The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

Zhao Qianfan looked speechlessly at Li Zichun's timid and reserved appearance, like a nervous puppy, yet with a strange sense of anticipation. He couldn't help but want to go over and pet him, so he inexplicably reached out and touched the stray hairs on Li Zichun's forehead, saying, "What do you want me to do?"

After saying that, he flicked his forehead with his hand, gave him a light tap on the head, and then said without turning his head, "I'll give you three minutes to get dressed. I'll wait for you outside."

As he was about to close the door, he turned back to examine Li Zichun's thin skin under the covers and said softly, "If I don't get dressed soon, I'm not sure what I'm really capable of doing."

Zhao Qianfan sat on the sofa, drinking water to quench his thirst. He stroked the quiet Qitong with one hand, looking at it with a half-smile, or perhaps not looking at it at all. It seemed to be savoring something interesting, and inexplicably let out a strange laugh, which made Qitong's whole body tremble and dare not move. Its cat anus shrank and its tail was wrapped around its paw.

A moment later, Li Zichun came out looking impatient and dressed neatly. Zhao Qianfan's suits were all a size too small, but they fit him perfectly. After getting dressed, he looked much more energetic.

Zhao Qianfan nodded in satisfaction, then smoothed down the stray hairs on his head before pushing him into the car and heading straight for the university.

Li Zichun looked at him meaningfully, not even missing the first button of his shirt, and said, "Do you have OCD?"

Zhao Qianfan, without turning his head or blinking, kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead and said expressionlessly, "I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense."

Li Zichun said knowingly, "Oh, it's a ritualistic obsessive-compulsive disorder."

Zhao Qianfan glanced at him speechlessly, then continued driving and said softly, "Okay, it's just a little bit. When walking, you can't step on the paving stones and the grout lines at the same time; when entering a door, you must enter with your right foot first; when leaving the house, your hair can't be sticking up or sticking out... things like that, it's not too serious."

Seeing his discomfiture, Li Zichun felt a surge of pleasure and smiled, saying, "Alright, I'll let you off this time. So, why do you want me to wear a suit?"

Zhao Qianfan said in confusion, "Didn't the director tell you? Oh, but that makes sense. He just made the decision on the spur of the moment. Last night, Lu Fang and Lou Yideng said that the school had a cultural exchange activity today and they would have to leave for the day. He casually asked if you would be going. After getting a positive answer, he decided to take everyone with him, just to give everyone a day off from their busy practice."

Upon hearing this, Li Zichun shook his head and said, "Zhang Xiaochuan really knows how to handle things!"

Zhao Qianfan said with a smile, "Since it was a spur-of-the-moment idea, and everyone hadn't been back to campus for a long time and wanted to see how popular we were, we all agreed. Actually, everyone knows we really want to see you; we just want to get some exposure so that if we have any good songs or pieces, we'll think of us first. To be honest, we also want to see your piano skills, you newly minted prodigy. After all, we don't know if the videos circulating online are real or not, and the live performance in a concert hall is much more impressive. If you perform well, he said he'll consider airing it as a special episode; if not, it'll be a bonus episode."

Li Zichun smiled but remained silent. The piano? That was a piece of cake. In his past life, he had accompanied several children to their piano exams—the Royal Academy of Music exams in the UK. Besides the same difficulty level of the pieces as in China, the exams also assessed emotional understanding of the music, aural skills, music theory, sight-reading, music history, and so on. He had taken the exams himself in his spare time and did quite well, earning a Grade 6 certificate. He was just one step away from the professional performance level (Grade 7) and the advanced performance level (Grade 8). Although he planned to take the exams again, he was too lazy to continue since the children had already passed. He was just taking them as a hobby, and he also had a company to manage; who would waste their money and time on that?

Zhao Qianfan caught a glimpse of his confident smile and couldn't help but smile back. He seemed to have it all figured out, so she teased him, "Every time I see that sly and cunning smile on your face, I know those foreigners who were planning to make things difficult for you today are in for trouble."

Li Zichun patted his face and said, "Is it that obvious? Then I'll tone it down a bit."

The two arrived at the school and parked their car, where someone was already waiting for him. Li Zichun recognized her, paused for a few seconds, and then hesitantly asked, "Wang Xiaofang?"

Wang Xiaofang nodded and joked, "Oh, it's rare for a big star to still remember his old classmate. Should I just grab your hand and start crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide to become famous?"

Li Zichun said with a smile, "Stop fooling around. What are you doing here? Isn't today a music and culture exchange meeting? If you love learning so much, why aren't you listening? I heard that if James takes a liking to you, you'll be sent abroad for a government-funded study abroad program."

Wang Xiaofang said with a hint of frustration, "Don't even mention it, it's so annoying. If they were really interested, they would have contacted us privately already. Let me tell you, those two students James brought are so arrogant. When we practice and exchange ideas, they always have this arrogant look on their faces, as if we're just throwing shit at them. If it weren't for their handsome faces, I would have liked to shove a plunger in their faces and piss on them to let them taste how hot I am."

Li Zichun chuckled. He really hadn't changed at all; he still spoke the same way he did at school.

Zhao Qianfan looked on with a gossipy and surprised expression. The girl looked quite ladylike, but she was really playing around!

Wang Xiaofang continued, humming and hawing, "That's why the teacher asked you to come back for the exchange meeting this time, to put a blow to their arrogant attitude. Otherwise, they would really think that there is no one left in our Great Zhou Kingdom to play music."

Li Zichun patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me, I guarantee I'll take care of them."

Wang Xiaofang raised her fist and said, "Go for it, you talented guy! By the way, are you planning to play the piece you played at the music square before? The second one was pretty good, the teacher made us practice it often! Did you compose that yourself? When did you become so amazing?"

Li Zichun waved his hand and said, "It was just a lucky find in a dream, nothing to brag about. I've been practicing traditional folk instruments lately, and haven't been practicing Western instruments much. So I came back this time to give it a try and see if I've regressed."

Wang Xiaofang abruptly pulled him aside and said, "You can't do this. Although you're a big star now and can choose how to live without restraint, I know you're capable. Don't waste your talent. A person's energy is limited. If you want everything, you'll end up being a jack of all trades and master of none. You might seem to be an expert in everything, but in reality, you're just an average person."

Li Zichun smiled and looked at her, saying, "Thank you for your concern, but don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Just watch how I deal with these people who look down on you this time, and then you'll know whether I've backed down or not."

Looking at his confident demeanor, Wang Xiaofang nodded and smiled, "Then I'll wait and see how this aspiring gold medal creative talent will dominate the scene."

The three chatted casually for a while and soon arrived at their destination.

Because director Zhang Xiaochuan was filming, Lü Fang changed the performance venue from a small concert hall to a school auditorium. The presence of a host of stars made the venue even more packed with people, and every time the camera panned to someone, there was a scream.

The host was Li Fei, who had met Li Zichun a few times before. After exchanging greetings, everyone took their seats and waited for the show to start.

James nodded at him, and Li Zichun responded indifferently. Carter and Lily, standing to the side, were indignant at his nonchalant attitude, which made him seem to disregard them. They thought to themselves, "You'll get what's coming to you later."

The concert began quickly, after a series of routine introductions and pleasantries.

Carter played "The Sun," and Lily played "The Mirror." These two famous piano pieces were two world-renowned representative works by their predecessors from the Royal Academy of Music, Isley. They played them quite well, very well. In his previous life, Li Zichun had attended many concerts by famous musicians. Although these two did not amaze him, they were indeed talented.

A piece of music will generally be quite good as long as it fulfills three key points: first, the completeness of the piece; second, artistic expression; and third, technique. Both of them are very good.

Next up were the students from Rongcheng University. Although their performance was slightly less than satisfactory, it was still quite good.

Finally, there was a comparison between Professor Lü Fang and James. The two were evenly matched, but to Li Zichun's surprise, James played Professor Lü's "Wedding in a Dream," a piece that was both joyful and sorrowful, beautiful and moving. It seems he has already developed his own unique understanding; truly a master! Unfortunately, he's still a little short of being a grandmaster.

Compared to this, Lü Fang's song seems weaker.

Everyone turned to look at Li Zichun. Was this a bullet he had handed to an outsider? Everyone kept their eyes down, staring at each other without saying a word, waiting to see how he would handle the situation.

This old bastard really has no martial ethics. Li Zichun couldn't help but snort, thinking, "Just wait and see how I deal with you later."

Zhao Qianfan sat down next to him, gently patted his shoulder, and said softly, "It's okay, it's not your fault."

Li Zichun grasped the hand that was slapping him and said, "Of course not. Piano music is meant to be played, and there's no rule against anyone playing it. Let's see how I retaliate."

After Lü Fang and James finished playing, the audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Lu Fang looked a little embarrassed, but still clapped along with everyone else. That old man cheated. He clearly said that this piece was not to be used, but he changed the piece at the last minute. Damn it, I should have played it first.

After a round of mutual business praise and evaluation, the conversation turned to him.

Host Li Fei said excitedly, "Now, please welcome the composer of the piece that Mr. James just played to the stage. Let's give a round of applause to our talented scholar, the pride of the academy, the future star, and the benchmark of traditional Chinese style, Li Zichun."

Thunderous applause erupted in the room. Carter and Lily looked at him with a smug, gloating expression, while Lily seemed to want to devour him whole. The sight of the two of them gave him goosebumps.

Li Zichun calmly walked onto the stage, exuding elegance and nobility, a far cry from the student he once was. He took the microphone and began, "First of all, I'd like to thank Professor Lü Fang for inviting me back for this music and cultural exchange activity. Originally, as the final guest performer, I planned to just play a few pieces and leave, but I never expected to witness such a masterful performance. Thank you, Professor James, for thinking highly of my humble work. Thank you for your heartfelt interpretation, which gave this piece a unique charm. In return for your performance, I'll... um... three pieces? Is that alright, Director? Can we play the ones that haven't been broadcast yet for them to hear first?"

Suddenly being called upon, Zhang Xiaochuan looked bewildered, unsure of what to do. After a slight pause, he asked, "Is it okay? It's just a song, it shouldn't affect the ratings. It's all your own songs, the copyrights are all yours, you can handle it yourself!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zichun couldn't help but smile and say, "Since you've already asked, let's also let James appreciate the charm of the music of our Great Zhou Kingdom."

Li Zichun walked to the piano, slowly sat down, his fingers gently caressing the keys. He adjusted his breathing, then smiled calmly. His fingers touched the keys lightly, and the interlacing black and white keys gave birth to a beautiful melody—a piano version of "Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon." Li Zichun was playing the 1975 piano arrangement by Wang Jianzhong of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. This essential piano piece for students is hailed as China's "Moonlight Sonata." He had devoted considerable effort to it back then, and playing it again now evoked a flood of emotions.

This piece is simple in some ways, but truly difficult in others. A slight mistake can result in a "monkey trying to catch the moon" or "a celestial dog eating the moon" performance. His wife used to laugh at him and the children for playing it like "dark clouds obscuring the moon" several times, and then patiently guided and corrected them.

Li Zichun seemed to be chasing the bright moon that belonged only to his heart in flowing memories. The piano in his hands was really like the clouds in the sky flowing around people with the moonlight, sliding into people's hearts, so smooth and so beautiful.

After the piece was finished, thunderous applause erupted in the audience. Li Zichun bowed and said, "If you want to hear a song adapted from this piece, remember to watch our program next week!"

The atmosphere was relaxed and natural thanks to his humorous tone. James savored the music he had just heard, clapped along, and felt that the trip had been worthwhile.

Then Li Zichun played another piece, "The Shepherd's Flute".

"The Shepherd's Flute," originally titled "The Shepherd's Flute," is a piano piece composed by He Lüting in 1934. It is considered the first piano piece in the music world to possess a distinct and mature Chinese style.

The version of this piece that is most well-known now is probably Lang Lang's.

Li Zichun's playing was fluid and graceful, and the whole piece had a continuous and seamless momentum, leaving a lasting impression.

The audience consisted of people from the music industry, and although it was their first time hearing the music, they didn't hold back their applause.

After this piece, we finally got to the third piece, which was also the one he had planned to play from the beginning: "The Butterfly Lovers," a piece from the well-known Chinese folktale "The Butterfly Lovers."

The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto is a work composed by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao while studying at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Using melodies from Yue Opera as its source material, it combines symphonic and traditional Chinese opera musical techniques, meticulously conceiving and structured according to the plot. Composed in the winter of 1958, it premiered in Shanghai the following May to critical acclaim, with Yu Lina as the violin soloist. The violin version is widely recognized, its plaintive and poignant tone more closely resembling the story itself. However, Li Zichun believes that every instrument has its own characteristics, and the piano version is equally excellent.

Li Zichun's deepest impression of this piece comes from the version performed by pianist Wu Yili, invited by CCTV's "Classic Recitations" program in 2018. As one of the pioneers of piano education in China, a first-generation pianist, and the compiler and premiereer of the piano accompaniment for the piano part of the "Butterfly Lovers" violin concerto, she composed the accompaniment for the piano part of "Butterfly Lovers" in 1959 as a gift for the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The original violin concerto lacked a piano accompaniment, so she stayed up for three days and three nights to compose the piano accompaniment for "Butterfly Lovers." When she was 88 years old, she was invited to play "Butterfly Lovers" on stage again, and the sound of the piano was deeply moving.

The entire piece is a world-renowned classic masterpiece known for its graceful, grand, beautiful, and deeply moving qualities. Li Zichun dared not tarnish the masterpiece of his predecessors, so he rested on stage for a full five minutes. The entire venue was quiet, and no one dared to disturb him.

When he adjusted his mindset, he finally began to play with reverence. His fingers flew across the black and white keys like two elves dancing, presenting a story to the audience, a story of love, affection, and entanglement that tugged at the heartstrings.

He was not playing the version known to the world, but the original version played by Ms. Wu Yili.

The entire piece lasted nearly ten minutes, yet no one found it long. In the face of such music, even breathing loudly seemed like a sin.