Ch108.2 – Performance
The light outside was suddenly turned off; everything was pitch-black.
“Quick quick quick.” The host urged, “It’s starting! Chen Laoshi!”
Chen Yekai took a chair and motioned to the rest of them. Each of them carried a high chair each and got ready in front of the curtain. Yu Hao said, “Where’s my mic? My mic……”
“Use this one.” The conference attendance came and handed him an ear mic. Yu Hao put it on, and the rest of them each held a microphone. Ou Qihang smiled as he said, “This is my first time performing like this……”
Yu Hao encouraged, “Don’t be nervous!”
In the dark, the auditorium gradually quieted down. Yu Hao peeked out of the curtain and looked outside — so many people actually came today, the numbers were even greater than he had imagined!
Within the darkness, the stage lights fell, and the first light was cast upon Chen Yekai, who was sitting on a high chair. The auditorium suddenly erupted into a loud round of cheers.
“The world is so vast, why did we meet?”
Chen Yekai’s deep voice rang out, which was completely overwhelmed by excited screams in an instant.
“Are we siblings? Or relatives?” Zhou Sheng swayed back and forth on the chair sloppily as he sang into his microphone.
Yu Hao laughed backstage.
“Today is February 14, the legendary Valentine’s Day. All boys and girls in the street, are enjoying the festival today.” Fu Liqun held his microphone, looking helpless as he sadly began to rap madly along with the guitar accompaniment.
“Today is February 14, the legendary Valentine’s Day. I intend to go home, read, and eat instant noodles……” Ou Qihang laughed sorrowfully. As soon as the light fell upon him, another round of mad shrieks rang out.
Huang Ting continued, “But some asshole on QQ asked, why are you still alone? I couldn’t help but send him this warm regard……”
“May all the couples in this world be long lost brothers and sisters——”
The auditorium burst out into laughter. Zhou Sheng sang with a mischievous look on his face, “No matter if it’s Motai, 7 Days, Supa, Jin Jiang Inn, Greenhouse, Orange Crystal, I hope all their beds are occupied——”
Amidst the frenzied laughter, the stage was well-lit and bright. All five of them put down their microphones, and a glaring light shone down. Yu Hao stood in the middle of the stage, his eyes sparkled as brightly as the stars as he began singing with deep emotion, “You exi——st——deep in my memories, in my dream, in my heart, in my song——”
“Still remember we used to, walk side by side, through that section of the bustling alley……”
“……like a dream, it was fated……”
The entire auditorium was quiet, and only Yu Hao’s strong voice penetrated through the stillness.
“You exi——st——deep in my memories—— in my dream, in my heart, in my song——”
Yu Hao looked up and saw Zhou Sheng standing in the same place at the back of the auditorium, just like he did last year.
At that moment, it was as if only the two of them remained in this world. Yu Hao watched Zhou Sheng from afar. He smiled, bowed to the crowd, and the curtains were drawn.
The opening song had driven the atmosphere within to its climax. Yu Hao could no longer remember what the host said. He held hands with Zhou Sheng and ran out of the auditorium as they followed behind everyone else. Chen Yekai had parked his new car at the back door of the auditorium — a seven-seater Lincoln.
“You didn’t need to do this ba!” Fu Liqun became frantic, “So you don’t want your old one? Then give it to me!”
“It’s a new car!” Chen Yekai laughed, “I’ll take you guys out for a ride……”
“You will? Can I join?” Li Yangming was waiting beside the car as he asked nervously, “May I ride Chen Laoshi’s car?”
Yu Hao didn’t expect that Fu Liqun would let Li Yangming follow along too, but Fu Liqun said, “Get on ba, let’s all eat barbeque together.” As he spoke, he threw Yu Hao a glance.
Zhou Sheng smiled and said, “Let’s go, we can have fun together.”
“Get on.” Chen Yekai said to Li Yangming, “Squeeze in with the rest.”
Li Yangming was obviously very happy. Fu Liqun introduced, “He’s our roommate.”
Chen Yekai took them to an open-air barbeque shop by the river. Although it was a cold winter, there were several radiating heat lamps on the platform. Everyone ate barbeque as they admired the river scenery. Xiao Yujun came as well for Huang Ting’s farewell dinner.
Yu Hao watched Zhou Sheng barbeque meat for him. Zhou Sheng had chased the chef away and started doing it personally, and he barbequed it better than the chef did. Yu Hao looked at Li Yangming and Fu Liqun, who were chatting not too far away and said, “Is Gege a little lonely? I feel like we haven’t been paying enough attention to him recently.”
Zhou Sheng was wearing an apron as he barbequed seriously. He thought about it for a bit, then said, “He’s the one who doesn’t want to disturb us.”
Yu Hao said, “It doesn’t really matter though.”
Zhou Sheng looked at Yu Hao and smiled. Fu Liqun had just broken up and was in a very bad mood. He hung out with Li Yangming most of the time during the final examination period. Yu Hao knew that Fu Liqun didn’t want to interrupt Zhou Sheng and his dates, and he was also a nice guy who didn’t want to leave their new roommate alone in the dormitory.
“You don’t like that kid?” Zhou Sheng asked casually.
“I’m afraid he’ll end up liking Gege.” Yu Hao said, “It would be too awkward.”
Two lonely people; Yu Hao wasn’t worried about Fu Liqun, but Li Yangming.
“Impossible.” Zhou Sheng didn’t know if he should cry or laugh, “He’s straight, that kid should know.”
Yu Hao took the meat Zhou Sheng barbequed, “But he can’t help it if he really does end up liking him; didn’t I end up liking a straight guy too?”
Zhou Sheng said, “I’m gay, not straight.”
Yu Hao laughed and went to share the barbequed meat with the rest of the party. Chen Yekai held a bottle of beer as he chatted with Zhou Sheng by the railings. Huang Ting patted Yu Hao’s shoulder, signalling for him to follow him since he had something he wanted to say to Yu Hao.
“You’re leaving tomorrow?” Yu Hao said, “Why don’t you accompany Junjun Jie a little longer?”
“I’ll accompany her at night.” Huang Ting was a little amused, “Not to get a room, just for a walk……I wanna ask you a question.”
Yu Hao raised an eyebrow as he looked at Huang Ting. A hint of a smile could be seen in Huang Ting’s eyes as he studied Yu Hao.
“Ou Qihang lost his memory, did you know that?” Huang Ting said.
“Un?” Yu Hao suddenly sensed that something was amiss. He quickly thought it through and answered, “He told me before, we guessed……if he had gotten hit that night? Or the aftereffects of the anesthetics?”
“I don’t think so.” Huang Ting shook his head meaningfully, “I specifically took him to the hospital for a check-up.”
Yu Hao asked, full of doubt, “Then?”
Huang Ting’s eyes were very sharp, as if he could see everything. Yu Hao felt a sense of danger —— he didn’t ask Zhou Sheng and Chen Yekai, or he could have already asked them.
“I think someone erased his memory.” Huang Ting didn’t look at Yu Hao and instead faced the river, looking at the lights beyond. “I’ve always felt like there has been something unusual about this whole affair.”
“What?” Yu Hao was doubtful, “Impossible ba, memories can be erased?”
Huang Ting thought about it for a bit, then looked sideways at Yu Hao, “He could have been hypnotised.”
Yu Hao, “……”
Yu Hao’s heart started jumping wildly and thought, Huang Ting your professionalism really isn’t just for show……he forcefully held himself back from saying, “it’s all over anyway, so there’s no need to think so much about it” and instead asked, “And?”
Huang Ting rubbed his temple, “Yu Hao, Yujun was right, you really are fit to be a reporter.”
Yu Hao, “???”
What does this have to do with whether or not I’m fit to be a reporter?
Huang Ting stretched out his forefinger of the hand he was using to hold a beer can with and tapped Yu Hao, “When Nicky, Zhou Sheng, and I discussed this, they both said “it’s all over so why think so much about it’, you’re the only one who wanted to find out the truth.”
Yu Hao thought, that’s because I was afraid of falling into your trap. But indeed, a lot of people would just let it go when they encounter such a minute detail, but there must be something much more complex and complicated behind such a strange incident. Reporters and police would always pursue a strange detail that doesn’t seem to abide by logic and end up uncovering a lot of earth-shattering secrets as a result.
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