Trafford’s Trading Club

“Now the last replacement singer will come up to the singers’ stage!”

The MC introduced, “I think everybody must be very curious about this new replacement singer! Who is he? Oh, I can give you some hints! As far as I know, this replacement singer has previously formed in a band with Cheng Yiran, who almost got full tickets at the last program!”

However… the entire hall burst into an enthusiastic… boos, rather than applause!

Only dozens of people voiced ‘whoa’—there were all the audiences from the last program. And most of their counterparts could only watch today’s program on the Internet, or by replay.

They had a lot of complaints about the so-called champion from the last program.

The MC didn’t expect such a situation… and it seemed hard for him to calm down audiences’ emotions.

But he had thick skin and faked a smile, “It seems that everybody is enthusiastic. Then, let us not wait and welcome the last singer today!”

Upon hearing the MC’s words, Hong Guan took a deep breath and walked out through the tunnel. And now… two other youths were beside him.

They took a glance at each other, nodding, and stepping out while holding each other’s shoulders.

The gymnasium was as quiet,,, scarily quiet. Hong Guan bit the bullet, walking to the lead singer’s area while carrying Cheng Yiran’s guitar.

The other two reached for the electronic organ and the drum set separately!

It was still quiet… Hong Guan knew that he was not famous and was just a stranger to the audience. He came to this stage because of an opportunity.

So the audiences’ reaction was normal.

He looked around all the seats in rows, and deeply breathed. He took up the microphone, saying in a nervous but strong tone, “I know I broke some rules… but please let me explain before I start the performance. Because I know, I may have not have a chance to stand on such a big stage and say these words… Thank you.”

Hong Guan made a deep bow to them.

The audience was silent as usual… they looked at the stage, the screen, and the three ugly guys… ‘Who are they?’

Nobody knew them, except Cheng Yiran, who panted air with sweat all over him, after getting the bass from the old guy with wild-curl up, and rushing to the entrance of the stage.

He was surprised at Hong Guan… and the two beside him, “Why did they all come here?”

They were the two original members in the Again band(except Xiaomeng, who was gone), but they had already quit!

“Cheng Yiran!”

Hong Guan raised his head and shouted through the microphone, “Cheng Yiran!! Can you hear me? Are you here looking at me? I’m Hong Guan! He is Xiaoyao! And he is Laomo!! Are you watching us!! We’re over here!!! We’re all over here!!!”

“I’m sorry!” Hong Guan deeply breathed, and roared while all members were shocked, “I’m sorry!! We quit one after another that year!! We were destroying our previous promise!! Life! Livelihoods! Pressure! We are pressed by the reality! We had to give it up! For our existence! Sorry! We’re all cowards! I’m sorry!”

“To be honest! I hated you before! That moment, I was jealous of you! I never thought you would get recognition not long after I quit! And you stepped on the stage we never expected! I was really jealous! And I had to complain to myself, why did I not insist for some days longer!”

“But that day in the studio, when I watched your rehearsal, you sang ‘Again’ on the stage. I suddenly realized that… that we never gave as much as you did!”

“Yiran! Cheng Yiran! Are you around? Are you looking at us! We’re all here now!!” A faint white and silver light floated in Hong Guan’s eyes, “I know you must be here! So, I just want to ask you, to come up to the stage! As soon! Because…”

He took a deep breath, roaring while using up all oxygen in his lungs, “Because only when we gather, we’re the real ‘Again’ Band!!! And the ‘Again’ that Xiaomeng gave us!!”

“Cheng Yiran! Come out!!” Hong Guan glared at the front, “Are you going to be a coward this time!! Cheng Yiran!!”

The roar was like amplifier at maximum volume, strong and powerful, resonating along with his heartbeat.

An inexplicable power had him take the first step… and the second!

One step, two steps, three… dash!

He dashed toward the stage, going across the camera like a madman and climbing up to the stage.

He stood at the edge, panting air, and glaring at Hong Guan, “Say that again! Who is a coward!!”

“You are!”

Hong Guan glared at him too!

“F*ck you!”

“You b*tch!!”

Cheng Yiran raised the bass, “Take it back!!”

Hong Guan gave a start and asked with astonishment, “How… how did you find it?”

Cheng Yiran laughed, “I picked it up on the street!”

Hong Guan laughed; suddenly, he fished out two necklaces from his collars, breaking off one of the both and throwing it to Cheng Yiran.

Cheng Yiran raised his head when he caught that, “Where did you find it?”

Hong Guan answered, “Stupid donkey, I picked it up on the street too… Come on, Cheng Yiran. We won’t do that without you.”

He walked towards Hong Guan… Hong Guan didn’t know the magic power of that guitar, but was still standing on the stage bravely, even if he might face jeers and boos.

‘But I… am afraid!’

‘It is not my music style!’

‘It’s not the music or our rock that I want! I… I gave up myself unconsciously and just thought about the guitar. With its magic power, I can ignore anything else.’

“I, I really am a stupid donkey!”

…

“What the hell are they doing? Forced emotions? Did they arranged that earlier?”

“Are they doing it for the program effect? How fake…”

“Boo!!!”

Encountering the audiences’ discussion and scoldings, the director of the program group had to ask for instructions… ‘what the hell are they doing? The newbies of Feiyun entertainment.’

As the director, he didn’t really know what their purpose was through this farce… ‘Didn’t they tell us that Cheng Yiran could not join because of a car accident?’

But what made the director more depressed was the swift reaction of the senior leader, who could only agree with a gloomy and helpless tone.

What the hell!!

The director could not defy his order, so he had to ask the MC to withstand the pressure and allowed Cheng Yiran to step on the stage again… It was totally a farce!

Through the camera shot, the director even saw many audiences stand up and move to the exit… Maybe relentless criticisms would appear on the Internet?

It might be the most serious blemish of this program! But, what provoked the director was, Hong Guan and Cheng Yiran were talking on the stage… as if ignoring his order.

‘Are those two some mysterious second-generation young masters? With a mysterious power behind them?’

But no matter how depressed the director was, Cheng Yiran and Hong Guan, Xiaoyao and Laomo, were still persisting their old ways. They talked, and waited for the arrangement of the program group.

“Xiaoyao, Laomo… Hong Guan, how did you find them?” Cheng Yiran asked curiously.

“Well, I went to Chief Inspector Cheng for help.” Hong Guan was surprised too, “Actually when they asked me to go on the stage, I had such an idea and I mentioned it. Unexpectedly, Manager Cheng found them very fast!”

Xiaoyao with long hair scratched his head, “Well… I just finished work and was kidnapped by some guys in black. I fainted… and found myself here after waking up.”

Laomo was still a little scared, “Me too! I just finished my drum class and was kidnapped. I thought it was a real kidnapping before I met Hong Guan… but it was weird because who will kidnap a guy, who cannot afford his own living?”

Xiaoyao suddenly said, “Anyway… sorry. Cheng Yiran, Hong Guan, I was the first one to quit. I didn’t expect you to still think of me. And I never dreamed that I could step on this stage, even though…”

Xiaoyao glanced at the spectator seats, shaking his head, “Even though we seem not to be welcome.”

“F*ck!” Laomo said, “We should do something since we came here. Just do it! let’s sing a song! At least I used to be the drum king of Houhai, I’m not scared!”

“They agreed.” Hong Guan glanced at it, then looked back to them, “Since we came here, let’s make our voice! Even if it’s the only chance, we’ll have the world remember us!”

Hong Guan stretched out his hand, and Xiaoyao and Laomo put their hands on it; the trio looked at Cheng Yiran, while he gazed at them with a complexed look. But after a deep breath, he covered his hand on the top.

“Who are we?”

“Again Band!!”

“Say that again, who are we!!”

“Again!!!!!!”

They faced the indifferent audiences and those who started to leave, but still raised their heads bravely.

Hong Guan now took off his guitar, and passed it to Cheng Yiran, “Let’s get started!”

“Wait… I can play bass.” Cheng Yiran hesitated, shaking his head. He could not play this guitar.

If so, he would rather be the assistant of Hong Guan.

But Hong Guan insisted to help Cheng Yiran carry the guitar and he took the bass, “Stupid donkey, I’m your bass player!”

Cheng Yiran finger swept the guitar chord, and nodded.

“Anything wrong with your fingers?”

“It’s fine to play this song.” Cheng Yiran affirmed.

He looked at Hong Guan, Xiaoyao and Laomo… and found they were not obsessed when the guitar was played, which meant that he could not use this guitar.

But… so what?

He couldn’t use it… so what?

Cheng Yiran walked to the place for the lead singer, with Hong Guan beside, Xiaoyao and Laomo behind him. He could not use it… so what?

Audiences reviled them, so what?

People left, so what?

This was my original singing style… I used to sing it this way! I experienced begging, wandering through streets, and those precarious days.

Cheng Yiran recalled the way he walked with the afro old man, as well as the moment he looked back at the gymnasium.

‘Sorry, Xiaomeng, please forgive me that has cheated myself all the time. I thought I have been fighting for you and your dream… I’ve been fighting for it till now.”

‘But when I finished your dream and brought your song to the public, I understood that I should give you up.’

‘And I should face up to my own rock.’

‘Because it is my love… not for any other one!’

‘Goodbye, Xiaomeng(dream)… the most beautiful dream of mine.’

‘And now, I’m going to seek my rock dream by myself again!’

‘This time, I will do it for myself!’

‘Even if… nobody cares about it!’

‘No matter if this guitar works… I want to continue playing it. Even if my fingers are broken,”

Closing his eyes, adjusting his emotions, Cheng Yiran held the microphone, saying softly, “Please forgive our willfulness and the farce. But… our voice will be remade here again. And the next song has experienced a lot of hardship with us. I think many people will be encouraged by it. The band that created this song, is our favorite… and our target!”

The electronic organ sound rang off slowly.

Cheng Yiran closed his eyes, and started to sing in a soft voice.

–Tonight, I’m watching the snowfall in the cold.

–Drifting away with a cooled down heart.

–Chasing the wind and rain

–Unable to see clearly in the fog

–The sky is clear, the sea is vast, you and I, will we change? (Who’s not changing)…

…

Looking back, those who left looked back.

And those impatient guys suddenly became quiet.

They focused on those people through the screen, listening to the lyrics and the song.

And listening to the mixed sounds of guitar, bass, electronic organ, and drum set.

It stopped.

All stopped.

Under the night sky, Luo Qiu listened to it; but he thought it was not enough, so he put his hands by his ears, saying in a low voice, “I heard it. This song, their song. I finally heard it. It’s so beautiful.”