How to become an ACE of a top boy group

On the first basement floor of the Shengshi Building, the concrete walls make it look like a performance venue converted from an underground parking garage. Under the dim warm-colored lights, the exposed metal steel frame at the top is high and spacious.

As expected, they were late, but the ticket checkers at the front gate didn't give Luo Xi and his companion any trouble. After a quick ticket check, the two pushed open the plastic door with a poster of the Listening to the Sea band and entered the venue. A cheerful melody mixed with guitar and drum beats washed over them like waves.

Goodbye to the time that's been stranded / Goodbye to the time that's been huddled in a corner / I'm going to start my future anew—

The sound emanated from a distant, indistinct stage and was amplified by the speakers to every corner of the scene, as the crowd danced to the music.

Among the crowd occupying this scene were people dressed in all kinds of clothes: fashionable young men and women or middle-aged men and women, ordinary people dressed in plain clothes, working people in their work clothes, and people dressed as delivery people. After the lights dimmed, no one could tell each other apart, except for the light and sound from the stage and the people enjoying the music.

The singing continued.

Goodbye to rest/Goodbye to self-healing/I must shoulder my burdens once more—

"It's 'New Power'! I knew it the moment I heard it!!"

Luo Xi excitedly shouted to Lu Yun and started swaying to the rhythm.

"Let's go inside!!" Lu Yun responded louder, pulling the excited Luo Xi towards the center of the stage.

Luo Xi felt his foot step on something. Just as he was about to take a closer look, Lu Yun next to him shouted and picked it up from the ground. Under the dim light, he could vaguely see that it was a thin, long fibrous material.

"It looks like a straw!" Lu Yun shouted.

People around them, whose faces were obscured, shouted, "That's wheat straw! They've scattered a bunch of wheat straw on the ground! The wheat straw from the 'New Power' music video!"

The performance mainly featured songs from their album "New Power," but also included 21 other songs from their previous albums, such as "Listen to the Sea," "Paint the World," and "Chemicals," as well as four unreleased songs, for a total performance time of 120 minutes.

The music video for "New Power" was filmed in a field of ripe, golden wheat. The ripeness and harvest of wheat symbolizes the growth of an uneasy and immature heart, which is also an important concept of "New Power". Therefore, a lot of wheat was used as decoration throughout the performance venue. They scattered ripe wheat stalks on the ground. As for whether they are actually the wheat stalks in the music video, it is unknown.

Lu Yun pulled Luo Xi and desperately tried to squeeze towards the center of the stage, but with so many people and dim lighting, Luo Xi was worried that someone would be pushed over and trampled, so she stopped Lu Yun and they stood in the middle.

Luo Xi isn't considered tall among the trainees, but she has a height advantage here, so even if she's not standing in front, she won't be blocked and can clearly see the stage.

Golden wheat was tied to the back of the stage in the shape of waves and was also bundled up and placed on both sides of the drum kit. Microphones and warm yellow lights shone directly on the members of the Listening to the Sea Band. Amid the continuous applause, clapping and cheers of the audience, the four members performed to their hearts' content in their performance positions.

Their clothing designs also incorporated wheat elements.

Lead singer Ha Eun wore a long robe with a mask covering half of his face, a style he always sported. His robe was made from a single piece of linen fabric, which accentuated his wild and untamed appearance.

The blond bassist, Sun Yuyi, wore a T-shirt that matched the overall color scheme, just as he said on Weibo, he will never abandon his original look.

The guitarist, Qiao Wan, with her hair in a bun, wore a fluffy short skirt with a texture resembling wheat awns. Her favorite dolls were hanging on her clothes; all of them were handmade by herself. She herself has a sweet and cool style.

Drummer Nan Baozhi wore a gold leather overcoat, looking rugged and handsome, while keyboardist He Shenchen was dressed more casually and loosely, with ears of wheat placed in the pocket of his shirt as decoration.

Many people were recording videos; the black background was filled with the bright screens of their phones.

Luo Xi joined in the clapping and cheering, quickly becoming fully immersed in the atmosphere. She screamed and cheered loudly with the crowd, naturally swaying along in the exceptionally enthusiastic and joyful rhythm.

"Don't be easily defeated by coldness / Don't easily admit defeat / Fill everything that's missing, lost, and forgotten with love / Fill it—let it become your strength—the strength of your heart—"

The captivating guitar melody, the drumming, and the bass and electric piano blending in new harmonies gradually draw listeners into the positive atmosphere of the song. Just like the song title suggests, it gives people strength and the courage to move forward. Luo Xi couldn't control herself and desperately sang along at the top of her lungs.

"Fill with love everything that is missing, lost, and forgotten—make it your strength—the strength of your heart—"

"One more time!" Hein shouted to the crowd.

"Fill with love everything that is missing, lost, and forgotten—make it your strength—the strength of your heart—"

"People often ask me why we call ourselves the Listening to the Sea Band, and every time I answer, it's because we love it,"

The fans in the crowd enthusiastically echoed, "Because we love to hear the sea!"

"The next song, 'Listen to the Sea,' is for everyone!"

Luo Xi didn't keep up with the fans' pace, but that didn't stop her from screaming along. Lu Yun screamed even louder than Luo Xi.

After He Yin finished speaking, the accompaniment for "New Power" ended, and the keyboardist slowly began to play the emotional prelude to "Listen to the Sea"...

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Luo Xi and Lu Yun jumped and shouted, feeling moved and happy. These emotions alternated continuously for nearly an hour and a half until the performance was completely over.

Although they weren't on stage, they sang for an hour and a half without missing a beat, and they sang with all their might.

Lu Yun bought two cups of lemonade inside and walked around drinking them with Luo Xi, planning to find a place to hail a taxi after leaving the venue.

In fact, Lu Yun wearing sunglasses and Luo Xi wearing a mask, both dressed in black, and their striking appearance and demeanor in the crowd had already attracted a lot of attention.

Just as Luo Xi and his group were about to walk out of the small exit of the Shengshi Building, a few passersby finally mustered up the courage to ask:

"Hey, are you trainees? You guys are so handsome! If you're not trainees, is it okay if we add each other as friends?"

Luo Xi was a little nervous and was about to deny it when Lu Yun took off his sunglasses and said, "That's right, I am."

"Lu Yun!! Ahhhhh! I love you so much, and I can't believe I saw you here! Can we take a picture together?"

Are you my recommender?

"Of course! I've been pushing you the whole time, otherwise how would I recognize you?"

"Then I definitely have to take a picture with you! I'll take dozens of pictures of you so that it won't be a waste of all the time you've been recommending me, right?" Lu Yun enthusiastically took out his phone to take a picture with that person, and more and more people gathered around.

"Are they trainees from 'My Favorite Treasure 101'? In real life?"

"Lu Yun! I'm your recommender too!" "There are more recommenders here, come and take a picture with them!"