Why did you make me reincarnate?

Chen Chu roared out the lyrics of Blue Lotus, the drumbeats steadily advancing, pounding on everyone's chest.

The audience held their breath until the chorus began, at which point they erupted in deafening cheers, as if the entire bar had been set ablaze.

The students from Yulan High School looked as if they had seen a ghost, especially Yu Li, who stared wide-eyed at the two figures on the stage.

"Can you guys help me check if those are Chen Chu and Liu Jianghe?"

Zhang Qing squinted, but couldn't believe it, so she rubbed her eyes and checked again.

That signature buzz cut and muscular physique are definitely Liu Jianghe.

Zhang Qing turned to look at the boy playing the guitar on her left, her voice trembling with surprise, "That guitarist, isn't that Chen Chu from our class?"

Jiang Banxia then realized that the Chuhe Band were their classmates from Yulan, and that she had once mocked them for not doing their proper job.

Looking back now, it's really ridiculous.

She recalled Liu Jianghe's hesitant manner that afternoon, asking her if she knew who Chenxi's boss was. It turned out that this was what he wanted to say at the time.

Everything is connected: Chuhe Band, Chenxi Bar... isn't that Xu Chaoyang and his group?

The sound I heard on the tape...

On the side of the stage, a woman wearing sunglasses sat in a booth, occasionally clapping and cheering softly along with the others.

Her name is Qin Shuang, and she is a talent scout for Huanyu Records.

Qin Shuang has been in Wenzhou for a whole week, all for this performance by the Chuhe Band.

This band is so mysterious; they turned down all invitations and commercial performances, and apart from that cassette tape, there is no public information about them.

Everyone in the company was guessing who had signed them first, but in the end, they found out that the band had actually self-published.

They funded the production themselves, without any promotion, and managed to sell this many songs solely based on their quality.

Qin Shuang realized then that this was a gem in the rough, and tonight's performance further confirmed her judgment.

Although these two young men are still a bit green, their understanding of music far surpasses that of their peers, so they must be signed!

However, Qin Shuang was slightly puzzled. Why were there only two people on the stage?

Moreover, Chen Chu's voice is completely different from the cassette tape version. According to the information she has, there should be three main members of Chuhe.

Why didn't that shadow singer show up?

When are you going on stage?

Shen Ju sipped through her straw and asked the boy next to her.

"I have no intention of playing."

Xu Chaoyang shook his head. His status as an artist was just a cameo, and he would definitely not enter the entertainment industry in his lifetime. If Chen Chu and the others wanted to sign with a record company later, he would see if he could offer some assistance.

Shen Ju persisted, lightly tapping his arm with her finger, "You promised me you'd sing today."

Xu Chaoyang glanced at her; the girl's eyes were exceptionally bright under the stage lights, filled with anticipation.

He sighed. "Oh well, whatever."

As the song ended on stage, Chen Chu's guitar playing gradually faded away, and the audience erupted in applause.

He held the microphone, took a breath, and his voice was no longer tense.

"Thank you everyone. The next song is called The Ordinary Road."

Qin Shuang sat up straight instantly. As the title track on side A of the cassette tape, "The Ordinary Road" was one she had listened to countless times and had been looking forward to a live performance.

Then, something unexpected happened: Xu Chaoyang took off his coat and walked onto the stage wearing a simple white shirt.

Chen Chu tacitly stepped aside and moved to the other side, clearly indicating that this had been rehearsed beforehand.

"Hmph, you're playing me again."

Shen Ju pouted as she watched this scene, but the light in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.

Xu Chaoyang's voice wasn't particularly loud, but the vicissitudes beyond his years were like an invisible hand, gripping the heartstrings of every listener.

Qin Shuang's sunglasses almost slipped off as she stared intently at the young man on stage. Wasn't he the bar owner?

They just chased away the troublemakers, and now it's Chuhe's lead singer again?

This is so interesting! I haven't seen such an interesting newcomer in a long time.

The three teenagers under the spotlight were even younger than I had imagined. Maybe they really are the next Hua'er Band?

No, be bold, Green Day!

When Jiang Banxia saw Xu Chaoyang, the last bit of doubt in her heart disappeared. She stared intently at the boy in the white shirt on the stage, as if she wanted to engrave his figure into her mind.

Sure enough.

She remembered the cassette tape at home, which she had listened to countless times at night. She liked the lyrics of "The Ordinary Road" and the lead singer's voice, but she had never thought of Xu Chaoyang as a potential candidate.

Yu Li and Zhang Qing were also stunned. They looked at each other, speechless for a long time.

Is Xu Chaoyang the lead singer of the band?

Zhang Qing's voice trembled: "My brother was saying yesterday that Chuhe Band's cassette tapes are now almost 50 yuan a tape, and you can't even buy them..."

The cassette tapes have indeed been discontinued. At Xu Chaoyang's instruction, the factory stopped production, making this batch of tapes a collector's item.

Jiang Banxia didn't hear any of this. Her gaze slowly shifted to the best spot below the stage, landing on the girl holding a glass of orange soda.

Shen Ju was looking at the stage, and the light poured down as if it were only to illuminate her.

So she knew all along?

She knew that Chenxi Bar was owned by Xu Chaoyang, and she also knew that Xu Chaoyang was the lead singer of the Chuhe Band...

But she was excluded, and Jiang Banxia suddenly felt her eyes sting.

Xu Chaoyang clearly liked her first, but she ruined everything.

Actually, Jiang Banxia wasn't the only one kept in the dark. Zhou Jingran, holding a wine glass, leaned back on the sofa and couldn't help but laugh out loud after watching the entire performance.

"Xu Chaoyang, you've been hiding your true colors really well."

He recalled the first time he met Xu Chaoyang in an internet cafe, never expecting the other person to be so talented.

Not only that, Zhou Jingran glanced at Shen Ju secretly, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

He knew that it was Shen Zhiyi's daughter, who was holding the drink Xu Chaoyang had made for her, smiling like a little fool.

Zhou Jingran suddenly felt a sense of relief, "Damn it, luckily I'm a rich second-generation."

Zhou Jingran didn't think he had any chance of competing with a prodigy like Xu Chaoyang in the business world, so he figured it was better to just admit defeat.

Only when the last note faded into the air did the bar erupt in a tsunami-like roar.

"Chuhe! Chuhe! Chuhe!"

Under the gaze of hundreds of people, Xu Chaoyang bowed slightly, first thanking everyone for coming to support him, and then saying not to rush off, as there would be more activities later.

He jumped off the stage, and Zhou Jingran swaggered over first, a half-smile on his face.

"Chaoyang, you're really not being fair."

"What's wrong?"

"If you had told me you were the lead singer of the Chuhe Band, I would have liked to ask you for your autographs."

Xu Chaoyang politely declined several fans who came up to him, but didn't forget to shift the blame, saying, "I only made a cameo appearance; the main creators are the other two guys."

Zhou Jingran remained noncommittal, then turned to Shen Ju, "Shen Ju, long time no see."

Shen Ju raised her head and looked at Zhou Jingran carefully, as if trying to make out his identity, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion.

Zhou Jingran waited for a moment and realized that the girl really didn't recognize him, so the smile on his face froze.

He tried to save face, saying, "We met at the party your father hosted at the beginning of the year."

Shen Ju's eyelashes fluttered, and she gave a look of sudden realization, but she didn't really understand at all. "Oh, hello there."

Zhou Jingran coughed, awkwardly touched his nose, and decided not to make a fool of himself.