The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

This unprecedented live broadcast performance has finally come to an end.

Li Zichun slowly walked onto the stage, having removed her makeup and hair, dressed in a simple white outfit. She raised her hands in a gesture of respect and smiled, saying, "First of all, thank you all for coming and for your support. Originally, I just wanted to do a new song concert like before, singing love songs and talking, but since Teacher Gu Quan came with a mission, I rewrote and rehearsed this performance. Do you all like it? If you don't, it's okay, since the performance is over anyway, and the tickets won't be refunded."

The audience burst into laughter, shouting "One more!" and "Encore!" Online comments also followed suit, with "+1" and "+1" flooding the screen.

Li Zichun smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words. I will now present this last old song to everyone. If you have followed my cat before, you will have heard it before. It is 'Ambush from Ten Sides' for you to enjoy."

As soon as he finished speaking, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then shouted, "All generals, listen to my command! March!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion broke out at the scene.

Chairs were continuously brought in from both sides of the stage, leaving the audience bewildered, as if a major surprise was about to unfold. Chairs were brought in one after another, and Li Zichun, carrying a pipa, entered and took the lead. Other performers, also carrying pipas, followed one after another, taking turns according to seniority, experience, and skill, a mix of young and old, totaling eighty-three people. Screens on both sides displayed information about the performers, and the host, Li Fei, continuously reported on their performances; the audience almost couldn't keep up with the pace.

Everyone formed a fan-shaped circle, and only after Xu Songlin signaled that the formation was complete did Li Zichun begin to play.

With a clear, crisp sound, Li Zichun's fingers flew nimbly as he led the way, followed by others in succession, their killing intent spreading outwards.

The entire audience was jolted, as if they were being watched by a massive army. As the music reached its climax, many people covered their heads.

The sounds of swords clashing, cries, and the neighing of warhorses echoed one after another, creating an atmosphere as if one were in an ancient setting, with a palpable sense of impending doom rising and falling.

Those who are interested can search for it on Bilibili. It will be absolutely amazing and show you what true timeless Chinese music is all about.

As the last note faded, the entire audience rose to their feet and applauded.

The overhead lights went out, and the large screen behind them went black as well, displaying the words "May this prosperous era be as you wish," and ending with "See you again someday."

The lights came on, marking the official end of the performance. The audience applauded, and the curtain call, which lasted about twenty minutes, was accompanied by a cacophony of screams and cheers, signifying that this performance would be recorded in history.

A slideshow was played behind the screen, showing the portraits and names of the staff. One by one, they came out and waved to each other as they were caught on camera. Then, the group of grandmothers and aunties dressed by Jin Dili bowed gracefully to express their gratitude. Li Xian came from the back and stood at the front of the stage with a group of chubby-cheeked children chattering away. Next, actors and teachers from the Great Zhou National Drama Theatre and various intangible cultural heritage art masters took turns on stage. Finally, Li Zichun, Fan Liwen, Gu Quan, and other main creators and performers came on stage. The atmosphere gradually built up, reaching the highest point of the entire event.

Many people were moved to tears by the scene, experiencing applause for the first time in their many years of work.

The audience also cried, moved to tears by the performance. You thought the burning of the opera house was the end, but you didn't expect that there would be a reappearance of the legendary sound. Even the most foolish person would have some sense of self-awareness. They knew more or less that they had participated in history and that tonight would be remembered by the whole country.

The online live stream has remained incredibly popular, attracting nearly 100 million viewers thanks to word-of-mouth and official recommendations.

That's right, even at the end, no one left the live stream room. Everyone was waiting for their final remarks and looking forward to the next performance.

After Gu Quan and Fan Liwen's official statements, the microphone was finally in his hands, and everyone was looking forward to what he would say.

Li Zichun smiled gently and bowed again: "Thank you all for coming to this performance..."

Before he could finish speaking, the applause and cheers from the audience grew even louder, with many people shouting "Perfect!"

Li Zichun bowed gracefully again, waited a moment before gesturing for everyone to stop, picked up the microphone and continued, "Thank you all for your love and support for all our staff and performers. We have done our best in this performance, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, there will never be another performance as spectacular as this..."

Everyone was stunned. In an instant, all heads turned to look at him. Even Fan Liwen and Gu Quan on either side stared at him in disbelief. The internet exploded with exclamations of "Oh crap!" and a barrage of question marks.

"How about you reconsider it?"

"No way, it ended right after the fandom started?"

"Give up on yourself?"

"I really want to see it live, on the Spring Festival Gala!"

"Everyone should get on the Spring Festival Gala and become famous."

"Get on the Spring Festival Gala, get on the Spring Festival Gala, get on the Spring Festival Gala..."

Once there's one, there's two, and then one after another, floating endlessly, hoping someone above can see them.

Li Zichun paused for a moment and then continued, "The market belongs to everyone. I can't just keep clinging to it forever. Besides, if I keep being number one, other companies will have complaints. And you all have to let me rest for a while. It's not that I'm not releasing songs, it's just that I need to focus on developing the group of singers I've chosen. Please give them your support."

After the entire performance, the companies that had originally planned to hold online new song concerts also gave up. They didn't have many good songs to begin with, and now that he wasn't singing, they might as well release their own songs slowly or participate in the company ranking competition.

This performance is already legendary, what's there to compare? Look at the trending topics, then look at our own artists and works, ha, apart from their looks and voices being somewhat captivating, they have absolutely nothing else.

The trending topics were all about this new Chinese-style song concert, which almost single-handedly overturned the entire music scene and caused a sensation across the country.

Chinese music masterpieces that you should never miss in your lifetime

Chinese Music Festival

I speak out for Peking Opera

Demon reincarnation

See how songs can become timeless classics.

Walking artwork

……

Li Zichun clung to Zhao Qianfan's back, babbling incoherently, "Come on, let's have another one," "I'm not drunk," "It's all in the alcohol," "Are you looking down on me?"...

Zhao Qianfan couldn't help but chuckle. What a drunkard! He wondered if he would cry when he woke up tomorrow and saw those videos. He had absolutely no self-awareness.

"Ugh, it's so cold."

Li Zichun couldn't help but hug Zhao Qianfan's neck tighter and snuggle up to him. He really is both a novice and loves to drink!

Uncle Qi, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "Teacher Chun is such a troublesome little devil."

Zhao Qianfan rolled her eyes at him: "People are still conscious even when they're drunk. Be careful he doesn't remember it one day."

Uncle Qi made a face at him and said, "Sigh, you married people naturally don't understand the suffering of us single dogs. Qi Tong, don't you think so?"

Qi Tong rolled her eyes at him from his arms, thinking to herself that as long as she called out, countless house cats and stray cats would be waiting for her to patronize them, unlike you, a single dog.

The two of them finally managed to get Li Zichun into the car, and even covered him with a thin blanket. Qi Tong, being quite perceptive, jumped up and sat down beside him.

In the end, Zhao Qianfan drove him back. To be honest, he was just doing his duty. In his opinion, such a talented man who embodies the positive spirit of all astrological signs could hold up half the sky in any era.

The next day, Li Zichun woke up in Zhao Qianfan's arms. He was initially curious about how his chest was so big without much exercise, but as he pinched it, he suddenly sat up and yelled, "You, you, what did you do to me?"

Zhao Qianfan sighed and said helplessly, "You drank too much last night, and I brought you back. Have you forgotten everything?"

Li Zichun tried hard to think of something, but he only remembered that everyone kept pouring him drinks, and then he forgot about it.

He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed: "Last night, did I do something strange again last night?"

Zhao Qianfan didn't know how to answer, so he simply clicked the link on his phone and let him see it for himself.

Li Zichun's face grew increasingly dark; drinking really does lead to trouble!

In the video, he appeared drunk and talked about his past, or more accurately, his past life. He even recited a poem by Su Shi at the end: "This old man, in a moment of youthful exuberance, leads a yellow dog on the left, holds a falcon on the right, wears a brocade hat and a sable coat, and rides a thousand horsemen across the plains..."

As everyone listened to his eloquent speech, they were initially somewhat skeptical, but it seemed quite true. In the end, they simply took it as drunken ramblings, believing that talented people could spout beautiful words even when drunk, creating exquisite phrases and verses.

This clip has already garnered over ten million views overnight. Drinking can really lead to trouble!

Seeing that his expression had eased a little, Zhao Qianfan said calmly, "You threw up twice last night. Just cleaning up was exhausting. Drink less alcohol in the future."

Li Zichun sighed deeply, "Thank you, you've worked hard."

Zhao Qianfan smiled and said, "It's okay, as long as you're happy. Lie down for a while longer, I'll go make you breakfast."

Watching Zhao Qianfan bustling about, Li Zichun couldn't help but admire Jin Dili's taste as she ate the meal. He was truly a rare gem of a domestic man. She herself had never cooked in her past life; the only time she had, she almost ended up in the hospital with her loved ones.

Zhao Qianfan looked at the person and the cat who were eating happily and said, "By the way, Sister Fan signed us up for a variety show, a travel show. We'll be joining the crew in three days, so remember to get ready."

Travel-themed? Li Zichun couldn't help but recall the famous scenes from "Divas Hit the Road" that she had watched in her past life; they couldn't be more real.

He was startled and quickly asked what the rules were. He breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that it involved completing tasks in pairs.

Li Zichun asked curiously, "Your wife allows you to travel abroad? Doesn't she have to stay home and take care of the kids?"

Zhao Qianfan shrugged: "Jinmai was tricked by Gu Quan into going to the capital, which is a good opportunity for her to broaden her horizons. Dili was invited by the authorities and went there as well. Recently, she and her team of middle-aged women have been working overtime to make clothes, saying that they want to create a Chinese style brand and let foreigners see the power of Chinese clothing."

Li Zichun's eyelids twitched involuntarily. "Oh, so they've become famous? Are they this busy?" He took a sip of water, put on his clothes, and casually asked, "Where are Uncle Qi and the others? What are they doing?"

Zhao Qianfan placed the prepared breakfast on the table: "They said in the group that the company has arranged activities and commercial performances for us these days, and they will meet up with us midway through our program."

Li Zichun almost choked, then calmed down and said, "So this show is produced by our company? Can you really arrange so many people?"

Zhao Qianfan reached out and ruffled the stray hairs sticking up on his forehead: "Of course not. You have no idea how many singers have signed up for this show, even if they paid for it themselves, or even paid money."

Li Zichun blinked her big eyes in confusion and asked, "Am I that famous? I didn't know that."

Zhao Qianfan rolled her eyes so hard they almost flew to the sky. After placing Qi Tong on her seat, she sat down to eat as well: "Stop pretending. I don't believe you don't read entertainment news. After last month's results came out, you were already eligible to apply for the gold medal for lyrics and music. I thought you didn't care, but luckily Sister Fan helped you apply. It should be sent over by the end of this month."

Li Zichun took a bite of bread, even more confused: "Sent over? It's just an electronic icon certification, right? What? You're really going to give me a medal?"

Zhao Qianfan let out a long breath and explained, "It's a real gold medal. Only those who have received it can upload it for verification. The official team will conduct a series of data verifications and investigations, and will also conduct a comprehensive evaluation based on the artist's influence and cultural contributions. Finally, a meeting will be held to decide where the gold medal goes. There are no more than ten people in the whole country who have received a gold medal. A company that can have two gold medals is already considered top-tier."

Li Zichun almost coughed up gasping for breath: "This, this thing is so strict? There aren't even ten people in the whole country who can get it for me?"

Zhao Qianfan said with a smile, "Originally, Sister Fan only tried to help you because you broke the record for the first online live broadcast. However, with yesterday's performance being so successful, as long as you can complete the final test, it should be a natural outcome."

Li Zichun exclaimed, "Wow! You have to take an exam to win a gold medal?"

Zhao Qianfan nodded and said, "Yes, the topics are randomly selected, ranging from mountains, rivers, lakes and seas to birds and beasts, covering all aspects of human life. You have one month to create your work for the final evaluation! But I believe you can definitely do it with your talent."

Li Zichun was stunned. Good heavens, is this the entertainment industry he knows? If it weren't for the fact that he remembers it being backed by the resources of a country, he wouldn't dare to be so arrogant!

He took a sip of milk to calm himself down: "Tell me honestly, how many people have won gold medals before?"

Zhao Qianfan blinked innocently and said, "Six of them. The whole country knows about them."

Li Zichun coughed violently as he was drinking milk, spraying it all over the table: "The eight major entertainment companies in the country only have six gold medals combined?"

Zhao Qianfan took a tissue and wiped his mouth and the table for him: "Don't get excited. Two of them are state-appointed composers, which is a quota and they don't belong to entertainment companies. Two others have passed away, so strictly speaking, there are only four living gold medalists."

Li Zichun almost rolled his eyes so hard they cramped up, and then let out a long sigh: "This is truly an eye-opener."

Zhao Qianfan said helplessly, "Because art influences and permeates the lives of ordinary people, the higher authorities have always been quite strict in their review. Don't be fooled by the current economic downturn; it's because it's all been absorbed by foreign countries."

Li Zichun became interested and rested his chin on his hands: "Oh? Tell me more."

Zhao Qianfan pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and said, "That was when I first entered the industry, just in time for the convergence of domestic and international music. Back then, I watched the global music charts, which were incredibly exciting. Many people did indeed rise to fame, but in the end, none of them could resist the allure of the US dollar. After all, the figures are the same domestically and internationally, but the currency units are different. The two that remained were directly incorporated into the national system and established the China Music Chart. This brain drain is what has led to the lack of new talent in the music market in recent years."

Li Zichun patted Qi Tong's round belly and sneered, "If it were me, I would have run away too, but I would have walked out openly. Qi Tong, don't you think so? To slap those traitors in the face."

Seven-Card felt very comfortable being petted by him and obediently meowed.

Zhao Qianfan patted his chest and said, "You just give the orders, I'll cover for you from the front."

Li Zichun was amused by his dumbfounded look and teased, "Heh, you're lucky you weren't ambushed and knocked to the ground by your own people."

Zhao Qianfan knew he was talking about his past, and he chuckled sheepishly without any embarrassment, but he had other plans in mind.

After a pleasant breakfast, Zhao Qianfan wanted to take Li Zichun and Qitong out for some exercise to aid digestion, but they ended up getting all worked up by the stares of the two of them and the cat. They ended up being used as human pillows for the whole morning, and the two of them and the cat spent the morning lying on the sofa by the balcony.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting shadows on Li Zichun's messy bangs, making him a little uncomfortable. Zhao Qianfan, scrolling through his phone, casually grabbed a pillow to shield him from the sun. Seeing this, Li Zichun turned over contentedly and went back to sleep. Qitong, nestled on Zhao Qianfan's other leg, happily enjoyed the gentle stroking, whimpering and dozing off. Zhao Qianfan suddenly felt time moving slowly and beautifully; his heart seemed to calm down as well. He leaned back on the sofa, basking in the sun, and smiled as he drifted off to sleep as well.

There are always shadows under the sunlight, just like the distant view that Seven-Tong's eyes gaze upon. It looked up and met Zhao Qianfan's ambiguous smile, and its heart began to pound wildly, as if he could see right through it.