As the piano played,
Ye Chen began to sing softly:
"Every one of you is brave. The wound on your forehead, your differences, the mistakes you've made... I love you walking alone through dark alleys. I love the way you refuse to kneel. I love you for standing up to despair, refusing to shed a tear... Will you go? I will, with the humblest dream. Will you fight? I will, with the loftiest dream... To the sobs and roars in the darkness..."
Ye Chen's voice was clear and pure, reaching straight into every listener's heart. It was incredibly powerful and moving.
Everyone there was entranced, unable to stop themselves from humming along softly with Ye Chen.
Some were even moved to tears.
With his looks, voice, character, and talent, Ye Chen had captured the heart of every listener.
As Su Ningwei listened to Ye Chen perform the full version of Lonely Warrior, she was amazed all over again. She was utterly impressed by him. He was practically flawless.
The song came to an end.
Ye Chen looked into the camera and said, "That's the end of my performance. Thank you, everyone."
The comments section went wild again.
"Ah! That was so good! Thank goodness I screen-recorded it. I'm sending it to my bestie who's working overtime."
"Oh my God, which window did God close on Ye Chen? We're both people, and we both have two hands, so how can there be such a huge difference? How can Ye Chen be this amazing?"
"Turn on the paid fan feature already! I can't listen to this song for free. I have to send some gifts or I won't feel right."
"Exactly! A song this good deserves gifts. Please turn on the paid fan feature! I want to be your number-one fan too."
"My mom asked why I was watching my phone on my knees. ┭┮﹏┭┮ That was just too good. I'm obsessed."
"It's been ages since I heard such a good song or saw such a talented singer. Give us another one! Ye Chen, you have to stay popular forever and keep working hard to sing more great songs."
"Exactly! Another song! Another song!"
"Another one! Don't stop!"
"I second that. Another song!"
"Don't end the stream! I want to hear more."
"Yeah, another one, please..."
"..."
The comments were filled with calls for Ye Chen to sing another song. No one had had enough.
Looking at the screen full of eager requests, Ye Chen felt that he had only sung one song.
He felt a little bad about the more than nine million in gifts and the viewers' enthusiasm.
Then he remembered that he had promised Cheng Tong the song Friends, but he still hadn't sung it.
It felt like a good time to sing Friends.
Ye Chen glanced at Ke An, asking with his eyes if he could sing another song.
Ke An was very pleased with how the livestream was going and had complete faith in Ye Chen's abilities. Thinking he wanted to sing that song, "Baby," she gave him a look that meant he could do whatever he liked.
Ye Chen looked into the camera and spoke again. "Thank you all for your support. I'll do my best to offer you another song. This one is called Friends. I want to thank the good friends and buddies by my side for all their help over the years. And I want to thank all the fans in the livestream for trusting and supporting me. Thank you."
The livestream erupted with excitement.
"Oh my God, he's really singing another one! Ye Chen is so good to his fans! I love him, I love him..."
"Wow, it's a new song! A new song!"
"Being Ye Chen's friend must be so amazing. He even wrote a song just for them! I'm so jealous..."
"I really love singers like Ye Chen, who are talented, loyal, kindhearted, and so good to their fans. As long as he stays away from gambling, drugs, and prostitution, I'll support him for life."
"..."
Cheng Tong, Zhou Tao, Zhu Peng, and the others were watching Ye Chen's livestream. Hearing that he had actually written a song called Friends, they were delighted and excited. They felt their friendship with Ye Chen had been worth it...
Cheng Tong was especially excited. He hadn't expected Ye Chen to take his offhand remark to heart, let alone write a song called Friends. It felt incredible.
Ke An stood to the side, looking utterly astonished.
Good grief, just how much was there about Ye Chen that she didn't know? He was actually singing a new song. He was incredible.
The other Star Shine Media staff, however, were a little nervous and worried about the song's quality.
For a newcomer's first livestream, Ye Chen had already done very well.
With so many people watching, it would be fine if the song was good, but if it wasn't, it could have the opposite effect.
It was rare to get such a good start. They didn't want anything unexpected to ruin it.
Ke An, however, trusted Ye Chen completely. She gave the others a reassuring look and gesture, signaling them to let the livestream continue as planned.
Ye Chen took a sip of water, cleared his throat, and began to sing Friends as he played the guitar. "All these years, I've been on my own,
Through wind and rain, I've kept going... Friends walk through life together; those days won't come again. One promise for a lifetime, a lifetime of friendship in a cup of wine. Friends are never truly alone; just call me friend, and you'll understand. There'll still be hurt, there'll still be pain; you still have a road ahead, and you still have me. One promise for a lifetime, a lifetime of friendship in a cup of wine..."
Viewers tagged their friends one after another, inviting them into Ye Chen's livestream to hear the song.
The lyrics of Friends were catchy, and the melody was beautiful. The song struck a chord with the viewers.
They left comments one after another:
"That was so good! It reminded me of my roommate from college."
"It made me think of my childhood friend, too. I'll ask him out tonight for barbecue and a drink."
"I love these lyrics so much. A true friend really is a friend for life. They won't leave you when you're riding high or down on your luck. They'll stay by your side through every stage of life."
"Friends walk through life together; those days won't come again. I love that line so much. Now we've all gone off to different universities. We still keep in touch with our old friends, but we don't spend every day together like we used to. Those days we spent together really are gone."
"You do need a lot of friends in life, but you don't need that many. A few close ones are enough. When you're truly in trouble, a real friend won't stand by and do nothing. The people who make grand promises but scatter when trouble comes are fair-weather friends."
"That was so good! Release an album already, and get it on karaoke machines! I want to pick this song and sing it to my friends."
"This song would be perfect to sing with your friends at a graduation gathering. It has to become a hit!"
"This song is so heartwarming. I remembered all the lyrics after just one listen."
"I don't think even Fu Yi, the King of Singers, could sing this as well as Ye Chen."
"There's no comparison! This is Ye Chen's original song. Even if Fu Yi sang it well, it still wouldn't be as good."
"Exactly, exactly! And Ye Chen's voice can hold its own against Su Ningwei, the Queen of Singers."
"Now that you mention it, I can't wait to see Ye Chen and Su Ningwei, two people blessed with incredible talent, perform together."
"Ah, I wonder when my goddess Su Ningwei will make a comeback. I feel like the two of them would be such a good match. They're both gorgeous and talented. I could accept Ye Chen and Su Ningwei as a couple."
"..."