In recent years, Sheng Xia has warmed up for many well-known and unknown bands, accustomed to being the appetizer for the audience before the performance.
Some were attracted to his face, some to his voice, and there were quite a few people inviting him to join their bands. Some tried to persuade him through Xie Hong, but often couldn’t even pass Xie Hong’s barrier. Sheng Xia was also quite indifferent, and his reason for refusal was always the same: “Ah, I’ve never thought about forming a band, sorry.”
In order to warm up the crowd, Sheng Xia specifically learned a few folk songs. He wasn’t good at playing the guitar, only knowing how to play a few songs on the piano. For warming up, he would play and sing a few fixed songs, just to get by.
This was the first official ticketed performance at “Maze,” and the audience who came out of curiosity or to experience something new crowded the entire livehouse.
Sheng Xia quietly held his guitar backstage, while several people from Dirty Praying Mantis were gathered around someone wearing a hat and mask, looking respectful and cautious. Without his glasses, he couldn’t see others clearly, so he just stayed by himself and didn’t join in the excitement.
He just nestled in the corner, listening for a while to the songs he was going to sing later, one《Moonlit City》, one《Dust of Love》. The chords were simple enough, and he shouldn’t forget the lyrics, but he still listened to them several times.
He cherished every opportunity to perform.
No one paid attention to a small singer warming up. He just sat in the smoke-filled preparation area, lost in thought, wondering if he should grab a late-night snack after going home later.
When it was time, Xie Hong squeezed in and found him, saying he could go on stage now.
Sheng Xia took off his headphones, stood up, and walked out with his guitar.
As he sat in front of the microphone, a girl in the audience whistled at him with a beer in her hand.
Sheng Xia didn’t like wearing glasses, especially during performances, so he couldn’t see the faces of the audience, nor could he see the various expressions below the stage.
This was fine for him, anyway, whether there were ten, twenty, a hundred, or a thousand people listening to him sing. Since everything in his line of sight was blurry, dim… except for the sound, he didn’t care about anything else.
He didn’t need to see clearly those people who would have no impact on his life tomorrow. Singing the song well, bringing the good voice to the moment, singing the emotions in the lyrics accurately, that was enough for him.
If you can’t speak, then speak less, because the more you say, the more mistakes you make. This was Sheng Xia’s principle for performing. And he really didn’t know how to interact with the audience. He always felt that performing well was the greatest feedback to the audience.
Before starting to sing, he didn’t introduce the song or himself. With a sweep of his fingers across the strings, he leaned towards the microphone and started to sing—
“Under the moonlight, under the city lights, under the people waiting,
In the crowd, in the wind, in the songs, in the voice of the years.
Who sighs unconsciously about the age of unawareness?
Who is still listening,
To the beauty of autumn in a leaf.”
As the song started, the livehouse gradually quieted down.
“In the morning, you’ve been here, leaving behind the scent of cherry blossoms,
The window has been opened, the door has been opened, people asked me what to say,
You once sang under the moonlight, once accompanied me in sorrow for the fallen leaves,
Once in front of the window covered with snow,
You painted my appearance.”
The melody seemed to transport the audience back to an era that belonged to folk songs, to art, to guitars, fallen leaves, and youth… to that era of flowing white clothes.
The melody was gentle and lazy, the lyrics were soothing, and as he sang, Sheng Xia felt completely relaxed, feeling the elegance and tranquility in the lyrics.
Beside the stage, Xie Hong was smiling as she recorded him on her phone. At this moment, a man in black clothes and a black hat next to her lowered his head slightly and whispered in her ear, “Where did you find him? His voice is good.”
The man covered himself tightly, only his eyes could be seen, and Xie Hong could only blink at him, “It’s not just his voice, right? He’s also quite good-looking.”
The man then smiled slightly, “He looks quite young.”
Xie Hong smiled and said, “I’ll introduce you later. He’s my little brother, quite talented.”
“The guitar playing is average.”
“Indeed, it’s average, but he’s good on the keyboard, and he can play a bit of every instrument, with a very steady rhythm,” Xie Hong explained. “He’s quite talented, this kid.”
“Talented people are not lacking in this world.”
“But talent, young age, good looks, and an honest personality are hard to come by,” Xie Hong chuckled. “And he’s your fan, by the way, a die-hard one.”
The man beside Xie Hong didn’t reply. He just stood silently next to her, watching the person on stage singing and playing the guitar.
After Sheng Xia finished singing, he slightly bowed to the microphone and said thank you, then walked down with his guitar. He didn’t even glance at the crowd below, silently making his way down to the stage, leaving behind the applause and admiring glances, not sparing the audience an extra look or saying a word.
The man beside Xie Hong couldn’t help but comment, “Quite arrogant.”
Xie Hong was accustomed to Sheng Xia’s indifferent demeanor long ago, she smiled, “Isn’t he quite like you used to be?”
The man didn’t say whether he agreed or not, “His style is good. His voice always seems to have a bit of rock flavor, very charismatic,” the man evaluated, then repeated, “Quite charismatic, but… a bit too young.”
“Who hasn’t been through this age? Weren’t you a brash youth when you were seventeen or eighteen, following bands around every day?” Xie Hong retorted, “Besides, he’s not even of legal age yet.”
After finishing singing, Sheng Xia automatically retreated to the other side of the stage and sat down next to Li Rong, who controlled the projection and lighting.
Li Rong smiled at him as he approached and handed him a cigarette, “Big star, that sounded great! Want one?”
At this moment, Dirty Praying Mantis had already started their performance and was interacting with the audience.
Sheng Xia stared at the cigarette in Li Rong’s hand in silence for a moment before shaking his head, “No. Hong Jie wouldn’t like it if she saw.”
“Do you think she doesn’t know?” Li Rong chuckled, his tone teasing and coaxing, “She just knows you don’t want to tell her. It’s okay, you’ll be of legal age in a while, won’t you? Smoking a bit might make you look less childish.”
What kind of logic is that?
Sheng Xia took the cigarette but didn’t light it, just held it in his hand and played with it.
He wasn’t wearing his glasses today, although there was a frame in his bag, he couldn’t be bothered to take it out and put it on. After the singer and the audience finished their banter on stage, they finally started singing.
After listening to one song, Sheng Xia didn’t feel much. He didn’t even look at the stage and instead leaned against the equipment, holding his phone and reading science fiction in the music.
After listening to two songs, he still felt the same.
Three songs… Four songs, still the same.
It wasn’t until he heard… a guitar solo.
It was during the interval of the next song. Amidst the background noise of the singer and the audience bantering, the guitarist plucked a string of notes… a slow and smooth interlude, sounding casual but also skillful.
That melody was a stimulus that triggered a reflex in Sheng Xia, almost instantaneously making his scalp tingle.
If he hadn’t misheard, that unexpected solo… was from a track on the first album of the Aviator, a song with no lyrics, just 42 seconds of guitar solo called “Flight.”
The album also contained Shi Ye’s hit song “Universe” and many other well-known songs, such as “Glass Bird” and “Interstellar Train,” so few people would remember “Flight.”
Sheng Xia could remember that melody so clearly because he loved that album too much, he could play out the melodies written by Shi Ye with his eyes closed.
The person on stage had only played a short section before stopping. Soon, the singer and the audience finished their interaction, self-introduced the next song, and the drumbeat began, the performance continued.
Sheng Xia almost frantically fumbled for his glasses from his bag.
When he put on his glasses, the world in front of him became clear and bright, and he saw a somewhat familiar figure…
Dressed in black, wearing a hat and mask, it was the person who had asked him for directions earlier. But now, he was on stage playing the guitar, accompanying someone.
Later on, Sheng Xia just inexplicably stared at that man.
The man was dressed plainly and low-key, although he was bundled up tightly, it didn’t seem too abrupt.
As the songs went by, halfway through the performance, he seemed a bit hot, so he took off his hat and casually tossed it into the crowd below, his movements natural and skillful, as if he had done it millions of times before.
With cheers erupting from the audience, Sheng Xia looked at the man’s profile on stage and felt that in that moment… his brain and fingertips went numb.
With the colorful lights flashing down on stage, slowly swaying back and forth, occasionally a cluster of red light shone on the man’s face, and the next moment it was dark blue light… Amidst the flickering lights, his face was blurry, and Sheng Xia could only see a rough silhouette, a… figure that appeared next to his “universe” graffiti this afternoon.
He couldn’t see the man’s face clearly, only his eyes and slender fingers… Those hands pressing on the strings, playing skillfully and flexibly.
The movements were natural and graceful.
For a moment, Sheng Xia even felt a bit jealous of that guitar. Perhaps every note played by those hands on that guitar would bring joy?
The premise, of course, was if it was really him.
The man on stage lowered his head to adjust the effects pedal. That casual movement was so beautiful that it mesmerized Sheng Xia… He felt his heartbeat start to accelerate, becoming louder, resonating in his skull, almost drowning out the music in the livehouse.
Xie Hong didn’t know when she had approached, standing next to Sheng Xia, and placed her hand on his shoulder, as he looked dumbfounded.
Xie Hong whispered to him, “Xiao Sheng Xia, do you know who the person playing the guitar on stage is?”
Xie Hong’s voice carried laughter and anticipation, as if she had given him a gift and was waiting for him to say, “I really like it.”
Sheng Xia felt like this was a dream.
He looked at the person on the stage, the person who seemed to be shining even on the small stage.
He murmured to himself, “It’s my dream.”
It’s my dream.
He repeated it in his mind—
Shi Ye.
In recent years, Sheng Xia has warmed up for many well-known and unknown bands, accustomed to being the appetizer for the audience before the performance.
Some were attracted to his face, some to his voice, and there were quite a few people inviting him to join their bands. Some tried to persuade him through Xie Hong, but often couldn’t even pass Xie Hong’s barrier. Sheng Xia was also quite indifferent, and his reason for refusal was always the same: “Ah, I’ve never thought about forming a band, sorry.”
In order to warm up the crowd, Sheng Xia specifically learned a few folk songs. He wasn’t good at playing the guitar, only knowing how to play a few songs on the piano. For warming up, he would play and sing a few fixed songs, just to get by.
This was the first official ticketed performance at “Maze,” and the audience who came out of curiosity or to experience something new crowded the entire livehouse.
Sheng Xia quietly held his guitar backstage, while several people from Dirty Praying Mantis were gathered around someone wearing a hat and mask, looking respectful and cautious. Without his glasses, he couldn’t see others clearly, so he just stayed by himself and didn’t join in the excitement.
He just nestled in the corner, listening for a while to the songs he was going to sing later, one《Moonlit City》, one《Dust of Love》. The chords were simple enough, and he shouldn’t forget the lyrics, but he still listened to them several times.
He cherished every opportunity to perform.
No one paid attention to a small singer warming up. He just sat in the smoke-filled preparation area, lost in thought, wondering if he should grab a late-night snack after going home later.
When it was time, Xie Hong squeezed in and found him, saying he could go on stage now.
Sheng Xia took off his headphones, stood up, and walked out with his guitar.
As he sat in front of the microphone, a girl in the audience whistled at him with a beer in her hand.
Sheng Xia didn’t like wearing glasses, especially during performances, so he couldn’t see the faces of the audience, nor could he see the various expressions below the stage.
This was fine for him, anyway, whether there were ten, twenty, a hundred, or a thousand people listening to him sing. Since everything in his line of sight was blurry, dim… except for the sound, he didn’t care about anything else.
He didn’t need to see clearly those people who would have no impact on his life tomorrow. Singing the song well, bringing the good voice to the moment, singing the emotions in the lyrics accurately, that was enough for him.
If you can’t speak, then speak less, because the more you say, the more mistakes you make. This was Sheng Xia’s principle for performing. And he really didn’t know how to interact with the audience. He always felt that performing well was the greatest feedback to the audience.
Before starting to sing, he didn’t introduce the song or himself. With a sweep of his fingers across the strings, he leaned towards the microphone and started to sing—
“Under the moonlight, under the city lights, under the people waiting,
In the crowd, in the wind, in the songs, in the voice of the years.
Who sighs unconsciously about the age of unawareness?
Who is still listening,
To the beauty of autumn in a leaf.”
As the song started, the livehouse gradually quieted down.
“In the morning, you’ve been here, leaving behind the scent of cherry blossoms,
The window has been opened, the door has been opened, people asked me what to say,
You once sang under the moonlight, once accompanied me in sorrow for the fallen leaves,
Once in front of the window covered with snow,
You painted my appearance.”
The melody seemed to transport the audience back to an era that belonged to folk songs, to art, to guitars, fallen leaves, and youth… to that era of flowing white clothes.
The melody was gentle and lazy, the lyrics were soothing, and as he sang, Sheng Xia felt completely relaxed, feeling the elegance and tranquility in the lyrics.
Beside the stage, Xie Hong was smiling as she recorded him on her phone. At this moment, a man in black clothes and a black hat next to her lowered his head slightly and whispered in her ear, “Where did you find him? His voice is good.”
The man covered himself tightly, only his eyes could be seen, and Xie Hong could only blink at him, “It’s not just his voice, right? He’s also quite good-looking.”
The man then smiled slightly, “He looks quite young.”
Xie Hong smiled and said, “I’ll introduce you later. He’s my little brother, quite talented.”
“The guitar playing is average.”
“Indeed, it’s average, but he’s good on the keyboard, and he can play a bit of every instrument, with a very steady rhythm,” Xie Hong explained. “He’s quite talented, this kid.”
“Talented people are not lacking in this world.”
“But talent, young age, good looks, and an honest personality are hard to come by,” Xie Hong chuckled. “And he’s your fan, by the way, a die-hard one.”
The man beside Xie Hong didn’t reply. He just stood silently next to her, watching the person on stage singing and playing the guitar.
After Sheng Xia finished singing, he slightly bowed to the microphone and said thank you, then walked down with his guitar. He didn’t even glance at the crowd below, silently making his way down to the stage, leaving behind the applause and admiring glances, not sparing the audience an extra look or saying a word.
The man beside Xie Hong couldn’t help but comment, “Quite arrogant.”
Xie Hong was accustomed to Sheng Xia’s indifferent demeanor long ago, she smiled, “Isn’t he quite like you used to be?”
The man didn’t say whether he agreed or not, “His style is good. His voice always seems to have a bit of rock flavor, very charismatic,” the man evaluated, then repeated, “Quite charismatic, but… a bit too young.”
“Who hasn’t been through this age? Weren’t you a brash youth when you were seventeen or eighteen, following bands around every day?” Xie Hong retorted, “Besides, he’s not even of legal age yet.”
After finishing singing, Sheng Xia automatically retreated to the other side of the stage and sat down next to Li Rong, who controlled the projection and lighting.
Li Rong smiled at him as he approached and handed him a cigarette, “Big star, that sounded great! Want one?”
At this moment, Dirty Praying Mantis had already started their performance and was interacting with the audience.
Sheng Xia stared at the cigarette in Li Rong’s hand in silence for a moment before shaking his head, “No. Hong Jie wouldn’t like it if she saw.”
“Do you think she doesn’t know?” Li Rong chuckled, his tone teasing and coaxing, “She just knows you don’t want to tell her. It’s okay, you’ll be of legal age in a while, won’t you? Smoking a bit might make you look less childish.”
What kind of logic is that?
Sheng Xia took the cigarette but didn’t light it, just held it in his hand and played with it.
He wasn’t wearing his glasses today, although there was a frame in his bag, he couldn’t be bothered to take it out and put it on. After the singer and the audience finished their banter on stage, they finally started singing.
After listening to one song, Sheng Xia didn’t feel much. He didn’t even look at the stage and instead leaned against the equipment, holding his phone and reading science fiction in the music.
After listening to two songs, he still felt the same.
Three songs… Four songs, still the same.
It wasn’t until he heard… a guitar solo.
It was during the interval of the next song. Amidst the background noise of the singer and the audience bantering, the guitarist plucked a string of notes… a slow and smooth interlude, sounding casual but also skillful.
That melody was a stimulus that triggered a reflex in Sheng Xia, almost instantaneously making his scalp tingle.
If he hadn’t misheard, that unexpected solo… was from a track on the first album of the Aviator, a song with no lyrics, just 42 seconds of guitar solo called “Flight.”
The album also contained Shi Ye’s hit song “Universe” and many other well-known songs, such as “Glass Bird” and “Interstellar Train,” so few people would remember “Flight.”
Sheng Xia could remember that melody so clearly because he loved that album too much, he could play out the melodies written by Shi Ye with his eyes closed.
The person on stage had only played a short section before stopping. Soon, the singer and the audience finished their interaction, self-introduced the next song, and the drumbeat began, the performance continued.
Sheng Xia almost frantically fumbled for his glasses from his bag.
When he put on his glasses, the world in front of him became clear and bright, and he saw a somewhat familiar figure…
Dressed in black, wearing a hat and mask, it was the person who had asked him for directions earlier. But now, he was on stage playing the guitar, accompanying someone.
Later on, Sheng Xia just inexplicably stared at that man.
The man was dressed plainly and low-key, although he was bundled up tightly, it didn’t seem too abrupt.
As the songs went by, halfway through the performance, he seemed a bit hot, so he took off his hat and casually tossed it into the crowd below, his movements natural and skillful, as if he had done it millions of times before.
With cheers erupting from the audience, Sheng Xia looked at the man’s profile on stage and felt that in that moment… his brain and fingertips went numb.
With the colorful lights flashing down on stage, slowly swaying back and forth, occasionally a cluster of red light shone on the man’s face, and the next moment it was dark blue light… Amidst the flickering lights, his face was blurry, and Sheng Xia could only see a rough silhouette, a… figure that appeared next to his “universe” graffiti this afternoon.
He couldn’t see the man’s face clearly, only his eyes and slender fingers… Those hands pressing on the strings, playing skillfully and flexibly.
The movements were natural and graceful.
For a moment, Sheng Xia even felt a bit jealous of that guitar. Perhaps every note played by those hands on that guitar would bring joy?
The premise, of course, was if it was really him.
The man on stage lowered his head to adjust the effects pedal. That casual movement was so beautiful that it mesmerized Sheng Xia… He felt his heartbeat start to accelerate, becoming louder, resonating in his skull, almost drowning out the music in the livehouse.
Xie Hong didn’t know when she had approached, standing next to Sheng Xia, and placed her hand on his shoulder, as he looked dumbfounded.
Xie Hong whispered to him, “Xiao Sheng Xia, do you know who the person playing the guitar on stage is?”
Xie Hong’s voice carried laughter and anticipation, as if she had given him a gift and was waiting for him to say, “I really like it.”
Sheng Xia felt like this was a dream.
He looked at the person on the stage, the person who seemed to be shining even on the small stage.
He murmured to himself, “It’s my dream.”
It’s my dream.
He repeated it in his mind—
Shi Ye.
