Rehearsal

Lin Chudong couldn't help laughing. He hadn't expected Sun Xuan to have such big ambitions too.

Given his experience as a chief director at a local TV station, his chances of directing the Spring Festival Gala weren't very high. But if he had experience directing a live gala, he might still have a shot at joining CCTV.

"Sure. We'll follow Director Sun's arrangements."

Everyone gradually began rehearsing, and the host lineup was impressive too.

The two beautiful hosts, Kyoto's famous presenters Cheng Huanhuan and Guan Lu, were joined by the handsome, steady male hosts Zhang Ye and Tian Ke. The whole gala had a solemn, grand feel to it.

The hosts introduced each act. Unlike an entertainment show, the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala was formal and traditional, with few jokes. Even the language-based acts promoted positive values.

Most of the audience members were sponsors or people from within the system. Ordinary folks could forget about getting tickets.

"Da Fei Band, get ready backstage."

Wu Bo was a little excited. "Here we go!"

Besides the band, a whole entourage of makeup artists, stylists, and other staff hurried backstage with them.

Quite a few people spotted Da Fei and wanted to say hello, but with Shen Jianbin there, no one dared speak.

Chen Jianguo said, "Let's see how their new song is."

At the opening, Sun Jie stood at the front as a flashy guitar intro rang out, accompanied by Shen Jianbin on keyboard and Su Yulin on the drum kit. The sound was explosive.

Wang Zhi blinked. "This song sounds pretty good, doesn't it?"

Lin Chudong sneered. "Pretty good? Does it sound familiar?"

Jing Feifei's ears perked up. "A few phrases sound familiar. Is it one of Brother Fei's old songs?"

Lin Chudong nodded. "Good ears. Perfect pitch?"

Jing Feifei nodded. "More or less. Not as good as yours, Brother Fei."

"Shen Jianbin's a skilled music tailor. Two sections of this song's melody are from my songs, and two more were copied from famous rock songs overseas. He pieced together phrases from a bunch of different songs, so of course it sounds good."

Wang Zhi frowned. "Brother Fei, doesn't that count as plagiarism?"

"Not really. If he gets caught, he'll get a bit of moral condemnation at most."

Liang Yin crossed her arms, looking sulky.

"I thought they couldn't come up with anything original anymore. Didn't expect them to pull this trick."

Lin Chudong sneered. "Shen Jianbin's talented. He's one of the best keyboardists in the industry. He learned a lot of songwriting ideas from me over the years. Add a little patchwork, and a song like this isn't hard to put together."

"Shameless!"

Jia Lu said, "But the audience doesn't seem very excited."

There weren't many people in the audience, and their reaction was pretty subdued.

"This is the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala," Lin Chudong said. "Did you expect the audience to scream and shout along like they're at a music festival? No chance. Shen Jianbin chose the wrong kind of song, but it's not a big deal."

The most important thing for a gala was variety. A rock song could add a lot to the show.

Wu Bo's voice was stunning. "In the dark of night, we search for light,

In the weariness of life, we search for strength.

The flame of youth lights our way,

In the world of music, we're no longer alone..."

Liang Yin looked disdainful. "Close your eyes and listen. It's obviously imitating Da Fei."

"Yeah. It sounds similar, but it doesn't capture the spirit."

"Nowhere near as good as Brother Fei."

Lin Chudong shook his head. "Wu Bo's got a good voice, but his stage presence is average. He looks like he's up there by himself, not like part of a band."

"He's too much of an individualist. He doesn't interact with the other musicians."

At that, everyone immediately understood. That was where he fell short of Da Fei.

Whenever Da Fei performed, he made eye contact or interacted physically with every musician. Even a brief exchange across the stage made the whole performance feel harmonious.

That was how a band should look onstage. Wu Bo, on the other hand, came across as a solo singer, with the people behind him serving as nothing more than his backing band.

Suddenly, someone backstage called out.

"Liang Yin Band, get ready!"

Lin Chudong said, "Go on without me. I'm sitting this one out."

"Okay!"

The musicians hurried onto the stage.

Jia Lu and Jing Feifei both took several deep breaths. Even Liang Yin was getting nervous.

As they reached the stage, Jing Feifei said, "Brother Fei doesn't even need to rehearse. Isn't the director worried he'll mess up?"

Jia Lu said, "Brother Fei has sung live twice before, and he's never messed up. And when he was with Da Fei Band, he never messed up either. Of course the director trusts him."

"Right. We have to do our best too!"

Shen Jianbin and the others left the stage as Jing Feifei and Jia Lu took their places.

Seeing all those orchestral instruments, and traditional ones at that, Shen Jianbin frowned.

What was Da Fei up to? Had he given up on electric guitars?

Jing Feifei stepped onto the stage. Even though it was only a rehearsal, her heart was pounding. Despite being a rich young lady, she hadn't been in a setting like this very often.

Jia Lu held two thick drumsticks and stood before a tang drum, her small face flushed with excitement.

The music began, and the grand, sweeping accompaniment filled the whole venue.

Shen Jianbin and Sun Jie exchanged glances, both looking puzzled.

This was nothing like Da Fei's usual style.

And he wasn't even rehearsing, as if this were some kind of secret weapon. That only made them feel more uncertain.

"Ever since Da Fei left the company, he's done nothing but pull stunts!"

Back then, getting Da Fei to start a rumor, generate some buzz, or give an interview had been like asking him to do the impossible.

Now he was constantly making a spectacle of himself. Shen Jianbin was so furious he was practically grinding his back teeth to dust.

Wu Bo, however, looked confident. "Heh, don't worry about him. There's no way a song like that can match our performance."

Magic City TV Station was airing video interviews with everyone.

"I think Da Fei can't measure up to Wu Bo."

Shen Jianbin's arrogant smile immediately drew a string of bullet comments.

"Da Fei Band rocks! Da Fei Band forever!"

"Can the people upstairs stop defending him? What would Da Fei Band even be without Da Fei? Garbage!"

"Heh, just wait and see. Da Fei Band has a new song out. They can still make new songs without Da Fei!"

"Didn't you see that Liang Yin Band is the finale? Da Fei's obviously more talented. Haven't the few killer songs he's released these past few days blown you away yet?"

"Da Fei's trash. He's out of ideas, all looks and no substance. He betrayed the band to go solo. What a traitor."

"When Da Fei goes onstage, everyone spam the word 'traitor'!"

"..."

Da Fei had been getting a lot of attention lately, but the band still had more fans.

They were unhappy with Da Fei's commercial ventures: appearing on variety shows, drumming up rumors, and the like.

It went against the image he'd cultivated as a pure musician, and they were furious with him. The criticism was overwhelming.

The loudest accusation was that Da Fei had no talent, and that these songs hadn't been written over the past few days at all. He'd secretly written them over the years in the band, scheming behind everyone's backs.

What a despicable person!