Chapter Eighteen: The Return of "Hellfire"

After a night of commotion, Lin Qihua was unaware of it all. After a simple wash, he quickly fell asleep, and by the time he woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

"This is really not a good habit," Lin Qihua muttered, shaking his head as he went into the bathroom to freshen up. If he hadn’t come home so late last night, he would never have slept in so late. Staying up late so often was terrible for his health, but unfortunately, his current situation didn’t allow him to choose his lifestyle.

Han Dong must have returned; breakfast was still on the table, the lingering warmth indicating he had spent another night working through till dawn.

After a simple meal, Lin Qihua went out for a run in a nearby park, keeping to the habits he’d maintained for years—if he didn't move his body each day, something felt amiss. Then, finding a secluded corner, he warmed up his voice.

"Sigh, I’ll have to get used to days like this..." He soon worked up a sweat and strolled back home, picking up some groceries for lunch along the way. Whenever possible, Lin Qihua preferred not to eat takeout for every meal—it was pure torment for a food lover.

By the time lunch was ready, Han Dong woke up "right on time." Seeing the steaming food on the table, he looked genuinely touched. "Days like this, they’re just..."

"That’s why you should really think about finding yourself a good wife—she’d cook for you every day."

"Forget it. Guys like us shouldn’t mess with decent women," Han Dong replied, shaking his head.

"Are you still thinking about Sister Lulu?" Lin Qihua asked cautiously.

Han Dong paused, his chopsticks in midair, but soon resumed as if nothing had happened. "That’s all ancient history," he answered carelessly. "Why bring it up now?"

Lin Qihua just chuckled and didn’t press the matter. Han Dong’s expression had already betrayed him—a true romantic at heart. Sister Lulu was now a second-tier celebrity at "Huayi," but she’d once been a kind and lovely trainee, widely acknowledged as Han Dong’s perfect match. Fate had other plans: the newly appointed Guo Shao at the company took a fancy to her, pursued her to no avail, and then tried to force himself on her—only to be nearly crippled by the hot-tempered Han Dong. After that, Han Dong’s career never recovered. Under Han Dong’s desperate protection, Lulu remained unharmed and successfully debuted.

"In truth, Sister Lulu still cares about you. If you just said the word, she’d show up in front of you this instant. You know that," Lin Qihua said, looking at the forlorn Han Dong.

"Xiao Hua," Han Dong replied gravely, "you know our story. I won’t pretend otherwise—it’s impossible between us now. No matter how much we cared back then, it’s been so many years; feelings fade."

"I think it’s more like you both can’t forget, but neither of you dares take that step, afraid to hurt the other. Honestly," Lin Qihua shook his head. "Sister Lulu’s never had a boyfriend for your sake—not even a single rumor. Why is that? And you, with your talent—if you left this circle, you could easily land a job as a music director or something similar. Yet you can’t let her go—content to stay in the same city, quietly watching over her, right?"

Han Dong remained silent. Seeing this, Lin Qihua dropped the subject. Though he was curious about the mysterious "Sister Lian," it was probably just another of Han Dong’s confidantes.

After lunch, Lin Qihua tidied up and headed out, leaving Han Dong silently smoking. Lin Qihua’s words had stirred up old memories, and some wounds, no matter how many years passed, would still bleed when touched.

When Lin Qihua arrived at the bar, the rest of "Hellfire" was already there. Perhaps because this was the first real gathering of the whole band, everyone seemed especially excited. The one who truly caught everyone’s eye was Nana. Following Lin Qihua’s suggestion, she’d removed her heavy makeup, opting for a more natural look. Her lively eyes and delicate, oval face were framed by long black hair, simply tied in a bun at the back. Dressed in a white shirt and black jeans, her graceful figure left everyone stunned.

"Who ever said Nana wasn’t a beauty?" Liu Xing exclaimed in mock despair. "Heavens, I’ve known her so long and only now realize how beautiful she truly is!"

A Hui and the others were equally dazzled—it was clear Nana’s transformation was a revelation.

Lin Qihua gave her a thumbs-up. "Even prettier than I imagined."

Nana covered her mouth and laughed softly. With her new look, even her temperament seemed gentler. "Don’t forget the song you promised me."

"Don’t worry. I’ll write you a song as soon as possible—whether we sing it together or you perform solo, it’s up to you," Lin Qihua assured her.

"Enough chatting," Ah Hui called out. "We’ve got a lot of songs to rehearse today. Let’s not give anyone reason to mock us."

"Right," Lin Qihua agreed. "We’ll have to work hard—because I want to debut a new song as our band’s main track."

"Oh?" Ah Hui’s eyes lit up. "Another one of your originals?"

"You could say that," Lin Qihua replied, handing out sheet music tailored to each member’s role. "This song is a real test for both the lead vocalist and the guitarist."

"Haha, you probably don’t know," Liu Xing said mischievously. "Ah Hui here was once one of the Four Guitar Kings of Beijing’s underground scene. The tougher the challenge, the more fired up he gets."

"That’s perfect—I’ll be singing lead, and I’ll be counting on all of you for the accompaniment," Lin Qihua said, glancing in surprise at Ah Hui’s hidden past.

"This song..." Ah Hui’s hands trembled as he looked over the music. "You really wrote this?"

"Of course," Lin Qihua nodded. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all! I’ll practice till I drop if I have to!" Ah Hui suddenly shouted. "Come on, everyone—take your places and practice hard. We’re performing this tonight, and anyone who slacks off will answer to me!"

"What’s with him? Did he eat gunpowder for breakfast?" Liu Xing muttered as he sat at the drum set.

"Keep talking, and you’ll be sorry," Ah Hui threatened with a sly grin.

"Not a chance," Liu Xing straightened up at once. "Come on—let’s run toward the sunlight of youth!"

"What nonsense," Ah Hui laughed, exasperated. "Hurry up and get familiar with your parts. We’ll do a full run-through soon. Tonight’s set will feature this song as the main act, alongside Lin’s solo. We have limited time, so let’s focus. I’ll treat everyone to a late-night snack after."

"Yeah!" Everyone responded enthusiastically, diving into their parts with impressive discipline. Lin Qihua couldn’t help but be impressed, both by their cohesion and by Ah Hui’s leadership.

The song posed the greatest challenge to the lead singer and guitarist, but Lin Qihua knew it inside out. As for Ah Hui, his reputation as one of the Four Guitar Kings was well-deserved—once he’d run through the score a few times, he had it down.

They began rehearsing together. At first, mistakes and missteps were inevitable, but that was to be expected—nothing is perfect on the first try. Gradually, as they practiced and polished their performance, the melody grew more captivating, fueling everyone’s motivation. They were already imagining the excitement this song would ignite tonight. The "Hellfire" band, after a brief slump, was making its return—ready to electrify the crowd.

Afterward, they rehearsed other songs as well. One evening’s performance needed more than just one or two numbers to hold the stage, so extra practice was necessary. Fortunately, the other songs were all recent hits and not too difficult. Thanks to the band’s proficiency and Lin Qihua’s own skill, they quickly achieved a tight ensemble.

After several rounds of practice, they finally took a break, each of them stretching their aching arms and groaning with exhaustion. Hours of near-continuous rehearsal, maintaining focus the entire time, was no small feat. If not for their collective excitement and Ah Hui’s strong organization, they could never have reached this level of readiness in such a short time.

As they ate their takeout in the lounge, the "Rose" and "Standard" bands arrived, fashionably late. Since they didn’t need to work on their chemistry, it was natural for them to gather later.

"Looks like you all worked hard today," Sister Yu said after a moment’s hesitation. Her tone was less sharp than usual—perhaps Lin Qihua’s performance the previous night had made her realize that with him in "Hellfire," her days of pushing them around were over.

"For the sake of the show, we had to," Liu Xing replied between bites, his tone more excited than regretful. "Just wait and see—we’ll blow everyone away tonight!"

"Oh really?" Sister Yu arched an eyebrow, glancing at Nana. "It seems Nana’s changed a lot too. So pure and sweet now—how nice."

"Hmph." Nana, though secretly pleased, refused to admit it—after all, this woman had once been her sworn enemy (at least in her own mind).

"In any case, good luck! I’m rooting for you," the middle-aged man added with his hearty laugh—a standard part of his persona, so very different from his intense demeanor on stage the night before.

"Let’s all do our best," Lin Qihua replied. "The three of our bands are on the same team here. Our real competition is the other bar bands. The better we do, the more crowds and business we’ll bring in—everyone wins."

"True enough," Sister Yu replied, her eyes seductive, unfazed by Nana’s glare. "So go for it tonight—I’m counting on you."