The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

97.

Li Zichun's new song "Living" ignited this film casting extravaganza. He doesn't want this film to fail at the box office again; what he wants to do is ensure that the film receives the box office and recognition it deserves.

He did this to broaden the world's horizons and show people what constitutes a good book or movie that Chinese culture promotes.

Leaving that matter aside, he figured that with the size of their company, it would probably take a month just to audition all the actors across the country. By then, the national singing competition would be coming to an end, and he could retire gracefully and return to Kowloon. He could just come back for the final screening.

He stayed at home, guiding and training Li Ke and Zhao Qianfan while writing scripts and thinking about the books to be published next.

Any one of the masterpieces by Hong Kong's Four Great Talents would be enough to sweep across this era, but which one should I choose? If I start with a book by Jin Yong to create a sensation, the rest will lose its appeal. Never mind, I'll just write it first, and when I publish it depends on my mood.

In addition, there are the classics of Chinese learning with five thousand years of culture, the Four Great Classical Novels and the Ten Great Books of antiquity, as well as the Tang poems, Song lyrics and Yuan songs that have been passed down through the ages, and those extraordinary articles that have stood the test of time. Any one of them is enough to make this sub-world country, which is full of fragments and incomplete texts and is built on fictional culture, tremble.

He will definitely write and publish these things, but when to write them, how to publish them, and how to spread them so that the public knows about them are questions that need to be carefully considered. He can only start implementing them after he has enough influence; otherwise, there will be endless trouble, such as accusations of plagiarism.

This matter was put aside for the time being. While Zhang Yimao was busy selecting contestants, the singing competition also entered the recording stage.

Ma Qian and her two companions arrived outside their residence early in the morning, before the roosters crowed—truly good soldiers of the country. Li Zichun even had reason to suspect that if he dared to leave the capital, he would mysteriously disappear the next day.

Li Zichun yawned and ate the breakfast that had been prepared in advance, still half asleep. Then he lay comfortably on the sofa for a nap, letting Zhao Qianfan comb his hair and style it.

Zhao Qianfan placed his head on his lap, patiently telling him not to move, and warned him that there would be an official press conference after the match, so he should be careful in his responses.

Li Zichun listened dismissively. Aren't these people just asking the same old questions? What's the big deal?

After finishing their business, the two went to the recording site with Ma Qian. Li Zichun was probably too tired to sleep well last night, and as soon as he got in the car, he leaned against Zhao Qianfan and fell asleep again.

Problems continued to arise along the way. There was nothing that could be done; this generation of netizens were all reincarnated keyboard warriors. I don't know where all these questions came from. Li Zichun and Zhao Qianfan were both high-profile figures, and there were simply too many questions to ask about these top-tier celebrities.

Because of time constraints, Ma Qian specifically left a message reminding everyone to only pin ten questions at a time, and to delete and reselect them after each question.

Zhao Qianfan answered casually, "Oh, it's not that I can't sing it a second time, it's just that we have too many new songs to release and no time for public performances. Like last time's 'Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon,' we reserved many songs that haven't been released yet, and there are still many songs from previous themes that we haven't finished singing. Just writing and practicing songs has exhausted our energy, so we simply don't have time for public activities. By the way, Li Ke seems to be very free, so everyone can contact him for business activities and collaborative performances."

"We get along so well because we share the same interests; talented people always attract each other."

"Going solo? Impossible. The Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust wouldn't exist without any of them."

......

"Hmm... I'll keep my answer to that question to myself. After all, he doesn't seem to like me that much."

"Huh?" Li Zichun suddenly snapped out of it, blinked, and looked at Zhao Qianfan's ambiguous smile, saying, "What's wrong? What bad things are you saying about me now? Have we arrived?"

Zhao Qianfan helped him tidy up a few stray hairs on his forehead and said with a smile, "Well, we've arrived. It's still early, so I let you sleep a little longer. Waiting is waiting, no matter where you are."

Ma Qian and the other two were so tired of watching the sweet moments that they were starting to feel a toothache. These two, no, these three from the company, seemed to care nothing about their image. One was relentlessly fighting with his old company and going to bars to cause a scene, while another was spontaneously singing new songs on the street, releasing hits indiscriminately and acting on a whim. The third was absolutely devoted to the former, a sycophant who had lost himself in the process.

In short, there isn't a single normal person among them.

Li Zichun sneezed, rubbed his nose, and said, "Hmm? Are your clothes scented? Why does the smell make me want to sleep?"

Zhao Qianfan sniffed his clothes and said apologetically, "It smells like laundry detergent pods. I'll get off the bus now and change into some spare clothes."

Li Zichun shook his slightly dizzy head and said, "Oh, let's get off the car and go inside together. The sofas in the lounge are pretty good; we can lie down and sleep there. Seven of Bamboo, you agree, right?"

Qitong meowed obediently in its arms, as if it were a walking hand warmer.

Because of the previous score, Zhao Qianfan's song was scheduled earlier this time, and since the singers who finished singing had to sit in front of the stage and wait for the competition to end before leaving, Li Zichun was left unattended while sleeping in the dressing room. Before leaving, Zhao Qianfan gently tied the cat leash to his paw and gestured for Qitong to take good care of him.

Seven-Tong obediently responded, then turned around and rolled her eyes. "Damn it, how did I end up in such a miserable state?" she thought. Then, resignedly, she looked at the muted TV in front of her and scratched her little neck with her paws.

Zhao Qianfan stood on the stage under the spotlight and sang Xue Zhiqian's "Animal World" to the music:

Animals don't necessarily need sharp teeth; they might poke here and there.

The way to express love is polite or whatever.

You have to swallow your lover whole while appearing gentle and refined.

The praying mantis displays its old scars with a hint of grievance; it is easily startled during courtship.

Because I'm afraid of being hung upside down often

When there was no other way out, they abandoned their tails.

If it cannot be assimilated, it will parasitize it.

At worst, we'll all get corrupted.

Trying to evolve, laughing at how fake animal documentaries are.

Ancestors have worn down their claws and teeth.

There must be a better way to deal with a love-hate relationship.

Let's have a competition and see who kneels down first.

They've stopped evolving; they're all too stupid in the animal kingdom.

If you act excessively out of love, you should let go once you've won me over.

Human nature doesn't have time to be painted over, so people always suffer from loneliness.

The deer had arranged to meet under the tree, promising to wander the world together.

Even with the bell tied to it, it was still struggling in that direction.

If a jackal bravely dons a wedding dress, his companions laugh at him for having read fairy tales.

Stop Evolving, Stop Making Animal World Too Fake

We should show our teeth.

Love-hate relationship, let's not think of a better way.

Survival of the fittest, licking one's wounds

Pretending to evolve, desperately trying to be different from animals.

Play a noble and elegant game

Driven by people's rotten desires, their bestial nature could not be eradicated in time.

Forget it, I'm too lazy to struggle.

Humans used sand to try and recreate the Tower of Babel of their dreams.

Driven by greed, they spared no expense, riding an expensive Trojan horse.

The nests were stacked one on top of another, until finally...

"But you are completely naked. Don't be afraid, we are all alone."

This song adopts a sonata-like form, with the verse almost entirely played on a piano. Following this, in addition to the introduction of strings, it employs techniques such as presto and variation forms to enhance the song's layering, achieving a simplicity that is anything but simplistic. The chorus retains the quality and fluidity expected of a pop song, allowing Zhao Qianfan to concentrate his energy on this section, ultimately delivering the song's climax.

This song doesn't have any heart-wrenching climax; it's more about human nature under a distorted view of love.

Zhao Qianfan didn't have high hopes for this song either. Ever since losing first place in the last themed competition, he had lost interest in winning and couldn't wait to finish the competition and return to Kowloon to release his album. But seeing that Li Zichun seemed more interested in the trophy, he decided to give him one to use for cracking walnuts; it looked quite durable.

The song has received very positive reviews; the judges couldn't find anything wrong with it, as it is both relevant to the theme and has profound meaning.

Unlike last time when he lost three-quarters of his votes, this time his total votes accounted for 96.3% of the viewers, which means he's a shoo-in for the top ten.

After Li Zichun woke up backstage, Zhao Qianfan was still sitting quietly on stage, waiting for the competition to end. This last round of the first half, the battle to advance to the top ten, was truly arduous.

After Li Zichun and Qi Tong finished playing for a while, Ma Qian came in to call people. This time, they weren't going to the creative area, but directly to the press conference venue.

As for why this was the case, Li Zichun didn't know either. He thought that the next episode wouldn't need to be recorded, and that the competition would be over once the top ten were selected. Ma Qian led Li Zichun and Zhao Qianfan, who had just come offstage and was brought over by Jia Hui and Liu Wancun, along. It has to be said that this TV station is really big, with many twists and turns. If it weren't for the hostesses pointing the way, he would have been a little lost. After walking for more than ten minutes, the group finally arrived at the press conference venue.

Li Zichun had seen a lot in his previous life, but he was still shocked when he arrived at the scene. There were more than a hundred cameras and hundreds of different brand names for the live broadcast. One glance revealed that the person sitting in the center of the press group had a nameplate that read "Xinwen Lianbo" (the evening news program on CCTV) on it!

Wow~ What kind of press conference is this? People from the central government are here. It's just a singing competition in the entertainment industry, is it really necessary? What kind of press conference needs a venue with a thousand people?

Li Zichun and Zhao Qianfan exchanged a glance, and then, led by Ma Qian and Jia Hui, sat down at the seats with their names on them. Liu Wancun gestured that his pet couldn't be on camera, then carried Qitong to the security area behind a group of reporters, whispering something to the security captain.

After that, the other celebrities from the top ten entered one after another, but they sat behind the two. Everyone was confused by the scene, thinking that it was just a normal press conference, so why make such a fuss? But when they arrived at the scene, everyone was still shocked, especially when they saw the name tags of the media reporters sitting in the center. They were all stunned. This was going to escalate to the level of a national matter!

Li Zichun and Zhao Qianfan sat upright, eyes fixed on the ground, whispering to each other in hushed tones. They couldn't figure out what they were doing, no matter how hard they tried.

The two waited for a long time, and were a little stunned when they saw familiar faces such as Xu Chengfeng and Dai Rong enter and take their seats in formal attire. Everyone smiled and nodded from a distance, not daring to speak loudly.

Seeing the smiles on these people's faces, Li Zichun knew that he was out of the picture, and Zhao Qianfan also felt relieved. The two of them quietly waited for the press conference to begin and end.

After waiting for half an hour, an elder statesman entered. Li Zichun recognized him. Yi Ziqiang, the leader of the Propaganda Department of the Great Zhou Kingdom, took his seat in the center, and the press conference officially began.

Yi Ziqiang, seated in the center, spoke clearly and loudly: "Respected leaders, distinguished guests, and friends from the press, good afternoon! Today, we are holding a press conference here to announce the preliminary results of the Great Zhou Kingdom's Entertainment Industry Cleanup Operation. On behalf of the National Propaganda Department of Great China, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the leaders, distinguished guests, and friends from the media present here! I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all levels of leadership and all sectors of society who have long cared for and supported the development of the Great Zhou Kingdom's national cultural and entertainment undertakings! Now, I will briefly introduce the basic situation and preliminary results of the Great Zhou Kingdom's Entertainment Industry Cleanup Operation."

At this point, everyone in the room held their breath.

Li Zichun was also quite curious about the extent to which the Cleanup Operation had progressed. He had secretly inquired beforehand and only knew that many artists, media outlets, and reporters had been suddenly taken away. Since most of those arrested were minor figures unimportant to the entertainment industry, he hadn't paid much attention, thinking that he could quickly take the King of Singers trophy back to Kowloon while the entertainment industry was preoccupied with its own problems. He hadn't expected the authorities to intervene now.

Since the singing competition began, Li Zichun had been having Yan Xiaoli keep a close eye on various information, especially the activities of the eight entertainment giants. Logically, they wouldn't allow him to continue expanding his influence in the mainland, especially in Beijing. Previously, with Lin Ruhai's help in Kowloon, he could live a very carefree life, but in the mainland, his reach was limited. He was prepared to respond, but they remained silent. The "Romance of the Night" themed competition was their first encounter, but Zhao Qianfan's high popularity allowed him to advance, thus passing the first hurdle. He thought they would have other actions, but they remained silent until now.

It seems that the eight major entertainment companies are in big trouble this time. He is now increasingly curious about the initial results of this "cleaning up operation" in the entertainment industry.

PS: Data is from the internet.

"Animal World" is a song composed by Guo Ding and written by Xue Zhiqian.

作词并演唱的歌曲，收录于薛之谦2017年3月29日发行的专辑《渡 The Crossing》中。2017年6月21日，该曲获得全球流行音乐金榜年度二十大金曲奖，加拿大中文电台点播冠军。