The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

110.

The program began in full swing amidst great anticipation.

"Welcome everyone to the recording of the National Singing King Competition Finals. After half a year of preliminary selections, mid-term assessments, and elimination battles, this competition will determine which five will stand on the final stage to compete for the ultimate title. The choice is in your hands..."

After the host's introduction, today's competition finally began.

The first performer was Fang Yujia, who sang "Qian Zhongshu":

Ta-da-ta-ta; Words as precious as jade reside in books; Houses of gold lie within books.

*Clap clap clap* Books are a good medicine to cure ignorance; books are lovers to keep you company...

Since Zhao Qianfan is the last to perform in this episode, there's no need to rush.

Li Zichun took off his shoes, curled up his feet on the sofa, leaned against Zhao Qianfan, and watched their performance while eating the snacks and drinks prepared by the production team.

Overall, it's just average, nothing particularly appealing. It's quite an achievement that they were able to write something like this.

The people who came on stage afterward also sang songs they had been working on for a week.

"To know the affairs of the world, one must read books of the past and present. If ten thousand volumes of classics are useless, how can a noble child emerge from a poor family..."

"Books are like small boats of thought, bobbing between the past and present; knowledge is their precious cargo. You and I exist in the long river of time; without a boat, we would be swept away by the winds and waves..."

While some seek stability and quick profits, others are more aggressive.

"What's the point of studying so many books and doing endless exercises? We've studied the same subjects over and over again for over a decade, only to find we don't need any of it when we grow up. Useful or useless, it doesn't matter. The point is to have money to spend in the future. Since that's the case, why not just marry a rich man..."

......

Li Zichun thought the lyricist was very brave to sing these songs in front of a national audience. He was really not afraid of being banned by the authorities. The earthquake in the entertainment industry has arrested so many people, but it can't stop them from expressing their desires!

Zhang Xiaochuan didn't stop him, it seemed the higher-ups knew and were planning educational reforms. Should he... cough cough, he was thinking too far ahead. He should just finish winning the singing competition and leave as soon as possible.

Of all the songs Li Zichun listened to, the one that left the deepest impression on him was the rap by the Haoyu Fenghua group.

"Hmph, haha, hey! If you're ugly, you should read more books, otherwise you'll only lose in life. If you don't want to be fooled, you need to be aware of your own limitations. If you're ignorant and uneducated, don't spout nonsense in front of others. Society is complex, people are treacherous, and those who are uneducated will eventually get what's coming to them..."

This trendy and expressive song set the entire stage on fire. Li Zichun even swayed to the rhythm and applauded for them in the dressing room. Truly, heroes emerge from among the young; they dare to write, sing, and express anything.

After watching their performance, Li Zichun breathed a sigh of relief and said to Zhao Qianfan, "It seems they should be the champions this time. I feel a little sorry for you."

Zhao Qianfan smiled indulgently and said, "It's okay. After all, they're doing rap, which is a way to blow up the stage. We can't compete with that."

As expected, Haoyu Fenghua's performance won thunderous applause. The audience was swept up by their energetic and rhythmic rap, and their votes immediately rose to first place.

The following performances were rather bland. What surprised him most were the performances by Fang Yujia and Qian Yuanyuan's groups, which focused on the topic and their problem-solving approaches.

Fang Yujia, abandoning her previous ethereal and melodious voice, sang in a soft, gentle, and slightly alluring tone: "Oh, scholar, how are you? I am delighted to see your wealth and knowledge. Could you paint a picture for me? Oh, scholar, you have come. I only wish to be your caged bird, accompanying you to high office until our hair turns white..."

Qian Yuanyuan, dressed as a fox spirit, moved among the various men, singing in a mocking tone: "This guy, all looks and no substance, but good family background, I can rely on him. This person, quick-witted and not stupid, but unfortunately ugly, only good for getting along with. This man, handsome, kind, learned, and successful, but despite all the temptations, he just doesn't like me..."

One of them used the scholar's academic status as a starting point to accompany him through the ups and downs of his official career, while the other had seen the charm of all the talented men in the world and understood all the people in the world. Each of them had their own merits.

Nevertheless, their votes did not surpass Haoyu Fenghua's, who had ignited the entire audience, but they were still close behind.

Ma Qian knocked on the door, signaling that it was Zhao Qianfan's turn to go on stage. Li Zichun stood up, bumped fists with him, and said with a smile, "Good luck!"

Zhao Qianfan stood on the stage and sang "Who Says Scholars Are Useless" to the music:

Who says scholars are useless?

The wind whispers and laughter, relying solely on those three inches of unyielding spirit; do not laugh at the pedantry and poverty of scholars.

A generous heart that can hold all, yet possessing such righteous courage and loyalty... Oh, righteous courage and loyalty...

I also know that life's journey has always been long.

However, in this world, those who should not be poor are poor, and those who should not be rich are rich.

I also know that it's good to be confused sometimes.

Yet, I cannot help but raise my voice for the sake of the world and all its people.

A pair of iron teeth can chew through the layers of interpersonal relationships and connections.

A mouthful of copper teeth can cleave through the filthy, treacherous path of power struggles.

A tobacco pouch filled with countless witty and humorous anecdotes, filled with laughter, anger, and curses.

A worn-out pen writes the legendary tales of trials and tribulations, love and hate, that have lasted for millennia.

One after another

(Hey ya ya hey ya ya...)

Who says scholars are useless? They all know that life is a long and arduous journey.

However, in this world, the poor are not poor, and the rich are not rich... Who says scholars are useless?

Regarding the theme of this episode, Li Zichun racked his brains. From the vast list of songs, he could only think of three. The first one was naturally the well-known "The Reader," but it wasn't quite relevant to the theme. In this kind of finals battle, mistakes were not allowed, so he didn't choose it. The second one was "Knowing How to Study," an early song written by JJ Lin. The two of them had argued about this song and the current one, but in the end, they chose this one for the sake of playing it safe.

This song was the opening theme for the TV series "The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan." Li Zichun remembers it very clearly because he was a big fan of the show. His whole family would sit in front of the TV watching Ji Xiaolan and Heshen's battle of wits, which he really enjoyed. With the TV on, eating fruit and snacks, he would sit there and feel like he was Emperor Qianlong watching his ministers vying for favor.

The song's format is somewhat similar to a storyteller's tale in a teahouse, where the characters in the story are gradually presented to you.

The song didn't make much of a splash at the event. After listening, everyone just nodded and applauded as usual. It was relevant and meaningful, but not popular. Without a stage for performance or an explosive live performance, it was more suitable to be savored slowly when alone. After all, people become more shrewd and realistic as they get older, so it's good to be a little confused sometimes.

Even though the live performance wasn't great, Zhao Qianfan still managed to give the song a unique charm thanks to her immense popularity and superb singing skills. Her vote count wasn't high, placing her seventh.

Fortunately, the final ranking is based on the sum of the total scores. In the previous round, Zhao Qianfan won first place with "Where Has Time Gone?", and with the close score in this round, he ranked third in the total score, finally squeezing into the top five in the battle for the title of King of Singers without any major incident.

Li Zichun and Zhao Qianfan both breathed a sigh of relief in the creative area; the competition had passed without major incident. Li Zichun glanced at the final list, and as he had expected, the final contenders were: Haoyu Fenghua duo, Fang Yujia, Zhao Qianfan, Qian Yuanyuan, and Ren Tianshou.

These five are the top combatants of the younger generation that he knows of. He has been following them from regional to national battles in the capital. Their strength and looks are top-notch in this generation.

Li Zichun quietly petted the cat, chatting casually with Zhao Qianfan, waiting for the final challenge.

While waiting, he glanced at the other teams and noticed that the members of each team had changed significantly, with many being familiar faces he had seen a few times before.

After questioning Ma Qian, he learned that the singers in the creative zone could be constantly reorganized and freely assigned among themselves. They could choose the useful ones, discard those who were lacking inspiration, and recruit elites from other eliminated teams to help themselves win the title of King of Singers.

Of course, the singer and their company have to bear the costs and favors themselves, which is a crucial part of the test.

Li Zichun nodded after listening. It was indeed reasonable to do so. For the sake of the authenticity and excitement of the competition, no amount of adjustment was excessive. The final champion would not only be determined by strength, but also by popularity, connections, background and other factors.

This national event, held once every five years, has given everyone ample time to prepare. How well it goes depends on everyone's methods and resources.

Li Zichun nodded, looked at the other teams around him who were having a lively discussion, and then looked at his own team of two people and a cat, which was "cold, quiet, and miserable".

Director Zhang Xiaochuan's appearance timely interrupted the discussion. After some pleasantries and announcing the rankings, he revealed the final competition rules and topics: "First of all, congratulations to everyone for passing round after round of challenges and reaching the final battle for the title of King of Singers. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to you all. (Applause) Now, let's announce the topics and competition rules for the final round:"

The final round is still a points-based competition. A portion of the previous fixed online viewers will be selected to vote alongside the live audience. Viewers who leave their seats or leave the video frame during the competition will be considered to have abstained from voting. The total number of votes for this competition is ten million, and the total number of votes for the three rounds is thirty million. Viewers can vote repeatedly for their favorite songs, and the singer with the most votes will be this year's National Singer King.

The five contestants' creative teams need to create a piece of music that corresponds to the topic of the competition.

Now, let's announce the competition topic: There are three realms of life: In this life, one must see all beings, see the world, and see oneself. Having seen all beings, one understands their nature and thus becomes tolerant; having seen the world, one experiences both greatness and insignificance and thus becomes humble; having seen oneself, one feels one's true self and authentic self and thus becomes open-minded. These three encounters in life, guided by the heart and paved with the feet, are bittersweet even in their hardships.

This episode's challenge requires contestants to create three songs based on the themes of "self," "all living beings," and "heaven and earth," with a one-week timeframe. The entire process will be filmed in real-time to create music videos for the competition's background.

That concludes the reading. I wish you all good luck, endless inspiration, and excellent results.

After he finished speaking, he left, and Ma Qian and the others surrounded Li Zichun with cameras and recording equipment. The other teams did the same, following the contestants closely and filming them up close.

Li Zichun looked at the three familiar faces and said, "You guys don't film even private things like taking a shower or going to the toilet, do you?"

Jia Hui chuckled and said, "Of course not, but we'll wait outside, so you'll have to manage your time well."

Li Zichun's face twitched. Damn it! That meant everyone would know exactly when he went to the toilet! If he spent even a little time in the bathroom, everyone would probably assume he was constipated...

Li Zichun shook his head, clearing his mind of the jumbled thoughts, and started thinking about songs.

Heaven and earth, all living beings, and oneself...

Let's break it down one by one. Heaven and Earth can be associated with the way of all things, the laws of the world, the insignificance and the grandeur, life, aging, sickness, and death returning to Heaven and Earth... All beings, the well-known suffering of all beings, human nature, fame, fortune, and power, the various aspects of human existence... Oneself, the seven emotions, six desires, five poisons of the mind, the true self, the body, physiology, psychology...

Every time Li Zichun thought of something, he would write it down on a piece of paper, and Zhao Qianfan would add to it, trying to expand his thinking and improve it as much as possible.

Soon, the paper was covered with their writing.

Li Zichun leaned the paper against the back of Qi Tong, who was sitting upright, and began to think about which song to sing.

Li Zichun thought for a while, then beckoned to Zhao Qianfan with his finger and whispered a few words. The two then started arguing, mainly about choosing a song with the word "All Beings." Because there were too many choices, they didn't know which one to pick.

In the end, all living beings are just people. Wherever there are people, there is a world of its own, filled with countless loves and hates, and endless stories. Everyone's feelings and perceptions are different, so one must choose one. Li Zichun gave him several choices, but Zhao Qianfan's choice differed from his, so they started arguing.

Viewers watching the live stream were amused, though they found it baffling and didn't understand what the commotion was about. The other singers and the creative team at the scene also didn't understand the argument, simply watching with amusement, finding the creative process incredibly passionate, with playful pushing and shoving, and a cat meowing and wagging its tail nearby, adding to the lively atmosphere.

After a lot of arguing, Li Zichun finally grabbed Zhao Qianfan's ear and said, "Are you going to listen to me or not?"

Zhao Qianfan winced in pain and said, "Oh, hiss, stop, stop, stop! Listen, listen, listen! You're the boss, you're the boss, I'll listen to whatever you say!"

The audience and the live stream burst into laughter, and everyone understood Li Zichun's position. Other creative teams were mainly composed of singers, but their team of two people and a cat were mainly composed of authors. They were so focused on telling you to go east that you weren't allowed to look west.

Li Zichun stroked Qitong's fur and said, "Be good."

After saying that, he rolled his eyes at Zhao Qianfan, then went to the creative area and fiddled with his work for half an hour before handing it in and the two of them left.

PS: Data is from the internet.

《谁说书生百无一用》是陈说作词，杨立青、陈说作曲，金学峰演唱的歌曲。该曲收录于1997年1月1日发行的专辑《是不是因为我不够温柔》中。该曲是电视剧《铁齿铜牙纪晓岚第1-4部》的片头曲。