Out of Control

As night fell, an inky canvas was unfurled across the sky, dotted with a few stars.

At this moment, the Cultural Center was illuminated by dazzling lights. Inside, the venue was brightly lit, and amidst the neon glow, the crowd surged like a tide—nearly every seat was filled, bustling and lively in a spectacular display. At a glance, the audience could be seen waving glow sticks, eagerly anticipating the musical feast to come.

The audience skewered older, seemingly mostly over thirty, after all, Aunt Xian was a pop singer from the previous era; truly captivating fans of all ages would only be possible for those at the very top of the pyramid.

"Oh oh oh oh oh!"

"Friends from Guangzhou, how's it going tonight—"

"Oh oh oh oh oh!"

On stage, Aunt Xian wore a glittering sequined outfit, with multicolored lights flickering behind her, weaving a tapestry of brilliant hues that transformed the entire venue into something dreamlike. The words "30th Anniversary Concert" were displayed prominently on the LED screen behind her.

"Go!"

With Aunt Xian's greeting, the band behind her struck up their instruments. The moment the music began, the rousing melody cut through the night like a bolt of lightning, instantly igniting the passion of the entire audience.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa!"

The audience waved their glow sticks with vigor, jumping and cheering along with the rhythm. Their voices converged into a torrent, breaking through every restraint, releasing boundless enthusiasm and energy. The scene was like an ocean of joy.

"It's really lively, huh."

Backstage, Ye Shuang was also somewhat amazed by how powerfully Aunt Xian's voice carried—and of course, by the fans' enthusiastic response. With just a single line from her, the audience responded in unison. The atmosphere had been fully stirred up.

"That's so impressive... our band can't do that." The members of the Light Music Club were also watching the video feed. When they'd attended concerts as audience members before, they didn't feel much, but now viewing it from a musician's perspective, all they could think was "that's incredible."

"Truly worthy of being a professional singer—she just sang five songs in one breath."

"I can't even play an instrument yet."

As the girls were chattering away, Ye Shuang glanced at Bai Yuyou beside her. "So? Isn’t your mom amazing? As a singer, she might not be as famous as she once was, but she still has a loyal fanbase."

"Mother is truly amazing." Bai Yuyou nodded, watching Aunt Xian sweat it out on stage, a hint of some new emotion flickering in her eyes.

"I... I don't think I can get that many people to like me," Bai Yuyou said softly.

At the very least, as the current lead vocalist, her ethereal voice was pleasing to hear, but it was hard to stir up the crowd.

"Singing quietly isn't a bad thing either. Making music isn't just about shouting and screaming hoarsely—that's not the only form of music," Ye Shuang continued.

"Like rap doesn't have to be full of swear words. Look at Jay Chou's rap songs—they're incredibly popular and widely sung."

"Is that so?"

"Mm." Ye Shuang gently patted the girl's head.

A moment later, Ye Shuang made her way to the front row seats. Aunt Xian first thanked the audience, then, during the brief interlude of chatting like catching up with friends, she also used the time to give her voice a much-needed rest,

"So, those who know me well know that I've always had a daughter."

"It's Alice—the one I often post about on my Weibo. She's been a child star, and she's also a well-known short-video blogger. Does anyone recognize her?"

At the same time, a photo appeared on the screen.

As Aunt Xian said this, many voices in the audience rang out—"We know—"

"Ahaha, you all know her? Thank you, thank you, thank you so much."

After expressing her gratitude, Aunt Xian continued, "Some of my longtime fans know that Alice isn't my biological daughter, but to me, she's no different from my own flesh and blood."

"First, I want to thank her for being by my side all these years."

Backstage, Alice was taken aback, then pouted slightly. "What's this? Trying to make it sentimental..."

"And now, there's another piece of news I'd like to share with everyone—"

"My daughter, who went missing for over ten years, has finally been found today." Aunt Xian's words immediately drew a chorus of gasps from the audience.

"Really? She actually found her?"

"So that's why Alice looks mixed-race—I thought Aunt Xian had married a foreigner!"

"She had a biological child?"

"Yes, apparently she was abducted back then, and they searched all over Hong Kong but couldn't find her."

"Wow, technology really is advanced nowadays—hunting down a daughter who'd been missing for over ten years."

As the audience murmured among themselves, a photo of Bai Yuyou appeared on the screen.

It was a very casual, everyday photo, but the moment it appeared, the audience let out another wave of exclamations.

Wow... she's actually kind of pretty?

"She looks a bit like me when I was young, though prettier than I was back then," Aunt Xian said with a smile, continuing, "And today, both of my precious girls are here at the venue. I'd like to take up a little of your time—could they join me as special guests to play a song?"

"Yes!"

The audience responded in unison, and a few scattered voices chimed in—"Overtime! Overtime!"

"Overtime? Okay, sure, let's do overtime then." Aunt Xian seemed to be in high spirits. Two hours of performing would normally have been exhausting, but since she was happy today, why not tack on a little extra?

"All right, please welcome my daughter Alice, Bai Yuyou, and her bandmates!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!"

Amidst the applause, Bai Yuyou and the others finally walked out from backstage, wearing light makeup and performance outfits in different colors.

Bai Yuyou wore a flowing white gown, making her look both beautiful and ethereal, while Alice was dressed in a black lace princess dress, resembling a little demon princess. As for the other members of the Light Music Club, they wore simple, colorful dresses.

"Go! You got this!" Ye Shuang applauded from the audience.

On stage, Bai Yuyou immediately caught sight of Ye Shuang. Her eyes glimmered for a moment, then she made her way toward the lead singer's position.

But in that exact moment, a creaking sound came from above. Taozi, who was standing behind and holding her instrument, looked up and caught something—she lunged toward Bai Yuyou without a second thought,

"Yu You, wait!"

The moment Taozi spoke, the massive LED screen hanging above suddenly broke free and came crashing down!

"BOOM!" A thunderous crash.

As it hit the ground, Taozi managed to yank Bai Yuyou out of the way—but the screen, a towering three meters tall, toppled over and pinned both Taozi and Bai Yuyou beneath it!

"Yu You?!!!"

"Taozi!"