Chapter 105: The Black Butterfly on the Stage

The three female contestants for the night had already taken the stage in succession. Despite their masks, it was not difficult for the audience to guess who was behind them. At this moment, the scoreboard on the big screen showed Ye Linyun’s performance far in the lead. She sat comfortably in the lounge, having removed her mask, her face full of pride.

Based on her performance just now, she had completely blown the previous two country bumpkins out of the water. Compared to her? Ha, they were nothing more than props to make her look good.

"Sister Yun, the audience was completely mesmerized," her assistant, Xiao Zhu, said while massaging her calves, trying to curry favor.

"Hmph," Ye Linyun snorted, "As if you needed to tell me that."

"Next up, I’m afraid the female fans in the audience won’t be able to contain themselves. Let me whisper a secret: it’s a male contestant," He Liang said as he stepped onto the stage, now dressed in a dark blue suit. Beside him, Qin Yue, wearing a dark green long dress, responded excitedly, "That’s why I changed my outfit!"

"What good is you changing? The heartthrob belongs to everyone, right?" He Liang glanced at her and turned to ask the audience.

"Yes!" the female fans roared in unison.

"Ruoyu! Ruoyu!"
"Chu Chuo! Chu Chuo!"

The fans on both sides shouted until their throats were hoarse, neither willing to let the other gain the upper hand.

"Without further ado, let’s welcome our heartthrob!" He Liang announced before exiting the stage.

The stage plunged into darkness. The fans in the audience held their breath in anticipation, and the live stream comments scrolled by in a frenzy. Who would appear? What kind of spectacle would they bring? Everyone was consumed by anxiety and excitement.

"Boom!"

Why was there the sound of a motorcycle engine?

A dim beam of light hit the left side of the stage, and a glossy black Ducati motorcycle leaped onto the platform.

He actually rode a motorcycle directly onto the stage?! There was no need to guess—it had to be Chu Chuo.

"Chu Chuo! Chu Chuo!"

His fans began to scream; only the "Overlord Chu" had such audacity.

With a graceful drift, the motorcycle came to a halt in the center of the stage. "Shh."

In the darkness, only the man’s bright eyes were faintly visible. He whispered a soft, low note, and the restless fans were instantly calmed.

"Snap!" A spotlight hit the bike. Chu Chuo was dressed in a studded black leather jacket over a white t-shirt. His mother-of-pearl earrings shone brighter than diamonds under the lights.

With his black hair cropped short and wearing a black velvet mask, a slight smirk touched the corners of his mouth. Just that single smile was enough to capture the hearts of millions of girls.

Unlike his usual flamboyant style, Chu Chuo was dressed remarkably simply today. Aside from his signature red agate necklace and an obsidian tail ring, he wore nothing else, yet it radiated an extraordinary, handsome aura. His tall, lean frame hunched over the bike, looking as solitary and proud as a black butterfly about to take flight.

Lin Zhiwei watched the red agate necklace from afar and frowned. A strange sensation stirred in her heart; she searched her memory for any information about the necklace, but found nothing. Perhaps she had seen something similar before, so she didn't dwell on it.

"God, oh my god, looking at him like this... that demon really suits this style..." Mei Ning had appeared beside Lin Zhiwei and Xiao Yu at some point. Chu Chuo’s fashion choices were always a hot topic for media and fan bickering, often pitted against Ling Ziheng’s style.

But today, Chu Chuo hadn't used any cluttered accessories. Instead, he utilized the motorcycle and a simple studded leather jacket. Even while masked, he exuded a brilliant, dashing charm, perfectly showcasing his innate rebelliousness and flair.

"He was born for the stage; he just wasn't on the right path before," Lin Zhiwei remarked, observing Chu Chuo’s unique entrance.

"Director Lin, why are you switching sides? Compared to our boss, no matter how 'blossoming' he tries to be, he’s still... well, just that," Mei Ning said dismissively.

"It has nothing to do with character or anything else. Looking purely at the stage, Chu Chuo naturally has a great presence; he just never took it seriously," Lin Zhiwei said calmly.

Lu Ran, standing nearby, nodded in appreciation. Although this Director Lin was young, her insights were remarkably unique. He hadn't worked with Chu Chuo for the first time today; he remembered when Chu Chuo first debuted on a talent show called *Young King*.

He remembered a boy in a white shirt and jeans, a cigarette dangling from his mouth backstage. After taking the stage, he performed a classic old song, "Let Her Go," which was enough to set the whole audience on fire. He still remembered the boy's disdainful yet uninhibited expression.

The stage lights remained dim. The more the fans tried to look closely, the less they could see, which only made them more agitated.

Chu Chuo hopped off the motorcycle, and as the bike slowly descended on the rotating platform, a pure white piano rose behind it. Chu Chuo’s lonely figure, cast under a single beam of light, was particularly heartbreaking.

He sat slowly before the piano, and the sorrowful melody instantly invaded the minds of everyone present. All the passion and aesthetics of the previous performances were now transformed into a melancholy that seeped into their hearts.

He began to play the classic Jay Chou track "Quiet." Amidst everyone’s astonished and tense anticipation, his husky, deep voice emerged:

"Only the piano is left to talk with me all night long,
The cello is asleep,
Quiet for so long,
I think you’ve made it very clear..."

"Waaah," just a few lines into the song, some fans in the audience were already sobbing. They hadn't expected such a soulful performance from Chu Chuo, and for a moment, they were completely swept away by the grief of losing a lover.

"Tch, big deal. He’s just playing the sympathy card," Xiao Yu said dismissively. Even if Chu Chuo was a little handsome, he was still a far cry from their boss.

"At least he bet on the right thing. As the only sentimental opening of the night, it certainly stands out," Zhao Lei said, breaking his usual silence.

"Hey, hey, hey! Brother Lei, Brother Lin, why are you always boosting someone else’s morale?" Mei Ning huffed. How could these two be so impartial whenever they faced work, especially Brother Lin?!

The piano music slowly faded, replaced by a distinct, rhythmic arrangement. Chu Chuo picked up the microphone and stood up, stepping into the light.

"He loves you more than I do,
I’m willing to let you go,
Maybe you might turn back,
I am waiting in the silence,
No matter how many years later,
He loves you more than I do,
I’m willing to let you go..."

He had actually rearranged the classic track, adding a melodic rap, blending in jazz and blues. The tragic opening was instantly dispelled by the boy’s grand, heartfelt confession.

Behind the mask, one could not see his face, but his husky, desperate rap made people’s hearts ache, while simultaneously earning admiration for his courage to let go—that rather than holding on tightly, it was better to let one's lover find a better happiness.

"Chuo Chuo is so soulful today, he’s so different."
"Exactly, does Chuo Chuo have someone he likes?"
"Don't guess blindly; it's for the stage effect, isn't it? Tragedies move people."
"But I really feel like Chuo Chuo's performance has more resonance now. It feels... just different."