Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 950 Another Peak for Rolling Stones

Da Yong's cymbal rang out, opening the interlude.

Guo Sichu, who had been quietly singing on stage with her eyes closed and hands behind her back, finally opened her eyes at this moment. With the psychedelic atmosphere created by the distorted guitar, Guo Sichu took out a sand bucket from her denim jacket pocket and started shaking it to the rhythm.

Bathed in the blue-pink gradient lights, Guo Sichu looked like a fairy descended to earth. The cameramen on site, looking at her pretty face swept by the light spots in the viewfinder, couldn't help but think to themselves, "Only Bian Lang could pull this off. If it were anyone else, who could get her to play rock and roll!"

Liu Ziyang tapped his foot to the rhythm, already thinking about what angle to use to offer his critique: "It seems like I'm really at a loss for words besides 'it sounds good'!"

To reiterate, even with the original version for comparison, this version is by no means unpleasant. Even when compared side-by-side with the original, each version has its own merits.

The original version features Wang Jingwen singing with her lively voice, conveying a poignant beauty reminiscent of a love sacrifice, while Gao Hu, seemingly lazy, possesses a gentle quality of being firmly chosen.

There's a story about a couple in their forties who argue about how bland the soup is, their child's schooling, their parents' retirement, and their mortgage payments. After finishing their meal with these worries, he asks if you want to go for a walk. They walk together in silence for a long time, and on the way home, he suddenly starts singing this song to you.

When it comes to Guo Sichu, the feeling presented is similar to Gao Hu's yet different.

If this had happened when she first debuted, or during her previous career peak, she would never have acted this way. Back then, she would have imagined herself as a proud and aloof woman, willing to go to any lengths for love. But now it's different. In this relationship with Bian Lang, she feels that she isn't the one giving more.

Even if she gave everything she had to fight Bianlang, the feedback Bianlang gave her would always make her feel even more precious, just like this song:
I am powerless to resist, especially at night.

I miss you so much I can't breathe

I wish I could run to you right now.
I'll tell you loudly..."

If Guo Sichu couldn't understand this feeling before going to Europe, then in the past two days she has truly felt this emotion that she couldn't empathize with before.

Every night, as soon as I lie down in bed and close my eyes, I sing to her while cuddling her: "Holding you, Oh My Baby... You know I can't back down..."

Although she's past the age where love is everything, how could she not enjoy this kind of quality love?

Thinking of all this, she sang the next verse with great emotion: "I'm willing to forget my name for you, I'm willing to forget my name for you... Even if it's just for one more second, to stay in your arms, I wouldn't regret losing the world..."

Xia Yuxi and Luo Lin's harmonies were also sung with great emotion...

Luo Lin naturally thought of his wife, with whom he had shared more than twenty years of life's joys and sorrows. The sweet words they exchanged during their courtship and the vows they made at their wedding still seemed like yesterday. His wife had followed him, a rock musician, without complaint all these years, managing the household and raising the children without ever making any major mistakes.

Being with him, a rock musician whom most people consider to be a good-for-nothing, although there will be arguments and quarrels, they are always resolved in bed.

All those years of dedication to the family can be summed up in one sentence: "I'm willing to do it for you!" What I do isn't important; what matters is that I'm willing, and that it's you!
So, Luo Lin insisted on joining this trip, hoping it would be like giving his wife a gift on the show.

As for Xia Yuxi, his past love has long since vanished, but he still harbors longing! He longs for the kind of love depicted in the lyrics, and even more so for the kind of love reflected in the real-life relationship between Bian Lang and Guo Sichu…

"I'm willing to be banished to the ends of the earth for you, I'm willing to be for you, I'm willing to be for you... as long as you are sincere and respond to my love... I'm willing to do anything..."

After singing that line, everyone paused for a beat. Luo Lin and Xia Yuxi, who were originally scheduled to finish the harmony, took a half step back and disappeared into the shadows.

But Guo Sichu's harmonies didn't disappear immediately afterward; a languid male voice, distinct from the two on stage but familiar to everyone in the audience, joined in, singing, "I'd do anything..."

Those with sharp ears at the scene had their mouths agape, but managed to suppress the gasps that were about to escape their lips.

Because once the words "Bianlang" are uttered, this version might not see the light of day for at least a year. Music fans aren't stupid; since the authorities are turning a blind eye, they can't be too blatant!
Having already understood the situation, Guo Sichu was so excited that she couldn't control herself and immediately opened her eyes to search the stage.

And so, the last two words of the lyrics, which she had missed, came from the speaker: "For you..."

These two words have no melody; they don't feel like they're sung at all. They're more like the final whispers between lovers before bed.

You don't need to have professional pronunciation, nor do you need to make sure everyone can hear you; just let the people you want to hear you hear it.

Clearly, Guo Sichu heard it. For a moment, unsure how to express her emotions, she could only stand on the stage, looking at the three people in the super fan section, her eyes asking what was going on.

In fact, only Liu Ziyang among the three knew the truth: the harmony track for the last two lines was a recording that Bian Lang had made in Europe.

After Bian Lang finalized his plan, only four people knew the inside story: Liu Ziyang at the front, Olaf at the back who was in control, and the two backing vocalists who had just retreated into the shadows on stage. Not even Da Yong and the others knew, let alone Guo Sichu.

So, when the stage lights came on, everyone looked at Guo Sichu and exclaimed in unison, "Bian Lang! You did a really great job!"

Guo Sichu, regaining her senses, had eyes full of sweetness. After adjusting herself, she heard director Qin Ge's voice through her earpiece: "Sister Chu, you've achieved legendary status! Now, let's wait for Teacher Niu's questions..."

Before the director reminded him, Niu Boyi had already astutely guessed the truth of the matter. However, he was still immersed in Guo Sichu's performance, thinking about the power of the three words "I do" and Guo Sichu's previous performances.

It wasn't until the applause and whistles from the audience erupted, and the row of professional music fans all stood up and applauded, that Niu Boyi snapped out of his reverie and got to work: "Guo Sichu, Queen Chu, playing rock! You can do it, I admire you..." After a string of exclamations, Niu Boyi finally got to the point: "Why did you choose this song for your screen debut as the lead singer of Rolling Stones..."

After asking that question, Niu Boyi, fearing he hadn't been accurate enough, repeated, "It should be my first domestic performance, am I right?"

“That’s right!” Guo Sichu’s answer was quite straightforward: “I didn’t choose this song, but I really like it…”

"Then..." Bian Lang's name was already on the tip of her tongue, but Niu Bo swallowed it back: "Can you describe what it feels like to go from a pop diva to the lead singer of a rock band?"

Guo Sichu thought for a moment, then turned to look at her teammates before asking, "What do you guys think? Am I qualified as the lead singer?" Before the microphone could even be handed over, the others all gave her a thumbs up: "Qualified!"

To be honest, Guo Sichu's singing skills are impeccable. If we had to nitpick, we could only say that her singing style and vocal habits in many pop songs make her sound a little strange when she listens to rock songs.

For example, at the end of each line of this song, Bian Lang pays tribute to Gao Hu, so he sings a semitone. But when Guo Sichu handles it, it sounds off-key at first listen. You have to listen to it repeatedly before you realize that it is actually very beautiful.

That's because Guo Sichu's previous singing habits may have already been ingrained in the ears of her fans.

Some die-hard fans in the audience could, without exaggeration, predict Guo Sichu's singing from the very first note, including where she would breathe. But none of them could have guessed that Guo Sichu would handle the song in this way.

Of course, no one would think she sang off-key, so while it felt strange, there was also a sense of novelty and surprise.

Then Guo Sichu threw the question to Liu Ziyang: "Teacher Ziyang, what do you think of this song? Give me your comments, just like I'm competing now!"

Liu Ziyang had wanted to speak for a while, but he couldn't possibly compete with Niu Bo, so Guo Sichu passed the word to him, and his response was smooth and seamless: "It sounds beautiful, I really love it, especially that semitone..."

While he was explaining things to the fans at the scene, Liu Xiao Kui sent the video he had just recorded to Bian Lang, adding the caption: "One take!"

Bian Lang had timed it perfectly and was waiting to see the results. He had already instructed several people on site to record for him, but Liu Xiao Kui, who was not part of the plan, took the initiative to do so first.

Looking at Guo Sichu on stage, Bian Lang couldn't help but think of the original singer, Wang Jingwen, and her "Around the World" concert in Hong Kong Coliseum.

Why single out this event? Because the event was created by a golden family combination of Wang Jingwen, Dou Xian, Zhang Yadong, and Dou Ying—a combination that will likely never be seen together again.

Wang Jingwen as the lead vocalist, Dou Xian on drums; Dou Ying on harmonies, and Zhang Yadong on guitar!

The lineup of singers might have seemed ordinary back then, and not particularly impressive. But what do you think of it now?
Of the four, three are no longer able to operate like they used to...

The possibility of Faye Wong holding another concert in her lifetime is virtually zero, and those who know the reasons understand why.

Whose concert would Dou Xian play drums for? That's pure fantasy!
Whose concert will Zhang Yadong play guitar for next? It seems unlikely.

Dou Ying is the only one who continues to shine in the role of harmony singer.

The year after this performance, in 99, Wang and Dou separated. In 2000, Zhang Yadong and Dou Ying also parted ways... The recording of this concert was later made into an album and released.

Bian Lang got his hands on this CD several years after the album's release, and he only bought it because he wanted to hear Dou Xian's drumming.

But in the end, I was still captivated by Faye Wong's ethereal voice...

"Once the original arrangement is written out, let Guo Sichu sing the original version and see how it goes."

However, this idea should be considered only after Guo Sichu's time as the sole breadwinner at Rolling Stone ends.

In the time after they returned, Bian Lang carefully considered the gains and losses of many things and finally made a decision.

After the US tour concludes and the recording of "Wan Qing" is completed, Rolling Stones will have Guo Sichu lead a tour in China first. Bian Lang believes that this experience will be invaluable for both Guo Sichu and the Rolling Stones.

It's hard to say whether it will become the swan song in each other's lives or careers.

Bian Lang is not a pessimist, but he is not someone who blindly thinks everything will turn out perfectly.

But overall, he still hopes that no matter what happens in the end, at least in terms of music, neither of them will have any regrets.

Don't be like Dong Youbian, who only recorded one album of Anhe Bridge and hasn't even recorded any of Chen Li's songs yet... But it's okay that he hasn't recorded them yet!

But in fact, without Bian Lang's knowledge, Liu Ziyang, after discussing with Chen Shuting and Liang Kuan, decided to secretly agree to record a version of "Flammable and Explosive" for Dong Youbian.

Chen Shuting agreed because she knew that Bian Lang had given all the original rights to those songs to Dong Youbian. Copyright was a given, but in that situation, no one would have bothered with it.

So if Dong Youbian is determined to record, even if Rolling Stone doesn't help with the recording, she'll find other collaborators and still record. It's better to be generous and just let her record it directly. As for whether it's released, and how it's ultimately released, that's up to us.

Anyway, Chen Shuting felt that Dong Youbian did this because he was sure that none of them would tell Bian Lang about it.

As for the purpose, Chen Shuting, who had read the lyrics of the song, just smiled and didn't make any further comments.

Liang Kuan's thinking was even simpler: whatever Dong Youbian's motives, recording songs is a way to make money. Even if he wanted to prove something to Guo Sichu as her ex, Guo Sichu would definitely be happy to respond positively.

Therefore, in her view, apart from Bian Lang being a little angry because he was kept in the dark, there was nothing wrong with this matter at all.

As for Liu Ziyang, he simply felt that this song should have been recorded long ago.

As for whether this will have any negative impact on Guo Sichu, it's like what he said at the "The Big Band" show about Guo Sichu, the new lead singer of Rock Records: "To be honest, I never thought that Bian Lang would be banned from performing in China for a year just because he sang a song abroad. But if I had to think of someone who could replace Bian Lang, there really isn't one!"

After hearing your performance live today, I feel like this might be another peak for the Rolling Stones…

(End of this chapter)