Chapter 19: The Sound of Spring Music Festival (2) 

I stood against the wall of the hotel lounge, quietly observing the flurry of activities happening around me. There were queues forming in front of a row of dining tables with dinner bento boxes neatly stacked on them. A few people wearing lanyards with tags that said 'Staff' or 'Volunteer' were handing out the packed food to those in line. I watched as a young man at the front of one of the queues reported that he was a staff of Zhao Boying's team before a volunteer hoisted up a red plastic bag of bento boxes from under the table and handed it over to him. As the man carried the food away and left the lounge area, I moved from my spot towards the start of the shortest looking queue.

Keeping my head down and eyes glued onto my phone screen, I followed along with the fast moving queue. Although I had many years of training in different performing arts and public speaking, it was still uncomfortable being on my own in a foreign place, carrying out unfamiliar tasks, and having to interact with strangers. Ever since I agreed to become Mobius Band's assistant-for-the-weekend, I found myself having to communicate on a professional level with the organisers non-stop. After coordinating the timing for Mobius Band's rehearsal last night, I had to travel along with the band to the performance venue—which was a park about a twenty-minute drive away—to video the their rehearsal, coordinate further with the crew on-site, and discuss with the backstage crew on the preparation process backstage for today's performance. After returning to the hotel, I had to sit through a long debriefing session for the staff and volunteers of the organisers as well as the staff members of the performers, which only concluded half past one in the morning.

Yawning, I tapped on the notification of a message from Liu Haowen. His message read: Can you get six packets of food?

I looked up at the queue which had only one person in front of me. Good thing that his message didn't come too late.

"I'm collecting six packets of food on behalf of Mobius Band," I informed the staff member while gesturing with my hand the number "six".

She gave me a once-over before her gaze landed on my event tag. As she packed six boxes of food into a plastic bag, she pointed to a clipboard in front of her and told me to write down which team I belonged to and the quantity of food collected. After signing off on the list, I picked up the bag of food and hurried off towards the lift lobby. Walking past the crowded lobby, I made a beeline for the stairs. Glancing up at the unending flight of stairs above me, I took a deep breath. Thankfully, the lounge was on the fourth floor and the band members' rooms were on the sixth floor.

Emerging from the stairwell on the sixth floor, I leaned against the wall of the hallway while catching my breath. Only when my heart calmed down did I continue on my way towards Room 605 where everyone was gathered for a rest before the concert this evening.

When I entered the room, Tao Xiang, Gao Yi and Cheng Yujin were busily playing a game on their phones, and Liu Haowen was out of sight. Behind me, the bathroom door rolled open and Chen Zhanwei stepped out while drying his hands on his pants. Seeing me, a sheepish smile formed on his pale face as he tried to take the bag of food from me.

"No need to thank me," I said, avoiding his hands and placed the bag on the countertop instead. "Hope you are feeling better."

Assisting to unpack the dinner boxes, Chen Zhanwei nodded. "Yes, much better. I'll be able to join you guys live at the festival tonight. There's no change to the schedule, right?"

I pulled out my phone from my pocket and checked the WeChat group chat comprised of all the managers and assistants of the various artistes and groups performing at the music festival. "No new updates since this morning. We're performing at 7.25pm, so we need to report to the venue before 6pm."

"Then we better tell them that we have to reach by 5.30pm. You'll be surprised to know that this bunch of grown men can tarry until the cows come home."

***

Backstage, the air was thick with anticipation as backstage crew members, stylists and makeup artists hurried from one performer to another. The muffled voices of the emcees reverberated through the air, signalling that it was time for the next performance. I checked the time on my phone and the performance order—after this performance, it would be Mobius Band's turn.

Following the instructions of a backstage crew member, we made our way towards the side of the stage. My gaze lingered on Cheng Yujin as a sense of nostalgia washed over me. But at the thought of how this could possibly be the last time that he would perform on stage, the smile on my face faltered.

"Shen Yan, over here," called Chen Zhanwei, waving his hand and beckoning me over to join their circle just as I finally caught a glimpse of the dazzling stage. Walking regretfully away from the wings to participate in their pre-performance pep talk, it finally sunk in that I had been cheated by Liu Haowen and Tan Qing (who was his partner-in-crime). The exclusive and personal up-close experience that I was supposed to have as an assistant would only be limited to Mobius Band's performance.

However, my disappointment was only fleeting.

As promised, standing at the side of the stage, I was granted a once-in-a-lifetime vantage point to witness their mesmerising performance. At the moment that Mobius Band stepped onto the smoke-shrouded stage, the crowd beneath erupted into cheers and screams. Peering out at the audience, I even spotted a few LED signs with the name of the band and its members on them. As Gao Yi eagerly greeted the audience with a loud, energetic voice, the venue once again reverberated with thunderous applause and cheers.

Each note and word was carefully sung by Gao Yi with raw emotions as the music swelled. The booming bass, the precise drumbeats and the striking chords which resonated from the keyboard stirred the depths of my soul. There was an unspoken connection between the four members, their chemistry delivering a blended symphony of melodies and rhythms that evoke deep emotions from the audience.

Being so close to Cheng Yujin, I could even see the sweat glistening on his forehead and the passion radiating on his face. What his fans said was true—Yujin-gege always looked the happiest when he was performing on stage. A bittersweet feeling engulfed me once again; but when Mobius Band moved on to their final song—an upbeat pop song—and opened with a catchy and lively tune, I was immediately hooked and my spirits lifted. From the wings, Chen Zhanwei and I clapped along to the pulsating music; and as I listened to him sing his lungs out, I thought that it was a little regretful that he was not a member of the band.

Wearing expressions of exuberance and joy, Mobius Band stepped off the stage after a satisfactory performance. Chen Zhanwei rushed over to congratulate them with high-fives and fist-bumps. As everyone basked in the afterglow of a successful performance, I followed behind them quietly with a proud smile on my face. A few steps later, Cheng Yujin suddenly stopped as if remembering something. Turning around, he noticed me trailing behind and waited for me to catch up.

I held out a thumbs-up sign and flashed my broadest smile. "That was a good performance. The only thing I didn't like about it was that you only sang one song—and it was only the verses."

Lowering my voice, I added: "When you were a singer, it was near impossible to get a ticket to your live concerts. What a shame that even with an up-close and personal experience, I didn't get a chance to listen to you sing more."

Cheng Yujin looked at me amusedly. "I didn't know that you were a fan of mine—you didn't seem like one."

"I am your fan; but unfortunately, I am not eligible to join your fan club," I laughed nervously as my cheeks grew warm. "I don't have enough commitment to qualify."

"I see," he laughed softly and didn't appear to be upset, which was comforting to me—until his next question, at least. "So, I suppose that you didn't have enough commitment to attend my concerts?"

"That's not true," I replied, with a glower. "I finally managed get a ticket to your Shanghai show in December 2022 from a friend who is your super fan, but then I got into an accident the day before."

He titled his head, looking confused as he echoed after me, "you—got into an accident? I thought it was me who got into an accident before my Shanghai show."

I blinked at him blankly. As images of a road accident flashed across my eyes, I immediately shut them and shook my head. Was that my imagination or was I hallucinating from the exhaustion?

When I opened my eyes, memories of me waking up to a world where Celebrity Cheng Yujin did not exist flooded into my head.

"Oh—oh. Yes. What am I saying?" I exclaimed dazedly, hearing my voice in an indistinct stammer. "Yes—you got into an accident and time travelled and when I woke up the next morning, I found myself in an alternate reality where you were not a celebrity. And in that reality, there was no concert to attend."

Cheng Yujin looked at me uneasily. "Yes..."

Pointing at him with a smug smile on my face, I exclaimed, "therefore, it was you who ruined my chance to watch your concert!"

Dropping his gaze to the ground, his eyes darkened. I expected him to have some sort of reaction, but he only remained silent and continued walking ahead. But as the gap between us and the others grew wider, I realised that he seemed slightly dispirited.

"Sorry, I not actually blaming you. I'm really sorry about your accident."

Cheng Yujin looked at me and forced a smile. "No, you don't have to apologise. I know you didn't mean it that way."

I studied him with apprehensive eyes, feeling a little flustered. As I was pondering on an appropriate reply to him—other than another apology—I saw from the corner of my eyes a group of people in their late teens and early twenties closing in on us. When we reached the entrance of the open-space carpark of the park where the festival was taking place, we found ourselves surrounded on all sides by them. Judging from the flowers, small gift boxes and name signs they were holding, they must be Mobius Band's fans.

"Excuse me, everyone. Please don't push and pull. Kindly maintain some distance please," said Chen Zhanwei, shouting over the chatter and excited screams.

In the reality where Cheng Yujin was a celebrity, I had seen him being mobbed by fans before. Even though he was not an A-list idol or one of the kings of Mandopop, he was still considered a top celebrity in the professional music industry. He had about 11.7 million followers on Weibo and and multiple fan groups on Weibo and WeChat. Whenever Cheng Yujin appeared at the airport, swarms of fans would be gathering around him and following him around, even onto the plane.

The group of around twenty young men and women buzzing around Mobius Band like bees right now greatly paled in comparison. Even so, I was slightly shocked to see that they had more fans than I had imagined they would have—especially since they were only a college band which had only a presence on the internet and had not yet made their official debut in the mainstream music industry.

These early fans of Mobius Band were right now squealing excitedly and mindlessly shrieking the names of the band members. Some were shoving letters and handmade gifts into their hands, while other were reaching out to shake their idols' hands and asking for autographs.

"Gao Yi! Liu Haoran!"

"I loved your performance!"

"Could I get your autograph please?"

"Jin-ge!"

"Xiaojiejie, could you pass this letter to Gao Yi?"

"Are you their new staff member? We haven't seen you before. Could you give this to Tao Xiang?"

The lighting from the sparse lampposts in the carpark was dim and I was unable to clearly see the faces of the fans who were pushing letters into my hands. Amidst the chaotic screaming and pushing, I could only accept them and continue to jostle my way forward towards the van so that I would not be separated from the others.

A large force hit me from my left, causing me to stagger sideways; but because someone else bumped into me from the back, I lost my footing and tripped over my feet. Before I could fall forward, a strong hand shot out to grasped my arm, catching me just in time. Looking upwards, I saw Cheng Yujin. Seeing that I had regained my footing, he pulled me forward through the crowd of fans which seemed to have grown in size.

"Haoran-gege! Are you all returning to the hotel now?"

"When are you guys performing again? Will you guys release new songs online? It's been so long since you've last released a new song."

"Yujin-ge, I've finally found you. Nice to see you again."

"Will we be able to have more songs sung by Yujin-ge next time?'

"Mobius fighting!"

"Yi-ge!"

"Xiang-dage!"

"Liu Haoran!"

Suddenly, I felt Cheng Yujin stopped moving and his grip on me tightened. Looking at him again, I found him searching the crowd with bewildered eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked, tugging on his arm.

"I thought I heard something."

"Heard what?" I questioned, puzzled. My eyes swept across the smiling and exhilarated faces of the people around us, but it was all a blur to me. The scene right now was loud, with everyone shouting over one another, wanting to be heard. All the talking and screaming were blended into one indistinct cacophony of voices.

Suddenly, someone shoved me again, pushing me towards Cheng Yujin. Pressed up suffocatingly against him, I looked up and saw his mouth move, but I couldn't register a single word that he said. In a split second, the world around me swayed and muted itself; and a moment later, I felt myself being plunged into darkness.

***

I felt myself floating out of a peaceful realm and into a hazy one, where I drifted between consciousness and oblivion. My surroundings grew dark and blurry, and was filled with a cacophony of distorted voices. Then, my vision was suddenly obscured by a faint reddish hue.

"Clear!" A loud shout pierced through the clamour, before my world shook with tingling reverberations.

Through a very thin crack in my barely open eyes, I could vaguely make out fragmented images of a group of people in white coats surrounding me. Somewhere behind them, my parents' faces faintly appeared. The sound of my name, carried by the urgent voices of my parents as they whispered desperate prayers, drifted through the disjointed utterances to reach my ears.

I strained my ears, trying to make out the words that the doctors around me were saying, but I only hear the insistence and urgency in their tensed voices. A doctor's voice seemed to stand out from the others, as he lowered the paddles and again called out "Clear!".

The heart monitor began to beat erratically as the doctors buzzed around me.

Then, a relieved voice breathed out hopeful words that caressed my ears: "The patient's vitals have stabilised."

As my parents' blurry figures rushed forward towards my bedside, I tried forcing my eyes opened; but my world swayed once more before blurring further as I dipped back into unconsciousness, emerging from what felt like a fleeting yet chaotic dream, and returning to a sense of calm and tranquility.

***