Lu Yan didn’t go out for two days after the departure banquet.
Except for dozing off, he basically did nothing else. If he was starving, he’d just stew up some instant noodles and then go back to sleep after he finished eating them.
He didn’t even notice his mobile phone had run out of juice and had shut down automatically, only motionlessly sprawling on his bed.
He, himself, was unsure of what exactly true state he is right now. Perhaps he was just trying to ignore reality, or perhaps he was just giving himself some time for self-adjustment.
After Huang Xu and Jiang Yaoming’s departure, all their stage performances had to be temporarily adjourned, not just the performances, each week’s rehearsal timings too, all those occasions left blank.
Those uneventful and blank occasions were like vines that crept from outside one’s sight, and they all entangled around him slowly yet surely.
His lifestyle, actually doesn’t seem to have much of a difference compared to before everything happened.
He finally got up the following morning on the third day – rinsing his face, shaving out his grown-out stubble, and going to a nearby barbershop to get his hair a proper trim. After coming back, he went to boil some water. In the process of waiting for the water to boil, he went to search for his cable charger. He rummaged through his cabinet for a while, and somehow, he wound up finding a crude CD album cover.
It was the first album that their band has ever released.
The chosen title had an infallible air, called: “Cannibal Demons”.
The album cover was a portrait that Lu Yan had drawn himself. It was a drawing of a goat’s skull, and one might feel that it was an abstract artwork drawn by a painter with potential. Lu Yan didn’t actually know what the basic concepts of drawing were, but since most of their budget was thrown to their recording studio, he had no choice but to create the album cover himself.
The intro of the song was rather unique. During the song’s climax, they approached this part with Lu Yan’s low-pitched voice, and soon, the staggering beat of the drum began to carry the rhythm as soon as it started.
“Crash the past into fragments.”
Who still wanted to stay?
Keep advancing,
Advancing forward,
Proceed.
……
What’s the use of earning the title of the king?
It doesn’t matter even if I keep continuously falling.
The stimulating rhythm brought along a wildly arrogant desire of wanting to rip everything into shreds.
This album was recorded and sold in a CD store, the sales were exceptionally great. The CD storekeeper even jokingly asked them: “When are you planning on holding your own concert?”
“ That day will definitely come,” Jiang Yaoming said at that time. He wiped away his sweat and even boldly proclaimed, “You’ll see it – we’ll be standing on the largest and the grandest stage!”
Lu Yan finally found his charging cable. He plugged in his phone and waited for the operating system interface to appear. Once his phone start operating again, he opened it and was instant greeted by a lengthy list of missed phone calls.
Sun Qian, Li Zhen, Huang Xu…
Lu Yan decided to call back Sun Qian first.
The performance cancelation incident had yet to be justified, the announcement of the performance was sent out a couple of days ago, but due to the temporary adjournment of the performance, the bar must’ve been affected in one way or another. Lu Yan nevertheless ought to compensate Sun Qian.
Sun Qian was a forthright individual, unfazed by the incident, but instead was more concerned about these four youths as compared to the performance “You can stop it with all the apologizing, so how did you guys talk it out in the end?”
Lu Yan didn’t reveal much of what happened and went straight to the point: “Something cropped up for those two back home.”
Sun Qian himself had played for a band back when he was in his prime too. He, of course, knew the implications that lied under the phrase, “Something cropped up back at home.”
The band that he managed to form back when he was still studying on campus ended the same way – after they graduated from university, they had to go to work, got engaged, and had children.
Sun Tong soundlessly sighed in his heart.
Lu Yan and his band weren’t the first ones to ever perform in his bar. Young people these days start to form bands purely for entertainment, and they all disappeared as quickly as they came in. However, this little gang that called themselves a one-of-a-kind Devil Band, was definitely one of the bands that lasted for the longest.
Four years.
What does those four years even indicate? Despite that time period, Sun Qian could still vividly remember the lead vocalist Lu Yan of the past who had never stood on a stage before. His stage presence was utterly awful, performance casualties can happen at any given time, even the microphone wasn’t left unscathed as it kept falling off the stage a couple of times. And the incident of him falling off stage together with the microphone was the most brutal of all.
Even as an onlooker, Sun Qian already felt very distressed having to witness this . What more if it was how Lu Yan felt? So, he tried his best to console the other: “It’s how life goes. It doesn’t matter how many expectations you have for these things. No matter how many ideals you want to pursue, you can’t escape having to return back to properly living life in the end, especially when it comes to rock and roll… You don’t have to bear so much expectation, with our surrounding environment being like this. Sure, you can continue dwelling underground, but if you are planning to move above, it’s too tough.
Lu Yan stayed silent.
Sun Qian continued: “It’s the way of life, it just teaches you to give in at certain moments.”
Sun Qian was still speaking when Lu Yan suddenly called out to him: “Qian-ge.”
Sun Qian: “?”
“Even then, I’ve always thought…” Lu Yan uttered, thinking back to the years that went by dazedly, and continued his next words in an even slower pace, “...the way of life is never compromising.”
Sun Tong felt entirely astonished once he heard this.
Lu Yan spoke up once again. “Enough talking, I still have to send those two off at the train station later.”
Lu Yan tidied up and was just getting ready to step out of the door when he heard a sudden commotion coming from outside.
It was the sound of a door being banged on.
Then, it was followed by the near-hysterical shrieking of an unknown woman: “You slut, daring to hook up with someone else’s husband, you should’ve known this day would come, get out–”
The tenant in Room 601 opened the door.
This lady from 601 with an unknown name wore a back exposing dark colored short skirt. She had a rather off-color appearance, looking as though she just returned to the building moments ago, and she had no time to wipe off the make-up on her face. One can see weariness between her eyebrows. Her red lipstick and eyeshadow were layered thickly, creating a cheap yet attractive appearance.
She leaned against the door frame, holding a small lady’s cigarette1 between her fingertips, receiving a slap once she opened the door from the stranger outside causing her head to tilt to the side.
[1]: Ms. Cigarette, as the name suggests is a cigarette designed specifically for women
However, she didn’t seem to care much. She casually tucked the hair scattered on her face behind her ears and took a drag from her cigarette: “Are you satisfied?”
“Can’t even manage your own man,” she smirked while letting out a puff of smoke, “so what’s the point of running over to me instead and go insane?”
Enraged by her words, the other woman’s eyes reddened.
The lady from room 601 didn’t seem to plan on continuing the conversation, so she said, “I’ll call the police if you don’t scram.”
“Call the police? Go on, let’s see if the police will arrest me or you, who’s a prostitute.”
The prostitute remark seems as if it’s sharp enough to piece through the air.
Number 601 didn’t speak any further, and slammed the door shut.
Lu Yan, who was a witness to this entire commotion, felt rather awkward. The way the woman from 601 slammed her door shut reminded him a little too much of a certain short-tempered young master.
Why didn’t those two find a way to get in touch?
Why does he need to search for her?
Should I mention it to her?
Is there a need to?
Lu Yan didn’t want to get tangled up in other people’s businesses.
…Neverminded.
Lu Yan retracted his gaze.
He asked himself, why does he need to care so much anyways?
Both Jiang Yaoming and Huang Xu bought train tickets for today’s ten o’clock in the morning trip to Qingcheng. Li Zhen tried to call him to ask him if he wanted to see them off, but in the end, Lu Yan didn’t even pick up.
The train station was bustling with people.
Crowds of people gathered everywhere, sweating and hustling about in this humid weather.
Lu Yan was finally able to pinpoint the two members of his band with just a single glance amidst the sea of people carrying their own luggage…in the amidst the crowd, only the two hauled gig bags behind their backs.
After struggling here in Xiajing City for four years, they didn’t have much luggage at hand.
Before Lu Yan could even come closer, Huang Xu already noticed him from a distance.
“Lu-ge!” Huang Xu called to him, and was followed with the bewildered question, “You changed up your hairstyle?”
Lu Yan gave them a small smile and said, “En. How does it look?”
Huang Xu: “Handsome.”
Fearing that Lu Yan might think he wasn’t being serious, he added, “It really is a handsome look, a totally different kind of handsomeness from before!”
Lu Yan’s new short haircut wasn’t as eccentric as the coiled hairstyle from before, and his facial features were more prominent now. His hair was slightly blown aside by the breeze, cascading down his forehead in scattered strands.
“I called you last night but you didn’t pick up, so I assumed you weren’t coming,” Li Zhen said.
“Ran out of battery, forgot to charge my phone.”
“I’m impressed. What’s next, forgetting to tend to yourself?”
“So annoying. Didn’t I still come in the end?” Lu Yan handed them the snacks that he bought out in advance. “I thought it would be inconvenient for you two to bring too many things, so I didn’t bring a lot. Just make do with these snacks.”
“What did you buy all these for?” Jiang Yaoming quipped. “We already have everything.”
Lu Yan was a very resolute person. “oh well. Then give them back.”
Jiang Yaoming: “Are you for real?”
Lu Yan: “Give them back.”
“Who gives out stuff only to ask for it back???”
They continued to bicker over those snacks worth a couple of cents.
Lu Yan looked up and glanced at the arrivals and departures being flashed on the passenger information display system, which included their train, Train K126, headed from Xiajing City to Qingcheng. “So soon? Hurry up and check in your ticket. Did you bring all the necessary documents?”
“Bought them. I’ll make sure to get you our Qingcheng local specialties when we get back. Our pancakes are one of a kind…”
Jiang Yaoming was still speaking when Lu Yan walked forward and patted his and Huang Xu’s shoulders. “Alright, I’ll be waiting for it. Wishing you both a safe and smooth trip.”
Li Zhen also joined in with the chatter.
Four grown men hugging in public was neither the most convenient nor the prettiest sight, so Lu Yan planned to step back a bit. That’s when he heard Huang Xu mumble three certain words between the four of them who stood close to each other: “I am sorry.”
Those emotions were indeed quite perplexing.
Companions who have been hanging out for four years would shortly separate ways.
Xiajing and Qingcheng had a distance of more than two thousand kilometers away from each other.
Lu Yan thought that he was already prepared for this after the past two days, but at this moment, he suddenly realized that preparing for something and experiencing it for yourself were two completely different things. That’s when it finally hit him: Those two are really leaving.
Even though Huang Xu’s guitar playing didn’t improve much for the past few years, he won’t be able to hear it anymore in the future.
Jiang Yaoming had always thought that his bass was a presence close to being non-existent, and felt rather touchy about it, so he would always try to sneakily make his speaker’s volume go up, and he’d always stick close to the speakers during their performances, causing it to blast.
Another low voice sounded from beside his ear: “I am sorry.”
This time, it was from Jiang Yaoming.
“Passengers of the K126 train, please proceed to check-in and begin boarding the train.”
The announcement was broadcasted twice over the speakers. The two members looked down to search for their tickets to their trip, and just as they were about to board the train, luggage in hand and all, they heard Lu Yan speak from behind them: “...You two are going to be in this forever.”
“What’s there to be sorry about? Take back all your apologies to Lao Zi.”
“Did you really think you could quit just like that?”
“Have I even approved of you leaving the band?”
Lu Yan’s sudden consecutive sentencesrendering the three dumbfounded.
“What a vivid imagination you have there.”
“No matter where the two of you go, or what you plan to do in the future, whether it’s selling crepes in Qingcheng or growing onions in the countryside, you will forever be a part of Vent.”
Finally, Lu Yan said: “This isn’t quitting. This isn’t separation. Our V club will never disband.”
Li Zhen then reacted: “That’s right! We won’t disband! But while selling crepes is certainly fine, what kind of weird job is planting onions…?”
After he spoke, for a moment, nobody said a word.
Jiang Yaoming turned around and hastily wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
Huang Xu’s eyes reddened, and soon, tears began to stream down from them. “Yan-ge…”
Even Lu Yan felt a little touched by his own speech, and upon seeing Huang Xu’s expression, he want to stretch out his hand and pat the other’s head.
As a result, Huang Xu spoke up using his broken sobbing tone the next moment: “Yan… Yan-ge, after I leave, you should properly practice with your guitar… your guitar playing is truly awful, too awful.”
“You were even worse at it than I was, and despite that, you still had so many demands… Not every guitarist will have the same nice temperament as I do, so while you still have the ability to learn, why don’t you just play it yourself?”
Lu Yan’s hand that was extended halfway froze.
Huang Xu, even with all his blubbering and hiccupping, continued with his criticisms: “You said it yourself, you have such slender fingers, if they’re so slender yet they can’t play a single thing then what’s the use of them...:”
Lu Yan wanted to take back all his words from before.
This band can disband. Right now.
This farewell trip of theirs ended with Li Zhen restraining Lu Yan from beating up his bandmates in public and with Jiang Yaoming and Huang Xu handing in their train tickets to the admission agent, who both continued to cry even after they’ve said their farewells.
The train headed towards Qingcheng brought away these two youths, who once hauled their guitars on their backs four years ago, continuously inquiring away at the entrance of their little underground tunnel: “Is your band recruiting anyone?”
Translator: Piggybank 🐽
Editor(s): Rae and Muku