Chapter 53

The forest of lights was silent, all the guests with their mouths wide open, like a group of fish caught in a net and thrown ashore, staring at Cheng Xiaoyu, who was sitting under the spotlight, drenched in sweat.

There was no applause.

There were no cheers.

There were no flowers.

It was as if time and space had frozen, as if a scene had been captured. Only in the spotlight, countless dust particles were quietly swirling.

Holding the guitar, Cheng Xiaoyu seemed to have opened the gates of hell, becoming Uriel, the angel who governs the notes. (Uriel, also known as Urie, is the terrifying angel of wrath, one of the four archangels standing before God, along with Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Uriel means "Light of God" and "Fire of God." It is said that Uriel might be an archangel or a seraph. In his image, he is the seraph who guards the entrance to Eden with a flaming sword, his "千里眼" (千里眼 means "千里 eye," which can see through human sins and, in "Paradise Lost," exposed Satan's plot to invade Eden. He is also the angel who oversees lightning and fear. However, for some reason, some mystical sects (possibly Gnostics) believe that this righteous angel also governs poetry and music. Uriel's colors are purple, white, and pale blue. He is the angel of Monday and Wednesday, and also the angel of September. He is the angel who governs Venus, which represents God's love (light).)

Cheng Xiaoyu stood up from the stool, and this light movement reactivated the frozen space. The scattered dust was stirred up, swirling like outstretched wings under the light.

At this moment, applause erupted like a thunderclap, and no one remained seated.

Cheng Xiaoyu, holding his guitar, bowed to everyone. Then, someone led the audience in a bow to Cheng Xiaoyu.

This was a tribute to great music.

In that instant, Cheng Xiaoyu didn't know if the moisture in his eyes was sweat or tears. At that moment, he felt the greatness of music and his own sense of belonging. This song was not just a memory of countless lonely nights in another time and space, but also the joy of playing with his former band many times.

The audience's transition from silence to frenzy didn't take long. Countless roses were thrown onto the stage, and a rain of roses fell in the forest of lights. It wasn't that the people at the back didn't want to come forward; it was just that there were too many people in front, making it impossible to squeeze through.

While the rain of roses was still falling, the boss, Chen Jinglong, spoke through the speakers. Chen Jinglong cleared his throat and said, "The guest in booth 8 has just sent a set of 1600 RMB Remy Martin XO to every table in the bar to celebrate such a great performance." Chen Jinglong paused and added, "I also thank the guest in booth 8 on behalf of all the guests. All drinks in the bar will be half price. Please give another round of applause to our Evil Crown keyboardist, Cheng Xiaoyu." Before he finished speaking, a bartender raised a tray with flashing lights and began distributing the drinks to all the tables.

The applause was overwhelming, and Cheng Xiaoyu was also surprised by who had shown such generous support.

The 1600 RMB Remy Martin XO, which was usually ignored, was not in great supply in the bar. Chen Jinglong quickly called to have more delivered, fortunately, the liquor store was nearby, so there was no delay.

Chen Jinglong personally went to booth 8, where a group of young people were sitting. He learned that they all knew Cheng Xiaoyu. Chen Jinglong thanked them on Cheng Xiaoyu's behalf and said he would inform Cheng Xiaoyu to come and toast.

However, a very pretty short-haired girl instructed him not to bring Cheng Xiaoyu over and not to mention them. Chen Jinglong, though puzzled, smiled and agreed. For such a generous guest, he had no reason to refuse any request.

Du Xing, however, looked pale, undoubtedly having lost, and lost without any chance of resistance.

Liu Huaming and Qin Yi stood beside Du Xing, not showing much disappointment. They were comforting Du Xing.

Qin Yi patted Du Xing's shoulder and whispered, "Losing to such a genius is not a disgrace but an honor. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

Liu Huaming also put aside her dislike for Cheng Xiaoyu. The intelligent Liu Huaming understood that in the face of absolute talent, one could only submit. At that moment, her mind was filled with those enchanting melodies. She thought further, wanting to get songs written by Cheng Xiaoyu. This idea, once it sprouted, could not be suppressed, but it was not the right time. She could only comfort Du Xing, "Qin Yi is right. We should be grateful to have heard such music."

Du Xing, however, did not think so. He felt that Qin Yi and Liu Huaming were talking without feeling the pain. They were not the ones who had lost. He had always considered himself a genius, but today he realized how far he was from true genius. He had chosen the guitar, a relatively obscure instrument in China, to become a unique presence. However, this dream was shattered by Cheng Xiaoyu before it even began.

His pain was not just from losing but from Cheng Xiaoyu's performance, the unparalleled techniques that left him with no hope of surpassing.

Du Xing's handsome face was filled with a grim despair. He quickly walked to the stage, where ten bottles of beer he had ordered were placed on the speakers. Du Xing picked up a bottle and drank it in one go.

Qin Yi hurried over and picked up a bottle to drink with Du Xing.

Liu Huaming hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked over and took a sip from a bottle.

Fu Xiyue, standing a bit away, saw the situation and wanted to help but was pushed away by Du Xing.

Liu Huaming reached out to comfort the embarrassed Fu Xiyue, smiling lightly, "He's taking it hard. Don't be mad at him."

Fu Xiyue actually had a good impression of Du Xing; otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to come out with Liu Huaming so easily. Seeing Du Xing's cold expression, she knew he was venting his frustration. Fu Xiyue didn't blame Du Xing; she only regretted stopping Cheng Xiaoyu. She lowered her head and said to Liu Huaming, "I'm not mad at him. I was the one who caused trouble today."

Liu Huaming, as if she had completely forgotten that the incident was her fault, was still excited and whispered, "Which... which high school student was it? He really played the guitar well!"

Fu Xiyue, lost in her regret and heartbreak, didn't notice Liu Huaming's abnormality and subconsciously replied, "Cheng Xiaoyu."

Liu Huaming saw that nine of the ten bottles of beer, except for the one she still had half of, had been almost finished by Du Xing and Qin Yi. She patted Fu Xiyue's shoulder and said, "Don't take it to heart. When you have time, call Cheng Xiaoyu out, and I'll apologize to him."

Fu Xiyue, not suspecting anything, replied softly, "Okay." By then, Du Xing and Qin Yi had finished their drinks and, with foam on their lips, walked awkwardly toward the bar's exit. She didn't know whether to follow.

Liu Huaming casually placed the remaining half bottle of beer on the speaker and said to Fu Xiyue, "I'll go first." She made a gesture of calling on the phone and, once Du Xing and Qin Yi were a bit further away, followed them out.

There was no mocking or jeering in the bar. Du Xing's performance was also impressive, and if not for Cheng Xiaoyu's extraordinary talent, it would have been hard for anyone to beat Du Xing today. Many girls still clapped for the dejected Du Xing.

Cheng Xiaoyu, standing beside Xia Shamo, felt no particular emotion toward the others. To him, such a victory was tasteless. Seeing Fu Xiyue standing alone, looking lost, Cheng Xiaoyu walked over and smiled, whispering, "Want another drink?"

Fu Xiyue didn't even look at Cheng Xiaoyu, shaking her head lightly, clearly not in the mood to speak.

Cheng Xiaoyu, unable to maintain his smile, said, "I'm really sorry. Let me take you home." He said goodbye to the band and escorted Fu Xiyue out.

As Cheng Xiaoyu and Fu Xiyue walked out, the guests in the bar started to cheer, clearly misunderstanding their relationship. This performance had made everyone remember this impressive fat guy.

Cheng Xiaoyu, hearing the cheers, could only smile at the well-meaning guests.

In the booth, Xu Qinling was excited. Cheng Xiaoyu's win was so impressive that it made her dance and hug Su Yuxi a few times. Although she didn't know why she was so happy, she took out her phone and started texting Cheng Xiaoyu.

The guest in booth 8 who sent Remy Martin XO to the entire audience was none other than Su Yuxi and Xu Qinling.

When the music ended, Xu Qinling's face was flushed, and she pulled Huang Xiaqi, who was sitting on the sofa, staring in disbelief at Cheng Xiaoyu on stage, "Go buy flowers, what are you waiting for?"

Xu Qinling had left home without any money, as she was still in a punishment period and had no money at all. Su Yuxi usually didn't carry much cash, just a few hundred RMB, as she had no significant expenses, and many of her clothes were sponsored by magazines.

Huang Xiaqi, unaware of Cheng Xiaoyu's relationship with Su Yuxi, said, "Oh," and called a bartender, taking out a thousand RMB, "Send 100 roses to that fat guy."

The bartender didn't take the money, saying, "Sir, I'm really sorry, but we have no more roses. We can't send them even if you want to."

Huang Xiaqi looked at Xu Qinling helplessly, "There's nothing I can do. It's not that I don't want to support him, but I can't!"

Xu Qinling slapped Huang Xiaqi on the back of the head, "What are you saying? 'That fat guy, that fat guy!' His name is Cheng Xiaoyu, and you should call him Brother Yu."

Huang Xiaqi pushed Xu Qinling's hand away, "Sister Qin, what are you doing! I can lose my head, I can lose my blood, but I can't mess up my hair! He's just a bar singer, do you really need to tell me to call him brother?"

Su Yuxi turned to the slightly annoyed Huang Xiaqi and said softly, "The fat guy on stage is my brother." This was the first time Su Yuxi had spoken to Huang Xiaqi that night.

Huang Xiaqi's face, which had been full of dissatisfaction, turned to disbelief. He looked at Su Yuxi's beautiful face and then at Cheng Xiaoyu on stage, stammering, "Su Yuxi, he's really your brother?" His face was full of complex fear.

Su Yuxi nodded. This was the first time she had admitted her relationship with Cheng Xiaoyu in front of others. Even in front of Xu Qinling, she had only not denied it, never saying it outright.

Huang Xiaqi, looking at Su Yuxi's side face, felt a sense of soul-shattering beauty, a dream he could never achieve. He steadied himself and took out his wallet, seeing that he didn't have much cash, and handed a card to the bartender, "Send 5000 roses, and if you don't have them, go buy them."

The bartender was stunned and didn't dare to take the card, stammering, "It's late, and there's probably nowhere to buy flowers."

Xu Qinling slapped Huang Xiaqi on the back of the head again, "Are you stupid? Do you think you're chasing a girl? What's a few lousy flowers worth?" She turned to the terrified bartender, "What's the most expensive drink in your bar?"

Huang Xiaqi, helpless with Xu Qinling, could only protect his side, afraid she would hit him again.

The bartender, without hesitation, replied, "Remy Martin XO, 1600 RMB per set, includes a fruit platter, six sodas, and two snacks."

Xu Qinling snatched the credit card from Huang Xiaqi and handed it to the bartender, "One for everyone in the bar."

The bartender, in a suit and tie, felt his brain was about to explode. The world in front of him seemed to be collapsing. He had never seen such a generous spender. He looked at Xu Qinling, who was still wearing sunglasses, and said, "Wait, I can't make that decision. I'll call the boss!"

Chen Jinglong, hearing the bartender's complaint, quickly came over. He remembered this table of guests because it had many beautiful women, including two exceptional ones.

Chen Jinglong, slightly bowing, listened to Huang Xiaqi repeat what Xu Qinling had said. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Sending one to everyone isn't necessary. We don't have enough Remy Martin XO, and we can't keep track of who gets what. How about one set per table?"

Chen Jinglong, a conscientious businessman, didn't want to take advantage of these young people.

Huang Xiaqi, spending hundreds of thousands of RMB, didn't feel a bit of pain. Cheng Xiaoyu was more important than his own brother. If this money could make Su Yuxi smile, it was worth it. Although he wasn't a millionaire who could spend such sums without feeling, he could spend up to ten thousand RMB a month.

Huang Xiaqi, seeing Chen Jinglong's consideration, didn't appreciate it, waving his hand impatiently, "One set per person, no more talk. It's worth a few hundred thousand to support Brother Yu!"

Chen Jinglong, realizing Cheng Xiaoyu knew these people, felt even more responsible and patiently explained the difficulty of implementing this plan, trying to persuade Huang Xiaqi to give up. For Chen Jinglong, one set per table was already a good profit. One set per person was too much to ask.

Huang Xiaqi was even more at a loss, having never experienced the frustration of having money but not being able to spend it. He looked at Xu Qinling helplessly. He didn't dare to look at Su Yuxi, only stealing glances.

Xu Qinling, though eccentric, wasn't unreasonable. She didn't want to listen to Chen Jinglong's rambling and said, "Fine, one bottle per table, and say it's to support Cheng Xiaoyu!"

Chen Jinglong smiled and agreed, feeling for the first time that making money could be a burden. As he left, he asked if they wanted to call Cheng Xiaoyu over.

Xu Qinling quickly instructed Chen Jinglong not to call Cheng Xiaoyu and not to mention them.

Thus, the scene of the entire bar receiving drinks began.

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