The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

After midnight, Uncle Seven's new song "Gentleman" was released on time. The melody was soothing, the lyrics were heartfelt, and the singing was captivating. Uncle Seven's live stream had already accumulated a considerable following, and after two or three days of buzz and word-of-mouth, it quickly climbed to tenth place on the Great Zhou Kingdom's New Song Chart.

Uncle Qi excitedly called Li Zichun, only to be dismissed with a few dismissive "Okay, I know" words. He then turned around and called Fan Liwen to call for more people to join the effort.

Fan Liwen was a bit stunned after learning the other party's intentions. Release an album directly? How could that be! Most singers release digital singles; digital albums are rare. It's a waste of bandwidth; nobody would buy them. Aside from a few superstars, these days almost nobody releases, or dares to release, albums. If the work receives poor reviews and public opinion, it will severely impact their influence and career, drastically reducing their fan base and public image—basically, fading into obscurity. Digital singles, on the other hand, can effectively mitigate the losses. Even if the quality is poor, a label like "exploratory experimental work" can cover it up, and it will be seen as musically forward-thinking. And if it becomes a hit, they'll be seen as a music industry leader.

Li Zichun's primary goal was to change the landscape of the music scene. He didn't expect to succeed immediately; the music of this era was almost completely rotten, and if it weren't for a few decent pillars holding it up, it would have been beyond saving long ago. So, he settled for second best and suggested to Fan Liwen that they do an online live music performance of their new song to see how it went before deciding whether to release an album.

Fan Liwen thought to herself, "Is this guy getting cocky? Uncle Seven's song just released hasn't even reached the top yet, and he already wants to release another one. He should use this inspiration to think more about winning the championship."

Li Zichun smiled faintly, not discouraged, and continued, "If Uncle Qi's song cannot reach the top within seven days, I will not mention this matter again, and the copyright will belong to you. If it does reach the top, you must agree to help me promote the online concert live stream a week later."

Fan Liwen nodded: "If we can really reach the top, an online live concert of new songs is certainly possible, but are you sure those people will actually pay to download the high-definition version? Screen recordings on mobile phones are barely acceptable for listening."

Li Zichun gave a wicked smile on the other end of the phone: "I'm confident enough. You know the difference between the downloaded high-definition audio source and the low-budget recording. I wouldn't dare say every song is a classic, but they're definitely catchy and easy to listen to."

Fan Liwen said in surprise, "It's catchy and easy to listen to? You really dare to say that. Then I'll wait and see if Uncle Qi's new song can reach the top of the charts on the seventh day of this month. You know, the national music charts can't be manipulated."

“Of course I know that. I would never do anything illegal or disrupt the market. Just wait and see it reach the top.” Li Zichun flexed his knuckles as much as possible. “By the way, you’d better send the two newcomers I asked for over to training in advance, otherwise they won’t make it to my online new song concert.”

“Promoting online music live streams is certainly an option, but you’ll have to participate in a program.”

"Participate in a program? What program?"

"It's an officially organized music exchange event. Major companies will send people, starting with newcomers from local areas, then moving to provincial and municipal levels, and finally culminating in a final battle in Beijing to crown the champion. After that, it's the grand final."

"Heh, it's a ranking battle, isn't it?"

"you know?"

"I've learned a bit about it. On the surface, it's a star-making campaign and a singing competition, but at its core, it's a chaotic battle among entertainment companies across the country, vying for resources and market share. I heard they're planning to squeeze out Huating Entertainment this year?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you officially affiliated with the government? Why are you attacking yourselves?"

"We have never been subordinate to any organization. The authorities are just managers and supervisors. In order to curb the monopolistic trend of Dynasty Entertainment, if there is a new talent who can outshine the competition, the authorities will not hesitate to provide strong support. Over the years, various entertainment companies have worked hard to prepare new songs under the competition. This year, I plan to have you represent the company as one of the representatives of the four major regions. Don't fail to make it to the finals."

"Don't worry, we're going to do two things at once. We're the model youth of the new era, doing both online live streaming of our new songs and variety shows without any problems."

"Alright, then I'll wait and see."

After hanging up the phone, Li Zichun yawned and continued typing. He was absolutely confident of taking first place on the new song chart; he had listened to all the other songs and felt that he would be letting Xue Zhiqian down if he didn't get number one.

After several sleepless nights, Li Zichun finally submitted her work the day before the deadline for the competition. Counting the days, tomorrow will be a week; it's time to get a good night's sleep and prepare for the online live stream of her new song.

He simply couldn't understand why other people's systems came with built-in shops, offering whatever they wanted, allowing them to easily function as tools. But his system was limited to a simple sign-in function and task descriptions. If it weren't for his excellent memory, his extensive interests in his later years—including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and his vast collection of vinyl records, cassettes, and CDs—he might have already been enjoying life by now when he saw the task time. What was the point of trying to save himself? He might as well have just given up.

Qitong slept peacefully on his lap during the day without causing any trouble, and at night it would go to the balcony to cultivate its inner energy while staring at the moon. Li Zichun assumed it was watching the bustling traffic below and didn't pay much attention before going to sleep.

Li Zichun woke up at noon, took a shower, and tidied himself up. He was a refreshed young man again.

When he finished eating and took a taxi to the company, Uncle Seven was already waiting in the lobby with three singers for a long time.

Zhao Qianfan, dressed in a tight black shirt and jeans, appeared even more tall and elegant, his perfectly proportioned muscles even through his clothes seeming tempting to touch. It seems he hadn't given up despite being overlooked all these years; he maintained a positive and optimistic attitude. He suddenly understood Xing Yiling of Dynasty Entertainment a little better. Even in the entertainment industry, where handsome men abound, anyone would be tempted to take a bite of such a perfect man, even if they couldn't have him, they'd still want to leave a mark on his heart.

The two women next to her, who were originally quite attractive, paled in comparison to Zhao Qianfan. Good heavens, not only did her face look older than theirs, but her chest also seemed larger. It's truly infuriating to compare oneself to others.

When Li Zichun got closer, he realized that what was even more infuriating was that his height of 178 cm was actually a bit short in front of Uncle Qi and Zhao Qianfan. He quickly asked everyone to sit down and chat.

Before coming, he had already searched online, and "Gentleman" was undoubtedly number one. Fan Liwen's promised online music livestream had also started promotions, and she even called to ask him for the theme name; he simply replied, "All About Love." Besides that, Fan Liwen also warned him to take it easy, as the regional competitions for the national music exchange event "Da Zhou Good Songs" that she had mentioned before officially started on Wednesday, and he should pay attention and try to see him again in Beijing. He promised not to make any mistakes and then hung up the phone.

Uncle Qi and his group of five were chatting in the company lobby. Two of the girls, one named Li Jiawei and the other Liu Xueqi, were not wearing perfume or dressed up excessively. Their manners were also poised and graceful. Although their appearances were not stunning, they gave people a sense of closeness and comfort.

Although he had heard their demo tapes before, Li Zichun still had them hum a few lines of their favorite songs on the spot. He roughly had a good idea of ​​what to expect. Then he let them exchange ideas among themselves, while one of them quietly went to the side to do some dictation.

Seeing his focused expression, the four didn't disturb him. After about half an hour, they looked at the lyrics in their hands and then at him, and couldn't help but gasp. Two songs from each of them, and just by looking at the lyrics, they knew they were masterpieces.

Li Zichun briefly instructed them to familiarize themselves with the emotions and imagery in the lyrics, and that he would come back to check on them later. He then turned and went to the music room to record and arrange the music.

Looking at the myriad musical instruments before him, Li Zichun couldn't help but recall the scenes of his children chasing after celebrities in his previous life. In order to get closer to their idols, they all put in their best efforts to learn various instruments such as the guzheng, pipa, piano, and suona. They practiced like crazy to get closer to their idols, and even he and his wife learned quite a few. What used to be a pastime for relaxation and enjoyment has now become a means of making a living and advancing in life. Times have truly changed.

Li Zichun composed himself and, relying on the original owner's and his own abilities, quickly composed the song to be used in this online live stream. Then he let the guys outside come into the recording studio to test the sound.

"You need to be careful with your breathing here."

"The voice should rise higher, and it should have a sense of ups and downs."

"The tone is wrong, start over."

……

Li Zichun hadn't expected these people to master two songs in one afternoon. Zhao Qianfan, however, surprised him by quickly finding the rhythm and getting into the zone to finish recording. The other three, on the other hand, were progressing more slowly. He checked the time, told them to go back and practice on their own, and continue tomorrow, then turned and left the company.

Zhao Qianfan followed closely behind, smiling as she looked at his furrowed brows, and couldn't help but reach out and rub his temples: "They're still young, and there are still three days before the broadcast starts, so there's no need to rush."

Li Zichun reached out and swatted his hand away: "You're the quickest and the one who understands me best. It's true that what you meet unexpectedly and choose yourself is the best."

Seeing him smiling with satisfaction, Zhao Qianfan couldn't help but smile as well: "I really don't know how you could write such a good song at such a young age. Don't force yourself too much. In life, being happy is the most important thing."

“You don’t understand. The donkeys in the production team need to be hoisted up to unleash their full potential.” Li Zichun looked at his bright and kind eyes and said with a smile, “By the way, do you know anyone else? Anyone who sings well or has a good voice is fine. In short, they need to be distinctive and recognizable.”

“Are there any distinctive voices? There are actually a few.” Zhao Qianfan gently rubbed his chin, as if he was thinking of someone, then shook his head. “They were suppressed by Xing Yiling of Dynasty Entertainment, just like I was back then. They were popular again for a while, but then they had relationship problems and haven’t sung for a long time.”

"Then let's call them in to see. Only those with stories to tell can better express the meaning in my songs."

"Most of them have been retired from the industry for a long time. I'll try to contact them, but don't get your hopes up too high."

After chatting briefly, the two went their separate ways. Li Zichun arranged to meet them again the day after tomorrow, as he was going to school the next day to process his leave of absence.

That's right, it's a leave of absence from school. Originally, he wanted to drop out, but thinking that the owner of this body might be resurrected and benefit from the misfortune after he left, he chose to leave school instead.

His original plan was to start by relying on school arts festivals and other activities to gradually move from the bottom up to the top, building connections and expanding his circle of friends with each song. However, time is limited now, and he can only resort to unconventional tactics if he wants to achieve something in three years. If he can't conquer the music field within a year, he won't be able to go any further.

Chengdu University is located at the foot of Luoji Mountain. It covers a vast area with an elegant campus environment, lush flowers and trees, green grass, and pleasant scenery, making it an ideal place for study and research.

The next morning, Li Zichun went to Rongcheng University to withdraw from the university. He rushed to the office right on time and completed all the leave of absence procedures. The people in the school's academic affairs office had never seen anyone so proactive in taking a leave of absence.

In the original owner's memories, because of his aloof and cold personality, he didn't have many close classmates. Music, as a major branch of the arts, has always been an expensive subject. Being able to get into this field suggests that the original owner did indeed have some talent.

After Li Zichun finished all the formalities and had lunch, it was already noon. Since he had nothing else to do today, he decided to stroll around the campus and enjoy his short time on campus.

With summer vacation just over, students were gradually returning to school, and the campus was already quite crowded. Li Zichun mingled in the crowd like a wandering ghost. He coldly watched the students playing and laughing, recalling the first time he met her in his past life. He couldn't help but walk up to a shared piano on campus and, with his fingers clumsy yet skillful, began to play Joe Hisaishi's "First Love".

His fingers danced across the black and white keys, the notes flowing gently and beautifully around him. The music attracted a crowd, and many people had already taken out their phones to record it.