Chapter 206: Start!

At five o'clock in the evening, Tokyo.

Tokyo Dome is located in Bunkyo District, Tokyo, Japan.

It is a large stadium with 55,000 seats.

The stadium frequently hosts sports events such as basketball, American football, and professional wrestling, as well as major concerts.

The roof of Tokyo Dome is egg-shaped and made of a flexible membrane.

It is usually inflated, resembling a giant egg, which is how it got its name.

Since its completion in 1988, Tokyo Dome has hosted concerts by many world-famous singers.

Such as Madonna, Rock Records, and Asian superstars like Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro.

In 1987, Michael Jackson held three consecutive concerts at Tokyo Dome as the opening stop of his world tour.

The venue was packed to capacity, the scene extremely spectacular.

This time, Cheng Chen will also launch his Asian tour here.

He arrived at the concert venue early.

As the first stop of the tour, it is also Cheng Chen's first overseas concert.

Although he had prepared thoroughly beforehand, now that he was actually here.

In this foreign land, hearing unfamiliar languages, he felt a strange sense of unreality.

But this feeling of unreality was only temporary—when the fans began shouting his name.

That familiar sensation returned.

Half an hour remained before the concert began.

The audience below was already packed with dense crowds, many gazing eagerly toward the stage.

Backstage.

Wang Tianxiao secretly looked down from backstage; one glance turned her face pale and her legs trembling.

"Are you okay?"

Cheng Chen was speechless—this was his concert, why was she so nervous?

"I… I'm fine. How about you? Are you nervous?"

Wang Tianxiao pulled her gaze away and looked up at Cheng Chen.

"I wasn't nervous, but you're shaking over here so badly, it's messing with my mindset."

Hearing this, Wang Tianxiao startled and quickly said:

"Then… then maybe I should leave first, so I don't affect your mood."

Everyone's nerves were tightly strung; though they'd held several concerts before, this was a foreign country.

It was natural to feel a bit awkward and tense at first, so the team's nervousness was unavoidable.

This emotion resonated with everyone, so when they heard Cheng Chen's words,

all eyes turned to him.

"Hahaha, seeing everyone so tense, I'm just joking to lighten the mood.

Manager Wang, you don't need to leave—just stay here and watch me.

What big storms haven't we weathered? It's just six thousand people.

Think about our concerts in Modu—weren't there way more?

We're just swapping our domestic fans for Japanese fans who live pretty well.

It's all the same—concerts are concerts. As long as the prep work is done, just leave the rest to my performance."

Upon hearing "Japanese fans who live pretty well," everyone burst out laughing.

Even Wang Tianxiao gave Cheng Chen a side-eye, as if she'd just shaken off her earlier tension.

"Go for it!"

Wang Tianxiao clenched her fist and said.

"Go for it, Manager Cheng!"

"Come on, Manager Cheng!"

Cheng Chen nodded with a smile, then turned and walked toward the lift platform.

He had to nail this performance—otherwise, he'd be utterly humiliated.

Many stars have suffered major setbacks due to concert mishaps.

For example:

On April 15, 2002, Chen Weiting held a concert at a university in Wan Sheng.

He intended to toss his hat to the audience but slipped and fell, striking his groin on the stage edge, severely injuring himself and requiring emergency surgery.

Also, during a New Year's Eve show on a certain stage, Chen Weiting was singing passionately on stage.

When viewers watched the replay, they gasped in shock and became furious.

Because while Chen Weiting was performing,

there was a pitch-black hole on the stage.

Fans said if Chen Weiting or his dancers had fallen in, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Besides these incidents, other stars like Wang Fei, Xueyou Ge, and Na Ying have also experienced various safety accidents.

Concert accidents among stars occur frequently—some due to faulty stage construction causing collapses.

Others due to stars becoming too immersed in performance and having accidents.

Still others caused by extreme weather, costumes, or props leading to injuries or deaths…

When such accidents clearly stem from staff or organizers' negligence, they're terrifying indeed.

Some are due to the artists themselves, such as lip-syncing, singing the wrong lyrics, or going off-key—these happen frequently.

A concert is not just about the singer alone—it involves a vast team behind them!

As the stage's lift slowly rose, Cheng Chen's figure appeared on stage.

Instantly, everyone in the venue erupted.

"Cheng Jun!"

"I love you, Cheng-san!"

"Welcome to Japan, Cheng-san…"

"Cheng Jun, we'll always support you!"

The Japanese fans on site were unexpectedly frenzied…

……

While Cheng Chen performed on the Japanese stage, domestic media in China exploded with coverage.

"Cheng Chen's Japan tour concert is about to begin!"

"It's started! The Tokyo concert venue is wildly packed—Cheng Chen has gone global!"

"No wonder he's the Heavenly King—everywhere he goes, he commands worldwide attention."

Due to the time difference between China and Japan, many media outlets rushed to release press releases before the concert to ride the hype.

Some indirectly piggybacked on the trend, such as:

"Cheng Chen's concert is about to begin; insiders reveal his team is under intense pressure."

Perhaps the overseas concert has placed too much strain on this Heavenly King, fearing any mishap on stage.

For Japan, it seems even the Heavenly King won't take things lightly—tonight, let's all look forward to the concert…"

Regardless of how the domestic media chased the hype, Cheng Chen on stage was now singing with undivided focus.

"What use is this iron rod to me? What good are these transformations?

Still uneasy, still restless—golden circlet on my head, words unspoken.

I wield this iron rod in drunken dance, these transformations chaos and blur;

Shatter the celestial throne, reckless and defiant—the world is cruel, the path perilous, escape is impossible.

This staff—will reduce you to ashes…"

At the Japanese concert, Cheng Chen's first song was this one, "Sun Wukong."

The song perfectly blended Chinese elements—piano and drums paired with flute and erhu, fusing opera and pop music.

With a grand vocal delivery, it revealed a Sun Wukong's inner world unlike any before, resonating deeply with countless listeners.

The ethereal melody carried a sense of helplessness—this was loneliness; like Sun Wukong, the greater his power, the greater his emptiness.

Yet despite this, among all Cheng Chen's songs, "Sun Wukong" was one of the least known in China.

Unlike in China, the Japanese greatly appreciated the song "Sun Wukong."

It had extremely high popularity, because the Japanese held an almost mystical devotion to "Journey to the West."

As early as the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, "Journey to the West" reached Japan.

It became widely popular, driving the development of Japanese literature during the Edo period and beyond.

In 1758, Kinokuniya Bunjin's translation, "Popular Journey to the West," was the earliest Japanese version.

Later, as various translations of "Journey to the West" gained popularity, films based on it also achieved considerable success.

As of 2005, Japan had produced the following six films based on "Journey to the West":

1940, Toho Pictures released "Kenichi Honda's Sun Wukong"

1952, Daiei Film released "Journey to the West"

1952, Daiei Film released "Sun Wukong Damao"

1954, Daiei Film released "Sun Wukong Chujiji"

1960, Toho Pictures released "Sun Wukong"

Among them, in 1978, Japan produced a bold version of "Journey to the West," casting Natsume Ako as Tang Sanzang.

Many Chinese viewers, upon first seeing this version, exclaimed in shock: "Tang Sanzang is a woman?"

Actually, no—Natsume Ako was like Ye Tong playing Xu Xian; Tang Sanzang was still male.

Natsume Ako's beauty left a deep impression, and her acting was superb.

Her Tang Sanzang became a classic in the eyes of Japanese audiences.

This directly led Japan to cast women as Tang Sanzang in subsequent versions of "Journey to the West."

This became a signature feature of Japan's "Journey to the West."

Never mind how this TV series was received in China—in Japan and English-speaking countries worldwide, it was hugely popular.

Let me put it this way: the status of Japan's 1978 "Journey to the West" in the hearts of the Japanese.

It's roughly equivalent to the status of China's 1986 "Journey to the West" in the hearts of Chinese audiences.

After Japan's 1978 "Journey to the West" was introduced to China, it was halted after only three episodes.

The reason was that Chinese audiences and relevant authorities generally found certain elements of the series hard to accept.

For example: a beautiful woman playing Tang Sanzang, Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong engaging in a flirtatious relationship.

Tang Sanzang healing his disciples with kisses—such plotlines might still be somewhat tolerated today.

But back then, they were utterly unacceptable.

Thus, the banning of Japan's 1978 "Journey to the West" in China was entirely expected.

Meanwhile, many viewers, while calling CCTV to express their dissatisfaction,

also angrily asked why we didn't produce our own Four Great Classical Novels.

Instead, the Japanese-produced Four Great Classical Novels were broadcast on CCTV.

CCTV made a firm decision to immediately produce its own television series of the Four Great Classical Novels.

It could be said that without the stimulation of the 1978 Japanese version of Journey to the West,

CCTV might not have had the courage to invest millions in filming Journey to the West in the early 1980s.

In this regard, ordinary viewers should even 'thank' the 1978 Japanese version of Journey to the West.

Besides these, the immense popularity of Dragon Ball in Japan also indirectly confirms this principle.

As early as 1984, the manga artist Toriyama Akira began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump.

Later, it was adapted into an animated television series and aired on Fuji Television, which courted Cheng Chen.

It also spawned theatrical animated films, Hollywood movies, and numerous merchandise and game software products.

In 1995, the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, which serialized this manga, reached a circulation of 6.53 million copies, setting a record…

I've strayed a bit far!

So, when Cheng Chen opened his mouth to sing the song "Wukong" at the concert,

the atmosphere in the audience became extraordinarily intense, even when he sang the line "What use is this iron rod?"

Nearly sixty thousand people in the crowd sang along in Chinese in unison.

Of course, many were just joining in for the fun, but it was enough to prove their love for this song!

"He truly understands Japanese audiences—no wonder he's the Cheng Jun we've been waiting for!"

An audience member excitedly remarked in Japanese.

Cheng Chen was doing his best to find songs from his own repertoire that best suited this soil.

Fortunately, his efforts were not in vain.

He stood alone on the empty stage, without backup dancers or flashy lights.

There was only the video footage constantly shifting on the large screen…

At this moment, he seemed like Wukong, imprisoned beneath the Five Elements Mountain, filled with resentment and anger.

And like Wukong after obtaining the true scriptures, his heart was filled with loneliness and emptiness.

Such a performance was truly

Watching the overheated crowd, after finishing the final lyric, Cheng Chen said in Japanese:

"Thank you very much, thank you all for your love—you've made this night begin to be wonderful!"

The moment Cheng Chen spoke, the audience burst into laughter!

The words themselves were fine, but coming from Cheng Chen, they added a touch of humor.

"Hahaha! Arigatou!"

"Cheng Jun can speak Japanese, and so fluently too—though… a bit of an accent?"

"Hahaha! Such pure Japanese coming from a China singer—truly unexpected!"

"This accent… is even more authentic than that of actual Japanese people!"

Seeing the fans laughing in a heap, Cheng Chen could only sigh helplessly.

He knew his comical Japanese accent had turned him into the punchline of the entire show.

But that was exactly what he intended.

After all, a concert isn't just about screams—it needs laughter too!

After chatting with the fans for a few moments, Cheng Chen immediately said:

"On this trip to Japan, I've composed a Japanese song of my own—I hope you'll like it…"

The moment Cheng Chen finished speaking, the audience, who had just been laughing, instantly perked up!

"Sugoi! Cheng Jun composed a Japanese song himself!"

"Cheng Jun! He really cares about our Japanese fans!"

"No wonder he's my idol—Cheng Jun, you're the best!"

"I'm excited—I can't wait to hear Cheng Jun's Japanese song!"

Cheng Chen raised his hand to signal silence, took the microphone, and began to sing slowly:

"If only all this were a dream.

I could still find your figure in my dreams.

Like returning home to retrieve something forgotten,

Cleaning the dusty memories, happiness can never be regained.

You were the one who finally told me…"

That's right—the second song of Cheng Chen's concert was this one, "Lemon."

As soon as the song's intro began, it immediately gripped everyone's ears.

The song opened with Cheng Chen's slightly higher-pitched voice, accompanied by piano, as if telling a story that drew listeners in.

"Beautiful—so beautiful!"

"Hey, no accent at all—this song is great!"

"It sounds a bit sad; the lyrics make me think of many bad things.

But I can't help wanting to keep listening…"

"Ima demo anata wa watashi no hikari (To this day, you are my light)."

Those we cannot let go of are the ones who once gave us light in darkness, pulling us out of the mud.

As Cheng Chen sang these lyrics, his mind wandered vividly.

Many memories flashed by like a slideshow, and before he knew it, he was deeply lost in them…

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