CHAPTER 408: CHAPTER 282: STAR CITY COMIC CONVENTION, WHO IS THIS AFTER ALL?_2

"Uh... no, I’ve always sung on the streets."

Goodness. She only knew Li Guang used to be a wandering singer, picked up by the boss from the streets. But she’d never met a street singer who hadn’t even performed in a bar before.

"It’s okay, it’s normal to have never been there. Just go once and you’ll know it’s not as scary as you think. Aren’t you a singer? Let’s just go in and listen to some songs. This is a quiet bar; I brought you here to see how other bands perform."

"Oh, is that so?"

A perplexed Li Guang was eventually coaxed inside by Keke.

Keke wasn’t entirely wrong; she did indeed want Li Guang to broaden his horizons and relax a bit.

After they listened to a few songs, just as the band was finishing their set, Keke suddenly went to speak with the manager and quickly returned.

"Do you want to go up and sing a song?"

"Huh? Me? I... I’d better not."

"What do you mean, ’better not’? Aren’t you nervous? This is a good chance to get used to it. Besides, no one here knows you. If you do well, you’ll feel more confident, right?"

Eventually, persuaded by her, Li Guang hesitated but still went up on stage.

He didn’t sing one of his own songs, opting instead for one he was more familiar with.

However, contrary to Keke’s expectations, Li Guang seemed quite comfortable in this atmosphere. He performed very smoothly, even drawing applause from the audience.

"Not bad, Guang, you’re not nervous at all?"

Li Guang smiled sheepishly, looking down.

"Hehe, I feel okay. It’s pretty much like singing on the streets, and there aren’t as many people here, so it feels alright."

Keke looked at him, her face full of pleasant surprise. Just as she was about to say more, someone suddenly popped up beside them.

"Excuse me for interrupting. I listened to this gentleman’s song just now, and it was fantastic. I wonder if you’re interested in pursuing this further?"

Huh?

Keke and Li Guang stared at the person who had suddenly appeared, completely bewildered and unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Regaining her composure, Keke said, trying to suppress a smile, "Sorry, we don’t have any plans in that regard, and we were discussing something quite important, so..."

"No problem, no problem. Don’t be in a hurry to refuse. You can go back and think it over. Here’s my contact information. If you’re interested, feel free to contact me anytime. I won’t disturb you anymore."

After the person left, Keke and Li Guang looked at the business card on the table, exchanged glances, and finally burst out laughing.

"Look at you, Guang! You’ve even caught the eye of a talent scout?"

Li Guang smiled broadly, his whole face flushing red.

"Keke, don’t make fun of me. Don’t I know my own abilities? I’ve sung on the streets plenty of times and was never noticed."

Saying this, Li Guang felt a wave of emotion.

"I’ve learned so much at the company recently; I feel like I’ve improved a great deal. Without the company, how could anyone have noticed me?"

Keke hadn’t expected his self-awareness to be so clear. That’s good, she thought.

"Alright then, you’ve tried it today. Going on stage isn’t such a big deal, right?"

"Besides, your talent is no joke now. Didn’t you see? Even a talent scout showed up! You must have gained some confidence now, right?"

"Mm, I have."

Li Guang nodded solemnly. Although he was still a bit worried, he wasn’t as nervous as before.

With this night’s experience, Li Guang’s mood finally improved significantly.

「Early the next morning」

The two of them headed to the performance venue to check in and participate in the day’s rehearsal.

Since his act was a last-minute addition, Li Guang should have been scheduled towards the end of the program. However, the final slots were usually reserved for blockbuster headline acts, so there was no way it would be his turn. Even so, Li Guang’s performance was scheduled quite late.

The convention’s opening ceremony was at 10:00 AM. Warm-up performances started at 9:30 AM and continued until 1:00 PM. However, the official performance schedule only ran from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, lasting exactly two hours. Li Guang was scheduled to perform around 11:30 AM.

Once the time was set, the organizers were very hospitable and spoke pleasantly. However, much of it felt superficial, as they hadn’t even shared a meal together. Overall, they were polite but didn’t seem to attach much importance to him.

This was a normal situation. After all, Li Guang wasn’t some big shot. For the organizers to send a senior manager to meet them was already giving a lot of face, and this was solely due to Xu Qingqiu’s reputation. To put it bluntly, Xu Qingqiu’s side was the sponsor. If it were anyone else, some junior liaison would have likely been sent to deal with them. For Li Guang, performing here was purely to earn some extra money, so neither he nor Keke were too particular about these things.

Keke and Li Guang naturally didn’t find this problematic. After their rehearsal, they returned to the hotel to rest.

They were scheduled to perform officially the next day. No matter how carefree they might usually be, they weren’t in the mood to go out and have fun; the preparations alone were exhausting enough.

「The night passed in the blink of an eye.」

After breakfast, the two arrived at the anime convention venue. Even before they got close, they could hear the clamor of the lively crowd.

Rounding the corner, a dense crowd instantly came into view. The various costumes, props, and diverse character makeup immediately gave one the feeling of having entered another world.

After a quick glance around, they hurried backstage.

Makeup, coordinating with staff, familiarizing themselves with the venue, and socializing with other performers—they definitely couldn’t afford to be idle.

Before they knew it, it was already past eleven o’clock.

"Ugh, it’s the same old stuff. Why is it these cheesy songs and dances every year?"

"Exactly! I think it’d be better if Little Xin Xin and their group performed. That would be way more interesting than this."

"Hahaha, don’t even joke! If Little Xin Xin’s group went on stage, I’m afraid they’d tear the place down."

"Hehe, pretty much. But even Master Huan Yue would be great! If that master played the guqin, the crowd would definitely go wild."

"Forget Master Huan Yue, even one proper ACG song would be good! Instead, we get this nondescript stuff that’s neither authentically local nor properly foreign. It’s so cringeworthy to watch."

"Should we leave first? Go check out the game booths over there?"

"The game booths aren’t open yet. Let’s wait a bit longer."

Just as they were speaking, it was Li Guang’s turn to go on stage. A burst of music played, and four large characters flashed on the big screen:

[Dalabengba]

"’Dalabengba’? What does that mean? Is it a song title or a screen name?"

"I don’t know. The name sounds like a nickname. Could it be some big shot?"

"No way. Have you ever heard this name on Site A?"

"What if it’s from another website? It’s not like Bean Sprouts and Star Moon, those two gaming platforms, don’t have their own big shots."

"Possible... my ass!"

The guy who was about to answer looked up and spotted a line of small text that had just appeared:

[Lyrics/Music: Youmeng, Original Singer: Li Guang, Performer: Li Guang]

[Site A’s fastest-growing song in terms of plays this year]

"HOLY SHIT! For real? When did this happen? How did I not know about it?"

"No way! I’m on Site A all the time. How have I never heard this song?"

Just as he was wondering, a young girl next to him overheard.

"You haven’t heard this song? It’s been really popular lately; it’s practically all over Site A."

"Huh? That can’t be right. I’m on there often, how have I not seen it? I’ve been busy making props these last few days and haven’t had time to check. It couldn’t have blown up just in the past few days, could it?"

"You actually guessed right. It *has* been just these past few days. To be precise, maybe a little over ten days? Anyway, less than half a month."

"HOLY COW! It’s that awesome? Who’s the big shot behind it?"

"It’s him, Li Guang!"

"Li Guang? Who’s Li Guang?"

The other guy who had been chatting nearby also looked over curiously and asked.

The young girl was about to explain when, at that moment, Li Guang walked onto the stage.

"It’s... AHH! Li Guang! It’s really Li Guang?! HOLY SHIT, the organizers are awesome! They actually managed to invite him?"

The girl, who had been quiet and gentle just a moment ago, suddenly erupted with excitement, startling the two dumbfounded guys beside her.

The key thing was, this girl, despite her plain appearance—like an unassuming potato—was cosplaying as one of the most demure little girls from an anime!

"Hey, hold on a sec! Who *is* this Li Guang?"

The two guys, full of questions, practically wanted to grab her head and make her explain immediately.

"Ugh, you two are so annoying! Li Guang is... never mind. Just watch for yourselves. Here’s the video, see? You’ll get it after you watch."

She took out her phone, showed them the video title, and told them to search for it themselves. After that, she quickly put her phone away and, bouncing with excitement, stared eagerly at the stage.