The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

What song made Yi Ziqiang immediately approve and start recording after just one listen?

The song Li Zichun gave him wasn't anything else, but that festive song that everyone in China hums a few lines of during the Lunar New Year. He only found out when he got back that Yi Ziqiang had actually found Xu Lanfang to sing "Good Days":

Ah~~~ The joyful drums beat out the festive cheer year after year.

Beautiful dances bring joy every day.

The sunlight painted today a vibrant red.

The flower of life is our smile.

Ah, today is a good day. All my wishes will come true.

Today is a good day; let's open our doors and welcome the spring breeze.

Ah~~~ The lanterns outside the door cast a red glow.

Beautiful songs convey deep emotions.

The watercolor of moonlight will brighten tomorrow's days.

A beautiful world resides in our hearts.

Ah, tomorrow is another good day. Time is precious and can't wait.

Tomorrow is another good day; we've lived in a prosperous era and are enjoying peace.

......"

The melody of "Good Days" has a distinct national style, with a novel and smooth rhythm that is sometimes tight, sometimes relaxed, sometimes high-pitched, and sometimes melodious, vividly and aptly expressing people's joy. The use of the interjection "ai" and the repeated phrase "good days" makes the song distinctive and unforgettable.

The song that Che Xing and Li Xin created for Song Zuying was originally meant to depict the joy of people living a good life. However, while it is still a good thing and timely, it carries a hint of irony. That's why Li Zichun didn't let his own people sing it. Although GTV has officially collapsed, the centipede is not dead yet. Who can guarantee that their lackeys are not among the "clean" people who have replaced them?

Just as Fan Liwen, who was originally the eyes and ears of the government in the entertainment industry, was eventually sent down as well, staring into the abyss for too long and fighting with the dragon for too long, she herself became the dragon and a part of the abyss.

How long can these people who took over the eight major entertainment companies hold on? The government is cleaning up these dregs this time not because they are blocking the way for future generations, but because they have infringed on the country's fiscal interests. According to relevant media reports and economists' assessments, the total amount of tax evasion committed by these offenders alone accounts for dozens of small sums of money.

Faced with such a huge but small goal that is within easy reach, as long as one does it discreetly and is not discovered, it is enough to ensure a life of comfort and security. How many people in the world can remain calm and unmoved in the face of such a wealth of riches?

Li Zichun lay on the rocking chair, and after conducting an internal self-examination, he listened to the news broadcast on TV without moving, idly scrolling through his phone. Zhao Qianfan, Li Ke, and Yan Xiaoli, who were beside him, did not dare to disturb his thoughts and silently scrolled through various messages.

It's rare to see the authorities personally intervene and arrest people in the complex and intertwined entertainment industry. While many celebrities get arrested and imprisoned each year, those in the industry know it's their own foolish act of going against the powerful and offending the wrong people—they're often set up and sent to jail. This is the first time I've seen someone arrested on the spot like today, thrown in without any regard for decency.

The sheer number of people involved, the vast sums of money, the wide range of sectors affected, and the profound impact of this incident are astonishing. Television stations have produced special documentaries to broadcast reports on those involved.

After more than an hour of silence, Li Ke looked at the list in surprise and said, "Huh~ Zichun, Zichun, are you guys still competing next week? How are you going to compete without the judges?"

Zhao Qianfan: ? ? ?

Li Zichun: ? ? ?

Yan Xiaoli rolled her eyes and said, "Just shut up already, stop spreading rumors."

Seeing that no one believed him, Li Ke showed them the message on his phone: "Hey, this is what it says. Those two top-rated lyricists and composers accepted bribes from Eight Entertainment Group, leaked the questions in advance, and disrupted the fairness of the competition. They have been criminally detained."

Because at Li Zichun's instruction, the four of them were browsing lists of people from different fields. Li Zichun glanced at his phone and said, "Oh, I see. Let me make a call and ask first."

Li Zichun sighed; things were indeed unfolding as he had predicted. He had a bad feeling when the official report stated it was a preliminary investigation result.

Judging from the current trend, many more people will definitely be added to the list, and he even thinks that there won't be any influential people left in the entire Chinese entertainment industry. It's a dog-eat-dog world, a human-to-human conflict, and a single radish can bring out a whole bunch of people supporting each other. Let alone uprooting them all; the list of people involved is terrifying enough.

If the authorities were to completely ban it, it would cause the entire entertainment industry to fall into complete silence.

Just as Li Zichun was about to dial director Zhang Xiaochuan's number, he received a group announcement in the official chat group: "Don't worry about the news about the sharp reduction in judges. The program organizers have found replacements, and it will not affect the competition in any way. The program will be recorded as scheduled next week. Please adjust your mindset and prepare well for the competition."

Li Zichun put away his phone expressionlessly, clapped his hands, and said briskly, "Alright, everyone go do what you're supposed to do. Practice your singing, be good people, pay your taxes, and don't sleep around. Whatever happens outside is none of our business."

Zhao Qianfan put away his phone and said, "OK!"

Yan Xiaoli glanced at the time and said with a smile, "Okay, it's good that everything's alright. It's getting late, I'll go back and wash up and go to bed first, we'll talk again tomorrow."

Li Zichun yawned and said, "Okay, I'm going to take a shower and rest. You guys should go to bed early too."

Seven of Bamboo emerged from the flowerbed, yawning and saying, "Meow~"

Li Zichun rolled his eyes at it, grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and said, "Can you behave and stop rooting around like a pig? Giving you a bath is such a hassle."

After saying that, Li Zichun took it back to its room to take a bath.

In the period leading up to the start of the competition, Li Zichun ordered everyone in the company to be careful with their words and actions, and not to express any opinions to the outside world. He simply watched the turbulent developments in the entertainment industry with a cold eye.

The "Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust" company, due to its short history and small staff, emerged unscathed from this entertainment scandal, leaving no trace of wrongdoing. Other companies were not so fortunate.

Eight entertainment industry spies who were working undercover at Jiang Yiyi and Zheng Conghu's personal studio were arrested. Although they did nothing wrong, the fact that they were using the studio's name made people think that they were the ones doing bad things.

According to complaints from Qin Yuzi, Cheng Xinghe, Feng Zhennian, Lin Fengmian, and others in the group chat, the people who took over the eight major entertainment companies don't seem to be very good at managing them. Only Linglong Culture is doing relatively well. The boss's illegitimate son stood out in the family feud and successfully took over the company, and he has a tendency to acquire other companies.

Seagate Media and One Heart Entertainment have filed for bankruptcy due to problems, poor management, and years of losses.

As for Dynasty Entertainment, which had long held the top spot in the entertainment industry of the Great Zhou Kingdom, internal strife within the family led to each branch of the family taking a group of people and establishing their own companies. For a time, the title of the Empire's No. 1 Entertainment Company was effectively dead.

Xu Chengfeng remains the chairman of the Writers Association, while Lu Wei has been promoted to vice chairman. However, some of the veteran writers in the Writers Association have connections with the eight major entertainment companies and have gotten into trouble. There are a lot of issues involving copyright infringement, plagiarism, and suppression of newcomers. He is so busy with rectification and expulsion that he is almost exhausted.

Zhang Yimao's company is doing relatively well, and he has been promoted to vice president of the National Film Association.

Also promoted were a large number of talented individuals, including Dai Rong, who had long been suppressed.

The entertainment industry is never short of newcomers. One falls, and a bunch of others rise. There are look-alikes, impersonators, and so on. Forgetful people quickly forget the past; children will only remember the rising stars.

New companies and individual studios sprang up like mushrooms after rain, quickly taking over the market. Yan Xiaoli had asked Li Zichun if they wanted to expand the company, recruit some new trainees, grow bigger and stronger, and replace Dynasty Entertainment. With their combined appeal and influence, they would definitely get a lot of support; some people had already subtly asked her about it several times.

Li Zichun shared his idea with Zhao Qianfan and Li Ke. The two exchanged a glance and shook their heads. They no longer had the passion they had for the entertainment industry when they were young. They had already achieved household names and great success! The next step would be to start their own company, but neither of them were management talents, nor did they have such great ambitions. It wasn't necessary.

Zhao Qianfan comes from a prestigious family with a distinguished background. He holds a portion of the family business's stock, plus a 20% stake in Sanrenxing. Even if he does nothing for the rest of his life, the annual dividends alone would be enough to live comfortably for the rest of his days. Li Ke already owns a house in Kowloon. Although his family isn't considered extremely wealthy, their hard work over the years has placed them at a middle-class or upper-middle-class level. With the 20% stake given to him by Li Zichun, he no longer wants to work. He just wants to comfortably run a small music bar or similar venue, listening to and singing his favorite songs every day.

Seeing the three of them so laid-back, Yan Xiaoli couldn't help but sigh with disappointment. However, considering the current reputation and influence of the "Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust," they had already entered the top ten in the last national salary ranking, which was quite impressive for a company that had only been established for a little over six months. Of course, all of this was thanks to Li Zichun's extraordinary talent. He basically wrote songs that became hits, allowing the company to maintain astonishing copyright revenue. The downloads of just a few piano pieces were already close to 100 million.

Li Zichun truly had no intention of dominating the world. After all, based on the current timeline, he only had two years and four months left. There was really no need to attract too much attention. Even if he built up a fortune, he wouldn't live to enjoy it. He had no descendants, and he would probably donate it all before he passed away. There was really no need for him to continue striving.

Over the past week, some have been practicing singing, some exercising, some gathering information, and others continuing to flirt with kittens. Li Zichun, besides sunbathing, eating, sleeping, and reviewing Zhang Yimao and Lu Wei's scripts, offering brief suggestions for revisions, and then continuing to write.

The next recording session was fast approaching, and Ma Qian, Jia Hui, and Liu Wancun were still picking them up and dropping them off. Ever since watching the last live broadcast, Yan Xiaoli and Li Ke were a little intimidated by the three of them. These were their superiors, after all. They were thinking about it and reflecting on whether they had done anything wrong.

Li Zichun and Zhao Qianfan didn't care. They were indeed fine. They were upright and honest in their conduct, so there was no need for them to be afraid.

When the two arrived at the recording site, Zhang Xiaochuan was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing them get out of the car, he acted as if he had seen a savior and went up to them to ask for their help.

Because of time constraints, I'll keep it brief. It turns out that the guest performer originally scheduled to open the show got into trouble last night and was arrested, and they couldn't find anyone to fill in, so they contacted him.

Li Zichun stroked Qitong's little head in his arms and said calmly, "Really? Don't TV stations usually have backup plans?"

Seeing that he didn't seem inclined to help, Zhang Xiaochuan hurriedly said, "We did have alternatives, but after the tax bureau came, they all went to pay the outstanding taxes."

Li Zichun: "......"

Zhao Qianfan: "......"

Seeing this, Li Zichun had nothing more to say. He simply asked what the theme was, and after learning that it was just a random song about "animals," he went to the recording studio.

Songs about animals aren't something he can just pick out off the top of his head. As for which one to choose, he briefly went through the songs in his mind and picked one that wasn't too well-known but not too bad either. After recording for about ten minutes, he handed it over to Zhang Xiaochuan. At this point, there was still more than half an hour before the recording started. He simply said to Ma Qian, "I'm going to take a nap first. Wake me up before the performance."

After saying that, he lay down on Zhao Qianfan's lap to rest, and no one dared to wake him.

Soon it was time to record. As the opening guest, he stood in the center of the stage in casual clothes and sang Ren Ran's newly composed song, "Birds and Cicadas":

You said youthful innocence is best for first love, like snowflakes falling on the coastline.

The fifth season will unfold someday; we'll have time to meet.

You said empty bottles are perfect for making wishes, in a place with a warm breeze and moonlight.

You appeared as scheduled in the thirteenth month, and the Cape of the Sea was no longer far away.

You flew away proudly, leaving behind my summer.

The inaudible declaration has been repeated for many years

The longing for the northern latitude is blown away by the monsoon

Chuiyuan's silent profile Chuiyuan's sung poems

You fly away proudly, leaving behind the leaf I once rested on.

To different worlds, but never goodbye

The longing for the moon over the vast sea has transformed into my memories of yesterday.

You never even glanced at my mature, smiling face.

......"

PS: Data is from the internet.

《好日子》是宋祖英演唱的一首歌曲，由车行作词、李昕作曲。收录于宋祖英1998年1月8日发行的同名专辑《好日子》中。1998年，该曲获得第五届中国音乐电视大奖赛金奖。并登上1998年中央电视台春节联欢晚会。

"Birds and Cicadas" is a song with lyrics by Geng Geng, music by Kent Wang Jian, arrangement by Hou Jianghao, and vocals by Ren Ran. It was released as a single on July 3, 2020, and later included in Ren Ran's album "Ren Ran," released on July 27, 2021. The song reached number 1 on QQ Music's Hot Songs Chart, number 1 on Kugou Music's TOP500, and number one on You Music Chart. It also reached number 1 on the K-Song Golden Songs Chart, was named one of CCTV News' "Top Ten BGM of 2020," and received the BME Music Awards' Outstanding Lyricist Award.