After a rendition of "Legend of the Hungry Wolf" that caught everyone by surprise, even to the point where it could be called unprecedented, the stage lights dimd.
Then the music rose again, transitioning into another fast-paced song.
"A wild cat's life, beautiful and untad
Won like wild cats, laughing as they challenge you to take your shot"
This was a niche song that hadn't been widely sung, but the audience was made up of Jacky's familiar fans; most of them were not strangers to this fast-paced song, "Love of the Wild Cat."
Amidst the cheers, Jacky appeared on stage, his body covered with multicolored feathers, tiptoeing like a giant cat!
Behind him followed six differently colored cats, all stepping in a cat-like manner lined up in a row, following Jacky's movents, wiggling their chubby bottoms to the beat of the music as they sashayed onto the stage!
If you claid that the cats were too small, that only the people in the front row could see them clearly while those at the back couldn't at all, then the thirty-ter-high big screen vividly presented the scene to every viewer—six cats, black, white, and spotted, lifelike as they followed Jacky in the performance, executing nimble turns and hip twists;
"A wild cat, playing like it's hunting"
As the song reached its climax, Jacky threw his arms up, and with a unified flick of their tails, all the wild cats stood up and started waving their plump little paws at the audience below.
The crowd's voices were nearly hoarse, and even Nangong Yan, who had known the concert itinerary since the morning, was so stimulated by the scene that she jumped up, mimicking the movents of the cat-like beings on stage, twisting and turning while desperately shouting at them.
"A wild cat, your efforts are futile, how can you break free from the confines of my heart..."
As the song ca to its end, Jacky gestured a pistol with his hand and "bang"—he shot at the wild cats.
The row of cat-like beings fell in response, like dominoes one after another, tumbling into a heap on the stage.
After the upbeat music, it was ti for a slow song. Accompanied by a lancholic piano tune laden with autumn sorrow, Jacky's voice, tinged with a trace of world-weariness, filled the air as the stage backdrop transford into bleak autumn winds and falling leaves,
"The intense feeling of autumn, heavy on the hearts of those who part
A cup of wine carries a myriad of emotions
Partings are frequent when the leaves fall
Holding your hand, pressing it to my heart
"
A gust of wind blew, and on the dry branches of an old tree, a solitary Haidong Qing stared into the distance...
...
"Damn, what's going on? The ruckus in there—isn't it like they're fighting?" asked a captain standing among a line of ard police responsible for security outside the concert stadium.
The lieutenant turned around to look but couldn't see the inside clearly and said, "I don't think so. From what I've heard, the concert is so popular that they pulled us in last minute to keep order."
"I an, these people, just for chasing stars. Is it worth being so crazy? They make it sound like a battle, with the shouting audible for miles. Anyone unaware would think there's a riot," the captain said dismissively.
...
```
"This ti, you've really put in the hard work!"
At the small celebration the next day, Jacky raised a glass of red wine and gently clinked glasses with Suming, then excitedly—and sowhat indecorously—downed it in one gulp,
"Jacky has held hundreds of concerts, but none has ever been as explosive as last night!" Julia said with a light laugh from the side, "We owe it to our special planning consultant."
This 'special planning consultant' referred to Suming.
Right after the concert last night, before Jacky even had ti to remove his makeup backstage, Julia had Suming summoned so she could hire him as the team's 'special planning consultant.'"
The so-called 'special consultant' didn't need to follow the team around to participate in events and had ample free ti. If necessary, Suming could get involved in future team planning and would charge a fee based on the number of tis he participated.
Not just with concerts, but with filming too, there were plenty of opportunities for collaboration.
Suming had just laughed at the ti, saying that since they were friends, there was no need to talk about fees; a few VIP tickets to the front row of the concert would suffice. Whenever Jacky needed help, if he could spare the ti, lending a hand would be no problem.
Despite Jacky's usual rogue middle-aged man deanor, having mixed in the chaotic Xiangjiang entertainnt industry for many years, he was very particular about doing things right. Since Suming didn't want money, he signed a check for 500,000 on the spot and donated it to Yangchuan City Zoo to improve the living conditions of the animals.
"I won't refuse this money." Suming accepted the check with a hearty laugh.
"Eh? Where's Miss Nangong? Why isn't she here?" Jacky looked around curiously, wondering why the space behind Suming was empty.
"She was so spurred by the efficiency of your Xiangjiang colleagues that she's been passionately working on a press release in the hotel since early morning!" Suming replied with a smile.
The efficiency of Xiangjiang's reporters and paparazzi was indeed astonishing; the news of last night's concert was on the front pages of several major newspapers and various tabloids by early morning. Photos and videos of Jacky performing with various animals had been shared so widely that half of the island already knew about it.
Nangong Yan had quite a few dia colleagues in her social circle. As soon as she opened her eyes that morning, everyone in her feed was talking about the concert. Nangong Yan was so regretful she could hardly stand it. She had been on the scene, yet she hadn't published the news imdiately!
So, she skipped the celebration entirely, holing up in her hotel to rush out her article.
"Wow, does it have to be that complicated? Julia, just push back this afternoon's fan et by a couple of hours, and ask Miss Nangong to give an exclusive interview," Jacky said, shrugging his shoulders with an easy smile.
"Why not make it a joint interview with both you and Mr. Suming?" Julia suggested, "After all, it was the two of you working together that made the concert such a huge success."
And so, Suming's return trip to Yangchuan was delayed by several hours. The content of the exclusive interview was nothing special, mainly about how Jacky t Suming and their collaboration on planning this unique concert. However, in the article, Suming was portrayed not just as a 'zookeeper' or a 'boat tour operator,' but rather, with so intentional shaping by Jacky and Nangong Yan, as a 'hidden expert in the midst of the city.'
Towards the end of the interview, Suming made a suggestion, encouraging Jacky to adopt an animal.
Now that the mainland and Xiangjiang were one family, there was a high degree of openness towards Xiangjiang's artists. Adopting an animal in the mainland could greatly increase an artist's recognition by both official and public circles, even though Jacky was already successful and didn't need to urgently make money in the mainland. As an artist, increasing one's fa was never a bad thing at any point.
"Jacky, Mr. Suming's proposal is great!"
Julia said, cradling an iPad and looking down at it while speaking in a professional tone, "After yesterday's concert, the comnts on Weibo were several tis more than usual, and the number of followers has also clearly increased. Adopting an animal now would greatly help your developnt in the mainland."
"At my age, just singing songs and acting in plays, it's all good as long as everyone's happy," Jacky said, laughing.
However, as an artist, nobody would complain about becoming more famous, so the news of Jacky adopting an animal, after so planning, quickly made dia headlines.
On the morning of the third day after the concert finished, Jacky, accompanied by several team mbers, made a special visit to the zoo with Suming.
```
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