Chapter 6 Revealing One's Edge (Part 1)

At first glance, Cen Ye seemed no different than usual. He wore the same clothes and had his hair coolly parted down the middle. However, under the stage lights, his handsome face appeared somewhat pale, lacking the lively color of everyday life.

Xu Xunsheng ordered a lemon soda and watched quietly.

The young man obviously already had some fans. As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he set off a round of screaming from the girls, "Xiaoye Xiaoye Xiaoye!" There were also men cheering for him, "Xiaoye!" "Awesome!"

He showed no expression, focused on tuning his instrument, then exchanged looks and hand gestures with his bandmates. Music sounded, and the man in his early twenties appeared solemn with a sadness and maturity that didn't match his age, which made Xu Xunsheng want to laugh. But when he began to sing, her laughter ceased.

The smooth, powerful rhythm started to unravel a man's deep thoughts. He was a smart man, or rather, they were a smart band, adept at enhancing his vocal tones.

The man's voice soared like an eagle in the sky, flowed like an endless river, and through the sound system, it became more spacious and enriched. Just by listening to a single line, you would feel every inch of your skin relaxing as if you were submerged in the sea. It made you want to hear more, to receive more.

As everyone was instantly captivated by his voice, he just gripped the microphone, eyes sometimes closed, sometimes open. You could see his chest gently vibrating and his hair lightly fluttering; only then did you suddenly realize how profound that face was.

After the continuous, increasingly rapid chanting, came the guitar, bass, drums, and a series of keyboard notes, as if bursting from the depths of hell, waking the audience as if from a trance. But it was too late. The handsome, decadent, indifferent young man grabbed the mic, leaped up, and a high-pitched melody reverberated through the entire bar. And then another line, and another... He picked up the guitar and played a complex, fierce rhythm, instantly drowning out all other sounds. The young man then suddenly knelt on the ground, and in that moment, Xu Xunsheng was almost sure; his eyes of despair saw no one, only his own world. He finally sang out the saddest, most powerful, and impactful lyrics. Behind him, Zhang Tianyao, Zhao Tan... everyone's expressions changed, they went crazy, and every finger seemed about to break free from the strings.

The crowd burst into intense screams and howls, some girls in the front row shook madly, grabbing the edge of the stage; if it weren't for the bar's bouncers nearby, they probably would have tried their hardest to climb up. At this moment, what was Cen Ye's expression?

He was slightly out of breath, turned his head to look at the audience, as if gazing into the distance. His eyes were filled with unwavering sharpness.

Before Xu Xunsheng realized it, her eyes began to feel warm, and her palms were hot too. Her heartbeat seemed no longer her own, just like everyone else's, it was taken away by him. She couldn't help but stare at his eyes, yet of course, he would not see her. She also knew that at this moment, he wouldn't notice anything else.

Chaomu Band's performance at Xiangcheng's famous Livehouse, Heika Bar, was a great success. After playing the four set songs and responding to the fans' fervent calls for an encore with two additional numbers, Chaomu Band rose from obscurity in Xiangcheng to become a new power player. In just half a month, Cen Ye's personal Weibo followers soared from a mere few hundred to over five thousand.

But that's a story for another time.

That day, Xu Xunsheng listened to all six of their songs. At this moment, she felt grateful and full of admiration. Good music is supposed to touch the soul, and they had done just that. And it was because of them that she could be so moved this evening.

She decided to continue providing free afternoon tea when they came to the practice room in the future.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Chaomu Band left the stage, glorious in their exit to the backstage. The crowd seemed to relax completely at this point, taking a break while waiting for the next band to perform. Xu Xunsheng was fiddling with her phone when it rang.

"Xu Xunsheng, did you see our performance?" It was Zhang Tianyao.

With similar noise on both ends, Xu Xunsheng had to lean down, cover the phone, and shout, "I saw it, it was awesome."

"We're going to have a late-night meal to celebrate, with a few friends, come join us?"

Xu Xunsheng said, "No thanks, you guys have fun."

But the boy acted as if he hadn't heard her, "Meet us at the back door of the bar, everyone is waiting for you, hurry up!" And he hung up.

Xu Xunsheng picked up her bag, asked a security guard for directions, and made her way to the back door of the bar, which lead to a secluded alley connected to a residential area. Sure enough, several boys were waiting there, all smoking, with an unpleasant smell. There were also two girls and two unfamiliar men who seemed to be musicians.

Xu Xunsheng spotted Cen Ye immediately. Not because he was the tallest or the best-looking, but because he happened to be standing in a well-lit spot, without a hat, his face half in light and half in shadow. Smoke rose from his pale, slender fingers, lingering around him.

"Xiaoye sang brilliantly today," a stranger patted his shoulder. Cen Ye smiled, a smile that was completely different from the lazy or slightly mocking ones before. He smiled unrestrainedly, a deep smile, like a genuinely contented man.

Seeing Xu Xunsheng come out, he looked over, his smile still on his face, but Xu Xunsheng could see a certain deep color in his eyes, rising to the surface. She thought it might be the profound guardedness he showed towards unfamiliar people.

"Xu Xunsheng, you're here," Zhang Tianyao came over naturally, looking very happy, "Let's go, let's have some fun together." As soon as he finished speaking, everyone moved, and the two girls also looked at Xu Xunsheng but said nothing.

Xu Xunsheng: "I don't..." Before she could finish, someone suddenly pushed her gently from behind, and she stumbled into their midst. She looked back but saw Cen Ye, Huizi, and Zhao Tan talking to another man, as if no one had pushed her and nobody had noticed.

Xu Xunsheng had always been go-with-the-flow. To refuse now would seem pretentious, so she followed them quietly.

Not far away was a late-night food joint. The group rushed in, the musicians' dress and demeanor different from ordinary folks, naturally drawing many looks. They sat down, and Zhao Tan and Zhang Tianyao went to order. Xu Xunsheng originally picked a stool in the corner, with a girl on one side and Huizi on the other. Huizi suddenly smiled, switched places, and left the spot next to her free.

"Xiaoye, what are your plans next?" a man asked. "Today's show was so successful, it was explosive, there will be no shortage of performance opportunities after this!"

Cen Ye smiled and said, "What's tonight? Our band will reach higher and further places."

Everyone laughed, and Cen Ye didn't mind. He tore open the plastic packaging of the utensils, sitting next to another girl, quite pretty, in a short skirt, wearing bunny ears. As soon as she reached out saying, "Xiaoye, let me," Cen Ye retorted, "Do I not have hands?"

Xu Xunsheng noticed that although the girl was sitting next to him, he almost always leaned away, his back towards her, showing he didn't want to interact.

The girl next to Xu Xunsheng was likely the girlfriend of the keyboard player, Zhang Hai. Zhang Hai draped an arm over the girl's shoulder, a cigarette hanging from his lips, saying, "Exactly, we should capitalize on the popularity, do more gigs, and make more money."

Cen Ye smoked, a slight smile in his eyes, it was unclear whether he agreed or disagreed.

"Can you stomach this kind of place?" he suddenly asked.

Everyone quieted. Xu Xunsheng looked up and realized he was asking her. She replied, "I've eaten here before."

Then Cen Ye suddenly laughed, and Xu Xunsheng didn't know what he was laughing at. The girl next to him, however, looked at Xu Xunsheng a few times more, her gaze not warm. Xu Xunsheng's expression remained calm.

"We rented her band's rehearsal room," Cen Ye explained to the others. "A complete set of Dixon Artisan drums, Fender 1956, 1960..."

The others exclaimed in admiration, Huizi smiled and teased him.

"How much is the rent?" someone asked.

Cen Ye answered nonchalantly, "50 bucks an hour."

"What the hell, how is it so cheap?" someone laughed, "Beauty, had I known about such a good deal, I'd have rented it too!"

Cen Ye's long fingers tapped on the table, a smile curling on his lips: "It's only because I sing well that I got this special price. With your crappy duck voice, she would probably raise the price if you went."

Xu Xunsheng silently sipped tea from her cup, listening to him boast.