The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

Unlike the heated discussion backstage, Zhao Qianfan, waiting in front of the stage, breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that the woman wouldn't say anything inappropriate.

The first round of the singing competition had no specific requirements. It focused on the stage performance, on-the-spot reaction, singing skills, and other comprehensive qualities of the singers from different regions. There were no special requirements.

Li Zichun gave him many choices, and he liked all kinds of songs, including energetic, hot, warm, and affectionate ones.

After much deliberation, Zhao Qianfan finally decided to sing a soothing, melancholic love song, "The Crying Lily":

The clock on the windowsill ticked away.

It's raining outside the window.

I stared at the dust-covered guitar.

It's just that the string of love has loosened.

I am a weeping lily in a vase.

Saying goodbye to the soil is the price of loving you.

You are the last grain of sand in my eyes.

Even with tears in my eyes, I will gently wipe them away.

I am a weeping lily in a vase

After your light kiss, I unintentionally left...

You are the deepest scar in my heart.

It made me understand the gap between love and hate.

......

The clock stopped, and the rain had stopped.

I told myself to stop crying.

Let it all go. The music has ended and the party's over.

Say goodbye to you

The clock has stopped / The rain has fallen enough / I'm telling myself to stop crying / Let it all go / The music has ended / The party's over / Let me say goodbye to you.

Zhao Qianfan sang with a gentle yet strong voice, conveying her helplessness and injury, which touched the hearts of the audience.

This group of singers from various regions showcased their unique talents, each bringing out their best skills, because everyone knew that a poor performance would result in elimination.

For a time, the Wanjiang River was bustling with activity, and hundreds of boats raced against each other.

Amidst a plethora of energetic singing and dancing performances, talent shows, local folk customs displays, and acrobatic extravaganzas, he stood quietly on the stage, singing, like a refreshing breeze amidst a chaotic spectacle, gently touching people's hearts.

If it weren't for his previous popularity and public image, as well as Li Zichun's careful promotion, he doubted he would have died in this first match.

Two of the five judges are top-tier songwriters and composers who work for major national programs on the national television station, and two of the only four remaining in the country. The judges gave him excellent feedback, and also subtly reminded the other singers that this was a music competition, not a variety show, and they shouldn't cause any trouble.

Nevertheless, the singers continued to act as they pleased. The live audience only had a limited number of two thousand votes, and the majority of the votes came from the general public on the other side of the screen. How could they grab their attention and get them to vote for them if they didn't create a lively atmosphere?

The final public vote was around 520,305 votes, only a few hundred votes more than the second place. With this slight margin, they narrowly won the first round.

Watching the chaotic performance on stage from backstage, Li Zichun wondered if it was a national singing competition or a Spring Festival talent show. It was truly an eye-opening spectacle of everyone showcasing their talents.

As for Luo Feiyu's words, he only believed half of them. What kind of fortune teller spouts nonsense about destiny? Don't even think about me at KTV. At least come up with a better excuse for your lies.

When Zhao Qianfan returned backstage, Luo Feiyu had already left. Li Zichun sat silently on the sofa, glanced at him, and then continued to stare at the television.

Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Zhao Qianfan quickly went over and asked, "What's wrong? You look so pale. Did she say something nonsense that upset you? Don't mind her. She's the best at manipulating people with just a few words."

Li Zichun let out a long breath, pushed away the outstretched hand, and said, "It's nothing. I was just a little disappointed that your singing wasn't very steady. Fortunately, you made it through, otherwise we could have just gone home."

Zhao Qianfan said with a smile, "Oh, is that so? It was all because of that woman. It won't happen again next time. I promise to complete the mission perfectly."

Looking at his confident and charming appearance, Li Zichun nodded to herself: "That would be best."

The two leaned back on the sofa and continued watching TV.

The singing competition has entered its final stage. The previous preliminary rounds were just a selection process to see if any hidden talents had been overlooked among the second and third place winners from each region. This time, however, it's a true battle for the crown. Singing champions from each province and city, along with those who remained from the previous rounds, are showcasing their talents to compete for the top ten spots in the finals. The intensity of the competition is unimaginable.

This first unthemed battle is all about popularity and viewership. From the official perspective, if a celebrity can't win over the public on stage, wouldn't it be a waste to allocate more resources to them later?

With the first round featuring the singing champion Da Xian performing the Yangko dance, and everyone displaying their unique talents in a chaotic and entertaining display, it was quite an eye-opener. Fortunately, this was only the first round; the subsequent competitions were all themed events, so it was impossible to have such a lively scene again.

Zhao Qianfan sat quietly on the sofa, while Li Zichun leaned against his thigh, listening to various celebrities singing upbeat songs on TV. Anyone who didn't know better would really think it was a musical extravaganza.

The show requires participants to sing as many new songs as possible, otherwise their final votes will be reduced by 10%. So, anyone with existing songs is singing new ones.

As Li Zichun listened, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper. What kind of nonsense lyrics were these people writing?

"What are you doing sneaking around? What are you following me for? You think you can just do whatever you want? I'll do whatever I want..."

"I ride on your head to fly a kite, sitting on the back and kicking you, raindrops from the sky fall on the cold bed, warming my ideals and desires..."

"I see you wandering the world with your sword under the moon, a lone boat on the shore accompanied by falling stars, the wind and spring thunder disturbing the world's affairs, reminding me of whom you love in this world..."

These were all bad in their own way, but the rest were all about love and romance, like "You have feelings for me, I lack love, let's fall in love together." There was also a singer who thought he was great, and all he did was sing "Ah ah oh oh ah ah" throughout. His messy tunes gave me goosebumps.

Li Zichun picked up the remote and immediately turned it off. He stared at the TV screen with his mouth agape, then let out a long sigh. Even a sorcerer's rituals aren't this outrageous. How did he even make it to the national singing competition finals? What's wrong with the public's aesthetic sense? Are they judging ugliness?

Zhao Qianfan was amused by his actions: "Oh my, a singer who can give you a headache, it seems we need to pay close attention to him."

Li Zichun rolled her eyes, shifted her position on his lap, and muttered, "Is this really the National Singing King Competition? How come the skill levels are so uneven?"

Zhao Qianfan explained, "The first six rounds of fierce competition were unavoidable. The requirement was that all the songs were new. Good songs and melodies were usually reserved for later, but they couldn't be too bad, otherwise they would be eliminated. Now, including the previous singers, there are a total of forty people. The real final battle will only be when there are only twenty people left."

Li Zichun blinked, pursed his lips, snorted, and said, "It must have been quite a ordeal. It must have been incredibly difficult to select these singing champions from all over the country. No wonder there are only four surviving top-tier songwriters."

Zhao Qianfan stroked his hair and said, "Are you still holding a grudge? Because of the official delay in issuing the determination, you had to retreat to Kowloon Port. You must be feeling extremely uncomfortable."

Li Zichun said nonchalantly, "There is a little bit, but it's okay. I don't care about reputation that much anymore."

Zhao Qianfan hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Because of the 'Moon Emperor's Fall' incident?"

Li Zichun pouted and said, "I guess so, but that's only part of the reason. That incident directly caused all my efforts over the past few months to vanish into thin air, and I lost most of my copyrights. I ended up doing all the work for someone else, and it overturned my original plan to become king. I had no choice but to stay on that island in Kowloon Harbour."

Li Zichun paused for a moment, then continued, "According to the original plan, I should have won the gold medal for lyrics and music, been affiliated with Fan Liwen's company, and then ranked first in both the Chengdu regional singing competition and music company rankings, making a splash across the country. But now it's up to you to win the competition, and I do feel a little unbalanced."

Zhao Qianfan pursed her lips and gently pinched his nose: "What? Isn't it good to rely on me? You don't have to do everything yourself to be considered successful. Sometimes it's good to rely on others."

Li Zichun reached out and pinched his cheek, saying, "Hmm, he is quite handsome, haha."

Zhao Qianfan rolled his eyes and said, "You little pervert."

Li Zichun chuckled as the two were playfully bickering when a knock came at the door.

"Please come in."

It turned out that Ma Qian had brought Xu Chengfeng over. After bringing them in, she closed the door and left. Li Zichun noticed that there was a young girl following behind him. After a brief introduction, he learned that she was his granddaughter, Xu Qiunian, who had come to see what kind of young talent Mr. Senluo was.

Xu Chengfeng's visit this time was still about the film rights to "To Live," because this time the director was Zhang Yimao, a well-established director in Beijing, who came in person with the famous screenwriter Lu Wei to request the rights.

Zhang Yimao felt that this novel was very well written. He was moved by the resilience and tenacious spirit of the people in it who silently endured their suffering. Through the experiences of one person's life, it encompassed the pain of life that people cannot control in history, and gave rise to a bitter smile at death.

An ordinary person drifts through a history of great change, completely unable to control his own destiny, but never gives up on living, holding boundless hope for life and the future. This is a masterpiece that will be passed down through generations, and he is confident that he can make it into a great movie.

Xu Chengfeng launched into a long, enthusiastic introduction, praising the novel repeatedly. Li Zichun listened silently; who knew better than him how good the novel was? However, the original film starred actors like Ge You and Gong Li, and even the supporting cast included top-tier actors like Niu Ben, Guo Tao, Ni Dahong, Jiang Wu, and Liu Tianchi—all true acting powerhouses. He wondered if such actors could be found in this era obsessed with popularity.

Li Zichun voiced his concerns and considerations, and Xu Chengfeng listened silently. He also felt a bit uncertain, but said with great confidence, "There are definitely good actors out there; it just depends on Director Zhang's final choice. You know, before the term 'traffic star' existed, did actors not produce good performances?"

Li Zichun nodded in agreement, but still said with a smile, "Then let's find an opportunity to meet, but we must make sure to tell him my rules: he can't reveal my identity. If possible, I hope you can join the screenwriting team and work with Lu Wei to develop the script. I will also review the final cast and the script before we start filming."

“Okay, I will pass it on.” Xu Chengfeng thought for a moment and nodded. “In addition, I hope you can participate in the upcoming Sino-Foreign Literature Awards to officially announce your identity.”

Li Zichun shook his head: "No, I won't join them in causing trouble. I will continue to use the identities of Lone Tree, Forest, and Senluo, but I will consider how to use them."

Xu Chengfeng said with a smile, "Now that you've come to the capital, why not take this opportunity to make a name for yourself? As an honorary member of the National Academy of Literature of the Great Zhou Kingdom, you should at least make your way in the world."

Li Zichun smiled and shook his head, saying, "If I wanted to reveal my identity, I already did during the Godfall incident. Now that I've left the mainland entertainment industry, I won't be coming back. After participating in this singing competition with him, I'll return to Kowloon. Having this identity as a musician is enough for me to showcase to the outside world."

Xu Chengfeng frowned and said, "Are you really not going to reconsider? The authorities have already decided to clean up the entertainment industry, and then there won't be so much filth around."

Li Zichun simply smiled and remained silent in response to this.

Haha, cleanse? What a joke! The entertainment industry is already a huge, corrupting influence. Any work with even a little talent and influence is called "breaking out of the circle." What circle are they breaking out of? It's just normal artistic performances and exhibitions. Isn't the original intention of creation to be liked by the public and remembered? It's not like it's some masterpiece that can be passed down through the ages, so why are you making such a fuss!

Seeing that he was still waiting for her answer, Li Zichun couldn't help but recall a quote from Professor Qian Liqun of the Chinese Department at Peking University, and slowly said, "Most of our actors and creators are trained by the university education system. They are sophisticated egoists; they are highly intelligent, worldly, shrewd, good at acting, know how to cooperate, and are even better at using the system to achieve their own goals. Of course, it's not just university; some of them were even cultivated in junior or senior high school. These are all the result of the support and encouragement from parents, teachers, and the surrounding environment. I am the same."

Xu Chengfeng wanted to argue, but as a professor at the National Academy of Arts of the Great Zhou Kingdom, he also felt that this was indeed the case. He had proposed educational reforms more than once, but in the end, no matter how many times he changed the reforms, the basic framework remained the same. Schools, parents, and students still focused on scores and only cared about their future and financial prospects. Many majors were in a state of not being able to recruit enough students for many years.

From academia to the arts, from professors to actors, everyone actually knows what's really going on. They talk about ideas and principles, but all they're thinking about is business and making money.

On the surface, Li Zichun didn't mention anything about the entertainment industry or its people, but the four people present all understood what was going on. Li Zichun concluded with two sentences that made Xu Chengfeng sigh, lamenting that if the mainland doesn't improve its environment, it will lose more than just this one superstar.

PS:

"The Crying Lily" is a song performed by Sun Yue, with lyrics, music, and arrangement by Dong Henan. It was included in Sun Yue's 2002 album "Passionate". In 2003, the song won the Top Ten Golden Songs Award at the 10th Oriental Billboard Music Awards and the Top Fifteen Golden Songs Award at the China Music Chart Awards.