Chapter 17.2
Editor: Jodi
Mu Nan had thought that his last collaboration with Cheng Han would be the final one in this lifetime, but to his surprise, here they were again. Even though he didn’t want to do it, he couldn’t refuse a friend’s request, so he agreed reluctantly.
And knowing how busy the two of them were, Tang Zi Yue took the initiative to select a song and sent the sheet music over.
The song she chose turned out to be the infamous “Bloody Love Story”, a piece that was dark, twisted, and filled with a blend of obsession and madness.
The moment Mu Nan saw the song choice, he suspected that Tang Zi Yue had done it on purpose— just to force the two of them to battle it out on stage to the tune of this song. The resulting performance would undoubtedly be explosive.
As for the arrangement, Tang Zi Yue, who was only an average singer, would struggle with this song. So her part was kept to a simple main melody.
But Mu Nan and Cheng Han were a different story. Their harmonies were complex, with layers that made it feel like four distinct voices were being sung by just the two of them.
This highly technical singing style could be breathtaking when done well, showcasing the full beauty of polyphonic singing. However, the prerequisite for pulling it off was that the singers had to be in sync with each other.
Mu Nan considered himself just an ordinary friend of Tang Zi Yue, with no special rapport between them.
And as for Cheng Han, the only thing they were in sync about was how much they disliked each other.
Mu Nan flipped through the sheet music noisily, then resigned himself to sitting at the piano to practice each line.
However the more he practiced, the more the lyrics seemed off to him. “Let me be the one to carry on for you, unforgettable like a love story?”
Was this song really suitable for three people to sing? He couldn’t help but wonder.
Just as he was grappling with his doubts and practicing the song, Cheng Han returned home from his event.
There was only one piano in the house, and it had been placed in the living room, so the first thing Cheng Han saw when he walked in was Mu Nan practicing.
“You have a performance?” He asked.
“Don’t you have one too?” Mu Nan shot back. “Tang Zi Yue’s concert—have you lost your memory?”
Cheng Han suddenly remembered, “Oh, right. Okay, let’s practice then.”
Big brother, are you serious? How can you suggest we practice together so casually? Mu Nan‘s eyes asked as he stared at him.
Cheng Han’s eyes responded: Isn’t it normal to practice together for the same program?
Mu Nan: …This was the second time today that he had resigned himself to his fate.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
Tang Zi Yue’s concert approached in a flash, and two days before the performance, they did a run-through and made some adjustments to the arrangement based on how it sounded live.
But as they were rehearsing, Tang Zi Yue suddenly asked, “We’ve had the same amount of practice time, so how come you two are so in sync, while I feel like I’m just extra?”
Mu Nan, of course, wouldn’t admit that it was because the two of them had been practicing together the entire time.
So he simply looked at Tang Zi Yue with a complicated expression and said, “Because with this arrangement, you really are… a bit extra.”
Tang Zi Yue: …
On the day of the performance, Mu Nan wore a white suit, while Cheng Han was dressed in black.
Tang Zi Yue, in a red gown, stood between them.
As the first lyric was sung, three sharp beams of light illuminated the faces of the trio.
“The sweetness you’ve tasted, is nothing but the fruit of loneliness.” Mu Nan altered his voice, making it sound twisted and somewhat deranged.
“It’s a piece of me, cut right from my heart.” Cheng Han’s harmony entered seamlessly in the latter half of the second line, their voices blending perfectly.
Apart from her solo at the beginning of the song, Tang Zi Yue had no other solo parts.
And because she lacked a classical singing foundation, her high vocal placement was easily overpowered by Mu Nan and Cheng Han’s stronger vocal dynamics during the harmonies.
When they reached the chorus, even though Mu Nan and Cheng Han tried to hold back, the live stage environment was entirely different from rehearsals. The accompaniment, the audience’s energy, the lighting, and the stage effects—all these elements pushed them to fully unleash themselves.
And at the final chorus, right before the end, Cheng Han and Mu Nan turned to face each other, their vocal lines ascending, intertwining, and escalating in intensity.
“The more the blood flows, the more the hands ache, the emptier the heart, the more the flesh hurts.”
“Only a love that’s been cut a thousand times, can really come alive—”
On the final note, Mu Nan directly belted out a high D with his chest voice, straining to maintain control as he barely avoided a voice crack.
And when the song ended, the two of them were drenched in sweat, still caught up in the song’s intense emotions as they stared at each other, their eyes filled with a wild energy as if they were ready to tear each other apart.
Their emotions had completely spiraled from mere derangement into full-blown madness, causing them to completely forget about Tang Zi Yue who was standing between them.
They held each other’s gaze for what felt like an eternity before gradually calming down as the screams from the audience calmed down a little. Mu Nan gave a slightly embarrassed smile, “Thank you, Zi Yue, for giving us this stage, and thank you for inviting us.”
Tang Zi Yue escorted them off the stage, then, without a trace of concern, said to the fans below, “Didn’t I tell you? I was the extra in this song.”
As soon as they stepped off the stage, Mu Nan and Cheng Han reverted to their usual state of non-communication, as if the practice sessions and the intense performance they just shared never happened.
Even though they lived together, neither of them mentioned going home together. Instead, they each followed their respective assistants toward the dressing rooms.
Mu Nan walked behind Cheng Han, as they were both heading in the same direction toward their dressing rooms.
While walking, Mu Nan asked Xiao Jin, “Did you record the performance just now? I want to watch it later…”
However before Mu Nan could finish his sentence, Cheng Han, who was walking in front of him, suddenly stopped.
“What are you doing?” He asked.
Cheng Han turned slightly, stepping aside in the narrow hallway to give Mu Nan a clear view ahead. “Someone’s here for you.” He nodded toward the corridor in front of them.
And Mu Nan, following his gaze, saw Bai Wenyan standing at the end of the hallway, holding a bouquet of flowers and smiling warmly. “Nan Nan, long time no see.”
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