As Shao Mingyin’s hand paused with the pen, before he could raise his head, Liang Zhen had already stood up.

Liang Zhen felt embarrassed. Although he didn’t regret what he wanted to say and said it out loud, he still felt shy. His heart was pounding wildly, and if he stayed any longer, his face would surely turn red, which would be utterly embarrassing.

“I’ll go first, there’s a sudden selection I need to attend!” he said as he rushed out of the police station. Before leaving, he didn’t even turn back to shout, “You must come tomorrow night, I’ll be waiting for you!”

Perhaps the prizes were too tempting, resulting in an unusually high number of participants that year. Therefore, the organizers decided to hold a preliminary selection before the competition. After several dozen contestants battled it out until 2 in the morning, they finally selected sixteen. This number conveniently facilitated drawing lots and forming groups. However, even after the preliminary selection, Liang Zhen hadn’t slept much. Knowing oneself and knowing one’s opponent is the key to victory. The battle competition involved dissing opponents from head to toe, so Liang Zhen continued to listen to some contestants’ songs through his earphones, hoping to gather more material for his performance later on.

As the audience gradually gathered around the stage, Liang Zhen found it harder to concentrate. He frequently switched his phone’s screen to WeChat. About twenty minutes ago, he asked if Shao Mingyin had arrived, but there was still no reply from him.

Liang Zhen stared at his message, feeling increasingly frustrated. Yesterday, it was Song Zhou who accompanied him to the preliminary selection, and they were both late. So, they went back together after it ended. Since yesterday afternoon, he hadn’t talked to or seen Shao Mingyin. Liang Zhen regretted it now. If only he had been more persistent, Shao Mingyin was someone who could be persuaded with a soft approach. If he had acted cute and begged yesterday, Shao Mingyin would have definitely agreed. It wouldn’t have ended up like this, where he couldn’t even contact him.

Liang Zhen could hear the buzzing discussions from the audience outside the stage. The audience was gathering gradually. He leaned out, almost hanging half of his body on the stage, but couldn’t see clearly due to the lights below. So, he pulled back and sent the same message to Shao Mingyin again. Just as he sent it, someone from behind hugged him. Liang Zhen closed his phone’s screen and looked up, realizing it was Jewish.

Of course, Jewish wasn’t his real name, but it was a common practice in their circle to address each other by their stage names. Only Liang Zhen hadn’t come up with one yet.

After exchanging greetings, Jewish reached into his pocket, intending to offer Liang Zhen a cigarette. Liang Zhen waved his hand, firmly stating that he had quit smoking.

You can’t just quit smoking like that. Jewish lit his own Blue Leaf cigarette and offered the pack to Liang Zhen. “Just one.”

“I really don’t smoke, and I have to sing later.”

“Alright, then I’ll be even more vigilant.” Jewish said, putting his cigarette back. “I checked the draw for the matchups, and it seems we might face off in the end. I’m going along with the trend before the match, so if you’re not smoking, I won’t either.”

“You’re quite considerate, buddy.” Liang Zhen playfully punched Jewish’s chest. They had a good relationship and had collaborated before. Regardless of how intense the competition might get later on stage, they were good friends off stage.

“That’s because you’ve got the skills.” Jewish smiled, but with a hint of confidence, “But who wins is still uncertain. Don’t forget, this is Wenzhou.”

“I got it,” Liang Zhen replied confidently. Their fists bumped against each other. “See you on stage.”

“See you on stage.”

As Jewish said, this was Wenzhou, and many of the final selected rappers were locals. While talking to them, Jewish used the Wenzhou dialect. Liang Zhen couldn’t understand and couldn’t join the conversation. He just stood near the stage. He drew lots for the first round, and with only a few minutes left before the competition officially began, he could see an MC hosting, the microphone volume was particularly loud, there was a DJ trying out mixes, and the accompanying music was getting people pumped up. Around him, there were conversations in Mandarin, Wenzhou dialect, and a mix of both. He could see half of the audience area from where he stood in the waiting area.

Unlike concerts or music festivals, livehouses didn’t have security and isolation equipment. As long as you arrived early enough, you could stand close to the stage, able to touch the floor of the stage, which was about one and a half meters high. The competition hadn’t started yet, but the crowd around the stage was already dense. Liang Zhen heard that more than four hundred tickets were sold that night, and the livehouse wasn’t very big. If everyone got really excited later, the scene would definitely be spectacular.

At the same time, his first opponent was also standing backstage on the other side of the stage.

After glancing at the opposite backstage, Liang Zhen still tried to look into the crowd. He knew that if that person really came, he wouldn’t stand at the very front. Those at the front were hardcore hip-hop fans, and if you arrived late, you couldn’t squeeze in. That person wouldn’t be among the crowd. Everyone here came to watch battles and listen to freestyle, and as long as any contestant performed well, they would cheer. Liang Zhen couldn’t imagine that person expressing such outward emotions. If it weren’t for meeting Liang Zhen, he wouldn’t have had any opportunity to engage in rap.

If he really came, he would only stand restrained at the back. However, the farther back, the darker it was, and he couldn’t have a broad enough view to see the entire audience area clearly.

He didn’t see Shao Mingyin either.

Liang Zhen sighed, his hands in his pockets, tilting his head dejectedly. He couldn’t hear clearly what the MC was saying anymore. The Wenzhou dialect and Mandarin spoken around him, and the rhythm played by the DJ, were no longer important. This made the vibration of his phone in his pocket particularly clear at this moment. Without thinking, he took it out, full of joy as he was about to unlock it, only to find that it was a message from Song Zhou.

Liang Zhen’s heart fluctuated wildly, almost feeling too frustrated to bother looking, but reluctantly squinted and looked when he saw the keywords, his eyes widening instantly.

Song Zhou said, “Officer Shao is right next to me. He asked me to tell you.”

Liang Zhen’s hands were shaking, and he started to smile, unable to contain himself. But rationality drove him to seek confirmation.

He asked Song Zhou, “Is it true?”

Meanwhile, Shao Mingyin, who was standing at the back of the stage near the door, had just arrived. He had gone home for something first, which delayed him. It was his first time in such a place, and he couldn’t imagine there would be so many people. He didn’t believe Liang Zhen could spot him from hundreds of people. He was about to text him when he realized he had forgotten his phone at home. If he hadn’t coincidentally met Song Zhou, he might have been embarrassed enough to ask a stranger to help him make a call.

After sending that message, when the two looked back at the stage, they noticed that whenever the stage lights swept toward the area near the backstage, there was a figure caught in the light, holding a phone, with a wide grin on his face.

Shao Mingyin:…

Song Zhou:…

Shao Mingyin: “Can you do me a favor and send another message to Liang Zhen?”

Liang Zhen was holding his phone, completely ignoring any sense of decorum. Today’s Song Zhou was not only reliable but also quick to respond. He sent another message promptly.

Song Zhou: “Yes, Officer Shao’s phone is left at home. He asked me to tell you not to hang around backstage, as the stage light will shine on you. Also, don’t smile so happily; rappers should look cool.”

Liang Zhen quickly retreated backstage and replied: “Where exactly are you guys?”

Song Zhou: “At the back. There are too many people today.”

Liang Zhen: “Hmm, can you see clearly?”

Song Zhou: “We can see clearly.”

Liang Zhen continued to hold his phone. Since the stage lights couldn’t reach him now, he continued to smile foolishly. He was about to type a response when Song Zhou sent a voice message. Liang Zhen, without any thought, opened it, held the phone to his ear, and heard a “you can do it.”

He heard Shao Mingyin saying, “Liang Zhen, you can do it.”

Despite the lively and noisy atmosphere in the livehouse, there wasn’t much fluctuation in the emotions in that voice message, but it was clear. Liang  Zhen could even imagine Shao Mingyin borrowing Song Zhou’s phone, covering one hand near his mouth to speak into the microphone, fearing poor sound quality. 

At that moment, Liang Zhen truly felt the heat, and all the sounds around him returned — the Wenzhou dialect, Mandarin, the rhythm played by the DJ… everything became vivid again. He heard bursts of cheers from the crowd, and he saw his first opponent walking towards the center of the stage. Someone handed him a microphone.

At that moment, he heard the MC’s introduction: “Lanzhou, Liang Zhen.”

At that moment, he knew that in the next second, when he stepped forward, Shao Mingyin would see him. In the next moment when he stepped forward, Shao Mingyin would not just hear, but see him.

—Shao Mingyin was watching. He couldn’t let Shao Mingyin down.

After that moment, Liang Zhen took the microphone, like a spirited young general, and walked forward without looking back.