Chapter Thirty-Nine: Rock and Roll Night

  Lin Xiaoyu arrived at KFC at 7 o'clock. Yan Nan's dress made Lin Xiaoyu almost unrecognizable.

  A black tank top paired with a short denim shorts, Yan Nan's white and slender legs were exposed in the air. A pair of brown boots that didn't pass her calf gave Yan Nan a very wild feel, and on her pale wrist, she wore many strange accessories, making Lin Xiaoyu completely unable to associate her with the image of the school uniform-clad Yan Nan from their youth. However, Lin Xiaoyu had to admit that Yan Nan looked really good dressed like this, as if she were an enchanting elf appearing in the night.

  What attracted Lin Xiaoyu the most was the black T-shirt that Yan Nan was wearing, with a blonde foreign man shouting loudly on it. The whole shirt had a sense of wanting to vent. In the blue eyes of the blonde man, there seemed to be an anger and unwillingness that could not be suppressed, but here, a hint of sadness could also be felt.

  Lin Xiaoyu really likes this outfit, feeling a resonance with the blond man in her heart.

  "What's wrong, can't recognize me?" Yan Nan saw Lin Xiaoyu staring at herself in a daze, and a playful smile appeared on her face. She twirled around in place, smiling and saying: "How's this? Does it look good like this?"

  Lin Xiaoyu looked at this beautiful girl, like a fairy, and nodded involuntarily: "En, very good-looking, it's just that I'm not quite used to you dressing like this for the time being."

  "Hehe, I rarely dress like this either. Come on, I'll take you to a place that you'll definitely like." Yan Nan pulled Lin Xiaoyu's arm and walked out of the KFC door.

  "Aren't we going to eat something?" Lin Xiaoyu thought Yan Nan would eat something at KFC, and she hadn't eaten anything at home before running out.

  "Don't eat anymore, you owe me that KFC meal and there will be plenty of chances to treat me. You can't escape." Yan Nan said as he hailed a taxi on the side of the road and pulled Lin Xiaoyu into it.

  "Master, go to 'Beyond Bar'." Yan Nan said to the driver after getting in the car.

  The taxi stopped in front of a brightly lit bar. Lin Xiaoyu looked up at the large sign on the building that read "Superior Bar" in four flashing letters of different colors, feeling a bit uneasy and wondering why Yan Nian had brought her to this kind of place.

  For Lin Xiaoyu, who has always been shuttling between the basketball court, school and home in a simple life, bars are a very unfamiliar place. Lin Xiaoyu had only seen the environment of a bar on TV, which was a dazzling and intoxicating place with red lights and green wine.

  "Let's go in. This is where I wanted to bring you. You haven't been here before, have you?" Yan Nan pulled Lin Xiaoyu into the bar by the hand.

  Lin Xiaoyu saw that there were many young men and women around the bar who were dressed like Yan Nan, some of whom were even more exaggerated than Yan Nan. Their faces were covered with foundation, their eye sockets had a layer of colorful makeup, and they wore large earrings on their ears, some of which had several pairs. However, Lin Xiaoyu did not see anyone in this crowd who was better-looking than Yan Nan.

  Lin Xiaoyu is now wearing a simple sports T-shirt and a very ordinary dark blue jeans. Lin Xiaoyu feels that standing in this place, her normal outfit has become an alternative. No wonder Yan Nan reminded herself not to wear school uniform, Lin Xiaoyu dare not imagine what kind of gaze she would attract if she wore school uniform here.

  Yan Nan and Lin Xiaoyu's arrival attracted many people's attention at the entrance, with more eyes focusing on Yan Nan, this beautiful elf. Yan Nan seemed to be used to these gazes already. She pulled Lin Xiaoyu's hand into the bar.

  The entrance of the bar was hung with a large advertisement, on which a long-haired man holding a guitar shouted in front of a standing microphone. Four red lights lit up behind the long-haired man, and his flying hair seemed to be scattered by his singing voice, revealing the power and emotion contained in the long-haired man's body. When Lin Xiaoyu saw this poster, a certain string in her heart seemed to be touched.

  Four staff members in uniform were standing at the entrance. After checking the two tickets produced by Yan Nan, they let Lin Xiaoyu and Yan Nan go in.

  At the entrance, Lin Xiaoyu had already heard the sound coming from inside the bar. As she walked in slowly, the strong rhythmic music grew louder and louder, with the drumbeats seeming to drive her heartbeat.

  Walking through the passageway lit with green and purple streetlights, Lin Xiaoyu finally saw the source of the sound.

  In a spacious hall, there was a simple stage in one corner. There were no dazzling decorations on the stage, nor any accompanying performances. Behind the stage hung a large backdrop with several blood-red characters "Rock Age" and below it lay a horizontal guitar.

  Three men holding guitars on the stage, fingers flying, strong rhythmic melodies soaring from the stage. Behind the backdrop at the back of the stage is a drum set, and the drummer sitting behind it beats out an indistinguishable rhythm on the drums, bursts of thunder-like sounds mixed with the guitar sounds, weaving together a thrilling melody that sets one's blood boiling.

  Lin Xiaoyu felt a surge of energy in her chest at that moment, as if it was being drawn out bit by bit by the stirring music. She really wanted to run onto the stage and join the sea of people in front of her, shouting and venting together with them in this space without restraint...

  "How is it? Do you like it here?" Yan Nan shouted loudly in Lin Xiaoyu's ear. The hall was already filled with passionate music, and even though Yan Nan spoke loudly in Lin Xiaoyu's ear, the sound that reached her ears was still very small.

  "En. Very good. I like it." Lin Xiaoyu also responded loudly.

  "The show has just begun, it will get even better later. I'll introduce you to some people."

  Yan Nan dragged Lin Xiaoyu's hand and walked towards the back of the stage.

  Lin Xiaoyu followed Yan Nan into the backstage, where many people were fiddling with guitars in their hands, apparently waiting to go on stage. Under Yan Nan's guidance, Lin Xiaoyu met a person he knew, Yan Nan's cousin Li Zhihui. This was the first time Lin Xiaoyu saw this person, who had taught him basketball skills and was extremely skilled, outside of the basketball court. At this moment, he was holding a black guitar in his hand and fiddling with it while sitting on a chair.

  "Hui Gege." Yan Nan walked up to Li Zhihui and greeted him.

  "Haha, Nannan you're here. Oh, Xiaoyu you're also here, it's been a long time since I've seen you." Li Zhihui looked up and saw Yan Nan and Lin Xiaoyu.

  "Hui Ge, hello." Lin Xiaoyu greeted.

  "When are you going on stage?" Yan Nan reached out and strummed two strings of Li Zhihui's guitar.

  "It's almost time, there is one more band before us." Li Zhihui turned his head to ask Lin Xiaoyu, "Xiaoyu, this is your first time coming to a place like this, right? I heard Nannan asking me for two tickets and I knew she would bring you here. How do you think? Do you like it?"

  Lin Xiaoyu nodded, Lin Xiaoyu felt an unprecedented sense of comfort in this place, a kind of comfort that was different from the thrill of playing a game of basketball, it came from the deepest part of her heart, as if even her blood was boiling.

  "I hope you like this kind of music. You haven't listened to this kind of rock music before, have you?" Li Zhihui put the guitar on the table beside him and patted Lin Xiaoyu's shoulder as he spoke.

  "No, is this rock and roll? I really like the feeling, it feels so comfortable." Lin Xiaoyu couldn't help but express her inner feelings.

  "It's great that you have this feeling, I'll recommend some things you might like another day." Li Zhihui seemed to have found a new friend, with an excited look on his face.

  Lin Xiaoyu nodded seriously, his heart yearning to hear this kind of music that could vent emotions.

  "Hui Ge, it's our turn now, are you ready?" A voice shouted from the other end of the backstage.

  "Alright, I know." Li Zhihui turned to Yan Nan and Lin Xiaoyu and said, "It's our turn now. Let me ask Dazhi to find you a good spot to listen. After it ends, we'll go have some midnight snacks together. Don't take Xiaoyu for a stroll first, okay?"

  Li Zhihui picked up his guitar and slung the strap over his shoulder.

  Lin Xiaoyu and Yan Nan followed Li Zhihui to the front of the stage, where they were led by a tall man who had found them good seats. In front of Lin Xiaoyu was the deafening sound of guitars and drums, while behind him was the thunderous roar of countless spectators. But this did not make Lin Xiaoyu feel any discomfort, on the contrary, this immersive feeling made his blood boil even more fiercely. Yan Nan beside him also had an excited look on her face.

  No curtains, no introduction. Li Zhihui walked onto the center of the stage with his bandmates. Standing on the right side of the stage, holding his guitar, he looked incredibly handsome to Lin Xiaoyu.

  The man standing in front of the microphone had long hair, and Lin Xiaoyu saw that many people performing on stage also had long hair. However, Lin Xiaoyu had a different feeling towards this long-haired man. Because he exuded an aura that made people feel very talented. As for why Lin Xiaoyu had such a feeling, even she herself was not clear, it was just an intuition.

  The long-haired man grasped the microphone with one hand and casually brushed aside his hair that covered his eyes with the other, this action was extremely natural. Lin Xiaoyu had seen many people do this before, but none of them were as suave or natural as this man.

  "Welcome everyone to this rock night, this is your rock age. Release your youth and passion!" After the long-haired man finished speaking, a rapid guitar sound burst out from behind him, and as soon as the guitar sound fell, it was followed by an even more rapid and violent drumbeat. Suddenly, the atmosphere on the scene seemed to have been ignited.

  Among those swift guitar sounds, crazy drumbeats, and the audience's thunderous cheers, that long-haired man used his extremely majestic and powerful yet slightly hoarse voice to merge these sounds into a song that was incredibly thrilling.

  In the midst of a sea of people

  With you and me

  Meet each other and mutually polish

  In the midst of a sea of people

  It's you and me

  Pretending to be decent with a smile on his face

  No need to say more than necessary

  Know oneself clearly

  What exactly do you and I want to do?

  No need to worry about many things

  No need to be sad

  One day you will understand me

  In the midst of a sea of people

  See you again

  Equally enchanting and beautiful

  Gradually indulging

  Slowly abandoned

  Still doesn't care

  No longer believe

  What principle do you believe in?

  People have become so indifferent

  No longer nostalgic

  Recalling something from the past

  I am no longer who I used to be

  Have ever felt lonely

  Also been neglected by people

  But somehow I have a feeling

  I am too ashamed to show my face

  Lin Xiaoyu no longer knew where she was or what her identity was, all happiness and pain were melted and diluted in the rapid and stirring music. Lin Xiaoyu only knew that she was using all her strength to completely release the suppressed emotions in her chest, venting them out... Lin Xiaoyu, like the countless audience below, used all her might to scream and roar in the turbulent music that shook her chest...

  PS: The feeling of rock is hard to describe, it's a kind of music, but also a spirit. I remember the first time I heard Zhang Chu's "Sister", tears involuntarily flowed out from my eyes, I haven't cried many times since childhood, this is the power of rock, it can always penetrate your body, reach the deepest part of your body, pierce the softest place in your heart... Hope friends who like rock can resonate with me, and hope those who have not been exposed to it don't miss out...