Lin Shixing followed her older brother in a strange city for half a month.
Despite being surrounded by unfamiliar people in an unfamiliar place, this was the happiest ti Lin Shixing could rember.
Every morning, they went to different places to play, in the afternoon they tried various street foods, and when the streetlights ca on at dusk, they set up a small stall to perform.
At first, Lin Shixing felt embarrassed and ashad. Singing in front of strangers and passersby was strange and uncomfortable.
But Lin Shiheng bought a microphone and when Lin Shixing was too shy to take the first step, he snatched the microphone and cheerfully addressed the audience...
“Hello, everyone, elders, handso n and beauties! Today my sister and I are here to hold a temporary concert. If you have money, please donate. If you don’t, please enjoy the performance.”
After the brief opening speech, he pulled Lin Shixing out from behind the stall and handed her the microphone with a relaxed expression.
Lin Shixing held the microphone stiffly, unsure of what to do.
What is this for?
Did he think we’re living in ancient tis?
Weren’t these scenes only supposed to be in dramas?
“Hurry up!”
The young man urged with a smile when his sister remained still, “If we make so money, we can go out and have a big al.”
“No!”
Lin Shixing looked around at the audience watching them, her face instantly turning red. She stuttered as she held the microphone, “There are too many people... they’re all looking at ...”
“When you participate in the competition, there’ll even more people. If you back out now and can’t sing when you get on stage, what will you do?”
Lin Shiheng explained confidently, “Listen, the starting point is the most important because at this height, you haven’t climbed very far. Even if you make a mistake or fall, you won’t suffer much. If you win the prize and beco famous, you could hold a concert. Practice more now. We’re not forcing anyone to pay, if you don’t sing well, people will just leave. No one will bla you. But if you sing well and earn so money, we can go out and have a big al. A small investnt can lead to great returns!”
It must be said that Lin Shiheng was really talented in bewitching people.
Lin Shixing was persuaded.
She kept cheering herself on in her heart, tightly gripping the microphone, and stepped onto the temporary stage that she considered her own territory after drawing a circle on the ground with a pencil.
The first song was her specialty.
At the beginning, because of nervousness, her voice was slightly shaky, but as she found her familiar feeling, the trembling gradually disappeared.
The onlookers didn’t analyze the singing deeply.
All they could provide as feedback were two words; Good singing!
As for things like voice, tone, and emotional expression, most people didn’t even have that awareness.
What surprised the siblings was that the majority of the people who contributed to the fund for this ‘impromptu concert’ today were actually elderly people.
In their impression, elderly people were always frugal and wouldn’t spend money if they didn’t have to. They didn’t expect that so young people would be generous with money. However, they also overlooked the fact that selling art was a rare sight nowadays.
Only at places like temple fairs and markets can one see perforrs. On the streets, most of them were truly disabled or pretending to be disabled, working as part-beggars and part-perforrs.
Lin Shixing’s voice was worth more than she had imagined. After an hour passed, they had enough money to have a hearty al.
At first, when Lin Shixing saw the money, she subconsciously wanted to save it.
But Lin Shiheng, who always advocated enjoying life to the fullest, dragged her directly to a restaurant.
“What should be spent must be spent. If you earn money but can’t bear to spend it, you’ll spend your whole life eating plain food and wearing rough clothes.
You won’t buy luxury items or anything unnecessary. You’ll even want to split one dollar into two halves to use it. Can you even call that living?”
The handso young man said while inelegantly gnawing on a chicken leg, “Hurry up and eat. After singing for an hour, aren’t you tired? After eating, we’ll get a massage and then get a good night’s sleep.”
Lin Shixing hesitated and then picked up a chicken leg with her chopsticks.
It was fragrant and delicious.
For the next period of ti, the siblings played during the day and perford at night. Lin Shiheng livened up the atmosphere, while Lin Shixing sang. To protect her voice, she only sang for an hour a day. Even if soone offered more money, she wouldn’t sing for longer. While they earned money, her singing skills indeed beca more and more proficient.
The two of them relied on this skill, even though they were both still young and in a strange city, they were happier than anyone else.
On the day of the preliminary test, Lin Shiheng accompanied Lin Shixing inside.
“I always feel like I'm going to have a big star as a sister.”
Lin Shixing nervously exhaled, “Do you think I can do it?”
“Of course you can, you sing so well, and not many people have a voice that can make others pay.”
Yes, I can do it.
I can definitely do it.
Lin Shixing encouraged herself, with a determined look, and went in.
And she did it.
Lin Shixing’s preliminary round went smoothly, followed by the semifinals. There were still many contestants in the semifinals, but Lin Shixing still made it
through smoothly.
When she saw her na on the list for the finals, she felt a feeling she couldn’t quite describe.
Many years later, in an interview, Lin Shixing finally defined her feelings from back then.
“Maybe it was mixed with surprise and confusion, because at that ti, it was the first ti I didn’t follow the path my parents set for . So, when I really
walked the path, my first reaction was not knowing what to do next. I was too young at the ti, I didn't know anything except singing. It was my brother who was always busy taking care of , even though he refused to admit that he was taking care of . ”
Lin Shiheng did take good care of Lin Shixing.
Before this, Lin Shixing had mostly negative impressions of her brother.
Lazy, scruffy, and living off others, the type who would never stand when he could sit and never sit when he could lie down.
If she had to point out his flaws, it was probably that he was shaless and had no face.
She never thought that when Lin Shiheng was willing to show off his unique charm, he would beco so popular.
Almost no one backstage disliked this sweet-talking young man. When he smiled with his eyes and had a slightly scruffy grin, everyone, regardless of gender, age, would show their greatest kindness to him.
He was like a firefly in the dark, shining and flickering among the crowd. When he wanted to win soone's favor, he didn’t even have to think about it, a string of sweet words that could tickle the other person just enough. Every word spilling out of his mouth felt like it was coated with honey.
One of the staff mbers told Lin Shixing...
“When Lin Shiheng looks at soone with those shallow brown eyes of his, it’s as if he lets people see the whole world from within. He must be the purest and kindest person in the world.”
The staff mber said with such certainty.
Lin Shixing:
She still didn’t say anything.
Her eloquent older brother, who could get along with almost anyone, and they would give her the greatest convenience she could have. Before going on stage, a makeup artist who had worked in the entertainnt industry for over 10 years, and knew quite a few unwritten rules, was doing her makeup and explaining so of the rules of the industry to her with great care.
“I watched you sing before. Even if you get the worst ranking this ti, it won’t be too bad. Plus, you’re also good-looking. After the competition, there should be many entertainnt companies or talent scouts who will co looking for you. Don’t listen to their nonsense. Don’t believe everything people say. Just stall them and say you need ti to consider. Go back and do your research. If you want to sign a contract, find a big company with famous stars, even if they take a bigger cut, it’s better than getting scamd by a small company.”
Lin Shixing couldn’t move her head due to the makeup, so she could only keep her mouth open and say thank you, “Thank you, Sister Miao Miao, I understand.”
“You’re welco.”
The makeup artist finished doing her makeup and smiled while putting away her tools, “Sister wishes you great success.”
Lin Shiheng, who was watching his sister get her makeup done, chid in, “If Shixing really becos famous, we will definitely invite you, Sister Miao Miao, to be her exclusive makeup artist.”
“You little brat, you always say things to fool people. You’ve said this to several people already.”
The makeup artist playfully scolded him, her face always with a smile. After saying goodbye, she carried her toolbox and went to another contestant to do her makeup.
Lin Shixing nervously sat backstage, waiting to go on stage.
Her number was one of the first to go up, and she could see the ti ticking away. The 17-year-old girl’s palms were sweaty with nerves.
“Are you nervous?”
Lin Shiheng handed over a bottle of water and said, “Drink so water to moisturize your throat, but don’t drink too much.”
Lin Shixing obediently held the water and took a sip.
“Sing well, and after you finish, I have a surprise for you.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Shixing looked up at her brother in confusion and asked, “A surprise?”
“Yeah, as a reward for contributing to my pocket money.”
Lin Shiheng shrugged and patted his sister’s head.
“Good luck."
Though it was just an ordinary phrase, Lin Shixing felt her heart gradually calm down.
She blinked and stared at her brother, “If I don’t win the prize, would you still take care of
like this?”
“Have I ever taken care of you?”
He grinned and raised his eyebrows, but he noticed his sister’s persistent gaze.
“Okay, I will, if you want
to.”
“Who told
to be your brother?”
A staff mber approached them and said, “Lin Shixing, it’s almost your turn. Please get ready.”
Lin Shixing stood up, feeling a montary daze.
“Go ahead.”
Her brother patted her head.
“Think about the surprise.”
Lin Shixing waited in a position close to the stage. She saw the previous contestant, a girl who appeared to be in her early twenties and slightly older than her, co down and bow to the audience before walking towards her.
She was sweating on her forehead and breathing slightly heavily, but when she walked backstage, she looked at Lin Shixing with a relaxed smile.
“Mom and Dad!”
A middle-aged couple walked up from behind Lin Shixing and handed the girl a bouquet of flowers.
The girl happily accepted the flowers, and her eyes were full of admiration as she looked at her parents.
“How did I sing?”
“It sounded great!”
“You sing so well!”
“Of course, I’ve been practicing for a long ti. And you guys even prepared flowers for
without telling . You wanted to surprise , right?”
The family of three happily headed towards the backstage area.
Lin Shixing stared blankly at the scene, feeling a sourness in her nose and a dull ache in her chest as if sothing had hit her.
“Shixing, it’s your turn!”
“Huh? Oh, okay, thanks."
She hurriedly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and went up on stage with a normal expression.
There were many people below, but because the lights were not on, she could only see a dark mass.
She raised the microphone to her mouth and thought about the past 2 weeks.
She and her brother went to an amusent park, where they rode a carousel with a bunch of little kids. One little boy even asked why they, being so grownup, were still playing on it.
Lin Shiheng replied with a smile, “Because we didn’t get to play on it when we were kids.”
They took pictures, visited museums and aquariums, and went to many places that Lin Shixing had never been to as a child.
It was like they were making up for her entire childhood.
Even though she returned empty-handed this ti, in her heart, she already had an experience that made her happier and more satisfied than any competition.
So, / can’t be afraid!
Lin Shixing opened her mouth and began to sing the song she had practiced many tis.
The song was very challenging, and when she reached the high notes and didn’t stop for a long ti, the audience below applauded and cheered.
“Amazing!!!”
The encouragent from the audience made Lin Shixing’s heart beat faster. She had never received so much affirmation from so many people, but the faster her heart beat, the more stable her voice beca.
She didn’t slack off even for a second until the last note was sung perfectly, and the show ca to a close.
The judges gave her high marks and she gratefully bowed and stepped down from the stage.
“Lin Shixing!!’
In the backstage area, which was darker than the front, there was a young man standing there.
When he saw her, he smiled and said, “Look who’s here."
He moved aside and behind him, their father walked out.
Father Lin was wearing a sowhat outdated suit that he had bought several years ago and only wore when he went out to negotiate business at the factory. Mother Lin was also wearing a dress that was different from her usual style, with a scarf tied around her neck.
Their expressions were a bit uneasy, and there was a hint of awkwardness.
No one could understand how complex their emotions were when they were backstage and saw the dazzling light shining on the stage when their daughter was singing.
Lin Shiheng pulled out a bouquet of flowers from behind and handed it to his father.
“Dad, what are you standing there for? You have to give her flowers after she finishes singing.”
Father Lin awkwardly held the flowers, touched his tight clothes, and walked up to his daughter. He handed her the flowers and said, “Shixing, you sang very well."
“Your brother was right. We took it for granted. If you like singing and can support yourself, go for it.”
Lin Shixing trembled as she took the flowers.
“Thank you, Dad.”
Her brother ca over from the other side, still laughing with the sa carefree attitude as before. “So, surprised?"
With tears in her eyes, Lin Shixing nodded her head haphazardly while holding the flowers.
“Surprised and crying?"
She choked back tears and gave her brother a relieved smile.
“The flowers are very beautiful.”
She had received the gift she had been wanting the most- her parents’ approval.
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