The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

Li Zichun quickly snapped out of it: "Sorry, I got a little too engrossed in playing."

He stood up, went to the center of the stage, and stood with the two of them: "It's time for the last song of the day, 'He Still Doesn't Understand'."

The three of them stood in the center of the stage and began to sing along with the music.

Li Zichun: What can I say? / The cup is empty. / I close my eyes. / Snow is falling in my heart. / It's cold and freezing.

Zhao Qianfan: Is it time for love to settle its bill? Only loneliness remains, each paying their own way. Why didn't he stop me when I opened the door?

Li Ke: He still doesn't understand/He still doesn't understand/Leaving is wanting to be kept/If he speaks, it's just the tenderness I'm asking for/He still doesn't understand/He'll never understand/A hug can replace everything/Love can absolutely shake me.

Zhao Qianfan: What can I use to melt away the silence, to sigh in the cold air all around, and turn into smoke and drift away?

Li Zichun: All the past events / have rolled into a snowball in my heart / I'm afraid tears will flow before I can even speak.

Together: It's not that he doesn't give enough love, it's that he doesn't know what I want.

......

Li Ke: They all carried too many wishes.

Zhao Qianfan: Only a shooting star would fall so hard.

Li Zichun: Too Much Love / Even the Heart Can Fall Down

......

Zhao Qianfan + Li Zichun: Love can absolutely shake me/save me in the first moment.

The three singers sang together harmoniously and their harmonies were beautiful. This impromptu combination of talents was truly perfect.

After the three finished singing, the entire venue was filled with applause, and the live stream chat kept asking for an encore.

Li Zichun didn't indulge his fans' bad habits. He simply said a few words and then hung up the live stream. The lights behind the stage were turned off, and the large screen outside was also turned off.

The four celebrated briefly backstage, and Dai Rong came over and said, "Will the other themes of the competition be broadcast live as well? You can come here again."

Li Zichun said with a smile, "That's indeed the idea, but won't it disrupt your normal business operations?"

Dai Rong said nonchalantly, "It's just a few nights, it's not a big deal. Besides, I haven't lost anything. Thanks to you guys, the bar is booked up until next week, and many people are asking if there's another show coming up."

Li Zichun said with a smile, "If there's a next round, I'll definitely consider your place first."

Dai Rong said with a smile, "It's a deal. Don't forget our appointment at the theater in three days."

Li Zichun nodded: "I know, but I don't know much, just a few short segments. I'm afraid I'll spoil your enjoyment."

Dai Rong laughed heartily: "Don't be modest. We're all benefiting from your help in promoting our opera troupe."

Li Zichun didn't dare to accept it, but just laughed and said, "Haha, you flatter us. Our skills are limited, and our singing is just average. Please don't mind it."

Dai Rong smiled and then added, "But opera troupes are not like this live broadcast. The audience there is pitifully small, just a few people watching the show. At most, they will put a clip online after the performance."

Li Zichun nodded and said, "It's better if there are fewer people. If there are huge crowds, what's the difference between that and a concert?"

Dai Rong nodded noncommittally. Although he didn't agree, he had to admit that the era of famous actors surrounded by entourages in theater was over, and people now preferred simple, easy-to-understand, and easy-to-learn pop songs.

After a brief exchange and sharing of their opinions, the group returned home. Yan Xiaoli stayed behind to clean up the mess, while Li Ke also stayed to see if they needed any help.

Li Zichun and Zhao Qianfan had to prepare for tomorrow's match, so they went back early.

Zhao Qianfan looked at Li Zichun, whose eyelids were twitching from exhaustion, and slowly drove the car, letting him take a rest during this time.

Back in their house, Li Zichun still hadn't woken up. Just as Qi Tong was about to jump up and wake him, Zhao Qianfan grabbed the back of his head and whispered, "Let him rest for a while, don't make a fuss."

Qi Tong yawned in his arms, thinking to herself, "You humans are so troublesome. If this were in the cat world, they would have done it several times already. If they were more diligent, they would have had several kittens by now."

A cat waited patiently for Li Zichun to wake up. Zhao Qianfan stared at his profile, momentarily lost in thought, as if memories of the past were resurfacing. Nine lifetimes of companionship and waiting—in this life, are you finally embarking on the path of cultivation? I hope you succeed within these three years.

Li Zichun didn't know how long he had slept before slowly waking up. Turning his head, he saw two heads, one big and one small, staring at him. He habitually reached out and touched the head: "How long have you been sitting? Why didn't you wake me up when you came back?"

Seven of Bamboo made two "snap" sounds, and Zhao Qianfan said with a smile, "It wasn't long. You woke up as soon as we arrived. I saw you were asleep on the way, so I drove a bit slowly."

"Oh, little kitty, have you been waiting long? I'll go with you to the toilet now," Li Zichun stretched, picked up Qitong and rubbed it against his forehead for a while, then looked at Zhao Qianfan, "Come on, don't just sit there like an idiot, there's a competition tomorrow, get some rest early tonight."

Although Zhao Qianfan was annoyed, he didn't say anything. "I want to be dragged out like this too!"

Nothing happened that night, and Zhao Qianfan obediently went to bed early.

Li Zichun had taken a nap in the car, so he went to bed late. He sat alone by the lake in the garden, gazing at the tranquil night sky, while Qi Tong played in the grass nearby, entertaining himself and sorting out the recent events.

To be honest, he was a little confused. The protagonists in the transmigration novels he had read all had systems that made them fly, and they were always given golden fingers and customizable songs. At the very least, they had a smooth musical career. With just one or two hit songs, they were loved by the whole nation, and with one or two poems, they became household names. They were even praised by the government. They were favored by the richest man, had a close friend from a rich second generation, and had a few charming girls and lovers who admired them. It was like every step of the way was the pinnacle of life.

But this is ultimately just a mindless wish-fulfillment story.

Reality is never that simple. Looks, talent, acting skills, personality, emotional intelligence... but even with enough talent, you still need capital to support you, and newcomers often have no capital at all.

From affiliating with Fan Liwen to leveraging her influence to hold a new song concert, the journey has felt like a dream. Although they lost the copyrights to some songs, they thankfully managed to start their own company without any major setbacks.

As he pondered this, he glanced at his account balance again. Hmm, he wasn't a newbie anymore.

As he was thinking, he grabbed the seven tubes and started sucking them in hard. Zhao Qianfan, who was on the windowsill, saw this and silently clenched his little fists. "You cute dead cat, I'll get you sooner or later."

Seven of Bamboo probably sensed Zhao Qianfan's gaze and gave him a disdainful look, thinking, "Incompetent coward." Then it laughed and continued to rub against Li Zichun's face.

The human and the cat fell in love with each other.

The next day, Zhao Qianfan put Qitong into the cat cage and explained to Li Zichun with a smile, "There are a lot of people backstage, and it likes to run around, so it's better to keep it in the cage for safety."

Although Li Zichun was a little confused, he still comforted the meowing Qitong and said, "Be good, okay? We'll let you out after the performance."

Qi Tong resignedly lay down in the cat cage, yawned, and then went to sleep.

When the two arrived at the scene by car, Ma Qian had already been waiting there for a long time, and Jia Hui, who was holding a camera, waved to them.

As the four walked and interviewed the singers, they said, "Did you know? Your three previous songs have already jumped into the top three of this year's King of Songs chart. They are 'It Seems Like an Old Friend', 'You', and 'Crying Lily'. This is also the first time that Cantonese songs have entered the charts."

Upon hearing this, Li Zichun hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is there any difference between this list and the Great Zhou Kingdom's National Music Chart?"

Ma Qian explained, "The data on these two lists is updated simultaneously. However, this King of Singers Golden Melody Chart was specially set up for this competition and is specially prepared to select the top ten most popular songs among the audience."

Li Zichun said "Oh" and then fell silent. Zhao Qianfan, standing to the side, mostly responded with "Hmm" or "Oh, I know," while Ma Qian kept chattering away, trying to get them to say more.

But the two of them were clearly not very interested and just gave perfunctory answers, which made her very frustrated.

Knowing they had done a live stream yesterday, Ma Qian persisted in asking, "You did a live stream yesterday, and it was quite successful. Although not as good as before."

Li Zichun became interested upon hearing this: "Not as good as before? What do you mean?"

Ma Qian then smiled and slowly analyzed for him: "Look, the previous new song concerts were very diverse in form, especially the Chinese style concert, which included singing, playing instruments, model catwalks, fashion shows, and various cultural performances such as calligraphy, painting, music, chess, and Peking Opera. Yesterday's concert was a bit simpler."

Of course, this is just my personal opinion, so please don't be too harsh on me.

After listening, Li Zichun laughed and retorted, "What kind of scale is that? What kind of scale is our company? You expect a company that's been established for less than six months to plan such a large-scale performance? Our company doesn't even have as many people as that performer..."

He stopped abruptly at this point, suddenly realizing why the country didn't completely eliminate the chaos in the entertainment industry.

Yes, in terms of experience, these established companies are indeed more experienced. They have methods and strategies for doing things, and they know how to handle things. Even if they don't achieve outstanding results in the end, they can at least achieve complete success.

Looking at myself, I have to beg and plead for even the best performance venues. It's truly infuriating to compare myself to others.

These powerful figures who control resources may not have accomplished anything spectacular, but at least they haven't done anything blatantly wrong. It would be difficult to completely destroy them!

Li Zichun suddenly stopped talking, and Ma Qian was also confused by the sudden pause. She quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhao Qianfan shook his head and said, "Hmph, look outside, we've arrived."

Ma Qian looked disappointed: "Oh, I just got a little information and then it was all gone."

After signing in, Li Zichun and Zhao Qianfan went straight to the dressing room to do their makeup and get ready to go on stage.

This time he was ranked quite high, and the experts on the theme of "Time" also showed their talents.

Time, ticking away, seeps into my heart, seeping into our memories...

"The second hand ticks, the leaves sway, how could you, in your youth, understand love..."

"Oh dear, why did you leave like that? Oh dear, please remember me..."

"The wind carries news of you; time has separated us. My dear child, take good care of yourself..."

"..."

Li Zichun watched the performance on the TV in the dressing room and wondered if everyone was prepared this time. Their level had obviously improved.

You think you can defeat me with that? Ha, let me show you the charm of Chinese music.

Zhao Qianfan, led by Ma Qian, waited backstage. He really liked the song he was performing today, so he was very well prepared. When he finally stepped onto the stage, he slowly began to sing "A Hundred Years of Solitude":

My heart belongs to you; I borrow it to entrust my feelings.

But it became my inner demon.

Whom do you belong to? I just happened to be passing by.

But it brings about the rise and fall of tides.

It's all because along the way, along the way

The torrential rain proves you were here.

But when I close my eyes and then open them again...

All I saw was desert; there were no camels to be seen.

The silhouette is real, the person is fake; there's nothing to cling to.

One hundred years ago, you were not you, and I was not me.

The sorrow is real, the tears are fake; there was originally no cause and effect.

A hundred years from now, there will be neither you nor me.

The wind belongs to the sky; I borrow it to blow.

But it stirred up the smoke and fire of everyday life.

Whose sky belongs? I borrow it to admire.

But I see your silhouette.

It's all because of the journey along the way.

The torrential rain proves you were here.

But when I close my eyes and then open them again...

All I saw was desert

Where are the camels?

The silhouette is real, the person is fake; there's nothing to cling to.

One hundred years ago, you were not you, and I was not me.

The sorrow is real, the tears are fake; there was originally no cause and effect.

A hundred years from now, neither you nor I will exist.

......

A hundred years from now, neither you nor I will exist.

These lyrics, reminiscent of Buddhist metaphors, say things like, "Sadness is real, tears are fake, there was no cause and effect. A hundred years from now, there will be neither you nor me." Life is short; there are many ways to understand and let go of sorrow. Live happily!

Zhao Qianfan sang this song with great momentum, ups and downs, and a very grand style, demonstrating his superb ability to control the song.

The song title comes from Gabriel García Márquez's novel *One Hundred Years of Solitude*. Li Zichun thought for a moment, then shared the music on the company account, adding a classic quote from it: "The bitterness in a person's heart is unspeakable, many of a person's actions are helpless, we are tired but cannot stop, we suffer but cannot avoid, running through hardships, reborn from setbacks, sorrow clings to the whole body, pain scatters everywhere, a hundred years of permeation, a hundred years of solitude."

PS: Data is from the internet.

"He Still Doesn't Understand" is a song with lyrics by Hsu Shih-chen, music by Wang Chih-ping, and performed by S.H.E. It was included in the album "Fantasy Journey," released on February 6, 2004.

"A Hundred Years of Solitude" is a song with lyrics by Lin Xi, music by Jiang Zhiren and Chen Weiwen, arrangement by Jiang Zhiren, and sung by Faye Wong. The Cantonese version is "Watching Over the Wheat Field," both songs being included in Faye Wong's 1999 album "Only Love Strangers." In 1999, the song won the Top Ten Songs Award from the Chinese Musicians Exchange Association.