novelraw Chapter 89 What Kind of Best Friend Is This?
Chapter 89 What Kind of Best Friend Is This?
Xia Lizhi stood in the waiting area on the other side of the stage, arms crossed, her relaxed and playful expression gradually disappearing, replaced by seriousness and surprise.
She anticipated that Wang Bo would counter with a work as grand and powerful as "Blue Lotus".
Unexpectedly, he chose such a "little song".
It's as small as just a few specific people, or as small as just a burst of laughter.
But it is precisely this "smallness" that accurately strikes at everyone's most private and universal experience of "time"—loss and longing.
There is no discussion of the philosophy of time, no description of the torrent of years, but simply a gentle question: Where are they?
Xia Lizhi suddenly remembered an ancient Eastern saying: "The greatest truths are the simplest."
Looking at the figure on the stage, so engrossed in the performance, she felt an interest in this opponent that went beyond the level of competition for the first time.
In the final verse, Wang Bo repeatedly chanted a few simple syllables, his voice growing softer and softer, more distant, as if those figures from his memories were truly drifting away with the song, disappearing into the ends of the earth.
The guitar music gradually stopped.
Wang Bo put down his guitar and bowed slightly to the audience.
There was no immediate burst of applause.
An eerie silence fell over the scene.
Many people are still immersed in that faint, yet lingering sadness.
Several seconds later, sporadic applause broke out, then spread like a tide, eventually merging into a warm and lasting wave of sound.
Many audience members applauded while wiping their eyes.
There was no spectacular stage, no dazzling skills, but the heartfelt empathy that touched everyone's hearts.
When the host walked onto the stage, his eyes were a little moist: "Another original song. Wang Bo's song is so heartfelt. Can you talk about the inspiration behind it?"
Wang Bo picked up the microphone but didn't answer directly: "Time has taken away a lot, but it has also left some things behind, such as the laughter in my memory, such as... this song."
The pressure is now entirely on Xia Lizhi's side.
The audience buzzed again, this time filled with anticipation for the upcoming match.
Wang Bo set such a high emotional standard with a "little song". How will this challenger, who is known as a "returned overseas student" and "academic wild horse", respond?
Xia Lizhi patted her cheeks, suppressing the tender emotions that Wang Bo had stirred within her, and her eyes regained their sharpness and focus.
She adjusted the silver chain around her neck, then stepped towards the brightly lit stage.
Late at night.
The cool breeze along the Qiantang River dispelled the sweltering heat and noise that had accumulated in the photography studio all day.
Wang Bo carried his slightly worn guitar case and walked slowly along the riverside sidewalk.
The streetlights cast fragmented golden spots of light on the river, swaying gently with the ripples.
The city's neon lights still shone brightly, but this section of the riverbank was quiet, with only the occasional passing vehicle and the sound of the river water lapping against the embankment.
The competition ended at 11:30 p.m. The other contestants were either picked up by their agencies or went to celebrate or heal their injuries in small groups.
Wang Bo declined Qin Xiao's invitation to have a drink and also politely declined Lin Xiaoya and Bai Wei's offer to see him off, saying he just wanted to take a walk alone.
He really wanted to travel.
After the song ended, the almost frozen silence in the venue, the audience applauding with tears in their eyes, and Xia Lizhi's complex gaze as she looked at him backstage...
These images still linger in my mind.
I poured so much emotion into the performance that I feel completely drained and exhausted right now, but strangely, I don't feel uncomfortable. Instead, I feel a rare sense of relaxation.
The guitar case strap was a bit heavy on his shoulder, but he was used to it.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he ignored it.
After a while, it vibrated again, this time it was a video call request tone.
Wang Bo stopped and took out his phone.
The screen displayed the words "Zhou Yuji" along with a cat avatar she had created herself—a Ragdoll cat winking at the camera.
He smiled and answered the video call.
"Little Wang—" Zhou Yuji's voice almost burst out, accompanied by the sound of some kind of traditional musical instrument and the wind, "Your competition is over? Why didn't anyone pick you up? Where are Xiaoxiao and Yiyi? Didn't they say they would accompany you today?"
The camera shook for a moment, then stabilized, revealing Zhou Yuji's radiant face on the screen. She appeared to be in an open-air location, with a deep blue night sky and blurry tent outlines behind her. Her hair was slightly disheveled by the wind, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.
Wang Bo raised his phone higher, letting the streetlights and night view along the river into the frame: "It's over. It seems like President Su and the others have something to do with their parents today and aren't in Lin'an. I'm just taking a walk by myself; it's quite nice."
"Walk?" Zhou Yuji's voice rose eight octaves. "Where are you walking? What time is it?! You've finished your competition and you're not resting? What are you walking for? Take a taxi home! I'll reimburse you for the fare!"
As she spoke, the camera swayed again, as if searching for something: "Wait, turn the camera around, let me see where you are... Why is it so dark here? Are you by the river?"
"Yes, we'll walk back along the river," Wang Bo answered honestly. "It's not far, only about ten miles. We can treat it as a stroll."
"More than ten miles?" Zhou Yuji gasped. "Wang Bo, are you crazy? Aren't you tired after the competition? You want to walk more than ten miles home? Do you think you're made of iron?"
Her voice revealed genuine anxiety, and a hint of self-blame.
Wang Bo turned the camera back to his face and smiled: "Not tired at all, actually quite relaxed. I've been on edge for a while now, running around to commercial performances, recording studios, rehearsals, competitions... It's rare to have such a quiet time, taking a walk and feeling the breeze, it's quite nice."
He spoke calmly, but Zhou Yuji on the other side of the screen suddenly fell silent.
After several seconds, she spoke again, her voice lowered: "Wang Bo... are you having a hard time?"
Wang Bo was taken aback for a moment: "It's alright, that's how making music is all about."
"What do you mean 'not bad'!" Zhou Yuji's voice rose again, but this time it had a noticeable nasal tone. "Walking more than ten miles is relaxing for you? How exhausted must you be normally? Do you never get enough sleep? Do you never even have time to eat? Are you under immense pressure but never tell anyone?"
A barrage of questions came at Wang Bo, leaving him speechless for a moment.
In the video, Zhou Yuji's eyes were already red.
She bit her lip, trying hard not to let the tears fall, but her eyes were filled with tears that glistened in the light from the phone screen.
"Sister Zhou," Wang Bo said softly, "It's really nothing. I love making music, these things are nothing."
"What?! How can it be nothing?!" Zhou Yuji's voice choked with emotion. "I gave you to Xiaoxiao, thinking she would treat you well and support you. But what happened? On such an important day as the competition, neither she nor her sister were there! Leaving you to compete alone, go home alone, and walk more than ten miles alone. What kind of best friend is that? What kind of business partner is that?!"