The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

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The second performance was still in a bar, but the people there had changed. They were no longer just drinkers, but people of all ages and genders.

There were even married women who brought their husbands and children. They must have gotten in through Dai Rong's connections.

The venue was also rearranged, and because it was themed around time, the walls were covered with clocks of different styles from different eras.

At the very center of the back of the stage was a painting, personally drawn by Li Zichun, imitating Salvador Dalí's masterpiece "The Persistence of Memory": The painting depicts an empty beach, on which lies a monster that is neither horse nor creature. Its front part resembles a human head fragment with only eyelashes, nose, and tongue grotesquely combined. Beside the monster is a platform with a dead tree growing on it. Most surprisingly, several clocks in the painting have become soft and malleable. They appear limp, hanging on tree branches, draped over the platform, or covered on the monster's back, as if these clocks, made of hard materials such as metal and glass, have become exhausted over time and have thus slumped down.

The most eye-catching part of the entire painting is the several melted clocks, hence it is also called "soft clocks" or "soft watches".

Li Zichun, Zhao Qianfan, and Li Ke each sat on a high stool made from a melted clock, their long legs supporting them on the ground, quietly waiting for the audience to fall silent.

Once all personnel have arrived and the allotted time has elapsed, the entrances and exits will be closed.

After the host and Yan Xiaoli gave a brief warm-up, Zhao Qianfan came to the front of the stage. Yan Xiaoli gave an OK sign to indicate that it was ready to begin. At this time, the number of online viewers had reached about 300 million.

Outside the bar, a large group of people who hadn't received tickets sat in a circle. Zhao Qianfan, a cool and handsome wolf with a heroic air, appeared on the big screen, holding a microphone, and nodded to Li Zichun. The music started.

Zhao Qianfan's magnetic voice, tinged with a touch of melancholy, was deep and captivating as he sang Andy Lau's "Today":

As time goes by, I've come to realize how imperfect the world is.

Success or failure can both be illusions.

How vast is the ocean? How deep is the river?

Only those in the know understand

Whether we like it or not, we must live our lives to the end.

I'm giving you my heart without fear of being misunderstood.

Who hasn't been hurt? Who hasn't shed tears?

Why hide in the darkness, suffering and pitying yourself?

I am constantly disappointed, yet constantly hopeful.

I'll taste the bitterness myself, but share the laughter with you.

Even now, standing on the stage, I can't help but feel nervous.

If you want to fly high, you should forget about the horizon.

Waited for a long time and finally waited till today

I've been dreaming about this for so long, and now my dream has finally come true.

The future is long, and I will forge my own path.

Thank goodness you're here with me.

I've been waiting for this day for so long, it's finally here!

I've been dreaming about this for so long, and now my dream has finally come true.

Those unchanging hardships no longer matter; I'm tired but I don't complain.

I am constantly disappointed, yet constantly hopeful...

......

Those unchanging hardships no longer matter; I'm tired, but I don't complain.

After Zhao Qianfan finished singing, he didn't leave the stage but just sat there, enjoying the applause. Li Ke went on stage and sat next to him, without saying much or waiting for the audience's reaction. He changed the music and immediately started singing Zhang Jie's "After Tomorrow":

没有星星的夜空

No topics to add

Too many promises slip through our fingers

Don't dare to ask for anything

Memories hold us back

When kissing for a moment

Everything is hazy like reincarnation

My heart started fluttering uncontrollably.

Are two people enough to capture the love scene?

I remember your smile even with my eyes closed.

The ease of happiness empties the soul.

Enjoy a minute of emotion

Whether you fall in love with someone doesn't depend on tomorrow.

The mountains and rivers are not as beautiful as you.

Holding your hand, I'll walk with you to the very end.

How can we turn back now?

......

Whether you fall in love with someone or not, don't ask about tomorrow/The beautiful mountains and rivers are not as captivating as you/Holding your hand, we'll walk to the very end/How can we turn back at this moment?

How can we turn back now?

After tomorrow, don't run away, don't give up, keep striving, and do your best in everything around you, whether in love or in life. Face it head-on, and believe that tomorrow will bring a new chapter. Will we still be the same as we were before after tomorrow? If not, please cherish the present.

This is what Li Zichun wants to say to everyone, and also to himself.

After he finished singing, Li Zichun slowly walked onto the stage. With the melancholic piano playing and the nostalgic feel created by the guitar, he sang Liu Ruoying's "Later," a song that had moved countless people:

Later, I finally learned how to love.

It's a pity you've already gone far away, disappeared into the sea of ​​people.

Later, I finally understood through tears.

Some people, once missed, are gone forever.

Gardenia petals, white and delicate, fell onto my blue pleated skirt.

You whispered that you love me.

I lowered my head and smelled a fragrance.

that eternal night

The night you kissed me in the midsummer of my seventeenth year

In the years to come, whenever I have a sigh...

I keep thinking about the starlight that day.

Why was love so simple back then?

And why is it that people are young?

You must hurt the one you love deeply

In this similar night

Are you, like me, quietly filled with regret and sorrow?

If only we hadn't been so stubborn back then

Now I'm not so regretful.

How do you remember me

With a smile or in silence

Over the years, has anyone been able to keep you from being lonely?

Later, I finally learned how to love.

It's a pity you've already gone far away, disappeared into the sea of ​​people.

Later, I finally understood through tears.

Some people, once missed, are gone forever.

......

Later, I finally learned how to love, but you were already gone, vanished into the sea of ​​people.

Later, I finally understood through tears that some people, once missed, are gone forever.

Never again

There was a boy who loved that girl.

"Later" is one of Rene Liu's representative works. This song is also sung for those who regret love. Meeting the most beautiful you in the prime of life, this memory is profound, but in the end, it is still regrettable.

Lovers who have been through thick and thin together, please cherish your love and make it eternal, not just a memory.

The song "Later" is probably a must-sing at karaoke for many, and a song that many adults have listened to on repeat countless times. Because life doesn't seem to go as planned, and we seem to be drifting further and further away from our ideal selves. So, as we get older, each time we listen to "Later," we have different feelings—reflecting on youthful arrogance and the unpredictability of life, and how we've become who we are today.

Have you ever wondered what you would become later in life?

Li Zichun doesn't even dare to think about it now. After all, he was born under the red flag and grew up in the spring breeze. He was taught Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory from elementary school. In the era of rapid development led by Mr. Democracy and Mr. Science, he would never think about supernatural things like the afterlife or time travel.

Now, in this sub-world, in the body of someone with the same name, I can't quite describe the joys, sorrows, or anger I feel. I just feel that life is unpredictable, and it's best to live in the present.

On the surface, the three songs were evenly matched, but after "Later" was finished, the entire venue fell into a brief silence, as if everyone was silently contemplating, or reminiscing.

Everyone's expression is different. Children laugh, young people feel sorry for them, middle-aged people are silent, and the elderly smile and applaud.

Looking at everyone's expressions, Li Zichun said softly, "Life is like the stars, never to meet again. What night is this, that we share this candlelight? Thank you all for attending our 'Time' new song concert. This is one of the few performances we have in mainland China."

These words caused an uproar both at the scene and online. People had high expectations for him and believed he was the most likely pioneering musician to lead the Chinese music scene. Although Kowloon is also part of the country, people face visa issues and a lot of other problems when going there, so he is definitely not as popular as people on the mainland.

Xu Chengfeng and Dai Rong exchanged a glance and sighed. It seemed they had made up their minds not to linger on the mainland stage anymore and would probably leave after the singing competition ended.

After everyone calmed down, Li Zichun continued, "I urge you not to waste your golden robes, but to cherish your youth. Childhood is a precious memory for everyone who has gradually passed through their youth. The fun of childhood is like pearls in the sea and stars in the sky, countless. At that time, we were just beginning to understand the world, curious and inquisitive, innocent and adorable, full of childlike innocence and pure of heart. I dedicate a song called 'Childhood' to everyone, to that carefree time."

Then, as his gaze turned to Li Ke, the latter nodded in acknowledgment, picked up the microphone, and began to sing "Childhood" to the rhythm of the music:

Banyan tree by the pond

Cicadas are calling summer loudly

On the swing next to the playground

Only butterflies perched on it.

The teacher's chalk on the blackboard

Still frantically chattering away and writing nonstop

Waiting for get out of class to end, waiting for school to be over

A Childhood of Waiting for Games

The welfare center has everything.

There wasn't a single penny in my pocket.

Zhuge Silang and the Devil Party

Who actually got the sword?

The girl in the next class

Why hasn't it passed by my window yet?

Snacks in mouth, comics in hand

The childhood of first love

I always have to wait until before going to bed.

I only realized I'd only done a tiny bit of homework.

It always has to wait until after the exam

I only realized then that I hadn't studied the books I should have.

Time is money

The teacher once said that time is priceless.

Day after day, year after year

A hazy, confused childhood...

Li Zichun whistled a clear tune to the rhythm, and Zhao Qianfan and Li Ke swayed from side to side in sync.

After he finished playing the flute, Li Ke continued singing:

Nobody knows why

The sun always sets behind the mountains

Nobody can tell me

Are there immortals living in the mountains?

So many days always

A person stares blankly at the sky.

I'm just that curious, that's how I fantasize.

Such a lonely childhood

Dragonflies flew by in the sunlight

Patches of lush green rice paddies

Watercolors, crayons, and kaleidoscopes

I can't draw that rainbow on the horizon.

When will I be able to act like the older students?

A mature and grown-up face

Looking forward to the holiday, looking forward to tomorrow

A childhood longing to grow up

Day after day, year after year

A childhood longing to grow up

The original singer of this song is Sylvia Chang, and it was composed by Lo Ta-yu as the ending theme song for the TV series "Walking Through Summer," starring Sylvia Chang. Lo Ta-yu was studying at medical school when he wrote "Childhood." The song wasn't written by a pond or under a banyan tree, but in an ordinary place. When Lo Ta-yu was writing the song, his mind was filled with chalk, blackboards, lunchboxes, and desks; it was under these circumstances that he wrote "Childhood."

The catchy melody and carefree lyrics don't convey any bitterness. But as people get older, hearing this song can't help but evoke a bit of sadness and emotion, and it brings back memories of those innocent days, the passing years, and the naive childhood.

Li Zichun hadn't originally planned to sing this song because he didn't know if the show would have a children's song segment later on. This song could actually be placed in many segments, but he couldn't resist having all the hit songs he had ever heard in his head, so he just sang it anyway. What was there to worry about?

One hit song after another, the audience applauded and cheered, the audience cheered and exclaimed, and the viewers in the live broadcast room went crazy, constantly forwarding and pushing the song, making the entire performance of the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust a hit across the entire internet.

He originally intended to sing "Ten Years" next, since ten years after childhood is roughly the time to reach adolescence. However, Zhao Qianfan had already sung "Ten Years" before at the Kowloon Port Singing Competition, performing it alongside "Next Year Today" during the "One Song, Two Lyrics" theme.

Zhao Qianfan seemed to sense his hesitation and asked tentatively, "Should we sing 'Next Year Today' or 'Ten Years'? I feel that both of these songs are about 'time'. If you need them, I have no objection."

Li Zichun glanced at him, thought for a moment, and then shook his head, saying, "Old songs may be classics, but new songs are the future. Let me give you a new one instead."

And so, the song he was about to sing came about.

PS: Data is from the internet.

"Today" is a song sung by Andy Lau, with lyrics by Chen Lerong, music by Huang Qingyuan, and arrangement by Tu Ying. It was included in Andy Lau's album "True Forever" released in August 1995.

《明天过后》是内地男歌手张杰演唱的一首歌曲，由葛佳慧填词，梁伟丰谱曲，收录于张杰2008年8月发行的同名专辑《明天过后》中。2009年1月该歌曲获得2008年度北京流行音乐典礼年度金曲奖；2月该曲获得百度娱乐沸点2008年度十大金曲；6月获得第6届劲歌王榜金曲奖。

"Later" is a song with lyrics by Shih Jen-cheng, music by Tamashiro Chiharu, arrangement by Wang Chi-kang, backing vocals by Fish Leong, production by Michael Wong, and vocals by Rene Liu. It was included in Rene Liu's album "Waiting for You," released on January 7, 2000. In 2001, the song ranked 49th on Hit FM's Top 1 Singles of the Year.

"Childhood" is the ending theme song of the TV series "Walking Through Summer," with lyrics, music, and arrangement by Lo Ta-yu, and sung by Sylvia Chang. It was included in the 1982 album "Zhi Hu Zhe Ye." In 1994, the album containing this song was named one of the "100 Best Pop Music Albums." In 2009, Lo Ta-yu performed this song on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.