The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

After Li Zichun finished singing "I Will Love You Till I Die," thunderous applause spontaneously erupted from the audience.

Wow, it's like a big cow giving birth to a calf, what a contest!

"Isn't this a performance by a king? Those high notes alone could blow away any venue."

"Help me check, are my ears still there? I think I can't hear very well..."

"I feel like this song is going to be a huge hit! No, it's definitely going to be a hit."

Zhao Qianfan and the other three were already numb from Li Zichun's high notes. Uncle Qi asked weakly, "If you can sing so well, what do you need us for?"

Li Zichun, hands on his hips, scolded, "What's wrong? Are you feeling wronged? Do you want me to work myself to death by singing all of this by myself?"

Zhao Qianfan smiled and patted Uncle Qi's head, saying to him, "Anyway, we're not tired, you can order us around however you want."

Li Jiawei and Liu Xueqi nodded quickly, and the staff on site also congratulated them excitedly, happy to be able to participate in this record-breaking performance.

Huating Entertainment's new song concert swept across the internet with an invincible force, sparking nationwide discussion and instantly becoming the number one trending topic. Many were amazed by this new format.

Many companies had previously planned such performances, but they were shelved for various reasons, including uncertainty about the quality of the new songs and a lack of confidence in their own artists. After all, no one can predict public opinion. If listeners find the songs unsatisfactory after listening to all the previews, it could negatively impact the song's play count and downloads, causing unnecessary losses and consequences.

Li Zichun is different. Because he wrote all the lyrics and music himself, what is called a new song concert is more like a compilation of his personal concerts. Apart from the cost of the live band and performers, the company pays for the staff's expenses. All the other gains and losses are borne by him alone. He is a new internet celebrity who has not yet debuted and entered the entertainment industry, so there is no concern about the damage to his reputation.

Following Fan Liwen's instructions, Xu Songlin had already prepared a celebration banquet. Fan Liwen had secretly asked him to send out the recordings of the singers' auditions. As long as there were no major mishaps, the success of the entire concert was almost guaranteed.

Li Zichun couldn't resist the urging of the crowd and went along too. Qitong had already run out of its cat carrier and nestled obediently in his arms, yawning and looking at everyone with a look of disgust. But when it saw that Li Zichun had prepared a special meal for it, it still meowed contentedly and started eating. Everyone marveled at how elegantly it ate. It was truly a case of an extraordinary person raising an extraordinary creature. This cat must be a spirit!

The success of the new song concert was within Fan Liwen's expectations, but a phone call from one person still made her feel a little flattered.

Gu Quan is the official propaganda chief of the Ministry of Culture of the Great Zhou Kingdom. He is the top person in the cultural field and coordinates the development of culture across the country. Therefore, every move he makes must be carefully considered. However, in recent years, traditional culture has declined. No matter how well a culture is made, if it doesn't have some entertainment and traffic, no one will watch it. The click rate and attention will never increase.

The success of Li Zichun's online new song concert has given him new hope.

Gu Quan called Fan Liwen this time to see if there was any possibility of cooperation.

Fan Liwen and Gu Quanben were classmates since childhood, but their different growth trajectories and personal choices over the years have led to their different positions. Nevertheless, they have now met again at the top of their respective careers after many years.

Gu Quan said with a smile, "Xiao Fan, congratulations! This online new song concert was a great success. Even those old guys in the Ministry of Culture were alerted."

Fan Liwen listened calmly: "They still have time to go online? I thought all you guys have done all these years is criticize and ban things."

Gu Quan was also a bit embarrassed. In recent years, the Ministry of Culture has indeed banned a lot of literary and artistic works. Some of the measures even puzzled him, the top leader. For example, there are various regulations such as "kissing scenes in TV dramas cannot show faces", "flirting cannot involve indecent clothing", and "dialogue cannot contain sexually suggestive words such as kissing". Even several fitness programs were forced to stop airing because the male and female trainers' chests were too large. Huating Entertainment also had a program and TV drama that had already been recorded forced to be taken offline for rectification. This series of actions left the entire entertainment industry confused. The official explanation was that "parents collectively reported the matter on the grounds that it caused discomfort to children and was not conducive to the growth of children and adolescents".

Gu Quan coughed twice: "Ahem, that's not something I can decide alone. If the General Administration doesn't approve of you, we can't control it. I'll let you know in advance next time."

Fan Liwen wisely refrained from pursuing the matter further: "Go ahead and tell me, you're so busy, how come you have time to call me? Just say what you need."

Gu Quan said with a smile, "Isn't it because your online concert live stream was so successful that I was thinking of inviting you to help us promote our traditional culture?"

Fan Liwen understood: "Didn't the higher-ups decide to heavily promote Chinese style in next year's King of Singers final? You want to start early? The city finals begin next month, and we can't spare any time to help you right away."

Gu Quan remained calm: "No rush. I think Li Zichun is quite capable. You can give him a heads-up beforehand. If he can get involved in the peer review, that would be great."

Fan Liwen nodded: "Okay, I'll ask around for you. But good songs are hard to come by. Chinese style songs have become a bit niche in recent years. It's good if there are one or two classic songs a year. We can't make it mandatory."

Gu Quan nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, you handle it. By the way, how confident are you guys about this ranking battle?"

Fan Liwen said confidently, "I dare to use Zhao Qianfan. Even if I'm not sure, I have to make sure, right? Since the war has started, then let's fight."

Gu Quan could tell from her tone that she was about 70-80% confident: "Okay, it's good that you have a plan. After the final battle of the King of Singers, the Great Zhou Kingdom's national music chart will start to connect with international charts, so don't lose too badly."

Fan Liwen frowned as well: "Again? Are the people above so confident? Wasn't the crushing defeat thirty years ago enough?"

Gu Quan said with a smile, "It is precisely because of this crushing defeat that we need to boost national confidence even more. The setbacks of one generation should not hinder the progress of the next. Even if we fail in the future, we can still see where the gap lies, and at worst, we can impose another ban and wait for the next generation."

Fan Liwen thought of Li Zichun, then shook her head: "Let's talk about it when the time comes. Things will work themselves out. After so many years of development, we can't afford to lose too badly."

After exchanging a few words and pulling at each other, Gu Quan and Fan Liwen hung up the phone, both satisfied.

In a small building within the first ring road of Beijing, Xing Yiling was doing yoga and listening to what kind of trouble Huating was causing, but Li Zichun's "Love You Till I Die" completely woke her up.

Xing Yiling wore a black and white silk nightgown, and her exquisite curves, illuminated by the bright white light, resembled an aging, large-bottomed cow.

She printed the information sheet sent to her by her subordinates with a blank expression. Her expression changed slightly when she glanced at Zhao Qianfan and Li Zichun, but she quickly glanced at the others and moved on.

Xing Yiling looked at the contract in her hand. Ao Youwei thought that if Fan Liwen were here, she would be furious that her company's contract had ended up in her hands.

After reading it, Xing Yiling couldn't help but sigh, "Fan Liwen really has guts; she dares to sign such a contract."

She expressionlessly tossed the contract into the shredder, swirling her wine glass in thought, before finally sighing and not issuing the order to attack. As the music helmsman of Dynasty Entertainment, her obsession with Zhao Qianfan, planted over ten years ago, had long since faded. Her child was already several years old; continuing the entanglement would be going too far. Besides, things would calm down after this month; it wasn't worth it for a mere ranking.

A new song concert? Looks like next month is going to be exciting.

Xing Yiling was right. The success of Huating Entertainment's new song concert made them famous overnight, and all ten songs were rapidly climbing the charts. They would definitely be on the charts within a few days.

With the success of Huating Entertainment, the other six major entertainment companies also felt the crisis. After some discussion, they decided to release new songs next month to squeeze out the competition. Although they could not guarantee that the songs would be on the charts, anyone could do something disgusting. If you do it, I will do it too. For a time, the new song concerts of all the major companies were in full swing.

Li Zichun didn't have time to worry about these things. Anyway, with his memory and abilities, there weren't any major problems for the time being. Once he achieved his second ten-kill streak and topped the leaderboard next month, he could start talking about shares, and then he would be able to do even more things.

After everyone finished their meal, Li Zichun asked Xu Songlin if the musical instruments in the company's music room could be borrowed.

Xu Songlin exclaimed in surprise, "You already have a new song? Those traditional instruments are just gathering dust. If you need them, just register at the front desk and take them as you please. Just remember to return them when you're done. If you forget to take them because you don't have time, just have Xiao Qi drive over and get them."

Zhao Qianfan listened intently and made a mental note of it. The others were somewhat amazed by his relentless creativity, lamenting that comparisons are odious.

Li Zichun laughed and said, "It's just about getting more familiar with the techniques. I was afraid I would forget what I learned in school, so I thought I would take this time to practice."

Then everyone remembered that he was just a 20-year-old student who had dropped out of school. Zhao Qianfan had tried to persuade him when he heard about his decision to drop out, but he shook his head and joked, "If I ever run out of money and become destitute, you'll have to sing for me to support me."

Zhao Qianfan said solemnly, "You're welcome anytime. Little Mai Mai seems to really enjoy playing with you; she still recites your nursery rhyme every day."

In the end, Li Zichun only borrowed one pipa. His plan was to borrow each one and try playing it, both to familiarize himself with the fingering and to practice the music from his previous life, in case he needed it someday.

The group dispersed, laughing and joking. Xu Songlin even asked him when the next new song concert would be so he could prepare in advance.

Li Zichun thought that next month would be October, and it would be after the National Day holiday at the earliest. He wanted to rest well and prepare for other things, so he casually said, "Let's do it in the middle of next month. We can talk about the theme later. Let's see if we can get a grand slam this month first."

Everyone ended the party in high spirits. On his way back, he received a call from Fan Liwen. When he heard the request for a Chinese-style instrument, he wondered if he was being monitored. He had just borrowed a pipa and now he was asked to do something.

After some back and forth, Li Zichun politely declined, saying, "We'll see, we'll talk about it later." The main reason was that the few Chinese-style songs he was familiar with were all intended for the company's ranking competition. If there was no assigned theme, then a concert of new Chinese-style songs would be arranged. If there was, then it would be a different story. He had to be careful; he couldn't possibly sing "Blue and White Porcelain" ten or more times.

Fan Liwen then arranged his next schedule, but he refused, saying he would talk about it after the National Day holiday and didn't want to do anything for the time being.

Fan Liwen assumed he was just tired from his performance and didn't think much of it. She told him to rest and take a good rest, chatted briefly, and then hung up.

Li Zichun was thinking about something else and didn't have time to deal with music for the time being.

He had been carefully considering the scope of his goal of becoming a cultural and entertainment mogul. As a general term encompassing literature, culture, and art, there was so much for him to do. Three years was too short, and he had to make the most of every second. He had a gut feeling that the more he accomplished and was involved in, the more opportunities he would have in the future when he entered the world of cultivation.

Li Zichun stroked Qitong's silver-gray fur, wondering if its color had changed recently. He remembered that its fur wasn't this shiny when he found it. It was probably because it had been eating too well lately and had grown nicer.

Oh, his paws are getting a little chubby. I'll trim them for him tonight.

Li Zichun got home around 8 or 9 o'clock. He was exhausted, as if he had fought a tough battle. He turned on his computer and checked Weibo. His followers had increased from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. He estimated that reaching a million by the end of the month would not be a problem.

He leaned back on the sofa, mentally reviewing everything that had happened that day, taking stock of all the resources and people he could use. He realized that apart from Zhao Qianfan, there wasn't anyone else he could really rely on. And he only had one script. It seemed he was destined to be a workaholic; he needed to plan things out more carefully.

He and Zhao Qianfan were both on a profit-sharing basis with Huating Entertainment. Before receiving shares, he was just an insignificant, unpaid employee. The revenue sharing from the new song wouldn't be settled until next month. He was in a state of having neither money nor people. He sighed deeply. Xu Songlin and his uncles called him "teacher" with smiles, and he really thought he was irreplaceable. In the end, they weren't even his people. He couldn't stand thinking about it too much.

Qitong seemed to sense his emotions, leaping onto the sofa and nudging him with its fluffy head, as if to say, "You still have me."

Li Zichun patted its head with satisfaction: "I know, it wasn't for nothing that I raised you."

He reached deep into the cat's body with his hands, then buried his head and began to caress it. He finally understood the joy of those cat lovers in his past life. Only Qi Tong looked disgusted and impatient. It's like being blindly optimistic when given sunshine.

After playing around with Qi Tong for a while, Li Zichun finally turned on his computer and started writing a business plan. As a billionaire in his previous life, he had handled countless plans, so writing one was naturally no problem for him.

But the concept of entertainment is too broad. The time frame is only three years. The preparation, filming and release of a movie or TV series can take a long time. If you encounter a director like Wong Kar-wai, who can make a movie for several years, he doubts whether he will be able to see the finished product before he leaves.

Entertainment, as a general term for literary, cultural, and artistic activities, encompasses collective activities such as performances, lectures, exhibitions, competitions, sports, and small-scale live events. Entertainment activities include singing, dancing, reading, public speaking, calligraphy, painting, gatherings, and watching movies.

Li Zichun typed furiously, writing down a long career plan. Looking at it, three years seemed far from enough. It appeared that achieving perfection was impossible; he could only focus on music while pursuing other areas simultaneously. If time allowed, he might consider movies and television dramas.

Ultimately, in practice, this means hiring more people.

He currently only has Zhao Qianfan under his control, and he started by relying on Fan Liwen's Huating Entertainment. In order to avoid major restrictions, he must obtain shares or open his own studio.

Li Zichun stroked his chin repeatedly. It wasn't that he didn't trust Fan Liwen, but out of the caution of a powerful figure from his previous life, Huating Entertainment, as her product, wasn't worth his full commitment at the moment.

After much deliberation, it seems I still have to use the trump card I drew from the system, "Blue and White Porcelain." I lingered on Zhao Qianfan's name for a long time, thinking it over and over again. It seems I'll have to go see him tomorrow.

After finishing writing everything, Li Zichun didn't delay and called Fan Liwen, saying that he had an idea for a "Chinese style" song and hoped to tell her the specific requirements.

Fan Liwen was somewhat surprised to see his call. He had been hesitant to ask her for help before, but just a few hours later he had a burst of inspiration and came up with a new song. However, due to the huge success of the live concert of this new song, she agreed and called Gu Quan.

Originally, Fan Liwen didn't know how to bring it up with Gu Quan because of Li Zichun's refusal. Now that everything was resolved and she even got a favor for free, she handed Li Zichun's phone number to him.

Gu Quan said he would personally come to visit him, the new record holder for online live streaming, so Li Zichun arranged a time and place to meet him in Chengdu and talk in detail when they met.

After hanging up the phone, Li Zichun did some physical exercise and then fell asleep when he felt it was about time.

Qi Tong glanced at the sleeping man, then hopped out the door and onto the balcony. Looking at the moon, she felt a warm glow in her heart. The Silver Fox Clan's Moon Worship Technique truly had miraculous effects in moonlit places. This host is working so hard; it seems the mission is related to the entertainment industry. Whatever, let's just recover as much of our abilities as possible.