Chapter 127 - 120: A Tribute to Lost Youth

Chapter 127: Chapter 120: A Tribute to Lost Youth

Gao Yuan didn’t choose a song by Jay Chou or Old Xue, but instead chose a song he once loved—the ultimate simp anthem.

As far as simp anthems went, this song was number one in Gao Yuan’s heart.

This wasn’t just casual simping for fun anymore; it had escalated to the level of self-destructive simping, the kind of obsessive simping that could reduce you to dust.

"Okay."

Jay Chou hadn’t expected Gao Yuan to want to sing this song. Although Gao Yuan hadn’t picked one of his or Old Xue’s songs, he still smiled and asked, "Can I ask why you chose ’Hollow Heart’?"

At a concert, guest performers were generally expected to sing one of the main artist’s songs; it was rare for them to sing someone else’s.

With a situation like this, Jay Chou had to give the backstage crew some time to consider, mainly to see if the song could even be performed.

"I want to pay tribute to my lost youth!"

This statement could also be interpreted another way: Gao Yuan had once been a simp himself.

"Well, you know, on a music show once, I also met a boy who sang this song incredibly well~"

"If you can sing it better than him, I’ll invite you to be a guest performer at my concert in Shanghai next week!"

"After all, Old Xue is a bit expensive!"

Jay Chou had just finished his joke when Old Xue jumped in, shouting dramatically, "You didn’t pay me a single cent to come here, you know!"

"If you’re going to say that, then this guy and I are going to have to ask you for a performance fee."

As a result, before Jay Chou could even speak, the audience below erupted in deafening laughter.

The three of them on stage were just like a comedy sketch troupe; they were hilarious.

’Are celebrities really this down-to-earth?’

It was just like how they would normally act with their best friends.

The playful banter ended. Jay Chou received confirmation in his earpiece from the backstage director that the song was cleared to be performed, and he spoke directly, "And now, I’ll leave the stage to these two."

"Bringing you ’Hollow Heart.’"

The next second, just as Jay Chou was about to walk off stage, he heard Gao Yuan’s voice call out, "Jay Chou, the next song has to be an extra sweet one!"

CLICK!

As Gao Yuan’s words faded, the lights in the entire Grand Lotus Stadium went completely dark, leaving only a purple ocean of light sticks in the audience.

The Grand Lotus Stadium slowly grew quiet, and the melody of "Hollow Heart" began to play.

A single beam of white light suddenly hit the stage. Under the spotlight, Old Xue stood alone, his head bowed, his face melting into the darkness. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Because everything else was dark, even though Gao Yuan was standing not far from him, his figure was not visible on the stage.

This was the result of a quick discussion the two of them had with the lighting technician right after the lights went down.

Old Xue would sing the first half of the song, while the climax would be handed over to Gao Yuan.

"Whoa, yeah, yeah..."

"Passion was once my only faith."

...

When it came to Old Xue’s singing, his performance of this song was flawless. His unique voice, in particular, gave the song a distinct flavor.

After he finished the first half, the column of light in the center of the stage instantly vanished, but another one did not immediately fall on Gao Yuan. The stage was plunged into darkness once again.

"I know that love has wings."

"Because I love too much, I’ll forgive."

...

When Gao Yuan began to sing, he didn’t start with a high note like other singers. Instead, he used an extremely suppressed, low tone, his voice tinged with a sense of pain.

Because Gao Yuan was shrouded in darkness, everyone who heard his voice felt as if they were listening to a Demon murmuring from a bottomless void.

"Unable to let go, I’m just afraid of the sadness."

"I even resent how intensely I burn for you."

When the first line of lyrics left Gao Yuan’s lips, a shiver involuntarily ran through everyone’s soul.

That falsetto didn’t even sound like a falsetto anymore; it was the lament of a Demon!

The audience had just immersed themselves in this sorrow when, the next moment, the second line was sung, and they felt like they were instantly blown away!

Gao Yuan’s instantaneous switch to a furious tone dealt a second critical hit to their hearts.

Pain!

Boundless, irrepressible grief!

In that instant, they remembered all the sacrifices they’d once made for love, the love they had chased so madly, just like simps.

This was the pain of hating themselves after coming to a sudden, bitter realization.

When Gao Yuan sang:

"Don’t treat me like a writer, just treat me like a tree!"

A column of light instantly appeared on stage, revealing Gao Yuan inside it, bent over and crying out the lyrics.

As Gao Yuan sang, from the very first line, they felt as if an invisible hand had seized their hearts.

Even breathing felt difficult. They clenched their hands tightly, as if desperately fighting against the youth they had left behind.

The moment the music stopped, all the audience members felt their hearts ache for the man on stage.

’You couldn’t sing with that kind of heart-wrenching agony unless you’d been dumped at least ten times!’

Beside him, Old Xue was also a bit stunned.

’Dude, you sing like that, how am I supposed to follow you!’

At that moment, Jay Chou, who was on the stage lift preparing to ascend, understood the meaning behind Gao Yuan’s last words to him.

He had originally thought Gao Yuan was just joking, but he never imagined that Gao Yuan’s performance of this song would plunge tens of thousands of people into their own painful memories.

Man or woman, who hadn’t been young before!

Who hadn’t been a simp during the naive days of first love? This was especially true since many of Jay Chou’s own songs carried a faint sorrow of love.

When Jay Chou heard Gao Yuan finish the song, several figures instantly appeared in his own mind.

But he was already middle-aged, had found success in his career and love, and even had three children, so he sobered up from the reverie pretty quickly.

Inside the Grand Lotus Stadium, it was frighteningly quiet. Although everyone’s eyes were on Gao Yuan on stage, their own youths were replaying in their minds.

A concert with tens of thousands of people!

For it to stay quiet for this long... Jay Chou understood just how powerful the magic of Gao Yuan’s song was.

He had originally planned to sing "Sunny Day," but just before the lift started, he quickly shouted to the director beside him, "Next song, we’re doing ’Sweet.’"

"Are you two trying to crash my show or what?!"

As Jay Chou arrived on stage, the lights came back on.

He walked over to Gao Yuan and Old Xue and gave each of them a playful punch.

Only then did the audience slowly come back to their senses. Hearing Jay Chou’s laughing admonishment, they couldn’t help but chuckle, though their smiles were tinged with tears.

"Next week, my concert in Shanghai, you have to be there!"

Gao Yuan could only nod with a wry smile.

He hadn’t been thinking too much while he was singing just now; it was purely a release of emotion.

His life now was worlds apart from what it used to be, but he still held some lingering feelings of bitterness about his past experiences.

And today, by singing this song, Gao Yuan had finally let it all go.

The three of them joked around for a while, helping the audience below ease their sorrowful mood, and then Gao Yuan left the stage.

「Meanwhile, in a private box on the second floor.」

On the sofa, a girl had gone from surprise at seeing Gao Yuan to shedding unstoppable tears after hearing him sing.

From this one song, she heard all of Gao Yuan’s past pain. She never imagined that the once sunny, cheerful boy could have gone through something like that.

"’Shanghai?’"

Seeing Gao Yuan leave the stage, the girl had no desire to watch any longer. She stood up and walked out.

The two bodyguards at the door of the box saw the girl emerge with tears in her eyes and quickly followed her.

"You were incredible!"

Seeing Gao Yuan walk off the stage, Lin Wanyu immediately threw herself at him.

Even Li Mengqing, who was usually shy, threw herself at Gao Yuan and took the initiative to kiss his lips.

A thirty-year-old man, still unmarried—Li Mengqing had always thought that Gao Yuan must have a story of his own.

After hearing him sing this song today, she finally understood that his past romantic experiences must have been terrible.

Her heart ached for him!

This was the difference between Li Mengqing and Lin Wanyu, highlighted once again in this moment.

Both were affectionate women, but Lin Wanyu’s personality made her focus on Gao Yuan’s excellence. This excellence filled her with an indescribable pride, because this was her man.

Li Mengqing, on the other hand, was much more sensitive. She was more concerned with whether Gao Yuan was happy, whether he felt genuinely joyful from the bottom of his heart. As such, her actions were all quiet, selfless contributions.

The three of them were now off-stage, out of the spotlight, so Gao Yuan didn’t embrace the two of them for too long.

He had just put Lin Wanyu down when he saw a sea of cell phones pointed at them. He immediately grabbed both their hands and started running.

’Jay Chou is singing on stage! These people paid for tickets and instead of listening, they’re filming me.’

The three of them walked out of the Grand Lotus Stadium, and hearing the waves of singing behind them, they all let out a long sigh of relief.

Gao Yuan had been a little nervous after he finished singing, too.

Having so many people stare at him in silence was honestly a bit scary.

Still, this concert experience was truly amazing!

As for promising Jay Chou he’d be a guest at the Shanghai concert, Gao Yuan didn’t take it to heart. He figured Jay Chou was probably just being polite; after all, he wasn’t a professional singer.

The three of them happily went to a nearby residential complex to get their car.

What they didn’t know was that in an RV they had just passed, a girl had been staring at Gao Yuan for a long time.

Gao Yuan and the others drove back to No.1 Courtyard.

Because they went to the concert today, they’d skipped their workout again.

Riding the wave of excitement from the concert, the three of them took a shower.

It was the first time Lin Wanyu and Li Mengqing had realized Gao Yuan could sing so well, and as they showered, they pestered him to sing a few more songs.

Gao Yuan didn’t refuse, but he did have his own condition.

"I can sing, but I can’t be the only one ’singing.’"

This was Gao Yuan’s condition.

They could request any song, and as long as Gao Yuan knew it, he would sing it.

However, whoever requested the song had to get into position.

Before long, Gao Yuan’s singing echoed through the bathroom again. In such a small space, it came with its own natural reverb, with Lin Wanyu and Li Mengqing providing the accompaniment.

It was the most satisfying shower Gao Yuan had taken in all of 2023.

Because both of them had requested a song, the shower lasted for a full hour this time.

After they had cleaned up and the three of them were lying in bed ready to sleep, Gao Yuan opened his phone for a look.

He was surprised to find so many messages.