Chapter 27: Composing a Song While Using the Restroom

When Garen realized it wasn’t Old Wang on stage, but instead saw Wang Yang hosting, he couldn’t help but feel suspicious—what was this guy up to? Sure enough, as soon as Wang Yang opened his mouth, he said, “As many of you know, yesterday during our show in Chang’an, Garen sang a song called ‘Chang’an, Chang’an’ as a tribute to the city. But what you may not know is that he actually wrote that song in the ten minutes before going on stage!”

A gasp swept through the audience. Many who weren’t familiar with the song were also intrigued—writing a song in just ten minutes?

Meanwhile, fans watching Garen’s live roadshow on the Five-Star Music Live platform exploded with excitement.

“What? ‘Chang’an, Chang’an’ was written live by Garen?”

“No way! I don’t believe it!”

“Me neither! Unless he’s a genius!”

“Even a genius might not pull that off!”

“Why do you all doubt him? Of course it’s possible! I believe it!”

“Exactly! I believe it too. Garen’s just that talented!”

The chat was in an uproar, and audience members at the venue whispered among themselves.

On the side of the stage, the other singers from the performance crew had gathered. Some smirked, others crossed their arms to watch the drama unfold, a few frowned and said nothing, and several sighed repeatedly.

Ai Ya anxiously called Manager Cai, hoping he’d come and put a stop to Wang Yang’s nonsense, but the phone rang unanswered.

Old Wang, the regular host, was in the restroom when he heard this over the speakers. A sense of dread hit him and he hurriedly pulled up his pants and rushed out.

On stage, Garen was feeling a bit frustrated—he hadn’t provoked Wang Yang, so why was he stirring up trouble? Even when Wang Yang had claimed at dinner the previous night that Garen’s songs were simplistic, Garen hadn’t argued with him. Why was he still intent on dragging him down?

Wang Yang smiled at Garen, a glint in his eyes that only the keenest observer would catch—a hint of aggression. “Garen! What I just said, is it true?”

Garen forced a smile, biting his lip. “It is. I did write that song right before I went on stage. As soon as I got off the plane, I was struck by the sense of history and change in Chang’an, the weight of a thousand years. It inspired me to write that song on the spot.”

Hearing this, Ai Ya’s group became anxious. Even the band members backstage were calling out, “Garen! Don’t fall for his trap!”

Someone else shouted, “Wang Yang! Just you wait! You’re dead when I get off this stage!”

Wang Yang, however, didn’t care. He was determined—today, he’d see Garen brought down a notch. So what if the newcomer had already debuted? Riding high on just one song, he’d already earned the nickname “Brother Garen” among the team. How could Wang Yang not be jealous?

He pressed on, “So, in your eyes, writing a song isn’t much of a challenge?”

Garen shook his head. “Not quite. When inspiration comes, nothing can stop it. But if it doesn’t, even a year might not be enough to finish a song.”

“Is that so?” Wang Yang continued, “Well, yesterday in Chang’an you wrote a song for the people there. Today, since we’re in Zhengzhou, shouldn’t you write one for the people here as well?”

Garen laughed coldly to himself—he’d seen this coming, but it still left him in a bind. Live songwriting? That was practically suicide.

He did know a few songs from another world about Zhengzhou, but he only remembered the tunes, not the lyrics. That was the real problem.

So he answered, “Hearing you say that does make me want to write a song for Zhengzhou too, but to do it right now? I’m afraid that’s impossible. At the very least, I’d need some time.”

“Sure! You said inspiration is key. Well, Zhengzhou has beautiful scenery and lovely girls—let me give you some inspiration. Just write a simple song about the city and love. Even if you just hum a few lines, it’ll do. How about it?”

Wang Yang finished, feeling triumphant—let’s see you keep up your act now!

Garen silently cursed Wang Yang’s ancestors. How could a person be this way? Lacking ability himself, he just hoped for others to fail.

He realized now—if he didn’t compose something live today, he’d fall right into Wang Yang’s trap and give him ammunition for future ridicule. Garen wasn’t bothered by criticism, but with so many people watching, and the event being streamed live, he couldn’t afford to lose face. More importantly, he wanted to slap Wang Yang down a peg.

With calm resolve, Garen said, “How about this: give me twenty minutes, I’ll write a song and perform it for everyone.”

“Twenty minutes? Is that enough?” Wang Yang was surprised, but then he thought, even if Garen managed to write a song in twenty minutes, it would probably be a mess. He quickly added, “If twenty minutes isn’t enough, we can give you thirty. How about that?”

“No need. Twenty minutes is plenty,” Garen replied, then walked offstage, calling to the audience as he went, “Wait for me! Enjoy the other acts in the meantime!”

As soon as he stepped offstage, a group of singers surrounded him.

“Garen, are you crazy? He’s being ridiculous—why are you going along with it?” Ai Ya said, nearly frantic.

A girl group member chimed in, “Yeah! Wang Yang’s doing this on purpose. Why play into his hands?”

Garen just smiled. “Heh, whether I agree or not, I’d end up playing into his hands either way.”

Everyone was taken aback, exchanging confused looks.

Just then, Manager Cai hurried over, grabbing Garen’s hand. “Garen, sorry you’re being put through this. I stepped out for a moment and didn’t expect this… But don’t worry! No matter what happens, we won’t be working with Wang Yang after today.”

“It’s fine, Cai,” Garen replied with a smile. “I just need to use the restroom.”

“What?” Manager Cai was stunned—time was so tight, and yet he wanted to go to the restroom?

But there was nothing more to say. “Alright, go quickly!”

Garen nodded, picked up his backpack, and headed for the nearby public restroom.

Mai Le followed close behind, filming with his phone and narrating to the livestream audience, “Now, I’ll be streaming Garen’s bathroom break for everyone…”

Before he could finish, there was a loud “thud” as the restroom door slammed shut and locked from the inside.

Locked out, Mai Le knocked and shouted, “Hey! Garen! Open up! Let me in…”

The comment section was instantly filled with laughter:

“This cameraman is hilarious!”

“Come on, stream Garen in the bathroom—I want to see!”

“Idiot above, the cameraman is an idiot too…”

Inside the restroom, Garen wasn’t there to relieve himself. Instead, he pulled out a notebook from his bag.

It was his new laptop. As for the secondhand one that could connect to the other world’s internet, there was no way he’d risk bringing it out—it would be a disaster if he lost it.

He powered up the computer, navigated to the “Music” folder on the F drive, and then opened the subfolder labeled “Folk Songs.”

Inside were more than twenty songs he was learning to sing.

Scanning quickly, Garen picked a song, hit play, and swiftly grabbed paper and pen from his bag to jot down the lyrics.

His handwriting was so rushed and shorthand that only he could decipher it—if someone found the paper in the restroom, they’d likely mistake it for toilet paper.

In less than five minutes, he’d copied the lyrics, packed away his laptop, tidied his bag, and hurried out.

The air outside was particularly fresh. Garen took a deep breath, handed his backpack to Mai Le, and jogged back to the stage.

As soon as he approached, Manager Cai and the other singers swarmed him.

“Garen, hurry up and write! There’s not much time left!”

“Garen, just drop it. It’s not worth it!”

“Yeah! Our performance here only lasts a few hours anyway, and Brother Wang can smooth things over for you if need be!”

Garen glanced at Wang Yang, now sitting offstage, then smiled at his concerned friends. “Thank you all for your kindness! But I’ve already finished writing.”

“What? You… you’ve finished already?” a female singer exclaimed in disbelief. “You mean, just now, while you were in the restroom?”

“Yes,” Garen nodded. “Tell Brother Wang I’m ready to go back on stage.”

“You… you’re sure?” Manager Cai stopped Garen. “Why not sing it for us first, so we can judge if it’s good enough?”

“No need,” Garen declined politely. “It’s absolutely fine—don’t worry!”

He glanced at Wang Yang, who had also overheard and turned to stare at Garen in disbelief. Their eyes met, and Wang Yang’s face flushed with embarrassment before he quickly looked away.

A few minutes later, Garen returned to the stage. The audience, now in on the story, erupted in excitement.

The online viewers’ chat went wild:

“Look! Garen’s back on stage—is this guy superhuman or what?”

“Let’s see what kind of song he comes up with!”

“Will it be rock again, like ‘Chang’an, Chang’an’? I love rock!”

“Maybe. But I prefer folk!”

Others were skeptical: “A song written during a bathroom break—can it actually be good?”

No one could say for sure. They would have to wait and listen.