novelraw Chapter 82 This Damn Man
Chapter 82 This Damn Man
On the screen, Chen Bo lowered his head and tuned the guitar strings.
Then raise your head and look ahead.
That gaze was as calm as a deep pool of water, yet it seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words.
The piano prelude begins.
He spoke.
"Wandering, on the road."
The comments section suddenly went silent for a moment.
Then--
"Holy crap???"
"That voice!!!"
"Wait, did I hear that right?"
"This song...was written by him?"
"The lyrics are pretty good."
Lu Ze stared at the screen, the beer can in his hand frozen in mid-air.
That sound...
These lyrics...
He suddenly had a bad feeling.
Chen Bo continued singing.
Are you leaving? (via via)
"Fragile, yet proud."
"That was once what I looked like too."
The comments section went wild.
"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!!"
"These lyrics are killing me!!"
"I'm getting goosebumps!"
"Is this really original?!"
"I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong! This isn't a favored client at all!!"
"This voice, these lyrics, this emotion—it resonated with me, and I cried!"
"Ladies, I think I've discovered a treasure trove!"
"Chen Bo! Chen Bo! Chen Bo!"
Lu Ze's expression began to turn ugly.
He stared intently at the screen, at the man bathed in light.
The voice was like a dull knife, cutting into his heart again and again.
Because he realized that he couldn't write a song of this caliber.
He wrote poetry for over a decade, boasting of his exceptional talent and rich soul.
But he couldn't write lyrics like that.
Chen Bo's voice continued to come through the screen.
I have crossed mountains and seas.
We also passed through crowds of people.
Everything I once had
In the blink of an eye, it all vanished like smoke.
The live chat exploded.
"These lyrics!!!"
"I have crossed mountains and seas!!!"
"My God, my God, my God! What kind of divine lyrics are these?!"
"I got goosebumps all over!"
"Is this really a song a human could write?!"
"Chen Bo! Chen Bo! Chen Bo!"
"What's the name of this song?! I want to download it! I want to listen to it on repeat!"
Lu Ze's beer can was crushed.
He stared at the screen, his face ashen.
No, that's impossible.
How could a nobody entertainer, a gigolo who rose to fame by relying on women, possibly write a song like this?
There must be something going on.
It must have been Xu Yueqing who bought the song for him.
Definitely.
definitely is.
He tried to comfort himself with this thought, but the crack in his heart had already begun to spread.
Haicheng, Yunding Mountain Villa.
The living room of Zhou Lingyan's home.
Xu Yueqing leaned back on the sofa, her eyes fixed on the screen.
She had heard this song live.
But now, when it is carefully edited, paired with professional lighting and camera work, and presented on television, the impact is even greater than being there in person.
On the screen, Chen Bo sat in the light, singing quietly.
Every close-up captured the calm yet profound complex emotions on his face.
She saw the shadows cast by his eyelashes under the light.
I noticed his Adam's apple trembling slightly.
I saw his fingers holding the guitar strings.
When he sang "In the blink of an eye, they all vanished like smoke," there was a faint trace of bitterness at the corner of his mouth.
Her heart was pounding heavily in her chest.
Because of guilt.
Because of heartache.
Also because...
heart.
Yes, my heart is fluttering.
It's not the kind of utilitarian desire to make amends because of regret, nor is it the kind of calculating desire to win him over because he's become more outstanding.
It's a pure, irrational, heart-fluttering feeling that makes your heart skip a beat.
She looked at the man on the screen and suddenly remembered the scene when she first met him many years ago.
He had just finished participating in a talent show. Although he didn't get a good ranking, his youthful sincerity touched her.
She thought she would always use him as a shield, a backup plan, a nanny, or a replaceable accessory.
Now she realizes she was wrong.
Big mistakes.
He is not an appendage.
He is a treasure.
It is the kind of treasure that needs to weather storms to reveal its brilliance.
And she almost missed it forever.
Thousands of miles away.
Zhou Lingyan stared at the screen without blinking.
She had been to the live performance and knew the power of the song.
But when it's edited into a TV program, with those perfectly timed close-ups, those shots of audience members in tears, those shocked expressions in the singers' dressing rooms, the impact is even stronger than the live performance.
She saw Chen Bo sitting in the light, like a lonely planet.
She watched his fingers glide across the strings, as if caressing an old wound.
She saw the fleeting pain in his eyes when he sang "I once destroyed everything I had."
Her heart was pounding heavily in her chest.
It's not because of exploitation.
It's not because of investment.
It's because...
heart.
Yes, my heart is fluttering.
It's not the possessive feeling that he belongs to me because I picked him up, nor is it the competitive feeling that I can't let others have him now that he's become outstanding.
It was a pure, irrational, heart-pounding sensation that made it hard to breathe.
She remembered the breakfast he made.
She remembered the wicked smile on his face when he touched her leg.
I remember his back as he stood on the balcony looking at Xu Yueqing's house across the street.
She suddenly realized that she seemed to be...
I'm starting to like him a little.
Not just a little.
I really like it.
Zhou Lingyan bit her lip and hugged the pillow even tighter.
In a large, single-level apartment in Haicheng.
Bevy was already in tears.
She looked at Chen Bo on the screen, at the man she had secretly loved for three years, now shining so brightly under the spotlight.
She was proud of him.
I feel sorry for him.
For him...
heart.
It wasn't the kind of humble admiration that comes from unrequited love, nor the kind of smug satisfaction that comes from finally getting what you wanted.
It was a pure, irrational, heart-pounding emotion that made tears flow uncontrollably.
She remembered the tenderness with which he stroked her hair.
I remember how serious he was when he said "there should be a sense of ritual".
She remembered the patience he showed when he held her and listened to her speak.
She suddenly felt that her three-year wait had been worthwhile.
Haicheng, another large single-level apartment.
Zhao Lulu removed her face mask, and the potato chips in her hand stopped in mid-air.
She stared at the screen without blinking.
This song...
She also went to the live performance.
Now, when it's brought to the stage, equipped with professional lighting and sound, and performed by Chen Bo in a way that's almost heartfelt, the impact is indescribable.
She saw him sitting in the light, like a lonely star.
She heard a slight tremor in his voice when he sang, "I once fell into boundless darkness, struggling but unable to extricate myself."
Her heart was pounding heavily in her chest.
It wasn't out of curiosity.
It's not because of gossip.
It's because...
heart.
Yes, my heart is fluttering.
It's not the superficial "I want to sleep with him because he's handsome" kind of thinking, nor is it the utilitarian "I want to collaborate with him because he's talented" kind of thinking.
It's a pure, irrational, throbbing sensation that makes your breath quicken.
She remembered the mischievous smile on his face when he said, "It wouldn't be impossible if it were you."
I remember his profile as he sat at the mixing console, focused on his work.
She suddenly realized that she seemed to be...
It too fell.
Oh shit.
That damn man.