Chapter 155 Recording

A musician in the zone is a terrifying entity. In a very short span of time, Ren Qian not only composed the melody for the song but also penned the lyrics.

The lyrics of this song strove for simplicity and accessibility, yet carried immense power. A discerning listener would notice that many of the lines were warnings or expressions of deep remorse uttered by well-known figures after their arrests.

So sincere and heartfelt were the words that they brought sorrow and tears to anyone who heard them. Combined with admonitory proverbs selected by Ren Qian from classical literature, these two elements fused together to form this anti-drug promotional song.

The very next day, Ren Qian set out on a journey for campus promotion and the recording of a massive chorus. Rolling Poetry had equipped him with an eighty-person team.

They headed straight for their first destination in a flashy style—Jiangnan University.

This was also the university Ren Qian had attended. The young nurse and Young Master Yan both studied here, though neither of them had been spending much time on campus lately.

Coming back this time, he found that things remained the same while people and circumstances had completely changed. Although Ren Qian had previously enjoyed a certain following outside, the adoration directed at him now was undoubtedly on a much grander scale. In the past, he was at best a prominent campus figure; now, he was a renowned singer across the entire empire. Which student on campus did not watch *I Am a Singer*? After all, this was the empire's sole star-studded reality variety show. Recent entertainment news and headlines were invariably intertwined with *I Am a Singer*.

As the host of *I Am a Singer* and the composer and lyricist behind all its featured songs, Ren Qian was naturally basking in a temporary height of fame.

Case in point, upon hearing that Ren Qian was visiting, the school's leadership even unfurled a banner to celebrate.

Ren Qian had expected something like: 'A Warm Welcome to Our School's Big Star Ren Qian on His Triumphant Return.'

Instead, the banner actually read: 'A Warm Welcome to Vice Director Ren Qian of the Provincial Department of Culture for an Inspection and Guidance Visit...'

What the hell!

Ren Qian was instantly defeated.

Never mind; society was far too complex, and a certain degree of bureaucratization would always exist. Even Jiangnan University could not escape conventionality.

This promotional event was held at the Jiangnan University Student Activity Center—the very place where Ren Qian had once performed twice on stage.

The last time he stood there, he had just been shamelessly kicked out by the Landing on Mars Band. He had assumed the Landing on Mars Band would seize that performance opportunity, but never did he expect them to arrogantly turn it down, creating an opening for Ren Qian.

That previous time, he had sung three songs: *Haunting*, *Guardian Angel*, and *Saying Goodbye to My Ideals*. It was these three songs, coupled with *Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies*, that had established his popularity within the urban district of Jiangnan.

Reflecting on those past experiences, a wave of nostalgia washed over him.

This venue could accommodate all the faculty and students of Jiangnan University. Many second-tier stars chose this very place to hold concerts. Therefore, Ren Qian was actually quite perplexed as to why the Landing on Mars Band had refused back then. Given their status and fame at the time, they certainly couldn't have been more formidable than a second-tier star, could they?

Perhaps it was because they had signed with Mars Entertainment and grown excessively inflated in their egos...

Ren Qian had no idea that the former members of the Landing on Mars Band were currently sitting in the audience, watching him with complex expressions.

If back then, they... had stuck it out and traveled alongside Ren Qian, what would their lives look like right now?

Surely they, too, would be nationally renowned, transforming into fiercely sought-after superstars? Rather than remaining trapped in Mars Entertainment with no glimmer of a breakout day in sight?

Sigh. Indeed, fortune played tricks on mortals.

Just as they were sighing with regret, someone nearby happened to recognize them.

"Hey, aren't those the former members of God Qian's Landing on Mars Band?"

"Just a bunch of scumbags, hahaha. Not only did they plagiarize God Qian's work back then, but they also bit the hand that fed them, slandering God Qian by accusing him of plagiarism, which almost caused him to never recover. Such scum, you deserve to remain obscure."

"Look at God Qian. How awesome he is now! And then look at this bunch of petty villains. Sigh, reap what you sow."

"That's called losing a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed."

Up on stage, Ren Qian had already begun his speech.

The content of the speech was nothing more than adolescent anti-drug education, the hazards of substance abuse, and so forth. In the end, he appealed to everyone to stay away from drugs and cherish life...

Such events invariably involved media reporters snapping photos from the back. The flashes went off continuously throughout the entire session.

Once the promotion concluded, Ren Qian still had to perform a few songs for the audience; in truth, the audience had come specifically for Ren Qian's singing. Had it not been for Ren Qian's performance, coupled with the school administration's mandatory participation purely for anti-drug advocacy, the students might not have been willing to show up.

Therefore, Ren Qian still had to sing.

"I'd like to sing *Hills* for everyone. I hope that from the lyrics and melody of *Hills*, you all can gain a little insight into life."

The audience was ecstatic, especially the female fans.

"Hubby! Hubby, I love you!"

"Hubby, sing quickly! Sing *When You Are Old*!"

"I also want to hear my hubby sing *When You Are Old*. That gentle, deeply affectionate feeling is simply intoxicating."

"*Hills* is great too. It has such a strong vibe."

...

'There are still many things I wanted to say but haven't yet...

I've been hoarding them because I wanted to write them into a song~

Letting people sing them softly, remembering them faintly~

Even if we finally forget, it was still worth it~

Perhaps the trickle of my entire life's intentions~

Will by a stroke of luck converge into a river~

And then the two of us, each at our own end~

Staring at the winding river, finally daring to muster the courage~

With a cheeky grin, to face the hardships of life—'

When Ren Qian sang and recited halfway through, the audience fell into a momentary stillness, as if a mischievous sprite named Emotion had crept right into their hearts and stirred things up relentlessly, making their eye sockets grow warm of their own accord.

Allowing past events to scatter with the wind might simply be a beautiful wish.

And the trickle of a lifetime's intentions did not necessarily possess the fortune of converging into a river. Yet whether it succeeded or not, one always had to try, and one always had to learn to face life's hardships with a cheeky smile.

Ren Qian's voice was deep and weathered, and he sang with far more emotional resonance than usual. He was, after all, an old man—an old man whose sharp edges had been ground down by life.

If Jonathan Lee's music came once every decade, then Ren Qian had traded twenty years for a single rebirth through the fire.

The underlying emotions were interconnected.

The difference was that after crossing the mountains, he discovered the hillsides were covered in blooming flowers... yet this did not detract from his weathered soul.

Standing from the perspective of someone who had been there, he hummed softly, his youthful ignorance intertwined with the wisdom of one who had seen through worldly affairs.

'Perhaps we have never matured

Before we could even understand, we are already growing old~

Even though the young person still lives within our hearts~

Looking back repeatedly out of anxiety!

Ignorantly demanding! Ashamed to ask for help!

Tirelessly scaling every single hill~'

In just a few brief lines of lyrics, youth and maturity were blurred; both the elderly and the young could catch a glimpse of their own reflections.

They couldn't help but curse life for being too short, sighing over meeting each other too late.

Ignorantly demanding, ashamed to ask for help, and tirelessly scaling every single hill—these precisely encapsulated the rugged years each person had once traversed.

These students could not see the future, but they could perceive the desolation of Ren Qian scaling the hills with no one waiting, no one welcoming, and no one cheering him on.

Youthful individuals had all experienced such a phase. Striving with boundless hope, only to end up with an empty basket.

How similar this imagery was to the emotion Ren Qian was conveying!

'How many spring and autumn winds and rains have changed, how many rugged paths, yet love remains unchanged!'

Whether it was an old person looking back or a young person's anticipation for the future, the sentiment shared was strikingly similar.

'Crossing the hills, though my hair has already turned white~

Chattering endlessly, the sorrow of time slipping away~

Before I could witness immortality as desired!

I managed to lose myself first!

...

Recklessly and presumptuously fighting back! Until death do us part!

Why can't I remember who gave the last embrace...

And when?'

Many things were difficult for human effort to control. One might even say that adrift in the universe, the only one capable of steering one's vessel was oneself. Some people spent their entire lifetimes just to cross a single hill. Meanwhile, Ren Qian had once faced two massive mountains—Taihang and Wangwu—blocking his path, and to cross them had nearly exhausted his entire life.

Yet even so, he had never given up, 'recklessly and presumptuously fighting back, until death do us part.'

This was the resolve of youth, the unstoppable, sharp momentum of the young! As students of Jiangnan University, they could understand the emotions Ren Qian was expressing all the more.

...

"It sounds so good. Any song my hubby sings sounds amazing."

"Brilliant! I thought *Hills* was just an old man's song, but turns out it's also a song for all struggling men. God Qian truly lives up to his name! Amazing. A different interpretation brings a different vibe, making it feel like a brand-new song all over again."

"Another one! Sing another one!"

"Another one! Sing another one!"

"God Qian! God Qian! One more!"

"Since everyone wants to hear more, then as an alumnus, I'll sing a bit more for you all. *Heavenly Ladder* is dedicated to everyone..."

The crisp, clear striking of piano keys rang out. Everyone felt as though they had suddenly heard clear mountain springs in a tranquil valley. It was also like hearing the gentle footsteps echoing on a flight of old stone steps.

Melancholy and desolate. Like that clove-like girl carrying sorrow and grievances in the peach-blossom month of spring, choking back sobs as she walked the six thousand steps that bore witness to the symbol of their half-century of love.

There was no rain, only petals fluttering across the sky.

Nor was there the other half who had loved her so deeply.

Yet...

He remained beneath her feet, his love intertwined with every single step of the cliffside staircase.

...

He spent his entire life chiseling out the Heavenly Ladder to safeguard her safety, unwavering for a lifetime. Now his soul had returned to heaven, but his love lingered on, stretching into a heavenly ladder.

This affection was breathtakingly magnificent.

'How to find a deserted island?

To escape from those... torments in life into the future.'

God blessed Ren Qian, granting his low register a fatal lethality. Coupled with his professional techniques from his past life, he handled the release of emotion as a fish takes to water, completely at ease.

The audience was once again transported back to that New Year's Eve night when Ren Qian sang *Saying Goodbye to My Ideals*, plunging all listeners into the freezing streets.

When Ren Qian sang *Haunting*, he made everyone live through an agonizing unrequited love.

This time, *Heavenly Ladder* immersed everyone in a romance so blissful it was suffocating.

A romantic picture scroll as beautiful as a fairy tale slowly unfolded...

...

When love encounters the scorn of the secular world, does one choose to submit to gossip and slander?

Give up... and grow old in sorrow.

Or abandon everything in exchange for a lifetime accompanied by one's beloved?

In Ren Qian's tear-jerking performance, both the male and female protagonists were willing to brave mortal danger for love; otherwise, why else would they have plunged into the harsh primitive forest to live a life isolated from the world?

'If winter lacks an electric stove,

An embrace can gamble against the heavens.

No matter how high, it's like a dead end.

Cutting off the mortal dust just wanting to grow old with you,

Stepping out of that map...

Expecting no reward—just wanting you to be well.'

This was Liu Guojiang's choice. Why must life be so luxurious?

As long as I have you by my side, even the freezing cold feels like perpetual spring. Even if mountain roads block the way.

Even if sheer cliffs and precipices surround us.

To grow old with you until the end of time is a suffering I gladly welcome.

Oh, mortal world, what is love?

That it would cause people to pledge their lives to one another!

It sounds cliché, but who is truly able to brave mortal danger for love?

Ninety percent of people gradually grow numb, ultimately settling for a mediocre partner, only to sigh in their old age that they never met the right person in this lifetime.

Yet, did you truly grasp it?

God must have let you cross paths with her once upon a time, but back then your heart was dead, you were timid and fearful, and you brought it all upon yourself.

'Being able to climb the heavenly ladder along the path with you—

No need for taboos—

Defending against all malicious gossip and slander—

Keeping you—

No matter how worldly people call it preposterous—

I have no regrets when I ask myself!

Having you means I can lose everything else—'

The reason Liu Guojiang and the young widow's romance could move hundreds of millions across the empire was precisely because of the precious rarity of this love.

You do not leave, and I will not forsake you. Let us forget one another in the rivers and lakes, rely upon one another in our misery, and treat each other with the utmost respect...

I use my shoulders to block the wind and rain for you, to shoulder all the pressure for you, and to endure the merciless stings of gossip on your behalf.

'How many couples keep loving and for how long?

When life can still be thrown away for you!

Amidst universal condemnation, who cares if we are a match or not!

Still holding hands to weather the rise and fall of this mortal world—

How many couples can comprehend how much of the essence?

Can they hold on... and keep going?

Striving with all one's might to burn out for love

Holding on tightly all my life without feeling tired—'

The female students could not help shedding tears. When this song first came out, listening to it on their mobile phones, computers, or in shopping malls, they had found it immensely touching, even bringing them to tears.

Now, with Ren Qian's even more impassioned live performance, they completely lost control.

In truth, it wasn't that Ren Qian was singing better; rather, it was the nature of a live venue—listeners could experience the singer's emotions up close and be infected by them at close range.

Ren Qian's voice, which seemed to carry its own built-in sorrow-amplifying device, was like a silver needle of ice piercing straight into the heart. Without a screen to block it, the pain became all the more faintly agonizing.

Many girls had blurry, tear-filled eyes, their hearts gripping tightly. Sobs suddenly echoed through the venue, instantly infecting the rest of the girls and elevating the sorrowful atmosphere to an even greater height.

'The mist ahead remains thick...

We may never know if we are heading toward a cliff or the seashore...

Being able to embrace until our hair turns white, growing old together—

Not trying to out-heighten the heavens—

No matter how high the road ahead, it's a barren land,

Every step following the climb makes both hands calloused.

From this rugged path,

I will reclaim the land so you can walk better.

Being able to climb the heavenly ladder along the path with you—

Even the dark night is bright—

Swearing an alliance on the mountain peak amidst the vast sea—

Keeping you, no matter how worldly people call it preposterous...

I have no regrets when I ask myself—with you, we can—

Shatter this firmament!

How many couples, keeping loving and for how long?

When life can still be thrown away for you!

Amidst universal condemnation, who cares if we are a match or not...

Still holding hands to weather the rise and fall of this mortal world...

How many couples can comprehend how much of the essence?

Can they hold on... and keep going...'

With a final, muffled, trailing note, the song came to a perfect close.

"God Qian's voice is simply going to impregnate me!"

"Hubby, sing another one!"

"I knew hubby wouldn't stop singing until he made us cry."

"Hubby, same room as before, you haven't favored me in a long time..."

"Hubby..."

...

Ren Qian sang three or four songs in succession before stopping, and then began to personally teach everyone present a line of lyrics from the anti-drug promotional song.

This was the second purpose of this trip.

The audience was very cooperative.

After Ren Qian taught it two or three times, they had already learned it.

"Alright, the cameramen are going to start recording now. Everyone get ready."

PS: My condition was terrible for this chapter! Apologies, I bow deeply. (To be continued.)