Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
In Sumen City…
It was 81 kilometers away from Wuhe City and not as good in terms of population, economy, and scale, but the gap was not huge.
Baili Qingfeng watched the streets and houses that were retreating outside the window and thought about the song.
To be exact, he was thinking about the incident and the person related to the song.
Why would a nuclear bomb explode above his head if he was ordinary?
Because he had been in a base of air forces abroad.
Why had he been in a base of air forces?
Because he had wanted to see if he could die after being shot.
Why did he want to get shot?
Because…
He had received the news that she was getting married.
…
“It’s all over…” Baili Qingfeng said to himself in a low voice. “It’s a new world now. Everything is over.”
“What did you say, Qingfeng?” Baili Die, who was listening to music next to him, hit the pause button. “Were you talking to me?”
“It was nothing,” Baili Qingfeng said.
The bus moved more slowly after entering the city. It did not reach the station until half an hour later.
Baili Qingfeng and Baili Die got off and walked to the location of their meeting.
Soon, they arrived at the Silver Shadow Studio.
The studio was not in downtown but in a three-floored villa in the suburbs.
It had an area of a thousand square meters with a yard twice as huge. The grass and mountains there made the place very pleasant.
Somebody greeted them when Baili Qingfeng and Baili Die arrived. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Baili. I am Watt, Ah Xun’s agent. Thank you for coming here.”
Baili Qingfeng was nineteen years old, but thanks to his experiences of two lives, nobody thought of him as a common young man.
“Nice to meet you.” The two parties greeted each other. Soon, Watt led them to the drawing room.
On one side of the drawing room was a chamber whose door was closed. They could hear music from inside.
Obviously, it was a recording studio.
“Please wait for a moment. Ah Xun will be ready soon,” Watt poured tea for them and said in apologies.
“Is he recording the song? Can I listen to it?”
“Of course.”
Watt led Baili Qingfeng and Baili Die into the recording room.
The recording studio was rather huge. Including the control room, it had an area of more than a hundred square meters.
Inside, An Yixun was singing the song. The familiar lyrics and melody brought Baili Qingfeng back to that world and reminded him of everything in the music society.
After a long time…
The music stopped.
Baili Qingfeng was slightly absentminded, his eyes unfocused.
“Mr. Baili, you are more handsome than I thought. Not ‘handsome’ handsome, but clean and steady handsome,” An Yixun greeted Baili Qingfeng with a smile.
“I cannot wait to buy the CD of this song now,” Baili Qingfeng was back to himself and replied with a smile.
He had apparently acknowledged the singer and the deal.
“We’re close to completion now. After it’s out, we will send Mr. Baili a copy as soon as possible. I’m sure it will be a hit,” An Yixun responded with a smile.
“Is this Mr. Baili who wrote ‘Long Time No See’? You certainly can’t tell.” The other people in the room also greeted him.
Looking at them, Baili Qingfeng said, “I’m thinking of recording a melody myself. Can I use your equipment?”
“Do you have any new works, Mr. Baili?” An Yixun immediately approached.
For a singer, high-quality songs were a guarantee for their popularity.
“It’s a melody that I’ve been saving for myself.”
An Yixun did not pursue any further but listened to it first.
“That’s not a problem. Do you have the sheet?”
“Yes, it’s very simple and right in my head. Can I borrow your paper and pen?”
Baili Qingfeng took the paper and wrote the song down.
He had learned how to sing and write songs in the music society before.
Everybody there understood music. After Baili Qingfeng wrote the melody and the lyrics, they all gasped.
“This is… This is…”
“The song…”
“Mr. Baili, is it possible…”
An Yixun looked at Baili Qingfeng in eagerness.
“You are not suitable for this song,” Baili Qingfeng said.
An Yixun thought for a moment and eventually sighed with regret.
“Everybody, familiarize yourself with it before we begin our recording.”
“Alright.”
They all picked up the paper eagerly.
Baili Die was at a loss. Was her brother really so good?
So much so that even An Yixun, one of the most popular singers, had lost his calmness?
…
It was soon lunchtime.
However…
Nobody mentioned anything about food.
Three hours passed.
Baili Qingfeng stood before the microphone. The memories of his previous dim life swirled around in his head.
The melody began.
“I once crossed mountains and oceans, I once squeezed through crowds, and I once had everything, but they dispersed like smoke in the blink of an eye. I was once lost and disappointed, until I realize that I am meant to be ordinary. I once destroyed my everything, so that I could leave for good. I once sank into the infinite darkness, trying to struggle but unable to free myself. I was once like you, like him, like the wild grasses, desperate, eager…”1
Quiet.
Utterly quiet.
When Baili Qingfeng’s voice ended, the studio fell silent. Everybody was caught in the life outlined by this song.
“The past…” Baili Qingfeng sighed to himself. “Therefore, I only want to be a decent, hardworking student in this life, so I can deserve those who were disappointed in me. I want to read books, listen to music and enjoy the beauty of life… Whoever disrupts my peaceful life and terrifies me must die.”
An Yixun’s eyes did not open until a long while later.
Looking at Baili Qingfeng, he said cautiously, “Mr. Baili, you must contact me if you have new songs.”
Before, he called him Mr. Baili only out of courtesy, but he said it sincerely then.
“I will,” Baili Qingfeng said.
From the control room, a middle-aged man in his thirties walked out. “I am a music lover. Mr. Baili, if you need to record any song, you can come straight to me. As long as they are as good as this one… no, even if they are half as good, I, Qin Yuan, will record it for free. If you want to publish it, I can ask my brother, Qin Zhan, for help.”
“I will thank you in advance.” Baili Qingfeng said.
He watched many TV dramas and noticed many characters, but what left the deepest impression on him weren’t the characters themselves, but…
The background music that the characters came with.
Since he would enjoy his life, he would consider it a minor goal.
He could always show up with stereos…
Or maybe, a Walkman would be better.
…
“Brother, martial artists have no prospects.” It was the fourth time Baili Die said that after going out of Qin Yuan’s house.
Even though Baili Die could not tell the quality of a song, she knew from An Yixun and Qin Yuan’s attitude that her brother was more suitable to work with music.
“Alright, it’s getting late. Let’s spend the night here and visit Sumen City on the way.”
Baili Qingfeng did not argue with her.
“Just think about it.” Baili Die was unwilling to drop it.
“I will.”
“Think over it properly,” Baili Die said stubbornly.
Then, she led Baili Qingfeng to downtown and checked into a hotel near the bus station. Since they were siblings, it was not a problem for them to share a room.
After they checked in, Baili Qingfeng left Baili Die giving an excuse.
He looked at his watch…
It was 6 PM in August. There was still some time to go before it turned dark.
“The Jiang Martial Arts Club…”
Recalling the route he had looked up last night, Baili Qingfeng stepped into a bus.