Translator: Larbre Studio
Editor: Larbre Studio
“Dude, did you see the most searched video online right now?”
“No. What’s that?”
“Just take a look at it. You won’t be disappointed.”
“Fine… Isn’t this just some random dude singing? He even snatched a guitar.”
“Just watch it!”
“Woah! Damn! That guy is pretty good! What’s the song he’s singing? I’ve never heard of it.”
“Me neither. But the lyrics really touched me. Whoever wrote it definitely has a story to tell.”
“Will the flower wither before it ever has a chance to bloom. And yet, I used to have my dream… This line just made me teared up… It really reflects the feeling of every man in their 30’s… Who is the original singer?”
“Dude, are you looking for the original singer too?”
“Yes! Do you know who he is?”
“No idea. I’ve never heard of this song before, either.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’ve gone through every search engine and every music platform, nothing!”
“Then… What’s the name of the song?”
“Old Boy. That’s what the singer said.”
“Wait! Why did he stop midway? And who’s that chick? She’s hot!”
“She is!”
“Did that singer just puked all over her? Come on, you don’t do that to such a gorgeous girl!”
“There’s something at the end of the video too.”
“What?”
“There are two dudes by the trash can…”
“What are they doing?”
“I think they’re bowing to Heaven and Earth(1)…”
“What the hell? Two dudes?”
It was only five in the morning, and a video titled “Mysterious Singer in Hengdian” surfaced online and became a top hit in every search engine.
Even though the quality of the video wasn’t the best, it still garnered a lot of attention. From a few hundred views to thousands and even tens of thousands. In just about three hours after the video was posted, it has more than 50 thousand views, which kept on increasing.
It was a five minutes video. When the viewers saw the man in the snatched a guitar, they thought it was going to be a video of two people arguing. What they did not expect was a song that touched the hearts of thousands. Then the scene shifted as a Lamborghini stopped right next to the singer. A gorgeous lady came down from the supercar, she was so pretty that every guy was drolling at their screen. When the lady pulled the singer away, they thought it was the end of the video until they saw two dudes going through a tradition that could only be seen in wedding ceremonies.
…
Fatty Wei lit up a Red Orchid and kneeled in front of the Distant Film’s door.
It was as if a storm has just passed, and all that was left was loneliness and quietness.
Fatty Wei was choked by the smoke that he has just inhaled, but he did not pay it any attention as it could help him forget about something for a while.
Fatty Wei remembered everything that had happened the night before, unlike Lu Yuan.
Even though his head was spinning because of the alcohol, but he still remained his consciousness.
It was a crazy night.
It didn’t take long for a quiet night to become one filled with applauds and cheers.
And a lot has happened in that short amount of time.
So much that they have gained pride but lost their reputation.
It was an ending that no one wanted to be reminded of.
It even seemed as if Fatty Wei’s future was ruined.
Fatty Wei put out his cigarette as the scene where Lu Yuan held a guitar and was being cheered on by a crowd kept coming into his mind.
Fatty Wei’s phone rang.
“Wei Wuji, are there a lot of people outside?”
“No.”
“And the reporters?”
“They’re gone.”
“Okay. I’m coming out then.”
“Okay.”
Li Qing’s voice on the other side of the phone was trembling. Fatty Wei could hear the embarrassment and desperation coming from Li Qing’s voice too.
Fatty Wei closed his eyes.
He recalled the time where he and Li Qing knelt by a trash can and became brothers from different mothers.
“By the Gods and Mother Earth, I, Li Qing, am willing to become brothers not bound by blood with Wei Wuji…”
Fatty Wei could still hear the screams from Lu Yuan next to them when they made the pact.
Of course, he couldn’t forget the cameras and people all around them either.
When Wei Wuji was pulled to kneel down next to Li Qing, he already realized he should’ve run instead.
But it was too late for Wei Wuji.
The video of them making that pact was uploaded onto the internet with more than thousands of shares.
Wei Wuji opened his eyes and closed them again.
“Life is like a sculptor’s graver, cold and ruthless
Has changed our shape
Will the flower wither before it ever has a chance to bloom
But I used to have a dream
….”
The lyrics from the song that Lu Yuan has sung the night before rang in Wei Wuji’s head again.
You fucker! Stop acting cool!
…
Every hangover came with an after effect.
And for Lu Yuan, it was his urge to smoke.
When Wang Jinxue has parked her supercar and walked into Lu Yuan’s company, she couldn’t help but frown.
She could only describe the office with one word.
Foul.
That’s the only word she could think of.
The whole office was covered in smokes as if she’d just arrive at Heaven.
Lu Yuan, Li Qing, and Wei Wuji sat by the table, staring at each other without making any sounds. Their eyes were the eyes of soulless people.
It was as if they have given up on life.
As if they have gone down the wrong paths.
As if they weren’t looking towards the future…
Just like those who have fallen in love.
Li Qing was a person that didn’t love to drink or smoke. He would always show up with his boring black glasses and suit. But that day, Li Qing smoked as many cigarettes as he could.
Much more than Lu Yuan did.
He didn’t stop even when tears began to fall because of the smoke circulating inside the building.
No one could stop him.
No one would do that from the beginning anyway.
Fatty Wei couldn’t help but think that Li Qing was the typical cold on the outside hot on the inside type of person.
Even though Li Qing looked like a geek on the outside, but he was actually a wild person.
Or else there was no way Li Qing would force Fatty Wei to make the pact with him.
Yet, Fatty Wei did not blame Li Qing for what he had done.
Since they were on the same boat now.
All waiting for their judgment day.
For the day of their fall to come.
“Ditch the cigarettes and open the god damn windows!” Wang Jinxue scolded. “None of you are allowed to smoke when I’m present from this moment onwards!”
“Hey, your rich girlfriend is here,” Fatty Wei raised his head and said to Lu Yuan before dropping his head again.
“Don’t bullshit. She’s not my girlfriend, she’s our sponsor,” Lu Yuan scolded with his coarse voice as he stared at Fatty Wei angrily.
His voice was the result of him shouting at the top of his lung when he sang.
“Drop the act… We saw how you react when she came and get you… The way you hug her,” Fatty Wei laughed.
“Fuck off!”
“…” Li Qing did not join Fatty Wei as he was still depressed from what he had done the night before.
As they opened the windows, the smoke finally started to thin out.
Wang Jinxue covered her nose and laid her eyes on Lu Yuan.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Do you have a death wish or something?”
“Nothing… I was just thinking about…”
“About who? How’s my film progressing?”
“Film? Oh, right… Let me introduce them. This is my assistant director, Fatty Wei. He graduated from Yanying University.”
“Seriously! Can you stop calling me fat?”
“How about him?” Wang Jinxue pointed at Li Qing and asked. “Don’t tell me he’s the cameraman?”
“Yup. He even has a team standing by.”
“When will the shooting begin?”
“We’ll have to wait for our award-winning actor to arrive.”
“Lu Yihong will be here by noon. Is he here to smoke with three heavy smokers?” Wang Jinxue asked.
“No, of course not… Don’t put me in the same league as them. I’m not that uneducated,” Lu Yuan shook his head and tidied his shirt.
Both Fatty Wei and Li Qing rolled their eyes at Lu Yuan.
Fatty Wei took out another cigarette and was about to lit it when Wang Jinxue slapped her hand onto the table.
“Are you deaf or what? Stop smoking! Is this how an assistant director should act?”
The impact was so hard that the table shook, and cracks began to form on it.
“Then… How should an assistant director act?”
Fatty Wei asked with his trembling voice, afraid to utter the wrong words.
Fatty Wei could tell that if the slap was on his head instead of the table, he would be on his way to Heaven after that.
(1) It’s a Chinese tradition to bow to Heaven and Earth during the wedding.