69novels Chapter 130 Rehearsal
Chapter 130 Rehearsal
Wang Bo finally understood that no matter how nice his car was when he came home, his parents' first reaction would not be "My son has made something of himself," but rather "Has my son gone astray?"
"Dad," Wang Bo looked at his father earnestly, "I earn money in the city by singing, it's all clean money. This car belongs to my older sister, she's a kind person, she felt sorry for me taking the bus and it was hard for me, so she lent it to me. Don't worry, your son hasn't done anything bad."
Wang Jianhua stared into his son's eyes for a long time, and finally patted him on the shoulder: "Dad believes in you, but you must remember that people of the Wang family must have a straight spine."
After spending a day at home and taking his parents to the county town, on the morning of the third day, Wang Bo said goodbye to his parents and drove away from the village in his luxury car.
In the rearview mirror, the figures of my parents grew smaller and smaller until they disappeared around the corner.
Wang Bo turned on the car's music player, which only had four or five songs, all of which were his own songs.
My phone vibrated; it was a WeChat message from Su Xiaoxiao: "The production team has scheduled your rehearsal for 4 PM. Don't be late."
Wang Bo replied, "Understood, President Su."
Searching for childhood memories along the way, by the time Wang Bo returned to Lin'an City in Zhou Yuji's black SUV, it was already 2:30 pm.
As soon as the car entered the city, Su Xiaoxiao called.
"Where are we?" Su Xiaoxiao's voice came through the car's Bluetooth.
"Just got off the highway, will be at the TV station in half an hour." Wang Bo glanced at the navigation. "Mr. Su, your tone sounds like you're trying to kidnap me."
"I'd like to lock you up in the recording studio for three days!" Su Xiaoxiao said irritably. "The theme for the fifth episode is family. Wouldn't it be helpful for your stage performance if you went back to your hometown?"
Wang Bo lightly pressed the accelerator, and the car accelerated smoothly: "Yes, we're going back to make the stage performance more realistic."
There was a three-second silence on the other end of the phone before Su Xiaoxiao's tone softened: "The theme is family... I heard Qin Xiao has prepared a symphonic arrangement of 'Father and Son,' it's quite a big production."
"He'll compose his symphonies, and I'll sing my everyday songs." Wang Bo laughed. "Family ties aren't about who has the bigger entourage, but about who can hit the nail on the head the most."
"Alright, as long as you know what I mean." Su Xiaoxiao paused for a moment. "By the way, Yiyi made some stewed pear with fritillaria cirrhosa and left it in your rest room. Remember to drink it. She said you must have eaten a lot of spicy food when you went back to your hometown."
Wang Bo felt a warmth in his heart: "Please thank Teacher Su for me."
"Go thank yourself if you want," Su Xiaoxiao snorted. "Hurry up and come over. I've already spoken to the production team; they've moved your rehearsal time to 4:20, but you can't be any later!"
After hanging up the phone, Wang Bo looked at the traffic ahead and suddenly remembered his father standing at the village entrance when he left home. His back was no longer straight, and one of his legs was still not very nimble, but he insisted on seeing him off to the car.
Wang Bo gripped the steering wheel tightly.
The song he prepared for the fifth episode must have moved countless people to tears in his past life.
This time, he wants to sing for the parents of this world, and for all those who struggle, feel grateful, and feel guilty in their family relationships.
At 4:15 p.m., Wang Bo stepped into the recording building of "The Battle of New Voices" at Lin'an TV station on time.
The receptionist's eyes lit up the moment she saw him, and she frantically searched for his autograph book: "Mr. Wang Bo! Could you please sign my autograph? My mom really likes you!"
Wang Bo smiled and took the pen: "Where should I sign?"
"Here, here!" The little girl excitedly handed him a photo—she didn't know where she got it from, "My mom said your songs remind her of when she was young..."
As I was signing my name, a voice came from behind me: "Wang Bo!"
Wang Bo knew who it was without even turning around—Li Xuan.
After signing his name, he returned the pen to the receptionist before turning to look at Li Xuan.
The other person was wearing a flashy bright purple suit today, with his hair pulled up so that each strand stood up, but he had two obvious dark circles under his eyes.
"Li Xuan." Wang Bo nodded, as a greeting.
In the previous rounds of the competition, Li Xuan was completely crushed by him every time, and there was a lot of criticism online. It is said that his Weibo comment section has been completely flooded, and the company had to turn off the comment function.
But this guy has a strong mentality; he can still make tough statements with high spirits every time.
Wang Bo walked towards his lounge and ran into Qin Xiao again on the way.
The other person was wearing a simple white shirt and black trousers today. He was leaning against the window in the corridor looking at the sheet music. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and nodded to Wang Bo.
"You're back?" Qin Xiao asked calmly.
"Hmm." Wang Bo stopped in his tracks. "I heard that Teacher Qin is preparing a big production this time?"
Qin Xiao smiled slightly: "It's not a big production, we just asked a friend from the city symphony orchestra to help record a few tracks. It's a family-themed production, so I felt it should be a bit more solemn."
This was a humble statement, but Wang Bo knew that getting the Dongshi Symphony Orchestra to record accompaniment was definitely not as simple as just "a few tracks".
Qin Xiao's backing is indeed extensive.
"I'm really looking forward to it," Wang Bo said.
Qin Xiao looked at him and suddenly asked, "What about you? I heard you're going for an easy route this time?"
"Keep it simple," Wang Bo laughed. "Family ties aren't for showing off; they're for feeling."
Qin Xiao nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more.
Pushing open the door to the lounge, Wang Bo immediately saw the familiar thermos on the table, with a sticky note next to it, the handwriting neat and tidy.
"Wang Bo, stewed snow pear with fritillaria cirrhosa is good for your lungs and relieves cough. Good luck in the competition, but don't put too much pressure on yourself. — Su Yiyi"
Wang Bo unscrewed the thermos, and a warm, sweet aroma wafted out.
He poured himself a small glass and drank it slowly, the fatigue from the long drive gradually subsiding.
The rehearsal officially began at 4:20 p.m.
When Wang Bo walked onto the stage with his guitar, there were already many staff members and audience members who had arrived early.
Director Zhao Zhong, sitting behind the monitor, frowned when he saw that Wang Bo only had a guitar in his hand. He picked up the walkie-talkie and asked, "Wang Bo, where's your accompaniment? Just one guitar?"
Wang Bo tested the microphone: "Director Zhao, one guitar is enough for the rehearsal."
"Enough what?!" Zhao Zhong nearly jumped out of his chair. "This episode's theme is family! Do you understand family? It has to be touching, grand, and tear-jerking! You only have a guitar, how can you compare to Qin Xiao's symphony orchestra? How can you compare to everyone else's lavish arrangements?"
Wang Bo smiled at the monitor and said, "Director Zhao, what's touching isn't the number of instruments, but the authenticity."
Zhao Zhong was about to say something when the assistant director tugged at him, "Director Zhao, forget it. Wasn't Wang Bo like this in the previous episodes? And what happened? Every episode was a hit!"
Recalling the fear of being dominated by Wang Bo in previous episodes, Zhao Zhong sullenly sat back down: "Fine, fine, you sing, you sing. I want to see what kind of tricks a guitar can produce!"
Rehearsal begins.
As the intro begins, simple guitar arpeggios sound clear and clean, like the rough yet warm hands of one's father during childhood.
Wang Bo spoke softly, as if he were saying something he had kept hidden for a long time to someone very important.
After just two sentences, the staff members who had been whispering among themselves suddenly fell silent.
A young man who was adjusting the lights stopped mid-air.
A viewer who was looking down at their phone looked up.
Wang Bo closed his eyes, completely immersed in his own world.
He thought of his father from past lives and this life, the five thousand yuan that Wang Jianhua secretly slipped to him, the words on the phone, "Don't come back, the travel expenses are expensive," and the slightly hunched figure at the village entrance.
Some people in the audience had already started wiping their eyes.
In the chorus, Wang Bo's voice rose slightly, but remained restrained. That restrained yet deep emotion was all the more powerful. The guitar gradually grew stronger, and the emotions progressed layer by layer.
Wang Bo recalled his father picking peanuts with his leg in a cast, the flour on his mother's apron, and that simple yet warm home.
Sobbing could be heard from the audience.
A staff member in his forties took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes vigorously.
A young female staff member buried her head in her colleague's shoulder, her shoulders trembling.