Chapter 331: Proposal
Turning his head, Renly gazed at Katy Perry, her face radiating a beaming smile. He wore an expression of helplessness, his palms spread out as he exclaimed loudly, "Hey, you've stolen my thunder, this was my moment." Stealing thunder was a colloquialism for "stealing the limelight."
Confronting Renly's accusation, Katy Perry retorted without any hint of weakness, "Aren't you discussing music creation now? I think we're even." With a nod towards Ellen, she turned on her heel and left.
As her figure disappeared, Katy's voice echoed from the speakers, "Ellen, go for it! I'm rooting for you!"
The laughter of the live audience continued unabated; this episode was an absolute harvest of joy. Renly's performance was anything but that of a newcomer, not resembling a twenty-one-year-old either. On his debut appearance on the talk show, he was witty, poised, and humorously engaging. Despite the unexpected interjections, Renly's handling even outshone Katy's surprise entrance. Newcomers often easily become overshadowed and mere decorations, but clearly, not Renly.
His outstanding performance even led some to suspect whether it was all scripted beforehand. Yet, any avid talk show viewer knew this was impossible; the charm of talk shows lay in the spontaneous clashes of hosts and guests, sparking off each other.
"So, a single, huh?" Ellen raised her chin slightly, letting her voice trail off, a playful and enigmatic look on her face, provoking involuntary amusement.
Renly nodded with a smile, "Yes. It's merely a hobby. I recorded it in my home studio, then uploaded and distributed it on online platforms to share among friends. It's like YouTube, except I charge for it."
A chuckle escaped, turning the originally artistic hobby into a witty twist at the end, causing chuckles all around.
"Just a hobby?" Ellen's face carried a smile too, as she repeated in a questioning manner, "That explains it. No music videos, no radio rankings, not even any corresponding publicity. A complete independent musician."
Renly nodded in affirmation, "Before gaining attention from "Buried", I worked at a jazz bar. There were many talented independent musicians there, each brimming with talent, holding onto their musical dreams, persevering relentlessly. Compared to them, I can't truly be called a musician; I'm merely an enthusiast."
Within his humble words, the sincerity of Renly shone through. Anyone pursuing a dream deserved respect. Applause filled the air, cheers for Renly and for all those dreamers who refused to compromise with life.
"Indeed! Absolutely," Ellen joined in with applause, nodding repeatedly, "I've always believed that every dreamer deserves respect. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come this far." Ellen's words transformed the applause into jubilation, and she nodded with a cheerful agreement, "However, I believe you're exceptional too. We've already witnessed your talent through the video just now."
The cheering and chanting from the audience disrupted Ellen's words as they expressed their support for Renly.
Ellen had to press her palms downward to regain control of the atmosphere, and then she redirected the conversation, "You said earlier that you composed this song on the spot?" Renly's smile paused briefly at the corners of his lips, as if he had already anticipated the words that would follow.
Indeed, Ellen turned to the audience, "Do you want to see Renly complete an impromptu?"
"Yeahhh!" Cheers rose like waves, one crest after another, impossible to stop. Ellen looked at Renly with a serious expression, opening her hands as if to say, "This is what the people want. It's really not my fault."
Renly hadn't anticipated things would take such a turn. He should have a heart-to-heart talk with Andy when he got back. "I thought today was about promoting the movie, and Katy was here for the new single." Renly shook his head helplessly, "I don't think it's a good idea."
"What does that mean? You can't, or you won't? Is it because the enthusiasm of the live audience isn't fiery enough?" Ellen's words turned the atmosphere into a boiling ocean once more, screams and shouts continuously surging in, the scene lively and bustling.
"I can't." Renly spread his hands, admitting it crisply and clearly.
Ellen paused for a moment, evidently not expecting Renly's response to be so straightforward.
Even if not a specialty, every actor nowadays was going all-out to promote their versatility. Johnny Depp had his own independent band, Jared Leto's band had already released three studio albums, Angelina Jolie was preparing for her directorial debut...
The fields of art were somewhat interconnected; different insights from various fields often presented a talented illusion, generating more topics. This was one of the reasons why numerous actors ended up directing, singing, or both.
But Renly's refusal was too straightforward, causing Ellen to dig in further, "Alright then, if you compose a bit of melody on the spot, we'll play a captivating segment of "Buried" on the show, attracting more viewers to the movie theaters."
Renly didn't fall for it, "I thought this was part of the deal. You know, I appear on the show, and in exchange, you play clips from the movie."
Ellen opened her mouth to counter, "This is my show; I can refuse to play it." Then she saw Renly about to speak again, hastily adding, "But if you're willing, for the next week, no, two weeks, the show's official website will showcase exciting videos from "Buried"."
Renly's pupils slightly contracted. He looked at Ellen with interest, then softly laughed, "I never knew you were so competitive." Refusing to give in, refusing to compromise, this did indeed differ slightly from Ellen's image on the television show.
Ellen nonchalantly spread her hands, "Portia never plays games with me. She avoids any games involving winning or losing. If you watch the show, you'll know I mostly avoid games. Not because I'm bad at them, but because I must win." Her teasing words successfully elicited laughter from the live audience.
"In that case, I'd better concede willingly. Otherwise, my agent will undoubtedly push me onto the show again." Renly's response brought a satisfied smile to Ellen's face. She shook her head proudly, and once the audience grasped the meaning behind his words, they burst into applause and cheers.
"What instrument do you need? Keyboard? Guitar? Saxophone? Flute? Violin?" Ellen started to get excited, even hopping onto the sofa, hugging her knees, looking at Renly with eager anticipation. Her childlike behavior couldn't help but bring a smile to people's faces.
Renly glanced around, "A guitar, please." The guitar was the most convenient instrument; combinations of chords could swiftly create melodies in a short amount of time.
"Stephen, Stephen, a guitar!" Ellen called out loudly to the audience, while also scanning the surroundings for the crew's figures. In no time, a crew member with headphones jogged up, handing a wooden guitar to Renly, then briskly retreating.
Renly cradled the guitar in his arms, adjusted his posture, then raised his head to look at Ellen, grinning, "Alright, give me a theme."
"What do you mean?" Ellen appeared curious.
"Even for impromptu, I still need a theme. Like, a theme song for The Ellen DeGeneres Show? Or maybe I could write a little tune for you and Portia." Renly explained simply; he didn't have any specific creative ideas today, and spontaneous creation required a spark of inspiration.
"Oh, I see." Ellen nodded in agreement, "But I think those are too ordinary, not meaningful. If you could come up with something like "Old Pine" again, that would be perfect. Wait, what are you doing now?"
"Tuning." Renly said simply. Ellen suddenly realized, "In daily use, guitar strings tend to loosen. To ensure the right pitch, a slight adjustment is needed."
"But tuning requires referencing the piano's pitch, right? Or something like a tuning fork." Ellen wasn't completely unfamiliar with guitars; her surprise earlier came from the fact that Renly didn't use any reference tools.
Renly gave a smile, "I'm just pretending to be professional. Don't expose me, okay?" This answer made the entire room burst into laughter, even Ellen was briefly stunned before she joined in, clapping and laughing heartily.
Of course, Renly was just joking.
In fact, he had learned piano since childhood and could identify deviations from the correct pitch without tools. His sensitivity to pitch was said to be innate, a natural talent his teacher had remarked on.
He wasn't a genius, never was. Compared to true geniuses, his displayed talents were limited. In the aristocratic circles, geniuses were countless, overwhelming even. This was why George and Elizabeth didn't regard Renly's talent with much astonishment. However, compared to acting, accuracy in pitch was indeed one of his unique skills.
Tuning, it was just the most basic of basics.
"A theme, I need a theme, preferably a story, you know, one that evokes imagery." Renly's state was completely relaxed, burden-free.
As he had said, unlike acting, music was just his hobby—a way to pass the time, unwind, adjust his mood. He didn't harbor grand dreams or special perseverance. Truly beautiful melodies could touch the soul regardless of their form.
"Alright." Ellen exhaled a long breath, recalling, "Wow, this is much more difficult than I imagined. How about this? Let's hand this responsibility to the live audience. Let's see if there's a special story to share today. Something happy, sad, joyful, or painful—a small event."
As her words fell, the audience instantly raised a sea of arms, energetically participating in the lively atmosphere.
"Very well, you, yes, you, the lady in the off-white shirt. Yes, you." Ellen singled out a person, and the other audience members began to clap and cheer, rallying for the chosen viewer.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Shallowman
Shallowman That's why I just love this story, and that's why I could bear the awful Google MTL on the first read because the story even at its foundation, stripped off of verbose prose and uniquely beautiful passages with, most importantly, grammatically correct sentences, still remains magnificent. Just look at this chupster alone and what it achieves: gives more reasons for the audience to love Renly, establishes a connection with Ellen who might become an important recurring character, adds another two wonderful songs into Renly's discography with a story of impromptu attached to one of them, and generates discussions among fans on how talented Renly is if he was able to pull off this impromptu
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