Chapter 42: Turmoil in the Lounge

Three o'clock in the afternoon.

"There's only fifty minutes left before the singer on stage finishes. When it's our turn, we need to set up and tune our instruments as quickly as possible—don't cut any corners!"

A-Kai seemed even more anxious than Galen himself, repeatedly reminding everyone.

The other singers nearby were just as tense. Although they would have staff to assist, everyone felt more at ease handling things personally.

"Are you Galen?"

As Galen stood lost in thought, a voice sounded behind him.

He turned around and was surprised to see Liu Nan.

Liu Nan was a regular at the annual Spring Festival Gala; he had been in the business longer than Galen had been alive. To have him personally come over to greet him left Galen both startled and honored.

"Yes, yes! Hello, Brother Nan!"

"I've heard your songs! That one, 'The You from Before,' is really good!" Liu Nan praised him.

"Thank you, Brother Nan!" Galen wasn't exactly trembling with fear, but he did feel as if treading on thin ice.

"Keep it up! What time is your set?"

"I'm on from four-thirty to five!"

"Wow! Not bad!" Liu Nan exclaimed in surprise. "You're new to the scene and already got such a prime slot. Looks like the organizers really value you!"

Everyone could guess the truth: for a newcomer like Galen to land such a desirable time slot, it had to be the result of some behind-the-scenes maneuvering by his PR team.

At festivals like this, the bigger names always performed later on, especially after seven or eight in the evening. Whether contracted or underground, only those with real fame got those slots.

But no one said this out loud. While they chatted, a man and a woman approached. "Brother Nan!"

Liu Nan turned at the sound, waving. "You two made it?"

"Yeah!" The woman nodded.

The man nodded as well but didn't say a word, wearing a look of arrogance—even in front of Liu Nan, his expression remained cold.

Galen recognized them: the hottest duo in the ringtone music scene right now, the Sparrow Legend duo.

The woman was Yang Dan, the man Liu Pengfei—both had come from bar gigs and had shot to fame after winning the very first "Dream Starlight Show" two years ago.

In recent years, they'd blended pop vocals with folk and disco, yet insisted on calling it a new wave of rock, even proclaiming themselves pioneers and leaders of folk-rock!

Real rock musicians generally looked down on them. The moment Sparrow Legend showed up, A-Kai and the others turned away, refusing even to look at them.

With their rise in popularity, the two began adopting celebrity airs—especially Liu Pengfei, who was extremely sensitive about anyone bringing up his past and had grown increasingly arrogant, even having spats with reporters over trivial matters.

Liu Nan, a veteran in the industry, knew exactly what everyone was like, but he always played the affable good guy, living by the motto: "Make no enemies, and you'll be invincible."

Liu Pengfei's antics today didn't surprise him in the least.

Yang Dan, too, was used to handling awkward situations. She flashed Galen a bright smile. "Brother Nan! A new friend?"

"Yes!" Liu Nan nodded. "Let me introduce you. This is Galen, a young fellow!"

"Oh! Hello, Galen!" Yang Dan gave a slight nod, making no move to shake hands or befriend him.

Galen didn't mind, but with so many people watching, it was still a little awkward.

He hadn't imagined things would get even more uncomfortable. Liu Pengfei gave a mocking little "hmm," then asked, "So you're that Galen who does pop rap?"

"That's me!" Galen felt a bit disgruntled—he'd never offended these two, so why the attitude right off the bat?

"Oh, heh..." Liu Pengfei smirked. "Music is vast and profound, but you've got a real knack for muddling things up. Pop and rap—two things that couldn't be further apart—yet you force them together. I listened to it; honestly, it's just a hodgepodge, no artistic value at all!"

Well!

A talent show musician, who'd built his career from scratch, now had the gall to lecture about art?

Galen wasn't the only one annoyed; the members of Jiazi Band and Mai Le were furious. Mai Le even picked up a bench, his voice low and threatening, "You looking for trouble, punk?"

"Hey, I'm not!" Liu Pengfei sneered. "What, can't take a little criticism without resorting to violence?"

As he spoke, two bodyguards appeared behind him—neither very tall, around 1.7 meters, but broad and muscular, their suits straining at the seams.

Yang Dan instinctively stepped back toward the bodyguards, shooting Galen an angry look.

Galen said nothing, staring straight at Liu Pengfei. Honestly, he was torn about what to do. This was a public venue—any trouble would have big consequences. Annoying as the Sparrow duo was, they were more famous than he was; a single comment from them on social media would easily drown him out. He wanted to avoid trouble, but he also felt unwilling to let it slide.

Sensing the tension, Liu Nan quickly stepped in to defuse things. "Galen, have your guy put that down—what's going on here?"

Galen glanced at him, then reluctantly said to Mai Le, "Put it down."

"Hmph!" Mai Le cooled off, realizing that if he really started a fight, it would only bring Galen negative publicity. He put the bench down with a heavy thud, arms crossed, still glaring at Liu Pengfei.

Liu Nan patted Galen on the shoulder, then turned to Liu Pengfei. "That's enough from you, too! Do you know what kind of occasion this is? With so many reporters outside, what would happen to your career if a scene broke out?"

"Hmph!" Liu Pengfei snorted and went to sit at the next table, probably looking for a way out. But to his dismay, everyone at that table stood up and left as he approached, pretending to be busy elsewhere, leaving him looking just as awkward.

Seeing the situation resolved, Liu Nan said, "Alright, everyone, back to your seats!"

Mai Le and the band sat down. Yang Dan offered Liu Nan a quick apology and left as well.

The atmosphere in the room was still tense, but at least nothing had erupted. Liu Nan patted Galen's shoulder once more. "Don't mind him. That's just how he is—everyone in the business avoids him. Don't let it get to you, or you'll mess up your performance later!"

"It's fine! Thank you, Brother Nan!" Galen smiled, letting it go. People like that weren't worth the trouble—the more attention you gave them, the more self-important they felt.

Liu Nan left. Galen checked his watch: it was almost three forty. He turned to A-Kai and the others. "Let's go. It's almost time!"

"Let's go!" A-Kai stood up immediately. The oppressive air in the room had everyone eager to get moving.

Leaving the lounge, they headed to the Ideal Stage. On stage, a rap group was performing, their rapper a woman.

Her hair was done in dozens of centipede braids; she wore a denim cropped jacket and ultra-short denim shorts, the jacket unbuttoned to reveal only a black sports bra underneath. On stage, she was rapping away: "Hey! Your dad called me, I really don't want to answer! He wants me to meet him at a hotel, says he'll give me four lucky red envelopes..."

The crowd was massive—heads packed together as far as the eye could see, many more than at the recent show in Magic City.

There was a street's width between the audience and the stage. Amid the raucous, risqué rap, people waved their arms and shouted, throwing up the classic rock hand sign, regardless of whether the music was actually rock.

Three fifty.

The performance on stage ended. The Ideal Stage closed, and the Xuanle Stage on the other side opened. The audience immediately turned, focusing their attention on the new stage.

"Hurry! As soon as they come down, we go up. We've only got forty minutes—move it!" A-Kai was both excited and anxious.

The band members all nodded. Galen smiled. "Don't worry, forty minutes is plenty."

Then he told Mai Le, "Drive the van to the back of the stage in a bit—make sure Ying Ying gets on stage smoothly. That's your responsibility!"

"I got it! It’ll be done!" Mai Le hesitated, then added, "Isn't your performance today a bit risky?"

Galen smiled. "Anything worthwhile is worth taking a risk for!"

Mai Le nodded, not sure he fully understood.

By now, the stage had been cleared. Aside from the drum kit provided by the organizers, all the other instruments belonged to the band. The six members of Jiazi Band charged onto the stage and got to work.

Galen picked up an electric guitar. He wouldn’t play much today; the guitar was mostly for show, to keep the rhythm and add some flair.

It wasn't as hard as everyone worried it might be. In less than ten minutes, all the instruments were hooked up, and even with the final adjustments, the whole setup took no more than twenty minutes.

Galen sat on the stage, gazing at the audience and the Xuanle Stage across the way, sinking into a meditative calm, as if an old monk at peace.

Never had his heart felt as tranquil as it did in this very moment.