TO SHOU WITH LOVE

1 - REPLACEMENT

Sailub only went to the rest area for a sip of water, but when he returned, the atmosphere in the studio had changed drastically.

The lead singer, holding a guitar, and the executive director were facing off, their confrontation palpable even from several meters away.

At the back of the stage, the drummer stood up and walked over to support the lead singer, while the bassist put down his instrument and approached to pull the lead singer away, as if to get him off the stage.

Suddenly, the sound system malfunctioned, emitting a sharp, piercing noise that caused Sailub's eardrums to ache.

Instinctively, Sailub halted, raising a hand to cover his throbbing left ear, but the noise persisted.

Not far ahead, a staff member spotted Sailub and hurried over as if he had found a savior.

"Teacher Sai, you're finally here! Things are about to get ugly on stage. Please come and see..." As he drew closer, he noticed Sailub's actions and furrowed brow. "Teacher Sai, are you okay...? Teacher Sai?"

Sailub rubbed his left ear with his finger, then lowered his hand to look at the staff member.

"I'm fine... What did you say just now? What's going on?"

"The Urban Collapse band is demanding the removal of the glass shield for the drummer, claiming that the sound feedback from the drums is devoid of emotion. The executive director disagrees, and neither side is compromising. Now, the band is threatening not to go on stage if the glass shield isn't removed..."

Sailub nodded, understanding the root of the dispute.

The glass shields surrounding the drummer, called drum shields, were set up to prevent excessive feedback during live performances.

Removing them as the musicians demanded would undoubtedly cause significant problems for post-production mixing.

No wonder the executive director was adamant.

Sailub glanced at the executive director standing opposite the musicians.

This girl's name was Jennie, and she looked to be barely five feet four inches tall, at most twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

Standing alone against several musicians averaging six feet in height, she displayed remarkable courage.

Ascending the stairs to the stage, just from her back, Sailub could sense that this girl was teetering on the edge of collapse.

Her tense back resembled a string pulled taut, ready to snap at any moment.

After watching dozens of band rehearsals for several hours in a row, Sailub witnessed firsthand the troubles this girl had been through, first, there was a band insisting on last-minute song changes, which led to all the stage effects prepared by the production team being scrapped.

Then there was another band whose lead singer got into a fight after getting drunk the night before, landing him in jail and causing a last-minute absence from the show's recording.

Most absurdly, during rehearsals, two bands got into a physical altercation on stage for some inexplicable grudge from the past...

Anyone facing this series of mishaps would be on the verge of a breakdown.

Even Sailub was starting to regret taking on the role of music director.

Yet, this girl still confronted the bands with undiminished determination.

Saiy felt she had the potential to achieve great things.

Saiy pondered how best to resolve the drum shield issue as he approached the group in confrontation.