I'm Really a Superstar

In the neighborhood.

It echoed with the melodious notes of a piano.

The piano is one of the very few instruments that do not require a power source or connection to any audio equipment to be heard inside a large enclosed space or concert hall. Of course, it would have to be a grand piano meant for such venues to achieve that. On this note, both the cello and the violin cannot achieve the same sound amplification of a mechanical percussive transmission 1 . Although the piano that Zhang Ye bought was an upright piano, its sound amplification was still quite outstanding. However, once in an open space, the sound of the piano would diffuse a little.

Several neighbors in the vicinity of Old Wu's villa could vaguely hear a man singing. Although the singing could not be heard further out in the neighborhood, the faint sound of a piano playing still managed to float out to their ears.

The security guards at the neighborhood's entrance turned around in shock!

The residents of the neighborhood stopped in their tracks!

A lot of people were attracted to the sound of the piano and got enchanted by it!

He finished singing.

The sound of the piano gradually drifted away.

Everyone was looking around for the source of the music.

"Where did it come from?"

"Which house did the playing come from?"

"Was it a sound system?"

"No, it must've been played on an actual piano!"

"Who could be so talented?"

"Does our neighborhood have someone so talented?"

...

At Old Wu's residence.

In the upstairs study.

After he played the final note, Zhang Ye took his hands off the keys and put the fallboard down. Then he smiled at Wu Zeqing.

Wu Zeqing looked at him. "What's the title of this song?"

Zhang Ye said, "'You Were Always There.'"

Wu Zeqing smiled and said, "Is it for me?"

"Yes. What do you think of it?" Zhang Ye wasn't sure if Old Wu liked it.

Wu Zeqing smiled and asked, "I like it very much. When did you learn how to play the piano? When were you able to sing that well? Hmm?"

Zhang Ye gave a hearty laugh and said, "Hai, please don't mind those small details."

"Did you just buy this piano?"

"Yep. I bought it this morning, then drove it here. It was really quite heavy and nearly crushed my car. Fortunately, I own a bulletproof car and the frame is a special make as well."

"You didn't get someone to deliver it?"

"I was afraid that they might know where you live."

"So you carried this piano into the house and upstairs all by yourself?"

"Yeah, this weighs nothing."

Zhang Ye started boasting.

Wu Zeqing pointed at the upright piano. "A piano that weighs three to four hundred pounds, and you carried it up here all by yourself?"

"Of course." Zhang Ye boasted shamelessly, "Even if it were two pianos stacked on top of each other, I could still carry them up here." These words of his were merely meant for boasting.

In reality, it had taken all of Zhang Ye's strength to carry in this piano that weighed 300-odd pounds. This was even with him having martial arts and already maxing out on the Fruits of Strength and Stamina from the Lottery Draw (One). It was just that Old Wu had not seen how much effort it took for this fellow to carry it in earlier, so he started bragging about being able to carry two pianos by himself now. 700, 800 pounds? Even if this fellow had used his concealed power, he still would not be able to carry them. Besides, concealed power was not meant to be used in such a way. It was an instantaneous kind of power that could only be used for destroying, not for carrying things.

Wu Zeqing smiled.

Zhang Ye probably thought that he had bragged by too much, as he quickly changed the subject. "Old Wu, have a seat. Are you angry at me about this matter?"

Wu Zeqing saw that his collar was slightly crumpled, probably from carrying the piano earlier. It was also a little dirty, so she reached out and straightened it for him and patted off the dust. "Why would I be angry with you?"

Zhang Ye stood still and let her adjust it for him. "Because I didn't tell you that I went to participate in King of Masked Singers. Actually, it's not that I didn't want to tell you. In fact, I had wanted to tell only you about it. In the end, I was just too embarrassed to bring it up after a long hesitation the other day. The main issue was that I'd never sung before. As it was my first time singing onstage and this being such a huge competition, it would've been really embarrassing if I lost by the second episode. So I thought it might be better not to say anything about it at first and only tell you about it after I became the champion. So here I am, immediately coming to seek your forgiveness after I got crowned grand champion. I practiced the song that I just sang for you for a very long time."

Wu Zeqing said gently, "I couldn't be any happier for you, so why would I be angry with you? You're really in the limelight this time. Not bad, you didn't make me ashamed."

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "That's true."

"Take off your shirt. I'll wash it for you later since it's dirty," Wu Zeqing said.

"OK." He did not stand on ceremony.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not yet."

"We'll eat in a bit?"

"Sure."

"Then do something for me first."

"Oh? What is it?"

Wu Zeqing did not say anything and searched around the study. She took out the four treasures of the study 2 and immediately began to grind the ink. Then she said, "Write down the lyrics of the song that you just sang for me. I can't remember them after listening to them just once. When you're done writing, I'll hang it and read it at my own leisure."

Zhang Ye immediately said, "That's not a problem."

"I've prepared the ink."

"How would you like me to write it?"

"How many scripts do you know?"

"I can write it in regular, semi-cursive, clerical, or cursive script."

He thought about saying how he could also write in " Microsoft YaHei 3 " if he wanted to, but Old Wu would surely not understand what he meant by that.

Old Wu smiled and said, "How about semi-cursive. I like your semi-cursive."

"Alright!" Zhang Ye immediately began writing.

A set of lyrics was written down in a free-flowing motion.

Wu Zeqing held up the Xuan paper for it to dry and took a look. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it.

As she gazed at the calligraphy, Zhang Ye looked at her. Since it was summer, Old Wu was dressed lightly and looked especially elegant in the thin, classic qipao. The more he looked at her, the more he liked her.

All of a sudden, Old Wu looked up and said, "Oh yeah, I've got something to tell you. Your ban will officially be lifted today. Although the SARFT won't be issuing any notices or documentation about it nor will there be any announcements to the public, there won't be a restriction on any news and shows related to you anymore. In fact, your ban was scheduled to be lifted soon, but King of Masked Singers expedited the process. You've caused such a big ruckus that they were unable to keep the ban on you for longer, even if they wanted. So they might as well use the opportunity to lift your ban. Even though there are still some people in the organization who are opposed to it, I've taken care of them, so it's not going to be a big deal. And there might be some flexibility given to the air pollution documentary. With some editing, I think there could be some hope that it gets re-released to the public. I will be following up on this matter."

He had been unbanned?

This bro had regained his freedom?

This was no doubt the happiest news Zhang Ye had heard in recent days!

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Thanks, Old Wu."

Wu Zeqing said, "You fought for this. It has nothing much to do with me. You've been crowned grand champion of King of Masked Singers and even took your mask off during the live broadcast. Did you think you would stay banned after all that? Furthermore, your songs were very good too. That's one of the most crucial factors as you have quite a few songs that were full of positivity. For example, 'Strive Hard to Succeed,' 'Life's More Than the Grind,' and 'I Really Love You.' All of those songs were a great help in changing your image. So there's no need to thank me as you were the one who grabbed this opportunity. Without this show, you might have needed to wait at least another month or two before your ban was lifted."

Zhang Ye blinked and said, "'The Internationale' is also a very inspirational song."

He personally liked the song a lot!

On that day, he vented most of his anger after he sang it!

On that day, the feeling of having everyone stand up and sing loudly along with him was just so satisfying!

Wu Zeqing looked at him. "Don't mention that song. Do you know how big of a mess it created?"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Alright, I understand. I won't sing it much in the future."

Wu Zeqing asked, "How are your preparations for the concert going?"

Zhang Ye said, "Hai, I still haven't decided what song to sing yet."

Wu Zeqing smiled. "Take your time, there's no need to hurry. Any song that you sing will definitely be good."

Zhang Ye especially liked hearing that and could feel a warmth in his chest. He really had never come across a woman like Old Wu before. It was as though Old Wu found whatever he did to be good and would always give him her support. Furthermore, Old Wu would never broach further on a subject if it was something he did not wish to speak about or preferred to keep secret. She always gave him a lot of space and respect in that regard. She was always beside him, supporting him and encouraging him on his journey.

Wu Zeqing suddenly asked, "Do you have any tickets for the concert left?"

Zhang Ye was surprised. "Of course. Why?"

Wu Zeqing smiled. "I would like to attend in person and listen to you sing."

"You really want to go?"

"Yes, I want to go there in my own personal capacity."

"Although the broadcast is on Saturday, the recording is scheduled for Friday afternoon. You don't have to work?"

"I'll take the day off. My fiancé will be staging a concert. Even if the sky falls, I must go."

Just look at the way she put it!

Zhang Ye loved hearing it!

"Alright! I'll get a ticket for you. It'll definitely be a front row seat!"

"That's not necessary. I'm fine with sitting wherever."

"That won't do. You won't be able to see me if you're seated too far away."

Thinking about how Wu Zeqing would also be there on that day to listen to him sing, Zhang Ye was suddenly quite looking forward to it. At the same time, he also felt a little more nervous about it. He suddenly thought of a song and knew exactly what he would be singing at the concert.

It was a very nice song.

It was a song about one's ideals.

Translator's Thoughts

Legge Legge

1. Pianos are considered both percussion and string instruments.

2. Ink, inkstone, paper, and ink brush

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_YaHei