Once, a star mentioned in a television interview that his journey to stardom was fraught with difficulties, filled with countless hardships and setbacks.
He had stumbled his way to the present, contemplating giving up several times to live a mundane life.
But when he stood on stage and heard thousands of people calling his name, all the struggles and pains vanished, and he felt that all his efforts had been rewarded, reaffirming his original intentions.
At this moment, Lu Chen deeply understood this senior.
Although there weren't many guests at Daylily Bar at that moment, only about 100 to 200, they were not ordinary people. There were peers from the show business community, vagabond singers from Houhai, and bar owners.
When everyone was calling his name, eagerly anticipating his performance, it felt truly wonderful.
It was as if he were the master of the entire world!
Unable to refuse the warm invitation, Lu Chen stepped onto the stage, standing under the bright spotlight.
The bar quickly fell silent.
Lu Chen smiled a little shyly and said into the microphone, "Today is an important day for Brother Jianhao as he bids farewell to singlehood, so I will gift him a song."
The applause that had just settled erupted again.
All eyes were focused on Lu Chen, filled with anticipation, curiosity, and excitement.
Lu Chen borrowed a guitar from Qin Hanyang.
He smiled and said, "Everyone here is a friend, so the name of this song is..."
"Friends!"
In the next moment, Lu Chen gently strummed the guitar strings, playing the prelude.
His gaze looked forward, and his dark eyes sparkled with light.
Then, his slightly deep voice gently entered everyone's ears.
"Over the years, alone, through wind and rain, there have been tears, there have been mistakes, but do you still remember what to hold on to?"
"Only by truly loving can one understand, feeling lonely, looking back, there will always be dreams, and always you, in the heart!"
"Friends walk together for a lifetime, those days will never return, a word for a lifetime, a lifetime of love, a cup of wine."
"Friends have never been alone, with a call of 'friend' you will understand, there are still wounds and pains, still moving forward, and there is still me!"
"…"
At some point, perhaps when Lu Chen played the first note, the originally noisy, lively, and joyful Daylily Bar became quiet, very quiet.
Behind the bar, bartender David put down the cocktail shaker he had been shaking for a long time.
Among the crowd, the bunny girls stopped wandering around.
On the upper level of the bar, several invited VIPs leaned over the railing, wanting to hear more clearly.
More people crowded around the stage, gazing at Lu Chen, and listening to the song, their expressions serious and contemplative.
There was also a faint sense of emotion.
"Friends," what a precious word!
The lyrics of this song are simple, and the melody is not complex; Lu Chen's performance does not contain any showy techniques.
He played and sang as if narrating a poignant story.
It resonated with everyone present, especially the musicians!
Many of them lived a life of constant wandering, as their work often required them to travel back and forth to different places. Sometimes, their luggage barely had time to be unpacked before they had to report to the next destination, living a drifting life.
On the road of music, every departure was uncertain, and the only things they could rely on amidst the collisions and searches were themselves and their friends!
They had no way to anchor themselves with a sense of stability, and the only source of comfort, aside from family and relatives, was friends!
Living in Beijing is not easy, and friends are hard to come by!
"A word for a lifetime, a lifetime of love, a cup of wine"— these four short lines express the preciousness of friendship in a wandering life. Tonight, they gather for a rare drink, and tomorrow they will part ways again. Although it's just a word between them, it represents a lifelong vow.
But how many such friends can one have in a lifetime?
Friendship is a kind of encounter.
In this vast world, amidst the bustling crowd, it is truly fate that friends can meet each other, walk together, get to know one another, understand each other, and draw closer.
In the ebb and flow of life, in the different trajectories of their lives, amidst the varied experiences of their hearts, being able to meet, gather, and reunite is a kind of luck. Fate is not always present and should be cherished immensely!
Just like what Lu Chen sang in his song.
"Friends have never been alone, with a call of 'friend' you will understand, that there are still wounds and pains, still moving forward, and there is still me!"
"Friends walk together for a lifetime, those days will never return, a word for a lifetime, a lifetime of love, a cup of wine!"
Chen Jianhao stood among the crowd, his eyes feeling a bit misty.
Men do not easily shed tears, but only when they are truly heartbroken.
He was not sad.
Because tomorrow was his wedding day, and after experiencing the ups and downs, he suddenly realized that there was someone truly worth cherishing silently waiting by his side, and he had not missed out.
It was just the memories of the past that were evoked by Lu Chen's song.
Chen Jianhao thought of those friends who had accompanied him along the way; some had lost their way and lost contact during the journey, some had drifted apart and ceased communication, and even some had become estranged and turned into enemies.
But a few friends had persisted, becoming true close friends.
True friends are not those who meet every day or drink together daily, but those who, even if they haven't seen each other or spoken on the phone for years, will rush to help when they know the other needs it, no matter how far apart they are!
He was incredibly lucky to have a few such friends!
As he reminisced, Chen Jianhao became lost in thought.
Until the surrounding applause jolted him back to reality.
On stage, Lu Chen returned the guitar to Qin Hanyang and leaned down to ask a bunny girl for a beer.
Standing up straight again, Lu Chen raised his glass high and said, "This cup is for our friends!"
"Cheers to friends!" Everyone raised their glasses in response to his call.
Lu Chen tilted his head back and drank the contents of his glass in one go.
He felt a bit tipsy.
But tonight's bachelor party had only just begun, with more performances to come.
Perhaps moved by Lu Chen's song or simply wanting to get to know him, guests came one after another to toast him as he stepped off the stage.
Lu Chen drank cup after cup, and by the end, he had lost count of how much he had consumed.
He even found it strange— when did his alcohol tolerance improve? He could drink so much without getting drunk!
Unfortunately, it was just an illusion.
By the end, Lu Chen's consciousness became hazy, and in a daze, he was helped to the backroom.
Lying on the bed, waves of drunkenness washed over him, but countless memories floated in his mind.
All of them were memories from the dreamlike world he came from.
Xu Bo, Mo Ran, Fang Mingyi.
Segments of life flashed before his eyes, so illusory yet so real!
Faintly, he heard someone softly singing in his ear.
"This time, swaying and swaying, this time, turning and turning!"
"This time, swaying and swaying, this time, turning and turning!"
...
"Big Chen, Big Chen!" Lu Chen was jolted awake by someone shaking him vigorously.
The shaking made his head spin.
Struggling to open his eyes, Lu Chen saw a familiar face— Brother Little Fei.
He was still a bit dazed: "Brother Fei, what are you doing here?"
Li Feiyu didn't know what to say: "Big Chen, today is Boss Chen's wedding day; you are the best man!"
Lu Chen suddenly snapped to attention, instinctively flipping over to sit up: "Oh no!"
Today was October 1st, National Day, and it was also the joyous wedding day of Chen Jianhao and Zhang Nana.
Lu Chen had been assigned the task of being the best man— picking up the bride!
He had drunk too much at last night's bachelor party and completely forgotten!
Li Feiyu quickly said, "It's not too late; the convoy is waiting outside on the road. You go wash up first, and I'll drive you there."
Lu Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to get ready.
The back room of Daylily Bar had bathroom facilities, so Lu Chen took a quick shower, washing away the smell of alcohol and fully waking himself up.
Li Feiyu had brought his suit, and after changing, they headed out.
They followed the convoy directly to the hotel.
Zhang Nana was not a local of the Capital City and had previously rented a place, so she booked a room at the hotel as her family home. Her parents had come from their hometown.
Interestingly, when they arrived at the hotel to pick up the bride, Lu Chen discovered that one of the bridesmaids was actually Su Qingmei.
Miss Su Qingmei, the director of Qingyu Media, seized the opportunity and made things difficult for the best men.
Three challenges, red envelopes, riddles.
Fortunately, the bride, Sister Na, was very understanding, lifting and gently placing the challenges, allowing Lu Chen and the others to fulfill their mission.
The formal wedding ceremony was held at the famous five-star Lijing Great Restaurant in the Capital City.
For the first time in his life, Chen Jianhao did not skimp on this bride who had loved him for many years; the entire wedding was very grand, with as many as four to five hundred guests invited, and the bridesmaids were overwhelmed with red envelopes.
Many friends from outside the show business community also attended.
The ceremony was quite touching; Sister Na even cried.
It was truly not easy for the two to be together. Chen Jianhao had originally not planned to get married, and Sister Na was not his ideal partner, but her genuine feelings moved him, ultimately leading to this beautiful union.
In the show business community, it was considered a good story.
Although Sister Na's appearance was quite ordinary, she had now become a well-known and capable female vagabond singer through her collaboration with Wandering Band, and in terms of status, she was more than a match for Chen Jianhao.
After attending Chen Jianhao and Zhang Nana's wedding, Lu Chen could not enjoy the long National Day holiday.
The next day, he headed to Jinling with Li Feiyu to shoot his first personal advertisement!
(End of this chapter)
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