The Road to Superstardom: Starting as a Singer

Huang Weijie nodded: "Yes, the flight is tomorrow morning."

"Impressive," Wang Lihong said sincerely. "That award has a huge influence among teenagers in Europe and America. Perform well and bring honor to us Chinese!"

As the two were talking, another group of people walked in from the front hall.

The leader was Brother Cheng, who was wearing a Tang suit and had a loud laugh. Several other artists surrounded him.

Upon seeing Huang Weijie and Wang Lihong, the eldest brother's eyes lit up. He walked over and patted them hard on the shoulders: "Jace! Leehom! I'm watching your performance tonight! Wow, especially you, Jace, you don't know, wow, while I've been filming lately, wow, so many people on set have been playing your songs, you're so popular!"

"Brother Chen Long," Huang Weijie greeted with a smile, "I'm still far behind you. You're my idol!"

"Hahaha, great! Young people should act like young people!"

The eldest brother laughed loudly, patted him on the shoulder, and then walked backstage surrounded by a group of people.

As Huang Weijie watched his elder brother Cheng Yuan's departing figure, a surge of heroic spirit suddenly welled up in his heart.

"Envious, aren't you?" Wang Lihong stood next to him. "His older brother is very supportive of younger generations. He's helped me a lot. You're working abroad now; I'm sure he'll help you in the future too!"

Huang Weijie glanced at the person next to him with a strange look. Of course, he wanted to be your dad!

Hmm, what about me?

I'm so outstanding, does he also want to... wait, he's only a few years younger than my grandfather.

Huang Weijie's pupils contracted.

Suddenly, I started to worry about Huang Shengchang.

Grandpa, it looks like someone's trying to take your place!

……

Once inside the backstage area, the place was even more bustling with noise.

Familiar faces were everywhere—in the dressing room, the corridor, and the rest area.

Huang Weijie spotted his fellow townsman Huang Xiaoming, who was also dressed in a suit and talking with Huang Shengyi, Su Youpeng, and others; Sun Yanzi, Sun Nan, and Han Hong were whispering to each other by the water dispenser; further away, hosts Zhu Jun and Dong Qing were sitting together looking at the program schedule...

Everyone was making final preparations for the upcoming live stream.

Huang Weijie was led to the designated rest room by staff.

Madeline and her assistant Jesse began checking the procedures, earpieces, microphones, and other details.

At 7 p.m., everyone began their dress rehearsal.

In reality, it was just a matter of going on stage in order, rehearsing the positions, and checking the sound; there was no complete performance.

Huang Weijie's segment was scheduled for the beginning of the gala, immediately after the grand chorus of "Beijing Welcomes You," followed by his solo performance.

At 7:50, the audience began to enter.

The studio, which can accommodate more than a thousand people, was quickly filled.

The front row was occupied by special guests and media, while the back row consisted of audience members who had obtained tickets through various channels.

Huang Weijie saw on the monitor backstage that there were many young girls in the audience holding up signs that read "Jace".

Clearly, his fans also managed to get in.

At 8:00 o'clock sharp, the lights in the studio went out.

The stage screen lit up with an Olympic-themed short film, and magnificent music began to play.

"A Century-Long Dream Fulfilled – A Cultural Gala to Welcome the 2008 Beijing Olympics" has officially premiered.

……

The gala proceeded smoothly according to the established schedule.

Singing and dancing, acrobatics, recitation, short films...

Every aspect was meticulously designed, brimming with fervent anticipation for the Olympics.

Huang Weijie and his team were watching TV in the backstage lounge.

As it approached nine o'clock, a staff member came over to remind her: "Teacher Huang, the next segment is 'Beijing Welcomes You,' please prepare to wait in the wings."

Huang Weijie stood up and straightened his suit one last time.

I wasn't nervous; in fact, I was quite excited.

He followed the staff toward the side curtain, where Cai Guoqing and others had already arrived.

Without saying a word, they nodded to each other and then began to adjust their state.

Although time was allotted for contingencies during the live stream, no one wanted anything to go wrong; the goal was simply to complete the performance smoothly.

On stage, the host announced excitedly, "Next, let's sing together an invitation to the world—please enjoy the song 'Beijing Welcomes You'!"

The prelude begins.

As the stage lights changed, Huang Weijie and other artists entered the stage in an orderly fashion from both sides.

Huang Weijie's seat was in the second row.

As the camera panned across him, he smiled and nodded at the lens.

The familiar melody echoed in the studio.

In the audience, many people hummed along softly.

This song has become deeply ingrained in people's hearts after being spread for so long.

Huang Weijie sang his four lines, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the audience.

He saw the light signs bearing his name swaying gently in the darkness, like a small sea of ​​stars.

The chorus ended amidst thunderous applause.

The artists left the stage in an orderly fashion.

Huang Weijie was guided by staff to stay on one side of the stage.

The host returned to the stage, smiling, and said, "Thank you! Thank you all for your wonderful performances! Next, we'd like to welcome a very special young person..."

"Ahhhhh—"

Before he finished speaking, a cheer erupted from below.

The host quickly introduced, "He comes from Guangzhou, but his voice has spread all over the world! He's only sixteen years old, yet he's already on the world stage. Tonight, he will bring us that song that makes countless people dance—Welcome, Jace, Huang Weijie!"

The lights on set dimmed, and soon after, a spotlight pierced the darkness with a "snap," precisely illuminating Huang Weijie.

He stood in the center of the stage, the lights shone down, and when his face was shown in close-up by the live broadcast camera, a female director in the control room subconsciously exclaimed "Holy crap!"

So damn handsome!

He wasn't the pretty boy type; he had a youthful, lean physique with angular features already beginning to emerge.

The light swept across his forehead, casting a clear shadow on the bridge of his nose, and his jawline was clean and sharp, like it had been cut with a knife.

At the age of sixteen, his body had begun to mature, and the shoulder line outlined by the suit was already straight.

In an instant, screams erupted from the audience, the "Jace" light boards shook wildly, and almost all the girls stood up.

"Jace—!!!"

Screams erupted, and several girls in the front row jumped up, their light sticks waving in a blurry halo.

The live broadcast camera also switched to show the audience's excited reaction on television.

The prelude to the music begins.

The upbeat and bouncy electronic drumbeats, with their distinct pop vibe, splashed into this summer night.

Huang Weijie stood on the stage and looked around, a natural smile on his lips. His eyes swept over the audience, and the lights shone brightly into his eyes.

Although there weren't many fans present, everyone did their best to boost his popularity.

He smiled and waved at the row of light boards, then picked up the microphone and began his first words:

"Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow~"

His voice was clear and bright, with a youthful quality that was full of control.

"You know you love me, I know you care~"

"Just shout whenever, and I'll be there~"

"You want my love, you want my heart~"

"And we will never, ever, ever be apart..."

As the cheerful and lively accompaniment began, he started to sway his body gently to the rhythm.

The stage lights turned into bright, colorful beams, and six dancers entered from both sides, their steps perfectly synchronized.

In that instant, the audience erupted in cheers again.

"He's moving! He's moving, ahhh!"

"Wow, what a sense of rhythm!"

The live television broadcast showed a full-body shot.

The young man in the black suit stood in the center of the stage, swaying naturally to the light drumbeats. His movements were not large, but his relaxed yet commanding presence was on a completely different level from those stiff or overly forceful singing and dancing idols in China.

When it came to the chorus, Huang Weijie completely let loose.

Some people are born to enjoy the stage.

On stage, Huang Weijie became radiant. Thanks to his persistent daily practice, his singing and dancing made him very attractive.

"Baby, baby, baby, oh~"

"Like baby, baby, baby, no"

"Like baby, baby, baby, oh..."

He danced with simple yet powerful steps, his movements clean and crisp, each beat perfectly timed.

The interaction between the dancers and the backup dancers was perfectly synchronized, with turns, high-fives, and misalignments...

Although it was just a simple arrangement, this pop-style performance was fresh and captivating enough on the CCTV stage.

The director then cut to the audience—a sea of ​​waving arms, frantically shaking light boards, and young faces distorted with excitement.

The screams from the audience never stopped.

"Baby, baby, baby, oh——!!!"

The whole audience sang along!

Not only the fans holding up light boards, but also many middle-aged audience members clapped along with the rhythm, their faces beaming with smiles.

The melody of this song is so catchy, and it coincided with the nationwide jubilation before the Olympics, it was simply the perfect time and place.

Huang Weijie clearly sensed this as well, and when he sang the second verse, he suddenly smiled and walked towards the edge of the stage.

"ah--!!!!"

"Aaaaaah!!!"

"Jace! Me! Me! Me!!!"

The audience on his side went wild instantly.

The girls in the front row stretched out their hands desperately, some almost climbing over the railing.

Security personnel were on high alert and quickly stepped forward to maintain order.

Huang Weijie squatted down by the stage and stretched out his hand to the audience in the front row.

The screams nearly lifted the studio roof off.

Several girls in the front row were so excited that tears welled up in their eyes, and they eagerly reached out their hands, wanting to touch his fingertips.

The first person to touch his fingertips was a round-faced girl wearing glasses.

The moment she touched him, she burst into tears, screaming between sobs, "Jace! I love you! I love you!!!"

Huang Weijie smiled, revealing his neat white teeth, and then lightly high-fived the other outstretched hands before returning to the center of the stage to continue his performance.

This simple interaction made the director in front of the monitor nod in approval.

Although CCTV's galas are supposed to be more serious, tonight's theme is "A Cultural Gala to Welcome the 2008 Beijing Olympics," so a cheerful atmosphere is definitely appropriate.

In this situation, it's not that you're not interacting, it's that you're afraid of interacting with the audience and the audience doesn't give a good response.

Clearly, Huang Weijie's impromptu interaction was perfectly timed.

It showed a friendly side without disrupting the performance rhythm too much, and most importantly, the effect was excellent!

In front of the television, Fan Bingbing was leaning back on the sofa with a face mask on.

Looking at the boy on the screen, dressed in a black suit, dancing lightly and gracefully, exuding amazing stage presence, she raised her eyebrows slightly.

The camera then cut to the girls screaming wildly in the audience, and she suddenly smiled.

He took a picture with his phone and sent it to Huang Weijie: "Little brother, you look so handsome on stage~"

In another residence, Zhang Liangying sat cross-legged on the sofa, with fruit and snacks in front of her.

Looking at the radiant young man on the TV screen, I suddenly remembered him earnestly saying "Pinky promise, never to change for a hundred years" in the recording studio that afternoon.

She couldn't help but extend her little finger and gently hook it.

He couldn't help but laugh.

Zhang Liangying picked up her phone and typed away rapidly. She had intended to send a teasing message, but after remembering Feng Ke's instructions, she hesitated and ultimately deleted and edited it before resending it.

"——Baby, baby, baby, oh!!!"

As the last note faded, Huang Weijie struck a clean and crisp ending pose.

She was slightly out of breath, but her smile was radiant.

Applause, screams, and cheers surged forth like a tidal wave.

He bowed slightly, and as he stood up, he waved vigorously at the sea of ​​light sticks below the stage.

"Welcome to Beijing! Go Olympics!" Huang Weijie's voice echoed throughout the venue through the microphone.

After speaking, he quickly stepped off the stage under the spotlight.

In the middle of the audience, Huang Shengchang sat upright in his seat.

The old man was wearing a brand new Zhongshan suit today, and his hair was neatly combed.

Unlike the last time I saw Huang Weijie perform at the Curtis Institute, today I'm in China, and on CCTV!

He looked at the figure under the spotlight, so bright, so dazzling!

Standing on a huge stage, facing thousands of audience members.

The young faces were flushed with excitement at seeing his grandson, whose name was written on the light boards.

Huang Shengchang's eyes felt a little sore.

Suddenly, I remembered eleven years ago, when 5-year-old Jay pointed at the TV and said he wanted to learn to sing!

Eleven years have passed in the blink of an eye!

Jay, can Grandpa stay with you for another eleven years...?