ECG -Chapter 66 A Wild Heart with Nowhere to Rest

The intense drum solo drove the song to its climax!

“The grasslands beneath the wild horse’s feet,

A wild heart with nowhere to rest…”

Lin Hao’s soaring voice seemed to burst through the roof of the bar and pierce the night sky. The speaker cones in the professional sound system on both sides of the stage felt as though they might tear apart under the force of it.

Many people in the bar rose to their feet.

Every member of the band was completely immersed in the song. In the three years since they had written it, this was the most exhilarated they had ever felt performing it.

The song seemed as though it had been written specifically for Lin Hao.

Because of limitations in his vocal range, Zhao Xiaoyi had always done fairly well with the first half of the song, capturing its mood perfectly. But once he reached the climax, there was a noticeable disconnect, making the entire piece feel fractured.

They had tried other male singers before, and had even experimented with female vocalists. But the song’s range was simply too wide and difficult. Most singers couldn’t reach the high notes. If they lowered the key, the low notes became oppressively heavy and uncomfortable.

Yet today, Lin Hao had not only reached those notes—he had raised the key by an entire step!

And that wasn’t even the most incredible part.

When he reached the climax, he wasn’t straining or screaming. His voice retained the same rich depth and weathered texture as before.

For Journey, that sense of complete vocal consistency was nothing short of a miracle.

The outro began, led by the electric guitar.

Zhao Xiaoyi felt that this was the best performance he had played in the past three years. As the final notes slowly faded away, tears were already rolling down his face.

He looked toward the other band members.

Drummer Chen Feng, keyboardist Wang Yulong, and bassist Yang Weiqi were exactly the same—each of them had tears streaming down their cheeks.

These were tears of relief.

And tears of being deeply moved.

Yang Weiqi set his bass guitar onto its stand and was the first to start applauding.

Only then did the patrons finally snap out of their daze, and thunderous applause swept through the bar like a tidal wave.

Zhao Xiaoyi felt as though all the strength had drained from his body. Slowly, he placed his electric guitar onto its stand and looked at Lin Hao.

Drummer Chen Feng and keyboardist Wang Yulong continued clapping as they walked over.

The sound engineer glanced at his watch. It was already time for the band’s break, so he switched on some background music.

Lin Hao didn’t offer any polite formalities, nor did he pay any attention to Zhao Xiaoyi.

Smiling, he pressed his palms together in gratitude toward the other three band members, thanking them sincerely. Then he bowed deeply toward the audience below the stage.

Seeing that the band was taking a break, the customers gradually returned to their seats.

Zheng Lao Liu looked toward Fourth Sister.

“Fourth Sister, this kid is the singer-guitarist Lin Hao?”

Her beautiful eyes remained fixed on Lin Hao atop the stage. Hearing the question, she merely nodded.

Her gaze was filled with admiration.

“Awesome… damn awesome…” Zheng Lao Liu muttered to himself. “No way, I’ve got to bring this kid under me.”

Fourth Sister heard him.

The warmth in her eyes instantly turned into a cold, sharp glare.

She turned and looked at him.

“You dare set your sights on one of my people? Worry about cleaning up the crap on your own ass first.”

With that, she turned and walked away.

Left standing there with an embarrassed expression, Zheng Lao Liu scratched his head and cursed inwardly.

You bitch. If it weren’t for your brother’s reputation, I’d have already…

Of course, he only dared indulge in such thoughts privately. Outwardly, he wouldn’t dare show the slightest disrespect.

When Zhao Xiaoyi saw Zheng Lao Liu waving at him, he quickly jumped down from the stage.

Meanwhile, Lin Hao strolled off the stage with his hands clasped behind his back and returned to his seat.

Wu Xiaozhou gave him a thumbs-up.

“Awesome, Haozi! That slap to the face was loud enough for everyone to hear!”

“You, on the other hand—stop throwing beer bottles every time something happens. There are plenty of ways to vent your anger. Why does it always have to be violence?” Lin Hao seized every opportunity to lecture him a little, hoping to stop this guy from acting impulsively whenever trouble arose.

“Let’s go!” Lin Hao stood up.

Wu Xiaozhou was stunned. “Go where?”

Lin Hao glanced sideways at Zhao Xiaoyi not far away. The ponytailed man from beneath the stage was talking to him again, and judging by Zhao Xiaoyi’s expression, he seemed highly dissatisfied.

“Where? To get justice back!” Lin Hao replied, clasping his hands behind his back as he walked away.

Wu Xiaozhou had no idea what he meant. Hadn’t they already slapped Zhao Xiaoyi in the face figuratively? What justice was left to seek?

Lin Hao headed toward the bar counter, where Sister Four was standing.

Many customers greeted him along the way. He had no choice but to abandon his cool, hands-behind-his-back posture, put on a smile, and wave politely in response.

At last, he reached Sister Four.

“Sister Four,” he called.

Then he said nothing more.

Wu Xiaozhou found this strange. Why not just go home already?

Seeing that Lin Hao remained rooted to the spot, Sister Four immediately understood what he wanted. She sighed.

“Come on, let’s talk in my office.”

As they climbed the stairs, Wu Xiaozhou pulled Lin Hao behind him and stared openly at the swaying figure in front of them, thoroughly appreciating the view.

After reaching the second floor, Sister Four suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked:

“Enjoying the view?”

Scratching the back of his head, Wu Xiaozhou grinned foolishly.

“Yep! Looks great!”

Lin Hao couldn’t tell whether Sister Four was pleased or annoyed. Hearing her ask that question already made him nervous, and this idiot had actually answered honestly. He couldn’t help worrying for him.

Unexpectedly, Sister Four smiled sweetly instead of getting angry. She simply continued toward her office. In fact, it almost seemed intentional—the sway of her waist became even more pronounced.

Wu Xiaozhou shot Lin Hao a look.

Lin Hao understood immediately.

Is this woman actually interested in me?

Honestly, Lin Hao didn’t know either. He hadn’t interacted with Sister Four much, let alone understood her personality. It wasn’t appropriate to comment, so he merely tugged Wu Xiaozhou and hurried after her.

Lin Hao had no intention of letting things end ambiguously.

Humiliating Zhao Xiaoyi wasn’t his real objective.

He had to find out exactly why this man had been targeting him.

From the very first day they arrived, Zhao Xiaoyi had treated him with open hostility. The rest of the band wasn’t quite as bad, but they never spoke to him either.

The feeling was awful.

Even if Lin Hao had no interest in becoming friends with them, basic courtesy should still exist.

Take the people from Chunhe Black Knight Bar, like Liu’er and the others, or Liu Ming and the band at Ferry Crossing Bar. Their relationships weren’t especially deep, but everyone treated each other politely.

The attitude of Zhao Xiaoyi and his group made Lin Hao extremely uncomfortable. And after tonight’s stunt, he was determined to get a complete and clear explanation.

Back at Chunhe Black Knight, Lin Hao used to settle accounts with Chu Yu every ten days in her office. He had liked that arrangement—it felt warm and personal.

Here, however, he had to settle his pay at the bar counter every single night before leaving.

After entering Sister Four’s office, he and Wu Xiaozhou sat down on the sofa.

Lin Hao took out a cigarette and tossed one to her.

Sister Four glanced at the brand—Amber Cigarettes from Lu Province—and laughed.

“You earn this much money every day, yet this is what you smoke?”

Lin Hao smiled.

“My family’s poor. My dad told me to spend carefully.”

Sister Four burst into laughter, taking his words as a joke.

Lin Hao stubbornly refused to mention why he’d come. Wu Xiaozhou didn’t dare ask either. He simply sat there on the sofa smoking and watching Lin Hao and Sister Four chat casually about one thing and another.

Meanwhile, Sister Four was secretly astonished.

You really can’t underestimate this kid.

His composure and state of mind were on par with old veterans who had spent decades struggling through society.

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the office door.