Ollie and Maxim couldn't help but laugh as they watched Ronan's face contort and his body curl up. The black coffee was truly potent – and the restaurant's wasn't exactly top-shelf, tasting more like ash water. Still, Ronan's reaction was a bit dramatic.
Cliff, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed. He finished his espresso in one go and then told Ronan, "Down your coffee, let's get ready to head out!"
They weren't drinking the coffee because it tasted good, but to wake themselves up. In the past fifty-five-plus hours, they'd only managed about two hours of sleep. The rest of the time, they'd been working at full speed. They definitely needed the caffeine to clear their heads and get a little energy boost, otherwise, they might just fall asleep on stage.
Even if the black coffee tasted terrible, they had to "get the job done."
Ronan pinched his nose and chugged the entire cup, quickly wiping his mouth before following his teammates back into the car. They hurried off towards the Old Blacksmith Bar.
"Ronan, are you feeling alright?" Ollie leaned in close to Ronan's ear, asking with concern.
Even though Ronan's fever had broken, he was still a bit weak. Now, with this continuous high-intensity work schedule, Ollie couldn't help but worry if something unexpected would happen again tonight.
Then, Ollie felt Ronan repeatedly winking and making faces at him, trying to signal something. Ollie was confused and about to ask what was going on when Alice's surprised voice came from beside him, "What's wrong with you?"
Ollie immediately understood, but it was too late. Seeing Ronan's annoyed expression, Ollie mouthed "sorry" and shrunk back, not saying a word.
What was supposed to be a secret for Alice had just been blurted out by Ollie. Ronan could only turn to Alice and force a smile. "It's nothing, just had a bit of a fever the past couple of days. I'm all better now."
Ronan tried to play it down, but Maxim jumped in with, "More than that. He had a high fever for two days and even fainted right on stage. Ronan, why are you making it sound so light? Didn't you pass out? And when you woke up, you were still totally out of it, didn't know what time it was or where you were, like you had amnesia."
Heh.
Heh!
Was this guy deliberately trying to mess with him?
Ronan was practically shooting daggers with his eyes, but Maxim seemed oblivious and even added, "Did I say something wrong? Isn't that how it was? Why are you giving me that look?" His expression was completely serious, definitely not trying to be difficult.
Pfft.
Alice couldn't help but giggle. She had been really worried, but Maxim's comment actually lightened the mood. Alice's gaze came from behind the camera, giving Ronan a sharp look as if to say, "I'll deal with you later," but she asked aloud, "How are you feeling now?"
"Everything's great!" Ronan quickly replied, even pounding his chest for emphasis. "Stronger than a bull."
Alice thought back over the past couple of days and hadn't noticed anything particularly off about Ronan. She realized he probably wasn't lying and felt a little more relieved.
Since they were filming a documentary, Alice held back what she wanted to say, only mouthing to Ronan, "Take care of yourself." The worry in her eyes was still evident.
Ronan glanced at the camera lens, a smile flashing in his eyes – thankfully, the camera had saved him just in time.
As they were talking, Bourbon Street came into view once again. Even though it was already past midnight, the street was still packed shoulder to shoulder. The noisy crowds coming and going were incredibly loud, and the brightly lit street felt like daytime. The bustling scene made gasps of amazement escape involuntarily. You really had to see it to believe it.
The heat of the midsummer night was thick and buzzing, like this was the center of the universe.
An all-nighter! A wild party!
The entrance to the Old Blacksmith Bar was still swarming with people. Those going in and out couldn't contain their excitement, gesturing wildly to express their emotions, discussing tonight's show. The sounds in the air vibrated on their skin, almost burning with intensity.
Without even realizing it, Ronan leaned closer to the car window, eagerly taking in the outside world.
Ollie couldn't resist rolling down the window, and a wave of heat immediately rushed in, making his blood pump faster. They hadn't even arrived at the venue yet, and the adrenaline was already kicking in. No words were needed; their body language showed how impatient they were.
Boom boom boom!
Boom boom boom!
As they arrived at the parking lot, the deafening sound of music vibrated from the ground up, getting louder and more intense with every step. However… the band's hurried steps were stopped at the back door.
The security personnel guarding the back door meticulously checked the band's credentials – Cliff had picked them up from the organizers that morning. Then, they carefully verified the identities of each band member against the credentials. Because of the busy nature of the event and the crowded backstage area, this process took a full fifteen minutes.
After finally completing the check, the security personnel further inspected the guitar Ronan was carrying to make sure he wasn't bringing in any weapons. Another ten minutes passed before they were finally allowed through the back door.
While these security procedures were necessary, they took an incredibly long time. Maxim almost got into an argument with the security guards but ultimately prioritized the show and kept his temper in check.
Still, after getting through the back door, Maxim was a bit annoyed. "They only treat us like this because we're a no-name band. But the thing is, all the guests at the Full Moon Party tonight are independent singers and bands. No one can just waltz in. So what's with their special treatment of us?"
You couldn't blame Maxim for being upset because the security guard had actually questioned them, "'Day King'? What kind of band is that? Never heard of them."
Just as Maxim pointed out, all the performers tonight were independent bands. Bands the security personnel hadn't heard of should have made up the majority of the lineup. Yet, they still acted like this, clearly looking down on them and deliberately making things difficult.
If Ronan were really twenty-five years old, he would have been just as indignant as Maxim. But Ronan wasn't, and in his previous life, he had experienced even more severe and terrifying discrimination. This had made Ronan's mindset much more calm and accepting.
Ronan simply patted Maxim on the shoulder. "Don't forget our goal for tonight. Don't let these insignificant little people affect our performance. Remember? We should be like kings. At least when we're on stage, we should show the attitude of conquerors!"
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