At the age of 38, he went to college and his children were classmates.

Chapter 166, Who Says Writers Can't Sing! (Please Subscribe)

The three girls arrived at the bar's backstage lounge, chatting amongst themselves.

Right now, a man and a woman are putting on makeup. They are the first group of singers, performing from seven to eight o'clock.

Since they both worked at the same Pulse Bar, they knew each other.

Upon seeing Hu Tingting and the other two, the woman who was putting on makeup immediately brightened up: "Sister Tingting, Red Rose is a hit!"

"Will we never see you here again?"

"It's not that exaggerated, it's just that it's getting a bit of buzz!"

Hu Tingting modestly shook her head, but in fact, the Red Rose Band's Kuaiyin account did receive many business invitations today.

The most common offers were performance invitations, as well as collaboration invitations from some MCN agencies and advertisers.

These messages were a mixed bag, and as the person in charge of maintaining the band's Kuaiyin account, Hu Tingting didn't have the energy to distinguish them one by one at the moment.

The main reason is that the band became popular too suddenly, and no one was prepared at all. In addition, there is another very important factor.

Actually, it wasn't the Red Rose band that became famous, but Lin Xiamo herself!

Hu Tingting and the other two knew about Lin Xiamo's situation. Playing in a band was really just a hobby for her, and besides, her father, the bureau chief, was strongly opposed to Lin Xiamo forming a band.

Lin Xiamo is now famous and in the public eye. It's unclear how she'll explain this to her family.

Of course, the band couldn't proceed with the next steps, since without Lin Xiamo, there would be no Red Rose Band.

"Huh, why isn't Sister Momo here?"

"Manager Xu was just saying that because you're performing tonight, the phone lines have been ringing off the hook with reservation calls."

The female singer glanced at Hu Tingting and the others, and asked a question with a puzzled look.

"There's no Momo tonight."

"what??"

The female singer stared wide-eyed in astonishment, looking completely bewildered.

She really wanted to say, without Lin Xiamo, would it still be called the Red Rose Band?
But it was difficult to say such things aloud, since the two sides weren't that close, and she didn't know what had actually happened inside the band.

At that moment, a man with a slicked-back, greasy hair parted in the side and a broad smile walked into the lounge.

"Thank you for your hard work, teachers."

"It's so great that you could come!"

The man who walked in was the bar manager, named Xu Jiang.

After Lin Xiamo became famous, videos featuring clips of her performances on the Pulse Bar's Kuaiyin account also went viral.

As a result, many people have been sending private messages asking when Lin Xiamo will have another performance.

So when Hu Tingting said during the day that the Red Rose Band was going to perform again that night, Xu Jiang was overjoyed and immediately posted the message on the Pulse Bar's Kuaiyin account.

Then, the bar's reservation phone was ringing off the hook!
His gaze swept over Hu Tingting and the others, and he asked with a smile, "Where is Teacher Momo?"

"Not here yet?"

When Lin Xiamo works part-time as a singer, she never uses her full name and rarely interacts with outsiders.

Hu Tingting and Zhu Xinyue did most of the band's external liaison work, while Lin Xiamo and Fang Di only focused on performing.

If Lin Xiamo hadn't become famous today and her information hadn't been exposed, Xu Jiang wouldn't even know her name.

"Manager Xu, it's like this, Momo has something come up and can't come."

Hu Tingting made up a random excuse.

"What?"

"Can't come??"

Xu Jiang was completely stunned, his eyes wide open: "Teacher Tingting, you're not kidding me, are you!"

"I've already put out the ads, and so many customers have called to reserve their seats, and now you're telling me that Teacher Momo can't make it?"

"How am I going to explain this to the guests later?!"

Hu Tingting shrugged: "Manager Xu, when I contacted you, I said that our band was coming to perform, but I didn't say that Momo would definitely come."

"This……"

Xu Jiang was speechless. He frowned and asked dejectedly, "So, is it just the three of you performing tonight?"

"How could there be three? Of course there are four people."

Hu Tingting smiled and pointed at Shen Qiushan: "Look, the new lead singer who will replace Momo."

"what??"

Xu Jiang grinned, looked Shen Qiushan up and down, and said with a mournful face, "Teacher Tingting, did you change the lead singer of your Red Rose Band so casually?"

"Even if it's not Teacher Momo, at least find a pretty girl!"

"This……"

Xu Jiang wanted to say: What the hell is this?!

He swallowed the words back, knowing it wouldn't be polite.

In addition, although the new lead singer is a man, he is really good-looking and has the kind of appearance that is very popular with women.

However, all the customers who called to reserve a table were there specifically for Lin Xiamo.

Now that the beautiful woman has become an "old man," it's no wonder the guests are cursing her.

"Manager Xu, it seems you don't recognize Brother Shen!"

"Let me put it this way, after Brother Shen's performance at your bar today, your Pulse Bar will become famous nationwide!"

"Uh, forgive my poor eyesight, who is this teacher?"

Xu Jiang was taken aback by Hu Tingting's words and looked at Shen Qiushan with a puzzled expression.

"Don't listen to her nonsense."

Shen Qiushan smiled and waved his hand: "I'm just an ordinary little author who won the Nebula Award."

Seeing that Xu Jiang looked down on him, Shen Qiushan decided to put on an act.

"author?"

"Nebula Award?"

"what??"

Xu Jiang looked at Shen Qiushan with a blank expression, clearly unaware of what the Nebula Award was.

Shen Qiushan's lips twitched.

Failed attempt to show off!
I'm a little depressed!

As it turns out, when it comes to showing off, it's best to keep it simple, direct, and down-to-earth.

The Nebula Awards are indeed very prestigious.

The problem is that people who don't know it have no idea how valuable it is.

It's like you drive a Yangwang U8 back to your rural hometown to show off your wealth, but your relatives there don't recognize it at all and think you're driving some cheap, no-name brand car.

This is one of the reasons why many people are willing to pay for car logos; in the minds of many elderly people, "BBA" is a symbol of high-end luxury cars.

Now, Shen Qiushan has encountered a similar situation.

It felt like punching cotton.

Fortunately, there were some knowledgeable people at the scene. The female singer who had been talking to Hu Tingting earlier suddenly exclaimed, "You're Teacher Shen Qiushan?!"

"The author of 'The Three-Body Problem'!"

Shen Qiushan, who was feeling frustrated, finally had a way out. He calmly nodded and said, "Yes, it's me."

"Wow!"

"It really is you, Teacher Shen!"

"I never expected to meet you here, it's such an honor!"

"Can we take a picture together?"

The female singer was overjoyed, looking like a little fangirl.

Seeing this, Xu Jiang quickly and quietly took out his phone and searched for "Nebula Award".

Then, various news reports about Shen Qiushan popped up.

"The first person in China to win the Nebula Award!"

"Break the monopoly of foreign writers on the Nebula Award!"

"Single-handedly raised Chinese science fiction to international standards!"

"A 38-year-old top scorer in the national college entrance examination, a recipient of the Nebula Award, and a renowned writer..."

After seeing the news, certain memories in Xu Jiang's mind were also awakened.

The story of Shen Qiushan is widely known in Sanjiang City; anyone living in the city has heard of it to some extent.

It's just that after the hype died down, I couldn't remember it for a while.

"It's Teacher Shen!"

"My brain just didn't process that!"

Xu Jiang changed his tune.

Although Lin Xiamo, the real "Red Rose," didn't come, this Teacher Shen is still a hot topic.

Having just won the Nebula Award not long ago, this great writer is actually performing at their bar, creating a stark contrast.

Hu Tingting is right.

After today, the whole country might know about their Pulse Bar!
The quality of the performance is almost irrelevant; the fact that a Nebula Award winner is singing in their bar is a huge draw in itself.

The bar's operating area.

Business should be quite slow on weekdays.

But the bar was unusually crowded today; by 7 p.m., it was already 90% full.

Most people came after watching the video online.

At the bar, Fang Xiaoya, who had deliberately dressed herself up maturely, pulled Lin Jiayu to sit down, and the two of them each ordered a cocktail named after one of the twelve constellations.

Lin Jiayu's "Leo" is orange-yellow. She took a small sip and tasted both orange juice and alcohol.

Her review of the 58 yuan cocktail was: It's not bad to drink, and it looks great in photos.

Fang Xiaoya looked around for a long time, then whispered, "Jiayu, are you sure Lao Shen will come?"

"Why haven't I seen him at all!"

How would I know if he was lying to me?

Lin Jiayu pouted slightly: "You insisted on dragging me here."

"If we don't see Lao Shen by 9:30, we'll go back."

"Hey, they've started singing, it sounds great..." Two singers began their performances between seven and eight o'clock.

Fang Xiaoya and Lin Jiayu's attention was immediately drawn to the singer on stage.

While the two women were engrossed in listening to music, the waiter led two men to the empty seats next to them.

Because seating was already very limited, later customers had to sit around the bar.

One of the men was thin and wore glasses, while the other had fair skin and a scholarly appearance.

The two were Wang Zhixin and Hao Bo, reporters from the Jiangcheng Evening News.

Hearing that the Red Rose Band would be performing here tonight, Wang Zhixin certainly didn't want to miss out on this opportunity, so he dragged his colleague Hao Bo over to find out more.

"There are so many people!"

"I guess they're all here to see the red roses."

After taking his seat, Hao Bo expressed his feelings.

"These people just love to join in the fun; they're really just bored and have nothing better to do!"

Wang Zhixin curled his lip in disdain.

"If so many people weren't paying attention, our news wouldn't get so much traffic."

Hao Bo replied.

Wang Zhixin remained silent because Hao Bo, the newcomer to the newspaper, was telling the truth. If it weren't for the high level of attention he received, he wouldn't have made this trip.

However, Wang Zhixin is a typical "two-faced" person. He wants to capitalize on this wave of popularity, but he looks down on the viewers who came for Lin Xiamo's looks.

The bar was noisy.

The two were speaking quite loudly.

Lin Jiayu and Fang Xiaoya happened to overhear their conversation.

The two exchanged a glance instinctively.

Then, they nodded in tacit agreement. Fang Xiaoya, who was closer to the two of them, turned on the recording function on her phone, placed the phone on the bar, and pushed it slightly towards them.

Wang Zhixin had no idea that he was being targeted. He took a sip of his drink and said, "Shen Qiushan got incredibly lucky to win the Nebula Award. Now we can't even use him to generate traffic anymore."

"However, Lin Xiamo doesn't have the Nebula Award as a shield. Xiao Hao, let me tell you, in our line of work, if you want traffic, you have to chase trending topics. The more extreme your views, the more attention you get. Don't be afraid of being criticized. Just think of it this way: those idiots who criticize us are actually giving us money..."

Wang Zhixin imparted his experience in a "heartfelt" manner, like a senior.

Having lost the previous internal power struggle, he had no colleagues left in the newspaper who could be persuaded, and Hao Bo, a newcomer who had only recently joined the newspaper, was the only one left.

Therefore, he can be considered to have "gone all out of his knowledge".

However, he was an unorthodox practitioner, a legendary "evil cultivator"!
Therefore, this approach is not suitable for everyone.

After listening, Hao Bo simply nodded without offering any comment.

Thank you all for your support.

"Next up, please welcome the Red Rose Band!"

The female singer, after finishing her performance, casually introduced the program.

A burst of enthusiastic applause and whistles immediately erupted in the bar.

Lin Jiayu and Fang Xiaoya, who were already leaning against the bar, immediately sat up straight.

Wang Zhixin quickly turned on the camera that he had fixed on a tripod in front of the stage after entering the bar.

And because they heard that Lin Xiamo was coming to perform, there were also several bloggers with a keen sense of smell in the bar.

They also brought professional recording equipment, so Wang Zhixin wasn't the only one with a camera facing the stage.

Amidst expectant gazes.

The Red Rose Band took to the stage.

However, when everyone saw the band's lead singer standing in the center, they were all stunned.

"Holy crap, where's the beautiful lead singer we were promised?!"

"Where's my Secretary Lin? What the hell?!"

"Are you sure this is the Red Rose Band??"

"This false advertising is outrageous! At least give us a beautiful woman!"

"Where's my red rose? Give me back my red rose!!"

"A man? The lead singer of the Red Rose band is a man?!"

A commotion broke out in the bar.

When Wang Zhixin saw the lead singer of the Red Rose Band, he was completely dumbfounded: "Shen Qiushan??"

"You, a Nebula Award winner, are actually singing in a bar?!"

"Go crazy!!"

Hao Bo, who also recognized Shen Qiushan, was shocked. He subconsciously reached out and tugged at Wang Zhixin's arm: "Shen Qiushan!"

"It's actually Shen Qiushan!!"

"He wouldn't want to sing, would he?"

Just as everyone was whispering among themselves, Shen Qiushan spoke up: "Hello everyone, we are... the Red Rose Band!"

"I am the lead singer, Shen Qiushan."

"When you saw me, everyone was a little confused. I know you wanted to see Momo."

"But Momo has something come up today, so I'm sorry to trouble you all to watch me."

"OK, the first song, 'Chasing the Light'!"

After a brief explanation, the accompaniment started, and Shen Qiushan began to sing.

After he sang a few lines, the audience gradually realized what was happening.

"Isn't this guy the Nebula Award winner?"

"Yes, yes, that's him! He's the top scorer in the college entrance exam!"

"A renowned writer, the leading figure in Chinese science fiction!"

"A Nebula Award winner performing at a bar? That's way too unrealistic!"

"He actually sings really well, is this guy really a writer?"

Xu Jiang was afraid that the bar's customers wouldn't know Shen Qiushan's identity, so after the Red Rose Band came on stage, he had his staff display Shen Qiushan's profile on the big screen behind the stage.

Therefore, whether or not people had heard of the Nebula Awards, they all knew Shen Qiushan's identity.

Moreover, Shen Qiushan winning the Nebula Award was only recently, and related news dominated the internet for two or three days.

Shen Qiushan, who single-handedly elevated domestic science fiction to international standards, is even hailed as a national hero.

After all, even CCTV dedicated an episode of its "Focus Figures" program to reporting on his story.

Therefore, even casual observers who don't usually follow literary circles have heard of Shen Qiushan's name.

In the eyes of most Chinese people, no matter what field you are in, as long as you beat foreigners, you can only say one thing: awesome!
And now, Shen Qiushan, this "awesome" writer, has transformed into the lead singer of a band.

Both abstract and shocking!

For a moment, no one knew how to express their inner emotions.

Just sing a song.

Shen Qiushan didn't waste any time and went straight to the second song.

After a song's worth of time, the audience came to accept Shen Qiushan as the lead singer of the band.

Because he sings really well.

She is in no way inferior to professional singers.

Even Wang Zhixin was amazed by Shen Qiushan's singing skills. If he hadn't been there in person and witnessed it firsthand, he would never have believed that Shen Qiushan could actually sing.

Fang Xiaoya, sitting at the bar, listened with her eyes shining and her mouth almost stretched to her ears, looking completely absorbed in the music.

Lin Jiayu's beautiful eyes widened, her chubby, delicate face filled with shock.

In her memory, her brother-in-law Shen Qiushan didn't seem to sing that well!
What is this today?

That's practically the level of a professional singer!

Lin.

After dinner, Zhang Chaofan was playing chess with Lin Moxuan.

Because of Lin Moxuan's warm hospitality, Zhang Chaofan was in a very good mood today and deliberately showed off his chess skills while playing chess.

They won two games in a row.

Lin Moxuan frowned, feeling somewhat frustrated. It wasn't that he couldn't accept losing the game, but rather that he was dissatisfied with Zhang Chaofan's showing off of his chess skills.

The term "showing off" means relying on one's superior chess skills to outmaneuver one's opponent.

That's a bit like killing someone by attacking their spirit!

Lin Moxuan couldn't help but recall the day Shen Qiushan won three consecutive games against Zhang Chaofan, leaving him utterly helpless.

It seems that Shen Qiushan had a reason for not letting him win the game!

As Lin Moxuan was lost in thought, Chen Qingzhu, who had been busy in the kitchen, suddenly came over with her phone: "Old Lin, look, Qiushan is singing!"

"Jiayu shared the live stream in the group."

"what?"

"Shen Qiushan singing?"

Where are you singing?

Lin Moxuan was completely bewildered and found it somewhat inexplicable.

Lin Xiamo, who had been forcibly dragged to watch the game, quickly moved closer to her mother.

In the center of the stage, spotlights shone.

The man's figure was both familiar and unfamiliar.

The black jacket was casually left open, revealing a ripped T-shirt underneath.

Long, slender fingers strummed the guitar strings, and several leather bracelets were wrapped around his wrists, swaying gently with his movements.

His hair was somewhat disheveled, with a few strands hanging over his forehead. His eyebrows were sharp as swords, his eyes were piercing, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, revealing a carefree smile.

Looking at the man in the live video, Lin Xiamo, who had been hesitating all night, suddenly smiled. It was a bright smile that even Lin Moxuan and Chen Qingzhu hadn't seen in a long time!

"How silly~"

"So silly~"

Lin Xiamo laughed as she muttered to herself.

However, as she laughed, she suddenly felt a lump in her throat, and a thin mist appeared on her long eyelashes.

(End of this chapter)