Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Love and Hate Rise from the Sea of Bitterness
The new students’ military training performance ended with Yi Yiyi’s segment of Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
No wonder she’s an experienced otaku. Gu Bai watched Yi Yiyi’s twin tails bouncing, wishing he could grab those reins.
It was already past eight o’clock at night, and the sky was dark, but the big floodlights on the playground made the night as bright as day.
"Everyone, did you enjoy the performance?"
The chief instructor was also a young man, about twenty to thirty years old. This was not a question for the freshmen, but for the seniors watching the excitement from the side.
Before the seniors could react, he continued, "Just watching isn’t enough. Is anyone willing to perform for the freshmen? I think the soldiers under me would love to see your performance too, right?"
"Yes!"
A chorus of voices from the new students responded.
The chief instructor’s suggestion wasn’t something only the freshmen wouldn’t refuse; the seniors were also eager.
Who doesn’t want to make a name for themselves in front of the juniors?
"White Pieces, how about you go up and perform?"
Deng Bo turned his head and asked.
Gu Bai shook his head.
"Forget it, I’m not interested."
Given Gu Bai’s current popularity at Shanghai Theatre Academy, no one would dare dismiss him if he wanted to show off. However, due to the "weird assortment" incident, he’s had enough of the limelight and isn’t interested in such attention anymore.
"Then how about me?"
Seeing Gu Bai wasn’t interested, Deng Bo didn’t press further and asked enthusiastically.
Gu Bai glanced at him.
"What would you perform? A stage play?"
For Deng Bo to get into Shanghai Theatre Academy, he must have some talent, but his talent can’t really be showcased here. He’s good at acting and is quite talented in stage plays, favored by the teachers who specialize in stage productions at the academy. They’ve even considered recommending him to perform at Ren Yi after graduation.
But when it comes to other talents like singing, he’s a total mess.
He can sing operas from stage plays smoothly, but when it comes to pop songs, his voice sounds like it’s been chewed by a husky.
Perhaps self-aware, Deng Bo touched his nose and dismissed the idea.
But as the saying goes, "The tree wants peace, but the wind won’t stop." Gu Bai didn’t want the spotlight, yet things didn’t go his way.
"Gu Bai, how about you come up and perform?"
Gu Bai wasn’t sitting in a secluded spot, so the chief instructor could see him at a glance.
"Instructor Chen, you still remember me?"
Indeed, this chief instructor and Gu Bai are old acquaintances. Instructor Chen was Gu Bai’s squad instructor during the freshman military training. Unexpectedly, a year later, he’s still involved in the academy’s military training and even became the chief instructor.
However, Gu Bai’s memory of the military training already spans four years, so his impression of him isn’t deep. If not for him calling out, Gu Bai might not have remembered him.
"Of course, you left quite an impression during last year’s military training."
Instructor Chen was joking, but it was true. Gu Bai was quite a star during the military training with his looks and talent, hard to forget.
There were quite a few sophomores around. With Instructor Chen’s help recalling, they remembered Gu Bai’s performance last year and started clamoring for him to perform.
Seeing this, Gu Bai stood up and patted the dust off his backside.
If he didn’t seek the limelight, he’d be seen as low-key, but if he didn’t respond when called out, he’d be seen as pretentious.
Walking up to Instructor Chen, Gu Bai smiled and said, "Instructor Chen, you know my capabilities. If I perform, wouldn’t I just be stealing the juniors’ thunder?"
"You little brat, stop boasting."
In his memory, a year ago, when Gu Bai was asked to perform, he was quite shy. But surprisingly, a year later, Gu Bai could present himself so confidently in public. It was as if he had transformed, though he was still Gu Bai.
But Instructor Chen didn’t dwell on it and asked directly, "What will you perform?"
"I’ll just sing a song, casually."
Gu Bai displayed confidence and ease.
Only now did the freshmen clearly see Gu Bai’s appearance.
In a casual summer outfit, even without the watch on his left hand, his attire was worth more than 100,000 yuan.
The previously obedient freshmen started to whisper.
"Isn’t this the Gu Bai who trended the other day? He looks even more handsome in person than in the videos!"
"Exactly!"
"I can’t take it anymore. I feel like my period is coming early. I can’t hold it in. I need to ask for leave; this senior is messing with my bodily functions..."
Yi Yiyi and Qi Man were among the crowd listening to the chatter, both with flickering eyes, unsure of their thoughts.
But while envy may arrive late, it never misses. With admiration naturally comes disparagement.
"Just rich and handsome? Who knows if underneath it’s all fluff?"
A sour atmosphere spread from one of the freshmen.
"Got full marks in the art exam, did you?"
A girl who evidently knew about Gu Bai retorted directly.
Another girl picked up where the last left off, her tone full of sarcasm: "Besides being able to drive a supercar and being handsome, does he have any other talents? Unlike you, who has nothing. All you can do is work hard, right?"
The guy was left red-faced by the girls’ retorts.
"Even if you flatter him like that, would he even glance at you?"
"It doesn’t matter, even if he doesn’t notice us, there’ll always be someone who does. And even if no one notices me, I wouldn’t notice you."
Finally, the guy fell silent.
The girl’s words were truly harsh and heartless.
Gu Bai was unaware of the crowd’s chatter as he took the microphone from Instructor Chen.
The giant Bluetooth speaker slowly began playing the accompaniment.
Clearing his throat, Gu Bai’s magnetic voice gradually turned into song lyrics.
"Once upon a time, now gone forever,
Red leaves fall, buried in dust,
The beginning and the end never change
You, at the horizon, drift beyond the white clouds..."
Gu Bai had never specifically learned how to sing. Most songs he knew were ones he heard often, gradually becoming able to sing them naturally.
He chose "Love of a Lifetime" because he was too familiar with it, reducing the chance of mistakes.
Gu Bai’s favorite movie was "Journey to the West," so naturally, he had a pure love for "Love of a Lifetime."
After being dumped by Zhai Li in a past life, Gu Bai’s favorite thing to do was to bury himself in music. This song was the one that resonated with his mood the most back then, and after listening to it so many times, he could sing it fluently.
His favorite version was in Cantonese. For the sake of this song, he had even memorized the Mandarin transliteration in his past life. So, even if he didn’t speak Cantonese, there wasn’t any awkwardness when he sang it.
"Bitterness and hatred arise in the sea of suffering,
Hard to escape fate in this world,
Even though we can’t get close in love,
Perhaps I should believe it’s destiny."
As Gu Bai’s nearly hoarse voice echoed throughout the playground, the crowd fell silent.
In fact, Gu Bai’s voice was very suited for singing, deep and sexy like Dr. Chen’s. When he sang with emotion, he infused all his feelings into the song.
This song was one he originally listened to because of Zhai Li.
Now singing it again, it wasn’t for her. It was a farewell to his past self, welcoming a more carefree life.
Except Gu Bai didn’t notice Zhai Li under a tree not far away, staring intently at him as he sang in front of the crowd.
"Was all that coldness before just an act?"
As she spoke, tears started to well up in Zhai Li’s clear eyes.
Having already become a part of the entertainment industry, Zhai Li naturally heard about Gu Bai’s background, knowing he was a rich second generation. Yet, she never regretted breaking up with Gu Bai.
Because Zhai Li was a very pure person.
Her dream was to become an actress, and being the best one possible was even more so. She was willing to sacrifice anything for this dream, including Gu Bai.
On the other side, Gu Bai was singing the ending without noticing Zhai Li from afar.
But even if he did know, Gu Bai wouldn’t have any emotional fluctuations towards her now. He could accept everyone’s choices. Separation is just that—missing out was his own decision after all.
As the song ended, Gu Bai took a deep breath and smilingly handed the microphone back to Instructor Chen.
The performance was different this time: no screams, no uproar, just applause.
"I didn’t expect Senior Gu Bai could sing so well..."
The girl who had especially inquired about Gu Bai explained to the newcomers beside her, "I heard Senior Gu Bai used to date a senior from our acting department, but I heard they broke up. This song was probably sung for her."
"Wow, I didn’t expect Senior to be so devoted... I’m in love!"
At this moment, the girl who performed first, named Jiang Lan, stood up from the crowd.
"Senior Gu Bai! Do you have a girlfriend? If not, do you mind having one?"
Gu Bai looked towards the voice, feeling another swell of excitement.
Although he really wanted to answer that he wouldn’t mind, Gu Bai restrained himself. With Shanghai Theatre Academy as his main base, he mustn’t show his playboy nature here.
Seeing Gu Bai not answer, Jiang Lan shouted again, "Even if you do, it doesn’t matter! Would you mind changing for another one?"
Seeing Jiang Lan’s straightforward confession, all the surrounding guys cast envious glances at Gu Bai. If they could date Jiang Lan, they wouldn’t even need to buy dairy products in the future; there would be enough for a lifetime.
"Please sit back down, we can discuss relationships privately after military training is over."
Instructor Chen picked up the microphone and addressed Jiang Lan.
Gu Bai gave Jiang Lan a smile and took the opportunity to blend back into the watching crowd.
What followed was an opportunity for the seniors to showcase their talents. Gu Bai found it uninteresting, plus the greedy looks from the girls around made him uncomfortable, so he left with Deng Bo.
Naturally, Gu Bai’s exit was noticed by some people.
Qi Man wondered how to continue chatting with Gu Bai that evening.
Yi Yiyi also put away her earlier thoughts, surprised that Gu Bai was so popular at Shanghai Theatre Academy. If she didn’t make a move, Oni-Chan might be snatched away by some other flashy people.
As for the womanizer impression Gu Bai left in her mind, it was automatically ignored.
A man of such high quality—what if he’s a bit of a playboy? Besides, only those with low emotional intelligence would call that being a playboy. High emotional intelligence would say he’s spreading love to the world.