Nian on drums

Yan Feizhuo and Sheng Nian entered the bar together.

Inside, the revelry and noise were overwhelming. Alcohol and laughter filled the air in layers, and a wave of heat hit them in the face.

The cheers were loud. Sheng Nian vaguely made out a name that sounded like Fox. It was such a distinctive name that he felt he had heard it somewhere before.

The music paused, and the cheers slowly subsided. A husky, smoke-roughened voice came from the stage, casual and languid. "The next song is 'Fog.' Hope you like it."

That was when Sheng Nian remembered. Wasn't Fox the lead singer of the famous underground band, the Mist Band?

The band had shot to fame with "Fog," yet had never signed with any agency. Their song releases and commercial gigs were all sporadic. He hadn't expected to see them here.

The band was still performing onstage as a staff member led them to a relatively quiet bar counter.

Sheng Nian sat down and looked toward the stage. The lead singer, Fox, wore a slightly loose dark gray shirt with the sleeves casually rolled up to expose his arms, standing languidly onstage.

A guitar strap covered in graffiti slanted over his shoulder, and a bass in stark black and white hid half his body.

He wore skinny jeans below. Perhaps he had gotten carried away singing, because his shoes were nowhere to be seen. He wandered casually around the stage barefoot, his slender, pale ankles faintly visible.

Sheng Nian had been a fan of the Mist Band for a while because of "Fog." He had only given them up later because Jiang Shu disliked them. Since he had happened upon them this time, he could enjoy their performance properly.

The bartender served them two cocktails and made occasional conversation.

"The big boss said a Production Team would be coming. That must be you."

Sheng Nian looked over. "The big boss? The owner of Evernight Sky?"

"Yeah."

Sheng Nian was curious. "If there's a big boss, does that mean there's a little boss too?"

The bartender smiled and pointed at the dazzling bassist onstage. "That's our little boss."

Sheng Nian froze. Fox and the owner behind Evernight Sky were a couple? No wonder the Mist Band had turned down offers from so many agencies. They had something to fall back on.

The audience below the stage cheered and jumped with delight, the people who had come for the music restless with excitement.

The languid, magnetic tones of the bass wound around every listener's eardrums along with the rhythm of the backing music from the speakers, stirring excitement, restlessness, and hormones itching for release.

The atmosphere made Sheng Nian a little restless too. He leaned close to Yan Feizhuo's ear. "I'm going up to play the drums in a bit!"

Yan Feizhuo frowned, but at the sight of Sheng Nian's excited expression, he ultimately said nothing.

When "Fog" ended, Fox tossed aside his bass, jumped down from the stage, and walked toward them.

"Hello, I'm Zhu Li, the owner of this bar. You can also call me Fox."

Sheng Nian couldn't help getting a little excited at meeting his former idol. "I'm Sheng Nian. Hi, Fox!"

"Yan Feizhuo."

Zhu Li nodded. "Welcome. Have fun."

"What task did you draw? I'll make the arrangements."

Sheng Nian handed him the card. Zhu Li took it and glanced at the two of them. "Which of you is doing it?"

Sheng Nian leaned forward. "Me, me, me! I can play the drums. Would that work?"

"Of course, but that outfit won't do. Come backstage with me and get changed first."

Zhu Li led Sheng Nian away, leaving Yan Feizhuo at the bar.

[It's actually the Mist Band! Evernight Sky actually managed to book them. That's impressive!]

[Is the Mist Band that good?]

[That's part of it, but the main thing is that they don't have an agency. They only take commercial gigs when they feel like it.]

[Why does President Yan look so lonely after Sheng Nian got taken away?]

[Am I the only one wondering what Sheng Nian's going to perform onstage?]

[I'm curious too. Too bad the bar's so loud. I couldn't hear!]

Sheng Nian soon emerged in a different outfit.

Yan Feizhuo narrowed his eyes, his expression a little dangerous.

The floating livestream camera turned toward him, revealing Sheng Nian in a loose shirt with the top three buttons undone, offering glimpses of his porcelain-white chest.

He wore low-rise pants, the beautiful curves of his waist and hips drawing the eye. The plain neckband around his neck had also been replaced with a black lace choker.

Zhu Li had everyone move aside a little, revealing Sheng Nian seated at the drum kit.

He briefly introduced Sheng Nian, then snapped his fingers, and the music began.

This performance was mainly to let Sheng Nian and Yan Feizhuo complete their task, so everyone else onstage served as accompaniment, with only the keyboardist and guitarist providing a little underlying sound.

Sheng Nian casually rolled up his shirt sleeves, exposing the clean lines of his wrist bones.

As the music started, Sheng Nian gripped the drumsticks and stepped on the bass drum pedal. A deep, heavy beat exploded along with the pounding music.

Sheng Nian put force into his grip on the drumsticks, the lean muscles in his arms taking shape and his veins faintly showing.

His body leaned slightly forward with the rhythm, but his gaze remained steady as he keenly locked onto every beat, raising his hands and bringing the drumsticks down.

Even the sweat sliding down his jawline did nothing to disturb Sheng Nian's focused pursuit of the rhythm.

The metallic clash of the hi-hat opening and closing, the deep resonance of the bass drum, and the crisp snap of the snare became a powerfully penetrating melody under his control.

The audience below the stage moved to the rhythm, their cheers unceasing.

The music neared its end. As the final heavy beat fell, the drumsticks came to a steady stop. The Omega shook the sweat-damp hair off his forehead, panting slightly, yet his lips curved into a bold, exuberant smile.

The young man beneath the spotlight was free and uninhibited, and the entire audience shouted for another song.

Yan Feizhuo sat at the nearest bar counter. The eyesight of a top-tier Alpha even allowed him to see the Omega's sweat-slick, porcelain-white chest clearly.

[Aaaaaah, it's actually the drums!]

[So hot! Why is Sheng Nian an actor? Wouldn't debuting in a band win him even more fans?]

[He's so damn charming. He's gone above and beyond the task, right? The audience's cheers are about to blow the roof off.]

[Sheng Nian's youthful energy is so attractive. He was like this when he was driving the go-kart too, so wild and alluring.]

[That unblinking stare from President Yan...]

[President Yan must be insanely jealous. He's still sitting so properly, but he might already be wanting to go up there and drag him offstage.]

Sheng Nian panted. He hadn't touched a drum kit in ages and had still missed a few notes in the middle, but it had felt so good. Doing something he loved really did lift his spirits.

He scanned the room, found Yan Feizhuo, and looked at him with shining eyes.

The man was sitting just as he had been before Sheng Nian left, one hand resting casually on his knee, his bearing distant and his expression cool. Yet when he saw Sheng Nian turn to look at him, he gave a slight nod and an exceedingly faint smile.

After Zhu Li pulled Sheng Nian over to take a bow, Sheng Nian immediately ran down and skidded to a halt in front of Yan Feizhuo.

Yan Feizhuo stood and steadied him. "What's the rush?"

Sheng Nian waved the card in his hand and said proudly, "I got the clue for the next activity."

"You're amazing, young master. You're carrying me through this."

"Hehe, don't mention it."

They earned the maximum of five badges at the bar, completing the task perfectly without losing much time.