Chapter Twenty: The Rehearsal

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On June 25, Chen Ling and Fan Zheng flew directly from the capital city airport to Taiwan. This scene was captured by several reporters and paparazzi who were stationed at the airport year-round. As a result, the news “Rising star of the music industry travels with album producer to Taiwan to attend the Golden Melody Awards” quickly shot to the trending topics.

For a time, many mainland netizens and media outlets turned their attention to Taiwan, since over the years, mainland singers had rarely had the chance to compete at the Golden Melody Awards. Soon after, several video streaming sites announced they would broadcast the Golden Melody Awards live online.

The 21st Golden Melody Awards ceremony would be held the evening of the 26th at the Little Arena, and almost all the big names who had been nominated had confirmed their attendance. The official website’s list of attending guests was being updated in real time.

The reason Chen Ling and Fan Zheng arrived a day early was because they had previously received notice from the Golden Melody Awards organizers, who hoped Chen Ling could perform a song during the award ceremony. If Chen Ling agreed, he would need to arrive a day in advance to participate in the rehearsal.

Chen Ling did not refuse; after all, performing on the stage of the Golden Melody Awards was a rare opportunity. In his last life, Chen Ling had also longed to perform on stage or even hold a concert, but he never had the chance or the strength to do so.

That never dampened Chen Ling’s longing for the stage, and this time, the audience would be filled with stars like A-Mei, David Tao, Eason Chan, and JJ Lin. The thought of singing their songs right in front of the original artists gave Chen Ling a mischievous delight.

After all, the songs Chen Ling had released were ones these artists would publish in the future, but he had beaten them to it.

By the time Chen Ling and Fan Zheng’s flight landed, it was already afternoon. The two had eaten lunch on the plane, and the business class meal was quite good.

As soon as they left the airport, Golden Melody Awards staff were waiting for them. The two were treated with great respect for attending the ceremony, and the staff first took them to the official designated hotel. Rehearsals would not begin until later in the evening.

At the hotel, Fan Zheng greeted Chen Ling, said he was going to meet some friends and gather information, and then left.

So, the hotel room was left with only Chen Ling, who, finding himself idle and bored, posted a message on Weibo.

“About to start rehearsal for the Golden Melody Awards ceremony. I’ll be performing on stage—everyone, stay tuned!”

He attached a selfie, making a victory sign.

Netizens and fans quickly flooded the comments.

“So that’s why you went early—turns out you’re attending the rehearsal.”

“A live performance? Looking forward to it.”

“Wow, so handsome! Whether or not you win, you’ve definitely got the looks.”

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With nothing else to do, Chen Ling picked a few comments from netizens and replied to them. The fans who received replies were thrilled and responded enthusiastically, so Chen Ling found himself chatting idly with fans in the comment section below his post.

He kept at it until staff from the Golden Melody Awards came to notify him that it was time to go to the Little Arena for rehearsal.

……

Most large-scale galas and award ceremonies have rehearsals, but apart from the backstage crew, only the hosts and performance guests tend to participate. Of course, performance guests can choose not to attend rehearsals if they wish. After all, ceremonies like the Golden Melody Awards are broadcast online and on local TV stations in Taiwan, but the timing isn’t as rigid as, say, the Spring Festival Gala.

So, for guests who regularly attend various galas and awards shows, rehearsals aren’t strictly necessary—the hosts can handle the management of time.

But Chen Ling had never participated in any gala or award ceremony before, not even on a proper stage, and the organizers had no idea about his live singing ability.

That was the reason they required him to attend the rehearsal.

Chen Ling understood perfectly well—if he sang off-key or out of tune on stage, he wouldn’t just embarrass himself, but the Golden Melody Awards as well.

Netizens would surely ask, “Is this the level of a Golden Melody nominee?”

So, for the sake of the Golden Melody Awards’ reputation and the stage effect, Chen Ling had to attend the rehearsal.

And what if his live singing was a disaster? The simplest solution would be to lip-sync. But with a crowd of professional singers in the audience, anyone could spot lip-syncing, and it would be a huge embarrassment, especially in Taiwan. If the news spread back to the mainland, the criticism would be overwhelming.

Of course, he could also choose not to perform; the Golden Melody Awards wouldn’t force him. There were plenty of singers willing to take his place at any time.

But, confident in his own skills, Chen Ling chose to perform live.

After all, he had good talent, had undergone special training these past few months, and the song he chose wasn’t particularly difficult—it was more than enough for him to handle.

The hosts for tomorrow night’s awards ceremony would be Harlem and Xiao S. While waiting backstage during rehearsal, Chen Ling met the singer known in Taiwan as the “musical rascal” for the first time.

It was just a brief introduction and exchange, as they didn’t know each other well and it was the rehearsal site, so they didn’t chat much. Out of courtesy, they exchanged contact information.

Since the rehearsal wasn’t formal, the hosts didn’t go on stage.

When the staff signaled Chen Ling, he stepped onto the stage alone.

He put on his in-ear monitor, and suddenly most of the background noise faded, allowing him to hear the music’s rhythm clearly.

People often see singers on stage with earphones in one ear; these are actually called in-ear monitors.

At a live concert, especially a large one, the noise from tens of thousands of people can make it hard for singers to hear the backing track, which can affect their performance.

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It’s like that time on “I Am a Singer” when G.E.M. had to stop her performance halfway through because of a problem with her in-ear monitor. Only after it was fixed could she resume.

So, wearing an in-ear monitor is essential. Of course, some very confident singers choose not to use one.

Chen Ling didn’t have that level of skill or confidence, so he made sure to wear his in-ear monitor.

Hearing the melody come through clearly, Chen Ling gestured an “OK” to the stage director and began singing.

When he finished, he was quite satisfied with his performance. Judging from the expressions of Harlem and the stage director in the audience, he knew he’d nailed it.

He should have no problem with his performance at tomorrow’s ceremony. Noticing Chen Ling’s gaze, Harlem even gave him a thumbs-up.

In response, Chen Ling smiled back. Whether Harlem genuinely thought he sang well or was just being polite, Chen Ling had to respond—otherwise, it would be rude.

He was representing not just himself, but also the image of mainland singers as a whole. Good manners were essential, especially since you never knew how many reporters’ cameras were hidden in the corners.

Chen Ling was well aware of how relentless the media could be in Hong Kong and Taiwan—they would write about anything!

Once recording was done, Chen Ling didn’t linger at the venue. With no acquaintances around, he preferred to return to the hotel and get some sleep.

Fan Zheng was off visiting friends somewhere, and by the time Chen Ling finished rehearsal and returned to the hotel, he still hadn’t returned.

It wasn’t until late at night, as Chen Ling was about to sleep, that Fan Zheng came back reeking of alcohol—Chen Ling only realized he’d returned because of the noise in the next room.

Even though Fan Zheng was slurring his words incoherently, at least he’d made it back and hadn’t stayed out all night, which put Chen Ling at ease. After all, if Fan Zheng had spent the night out and been photographed by reporters, who knows what stories would be written?

They had come together—whether it was glory or disgrace, they shared it.

When Fan Zheng saw Chen Ling, he mumbled happily, though Chen Ling couldn’t make out what he was saying, but he could feel Fan Zheng’s joy.

Fan Zheng had once been driven out of Taiwan—he hadn’t left willingly. Clearly, he’d been holding onto this for years, and even though the results of the Golden Melody Awards tomorrow night were still unknown, at least he had received a nomination. As the album’s producer, being invited back with a nomination was a chance to hold his head high in front of old friends and colleagues.

After settling Fan Zheng, Chen Ling returned to his own room.

Chen Ling had always slept well—usually straight through until morning. That night, there was no incident of someone knocking on his door at midnight, so it seemed the Golden Melody Awards’ arrangements were reliable.