Volume 1, Chapter 136: Jiang Yu and the Audience—The Tables Have Turned

"Plain Face!"
"Plain Face!"
"Plain Face!"

As the familiar melody began, every member of the audience in the venue started shouting the song title. Over fifty thousand people inside, plus countless others outside, shouted the title together with such thunderous volume that it felt as if they wanted the entire city to know the name of this song.

As Jiang Yu said, "My dear audience, I have missed you so much!" the venue erupted into another wave of enthusiastic screams.

"If I look at you one more time, will I still feel the same, oh~"
"Back then, you were as pure as could be without a trace of makeup."
"No eyeliner to look mature, no need to smooth on foundation."
"Walking the streets in a downpour, giggling at others for having their makeup run."

This was the first time Jiang Yu had entered the public eye; it was because of this song that he first gained everyone's attention. For Jiang Yu, this song held extraordinary significance. That was why he chose it to open the show.

His fans still remembered the video where they first met Jiang Yu. It was a small bistro—not exactly poor, but not exactly grand either. In that little bistro appeared a fresh, clean-cut young man, sitting there and singing elegantly, as if pouring out his story.

In the audience, Wang Yu swung his glow stick with all his might, singing along at the top of his lungs with a broken heart, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. It was as if he were trying to vent all the bitterness in his heart. They had known each other for six years; he still remembered what they were like when they first got together—so innocent and shy. He had bought tickets to his favorite singer's concert, but the person beside him had already become someone else—the person in the song.

You don't understand the meaning of the lyrics when you first hear the song; by the time you understand, you are already the person living it.

Wang Peng, seeing his friend in such a state, wanted to comfort him, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know what to say. He, too, had once had such a heart-wrenching relationship, but it was all in the past now. A man has to go through a heartbreak to truly grow up. "Brother Wang Yu, today is the day you are reborn from the ashes."

Soon, the first song ended. The entire venue fell silent. All the spectators looked at Jiang Yu, waiting for him to speak.

Looking at the lovely audience in the venue, Jiang Yu raised his microphone and smiled. "My dear fans, both inside and outside the venue, thank you. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"It was the song 'Plain Face' that brought me into the public eye, so I sang it as the first track. But I know this song makes many people empathize, so to lighten the mood, I have a sweet little song for you all."

A cheerful melody began to play once again.

***

As the music started, the familiar melody reached everyone's ears. All the audience members shouted loudly once more.

"Why Not!"
"Why Not!"
...

While singing this song, Jiang Yu couldn't help but glance toward the backstage area. Seeing that beautiful silhouette, he recalled every little moment he had spent with Su Muyu—from their initial acquaintance to falling in love, moving in next door, and now singing for her on the concert stage.

It was just like the lyrics of the song:
"The sky really wants to rain, and I really want to live next door to you."
"Standing foolishly downstairs at your place, looking up and counting the dark clouds."
"If a piano appeared in the scene, I would sing for you, even if buckets of water were poured down on me."
...

Su Muyu’s eyes were filled with tenderness. Watching the boy who had eyes only for her, she couldn't believe that the once-stubborn boy who had declared, "I must stand in front of you," had grown to this point so quickly. Now, he stood on stage, so brilliant and dazzling.

Watching the fans below waving their glow sticks to the melodic music, creating a unique starry sky in the dim audience, Su Muyu felt waves of emotion and a surge of pride. This was the one man she had chosen; this was the man who would accompany her for the rest of her life.

The music continued, but the vocals that followed did not come from the stage. They came from the packed audience.

"Singing this song for you, without any particular style."
"It simply means that I want you to be happy."
"Tossing and turning for you, giving up the world for you—why not?"
...

Listening to the audience singing along, Jiang Yu smiled and slowly moved the microphone toward them. Seeing his gesture, the audience sang even louder. Some sharp-eyed viewers noticed that Principal Wang in the audience was also waving his hands with excitement, and they were stunned.

Who was Principal Wang? He was known as the "Discipline Inspector of the Entertainment Industry." Seeing him so excited, he was clearly a fan of Jiang Yu. Some reporters who had snuck in captured this scene.

***

In the adjacent stadium, the boy bands were dancing and rapping with all their might on stage. The stage effects were no different from a nightclub dance floor, bustling and noisy. However, in the audience, aside from a few "fairies" shrieking that their idols were handsome, the atmosphere wasn't nearly as good. The girl groups were the same, working hard to wiggle their waists and touch their legs, but the response wasn't great either.

What they had in common was that there weren't many people in their venues. Being small venues to begin with, they were barely one-third full. This was enough to show that their concert was a total failure.

Just then, the sound of a synchronized chorus drifted over. Because the Shanghai Gymnasium was in the center of these smaller venues, all the surrounding areas could hear the singing. The sound even drowned out the traffic-driven idols on the nearby stages. The members of the boy and girl groups looked embarrassed. Compared to their concerts, the one next door was incredibly lively. The gap was simply too vast.

In the seats, many people began to leave one after another. They wanted to go to the next venue to see; even without tickets, they wanted to go over and take a look.

Outside the stadium, the scalpers were furious. This was something they had never encountered since they started scalping tickets. They had wanted to buy Jiang Yu's tickets, but he had released all his tickets directly, blocking their path completely. Helpless, they had chosen the tickets for these "traffic" idols, never expecting to lose so much money. They had been wiped out. They demanded refunds.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Jiang Yu had a new problem. He looked at the audience, feeling somewhat helpless. After the music started, the sound of the audience singing along completely drowned out his own voice.

He never expected it—the roles of Jiang Yu and the audience had been reversed.