Chapter 54: Rock

Chapter 54: Rock

Lu Wei quickly asked Zhong Lei beside him who lived with him, “He isn’t joking, is he?”

Zhong Lei nodded, “I actually never heard him play drums before. He didn’t even own a set.”

“This…” Lu Wei was speechless.

She and He Jiaqi felt a bit awkward.

It seemed she’d made a basic mistake, assuming since Chen Feng could compose music, he must play instruments too.

Come to think of it, how could a semi-professional newcomer like him possibly know everything.

Maybe his talent was only in songwriting and music theory, not hands-on playing skills.

“Want to do it instead?” He Jiaqi whispered to Lu Wei.

Lu Wei shook her head, “I haven’t even seen the sheet music. How could I?”

Both women looked at Zhong Lei.

Zhong Lei thought for a moment, “I haven’t practiced this song either, but I could try playing it directly.”

She meant she could play it without needing practice.

But Chen Feng dismissed Zhong Lei’s idea.

This was her song after all. Asking her to play drums to accompany someone else was going too far.

Even though his integrity was usually low, he should recover a bit of it once in a while.

“It’s alright, let me try first. If I really can’t handle it, I’ll step down. Teacher He can do a solo too.”

“Alright.”

The audience below had waited too long; it wasn’t good to delay further.

After simple tuning, the performance finally began.

He Jiaqi glanced back and gave Chen Feng an encouraging look.

Chen Feng smiled calmly back.

The tearing sound of the electric guitar quickly filled the small courtyard.

Caiwei Cottage was located downtown, with few residents nearby, so noise pollution wasn’t a worry.

While the buildings in Caiwei Cottage looked classically antique, their acoustics were designed by a Master, using resonant cavities so sound mostly stayed inside, creating powerful echoes within rather than leaking out.

Those inside felt the strong sound effects, while outside, only faint, muffled music could be heard.

When Zhong Lei from another timeline created the song “Night Has Grown Deep”, she hadn’t become famous yet, and her life’s path hadn’t improved. So the song carried a strong, thick taste of cynicism.

At the beginning, the main melody expressed complaint and hatred.

Hatred for this unfair world that wouldn’t recognize her talent.

The music style was explosive yet suppressed, leaving listeners feeling tense.

He Jiaqi hadn’t had the sheet music for long, but still, with her skilled technique, she flawlessly conveyed the mood beneath the surface – seemingly restrained, yet seething like lava about to break through rock.

Just hearing the intro and the accompaniment, Lu Wei’s breath caught.

Others in the courtyard also had their eyes light up.

This song was incredibly strong at stirring listeners’ emotions.

And that was just the start.

Bang!

The drum beat hit.

The tension stretched taut within everyone suddenly snapped, just like a volcano erupting.

He Jiaqi’s voice burst out.

When she rose to fame, she was known for her powerful lungs.

This reputation was well-deserved.

Though everyone present was considered successful and usually worldly, right now, many couldn’t help but become deeply immersed.

Chen Feng’s drumming grew even more intense, like continuous wind and rain.

He Jiaqi’s fingers plucking the guitar strings almost blurred under the light.

Drum beats, guitar sounds, and singing blended perfectly and poured out like a thousand-foot waterfall crashing off a cliff.

He Jiaqi became more and more invested. Whether fueled by her own emotions, the song, or her immense surprise at discovering Chen Feng’s unexpectedly superb drumming skills was unclear.

As a professional artist, she’d worked with many bands, but she’d never encountered a drummer who could play with such intricate skill.

In rock music, the guitar is usually the foundation, but Chen Feng’s drumming was so precise it actually started guiding her.

Though highly skilled, her familiarity with the song wasn’t fully developed yet, sometimes drifting slightly off key.

But Chen Feng’s playing was too strong; he always steered her back perfectly.

After a long while, He Jiaqi on stage swung the electric guitar suddenly, the final note fading away.

The performance ended.

She turned back and cast him a charming, playful glance.

Her expression seemed to say, “A beginner? Are you kidding me?”

He Jiaqi wiped sweat from her forehead, then turned and bowed lightly to the audience below. “Thank you.”

After her thanks, the place remained completely silent.

Chen Feng sat there feeling awkward like sitting on pins and needles.

With no reaction, he had no idea how well he’d actually done.

Anyway, in his view, his performance was just okay. He probably played accurately enough, but he hadn’t felt much emotion himself.

Near the small stage, Lu Wei, who’d been holding her breath, suddenly started clapping vigorously.

In the next moment, the entire room erupted in thunderous applause.

Chen Feng sighed slightly with relief.

Seemed he did alright?

Lu Wei walked over and asked in a low voice, “You really only started learning drums a month ago?”

Chen Feng nodded, “Yeah? What’s up? Was my playing decent?”

Lu Wei was speechless.

After a long pause, she pinched her forehead and said, “It’s crazy.”

He Jiaqi, who had come over nearby, just rolled her eyes, not knowing what to say.

Seeing two such big stars acting like this, Zhong Lei below found the scene familiar.

Not long ago, she’d felt exactly the same way after hearing Chen Feng play guitar.

This was probably what they called… a talent unmatched in the world.

It took several full minutes for the others in Caiwei Cottage to finally calm down. Lu Wei smiled and asked what everyone thought.

The praises naturally piled up.

“Just now, I asked again. Teacher Chen really was only an apartment manager a few months ago, with no music background. ‘Dullness’ and ‘Night Has Grown Deep’ are basically his first works. What did you all think of these songs?”

Everyone gushed lavishly once more.

It wasn’t mindless flattery; those with knowledge understood he was genuinely incredible.

For an outsider to go from zero music experience to creating back-to-back classics in less than three months.

If they hadn’t witnessed it themselves, it would have sounded like a myth.

This explained Lu Wei’s high regard for him.

“Those wanting to buy songs, remember: The early bird catches the worm.”

As she said this, Lu Wei winked directly at Chen Li who was standing nearby.

Lu Wei’s advertising for Chen Feng here was almost done.

She believed that after today’s event, the other singers present, or the executives from various talent agencies – whether seeking songs for themselves or resources for their artists – would no longer overlook Chen Feng, this startlingly gifted songwriter.

Chen Feng naturally got very busy next.

All sorts of people approached him asking for his number or wanting to exchange contacts.

In under ten minutes, he had saved at least twenty new potential customer numbers.

Finally, as the crowd around him thinned a bit, he got a chance to say sincerely to Lu Wei as she approached, “Thank you.”

Lu Wei smiled sweetly, “No need. My pleasure. But remember our agreement. You need to handle Teacher Chen Li’s request first.”

Chen Feng nodded, “Of course, no problem.”

Coming here today, his plan had always been to sell the three remaining songs for female artists to Chen Li.

“That said… why do I always feel the songs you write are from a female perspective?” Lu Wei suddenly asked, seemingly offhand.

“Huh?”

She pressed, “This last one, though it’s very rock, the picture it creates in my head only really fits a woman as the main character.”

Chen Feng felt this topic was dangerous.

He glanced guiltily towards Zhong Lei in the distance who was exchanging thoughts with He Jiaqi.

He thought to himself, how could they not be?

They were literally written by a woman!

Seeing him at a loss for words, Lu Wei gave him a knowing smile, completely satisfied, and then walked away.

Chen Feng stood rooted to the spot.

What do you understand?

Wait, didn’t the rumors say she was usually wary of men? Yet she seemed so relaxed around him.

Could it mean…

Oh my god!