Chapter 45: The Fight Begins!

Half an hour, seven songs, without a single pause in between. Only after this half hour of performing did Gallen truly feel at ease. Especially with the last song—everyone had started off surprised, then excitement bubbled up, and by the end, everyone was wildly releasing their passion in time with the relentless chant of “one-night-in-Beijing,” as if each person had been set alight.

When the Dream Stage closed, Gallen asked Chen Yingying to leave the stage and head to the car first. As expected, quite a few lingering spectators kept glancing their way, eager to see just who that girl was—the one who sang in Peking opera style. Some staff members even sidled over, pretending to help but really just craning their necks to get a better look at her.

Mai Le, broad and imposing, planted himself in front of Chen Yingying. With just a small movement, he blocked off the few staffers trying to join the fun, then escorted her safely to the car.

While Gallen was helping the Alpha Band pack up their equipment, seven or eight tattooed young men in black tank tops swaggered onto the stage. The leader made a beeline for Gallen. “Hey, man, that was a wild set! Was that last song your own original?”

Gallen turned around. The man addressing him wore sunglasses, his face unclear, but since he’d come over to chat, Gallen smiled back. “Yes, it’s mine.”

“Nice!” Sunglasses grinned. “I’m Qi Yun—we’re with On the Dot Band. These guys here are all my bandmates.” He gestured to the group behind him.

Gallen nodded in greeting. “Hi everyone, just call me Allen.”

Qi Yun was about to say more when A-Kai strolled over. “Yo! Little Cloud! Making a name for yourself, huh? Getting invited to the music festival and all!”

Although Qi Yun’s sunglasses hid his eyes, his face betrayed a flicker of embarrassment the moment he saw A-Kai. He scratched his head, hesitating, “Master…”

“Don’t! Don’t call me that!” A-Kai chuckled, “Alright, you guys go ahead with your set. We’re done here.” With that, he waved for Da Mao and the rest to clear the stage. As they passed On the Dot’s members, the tension between the two groups was palpable—neither side willing to concede even an inch.

Seeing this, Gallen thought, Well, no point sticking around. He laughed and said, “Alright, I’ll be going then! We’ll catch up another time!”

“Yeah.” Qi Yun forced a smile. “Till we meet again.”

The rest of On the Dot’s members were more courteous to Gallen; unlike with Alpha Band, they shook his hand in farewell as he left.

Catching up with A-Kai offstage, Gallen couldn’t help but ask, “What was that about?”

“Don’t ask! Just a traitor, that’s all.”

He didn’t elaborate, but the meaning was obvious.

Gallen grinned. “Alright, then I won’t ask.”

“Hey!” A-Kai was taken aback. “You really aren’t curious?”

“Not at all.” Gallen shook his head. “I’m taking Yingying to remove her makeup—you guys go have your fun.”

With that, Gallen turned to leave, leaving A-Kai speechless.

Mai Le drove them over to a parking space by the artist’s lounge. As soon as they got out, Liu Nan and Zhang Weiwei came over. Liu Nan called out, “Gallen! You were amazing tonight!”

“Nan, Weiwei!” Gallen hurried over and shook their hands.

Zhang Weiwei smiled. “You sang well, young man. Very creative, too.”

“How did you even come up with that? Mixing rock and Peking opera—that’s bold!” Liu Nan asked, pulling Gallen aside.

Gallen chuckled. “Just messing around, really.”

“Well, your ‘messing around’ is worth more than our decade-long efforts!” Zhang Weiwei sighed. “Where do you get all these ideas? And your songwriting is impressive! I write my own songs too, but I can’t help but feel envious.”

“You flatter me, Weiwei,” Gallen replied. “I’m still young, still have to work hard.”

Liu Nan laughed. “What you need is one real opportunity—one that puts you in front of the whole nation. With that, your achievements will easily outshine ours!”

Zhang Weiwei nodded in agreement. “But let me give you some advice—don’t ever stray from the right path. Always be careful. The entertainment industry is complicated; don’t let others hurt you, and don’t get carried away by a moment’s success and lose yourself. Understand?”

“I understand! I do!” Gallen nodded vigorously. He remembered how, years ago, Zhang Weiwei’s drug scandal made national headlines—she was the first celebrity in the industry to be detained for drugs, causing a huge sensation.

“By the way, where’s the young lady who sang Peking opera with you?” Liu Nan asked.

Gallen didn’t hide it. “She’s in the car. I was just bringing her over to remove her makeup.”

“It’s all men inside! I’ll take her to my dressing room,” Zhang Weiwei offered immediately.

Gallen was relieved. “I was worried she’d be mobbed going in there. Thank you so much, Weiwei.”

“No need to thank me!” Zhang Weiwei waved him off. “If you really want to thank someone, help Liu out—he needs a favor.”

Gallen turned to Liu Nan. “What do you need, Nan?”

Liu Nan looked a little embarrassed. “Well, it’s nothing major…I’m about to release a new album, and a few songs are still missing. After hearing you tonight, I wanted to ask if you’d write one for me. Don’t worry, you’ll be well compensated!”

“No problem,” Gallen replied. “If you trust me enough to ask, let the company handle the price.”

“Really?” Liu Nan’s face lit up. “Great—one less thing to worry about!”

Seeing this, Gallen chuckled. If it were just some small-time celebrity, he’d never agree, but Liu Nan was different. With Liu’s status, giving him a song would open countless doors. As the leading figure in the domestic music scene, even a casual mention from him would boost Gallen’s popularity immeasurably—these were benefits money couldn’t buy.

Zhang Weiwei, seeing how quickly they struck a deal, laughed. “Alright, you two chat. I’ll take your friend to remove her makeup. Go get her out of the car.”

Gallen immediately walked over, opened the car door, and helped Chen Yingying out.

Chen Yingying nodded politely. “Hello, Nan. Hello, Weiwei.”

“Come on!” Zhang Weiwei smiled. “That costume must be a hassle, right?”

“It’s alright…”

The two women walked off, chatting, while Gallen and Liu Nan sat in the car talking. Liu Nan outlined the style and type of song he wanted, saying he didn’t need lyrics—just a finished melody would do.

They hadn’t talked long when a commotion erupted outside. Gallen leaned out the window. “What’s going on?”

Mai Le opened the driver’s door, glanced outside, then stuck his head back in. “Hey, there’s a fight at the Groove Stage!”

“What?”

Gallen and Liu Nan exchanged glances and got out of the car. They saw audience members climbing over the barricades, surging toward the Groove Stage. The security and staff were powerless to stop them.

Getting closer, they saw many in the crowd throwing bottles and cans at the stage, shouting, “Get off!”

“What the hell! Lip syncing? Get off the stage!”

“Is the organizer out of their mind? Who are these people? Is this even a music festival?”

The shouts went on. Liu Nan quickly grabbed a spectator. “Hey, what happened?”

The young man looked furious, but when he saw Liu Nan, his eyes went wide. “Nan? Is it really you?”

Liu Nan nodded. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s like this! That idiotic group, Sparrow Legend, had the nerve to lip sync at a music festival. Their lip movements didn’t match, and the music was a mess—just some random DJ stuff! It’s like they think this is some nightclub!”

The young man grew angrier as he spoke but then did a one-eighty, grinning sheepishly. “Nan, could I get your autograph?”

Liu Nan, easygoing as ever, took the pen and signed his t-shirt.

On stage, no one remained—not the two singers from Sparrow Legend, nor the band—but the speakers still blared their track.

Liu Nan shook his head. “If you’re going to lip sync, at least pick your moment. TV shows are one thing, but at an outdoor music festival? Their group is finished.”

At that moment, Liu Pengfei, terrified, followed the musicians offstage. Seeing the crowd’s outrage, he hurled the mic down in frustration. “I’m done! I’m done! Damn it, what the hell is this?”

Sparrow Legend’s manager rushed over. “Pengfei, don’t do anything rash! We have a contract—if you don’t perform, we’ll have to pay up!”

“What do you want me to do?” Liu Pengfei angrily grabbed the manager by the collar, nearly lifting him off the ground.

The musicians hurried over to pull them apart.

The manager, undeterred, pleaded, “Just go up and say a few words—at least calm everyone down!”

“I can’t!” Liu Pengfei snorted, muttering, “Damn it, what a mess! We’re not even getting TV money, but they keep pushing for explanations!”

The manager was at his wits’ end, glancing around in desperation. “Where’s Xiao Dan? Where did she go?”

“No idea,” the musicians muttered, shaking their heads.

With a stomp of his foot, the manager dashed up to the stage himself. He quickly spotted Yang Dan cowering behind some equipment, trembling. He hurried over, pulled her up, and shielded her from the flying debris as he escorted her offstage.

But as soon as he appeared, he revealed Sparrow Legend’s position, and the crowd, having broken through the barricades, surged toward them.

Panicked, Liu Pengfei took off running, but hadn’t gone far before a group of audience members surrounded him.

“Damn it! Lip syncing! Beat him!”

No one knows who started it, but with that shout, the crowd surged like a tidal wave, descending on Liu Pengfei with fists and feet.

Had Gallen been there, he would have spotted A-Kai and his crew among those in the throng.