Chapter 143: The Official Performance

Just as Chen Zhe, Eun Ji-won, and Lee Ji-eun were chatting and laughing on their way to the lounge, Jessica’s distinctive voice suddenly rang out. Hearing this, all three of them simultaneously slowed their paces.

"Fine then, let's all go down to the audience together later to cheer for Ah-zhe. We'll show up right when he takes the stage and give him a huge surprise!"

The three of them stood by the doorway for quite a while without hearing any further sounds from inside the room. Just as they were about to continue walking in, Kim Hee-chul's clapping and speaking voice drifted out.

"Hee-chul hyung said he wants to give me a surprise; he's probably cooking up some mischief again. Let's wait until right after he finishes speaking, then poke our heads in to scare him. Ji-won hyung and Ji-eun noona, remember to cooperate with me."

After hearing clearly what Kim Hee-chul had said inside the room, Chen Zhe curled his lips in silent speechlessness, unimpressed by such a cliché method of giving surprises.

However, to punish Kim Hee-chul for plotting against him, Chen Zhe decided to join forces with Eun Ji-won and Lee Ji-eun to thoroughly tease the fellow.

"Oh, you want to scare that guy Hee-chul? Sure, whatever you say goes, we'll listen to you!"

Having also heard Kim Hee-chul's words, and being someone who naturally loved to play practical jokes, Eun Ji-won agreed immediately without much thought upon hearing Chen Zhe's proposal.

As for Lee Ji-eun, seeing that such a senior figure as Eun Ji-won had agreed, and that the younger brother Chen Zhe was so enthusiastic, she found it hard to utter any words of refusal.

Thus, the three of them reached a consensus to scare Kim Hee-chul. To their unexpected surprise, Im Yoon-ah actually joined forces with them to trap Kim Hee-chul as well, though having someone else foot the bill for treats was an unexpected bonus.

————————Performance Entrance Divider————————

On stage, the live broadcast continued. Because of the preceding singers, the atmosphere had already been thoroughly heated up. After this boy group stepped down, the cameras smoothly transitioned to the MCs, Park Se-young and Jung Jin-woon.

The chaotic cheers continued to echo in their ears, but Park Se-young and Jung Jin-woon, long accustomed to this, maintained their smiles toward the camera and carried on with their hosting.

"What an upbeat piece of music, bringing us such a powerful impact and a wonderful lingering aftertaste, right, Se-young-xi?"

Jung Jin-woon from 2AM took the lead in praising the performance, his tone and gestures slightly exaggerated, which only served to further ignite the audience's emotions.

"That's right, thank you to them for bringing us such wonderful songs and performances! However, Jin-woon-xi..."

Park Se-young first nodded in agreement with Jung Jin-woon, but after glancing at the audience below the stage, her tone grew somewhat hesitant.

"What is it, Se-young-xi?"

Hearing the slight hesitation in Park Se-young's voice, Jung Jin-woon turned his head and asked with a puzzled expression.

"The fans' enthusiasm seems exceptionally high. The screams and cheering are practically about to blow the roof off. Isn't this a bit dangerous?"

Park Se-young pointed toward the fans below the stage, signaling him to look over in that direction.

"Yeah, yeah. So what should we do then?"

After looking at the audience below, Jung Jin-woon very cooperatively wore an expression of worry.

"How about the next singer brings everyone a ballad to let them lose themselves in it and cool down that overly fiery mood?"

Feigning a troubled look, Park Se-young gently tapped her head before revealing a look of sudden inspiration, quickly offering her suggestion.

"That's a great idea! So, does Se-young-xi have any good recommendations?"

Hearing Park Se-young's proposal, Jung Jin-woon nodded repeatedly, praised the idea, and asked what song she was recommending.

"There's a song that is truly wonderful and touching, and it's been extremely popular lately, with covers popping up on all kinds of video websites."

Speaking of this recently ubiquitous song, Park Se-young seemed to suddenly perk up, her voice rising a notch, though she still held back the punchline at the very end.

"Oh, I think I probably know which song Se-young-xi is talking about. I just wonder if the fans here know it too!"

Hearing Park Se-young's words, Jung Jin-woon frowned in thought for a brief moment, then slapped his palms together with a crisp sound, smiled at Park Se-young, and turned to face the fans below the stage.

At that moment, the fans in the audience screamed in extraordinary cooperation, waving banners that read "Chen Zhe Fighting" high in the air.

"It seems everyone already knows! Then let's all say his name together!"

The two MCs raised their microphones toward the fans below, further fueling and stoking the atmosphere.

"Melody!" "Chen Zhe!!" "Melody!" "Chen Zhe!!"

The fans below the stage cooperated enthusiastically with the hosts, their high-pitched screams and somewhat chaotic, uncoordinated shouts calling out both the song title and Chen Zhe's name.

"That's right! Next up, let's welcome our current trending artist, Chen Zhe-xi, along with his song, 'Melody'!"

Following Park Se-young and Jung Jin-woon's words, the shouts of the fans in attendance unified entirely into Chen Zhe's name.

Amidst the shouts echoing across the venue, the stage lights suddenly went dark, and the hydraulic lift at the center of the stage slowly rose. Chen Zhe slightly nervously gripped the microphone in his hand.

Yet, hearing the audience continuously calling out his name, his nervousness imperceptibly began to ease away.

When the stage lights brightened once more, Chen Zhe, dressed in casual attire, stood firmly on the stage, accompanied by his backup dancers surrounding him.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his state of mind, and nodded to the dancers beside him.

The soothing prelude, faintly carrying a touch of sorrow, began to play. Hearing this intro, the previously clamorous venue instantly quieted down.

"Finally realizing you have become a memory, there are no words that can explain."

"When others ask, I composed a melody with no period, unable to continue."

"Like some lingering scent ambushed on the street, accidentally passing by and stirring up bygone smiles and tears."

"Suddenly the heartache becomes too oppressive to suppress, finding that I had never truly forgotten."

After the gentle prelude concluded, Chen Zhe's low voice, tinged with a hint of sorrow, slowly rose.

Performing with greater perfection than ever before, his vocal cords, stabilized through rigorous training, flawlessly projected his unique timbre. In that instant, he drew the audience into those sorrowful memories.

"Melody, the melody in my mind spins endlessly, having loved you, there were too many words I forgot to tell you."

"Melody, countless moving notes in my life, having loved you and lost you, I finally learned to cherish."

"That song I couldn't write for you back then remains my eternal regret now that love has passed."

"If all the mistakes could be replayed, could we change the ending?"

"The song finally striking its final rest note, as I listened to the memories flowing through every single note, why is it that after so many years, I still cannot say goodbye."

While singing the mournful song, Chen Zhe coordinated with the dancers beside him, executing subtle choreography.