The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

152. Changing Yourself (Part 1)

Li Zichun's room was opposite Du Zihua's; it was a large single room of 100 square meters.

Li Zichun gained a new understanding of their family's financial situation, but upon reflection, he felt it was normal; how poor could a family be if they were still out doing business during the Lunar New Year?

Li Zichun lay on the bed, while Qitong lay sprawled beside it, already snoring. Taking advantage of the nap, he checked the current progress of the system task. After six months, it was still showing at 72%. Sure enough, if you don't work, there's no value. The further you go, the harder it is to progress. It seems he still has to work hard.

After resting for two or three days and adjusting to the time difference, he began the official album recording.

The first step is the choice of theme.

Du Zihua initially wanted to appear more mature and masculine, but Li Zichun and Sister Li exchanged a glance, and the latter shrugged helplessly. Li Zichun couldn't help but roll her eyes. Sure enough, no matter the era or place, everyone is the same. When young, they want to appear mature; when older, they want to appear young.

Li Zichun didn't even want to talk to him and just said, "Go cool off somewhere else. I'll talk to Sister Li directly."

Du Zihua then calmed down a bit and said, "It's about change. He doesn't really like how things are now."

Li Zichun yawned and said, "So, what do you want to become?"

Du Zihua thought for a moment and was about to speak when Li Zichun interrupted him again, saying, "Do you not like how you are now, or do you not like how everyone sees you?"

Du Zihua nodded, and was about to speak when Li Zichun interrupted again, "But this is who you are, why care whether they like it or not. You are you, and I just want to ask, do you like who you are now?"

Du Zihua was stumped by the question: Do you like yourself now? She couldn't say. A full schedule, one endorsement after another, the admiring glances of others, wealth and status—she had it all, but it was tiring. All of it was just part of her job; she couldn't say she liked it or disliked it.

Du Zihua snapped out of his reverie and was about to speak when Li Zichun interrupted, saying, "Whether you like it or not, the moment you start thinking, you are no longer who you are now."

Du Zihua was confused by his series of questions and answers, so what was the reason for these questions?

Li Zichun sat closer and pinched his chin, saying, "You have to like yourself first before you can get more people to like you. Otherwise, all your fans are just after your face. Once your bloom is over in two or three years and the novelty wears off, no one will like you anymore. And if you don't like yourself then, you're very likely to become depressed."

After Li Zichun finished speaking, he gently patted his face with his palm and said with a smile, "The fact that you found me to collaborate shows that you still love music. It is because of your passion and originality that I agreed to help you. Don't let me down, future superstar."

Du Zihua smiled and nodded: "Okay, I understand."

Li Zichun nodded and said, "Yes, you are a promising young man. You want to be mature, but your current age is completely unrelated to maturity. You only give people the ridiculous feeling of a child pretending to be an adult. Maturity is not something you can just talk about. It is a clear self-awareness, sufficient control over emotions, a sense of responsibility to take on challenges, independent thinking, empathy, effective communication, and timely problem-solving."

After finishing his sentence, Li Zichun couldn't resist pointing to himself with a smug grin: "Like me."

Du Zihua almost rolled his eyes to the sky, but when he saw Sister Li's serious and approving look, he stopped his upturned lips.

Li Zichun said with a smile, "You've been protected too well. Whether it's your family or your responsible agent, Sister Li, they're all genuinely trying to help you."

Li Zichun paused, then touched himself and said with a smile, "Unlike me, a child who grew up in an orphanage, I had no innocence or liveliness. I had to pretend to be careful from a young age, and I had to be careful not to let people find out that I was pretending. The more I pretended, the more mature I became."

Although Du Zihua had investigated and learned about his past before, this was the first time she had heard someone speak so sincerely about himself, which made her feel a little sad. She quickly stood up and said "I'm sorry".

Li Zichun said with a smile, "Hehe, he apologizes. He seems to be a mature and good kid."

After Li Zichun finished speaking, he patted his head and said with a smile, "But what I just said was also an act. In the orphanage, I am the king of the kids. I have good grades and am loved by everyone. My incredibly handsome face makes the elderly and caregivers all like me."

Sister Li, who was standing to the side, couldn't tell which of his words were true and which were false, because all they knew was that he grew up in an orphanage, had good grades, and then went straight into the entertainment industry. As for the twists and turns in between, no one really knew.

As Li Zichun spoke, he seemed to believe it himself. He suddenly remembered an unresolved question: "Who was the wealthy businessman who kept the original owner of this body?"

According to the information Yi Zhichun provided, he was beaten up by a few thugs hired by a wealthy businessman, accidentally injuring his brain, and died a few days later while working. This story seemed rather far-fetched, but upon closer examination, Yi Zhichun must know something but hadn't directly revealed the other party's information. Someone Yi Zhichun was avoiding must be extremely wealthy and powerful, perhaps even a political figure!

If it were a political figure, then everything would make sense. Otherwise, how could someone like Yi Ziqiang, knowing that he had taken down the eight entertainment giants in conjunction with capital, still dare to give him attitude and even defy public opinion by only giving himself and Zhao Qianfan a nomination award at the awards ceremony?

He still remembers that it was a hot topic of discussion among the people at the time. Yi Ziqiang was later transferred from his post because of it, and the matter was eventually dropped. He didn't pay much attention to the online developments.

Now, as the truth is being unraveled step by step, it's truly chilling. Luckily, I haven't gone too far. The constant stream of gossip and scandals would have been terrible.

Li Zichun was startled and broke out in a cold sweat. Du Zihua, seeing him suddenly freeze, patted him and said, "Little Li, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly frozen?"

Li Zichun snapped out of her daze, looked at him, pinched his cheek, and said, "You dare call me 'Little Li'? Call me 'Teacher'."

Du Zihua was taken aback, then pouted and said, "No way, you're only a month older than me."

Li Zichun rolled his eyes and said, "He's still my brother. Call me 'brother' and let me hear it."

Du Zihua said reluctantly, "Brother."

Li Zichun patted his head and said, "Hey, good little brother."

Du Zihua looked unconvinced, but Li Zichun rubbed his face and said, "Your brother just thought of another great song, so I'll make it the title track for you. You want to mature, which is simply because you want to change yourself and change how the public perceives you. So, let's make 'Growth' the theme for this album, how about that?"

Du Zihua's eyes lit up, and she hugged him and said loudly, "Great! Great! Let's make 'Growth' the theme."

Li Zichun glanced at Sister Li, and Du Zihua also let go of him and looked over. Sister Li nodded with satisfaction: "Growth, hmm, that's good. No matter what age people are, they are all growing up, appealing to both young and old. Not bad, there's great potential."

Li Zichun laughed and said, "Hehe, Sister Li is so insightful. Now that we've decided on the theme, things will be much easier. All we need is a recording studio and some instruments. By the way, Xiao Zihua, how many songs have you prepared?"

Upon hearing this, Du Zihua said curiously, "It's still in the preparation stage; I haven't even started writing yet."

Li Zichun squinted, still unwilling to give up, and asked, "Not even one in stock?"

Du Zihua said innocently, "No. I haven't had any inspiration lately, but now that you're here, I suddenly have a few lines, and a song can be made in no time."

Li Zichun swallowed hard and said, "Only one?"

Du Zihua said nervously, "It'll do, I can write a couple of poems."

Li Zichun put his arm around his shoulder and said, "So-so? How many songs are you planning to release on this album?"

Seeing that he wasn't angry, Du Zihua said with a smile, "Three poems?"

Li Zichun let out a long breath, then grabbed his neck with the hand that was around his shoulder and said, "Are you sure you want to release a new album? Generally speaking, there are at least ten songs."

Seeing his dumbfounded look, Sister Li got annoyed and quickly chimed in, "Isn't it because you're here? Why don't you write a few more songs, and he can just be a supporting character? With you involved, I'm more confident about the album's sales. You can have all the copyrights; we only need the performance rights, how about that?"

Li Zichun said with a softened expression, "As expected, Sister Li's words are more pleasing to the ear. But regarding the copyright issue, can the company agree to it?"

Sister Li said with a smile, "With the Moon Emperor making a move, they're probably too happy to even have time to celebrate."

Li Zichun shook his head and said, "I can certainly write this song. But it can't be under my name. I've already announced my retirement from the entertainment industry, so I won't concern myself with these things anymore. How about... I talk to my master and ask if I can borrow the name of my junior sister who hasn't debuted yet? What do you think?"

Sister Li thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, but what's your junior sister's name?"

Li Zichun said with a smile, "The Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust include me, Li Zichun, Li Yuehe, and naturally... Li Tianyi."

Sister Li asked in confusion, "Aren't the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust referring to Li Yuehe, Zhao Qianfan, and Li Ke?"

Li Zichun said with a smile, "Hehe, Zhao Qianfan and Li Ke are just signed artists. Besides, the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust are not just three people."

Upon hearing this, Sister Li suddenly realized, "That's right, it's just a code name." She suddenly remembered that singer from Kowloon Port who made a living by exploiting his seniors and juniors, and who had become popular online for a while with songs like "Slowly Cold" and "Slowly Like You." Everyone was still guessing who he was.

Sister Li asked curiously, "Do all three heroes of the Wind and Dust bring cats with them?"

Seeing her curiosity, Li Zichun explained in a rambling way, "It's not really about being taken along. Actually, it was Master's cat that chose us. Of course, there were also dogs, but those things need to be walked all day long, which I don't like. Luckily, Seven of Bamboo was chosen for me."

After Li Zichun finished speaking, he called out "Seven Tong". Seven Tong, whose ears were twitching from sunbathing, didn't even turn his head to look at him.

Li Zichun muttered under his breath, "That arrogant jerk."

Sister Li nodded and brought the conversation back to the main point, saying, "Doesn't your junior sister have any objections to this misuse of her name?"

Li Zichun said with a smile, "It's not certain whether she will debut or not. My master's standards are very strict. I am his favorite person, so he will definitely agree. Just submit the application with peace of mind and prepare the contract."

Sister Li nodded and said, "I'm relieved to hear you say that. Then let's use Li Tianyi's name for both the lyrics and the music. In that case, you two should prepare the song well. I'll go take care of other matters first. Du Zihua has all kinds of instruments here, as well as a private recording studio. I'll give you a month. Call me when you're done."

Li Zichun nodded and said with a smile, "No problem. I'm just worried that his singing skills won't pass my test."

Du Zihua quickly replied, "Nonsense, I sing really well, I have over ten million fans."

"Did you make over ten million because of your voice? No, it's because of your face."

"That's because I'm good-looking. I remember you said that being good-looking is also a kind of strength."

......

Sister Li didn't have time to watch them bicker, so she packed her things and said goodbye.

Next came Li Zichun's "intensive training" of Du Zihua.

Li Zichun and Du Zihua have kept in touch since they changed their contact information. Although Du Zihua is very busy, he always replies to Li Zichun's messages, and the two can be considered to have a personal relationship.

For the past two or three days, it had only been the two of them in the house, and they had already become quite familiar with each other. Today's performance was just for Sister Li's benefit.

In a month, twelve songs had already taken shape in his mind. As long as Du Zihua recorded them quickly enough, he could treat this month as a vacation.

This is also the right that Li Zichun fought for for him. A young man in the prime of his youth, his entire week is basically filled with work, various endorsements, events, performances, practice... His schedule is packed, he is either working, on his way to work, or preparing for the next job.

Although I earn a lot, it's really tiring.

The next month was spent with Li Zichun providing him with guidance. Du Zihua had been relentlessly sending him various training videos and vocal exercises. At first, Li Zichun just casually watched them like he was browsing videos, but later he would offer a few simple pointers, so he knew him quite well.

Under Li Zichun's guidance and encouragement, Du Zihua completed the recording of the entire album in just one week.

The first song on the album is "Change Yourself," written for him by Li Zichun:

I looked at myself in the mirror when I woke up this morning.

I suddenly realized my hairstyle and how I slept looked a bit ridiculous.

Small changes can make a big difference

Our combined power can also change the world.

I've been feeling quite down lately, and I'm generally quite upset.

Every time I watch the news, I feel like screaming.

But there was no swearing; everyone just relaxed.

I changed myself and discovered a huge difference.

Friends of the new generation, let's do our best!

Everyone shout together: NO NO NO NO NO

I can change the world, change myself, break down barriers, and overcome stinginess.

Keep striving, keep striving, never give up.

Only then can we change the world. Come on, change yourself.

I woke up this morning with a slight headache.

It might be due to too much carbon dioxide and too little oxygen.

Small changes can make a big difference

Our passion can also change the world.

He can only represent himself and has no political stance.

Actually, this world makes me very nervous.

I needed to adjust myself; I never expected that a single small change could be the finishing touch...

This song was inspired by Wang Leehom's life experiences. For a time, Wang Leehom often limited himself. Later, through his experiences in life and work, he discovered that changing himself wasn't so difficult. So, he stopped sticking to the old ways and created the song "Change Yourself." Besides encouraging himself, Wang Leehom also wanted to tell his fans not to be afraid of change, but to be brave enough to change themselves.

This song isn't a passionate or rousing one; rather, it's a heartfelt expression of the emotions found in the ordinary, sung with a calm and thoughtful heart. Du Zihua was reprimanded by Li Zichun several times before she finally sang it well.

PS: Data is from the internet.

"Change Yourself" is a song performed by Wang Leehom, with lyrics and music by Wang Leehom. It is included in Wang Leehom's self-titled album "Change Yourself" released on July 13, 2007.