Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 970 Longing for a Warm Spring
Bian Lang's wandering thoughts were abruptly pulled back by Zhu Wei: "Brother Lang, look..."

Bian Lang took the phone and started reading. The Weibo account that had been forwarded thousands of times and received tens of thousands of likes belonged to a troll influencer. The title of the short essay criticizing "The Crying Fist" was "This Society Doesn't Need the Anger of Those Who Don't Eat Cakes."

The gist is that it's unconvincing for someone like Bian Lang, who no longer worries about survival, to create art about the hardships of the lower classes, because he hasn't experienced them firsthand. If he simply uses snippets from news reports to express his rock ideals, no listener will empathize.

Bian Lang smiled after reading it and didn't bother to pay attention: "People can say whatever they want, what else do you want to do?"

"I'm just so angry. I think these people are only acting so recklessly because you're not in the country."

If he were still the Bian Lang from when he first transmigrated, he would definitely be arguing with this influencer with millions of followers. But now, after thinking about it, he felt relieved: "If a dog bites you, why bite the dog back?"

"But……"

"There's no 'but,' no need to worry about it... Just keep watching. Who knows, next year you might be bringing your band to 'The Big Band.' Watching everyone's performances this year should be helpful..."

Hearing this, Lin Yaorong laughed and said, "Bian Sheng is right. This kind of person isn't worth our time. Let's just watch 'The Big Band' properly. If we don't end up forming a team, we'll team up next year!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wei completely forgot about the online troll and started chatting with Li Yaorong about the possibility of forming a band while watching "The Big Band".

Bian Lang gave Tian Yuan the song "Space Wanderer" and then left it to him. He also never said that they had to use it on "The Big Band." When he heard that Tian Yuan had decided to sing it, Bian Lang was somewhat surprised. He thought that since Tian Yuan had basically never sung a Chinese song before, it wouldn't be difficult for him to practice. But getting over that mental hurdle would take some time or a certain opportunity to figure it out.

After all, many musicians back then were quite stubborn about their preferences. Not everyone is like Wang Banbi...

But this time, the joystick's performance truly impressed Bian Lang. To sum it up in one sentence: "I'd rather be romantic to the death!"

Meanwhile, as expected, the control stick of Chuncheng Sigu was drowned out by applause and congratulations from numerous music fans and industry insiders. Li Hao, who always loved to show off, was surprisingly silent in the crowd this time, letting the usually taciturn Tian Yuan take the lead.

He felt as if he had suddenly become transparent, thinking about all that the band had gone through over the years, and that shining moment on stage just now, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, he knew perfectly well: "If I hadn't chosen this song, it probably wouldn't have had this effect."

Thinking of this, he took out his phone and sent Bian Lang a toast emoji. Then he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Starting tonight, it's my treat for everyone who drinks the 'Thin Pizza'..."

The situation was similar at Rolling Stone Labs, where rock music fans and industry insiders made up the majority of the audience, and they all gave the joystick a positive review for its small but increasingly better performance.

Even when facing his competitor Li Hao, Lao Tan still gave him a thumbs up: "That's great! To be reborn on a stage like 'The Big Band,' the joystick is lucky!"

Thinking of this, Lao Tan also began to look forward to the next group's crossover performance. However, considering Bian Lang's current situation, Lao Tan could only sigh and say, "Bian Lang, hang in there, we're all waiting for you!"

……

In the main square of Kunming, the first city in South Asia, the atmosphere was a little different from usual. Even the old ladies who usually danced the Guozhuang dance rain or shine were taking a break. Other businesses were also asked to temporarily shut down their loudspeakers for promotion, all to make way for the outdoor broadcast of The Big Band.

This is an industry in Dianhai, so there's no need for communication from the city's publicity department. As soon as the plan was released, He Yan reported it and followed up at the fastest speed.

Right now, Xia Yuxi and the other members of Hedgehog are disguised as shop assistants at the market, waiting for their song to appear.

All members of the Hedgehog Band, except for Xia Yuxi, were participating in this kind of event for the first time, and their attitudes and expressions varied.

Strauss, Dingding, and Tongqi found it quite interesting, and since they were helping out at Bianlan's stall, they didn't feel any pressure.

Huang Kai was in a worse situation. He wasn't really into this kind of work to begin with, and then they put him in charge of chopping coconuts at a fruit stand, which he found quite ridiculous. Luckily, Xia Yuxi was grilling barbecue next door, and the two of them could chat every now and then; otherwise, Huang Kai probably would have quit long ago.

As the interaction on the big screen was about to end, the PA (Programmer)'s voice came through their headphones: "Get ready, you guys! We're muting the sound in 30 seconds..."

Since the South Asian side was planned by Dianhai, a long-time partner of the song, it wasn't just a simple flash of people appearing; the hedgehogs here were going to flash really fast. As for whether it needed to be so precise as to seamlessly align with the screen, everyone felt it was fine.

Upon hearing the 30-second countdown, Dingding was the first to move. Under the camera's lens, she came out of the preparation room of Da Kou Tea and climbed directly up the ladder of the Da Kou Tea container.

Only after the tarpaulin on the container was pulled back did a sharp-eyed person exclaim, "Look, there's a drum set on top..."

Dingding was unusually nervous, because whether she could perfectly connect with the visuals was the most crucial part. This was because the prelude to "Longing for Spring" started with the drumbeat.

Just after Dingding went up, Strauss and Tong Qi also came out and found their places one after another.

As for Huang Kai, who was eager to leave work, he simply stuck his machete into a coconut and fled towards the stage. A customer who was still waiting for a coconut saw this and quickly took out his phone to record a video: "Oh my god, is this going to be a group fight? Why is he even throwing away his knife!"

Upon hearing this, the coconut stall owner took over Huang Kai's job and explained to the customer who was filming: "This guy was yelling 'Flash away!' Can you tell which one was just now?"

"How would I recognize him? Is he a celebrity?"

"Do you recognize the Rolling Stones?"

"I recognize him! He's the one who sang 'No Place to Hide'... Mwah, is he Bian Lang?"

"No, it's our bassist! Today is..."

"Bass!? Bassist!? What's that? Never heard of it. Hey boss, I'm coming to get it..."

Xia Yuxi, who had just followed and handed the skewers to the customer, also took off his gloves and started walking towards the stage. Although the intro wasn't directly related to him, his role in creating the atmosphere was indispensable.

Who can blame them when everyone else is such a goofball in the rock scene...

He had only gone halfway when the sound of drums, like some kind of signal, came: "Boom boom boom boom... boom boom..." After this clean and efficient burst of bullets was fired, green spotlights began to flash in sync with Strauss's piano music, just like on the big screen.

As the slightly retro melody began, a fan finally realized, "Wow, this isn't the sound from the show, is it? This is a real flash mob?" After saying this, the fan looked around and then screamed, "Hedgehog! It's really here!"

This shout finally made many music fans who had been staring intently at the big screen turn around and look around.

It was then that they were surprised to find musicians playing on top of the shipping containers at the four corners of the square. Upon closer inspection, they exclaimed, "Holy crap! Teacher Shi and Dingding! These are real hedgehogs!"

"What do you mean by surprise? This is a total surprise! The mall really went all out this time. It felt like a casual event, but they actually managed to get the real person here!"

"Does that mean we might still be here for the next game...?"

Before the music fan could finish speaking, a person climbed onto the previously empty small stage below the big screen, grabbed a microphone, and started leading everyone in clapping and keeping time.

Then a young woman in the crowd screamed, "Ah! Bian Lang!"

Then she was immediately silenced by another girl's voice: "Are you blind? This is Xia Yuxi! Don't you dare mess with our King Chu's Bian Lang!"

Then came a jumble of exclamations, some calling Xia Yuxi's husband, some calling Teacher Shi's wife, and others calling Hedgehog Little Rolling Stone.

Anyway, amidst this chaotic and lively scene, Quan Hongtao, who had come specifically to take a look, chuckled and gave a thumbs up: "Not bad, not bad, this is the effect we wanted. Xiao He, next time, should we invite them again, or change to a different band?"

"If we bring in new pants, the next time will definitely attract even more people!" For a large commercial complex like South Asia First City with its own street blocks, foot traffic is their greatest asset, so they are really willing to spend money on these kinds of traffic-generating activities.

After hearing this, Quan Hongtao thought for a moment and then asked, "Can you invite all the bands participating in the next competition?"

He Yan was excited for a moment, but after calming down, he shook his head with a wry smile and said, "I'll try to get it done. If it's possible, I'll do my best to make it happen!"

As soon as the words were spoken, Xia Yuxi's voice, as youthful as a boy's, began to sing:
Every winter night, snow falls heavily.

Fallen leaves in late autumn, a hazy yellow sky
In the sweltering summer heat, I lost my intuition.
I only hope that next spring, when the warm spring arrives, flowers will bloom all over the mountains and fields…

With the lighting changes occurring almost identically on both the stage and the screen, the less than one-second time difference between the two was automatically ignored by the music fans.

This led some music fans to question: "This? Is this a live performance? Or is it lip-syncing?"

The moment he said that, the music fan was immediately scolded by his girlfriend: "Listen if you want, or get lost! Don't spread rumors. If the Rolling Stones could lip-sync, I'd play them for you tonight..."

Upon hearing those last three words, the music fan nearly jumped out of his skin. Then, thinking back to the first part of the sentence, he realized his girlfriend was right. Even if it wasn't a Rolling Stones band, anyone under the Rolling Stones couldn't possibly lip-sync. Moreover, in his mind, the Rolling Stones had zero tolerance for lip-syncing!
And this happened right in front of his own house! How could he possibly afford to lose face like that! After figuring it out, he sighed and wanted to slap himself...

Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at your photo.

Melted snowflakes brushed across my brows.
The sudden sorrow dampened the fallen leaves.
I only hope that when spring comes next year and the flowers bloom, I can truly change…

As for the online audience, countless music fans are exclaiming about the same thing: "This song has such strange pronunciation, but the lyrics are so well written... it's like a poem!"

"Rock isn't just about uplifting rebellion; this guy's heartwarming songs are actually pretty rock too!"

"This is Xia Yuxi singing it. What would it be like if Bian Lang sang it?"

Although it's unknown how the fans at the scene felt when they listened to it, it's said that this song was written for Shi Lu's daughter, whose name is Spring!

Therefore, Zijian probably gave his most sincere self to Shilu. Although we may never have the chance to see these two on stage together again, the most classic version undoubtedly belongs to the three of them.

Another year of spring snow, auspicious year ahead

Every happy smile painted the sky red.
Embroidered window paper cutters, and a large red hanging whip.

At the end of the drama, love was shared in separate readings.

So many sleepless nights, spent walking together in the countryside…

This feeling is not something that would appear in a rock song, but unexpectedly, Hedgehog uses it and it doesn't feel out of place at all!
Of course, on Earth, such flattery would only be accepted by Bian Lang with a smile.

During the subsequent interlude, Huang Kai, who hadn't really shown much, finally got his chance to shine. A powerful root note solo immediately got the whole venue moving.

After the fans went wild, they felt a sense of unreality. They couldn't quite tell what kind of event it was, whether it was a commercial performance or a small music festival. But it was a real surprise and a genuine delight.

Then, as Dingding began singing the harmonies of "woo...", Xia Yuxi, who was on the small stage, jumped off and merged into the sea of ​​fans. For the first time in such a crowded and enthusiastic environment, he finished singing the final verse:
"Longing hangs suspended, a dreamlike night, few share the same fate..."

Endless nights of desire, lingering pain, endless thoughts...

Rippling water reflects the moon, the wheel of fate turns, and wondrous eyes are round...

Love's spots hang, fate begins and ends, blood flows and melts...

On the other side of the mainland, Bian Lang unconsciously started singing along. After listening, Zhu Wei and Lin Yaorong couldn't help but exclaim, "Bian Lang is a true poet. Without some literary foundation, he probably wouldn't even understand the meaning of the last few lines!"

(End of this chapter)