Future Pet Shop

Chapter 250: Hah’Er, Don’t Always Steal the Show

"The morning dew strikes the bamboo leaves, waking the dreaming panda. It emerges from its den and looks at the mountain across the way. What could be on the other side..." Sun Qian strummed her guitar on stage and began to sing the song from that night—the one she sang on the second-floor balcony of Shen Yibin’s shop, when she, Sylvie, Sakai Kaori, and Shen Yibin were eating skewers, drinking, and petting Egg.

This song was written especially for Hah’Er after she saw it at the shop. In the lyrics, she painted a picture of a panda full of curiosity about the world beyond the mountains. Although on the surface it was a story about a panda, deep down, Sun Qian was telling her own story, and the story of people like her—people from small towns who yearn for the world outside.

Life in a small town, while peaceful and stable, could seem dull. The world outside, while vibrant and exciting, was also full of pressure, leaving little time to savor life. Neither lifestyle was better than the other. Whether one ended up staying in the wider world or returning to their hometown, there was no right or wrong, only a difference in perspective.

But in her lyrics, Sun Qian ultimately had the panda choose to cross the great mountains and see the world beyond. Perhaps this was about her own experience, leaving her family for Yunzhong City to pursue her dream of music?

This song wasn’t as well-known as the previous one, but the meaning embedded in the lyrics resonated with many in the audience. Among them, many had also come from small counties to big cities, from big cities to megacities like the Imperial Capital or Shanghai, or even crossed oceans. Hadn’t they also made these choices to chase their own dreams?

As the song progressed, some of the more sentimental audience members’ eyes began to redden. Sun Qian’s voice had struck their most sensitive chord. ’There’ll be even more thunderous applause after this song, right?’ Shen Yibin thought subconsciously, watching the reactions of the crowd around him.

However... just as the song was reaching its finale, an accident happened. A loud THUD came from the side of the stage. Hah’Er had tripped and fallen, rolling out from behind the side curtain and into the middle of the stage.

"Ha, there really is a panda! Did the organizers plan this?" The accident completely dispelled the sentimental mood Sun Qian’s song had just created, and the audience couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Sun Qian, who was still singing on stage, was also interrupted by Hah’Er. She looked in the direction Hah’Er had rolled from and saw Cheeky standing there, putting on an innocent expression. It was obvious it was the culprit.

"Looks like that panda really did make it out of the deep mountains after all. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be here, right?" Sun Qian reacted quickly. She pulled Hah’Er up, took its paw, and continued singing the song. Hearing the familiar melody, Hah’Er slowly recalled the dance it used to do whenever it heard this song, back when Egg was still at the shop. And so, Hah’Er began to imitate Egg’s movements, twisting its round body and starting to dance along with Sun Qian.

This immediately triggered a tsunami of cheers. Countless audience members thought this was all part of Sun Qian’s plan. If so, it was absolutely brilliant.

And so, news that a panda had appeared on the Strawberry Stage quickly spread throughout the park. The audiences from the other three stages rushed over. Except for a few die-hard fans, the crowds at the other stages quickly cleared out, leaving the singers still performing there utterly heartbroken.

’Damn it, even if another singer was amazing, I’d have the confidence to compete. I could even accept losing fair and square. But what the hell is this? You actually brought a panda to your show! That’s just cheating! You can’t be this OP!’ The mood of these other performers was like a gamer running into a pay-to-win whale—they felt incredibly wronged!

’Sigh, it was just like this at the last talent show, and now it’s happening again. Hah’Er, can you please stop stealing the spotlight all the time? The singers on the other stages are so unlucky. Why did they have to be scheduled at the same time as Sun Qian? Even if they lose now, they won’t be able to accept it.’ Shen Yibin looked sympathetically toward the three distant stages.

"The next song is called ’Magical Pet Shop’..." Sun Qian’s surprises for Shen Yibin weren’t over yet. She soon began singing a song themed around the pet shop. This time, it used the shop as a backdrop to tell a story about dreams. Shen Yibin had a faint feeling that the lyrics also mentioned him, Sylvie, Sakai Kaori, and the rest of the gang—Hah’Er, Cheeky, and Egg. ’Mhm, I have to ask Sun Qian for a demo copy later. From now on, my shop will only play her music!’

Except for the first song, for the next hour or so, Sun Qian performed all new songs she had written herself. The selection of songs was sometimes cheerful, sometimes gentle. The lyrics were simple and unpretentious, talking about things young people cared about today—dreams, love, or the small setbacks in life. They were nothing like the pretentious, exaggerated, and vulgar popular music of the day. They were very down-to-earth and quickly won over the several thousand young art and literature fans in the audience.

’It’s just that...’ Shen Yibin thought, ’if she sticks to this style, it might be hard for her to become a massively popular mainstream star.’ But then he had another thought and felt relieved. Sun Qian never wanted to be a pop star; she wanted to be a singer-songwriter. All she had to do was write the songs she loved and sing them for people who loved them too. She didn’t need to betray her true self just to get a bigger audience. This path might not bring her immense fame and fortune, but in return, she would be happier and more at ease, right?

Besides, it wasn’t as if this path couldn’t win over more people. Shen Yibin believed that those who put their heart into their work would always get the rewards they deserved.

"Thank you all for your support. I’ll work even harder on my music in the future. My performance time is up now, so let’s see each other again next time." The one-and-a-half-hour performance slot passed in the blink of an eye, and it was time for Sun Qian to leave the stage. She patted Hah’Er’s head and waved goodbye to the entire audience.

"Encore! Encore! Encore!" Several thousand audience members shouted in unison, strongly demanding Sun Qian return for another song. Shen Yibin and Sylvie were shouting the loudest of all. Seeing their friend win the audience’s approval made them both incredibly happy.

"Alright, I’ll sing one more song, but just one! The next guest is waiting backstage." In the end, Sun Qian couldn’t refuse her fans’ enthusiasm. She walked to the front of the stage and extended the microphone toward the crowd. "Which song do you want to hear?"