He greeted them with a smile, his bright, cheerful voice carrying through the entire venue. An air utterly unlike classical music swept over them.
The audience froze for a moment, somewhat unaccustomed to it.
After all, they were all longtime fans of Sleepless Chang'an. They had grown used to its previous classical style and had yet to adjust to this trendy atmosphere.
But Ye Chang'an did not care about their silence. He continued chatting, greeting and teasing them as though he were the boy next door running into friends and striking up a familiar conversation.
His sunny, cheerful presence grew stronger and stronger. Infected by it, the audience began smiling and responding.
Classical music was indeed suited for quiet appreciation, but no one had ever said people had to remain silent before listening to it.
Not everyone possessed the patience to settle down and appreciate classical music. What truly made them settle down was the charm they felt while listening to it.
They were all longtime fans, accustomed to calming themselves before a Sleepless Chang'an concert began.
Yet Ye Chang'an's familiar greetings had stirred them up again.
Seeing that the atmosphere had warmed up enough, Ye Chang'an smiled and changed the subject, dropping a bombshell.
"Here, I have some unfortunate news to tell everyone.
My wife, Eden, has a bit of a sore throat today and can't sing."
"Huh? No way..." The audience wailed, but they were merely playing along with Ye Chang'an.
Because they had already guessed what Ye Chang'an was going to say next.
"But don't worry, everyone. Even if she can't sing, I can. I'm her husband, after all. I have to hold down the fort for her.
So today, I'll be performing a few songs for everyone.
Would you be willing to give me this chance?"
"Yes!" they shouted in unison. The audience who had come for classical music no longer cared whether it was classical or not.
So what if they could not hear Eden sing? Sleepless Chang'an was not just Eden.
Chang'an could bring them music too, and they had even heard Chang'an personally say that he was going to sing.
They had never heard Chang'an sing before, yet they were still looking forward to it.
"Good. Then Chang'an will make a fool of himself today.
Music, start~"
Ye Chang'an snapped his fingers, and the entire venue went dark.
A lively BGM began playing. Its rhythm clashed completely with classical music, yet it perfectly suited the current atmosphere.
The audience did not find it jarring. They only felt their hearts uncontrollably bouncing along with the beat.
Then Ye Chang'an opened his voice and led into the song, and their eyes lit up.
His rich tone brushed against their ears with every note, while intense emotion surged straight into their hearts.
It was like lifting the lid that had been suppressing every dissatisfaction in their hearts. His singing released all the unhappiness that had accumulated until now, leaving behind only ease and brightness.
This was not classical music, nor was this what classical music excelled at.
If one had to use an appropriate term to describe it, it was pop music—music for the masses.
Pop music was popular precisely because the masses liked it and needed it.
In this fast-paced era, people needed pop music. They needed lively, accessible pop music to vent the pressures of daily life.
Singing was an excellent way to vent, but classical music was far too difficult. For ordinary people to sing it would simply be putting more pressure on themselves.
They needed short pop songs that would not take up too much time. Their accessible content also meant they would not take up too much brainpower, letting people remember the lyrics with ease.
Lively lyrics and melodies let them sing and dance, while sincere emotion gave them room to express themselves freely.
So what if someone mocked them with, "Other people sing for money, but you sing for lives"? They were not singers. They would not charge money, nor did they want anyone dead.
After all, they sang for themselves.
Only songs one could sing for oneself could be called music for the masses, and only such songs could become the most popular music of this era.
"Chang'an! Chang'an! Chang'an~"
When the song ended, the fired-up audience shouted Chang'an's name in unison. Every excited face held the same blazing eyes.
With just that one song, they had fallen in love with Ye Chang'an's music.
Had it not been an original song, they would have sung along no matter what.
No, they would memorize the lyrics tonight and go sing it themselves.
"Whew~" Ye Chang'an let out a satisfied breath. Looking at the audience waving their phones on their own due to the lack of glow sticks, he smiled as brilliantly as the morning sun.
This was the kind of music he liked: pop music that could drive the masses wild.
After all, he had originally been nothing more than an ordinary man among the multitude, with a childhood nearly worlds apart from Eden, who had been born into a musical family.
Compared to refined high art, he preferred music for common folk.
"Friends, let me introduce myself again."
"My name is Chang'an."
"Singer, Chang'an."
Holding the microphone, he spread his arms, then placed a hand over his chest and bowed in thanks, receiving the audience's most fervent cheers.
"Woohoo! Chang'an! Chang'an!"
PS: Shamelessly asking for a vote (*^▽^*)
Chapter of Creation: Journey to a New World: 27. Sleepless Chang'an
"Waaah~ Hubby, you were amazing."
Eden, accompanying him from the shadows, cheered excitedly. Even she, who loved classical music and preferred quietness by nature, had been infected by Ye Chang'an's pop music.
That was perfectly normal. Excellent music naturally infected people.
It was not excellent because people liked it; people liked it because it was excellent.
As someone who loved music, Eden actually enjoyed many styles of music. She simply had an especially deep love for classical music.
Growing up in a musical family, she had been steeped in music from an early age, and musical treasures passed down from the old era could be found everywhere.
They were the accumulation of history, containing the beauty of profound Intent Aggregate.
Yet as technology and the times developed, those things had fallen behind. Musical families had also become somewhat unable to keep up with the times.
In the past, mail coaches and horses moved slowly, and a lifetime was enough for only one person.
Now there were planes and high-speed railways. Everyone came and went in haste, becoming mere passersby.
Technology was advancing, and the times were changing.
The music of the past could no longer keep up with the people's ever-growing spiritual needs. Continuing to cling to classical music was not a wise choice.
That was why most of Eden's relatives had given up classical music.
They either followed the trends and sang pop music, or gave up music and pursued art instead.
Eden had not understood these things when she was young. She only knew that music sounded good.
She liked listening to music, then liked playing music, and finally, when she saw Ye Chang'an playing the piano in kindergarten, she came to love playing music for others.
She had been very shy back then and had never dared perform before strangers. That day, she only gathered the courage to play with Ye Chang'an because the music had made her fingers itch so badly that she could not resist.
Then she fell in love with that feeling, and gradually fell in love with Ye Chang'an too.
To accommodate Ye Chang'an's preferences, she gave up the path of becoming a singer.
And because of Ye Chang'an's companionship, she stepped onto the singer's stage once again.
From becoming famous overnight to being known throughout the world, she completed her transformation from a fledgling bird into an eagle. Yet she had never forgotten that small figure who had first brought her onto a stage.
Whenever she saw comments online about their concerts, she felt an indescribable discomfort in her heart.
"Eden is so beautiful." "Eden is so pretty." "Eden sings so well." "Eden's voice is stunning." "Chang'an is so handsome." "Eden is amazing."
Most of the countless comments showered her with praise. It was rare to see anyone compliment Ye Chang'an.
Even when they did, it was only related to his looks.
That was normal. After all, she was the singer in front of the stage, while Ye Chang'an was the accompanist behind it.
She stood under the spotlight, so of course she was dazzling. Yet people often overlooked the deeper darkness behind that brilliance.
Ye Chang'an possessed talent enough to astonish the world, yet he had kept it hidden for various reasons.
Eden did not quite understand. Even though they had been childhood sweethearts who had gone on to become lovers, she had never fully understood.
After that trip was cut short, she roughly came to understand.
Because Ye Chang'an had changed. He had become more proactive.
From then on, Eden had wondered whether the current Ye Chang'an would be willing to show his talent.
After the album was successfully released, she tested it out.
And she succeeded.
Thus, she saw the tall figure now shining beneath the spotlight, just like that small figure in kindergarten who had once focused so intently on music.
As Ye Chang'an's first fan, Eden's eyes grew moist.
They were tears of joy—joy for Ye Chang'an.
He had finally become willing to sing for himself in this world.
"Hubby, I love you~" Amid the cheers filling the venue, Eden shouted at the top of her lungs.
Her voice was swallowed by the waves of noise from the crowd, failing to stir even the slightest ripple.
Even as superstar Eden, it was the same.
Right now, she was merely Ye Chang'an's fan.
But Ye Chang'an seemed to have heard her. He turned and glanced in her direction, revealing the same smile he had worn as a boy.
"Wife, I love you too."
His response carried through the microphone and filled the venue, making the audience even more excited.
If they had not been mindful of Eden's throat, they would have shouted in unison for the couple to sing together.
But they actually knew perfectly well that Eden's throat was fine. Still, they would not howl something so mood-killing.
Tonight's stage belonged to Chang'an!
~
~
It exploded. The online world completely exploded.
From the moment the concert ended, the online world had been thrown into an uproar by discussions of Ye Chang'an.
A series of headlines such as "Who Is He? He Is Chang'an! A Great Accompanist, and an Even Greater Singer. Do You Even Understand What Sleepless Chang'an Means?~" flooded the internet, spreading insider accounts of the concert through text, audio, video, and every other medium.
Let those idiots who had once cursed them see why this Sleepless Chang'an concert charged money.
One ticket let you enjoy something this wonderful, and you still had the nerve to complain?
No one dared complain anymore, because the concert's pop music had shut the haters up.
It was a full 120-minute concert, and not a single song was repeated. Every one of them was original.
They had spent three months in silence because they had been creating music. How could anyone criticize that?
There was no way to criticize it, bro.
And about charging for tickets—damn it, buying tickets for a celebrity concert was common sense.
You did not criticize first-, second-, or third-rate singers for selling concert tickets, but you targeted the concert tickets of a superstar duo?
Couldn't criticize it. There was simply no way to criticize it.
The haters across the entire internet had been disarmed. Some even raised both hands and bowed beneath Ye Chang'an's music.
Before you continue