Perfect Superstar.

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Li Mubai's expression was a bit unusual.

In a situation like this, given his temperament as the Third Young Master of the Li family, he would typically never let an insult slide. 

He wouldn't meekly swallow his humiliation or walk into Sa Hao's trap. More often than not, he would confront his rival head-on, even if it meant disrupting the party. He would never give anyone the satisfaction of slapping him in the face.

Yet, tonight, Li Mubai didn't react with anger or return any insults.

He looked at Sa Hao on the stage with a half-smile on his face, and calmly asked, "Sa Hao, are you suggesting that I sing an original song?"

Though he didn't have a microphone, the music had already stopped, so everyone in the bar could hear him clearly.

Surprisingly, Li Mubai seemed quite composed.

"Of course!" Sa Hao was thrilled to have found a way to humiliate Li Mubai and wasn't about to let him off the hook easily.

Without hesitation, he replied, "Who doesn't know about your musical talent, Young Li? If you sing someone else's commercial song, would you still have the nerve to offer it to Fanny? Don't you all agree?"

Sa Hao couldn't feel satisfied unless he cornered Li Mubai and forced him to make a fool of himself. This was a perfect opportunity to slap him down, and he wasn't going to let it slip away!

"Right!" Several of Sa Hao's sycophantic friends in the crowd chimed in loudly.

"Old Sa, what you're doing is too unkind and dishonest," Li Mubai said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. "Do I have such a huge grudge against you? You're putting me in a difficult position!"

'What a pretentious prick!'

Seeing Li Mubai still acting so self-assured, Sa Hao's anger flared— how dare he maintain that air of superiority?

At just the right moment, Sa Hao noticed Fanny, her slight frown making him realize that Li Mubai was probably waiting for her to step in and smooth things over.

Sure enough, Fanny spoke up, "Little Sa, forget about it. We're all here to have fun tonight. There's no need to hold a grudge."

"Since Fanny has said it…" Sa Hao sighed dramatically. "Li Mubai, since it's out of the question, then forget about it."

Of course, he had to put his pride away for Fanny and generously let Li Mubai off the hook, but in reality, he was still stepping on him!

Fanny smiled lightly, while Chen Qian curled her lips in disdain.

Li Mubai was simply too useless!

"Men should never say it's 'out of the question!'"

To everyone's surprise, Li Mubai didn't back down. Instead, he smiled disdainfully and said, "I actually have an original song prepared. Since everyone wants to hear it, I'll embarrass myself once!"

'Li Mubai was really going to take the stage himself?'

'Had Sa Hao pushed him to the point where he had lost his mind?' 

'This was probably going to be embarrassing!'

Many guests felt awkward as if they were about to experience secondhand embarrassment.

Fanny, who had just relaxed, frowned again, a hint of displeasure flashing across her face.

After two years, why was Li Mubai still acting like a child?

She, along with the others present, didn't notice the strange expressions on the faces of the four band members Li Mubai had brought. They looked odd, as though they wanted to laugh but were holding it in.

Sa Hao, however, was thrilled. He immediately said, "Then everyone, let's welcome our Young Li to the stage to perform live!"

He was the first to clap loudly as if he were trying to slap Li Mubai in the face with every applause.

Whether they wanted to or not, everyone joined in clapping.

Li Mubai and his band members confidently took the stage!

'Lost Bar' might not be the largest nightclub in Sanlitun, but in terms of interior decoration and facilities, it was second to none. This place had all the instruments and equipment a popular band would need, and everything was top-notch.

Li Mubai's team didn't hesitate to take over the spots where the previous musicians had been, with Li Mubai himself holding an electric guitar and stepping confidently in front of the microphone. He looked incredibly self-assured!

On the other hand, Sa Hao, who had just gotten off stage, suddenly started to feel a little insecure.

He had set a trap for Li Mubai, and Li Mubai had fallen right into it, but now, for some reason, it felt like the one who was trapped was actually himself— this kid was playing the big bad wolf too convincingly.

There must be some sort of conspiracy!

However, Sa Hao was clever. He quickly thought of a question: "Li Mubai, you didn't buy the song, did you?"

With their wealth, it would be easy for them to casually pull out the money to buy a good song. Since Li Mubai had recently returned to playing in a band, it would be perfectly normal for him to buy a song, especially considering his pretentious attitude.

If that were true, then Sa Hao would be the fool!

"Bah!" Li Mubai responded disdainfully, "If I spent money, or let someone else buy a song for me, I'd take your last name! But if I didn't spend any money on it, will you take my last name? Do you dare accept that?"

'The song wasn't bought; it was a gift!'

The surroundings erupted in light laughter.

Sa Hao really didn't dare accept.

Although Li Mubai loved fun and was competitive, he had always been a man of his word in the industry— he never broke promises, and his credibility was rock solid!

Li Mubai silenced Sa Hao, then turned to the microphone and said, "I'm very happy tonight because Fanny is back from overseas and planning to develop here in the country. She came back unexpectedly, so I didn't have any good gifts ready for her, and I know she wouldn't accept anything from me anyway."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted towards Fanny, who was standing below the stage.

Fanny smiled.

"So I thought I'd give her a song."

Li Mubai continued, "This song was originally written by myself. I've been practicing it for a long time, and this is the first time I'm singing it for everyone. Please don't mind!"

Applause and laughter echoed again, even the rebellious Chen Qian gave him some face.

"The song is called Li Bai!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a rhythmic intro suddenly played.

Li Mubai stood casually and relaxed, his head lowered as he strummed the guitar.

"Most people want me to learn to see,

Through the eyes of the world.

I studied the world's perspective seriously,

Till the morning light.

Watched a foreign film, didn't understand a word,

Only laughed at the ending.

You see how obedient, clever, and obedient I am,

How cunning.

Drank several bowls of rice wine and left to imitate,

But when I stepped out, accidentally throwing up—whose painting is that?

You say 'darling' to each other every day,

How unfashionable.

Everyone should practice calligraphy before venturing out,

Then people will enthusiastically buy it!"

When Li Mubai's casual, almost lazy voice reached the ears of everyone present, the young people from Capital City's top circles were deeply moved, even astonished and in disbelief.

They all came from privileged backgrounds. Though there were a few unskilled individuals, there were hardly any with poor taste or lack of experience. While not everyone could truly appreciate music, they could still tell whether a song was good or not.

Li Mubai's song "Li Bai" was excellent, at least in terms of its melody, and the title and lyrics were also quite intriguing.

The most impressive part was the way he performed— his energy was practically dripping with charm, with a hint of defiance and a touch of recklessness, delicate yet graceful, a stark contrast to the person he used to be.

And it still carried the passion of youth!

"...

If I could do it all over again,

I would choose Li Bai,

The good and bad from a thousand years ago,

No one would guess it.

If I could do it all over again,

I would choose Li Bai,

At least I could still write poetry to stir my soul,

And tease the girls!

If I could do it all over again,

I would choose Li Bai,

My creations could reach such heights,

Admired by so many,

If I could do it all over again!"

Many people were completely caught up in the excitement, and as soon as the chorus ended, applause, laughter, and whistles erupted.

It was amazing!

Sa Hao took a few steps back, trying to hide himself among the crowd.

He felt his face getting a bit hot.

Chen Qian was stunned, and after a moment, she muttered, "Jazz, R&B, Soul? What else?"

She could recognize the different styles incorporated into the song, blending together harmoniously and pleasingly, which left her completely surprised.

When did this clueless guy, Li Mubai, develop such talent?

She would rather believe a pig could climb a tree!

Meanwhile, Fanny, standing next to Chen Qian, didn't think too much about it. She didn't understand all the musical styles, but she felt that the Li Mubai standing on stage, singing now, was undoubtedly much more mature than the reckless young man from two years ago. He even exuded a certain masculinity.

"If I could do it all over again, I would choose Li Bai?" 

Interesting! A strange sparkle flickered in her eyes.

By the time the song ended, the entire venue erupted in thunderous applause.

Sa Hao shamefully retreated, realizing that if he stayed any longer, his face would be completely exposed— he was utterly defeated!

There was no doubt that what happened tonight would become a hot topic in the show business community.

Li Mubai was the hero, while Sa Hao was just the backdrop for a joke!

But Li Mubai didn't mock the loser; his attention was entirely focused on Fanny.

He gazed at her, smiling, and amidst the applause, said with deep emotion, "This Li Bai is for everyone tonight. The next song, however, is truly dedicated to Fanny. Although I didn't write it, I think it suits her best."

"This song is called 'Beauty'!"

At the same time, Li Mubai thought to himself: Thank you, Lu Chen!

(End of chapter)