The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

It's been a long time since we've heard such a refreshing love song. Zhao Qianfan's continuous high notes at the end of his performance brought the audience to a fever pitch.

The audience felt thoroughly satisfied; this cry of love that reached the very soul awakened their inner longing for and authenticity in love.

Zhang Xiaochuan felt he had shot the wrong song. After listening to this kind of song, who would want to listen to those messy love songs and sentimental tunes that follow? It's all just "I love you" or "I love you" with no dramatic expression whatsoever.

Zhao Qianfan received 782,305 votes in this round, making him undoubtedly number one. Following closely behind in second, third, fourth, and fifth place were the four people Li Zichun had guessed were hiding their true abilities: Ren Tianshou, Fang Yujia, Qian Yuanyuan, and the Haoyu Fenghua group.

These four people were close behind in every round. In the first round, Haoyu Fenghua duo was only a few hundred votes behind Zhao Qianfan, and narrowly lost by this small margin.

Li Zichun had carefully observed the two of them; they were indeed two porcelain dolls who fit the public's aesthetic standards. A twin duo—one of them was already incredibly handsome, let alone two. If they got together, wouldn't they have the chance to experience double the joy? Every time they appeared on stage, the screams from the female audience members below were like hysterical wails, deafeningly loud.

Often, the host has to step in to control the situation in order to avoid affecting the recording.

In Li Zichun's view, these two are definitely walking traffic magnets.

As for the other three, Ren Tianshou is a veteran singer in Dynasty Entertainment. He has maintained his appearance and physique very well. With his strong muscles, he can easily sing love songs to you. Wouldn't you be tempted? A group of housewives would love to throw themselves at him and go crazy automatically.

Fang Yujia is the top star of Linglong Culture—no, I mean, the queen of pop. Her appearance is like a mountain after a fresh rain; while not strikingly beautiful, she possesses an extraordinary elegance. Every smile and gesture is like a lady from a painting, captivating all who see her. Her singing voice is like a lark soaring through a mountain valley, especially during the chanting sections, where it sounds exceptionally ethereal and melodious.

Qian Yuanyuan is a rising starlet who's single-mindedly focused on entertainment. She's stunningly beautiful, has a hot body, and her energetic singing and dancing seem to ignite any crowd. With her long hair flowing, her curves exquisite, her hips swaying, and her white legs dancing, how could anyone in the stands not move? Even if you didn't, your manhood would have to move.

These four individuals each have their own strengths, and as long as nothing goes wrong, along with Zhao Qianfan, they will definitely be in the top five.

As for the other contestants, Li Zichun glanced at them and found none of them worthy of his attention.

Talented people don't have to be good-looking, good-looking people don't have to be good-singing, and good-singing people don't have to be good-looking... It's not that he judges people by their appearance, but at least they have to be good-looking enough to be on TV. He likes both slender and plump women, but if someone grows up to be ugly or becomes truly ugly, that's a different story.

The authorities would never allow posters and advertisements of such people to be plastered all over the streets and alleys of the country, or in shopping malls and stores. Capital would not favor them either. Being invited to one or two commercial performances and public welfare activities would be considered a sign of their exceptional strength.

Back to the scene.

Inside the creative area, Li Zichun tried to sit in a comfortable position, with the Seven Bamboos hanging from the chair with a rope to keep it as docile as possible.

Zhao Qianfan came over and looked at Qitong, who was meowing and chewing on the rope on the bench. He snorted at Qitong, and Qitong finally quieted down.

Li Zichun chuckled: "Heh, why does my cat listen to you so much?"

Zhao Qianfan said with a smile, "Cats can be trained more."

Li Zichun glanced at him sideways: "So you were the one who ordered it to do that this morning?"

Zhao Qianfan quickly waved his hands and said, "Absolutely not, I swear to God. If I had done it, may God punish me..."

Li Zichun pressed his index finger against his smacking lips: "Alright, I believe you, okay? Don't make oaths carelessly, or they might actually come true one day."

Zhao Qianfan nodded and said, "Yes, yes, but if you are upright, you have nothing to fear; if your heart is as clear as crystal, you have nothing to fear from the dust."

Li Zichun laughed and said, "Heh, you've even brought up Zen principles. Looks like you've gained some new insights lately."

Zhao Qianfan raised an eyebrow slightly and joked, "If I don't make progress while staying by your side, wouldn't I be at risk of being abandoned at any time?"

Li Zichun nodded in agreement, saying, "That's true, so you need to keep working hard, or I'll abandon you sooner or later."

Zhao Qianfan pouted and made a face, saying in a slightly coquettish tone, "How can you start something and then abandon it? I'm the best girl."

Upon hearing this, Li Zichun's eyelids twitched at his expression. She waved her hand and said, "Acting cute is shameful and useless. Be careful you don't get dragged out..."

Just as the two were exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Xiaochuan arrived with the theme for the next episode.

After a round of pleasantries and the announcement of the rankings, the theme for the fourth episode finally arrived: Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon.

Li Zichun frowned as he looked at the theme on the screen. Did the organizing committee of this singing competition only have love and romance as their theme? This is a national singing competition! It's not about you, me, or him; it's all about love and romance. If they can't come up with any good themes, how can they write any excellent new songs?

"Wind, flowers, snow, and moon" originally referred to the natural scenery frequently described in old poems and prose. Later, it became a metaphor for poems and prose that are ornate but lack substance. It can also refer to matters of love or a dissolute lifestyle of pleasure and debauchery.

Li Zichun didn't know which interpretation the judging panel wanted, but it was definitely one of them. These words and phrases with multiple interpretations were displayed on the big screen without any punctuation, or at least slightly separated; it was unclear whether this was intentional or unintentional, leaving it entirely to individual interpretation.

Zhang Xiaochuan didn't offer much explanation, simply saying, "Looking forward to everyone's performance next time," before leaving.

Li Zichun thought to himself, "This is another one of those crazy tactics." He even considered buying out the entire rendition of "Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon" sung by Shanmao and Danjuan. Just as he thought of this, the song automatically started playing in his head:

The wind travels through mountains and rivers, gently caressing your face.

The flowers, though fallen and turned to mud, never fade.

Snow melts at sunrise, leaving white marks on the eaves.

The moon is both near and far, through countless ages.

......

The wind is self-generating and self-sustaining, stirring and swaying the sleeves.

The flowers, their jade-like hues swaying wildly, stained my clothes, yet to be picked.

Snow is a cool touch on the brow and white hair.

The moon is a burial object in the silent sky, hidden among the nebulae.

......

The wind sings a clear song that never ceases, blowing across the high platform.

Flowers are broken branches, pink blossoms bloom, poems three hundred.

Snow is like a blanket adorning the clear sky, a bow too lazy to be drawn.

The moon shines brightly on this beautiful night, a night that will never be repeated.

......

The wind is the shield holding the tassel, the beacon smoke swirling around.

Flowers are blood splattered, five steps to pull out corpses and tread on bones.

Snowflakes, especially those falling on horse hides and coffin lids, are a sight to behold.

The moon is the taciturn historian, whose thoughts are unfathomable.

......

The wind is like a lingering, hesitant first encounter.

Flowers bloom in April, leaning against the green moss in a drunken stupor.

Snow is the stain of mortal life, a destiny split in two.

The moon waxes and wanes, its shadow ever ever-present.

......

"Romantic themes, like flowers, snow, and moon, are what I want to experience—to fall in love with the whole world."

Li Zichun remembered this song because of a Douyin short video compilation of "The Untamed". The wind was Xiao Xingchen dancing with his sword in the bamboo forest with his eyes covered, the flowers were Jiang Yanli dancing with a fan under the falling flowers, the snow was Lan Wangji, the moon was Wei Wuxian... The following were also edited group portraits of the characters. Each person fit the character in the lyrics and had a unique temperament that made them unforgettable. No wonder it was so popular on the Internet back then.

Of course, Li Zichun would never give this song to Zhao Qianfan to sing, because this song, sung by two female voices, also has the line "The world is for the public and I am for the mother." He had considered whether to just make some minor changes and use it, but would this modified song belong to the original author or to him, the descendant?

He didn't know what the lyricist meant, and he didn't dare to make a decision easily. Even though no one in this sub-world knew about it, he couldn't get past the hurdle in his own heart.

Li Zichun hummed "Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon" as he was thinking about it, and the other creators around him cast strange glances at him. Zhao Qianfan tapped the table to remind him to be mindful of the occasion, because it was the song submission stage, so everyone was somewhat wary of each other.

Besides, even if these scholars use your words, it can't be called plagiarism; it's borrowing, quoting, excerpting, adapting, imitating, rewriting—it's a sign of respect for you...

However, Li Zichun wasn't afraid. There were recording cameras in the creative area, so who would actually copy you? Unless you could bribe the national-level film crew, I wouldn't object to you winning the championship... It's just a competition, but everyone is taking it so seriously as if they're preparing for the Olympics, and they're constantly scheming against each other. Is that interesting?

That's interesting! Fighting with others is endlessly enjoyable.

Li Zichun glanced at the Volkswagen next to him, yawned, stood up and said to Zhao Qianfan, "What should we eat tonight? I want hot pot."

Zhao Qianfan nodded and said, "Okay, I just saw a famous online store, a century-old brand. I'll take you there in a bit."

Li Zichun smiled and nodded, then headed towards his private recording studio.

Wind, flowers, snow, and moon; wind, flowers, snow, and moon.

The first to be affected, of course, is the wind. Li Zichun felt that the title was insulting him. Now everyone knows that he is the "Moon Emperor". Putting "Moon" last is both a belittling of his song and a reminder that "without the help of our capital, you will always be at the very bottom".

Li Zichun refused to believe it. "Since you want to play games, then I'll play you to death!"

He spent four hours composing the lyrics and music this time. Viewers watching on camera were puzzled; didn't he usually finish in ten or twenty minutes? Why did it take so long this time? Could it be that he encountered a creative block and ran out of ideas?

For a time, rumors about his declining abilities spread like wildfire, even trending on social media and being ridiculed by many.

Zhao Qianfan, who was sitting outside the creative area, also sensed something was wrong, but he couldn't just barge in for fear of disturbing his work. Only when the green light finally appeared did he rush inside.

As soon as Zhao Qianfan entered, he saw Li Zichun sitting in a chair yawning. Li Zichun pointed to a pile of manuscripts on the left and said, "Choose one yourself. The rest can be released as an album for you and Li Ke."

Zhao Qianfan looked at the pile of lyrics and demos in front of him, clicked his tongue twice, and said, "Heh, I thought you had some problems inside, but I didn't expect you to have made so many songs. But, isn't the competition only about one song?"

Li Zichun laughed and said, "Hehe, one song is not enough. These scoundrels actually put 'Moon' at the very end. They dare to give me attitude. I'll flip their table. Besides, I realized I've been losing out all this time. This is a top-notch recording studio. I might as well take advantage of it. It has top-notch equipment and complete instruments. Why not record all the songs for the upcoming album first?"

Zhao Qianfan flicked his nose with his hand and said, "Hehe, you really are childish."

Li Zichun said smugly, "This is called saving, just making the most of resources."

After saying that, he flipped through the lyrics one by one and finally chose a song. Li Zichun looked at the song, then looked at him and said, "As expected, you understand me best."

Zhao Qianfan said with a smile, "Alright, let's go eat hot pot."

Li Zichun jumped up from his chair and said, "Alright, let's have hot pot, it's your treat."

Zhao Qianfan was taken aback, then shook his head and smiled, following him. After exchanging the lyrics and music, the two prepared to leave.

Just as I arrived at the entrance, I ran into Zhang Xiaochuan, who was waiting next to the car.

Li Zichun squinted at him, thinking to himself that this guy was really persistent; he thought he had forgotten.

Upon seeing him, Zhang Xiaochuan immediately greeted him with a smile and said, "Zichun, about the new song concert you promised..."

Li Zichun said with a smile, "Of course you can. Just invite all the people from before, consider it a gift for them. But I've been quite busy lately, so there won't be any poetry or songs this time, just singing. If you want it to look nicer, I'll give you the song list later, and you can find someone to add the rest yourself."

Zhang Xiaochuan was taken aback. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Can't there be one or two poems?"

Li Zichun thought for a moment, hesitated for a while, and said, "Wait a minute, let me make a phone call and ask."

Li Zichun took out his phone and made a call. The sound of gongs and drums on the other end of the line was continuous, indicating that they had already started training.

Li Zichun recounted the whole story, and there was some silence on the other end of the phone. In the end, he decided to participate.

Li Zichun smiled and said to Zhang Xiaochuan, "It's done. We've got one. The rest is up to you."

After saying that, he waved goodbye to Zhang Xiaochuan and walked towards Ma Qian, who had been waiting for a long time.

Ma Qian and Jia Hui, who had been waiting for a while, immediately stepped forward and said with a smile, "Congratulations, congratulations, you're number one again! You've won three consecutive championships!"

Li Zichun looked at the two people of unusual status, then at the driver he hadn't met many times, and said with a smile, "Could you take us somewhere? Not somewhere we can stay."

Ma Qian smiled sweetly and said, "Aren't you going back? Where are you going then?"

Li Zichun looked at Zhao Qianfan, who naturally handed him his phone, which showed the location of the hot pot restaurant. He smiled and said, "Is that alright? I'll treat you to a nice meal while I'm at it. You've all worked hard these past few days."

After receiving the consent of the three, the five of them set off for the hot pot restaurant.

PS: Data is from the internet.

"Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon" is a song performed by Shanmao and Danjuan (Lin Xieyang and Zitangsu). The lyrics were written by Hu Buju. The original music was "Xia Lian," an instrumental piece written for Otokaze. Released in 2013, it is a piece of music in the ancient Chinese style.