Chapter 129: The Superstar Concert!

Jiang Lun remained entirely oblivious to the gossip and controversies swirling outside.

Having spent a week busy with the film crew, the shooting schedule had gradually picked up pace. This was partly because the initial days had been slowed down by the need to find a rhythm; by the fifth day, they were already managing to film enough material for one and a half episodes per day. Moreover, the standards and quality were steadily stabilizing.

It was the sweltering heat of August. Although the weather was stifling, it was also the peak season for a myriad of summer activities.

Changzhou City.

It was four in the afternoon by the time Jiang Lun stepped off the plane. Faced with the fans who had come to meet him, he couldn't afford to linger as he had in the past. After a brief handshake with the few people at the front and signing a handful of autographs, he boarded the nanny van waiting to pick him up.

"Phew! Changzhou is really hot!"

As soon as he got into the car, Jiang Lun let out a long breath; his clothes were already sticking to his skin.

"A once-in-a-century heatwave!" Mai Le said, waving a fan and wiping sweat from his forehead. "It was pouring rain when we left Beijing. Who would have thought it would be this parched in Changzhou!"

The driver chuckled, "Young man, you haven't seen it at its hottest yet. Even when it rains, the water on the ground evaporates within three hours of the rain stopping!"

"Really? Even in a torrential downpour?" Mai Le asked, surprised.

"Er..." The driver smiled sheepishly. "I was just making a point—just exaggerating!"

After leaving the airport, the car drove along the ring expressway for half an hour before exiting onto Tiyu Road. Banners were plastered on both sides of the road, reading: "Changzhou 8.8 Superstar Concert."

The backgrounds of these advertisements were filled with stars; Jiang Lun could recognize seven or eight of them alone. The others were blurred silhouettes, their true faces indistinguishable.

By the time the car reached the vicinity of the stadium, many fans had already traveled long distances to line up. The concert wasn't scheduled to start until eight in the evening, yet it was only four-thirty in the afternoon.

Making his way into the stadium, Jiang Lun saw that a stage had already been erected at the far end of the vast field. As soon as he stepped out of the car, a representative from the organizers came up to greet him.

"Jiang Lun, hello! Welcome, welcome!" It was a young man. "The backstage lounge is this way!"

"Thank you, I appreciate it!" Jiang Lun smiled and followed him with his entourage.

"No problem!" The young man smiled, thinking to himself that Jiang Lun was a decent, approachable person.

Upon entering the backstage area, Jiang Lun immediately spotted a familiar face and walked up to him. "Brother Nan!"

"Oh?" Liu Nan turned around, saw it was Jiang Lun, and said with a laugh, "Ah Lun, you're here! Have you rehearsed yet?"

"Not yet!" Jiang Lun smiled. "Have you?"

"Haha, I was the first one!" Liu Nan said. "By the way, come over here, let me introduce you to some veterans!"

"Who are they?"

Jiang Lun looked in the direction Liu Nan was pointing and saw a circle of people sitting there, all smoking. Amidst the swirling smoke, their faces were impossible to make out.

"Old Zhai, Gu San'er, and Dongzi!"

Liu Nan called out a few times, then walked closer and waved away the smoke. "Cough, cough, you guys smoke less—you'll be on stage soon!"

"What's the rush?" A lazy voice replied. Then, a man wearing sunglasses turned back to look at Liu Nan and smiled. "Brother Nan, there are still over three hours left. Why are you in such a hurry?"

As he spoke, he suddenly noticed Jiang Lun and laughed, "Jiang Lun! You're here too?"

Jiang Lun peered at him, failing to recognize who he was at first. Only when the man took off his sunglasses did Jiang Lun say in surprise, "Brother Donghe!"

It was actually Li Donghe. They hadn't seen each other since parting ways after *Extreme Run*; a month had nearly passed since then.

"Come, come, sit here!" Li Donghe pulled him onto a stool beside him and then said to Liu Nan, "Brother Nan, you sit too. Stop standing there like a statue!"

"You're asking for a beating!" Liu Nan pointed at his head. "You've become more and more unrefined. After participating in that reality show, you've started talking like this!"

He then turned to point at Jiang Lun and asked, "You two know each other?"

"Hey! 'Know each other'? We're good buddies!" Li Donghe said happily. "He was on our show, *Extreme Run*. Haven't you seen it?"

"I don't watch that mindless stuff!" Liu Nan waved his hand and then instructed Jiang Lun, "Ah Lun, don't pick up bad habits from him. Don't be fooled by how he acts on the show; in private, he's a total jerk!"

Li Donghe didn't argue; instead, he was delighted. "Brother Nan, in terms of seniority in this industry, I have to call you 'Uncle.' If I'm a jerk, then doesn't that make you..."

"Get out, get out, get out!" Liu Nan pushed him away in disgust, then changed to a smiling face to introduce Jiang Lun to the others.

The people at the table were A-listers in the entertainment industry. Aside from Li Donghe, there were Zhai Di and Gu San'er. Zhai Di was recognized as the "Piano Poet" of the industry, and the songs he sang were of that very bourgeois jazz style.

Gu San'er, on the other hand, sang rock. He was among the first generation of rockers in China, originally the drummer for a band called Bronze Ware. He was the third oldest, hence the name Gu San'er (Drummer Three). The rock musicians he had once fought alongside had all become legends, and he was the only one still active in the music scene.

"Hello, Teacher Zhai!"

Jiang Lun was the first to shake hands with Zhai Di. He addressed him as "Teacher" because Zhai Di served as a piano instructor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music—that was his primary profession, while singing was actually his side gig.

"Hello!" Zhai Di gave a gentle smile. He seemed out of place among this circle of chain-smokers, and he didn't smoke either, yet he just sat there quietly.

Next, Liu Nan introduced him to Gu San'er. "An old rock veteran, call him Third Master!"

"Eh, don't call me Third Master. Just call me Brother San!" Gu San'er waved his hand. Although in terms of seniority in this industry he deserved the title of "Master," in his heart, he was forever a young rock fighter; how could he be a "Master"? "Brother" was the right way to address him!

"Brother San!" Jiang Lun smiled, looking respectful.

"Come, have a smoke!" Gu San'er pulled out his cigarettes—the cheapest ones on the market, three-yuan-a-pack Chongwenmen.

Jiang Lun smiled and waved his hand. "Brother San, I don't smoke."

Unexpectedly, Gu San'er's eyes widened, and the hand holding the cigarette froze; he clearly felt slighted.

Liu Nan glanced at him, then at Jiang Lun, and immediately said, "Brother San, the kid doesn't know any better. Please don't take offense!"

After saying that, he tugged at Jiang Lun and whispered, "Third Master is offering you a cigarette; take it quickly!"

"But..."

"Never mind whether you can smoke or not; if he tells you to take it, take it!"

"Alright."

Jiang Lun nodded and took the cigarette. "Thank you, Brother San!"

"Hey! That's better!" Gu San'er said in a thick Beijing accent with a laugh. "Kid, since you're out here making a living in this circle, you have to know the rules. Today, you took this cigarette, so I, representing the rock circle, accept you. I've heard a few of your songs; they're quite good. I'm not a closed-minded person, and I can tell you have potential!"

"Brother San is too kind!" Jiang Lun smiled and nodded repeatedly.

Since he began his musical journey, he had heard stories about Gu San'er and the rock circle. Later, when he went to Beijing to pursue his dreams, his friends were envious of their past glory. However, he didn't really understand the "rules" of this circle because he hadn't been deeply involved in it, nor had he interacted with these influential figures. Even bands like the Jiazi Band were into rock, but they didn't have the qualifications to hang out with the likes of Gu San'er; they were merely on the periphery.

To hear these words from Gu San'er today was truly an honor.

After stepping away from the table, Jiang Lun walked a distance with Liu Nan before asking, "Brother Nan, this cigarette..."

"You kid, if I hadn't saved you just now, you'd be done for!" Liu Nan said, looking as if he had narrowly avoided a disaster.

"Really?" Jiang Lun thought he was being alarmist.

"Do you know how important Third Master's cigarette is? In this entire room, there are only three people who can get a cigarette from his hand!"

"Who?" Jiang Lun asked.

Liu Nan looked around and pointed them out one by one. Aside from Jiang Lun himself, the other two were people with some reputation in the rock circle.

Jiang Lun looked down at the cigarette in his hand. It turned out this thing was a symbol.

Every day, new people popped up in the entertainment industry, and the veterans wanted to use this method to warn the newcomers: "As long as I'm here, you still have to listen to me in this circle."

Finding a secluded corner, Jiang Lun secretly threw the cigarette away. He hadn't felt comfortable doing it to their faces—he still needed to show respect—but the future belonged to the young. As for what to do, the younger generation had their own ideas.

Each singer's rehearsal time was only twenty minutes. Some rehearsed on stage, while others could only rehearse indoors.

Given Jiang Lun's current fame and status, he belonged to the group that rehearsed on stage.

The live band wasn't just a simple electric setup; it included the Changzhou Symphony Orchestra. This was the first time Jiang Lun had collaborated with a symphony orchestra, and the sound of the tutti was incredibly special.

In one word: exhilarating!

It was no wonder so many singers, after becoming famous, wanted to hold a concert with a symphony orchestra accompaniment; it simply couldn't be compared to a basic four-piece electric band.

When Jiang Lun finished his rehearsal and stepped off the stage, a woman in a tracksuit, wearing a hat and sunglasses, walked up and patted him on the shoulder, saying cordially, "You sang well!"

"Thank you!"

Jiang Lun returned a smile and took a few careful looks at her. There were many stars at this superstar concert; it was possible the person was a big name in disguise, and mistaking her for a staff member would be far too embarrassing.

Sure enough, when the woman took off her sunglasses, Jiang Lun immediately recognized her.

Qiao Ranran!

Seeing her face, the name instantly clicked in Jiang Lun's mind, and he immediately reached out. "Hello, Sister Xiao Qiao!"

"Hello!" Qiao Ranran smiled and reached out, not refusing to shake Jiang Lun's hand.

She wasn't a singer but a host. She and her older sister, Qiao Keke, were the famous twin hostesses known as "Big Qiao and Little Qiao."

"Sister Xiao Qiao, are you hosting today's concert?" Jiang Lun asked with a smile.

"Yes!" Qiao Ranran nodded. "Li Donghe and I!"

Jiang Lun was stunned. He had just seen Li Donghe and assumed he was there to sing; he hadn't expected him to be the male host.