Chapter Seventy-Two: Sha Puliang's "Hidden Fragrance" Moves All to Tears

“Huh? Why is it our great Qian God! Isn’t Qian God usually at home editing photos? How did he end up hosting I Am a Singer?”
Many young audience members were taken aback.
At first, when they heard that I Am a Singer only had five hundred listeners, they dismissed it, thinking it was just a small program attached to Jiangnan Satellite TV.
But who could have expected—
Qian God himself would take up the role of host.
The atmosphere suddenly grew much more serious, and the audience erupted in heated discussion.
Among young people, Ren Qian was wildly popular; anyone who had ever used reaction images knew his name, infamous for his outrageous antics.
“Everyone, look! It really is Qian God! Remember that recent video on WeiBo when he performed ‘Heaven’s Ladder’?
At first, I thought it was just a music video Qian God had someone else shoot for him. But it turned out he performed it himself!”
“When I saw Qian God in person, my worldview shattered. How could someone so dignified and handsome come up with such crazy reaction images?”
“Please be quiet!”
A single stern command silenced all five hundred seats. Ren Qian cleared his throat, preparing to speak a few words about order.
“First, on behalf of the I Am a Singer team, I welcome you all to participate in tonight’s program. Before we begin, I must say two things.
When I Am a Singer was still in planning, I insisted to Director Hong that we select only five hundred audience members.
And these five hundred were chosen from tens of thousands, even millions, for their highest overall qualities. So everyone here is a carefully selected listener of considerable merit!
But why, until just now, could no one stop talking?
‘I Am a Singer’ is a professional music program, a work of art! Since it is art, please maintain silence and listen attentively.
This is the most basic respect you can show to a singer, to an artist.
Thank you all. Now, the show officially begins.”
Having finished, Ren Qian gave a slight bow, always courteous and graceful, even though pride ran deep within him.
The cameraman, seasoned and skilled, started recording as soon as the applause began, capturing the thunderous ovation for later editing.
As the audience settled down and entered the mood,
Ren Qian retreated to the lower left corner of the stage, the entrance to the backstage where singers would soon appear.
The lighting technician watched him intently, and as Ren Qian nodded, the spotlight followed him step by step. In that instant, Ren Qian felt all eyes upon him, basking in starlight, as if he had reached the summit of his life.

“I Am a Singer. Ren Qian.”
“Welcome, everyone, to the first season, first episode, and first show of I Am a Singer. Tonight, we have seven headlining singers:
Two veteran predecessors of the music world, Sun Mu Nan and Sha Puliang;
Two talented singer-songwriters, Hu Yanbin and Xu Zhiqian;
Two current top stars, Zhang Nianwei and Cai Chengyu.”
Each time Ren Qian announced a singer, applause broke out from the audience, for every singer had their own fan base—silence was nearly impossible.
Yet, inattentive audience members failed to notice that, though there were seven singers, one had been left out.
“Alright, this is a show where art sheds its superficial glamour and returns to sincerity. So, the applause need not be fervent—but your hearts must be devout!”
“He is an elder in the music world, yet he has always pursued the essence of art like a newcomer.
Though his fame is not what it once was, and now does not compare to the popularity of fresh-faced newcomers,
I believe there is a lyric that describes him perfectly: When petals depart from the flower, a lingering fragrance remains. Another spring has come, and it is time for him to be reborn in this blaze upon the stage.”
Ren Qian’s poetic words left the audience dumbfounded—he had not revealed who the singer was, nor which song would be performed, leaving everyone guessing at the mystery. Yet Ren Qian offered no further explanation and simply ceded the stage to Sha Puliang.
The prelude was haunting and sorrowful; the audience seemed to shiver, huddling in the chill of a spring night, listening as fallen blossoms faded into the dust. A nameless ache stirred within their hearts.

“When petals depart from the flower,
A lingering fragrance remains...
The scent fades after rain and wind...
No one comes to inhale it...”
Without a doubt, this song was tailor-made for Sha Puliang, for only he could convey the sense of fleeting grandeur, the tearing pain of beauty lost in an instant.
When the words “No one comes to inhale it” burst forth through gritted teeth, Ren Qian clearly saw many audience members involuntarily shudder, their faces transformed by sorrow.

“If love tells me to go on,
I will fight to the end of love!
If the heart perishes in brilliance,
Love will be reborn in ashes...
I cannot forget the tender whispers,
I offer your smile as a tribute to my soul!”

In truth, the emotional leap between verse and chorus was not severe; though the earlier part was subdued, the transition into the chorus was surprisingly seamless.
Sha Puliang was skilled at coaxing and seducing the audience’s emotions.
The phrase “If the heart perishes in brilliance” seemed to freeze the heartbeat of every listener!
In that moment, all the audience clutched their chests, feeling as if they had turned into petals buried by sorrowful girls, the heavy soil pressing down until they could barely breathe!
Fortunately, the next line—“Love will be reborn in ashes”—lifted their spirits, faces turning from pale to radiant.

“Let the heart perish in brilliance!
Let love be reborn in ashes!
The wildfires consume the grass’s mark,
Look, another spring breeze returns...”

……

The performance was brilliant!
Even Ren Qian could not help but marvel—Sha Puliang’s live effect exceeded all expectations. Nearly half the five hundred audience members were spellbound by the song, unable to extricate themselves, and many were moved to tears.
No wonder “Lingering Fragrance” was hailed as a “One Song, a Lifetime of Memories.”
The melody and lyrics truly were like a blossoming flower—
Even after the petals fall, the lingering fragrance fills the sleeves.
Thunderous applause erupted.
“Thank you, thank you to the band, thank you Ren Qian, thank you to the five hundred audience members…”
Sha Puliang, imitating Ren Qian’s manner, humbly bowed to the audience, to the music teachers, to everyone, then exited stage left.
He was truly grateful he had not turned down this program, or he would have regretted it immensely!
Though the live audience was small, as soon as the first instrument’s sound entered his ear, his heartbeat quickened.
Ren Qian’s claim that they would create record-breaking ratings was no idle boast! Ren Qian had said that singers would soon be clamoring, even paying to appear on the I Am a Singer stage just for a chance in the spotlight—and it was no exaggeration!
Thinking of this, his once-calmed heartbeat raced again.
It seemed that, from now on, he’d have to fight with every bone to stay on this stage.