Chapter Thirty-Five: Igniting the Entire Arena

“Oh, there’s more to the story?”
“Wow, really? Keep going!”
“Yes, I want to hear more…”
“I want more…”
The audience cheered and shouted.

Su Tong chuckled and continued, “The daughter started thinking, maybe she should rent an old man from a local theater troupe. But before she could act, her mother complained that the hospital food was terrible and demanded her daughter bring her a cream puff every day. So her daughter came clean with her: she could only do one of two things—bring cream puffs or find her mother’s first love. Her mother chose the cream puffs.”

Laughter erupted.

“That’s hilarious…”

“Oh my god, what a twist!”

The laughter eventually faded into silence.

Gao Litong and Li Wen were dumbfounded.

Suddenly, Su Tong burst out laughing. “Material things are the foundation of everything. Only with a solid material base can you enjoy an endless spiritual life in peace.”

He paused, then, with a hint of theatricality, declared, “Facing the sea, with spring flowers blossoming—Golden Splendor Garden, you deserve to own it!”

The audience fell silent for a moment, then the place exploded with excitement.

Damn, what a powerful advertisement.

Those who already lived there suddenly felt even more elite; those who hadn’t bought a home yet felt an impulse to do so.

In this world, there was no famous poem called “Facing the Sea, with Spring Blossoms,” nor was there any iconic slogan like “Because you’re worth it” from Paris L’Oréal.

“Just sing your song, why put on such a show?” Gao Litong thought to herself. Su Tong seemed like a superstar, which made her uneasy—she wanted to keep him all to herself.

She didn’t care whether her father’s house sold or not.

Wang Teng, the event’s organizer and manager, sat below the stage; when he heard Su Tong’s ad, his eyes lit up.

Su Tong was someone Gao Litong had insisted on bringing. Who would have thought her classmate had such skill?

Just seeing his composure and calmness on stage was rare enough.

More importantly, damn it, all the previous slogans were nothing compared to Su Tong’s.

Even the so-called “First Voice of Houhai” was awed by Su Tong. Where did such a master come from?

Who said he couldn’t work a crowd? Dong Ge’s power lay in igniting the audience’s passion until the whole place burned with excitement.

Su Tong, however, could make people’s emotions rise and fall at his whim—he could make them laugh or cry as he pleased.

If it was about setting the whole venue on fire, this handsome young man was no slouch.

Just look at the scene.

After Su Tong delivered the slogan, he gestured for the music to start.

Instantly, if not tens of thousands, then at least a thousand people cheered and jumped.

“Heeeey~~~”

“Woooo~~~”

The accompaniment for “I Believe” began, and Su Tong’s powerful, resounding voice followed.

“Damn, is this lip-syncing?”

“Wow, that voice—if I’m the First Voice of Houhai, then he’s the First Voice of Great Qin. He’s every bit as good as the original singer.”

“Is he lip-syncing? Doesn’t look like it…”

Before he even began singing, Su Tong’s shout stunned everyone.

“I want to soar into the sky, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun, the world waiting for me to change…”

Su Tong pointed to the heavens, brimming with confidence and passion, rallying the crowd.

Even the bar singers couldn’t help but stand up.

Damn, this was electrifying—so different from a recording studio; live was something else entirely.

Su Tong’s own blood was pounding—he felt as if he were at his own concert, with fans filling the hall.

After singing a verse, during the instrumental break, he couldn’t resist shouting, “Hello, everyone! That’s right, you didn’t hear wrong—I’m the original singer. I am Nian Nujiao, the original voice behind ‘I Believe.’”

“The original singer?”

“Nian Nujiao?”

Everyone was stunned.

No one had expected this.

Fans of the song had looked up the original singer, seen the blurry screenshots from Su Tong’s livestream, but no one had recognized the man on stage as Nian Nujiao.

The online information about Nian Nujiao was pieced together by fans, the images were unclear.

The entire audience was frozen.

So were the bar singers.

Gao Litong and Li Wen, even more so.

The original singer of “I Believe,” Nian Nujiao, was Su Tong?

“I Believe” had already spread across the country, beloved everywhere.

Unfortunately, with the internet so pervasive, hardly anyone bought music anymore, unless they were diehard fans.

Su Tong had no established fanbase; if he didn’t end up bankrupt, it would be a miracle.

Just look at the royalties for the six songs he’d uploaded to the Great Qin Music Library—after all this time, only about four thousand in total, and downloads were dropping as piracy ran rampant.

It was a glorious era, but also a tragic one; greatness came at a cost.

But none of this mattered to outsiders. All they saw was the dazzling surface.

The audience only knew that “I Believe” was a hit.

Naturally, having Nian Nujiao, the original singer, appear in person sent the crowd’s excitement soaring.

“I believe I am myself
I believe in tomorrow
I believe in youth with no horizon
On the seashore at sunset
On the bustling street
These are the most beautiful paradises in my heart
…”

Su Tong’s performance rallied the crowd. The whole city seemed to pour in, and everyone who knew this anthem joined in, as if it were a concert.

Su Tong’s blood felt as if it were on fire, his passion limitless.

The atmosphere was overwhelming; many people, swept up in emotion, were moved to tears.

Even Gao Litong and Li Wen couldn’t help but wave their arms and shout, forgetting all about being proper ladies; swept up in the scene, they became just as wild as the rest, screams filling the air.

“I believe in freedom
I believe in hope
I believe that if I reach out I can touch the sky
With you by my side
Life is even fresher
Every moment is dazzling and bright
…”

His soaring, passionate voice filled the venue, and over a thousand people sang along, igniting the entire hall.

Even Yang Feifei, hidden in the corner, couldn’t help but join in with the rhythm. That was the power of the masses; individual strength was nothing before the crowd.

Yang Feifei loved this inspiring song too; she forgot entirely that she and Su Tong were “enemies” and sang along with everyone else.

Some in the audience were so excited they wanted to rush the barricades and climb onto the stage. Fortunately, the organizers had quietly arranged for extra security, thanks to Yang Feifei’s presence. As things heated up, dozens of guards surrounded the stage.

Events like this happened all over the country, every minute of every day, and some didn’t have any security at all.

But here, more than twenty guards were deployed, with more in reserve.

“Could this mysterious superstar really be Su Tong?” Li Wen was shocked and thrilled at the same time—the man she liked was truly extraordinary.

She didn’t know Yang Feifei would be here tonight; who would’ve guessed a diva would attend such a small event?

Even Gao Litong had only found out today and hadn’t told Li Wen.

For a full five minutes, the whole venue burned with excitement. At last, the song ended.

Su Tong panted—damn, hosting a concert wasn’t easy! That was just one song; if he sang a dozen, he’d be exhausted.

“Haha, did you all have a good time?” Su Tong asked into the microphone.

“Yes!”

“That was amazing!”

“Nian Nujiao, I love you!”

The crowd’s enthusiasm was still burning.

“Do you want another round?” Su Tong shouted.

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

…

“Haha, next up, you’ll enjoy it even more.” Su Tong grinned, glancing toward a corner of the stage.