ECG -Chapter 43 He Didn’t Even Want His Guitar Anymore

Lin Hao carried Wan Yong’s Martin guitar and sat down on the chair. His right index finger lightly plucked the first string, while his left hand reached toward the neck of the guitar and gently twisted the tuning peg.

Perfect!

When Wan Yong had been singing just now, Lin Hao had listened very carefully. The first string was slightly out of tune, a little too low.

Lin Hao didn’t waste any time talking. He opened his mouth and started singing:

“Nothing can stop—”

The guitar came in.

“Your longing for freedom…”

The lyrics were the same, the melody was the same, but the feeling it gave everyone’s ears was completely different.

Perhaps it was because Lin Hao had mentioned earlier that the original intention behind creating this song was to commemorate the monk Xuanzang, so when he began singing, everyone in the bar seemed to see a desolate painting unfold before their eyes.

In the endless yellow sand, a monk trudged forward with difficulty.

The monk gradually came closer. Beneath the dust and wind was a handsome, determined face.

In the distance, the sound of camel bells drifted faintly. The footprints left behind by the monk were quickly buried by the yellow sand, leaving behind only desolation…

Bai Zhitao was completely immersed in the song as well.

The first time she had heard this song, it was on a noisy train, and the acoustics had been poor.

But hearing it again now, the artistic conception, the voice, and the overall effect were completely different.

Lin Hao’s voice was powerful and high-pitched, yet carried a trace of hardship and weathered experience. While making people feel an unyielding fighting spirit rising in their hearts, it also brought a hint of sadness.

Every customer in the bar had slightly different feelings, but all of them could clearly hear the difference in Lin Hao.

Wan Yong’s earlier performance had also been very pleasant to listen to, but as the saying went, there was no harm without comparison.

Only after hearing Lin Hao’s voice on stage did everyone realize that Wan Yong’s singing had carried a bit too much softness and artificial sweetness, being overly delicate and flashy.

When the second verse began, Lin Hao’s voice could no longer be heard in the bar. All the customers started singing along loudly.

When Lin Hao finished the song, the applause seemed capable of tearing through the roof of the bar.

Lin Hao stood up and bowed toward the audience in thanks. When he raised his head again, Wan Yong, who had been standing below the stage, had already disappeared.

“Huh? This guy doesn’t even want his guitar anymore?” Lin Hao couldn’t help but complain inwardly. “Even though this Martin is a low-end model, it’s still not cheap!”

As the applause faded, cheers surged up again:

“Another song!”

“Another song!”

“Another song!”

“…”

Lin Hao smiled and said into the microphone:

“The four big brothers from the band are already waiting eagerly below the stage. If I sing another song, they’ll probably skin me alive!”

The audience burst into laughter.

“I’m Lin Hao. I’m sending Blue Lotus to all of you. Thank you, everyone!”

After saying that, Lin Hao gave a slight bow and quickly stepped off the stage.

Lin Hao wasn’t lying. The four members of the band really were already waiting on the right side of the stage, because it was already 9:10 p.m., ten minutes later than their usual starting time.

Lin Hao brushed past them. The four of them all gave him a thumbs-up at the same time, and Lin Hao smiled and nodded in return.

Bai Zhitao was also standing on the right side of the stage, and she too gave him a thumbs-up.

Lin Hao lowered his voice and asked:

“Wan Yong didn’t even want his guitar anymore?”

“When he left just now, he told me to help him take it back,” Bai Zhitao replied.

Lin Hao nodded and didn’t say anything else.

What welcomed Lin Hao wasn’t only the applause from Wu Xiaozhou and the other two, but also Fourth Sister’s applause and smile.

“Would it be convenient for you to come sit in my office for a while?” Fourth Sister asked him.

Lin Hao knew what she wanted to talk about, so he nodded. He turned his head toward Wu Xiaozhou and the others and said:

“You guys drink first. I’ll be back soon!”

Lin Hao followed behind Fourth Sister. The two of them walked through the tables of customers, and many people greeted Lin Hao along the way.

At one table, there were four girls dressed up beautifully. A short-haired girl forcefully bumped the long-haired girl beside her with her shoulder, knocking her away from the seat.

The long-haired girl stood in front of Lin Hao with a flushed face. Lin Hao smiled and greeted her.

“Hello!”

There were a few playful little freckles on both sides of the girl’s nose. Her voice was quiet.

“Which school are you from?”

Lin Hao heard her clearly.

“I’m from the Provincial Art Institute. Welcome to come visit sometime!”

“Vocal music major?” the girl asked.

“Piano major!”

“Okay!”

The girl quickly lowered her head and ran back. What greeted her was the loud laughter of her girlfriends.

Lin Hao smiled. Seeing that Fourth Sister had already walked away, he hurried to catch up.

He had only taken a few steps when a bottle of Corona was suddenly held out in front of him, blocking his way.

A dark, burly man in his early thirties stood up and said unsteadily, “Brother, your singing was awesome. Have a drink!”

After saying that, he tried to shove the beer bottle into Lin Hao’s hand.

Lin Hao smiled politely.

“Big brother, I have something to do. I’ll come back and drink with you in a moment, okay?”

The man’s face instantly darkened.

“What? You don’t want to give me face?”

“Shi Laosan, are you already forgetting your own name after drinking two bottles of that cat piss?” Fourth Sister’s voice came over.

She had noticed while walking that Lin Hao was no longer behind her. When she turned around, she saw that he had been stopped by Shi Laosan from Daowai, and her expression immediately turned cold.

“Oh!”

Shi Laosan’s face changed incredibly fast. He immediately put on a smile.

“Fourth Sister, haha, I just like this kid. It’s nothing! Nothing!”

Lin Hao smiled at him and walked toward Fourth Sister.

The steel staircase was painted with pure black floor coating, spiraling upward.

Fourth Sister’s silver-gray high heels stepped on it, and accompanied by the music from the band on the distant stage, they made somewhat hollow “click-clack” sounds.

A pair of hips wrapped in a black leather mini skirt was level with Lin Hao’s eyes, swaying left and right as she walked.

Luckily, the second floor wasn’t very high, otherwise his nosebleed would probably have shot out.

Lin Hao started overthinking again.

Why was he so interested in mature women like this? But girls like Bai Zhitao, who were slightly more youthful and inexperienced, didn’t stir up even the slightest fantasy in him?

Could it be that he had really become a “big-sister complex” kind of guy?

After pushing open the solid wooden office door, Fourth Sister reached out and pressed the light switch on the wall.

The office was very grand, but it didn’t look like a woman’s office at all.

The solid wood desk was extremely large, and a laptop sat on top of it.

Behind the desk was a row of redwood bookshelves, densely packed with books that all looked brand new.

Lin Hao couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

She wasn’t even some group CEO, yet the office was decorated in such a mismatched way. It would have made more sense to replace the bookshelf with a statue of Lord Guan.

“Sit.”

Fourth Sister pointed at the sofa not far away.

Lin Hao didn’t stand on ceremony. He sat down and lit a cigarette.

Fourth Sister didn’t sit either. She casually leaned against the side of the desk.

She didn’t bother arranging tea, and there wasn’t even any tea set on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

Because Lin Hao was sitting lower, he noticed under the light that there was a faint layer of dust on the desk. It seemed that this place was rarely used.

“Your name is Lin Hao?” Fourth Sister said as she took out a pack of dark green More cigarettes.

Her bright red lips, the slender brown cigarette, and the faint fragrance all stood out.

“Click!”

Lin Hao flicked open his lighter, helped her light it, and said with a smile,

“I didn’t know you smoked too!”

Fourth Sister sighed softly and said in a distant voice,

“People in the underworld, when they first start smoking, think that only by doing this can they look like adults.”

Lin Hao didn’t say anything.

Fourth Sister seemed thoughtful, then slightly shook her head and smiled brightly.

Lin Hao stared at her a little absentmindedly. The gentle lighting softened the heroic aura on her face, making her look much more charming.

“Come sing here for me. Same time slot. I’ll give you 200 a day. How about it?”