I am a Big Player
Chapter 155 - 154. The Girl in the Painting (Part Five) _1

Chapter 155: 154. The Girl in the Painting (Part Five) _1

Ren He watched as all the audience eagerly looked forward to the performance on the stage, unable to see themselves hidden in the darkness, yet he could clearly see them.

Such moments truly inspired passion, no wonder so many stars were addicted to the stage, to the adoration of their fans.

If one day the fans were gone, they would become so depressed they couldn’t sleep.

There were moments when Ren He pondered whether he should indulge in the thrill of stardom; the feeling seemed truly exhilarating. To be cheered, to be anticipated.

However, Ren He smiled to himself and dismissed the thought: that was not the life he wanted.

In fact, every one of us will encounter temptations, opportunities, choices on the road of life, but someone once seriously told Ren He that the most important thing in life is not to seize opportunities, but rather, to give them up.

We always come across crossroads as we advance, where there are flowers and beautiful scenes, and people always think the grass is greener on the other side, often forgetting their original intentions.

You originally wanted to be a scientist, but at the age of 25, you realize that being a businessman might be more lucrative than being a scientist, yet, without the talent for commerce, you face setbacks and fail to become a scientist as well.

You went into business simply because you envied them, forgetting your own path out of envy and ultimately achieving nothing.

Ren He smiled, his slender yet strong fingers strumming the guitar, and inexplicably, the sound of the guitar gave everyone present a sense of relief, feeling as if they had somehow shed a burden and their goals became clearer and more determined.

Unbeknownst to himself, this was truly master-level guitar playing: able to transmit emotion!

Tonight’s first song, "I Eat Fried Chicken at People’s Square"!

Although this song was about a breakup, the melody was inexplicably upbeat, as if a young girl in her prime, being stood up or dumped, wasn’t taking the heartbreak too seriously, for life to her meant simply starting a new Chapter.

In an entertainment industry where all singers were still wallowing in the lament of love, this fresh melody and lyrics were like a breath of early spring air!

So refreshing!

Many people would think: Indeed, this is different from those gaudy tramps!

The more you listen, the more interesting it gets, truly more interesting the more you listen!

When the first song ended, Ren He didn’t even seem to rest for a moment, immediately transitioning into the second song, Sun Yanzi’s "My Love"!

The sensation was like taking all those present on a roller coaster ride in their ears; one moment they were high-spirited, and the next second they were truly sad, even the emotions transmitted by the guitar became somewhat blurred, but only a select few real music connoisseurs sensitively detected that these emotions seemed to hide a trace of resolute.

Why? Why did this emotion exist?!

As Ren He played the guitar, he pondered a question: if he and Yang Xi weren’t on this stage now, but instead she had decided to go abroad to study, for the sake of her dream.

Even if he knew sending her abroad could lead to their breakup, would he still personally see her off?

It was the same as considering whether or not he should personally send Yang Xi, the star, to the stage in the sky.

He could foresee that after so much painstaking effort, Yang Xi would become a real superstar immediately upon being revealed, surpassing many thresholds that other stars might never cross in their entire lives.

Then she would answer calls, attend various events, and have countless sponsors knocking on her door.

Their time together would be greatly reduced, even to nothing.

That was the distance, like an abyss.

But after a long consideration, Ren He’s final answer was that he would do it, he would still personally give up all his efforts.

Because he wouldn’t let their relationship be eroded by distance!

Indeed, if he were given a second life with such an advantage and couldn’t stand by her side to witness the cycles of life, that too would be a failure.

In his heart, Ren He suddenly felt a surge of grand aspirations, thinking of the moment Yang Xi would become a star and begin to drift away from him, he felt a moment of cowardice, but it was only a moment!

That was the muddled, inferior version of him in a past life, where celebrities seemed unattainably distant.

But in this moment, Ren He took a knife and severed his past life from his present one completely, no longer muddled, no longer cowardly, without any hesitation.

He would be the owner of the future Qinghe Fund, the founder of Qinghe Games, and the ultimate King of Extreme!

Yang Xi sensed the change in Ren He’s emotions and looked at him with questioning eyes, as if asking with concern what was wrong.

But Ren He didn’t respond. He nodded in the darkness of the stage toward Xie Zexi, who was in the distance. This was the gift he had decided to give Yang Xi before he had left Luo City.

No one could have imagined the groundwork Ren He had laid for this moment, nor could Yang Xi have guessed that a trivial matter from a few days ago would brew and ferment until today, when Ren He would finally ignite it!

With a snap, all the lights in the bar went out, leaving only boundless darkness!

The audience was perplexed. Was there a power outage?

But no, the lights outside were still bright. Without panic, everyone was simply wondering what was going on.

Sitting on the dark stage, Yang Xi felt a bit nervous. Suddenly, Ren He thrust a guitar into her arms, whispering, "This is my gift to you. Promise me you’ll sing the last song, and then wait for me above the nine heavens."

After saying this, Ren He turned and left the stage, casually taking off the cap from Yang Xi’s head and letting her hair fall down.

Yang Xi listened to his footsteps fading away until he left the stage and walked out of the bar. Due to the darkness, no one even knew he had departed.

Yang Xi wanted to chase after him. At that moment, the lights on the stage suddenly lit up!

And it was only the stage lights that came on!

Standing there stupefied, Yang Xi, now without her cap and up on the high stage, was gazed upon by everyone under the light, as beautiful and untouchable as the world’s most exquisite piece of porcelain.

Suddenly someone shouted, "OMG, isn’t that the girl from that painting?!"

"It really is!"

"That sketch called ’Dream Chaser’! Everyone’s been guessing who the girl in the painting was, and now she appears right in front of us!"

"The stage, the lights, the guitar, perfectly recreated! Honestly, even though the girl in the painting doesn’t have detailed features, I’m certain she’s definitely the girl from that painting!"

"My gosh, this is miraculous, the two girls I’ve been searching for turned out to be the same person!"

Yang Xi revealing her real face was surprise enough, but when everyone realized this girl was also connected to something else, the excitement felt like it could ignite!

The painting itself was miraculous for evoking different people’s memories; everyone who saw it felt something unique, but common was their fondness for the girl in the painting, as though she had truly appeared in some part of their own lives.

So, when they discovered Yang Xi was that girl, their emotions churned once more, and some became die-hard fans of Yang Xi from that moment on!

This was the gift Ren He had given to Yang Xi. From the moment he picked up his brush, he had planned for this moment, a power granted to him by his master-level painting skills!

A power enough to create miracles!

All of this had been arranged with Xie Zexi.

And there on stage, Yang Xi finally understood what he meant by ’gift.’

She also understood why he asked her to wait above the nine heavens: because he intended to personally lift her there. With these lights, she was destined to become a star, which might widen the distance between them.

She suddenly recalled the love letter Ren He wrote her: "You dance in your pride and beauty on the stage, while I silently dwell in the quiet darkness beyond your spotlight."

But Yang Xi smiled onstage. This wasn’t fun at all. Holding the guitar, she bowed to the audience and said, "I’m sorry, but I have something more important to do, so we’ll sing the last song some other time, thank you!"

With that, she dashed toward the exit like a little bird, leaving everyone stunned and nobody attempting to stop her!

As Yang Xi burst through the bar’s doors, she felt as if she had just done something amazing, like she had stood up an entire crowd!

But she did indeed have something more important to do; she had to tell that person right now that her so-called star had already been plucked by him.

Otherwise, why would her album be titled "You Who Plucks Stars"?

...

Well, the rich fans seem intent on working me to death, so here’s an extra update as a reward.

This time I won’t break it off so abruptly. I’ve written an additional 600 words to complete the plot for you.

Another 400 votes to get on the list. Where are the monthly tickets?