Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 949 I Do

Although there's no necessary connection, Bian Lang's fondness for making bets is exactly the same as Luo Suping's: "What are we betting on?"

"I'm betting that if your son is gone, will the ratings for The Big Band drop?"

Luo Suping was also decisive. Upon hearing that it was a bet, she said confidently, "No! I believe that the program my son produces will not have any problems due to the lack of individual factors. But if you also think it's good, then there's no need to force a bet."

Lao Yao didn't mean to belittle "The Big Band" at all; he just had a deep-seated belief in Bian Lang, so he firmly believed that without Bian Lang, the ratings of "The Big Band" would inevitably decline, but not by much.

So he immediately stated his bet: "I bet it will decline. If Sister Luo wins, then we'll give up two more percentage points on Sister Bian Lan's side." Although it's only two percentage points, it's a big deal compared to a ratio of 51% to 49%.

As a hands-off manager, Lao Yao was certainly not interested in taking control, but during the negotiations, he couldn't possibly let Bian Lan get it too easily.

As for the catering management company model, Lao Yao rejected it outright after Bian Lan expressed his willingness.

In his view, with Bianlang's reputation already established and the products themselves being of good quality, there was no need to bring in a catering management company.

All he needed to do was recruit the necessary talent to strengthen Bian Lan's team at different stages of his development. He even felt it didn't need to be that complicated, because after hearing Bian Lan recount some of Bian Lang's ideas, he figured all he needed was a good execution team, occasionally digging for inspiration from Bian Lang, and then refining and enriching it.

But if you really don't believe he won, he will still use other methods, such as giving Zhang Fan or Bian Lang a few points, to achieve the goal of Bian Lan taking control.

"Alright! It's a bet. If I lose, then Nan Feiyan will start preparing for expansion. Don't go back on your word, Mr. Yao!"

Old Yao was thrilled with this bet, and no matter how much he tried to persuade her these past few days, Luo Suping remained unmoved. The main reason was her insistence on her taste…

But now that she thinks about it, these might not be problems. The biggest problem is whether she has enough initiative! As long as she is determined to do it, she feels that there is no problem that cannot be solved.

So even if we lose this time, we'll just consider it a push we've made.

After the two settled on the bet, the show was about to start. Their seats were right next to the professional music fan group, next to the sponsor's group, so some of the people there who knew Bian's mother through Bian Lang took the initiative to greet her.

Pan Jianhu even switched seats with someone and came directly to this side next to Bian's mother, so that he could easily explain the situation to her.

As the main lights dimmed, Niu Bo's first words upon appearing on stage sent the fans, who were unaware of the specific recording schedule, into a frenzy: "Today we'll finish recording the opening sequence for the grand finale, so we hope everyone can cooperate and give it their all..."

Guo Sichu's die-hard fans, who were prepared in advance, immediately started raising their light sticks inside the venue.

This move drew criticism from some Rolling Stones fans: "They came here as the lead singer of Rolling Stones, so what's the point of just providing support materials for Guo Sichu?"

However, most people are open-minded about it:
"Why didn't you complain when someone was holding up a sign about Bian Lang alone?"

"What's the big deal? Guo Sichu will probably focus on the band for the next year. Once the fans get used to it, they won't do it this way anymore!"

"You know what, if Bian Lang hadn't been banned, wouldn't this couple—one a huge music fan, the other the lead singer of a participating band—be suspected of cheating?"

"Super fans only get a few votes, bro! You're overthinking it..."

The murmurs from the fans gradually subsided after the stage lights dimmed. Then, figures could be seen moving about on the dimly lit stage, presumably the band and staff preparing.

Guo Sichu's fans knew about this incident, but Niu Boyi hadn't mentioned it, and they weren't sure if Guo Sichu was preparing to go on stage. This was because someone at the scene had leaked information that Liu Yao had also brought No. 1 Anxiang Road.

Moreover, some observant people noticed that even though Niu Boyi was already in the super fan seats diagonally above them, there were still two people missing.

Niu Boyi had just sat down when the curious Liu Xiaokui leaned over and asked, "Teacher Niu, does Sister Leather Pants think Sister Chu should go first?"

"I don't know either. The order wasn't set during rehearsals; it all depended on the director's instructions. It's your fault for not coming last night, otherwise you would have seen the rehearsal… Let me tell you…" Just as Niu Boyi was about to reveal more, Liu Ziyang spoke up:

"Old Niu, have some professional ethics, will you? The answer will be revealed in just a few minutes, and you..."

Upon hearing this, Niu Boyi and Liu Xiaokui immediately shut up, and at the same time, a countdown sound came through their earpieces: "30 seconds left..."

Luo Suping was also one of the curious ones. Looking at the silhouette standing in the middle of the stage, she asked Pan Jianhu, "Mr. Pan, what is this?"

Pan Jianhu knew this, of course, but he decided to keep it a secret: "You'll find out as you read on."

However, a new female face among the sponsors immediately remarked, "Judging from the style of that dress, it should be Guo Sichu!"

Old Yao, being the outgoing person he is, was quite curious and asked directly, "Teacher, how did you get out here?"

The female representative from the brand paused for a moment before saying somewhat apologetically, "I'm sorry to have bothered you; my voice was a bit loud just now." After apologizing to Lao Yao, she lowered her voice and said, "I am the product director of Amir China. Most of the costumes for this performance were sponsored by us."

Upon hearing this, Old Yao knew that this person's judgment must be correct: "Then your eyesight is truly professional!"

Sure enough, when the laser lights on the stage shone blue grids, who else could be the person at the center of the grid but Guo Sichu?

However, her outfit and styling today completely shattered the filter of her image that most people had held for her over the years.

Amir's full denim workwear outfit, paired with a pair of Doc Martens boots, is a style that Guo Sichu herself doesn't recall wearing much.

Coupled with a tight, slicked-back bun, it has absolutely nothing to do with her previous stage personas. However, while it does have an age-reducing effect, it also gives off a cool and edgy vibe.

"Wow! Just for that outfit alone, I'll accept her as the lead singer of the Rolling Stones!"

"I was really worried that she would wear a dress or some other weird outfit to sing rock, I couldn't accept that! But now it seems that the diva is really going all out for Rolling Stones this time!"

"Damn! Is this an illusion? I feel like I can see Bian Lang standing there!" This last fan's comment was spot on; Guo Sichu was exactly following Bian Lang's routine from head to toe. As for Bian Lang, he was simply paying homage to Gao Hu!
So even the lighting and other elements on set were arranged by him directly based on his memory of the live performance of "The Big Band".

That's why Guo Sichu, standing in front of the microphone stand with her eyes closed and hands behind her back, allowed her longtime fans to see that she was equally stunning on this other path!

"To be honest, even though I watched the videos of Empress Chu abroad after she reunited with Rolling Stones, I didn't think she would necessarily succeed after returning to China. But after seeing this, I think she's in the bag!"

"Actually, I didn't want her to play rock music, but seeing her like this now, I think maybe this is the right thing for her!"

"Bian Erlang, give me back my goddess!"

The last sound was quite loud, but the fans in the audience only glanced back once before turning their attention back to the stage.

This really put this show-off in an awkward position: "No, I was all ready to argue with Bian Lang's fans, why aren't they fighting back?" This kind of inner monologue is something this show-off can only think about in his mind.

The one who reacted the most was, of course, Luo Suping.

Although she doesn't usually follow celebrities, she had paid considerable attention to Guo Sichu before, and even more so after Guo Sichu and her son officially announced their relationship. However, in all the information she had followed, Guo Sichu had never dressed in such a neutral style.

Moreover, like some music fans, she saw the shadow of her son Bian Lang in Guo Sichu!
"This girl is very thoughtful..."

As the reverb of the guitar effects pedal brought out the ripple-like melody, the blue net on the stage began to move... A strange emotion began to spread in everyone's hearts.

When the bass semitones, exactly the same as in the original song, appeared, those in the industry who were hearing it for the first time were all taken aback by this approach.

Without the original version for comparison, I doubt any idiot music critic would still jump out and say that the lack of a clear structure feels like showing off their knowledge. After all, when this version first came out, the polarized reviews were truly a heated debate.

However, Bian Lang believes that if it weren't for those idiot music critics stirring up trouble to gain attention, there wouldn't have been so many dissenting netizens. After all, even someone who doesn't understand music would find that comparing this version to the original has absolutely nothing to do with it being bad!
This led to the subsequent chart-topping success, the revival, and Wang Jingwen giving away the copyright for free.

So when the stage lights began to glow with a purplish-pink hue, Guo Sichu, who hadn't opened her eyes yet, spoke in a way that instantly captivated: "Longing is a very mysterious thing, like a shadow, always there... silent and imperceptible, appearing and disappearing in the depths of the heart... in the blink of an eye, it engulfs... I am in silence..."

Guo Sichu's pronunciation and rhythm were entirely based on the lazy style presented by Cheng in Bian Lang's video. The original song was lowered by half a key, and she lowered it by half a key again.

This left those who were used to Guo Sichu singing grand songs completely captivated by this folk tune, unsure of how to evaluate it.

To use an imperfect analogy, it's like seeing the Empress, the mother of the nation, dressed in a stepmother's dress—not only novel but also exciting...

The lyrics that follow seem to echo these thoughts: "I can't resist, especially at night, I miss you so much I can't breathe... I wish I could run to you right now and tell you loudly... mmm... mmm..."

Before music fans could even marvel at this passage, lyrics perfectly matching Painkiller's repetitive rock style arrived:

"I'm willing to do it for you, I'm willing to do it for you."

I'm willing to forget my name for you.

Even if it's just for one more second, I'll stay in your arms.

It wouldn't be a pity to lose the world...

Although it's not very clear who the two harmonies are, the male voice that enters the chorus perfectly seems to be interacting with Guo Sichu on the same frequency!
Some truly intelligent people, upon hearing the line "I am willing to forget my own name for you," suddenly realize the truth and tears begin to flow.

Because in these people's minds, this song is Guo Sichu's true response to her relationship with Bian Lang.

Forget the name of the diva "Guo Sichu," and then the name of the lead singer of Rolling Stones will take the stage.

Considering that Guo Sichu went to great lengths to fly to Europe, practically using all the connections and resources she had accumulated in the entertainment industry over the past half of her life to endorse Bian Lang and Rolling Stone, doesn't this perfectly illustrate the later statement: "Losing the world is not a pity..."?

As for the professional aspects, upon hearing the melody with reggae elements in this overall framework, I was instantly at a loss for words.

Everyone has seen Guo Sichu's performances abroad before. Which of those songs isn't a masterpiece that immediately amazes you? Or, in the general sense, rock music?
So they all thought that now that they were back, the song for their debut performance should be the same—a powerful song that could dominate the entire audience as soon as they opened their mouths.

The tempo must be fast, the solo must be awesome, there must be metallic high notes, there must be intricate and winding vocal runs, it must be…

So when Guo Sichu performed this song, which was completely unexpected by them, who didn't think, "Holy crap!" in their mind?

However, this is not the end:

I'm willing to do it for you, I'm willing to do it for you.
I'm willing to be banished to the ends of the earth for you.

If you are sincere, respond to my love.
I'm willing to do anything.

I'd do anything for you...

If in the past, some of Guo Sichu's fans, due to certain extreme ideas, felt that Bian Lang was unworthy of Guo Sichu, after hearing this, they probably wouldn't say another word.

After all, this thing is too obvious.

Guo Sichu did everything for Bian Lang and for Rock Records, and Bian Lang appreciated it all. He even wrote a new song for Guo Sichu for her debut performance at Rock Records in China, which can also be seen as a response to Guo Sichu.

Moreover, in some people's eyes, after the male harmonies were added to the chorus, it felt like the person standing on the stage was not just Guo Sichu alone, but a combination of her and Bian Lang.

Therefore, this song is not only sung by Guo Sichu to Bian Lang, but also sung by Bian Lang to Guo Sichu!
(End of this chapter)