Chapter 27.1

In the darkness, Gu Yanshu could feel the grogginess in his head, the scratchiness in his throat, as well as the aches in his knees being amplified countless times. 

He closed his eyes, telling himself that all of those were not a big deal. 

Anyway, it wasn’t the first time that he had gone on stage in this condition. 

And no matter what, he had to sing this song well. 

After all, what if… What if someone understood what he was trying to sing? 

When he felt a chill through his body, he heard the staff say softly, “Standby,” and he slowly walked up the throne. 

The entire venue was pitch-black and silent. 

The audience at the venue and in front of their televisions held their breaths and watched intently at the stage. 

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In the next moment, a loud bang sounded, and under a strong, white light, a raised platform, close to a metre tall, appeared in totality in front of the audience. 

There was nothing on the dark stage, just a simple platform. 

And in that bare platform, was a lonely throne. 

Gu Yanshu sat on the throne with his black outfit, and his face was pale to perfection. He crossed his legs gracefully yet leisurely on the throne, and under the cold, harsh lighting, he seemed like a god from the mediaeval darkness. 

The cameras zoomed in on him. 

His eyes were narrowed, as he looked up slightly, appearing cold and aloof. There was no trace of gentleness in his handsome, sculpted features; he simply exuded an unfathomable yet andrgynous type of beauty. 

The black, metallic choker on his neck, as well as the cuffs on his ankles, fulfilled the audience’s secret desires to tyrannise the beautiful yet weak things in their lives. 

And his usually pale lips were plump and crimson, making the audience feel an urge to kiss him. 

And slowly, he started singing again. 

“God will not give those who confess a chance; compromise on your freedom, and watch your soul wither” 

“Self-restraint is an act for the hypocritical, just so that you can wash off the greatest sins you will make one day” 

And when the words “one day” sounded, the musical accompaniment set in slowly. The low, hoarse voice resonated even more strongly, and his voice raised a few octaves, never stopping for an entire line, till it reached the highest note. For close to twenty seconds, he had never stopped to breathe. 

And then, he stood up, and hopped off the platform. 

The entire movement was clean and direct, making him look even more dashing. 

But with this jump, the audience noticed that the cuffs on Gu Yanshu’s ankles were real. They were heavy and clumsy, and to some extent, they must have restricted his movements. 

Perhaps it was because of the way the stage was created, or perhaps Gu Yanshu had a good physique, but the restraints did not make Gu Yanshu’s movements appear inhibited. Instead, it created an almost balanced effect of a struggle. 

What was more scary was, through the entire jumping process, his high note did not break. 

And immediately after Gu Yanshu made a perfect landing, he did not even stop for a second before he went into the hook. 

“Brought into the world naked, but I can’t hide the inner demons inside” 

“I’m on the verge of death, but I’m forced to live the rest of my life this way” 

“I’ve fallen, please break these useless rules” 

“After all, life is never about a type of ending” 

“It’s death, it’s living, it’s silence” 

And the word “silence” was sung in an extremely high note, yet it did not appear forced. His voice resonated across the entire venue, raising three keys in one breath. It sounded stable, he hit the notes well, and his breath was long and piercing. 

The audience thought that this exhausting hook would be followed by an interlude, so that he could take a breather, and so, they immediately burst out in loud applause. Unexpectedly, Gu Yanshu pulled his in-ear monitor off, put one hand into his pocket, and walked to the camera.