Chapter 81 81. Let’s be happy together again

The man named Di Chunqiu seemed to be of the same age as them and waved at them: "Hello."

"Hello," Zhuang Yongyuan said, taking a fancy to Di Chunqiu's coat and mentally complimenting him on his good taste. Di Chunqiu then introduced the relatively serious-looking man beside him.

"This is Lu Xin, he's my assistant." Di Chunqiu patted his shoulder and the two looked at each other.

Adian's pillow had just hit Lu Xin. He was now holding the pillow in one hand and holding Di Chunqiu's camera messenger bag on the other shoulder, standing against the wall.

After Di Chunqiu introduced him, Lu Xin smiled at everyone and put the pillow back on the sofa neatly.

Ah Dian gave an awkward smile and said to Lu Xin, "I'm sorry..."

Lu Xin shook his head, said it was okay, and looked at Di Chunqiu.

Within minutes of meeting, Zhuang Yongyuan had already figured out that there was something fishy going on between the two. They kept checking each other's positions with their eyes, and their relationship was definitely more than just a photographer and his assistant.

He glanced at Xie Kang guiltily and couldn't help wondering if the difference between him and Xie Kang was also so obvious to outsiders.

However, he and Xie Kang have known each other for so many years, so they shouldn't be so unclear.

Di Chunqiu spoke again: "By the way, I asked Teacher Wang to take me backstage to meet you. I wanted to ask if you have any plans to shoot an MV?"

"What do you mean?" Qi Ji became interested and asked.

"Oh, that's right. Besides still photography, I also have experience shooting short films in college. I've been listening to your songs and really like their style and concepts, so I wanted to recommend myself. If you have any plans to shoot a music video..."

Di Chunqiu signaled Lu Xin with his eyes. Lu Xin fished out a USB flash drive from his bag and handed it to Zhuang Yongyuan, continuing on Di Chunqiu's behalf. "The USB flash drive contains Xiaodong... no, it contains several of Xiaodi's past short films and representative photography works, as well as the music video we've been working on. If you're free, Mr. Zhuang, you can take a look at it."

Zhuang Yongyuan took the USB drive, carefully put it in his bag, and said, "What a coincidence! I've been thinking about making a music video recently."

Di Chunqiu smiled happily: "That's great."

Zhuang Yongyuan took out his phone and said to Di Chunqiu, "Add me on WeChat?"

Di Chunqiu and Lu Xin exchanged glances, and Lu Xin looked smug.

Lu Xin had repeatedly urged Di Chunqiu to come meet the members of Lily Heart. Although he'd always been a fan of Lily Heart, Di Chunqiu hadn't had high expectations. He figured a band as well-known as Lily Heart would look for a more established team even if they wanted to film a music video. Unexpectedly, Zhuang Yongyuan seemed quite interested and offered to add him on WeChat.

After adding WeChat, Di Chunqiu said, "Then we'll leave first and won't disturb you from putting on makeup."

"Wait a minute." Ah Dian stood up and took out two signed CDs from the cardboard box next to him and handed them to Lu Xin and Di Chunqiu: "This is our new album. Although the reviews are not very good, since you are here, you can take two copies back."

Di Chunqiu took the album with surprise and said, "Lu Xin and I both think the new album is great. Don't listen to what those music critics say!"

Zhuang Yongyuan slammed the table and said, "Right? I think it's good too."

He stood up excitedly, gesturing with his hands: "And our entire band participated in the production of this album!"

Ah Dian twirled his drumsticks, not very happy: "Yeah, everyone has to do it, no matter if you're cut out for it or not."

Di Chunqiu smiled and lowered his head to examine the album carefully.

The album cover shows a round table covered with a red tablecloth and a turntable, the kind you'd find in a hotel. Chairs are neatly arranged around the table, but it's empty in the photo. A corner of the tablecloth has been pulled up, revealing an opening under the table.

There was a calligraphy hanging on the background wall behind the round table, with the five words "Family Harmony Brings Good Fortune" written in crooked letters. This is the name of the new album.

Di Chunqiu also noticed that everyone else signed on the chairs, but Zhuang Yongyuan signed where the tablecloth was pulled up. He wondered if there was any meaning behind this.

He often volunteered to take photos for performances, and knowing that the musicians were pressed for time, he carefully handed the album to Lu Xin, put it away, and then said goodbye, walking to the side of the stage to wait for the performance to begin.

Lu Xin patted Di Chunqiu, but said nothing, with his eyes drooping. Di Chunqiu looked at him with amusement and asked him, "What's wrong with you?"

Lu Xin said, "You added their lead singer on WeChat."

"What's the big deal?" Di Chunqiu asked in confusion, "Didn't you ask me to ask if we can cooperate?"

Lu Xin's eyes darted around the instruments on the stage before he muttered, "He took the initiative to add you. Maybe that's what he meant."

"What do you mean? Explain it clearly." Di Chunqiu deliberately teased Lu Xin and asked.

After being with Lu Xin for a long time, Di Chunqiu realized that Lu Xin's previous conservatism and shyness were not pretended. Although he was not polite or restrained in bed, in daily life, even if the relevant words were just mentioned, he would panic and tell Di Chunqiu to shut up.

Lu Xin hesitated for a while before saying, "Is he going to ask you out?"

Di Chunqiu pretended to be suddenly enlightened and said, "Oh? Is that what you mean? I didn't even realize it."

Lu Xin looked at him, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Di Chunqiu cleared his throat, stared at Lu Xin seriously, and said, "What are you thinking about? Tell me."

This was the agreement between them. Lu Xin was used to keeping his true thoughts deep in his heart, and Di Chunqiu had no way of guessing what he was thinking all the time. After they officially started living together, the frequency of their quarrels increased sharply. The headached Di Chunqiu forced Lu Xin to agree to this agreement.

Lu Xin was silent for a moment, looking at his phone, straightening his clothes, and adjusting his glasses. Finally, he said, "Maybe you think Zhuang Yongyuan is better than me. He's better looking and much more talented than me."

Di Chunqiu had wanted to tease him, but seeing Lu Xin's dejected expression, he couldn't bear it anymore. He asked Lu Xin with a mixture of laughter and tears, "Can't you tell that Zhuang Yongyuan and Baihexin's new guitarist are a couple?"

"Ah?" Lu Xin's curiosity piqued. He ignored his disappointment and asked Di Chunqiu in shock, "How did you know?"

Di Chunqiu tutted and said, "Maybe you've only been gay for a short time, and you've only liked me, so you don't have enough experience."

When talking about his lack of experience, Di Chunqiu deliberately slowed down his speech. Lu Xin swallowed his words, glared at Di Chunqiu again, and said, "Don't mess with me outside."

Di Chunqiu looked around. The venue was dimly lit, and several staff members were busy with their own things. No one was paying attention to them. When he was about to hug Lu Xin to comfort him, Lu Xin had already hugged him and kissed him boldly on the cheek. He spoke loudly, "So, with all your experience, who is your favorite?"

Di Chunqiu pulled Lu Xin's collar and whispered in his ear, "I like your big duplex house the most..."

Before Lu Xin's face turned pale, he kissed him on the mouth. The lighting engineer adjusted the lights, and a purple light spilled over onto Di Chunqiu, who was near the stage. Di Chunqiu stood in a haze of light, hesitating for a moment before uttering the most clichéd love words he hadn't thought he'd say in the past thirty years: "I love you the most. You're the best in the world."

With only half an hour left before the show started, the styling work for the five people was completed. Qi Ji bought two bottles of wine from the front, poured them into plastic cups and distributed them to everyone.

Xie Kang waved his hand to refuse, saying that he had to drive soon. Zhuang Yongyuan opened a bottle of oolong tea for him and poured it into a plastic cup instead of alcohol. The few of them chatted while drinking.

Zhongyou can't drink much, so after two drinks he kept saying, "It's great that we can perform together again."

Zhuang Yongyuan wanted to rebuke him, but perhaps it was because he had been drinking, or perhaps Xie Kang's return had changed his personality, so his words came out gentle: "Thank you for always being there."

It sounds like a cliché, but Zhuang Yongyuan has experienced and seen countless bands break up and get back together, and he knows how difficult it is to keep going.

He swished the last half glass of wine in the glass, looked at Xie Kang through the plastic cup, and said, "Thank you for coming back."

Xie Kang turned his head and looked at the corner for a while before turning back and saying, "Thank you for accepting me as a member."

Qi Ji patted Xie Kang on the shoulder and said, "Speaking of these, we are the ones who came later."

"Alright, alright, don't keep thanking people all day just because you're surnamed Xie. It's almost time for you to go on stage." Zhuang Yongyuan suddenly put down his wine glass, stood up and urged.

Before the performance officially started, the venue was dark, with only the band's logo projected on the big screen.

Although the new album had a drastic change in style and received bad reviews, thanks to the popularity accumulated previously, Lily Heart's first tour of the new album was sold out instantly after the tickets went on sale. Zhuang Yongyuan looked outside and saw that both floors of the Livehouse were packed with people.

The aisle leading to the stage was narrow, and a few tipsy people were squeezed in, grinning at each other.

Although Adian and Qiji have been filling in for other bands in the past two years and have not completely stopped performing, they finally returned to their own band this time and experienced the long-lost feeling of excitement and nervousness before going on stage, as well as a little homesickness.

"Good luck with the performance!" Zhuang Yongyuan said, extending his hand.

"smoothly!"

"success!"

The five people put their hands together, encouraged each other, and walked onto the stage first, led by Zhuang Yongyuan.

As soon as the band members came on stage, thunderous cheers broke out.

Today the five members of the band wore the same look, which was different from their previous flashy looks. This time they were wearing a full set of shirts and suits for the tour. At first glance, they looked like a team building activity after get off work at a financial company.

Only when you look closely can you see the details of the costume design. Some people's pants are too short, some people's shirt cuffs are too long, some buttons are buttoned incorrectly, and some ties are tied crookedly...

Zhuang Yongyuan licked his lip stud, bowed to the audience, waved, then put his guitar on his back, adjusted his posture, and glanced at Xie Kang beside him. His hair was bleached and his earrings flashed in the dark.

Xie Kang was a little awkward carrying his guitar, and his shoulder straps were turned outward. Zhuang Yongyuan instinctively went over to help him adjust them, and asked him, "Are you okay? Are you nervous?"

Xie Kang had a little sweat on his forehead, but he still said, "It's okay, it's not like someone called me up suddenly."

Zhuang Yongyuan laughed and said seriously, "It's okay, even if there are some small mistakes, it's okay."

Xie Kang grumbled softly, "I wish you had been so tolerant when we were rehearsing."

Zhuang Yongyuan winked at him, returned to his seat, and pressed the pedal. The lights came on, bright yellow, dark red, casting a shadow on everyone.

He said into the microphone, "Long time no see.", and counted down to three, two, one in his in-ear monitor. He plucked the guitar, and the other accompaniment followed into the aisle, and the performance began.

Xie Kang's return allowed Zhuang Yongyuan to share some of the vocal and accompaniment tasks, but the opening song was still sung solo by Zhuang Yongyuan.

Zhuang Yongyuan successfully made a sound into the microphone, but his throat was dry and not as good as before, even worse than when he was rehearsing and recording.

He continued to sing, but the real voice in his ears became smaller and farther away. The buzzing sound and his own imperfect voice filled his mind. He also heard that he had played a wrong note and that Adian was half a second late in the beat.

His mind was blank. If the muscle memory formed by repeated rehearsals was not strong enough, Zhuang Yongyuan would probably not have been able to perform.

He frowned and breathed rapidly, thinking of the negative reviews of Lily Heart's new album he had seen online.

Flattering, fawning, hypocritical, shallow, boring...

If I no longer have the ability to do it well, if I can't carry on performing the whole show, if the success of the first album is just a flash in the pan, I've completely run out of ideas...

Messy and broken thoughts were floating everywhere. One-third of the performance was over, Zhuang Yongyuan's hands were already shaking a little while playing the piano.

Xie Kang noticed his anomaly and suddenly said into the microphone in the interval between songs: "Wait a minute, my pick fell to the ground."

He bent down, pretended to search on the ground for a while, and then threw the pick in his hand back.

"Zhuang Yongyuan, Zhuang Yongyuan!"

It was not until Xie Kang called out for the second time that Zhuang Yongyuan vaguely realized that someone was calling him. He had a pick in his mouth and couldn't speak, so he gave Xie Kang a confused look.

Xie Kang said innocently, "I lost my pick. Can you lend me one?"

When Zhuang Yongyuan heard this, he felt he had reached his breaking point and couldn't handle any more unexpected situations. He wanted to put down his guitar and hide backstage.

Before he could react, Xie Kang suddenly leaned over to him and snatched the pick from his mouth. Amidst the exclamations from the audience, he took the opportunity to whisper in his ear, "It's okay. It's okay to make mistakes."

Zhuang Yongyuan must have been so nervous that he bit the pick tightly, and Xie Kang could feel his teeth marks on it.

The performance couldn't be interrupted for too long, so Xie Kang adjusted himself, made an "ok" gesture to the stage controller, and started the next song. He directly played the difficult solo at the beginning for Zhuang Yongyuan. Fortunately, the effect was good. It was worth it that he practiced the piano every time he had nothing to do in the past two years, and practiced so hard that Zhuang Yongyuan even thought he was noisy.

He was also mentally prepared to sing along with Zhuang Yongyuan's part, but Zhuang Yongyuan's vocals came in on time, and Xie Kang could hear that his voice was much looser. Before, his voice was like a string that could break at any time.

Zhuang Yongyuan sang with his head down and played the piano with his head shaking. It was rare for him to be so quiet on the stage. He didn't run around or jump around, and his eyes lingered on Xie Kang.

Xie Kang is back, standing on the stage, and back by his side.

For no reason, Zhuang Yongyuan thought of the New Year's Eve two years ago, when he and Xie Kang sat on the bridge and watched the Yanjiang River. The Yanjiang River flowed calmly and slowly. He was also singing slowly now, not thinking about the past and the future, just immersed in the present moment under the water.

He suddenly thought that after the tour, he and Xie Kang could take a short vacation and go back to Pingnan. He hadn't contacted Aying in the past two years and wondered where she was now.

There were several talking sessions during the performance, most of which were others interacting with the audience. Xie Kang also talked a lot, while Zhuang Yongyuan only said things like "drink more water".

Zhuang Yongyuan's previous performance style was like this, he rarely spoke, and the audience was used to it. It was not until the encore that he started to speak seriously.

"It's been so long since we last met, and this is our first time meeting. I wanted to talk about this new album." Zhuang Yongyuan took a deep breath, waited for the cheers from the audience to die down, and then continued, "This album may not meet everyone's expectations. It's very different from the style of our first album. On the first album, we talked about life and death and pain, but this album is about the daily life of daily life."

Zhuang Yongyuan smiled and pointed to the ground, saying, "Because we didn't have too much stuff for the arrangement, we brought a few fewer effects pedals for this tour."

Some of the responses from the audience were encouraging, while others expressed their hope for more songs similar to the first album. Zhuang Yongyuan continued, "I actually never imagined I'd make such a peaceful album. For this album, I had all the members participate in the production, allowing everyone to express their own concept of 'home.'"

"Sometimes I feel that writing so many songs in the past, about inescapable fate and the cycle of life and death, was also a form of escape. Because I didn't dare to face the specific things that happened in my life."

He closed his eyes and said, "I don't dare to face my home and family."

"I can write something simple that can make everyone happy, about summer, the beach and soda. Why shouldn't I write it? I can do it. I don't think that kind of song is bad, but if I only write songs like that, I will feel like I have forgotten to say a lot of things that I should say."

"I wanted to write about what I was feeling. I started writing songs because I was in so much pain. People were dying around me, leaving me, my family, my friends, my loved ones."

Zhuang Yongyuan took a deep breath and gave an ambiguous smile. "Just like the clothes we're wearing today, we've all grown up, and we still tend to forget things, just like how we can't wear these clothes. But one good thing about growing up is that someone has returned to my side. After he came along, I began to feel that small things also have meaning, and that the daily necessities of our family are worth writing about."

He deliberately emphasized the word "home", and there was a burst of screams from below, half questioning and half booing.

"As for the finished product, you've all heard it. It's warm, cold, and a little unclear... so let it be."

Zhuang Yongyuan paused. He was still not good at expressing his inner thoughts in front of so many people.

Xie Kang looked at Zhuang Yongyuan. Zhuang Yongyuan had changed a little, coming out of the closet and shedding some of his pain and self-doubt, but he was still himself, sensitive, introverted, sharp, and beautiful.

Fortunately, he only missed six years, the six years from the ideal to the reality, but the two of them were together, and they could raise a little ideal above the reality, everyone's ideal, Li Xiuyu's, Du Jiahao's, Xu Zhen's, and even their respective parents' ideals.

Life together again wasn't perfect. He'd seen Zhuang Yongyuan suffer from anxiety and insomnia, tossing and turning until he collapsed and wanted to die.

The side of Zhuang Yongyuan he saw wasn't limited to his glittering stage presence. He also saw his messy hair, fresh from sleep, his emotional breakdown, his avoidance of everyone and information, his vulgarity and unbearableness. And Zhuang Yongyuan also saw his broken side. On that New Year's Eve, Zhuang Yongyuan had overheard all his vulnerability under the table, and he could no longer hide it from him.

But Xie Kang still loves Zhuang Yongyuan, just as Zhuang Yongyuan still loves him after seeing his worst moment.

There are two songs in the encore. The first one is Lily Heart’s most popular song "Thousands of Typhoons", followed by "What Kind of Person" sung by Xie Kang.

The warm white single light shone on Xie Kang, who plucked the acoustic guitar and sang this simple song.

While singing this song, Xie Kang thought of Pingnan for the first time in a long time, and of his family whom he had never seen since he left. Strangely, he did not hate or miss Pingnan this time.

Xie Kang walked over to Zhuang Yongyuan, guitar in hand. He wanted to tell Zhuang Yongyuan that he was thinking that they had both suddenly come to a realization at the age of thirty.

There is no reason for a city to turn over for anyone.

But they belong to themselves, the city is the city, Xie Kang and Zhuang Yongyuan belong to themselves and to each other, and they and Pingnan owe nothing to each other.

After the performance, the five of them bowed to take their bows and then left the stage.

Zhuang Yongyuan was halfway there when he realized Xie Kang hadn't caught up. He turned around to look for Xie Kang, who was sitting at the edge of the stage, guitar in hand. Many of the audience members who were leaving had stopped to watch.

Xie Kang waved to Zhuang Yongyuan. Zhuang Yongyuan walked over to him, squatted down, and asked him quietly, "Why don't you leave?"

"I haven't sung enough." Xie Kang's face was a little red, and he looked drunk even though he didn't drink any alcohol.

"Let's go to KTV and sing our hearts out."

Xie Kang shook his head, picked up the microphone, and sang directly: "I always thought I was a mystery that was hard to understand..."

"Too Smart" by Cheer Chen is a song that Zhuang Yongyuan taught him and he learned with great reluctance when he was sixteen.

Zhuang Yongyuan said, "You just sing a cappella?"

Xie Kang stuffed the acoustic guitar into Zhuang Yongyuan's arms and said, "I've forgotten how to play it. Can you teach me?"

Zhuang Yongyuan glanced at the audience uncomfortably. Xie Kang was sometimes like he was in high school, making him unable to cope.

He plucked the strings a few times, pouted his lips, and said to Xie Kang, "Then you must study hard."

"I'll study hard, starting from the beginning," Xie Kang said, leaning against Zhuang Yongyuan's back and closing his eyes. The guitar prelude sounded, and just like the first time he heard it at sixteen, he could smell the scent of night-blooming jasmine on the streets of Kaiping.

After the performance, they didn't have time for a late-night snack together; they each had their own plans. Ah Dian was going to pick up her mother from playing mahjong to share a bowl of shepherd's purse wontons. Qi Ji's girlfriend had been waiting for him at the door for a long time, and Zhong You said he wanted to go to the studio to practice piano that evening.

Xie Kang and Zhuang Yongyuan moved their respective luggage and musical instruments into the back seat and trunk of the car. The next stop of the tour was in Hangzhou, and they planned to drive there themselves.

Headlights illuminated the short stretch of road ahead. This newly purchased SUV would carry them to many more cities on tour. No one could predict the future. Would the new album's reputation improve? Would inspiration for the next album strike immediately? Could they get an apology from Yan Tong? Would they ever sit down with their family for a meal and have a proper conversation again?

At least at this moment, Zhuang Yongyuan and Xie Kang were still together, one driving and the other sleeping. There was no need to turn on the air conditioner on the nights of late summer and early autumn. The warm night breeze blew into the car. There was no music playing in the car. It was so quiet that only the navigation was talking.

They still have a lot of places to go together and a lot of songs to write together.

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The last chapter seems to be growing longer and longer as it grows, so I'm too lazy to divide it into chapters, so I'll just post it all at once :) It's finished, thank you everyone, I love you all. I'll post some postscripts, playlists, short stories, etc. on Weibo soon, so please follow me! If you like it, I would be very grateful if you could recommend this article to me! ! The new article is pre-collected on the homepage, so feel free to bookmark it if you're interested~