainment industry was fiercely competitive back then, and mainland singers were always looked down upon. Lu Yang was the first mainland singer to perform at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
Returning to this familiar place now, Ye Cang felt a mix of emotions.
Just as he was telling Shen Huai about the fun he had at his concert here back then, he suddenly heard a soft laugh.
The voice was light and sweet, and her Mandarin had a slight Hong Kong accent, so the ending notes were like hooks, carrying a hint of allure.
"Oh? Some people were so shy back then that they wouldn't even look at the backup dancers in bikinis, but now they dare to say anything?"
Ye Cang was surprised to be exposed, and without thinking, he replied, "It's not that I'm afraid to look, it's that I'm showing respect!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong and immediately turned around. He saw a sweet-smiling girl in the empty venue, her hands supporting her on a stool and her legs dangling.
Her eyes were wide open, her face small with delicate features. She wore a dress popular in the last century, her long black hair cascading down her back like ebony, and her skin fair with a healthy pink hue. She looked like an innocent little princess, gazing at the world with eyes full of curiosity.
Seeing Ye Cang looking over, she raised her eyebrows and revealed a smile that was not befitting a princess.
"haven't seen you for a long time."
Shen Huai suddenly pressed his hand to his chest and took the scalding amulet out of his pocket.
☆, Chapter 116
Previously, when Shen Huai and Ye Cang were playing in Dongjiang City, they had their fortunes told at a Taoist temple there, and the old Taoist priest who told the fortune gave Shen Huai a talisman.
Because the old Taoist priest's predictions were somewhat accurate, Shen Huai kept the amulet with him at all times and never took it off.
The moment he saw the girl, the amulet suddenly became scalding hot, and Shen Huai quickly took it out.
The girl looked at the amulet with some fear and floated back several meters.
Shen Huai glanced at the amulet in his hand, then looked at the girl. After his numerous ghost-seeing experiences, he had already guessed that this girl was probably a ghost as well. However, he wasn't very familiar with the Hong Kong entertainment industry, so he didn't recognize her at first.
Instead, Ye Cang blurted out the other person's name: "Tang Wanjun!"
Shen Huai snapped out of his daze. He was unfamiliar with the girl's face, but he couldn't help but recognize the name Tang Wanjun.
Tang Wanjun was a national sensation in the last century, known as the Queen of Love Songs. With her sweet appearance and captivating voice, she was the dream girl of countless people.
Later, at the height of her popularity, she was poisoned and murdered, which shocked almost the entire country. Her fans were devastated, and some even committed suicide in grief.
However, this case remains unsolved to this day, becoming a timeless mystery.
As Ye Cang called out the other person's name, the heat of the amulet slowly subsided. Shen Huai frowned slightly and put the amulet back into his pocket.
Seeing this, Tang Wanjun slowly floated back.
Ye Cang and Tang Wanjun had worked together on stage before and had some relationship, but Ye Cang had very complicated feelings about this two-faced senior.
Tang Wanjun circled around Ye Cang and Shen Huai, then asked curiously, "Was that person on TV really you? I thought I was seeing things. But you look much better now than before!"
Ye Cang: "..."
He hesitated for a moment before cautiously suggesting, "Senior Tang, you don't actually have to use that tone and expression when you speak."
"Oh?" Tang Wanjun rested her chin on her hand, then suddenly leaned closer to him, her eyes curving into crescent moons with a hint of mischief. "So, what kind of tone and expression do you want me to use? Alluring? Aloof? Gentle? Or like this—"
She suddenly bled from all seven orifices, startling Ye Cang who was standing nearby.
Tang Wanjun smiled and stepped back, her beautiful appearance restored.
"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore," Tang Wanjun said with a smile. "It was just a joke when I met an old friend. You're not angry, are you?"
Ye Cang sighed: "No."
After all, he already knew Tang Wanjun's true nature; he had seen things even more frightening than this.
Back then, he was just a newcomer who had just released an album, and he was somewhat reserved when working with a famous female star like Tang Wanjun.
At the time, his manager took him to visit the other party's record company. Out of curiosity, he walked around the building and saw a half-open door with something bustling inside.
Ye Cang pushed the door open and saw Tang Wanjun squatting on a chair with her skirt up, holding a piece of pork intestine in one hand and a handful of playing cards in the other, with white stripes pasted on her face.
In his excitement, he threw down his cards, shouting, "I won! I won! Give me the money!!"
From then on, the ethereal, otherworldly image she presented to others was completely shattered in Ye Cang's eyes.
Tang Wanjun was startled when Ye Cang recognized her, but since Ye Cang was not from Hong Kong and had no competitive relationship with her, she was able to show her true nature in front of Ye Cang.
The two of them actually became friends.
Tang Wanjun's fright reminded Ye Cang of those events from back then, and the initial awkwardness gradually disappeared.
Tang Wanjun no longer maintained her fairy-like demeanor, and sat down in the chair with a carefree attitude: "I was quite surprised when I saw you on TV. How did you become like this? Also, sir, he seems to be able to see me too! Aren't you going to introduce me?"
Ye Cang then said, "He is Shen Huai, my manager." He paused, then added, "He is also my lover."
Tang Wanjun's eyes widened: "Wow! Congratulations!"
She rubbed her hands together and said, "It's not appropriate to meet empty-handed for the first time. I buried some gold bars under the garden of my house. I don't need them now anyway. Rather than letting them go to someone else, why don't you try to dig them up? Consider it my gift of money."
Shen Huai and Ye Cang: "..."
Tang Wanjun: "I don't want the wedding candy anymore, can you cook me a plate of braised pork intestines instead?"