After asking the question, Ollie could clearly sense Maxim's hesitation. The atmosphere between Maxim and Cliff also felt a little strange.
"What's up?" Ollie asked, a little confused. Back in his familiar environment, Ollie was his usual energetic self again, teasing, "Did you guys do something wrong?" He was wiggling his eyebrows, looking like he was trying to dig up some forbidden secret.
But Ronan could feel that something was off.
Actually, the moment Cliff and Maxim appeared on stage earlier, Ronan had already noticed the heaviness and gloom in their expressions. However, due to the time constraints, they had to focus on the rehearsal, so Ronan hadn't pressed them for details then.
"Whatever it is, we need to face it together. The harder things are, the more we need each other's strength," Ronan said. His calm and gentle tone helped to settle the anxious mood.
Maxim and Cliff exchanged a look. Cliff remained silent, while Maxim let out a long breath and took the initiative to explain, "Our performance time has been pushed back. Pushed back to five o'clock tomorrow morning."
It was like ripping off a bandage – you just have to do it quickly in one go to minimize the pain.
The air felt heavy, almost frozen.
None of them could recover from the shock and bewilderment, including Alice –
Five in the morning? What on earth did that mean?
It meant that the peak of the party would be long over, and people would be starting to get tired and head home. Even if they chose to stay, they probably wouldn't have enough energy or stamina to keep partying. No matter how hard the band tried, the energy in the place would slowly but surely die down.
The day before yesterday at the "Noon" bar, they were the opening band and went on first. Even though there weren't many people there, at least everyone was full of energy, and they had great interaction with the crowd. But now, at the full moon party, the situation was completely reversed, and things suddenly looked tough.
What should they do?
There was nothing they could do!
No wonder Maxim and Cliff looked so serious, and even the usually chatty Ollie seemed to have had his voice box squeezed shut. The thing they were most worried about had finally happened. Just when they thought things were looking up, reality slammed on the brakes again, sending them crashing back down.
It was as if... the hand of fate was subtly cutting off all opportunities for the Day King band to rise, using different methods to remind them:
This path is blocked. It's not too late to turn back.
It was ridiculous and unbelievable, but that was definitely the feeling in the van at that moment.
As for Ronan?
If he said he wasn't disappointed, he'd definitely be lying. He still hoped the performance would be a success, and that the full moon party could be a turning point. A good performance time was really crucial. But now, reality was constantly pressing down on them, layer upon layer, making it hard to breathe.
However, Ronan's spirit had long been tempered by hardship. In his previous life, he had persevered through situations that were even more difficult and desperate. How could he give up so easily now?
"See? You got greedy," Ronan chuckled. "Two days ago, we could only watch the full moon party as spectators. But now, we get to stand on the stage and perform. We shouldn't ask for more. Of course, it would be our luck if we could get a better performance time. But even if we can't, we should cherish this opportunity to perform."
His words weren't particularly rousing, but the warm smile on Ronan's lips always had a way of moving people.
Ollie and Maxim both looked at Ronan. There wasn't a hint of grievance or unwillingness in their bright eyes. The genuine joy made them shift uncomfortably in their seats, and their mood warmed up again. Relieved smiles returned to their faces.
Cliff also glanced over from the rearview mirror and joked, "You know, a problem that was so troubling suddenly doesn't seem like such a big deal after you put it like that."
"That's what you call magic," Ronan shrugged, spreading his hands with a completely matter-of-fact expression. Then, his voice burst forth with renewed energy, "So, are you guys ready? We should turn five in the morning into our time! Let's blow up the stage! Rock the stage! Shock the stage! Let's truly leave a classic performance at the full moon party!"
Was this ignorance is bliss? Or was it that dreamers are invincible?
But whether they were ignorant or dreamers, that surging youthful spirit was enough to make everyone else's blood boil with excitement.
This was youth! This was life! Blooming proudly like summer flowers in the golden sunlight of New Orleans!
"Roar roar roar!"
"Whoop whoop whoop!"
"Ahhh ahhh ahhh!"
Following Ronan's voice, everyone in the van started yelling like crazy. Ollie even rolled down the window and howled into the wind, completely losing himself. His unrestrained and wild shouts scattered all over the ground, drawing curious glances from the crowded people on both sides of the street –
And then... they started shouting along! After all, it was Mardi Gras.
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Echoing each other like a call and response, this made Ollie even happier. The wind filled the entire van, and the shouts and roars made the carnival atmosphere even more intense. Maxim, on the other hand, couldn't help but cover his face, unable to believe the embarrassing things Ollie was doing, trying to hide his presence.
As a result, Ollie noticed Maxim's actions and simply shouted, "Maxim!"
"Maxim!" the passersby on the street also shouted, having a great time, even though they had no idea what Ollie's words meant.
Maxim wished he could just disappear into a hole in the ground, curling his whole body up like a cat nestled in the passenger seat. His tall and sturdy frame looked pitifully hidden, and his embarrassed appearance made everyone else burst into laughter, thoroughly amused.
They finally waited until Ollie calmed down. Just as Ollie was about to tease Maxim again, Maxim preemptively changed the subject, "I don't know what exactly happened, but our performance time has been directly pushed back by twelve hours." He forcefully broke the rhythm.
Then, realizing his topic seemed a bit gloomy, he added, "I mean, I understand we joined at the last minute, and I know we were originally just some nobodies who could be discarded at any time. But to go directly from five in the afternoon to five in the morning? Is such a huge change really okay? Are the party organizers sure they're not just messing around? Won't the performance schedules of the other bands be completely messed up?"
Even though it was a hastily used smokescreen to change the subject, Maxim's rushed words actually made sense. Clearly, he was also very puzzled and had thought about this question repeatedly, which is why he could now speak so fluently without hesitation.
So, what exactly happened?
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