Rock and Roll: Glorious Years

It was 6:30 p.m., an hour before the show was scheduled to start, and the staff inside were already busy with final checks.

Unlike regular rock concerts, after Magic Disc took over the show, they set up a small area at the front of the stage with seats specifically for media and guests to watch.

The little witch's seat was naturally arranged here. She was the first one in her group to enter, but she found that a middle-aged man dressed in ethnic clothing was already sitting in the middle of the first row.

Seeing that the person had no equipment and confirming that he wasn't a colleague, the little witch held up the tripod to look for materials: "Excuse me, are you a member of Li Yiliang's family?" This was her only guess about the person's identity.

The man paused for a moment, then pointed at her device and asked, "Excuse me, are you livestreaming or recording a video?"

"Live streaming now, my name is Little Witch, and I'm a niche music blogger on the DULUDULU platform..."

After listening to the little witch's introduction, the man looked down at his clothes and, finding nothing amiss, said, "Hello, classmate. My name is Duan Yuntao, and I am a teacher of ethnic vocal music at Yunnan Arts University. Li Yiliang, who will be performing later, was once my student."

"Wow, Li Yiliang is actually someone whose major is actually quite relevant!" The fans in the live stream said the words that the little witch wanted to say but held back.

"Wow! It's Professor Duan, Li Yiliang's teacher! Could you tell the viewers in the live stream about Li Yiliang's university days?"

Duan Yuntao was invited by Li Yiliang to endorse him. Yunnan Arts University is one of the six major art colleges in China. Although Duan Yuntao is only an associate professor, he is definitely a rare species in the rock music scene!

Back on Earth, Bian Lang recalls that there weren't many rock musicians who actually graduated with a formal music degree.

The Central Conservatory of Music has more graduates; Baojia Street alone has six formally trained musicians, including Wu Lunhui, a leading figure in the folk music department, and Dou Erye, who studied composition; Guiyi Arts School has Li Hongqi, a pianist, and Jiang Han, a saxophonist…

Duan Yuntao came here not only to support the school but also to promote its admissions. After thinking for a moment, he began to speak: "Our Yunnan Arts University has a long history and a strong faculty. It is one of the six major comprehensive art colleges in China. The reason why Li Yiliang has achieved such results today is inseparable from the education and influence he received from Yunnan Arts University! He was an excellent student in both character and academics and was awarded the title of 'Three Good Student' at the school level..." This was something he had specifically looked up and memorized before coming.

"Haha, is Professor Duan reciting the admissions brochure?"

"Huh! Is this what you call a top student playing rock music?"

"Oh! What a pity, shouldn't this be a script for the theater troupe?"

"Looks like Magic Disc has unearthed another promising talent!"

Amidst the praise for Li Yiliang, the top-ranked woman suddenly spoke up: "Witch, why don't you ask about that guitarist, Bian Lang?"

Intrigued by the driver's introduction, the little witch asked, "Professor Duan, are you familiar with the guitarist of the Masked Band?"

Duan Yuntao had naturally done his homework on the band before coming, but not much: "You mean Bian Lang? He's a student in the sculpture department at our school. According to his teacher, he's very talented in his field, and they're both top students at Yunnan Arts University!"

"Hahaha, what the hell? He's got real talent! Is Bian Lang's talent the ability to play guitar?"

"This talent must be for making his own masks, right?!"

"Hilarious! This is the script for rock musicians! I think Li Yiliang is the amateur!"

"The lead singer must have stolen the guitarist's girlfriend, and he was afraid the guitarist would turn him into a bronze statue, so he quickly went solo and ran away!"

"Why wasn't it the guitarist who cheated on the lead singer with someone else?"

Amidst the teasing of a group of silly netizens, colleagues began to enter one after another. The little witch thanked Duan Yuntao and ended the "interview," then began to explain the sound equipment on the stage.

Just then, through the gaps in the stage truss, she saw a figure fixing his hair with a pick in his mouth.

She was too far away, and there were obstacles preventing her from seeing the person's face clearly, but intuitively she felt that the person was Bian Lang, and why did this figure seem a little familiar?

At this moment, Li Yiliang entered the venue through the special passage and saw Bian Lang tinkering with his outfit backstage. He instinctively wanted to go up and say hello, but the leg he had just taken a step with instantly retracted.

Bian Lang, who always wears jeans and short sleeves for his performances, has surprisingly changed into a black bodysuit today.

The black high-top riding boots made Bian Lang's legs appear even longer, and the black long-sleeved shirt he wore had the cuffs neatly rolled up, revealing his muscular forearms. This outfit made Bian Lang, who is 179 cm tall, look like he was 185 cm.

Looking at the mask and top hat in his hand, Li Yiliang felt that his purple suit made him look like a clown in front of Bian Lang, especially since it was the stylist hired by Magic Disc who did it for him.

This was Bian Lang's outfit for indoor live performances in his previous life. As for the new mask, it was just to help the original owner wrap up the band.

Just then, the host, Hong Ke, approached Bian Lang. As the main DJ of Music Radio, the band had been guests on his show a few times before, so they were all acquaintances who could talk to each other!

"Bian Lang, Lao Tan just told me that the song you sang today wasn't the one you submitted for approval; you smuggled in your own material?"

Faced with Hong Ke's caution, Bian Lang reassured him, "Don't worry, Brother Hong, the lyrics are definitely fine." He then took out his phone and handed it over.

Hong Ke swiped through his phone screen for a moment, then immediately relaxed: "Using this trick to guard against your old buddies, you don't feel good about it, do you?"

Bian Lang decisively shook his head: "I don't feel guilty. He can monopolize the copyright, so why can't I sing a song to criticize him?"

Hong Ke pondered the meaning of the lyrics for a moment, then nodded and smiled, "That's really mean, but Li Yiliang definitely went too far this time. Good luck! Perform well later, and once the song is recorded, I'll play it on the radio for a week straight!"

After patting Bian Lang on the shoulder, Hong Ke turned and walked onto the stage.

Seeing this, Li Yiliang felt a pang of unease. He was supposed to be the main character in this performance, but when Hong Ke came to see him earlier, he only went over the script briefly and didn't say a word more. But with Bian Lang, it seemed like they had a good chat.

"Bian Lang, don't blame me. Blame yourself for being blind. Once I'm famous, let's see who still remembers you!" Li Yiliang clenched his fists, a sickly smile appearing on his face.

He wished Bian Lang would die on stage immediately.

As the main lights in the venue dimmed, the stage spotlight brought Hong Ke to the center of the stage, and the performance officially began.

After the opening introductions finished, Bian Lang put on his mask, tightened his hat, and jogged onto the stage.

When the spotlight shone on him, the audience below the stage were amazed by his appearance, especially the longtime fans who came for the Masked Band.

Compared to her previous casual attire, Bian Lang's carefully styled appearance now makes her look like a completely different person. Moreover, her previous rough, ethnic-style animal face mask has been replaced with an exquisite human face mask.

A sinister smile hung on the porcelain-white mask, stretching the lower half of the mask into a V-shape. The cold eyes contrasted sharply with the pale mask, and two small patches of blush on the cheeks seemed to be trying to absorb the warmth of life into its cold face.

Someone started it, and soon most of the music fans in the audience were chanting, "Banza!"

After watching the fun in the Little Witch's live stream, viewers started commenting:

"Looks like he hasn't lost his professionalism; I give that mask a perfect score!"

"With skills like that, why bother playing rock and roll? Go restore cultural relics at the Forbidden City..."

"If I were a sculpture professor, I'd beat this rebellious student to death! No, I should sculpt a clay guitar for him so he can perform!"

"Witch, find a chance to ask later if they're selling that mask?"

Bian Lang pressed his hands down and spoke into the headset: "Thank you to all the fans who came! This performance was supposed to be a new milestone for our Masked Band, but due to some personal reasons, the band has to come to a halt."

Some fans who had received advance notice sighed upon hearing this, saying, "They've stuck with it for 10 years, how could it end like this?"

Fans who were unaware of the situation were both surprised and indignant:

"Why?"

"Bian Lang, what's going on between you and Li Yiliang? There are already very few bands in Yunnan Province, and you two have persisted for 10 years. What does it mean to break up now?"

After seeing the promotional material for the music video, the fans who came specifically for Li Yiliang didn't seem to care much; it was just a warm-up act, as long as it didn't interfere with the regular performance schedule.

Bian Lang pressed his hand down again and continued, "I won't say much more, everything is in the song! My new song, 'Those Without Ideals Don't Get Hurt,' is dedicated to you all. I hope that tonight, everyone is like me, still someone who cherishes ideals and continues to strive upwards!"

Upon hearing the song title, Li Yiliang, who was backstage, immediately felt a sense of foreboding.