Chapter 64: My Song is Quite Depressing, Isn’t It?
“Please welcome Li Yuchun, 《 please do the cha-cha!》”
This song is an adaptation of Jessica Jay’s dance track 《 Chilly Cha Cha》, originally sung by Wang Peirong from Rock Records.
The song itself is simple, not difficult, and places more emphasis on the singer’s stage presence.
As the finals approach, Li Yuchun’s song choices are indeed becoming more refined.
This tune suits her perfectly.
If singers of a similar style, like He Jie and Huang Yali, were to face Li Yuchun with this song, they would truly have no good solution.
But Zhang Liangying never plays by the rules…
No matter how you change, I’ll just support you wholeheartedly!
After the performance began.
Li Yuchun started with a dance, and even pulled He Jie onto the stage to help.
After dancing for a while, He Jie left the stage.
Li Yuchun stood before the microphone stand, gripped the microphone, and began her passionate performance.
The Corn fans in the audience were extremely excited, cheering and shouting.
Meanwhile, the Liangfen fans watched the Corn fans celebrate with indifference, thinking, “Hmph, not enough singing skills, so they compensate with dance. A singer needs real ability to go far!”
…
Li Yuchun’s vocal range is weak, her pitch is relatively narrow and lacks expressiveness, and her high notes are particularly poor. Whenever she needs to convey emotion, her voice is always so pale.
There’s a word to describe her: a “plain voice.”
This refers to those with ordinary vocal conditions, whose voices lack the necessary qualities of an excellent singer.
Therefore, the overall listening experience can be described as bland, completely lacking the expressiveness a dance song should have—the dance was separate from the singing, and the two were not organically combined.
But the Corn fans loved it.
How strange!!
Can’t they listen to something good!!!
At this moment, after the music stopped, two Corn fans excitedly rushed onto the stage, presenting two bouquets of flowers and a necklace, smiling happily.
Hei Nan: “Overall, it was a pleasure to watch, like a blooming gardenia, but I do have a suggestion: you need to strengthen the thickness of your mid-range.”
Actually, Hei Nan’s critique was quite cunning.
He only said it ‘looked’ good, yes, it was about the visual aspect. Regarding the auditory aspect, he only offered one suggestion.
If one were more observant, they would notice the hidden meaning in his words.
Xia Qing and He Jiong also gave their critiques, but they were both full of praise, though they didn’t dare to overdo it.
After all, Zhang Liangying was about to appear, and if they praised too excessively, they would run out of adjectives for Zhang Liangying.
…
Li Xiang: “Thank you, Li Yuchun. Next, please welcome Zhang Liangying to perform 《 When You Are Old》. This is also an original song!”
Wang Han: “Please welcome Zhang Liangying!”
“Wow, another original song.”
“The real star has arrived.”
“Let Li Yuchun and her fans see what true skill looks like.”
“The song title is more poetic than Li Yuchun’s.”
“Something’s not right, the song title feels off. Could it be another song that makes you want to cry? Ahhh, Liangying Mom, you’re so wicked…”
At the same time.
In many homes, parents almost simultaneously reminded their children: “Sit up straight, watch carefully, learn well. See how Zhang Liangying is filial to her parents? Look at the song title, it’s so filial…”
Zhang Guiying, far away in Chengdu, didn’t play mahjong tonight. Instead, she invited several relatives to her home to watch the live broadcast.
Uncle: “Liangying’s 《 When You Are Old》, could it be written for you, Yingzi?”
Guiying: “I don’t know, probably not. She didn’t tell me.”
Grandpa: “Cough, how could she tell you in advance? Then there would be no surprise.”
Aunt: “Haha, that makes sense. Auntie, don’t cry later. Liangying’s songs are probably very touching.”
Guiying: “I won’t cry, how could I cry.”
…
Zhang Liangying was still wearing a simple and elegant dress tonight. Shen Qing styled her hair in a beautiful and slightly homey way, which was very suitable for tonight’s song.
Her entire makeup gave a very comfortable impression.
In front of the television, whether it was old fans or passersby who had recently joined the live broadcast through Central Media’s cameras, no one could dislike Liangying.
In fact, many were captivated by her.
On a stage full of tomboys with dyed hair, a gentle, serene, beautiful, and talented girl suddenly appears—who wouldn’t be surprised?
To some extent, didn’t the tomboys also complete Zhang Liangying!?
The camera zoomed in on Zhang Liangying’s face, and the music began to play.
The beginning featured the sound of cicadas chirping and the rustling of wind through wheat fields, simulating a rural scene, followed by the guitar joining in.
A light, soothing, and tranquil atmosphere washed over them.
“When you are old”
“Your hair turns white”
“Sleepy and drowsy”
After the first three lines, countless middle-aged and elderly people suddenly smiled knowingly, looking at their spouses or friends beside them.
These simple three lines touched the listeners’ hearts.
Zhang Liangying’s voice seemed to possess magic, its gentle, weak, and warm quality piercing through the skin to touch people’s softest inner selves.
“When you are old”
“You can’t walk anymore”
“Dozing by the fireside, reminiscing about youth”
“…”
After another three lines, the image of an elderly person emerged—an old person with white hair, dozing by the fireside, recalling their youth.
Shen Qing didn’t know how many people would feel sad hearing this, but he did.
Accompanied by Liangying’s singing, the shadows of his deceased grandparents seemed to reappear before his eyes, and Shen Qing’s nose tingled.
In his childhood, Shen Qing experienced many scenes described in the lyrics.
He remembered that on cold winter nights, his grandparents would sit by the fire, accompanying Shen Qing as he did his homework and roasting sweet potatoes for him.
But these were all in the past.
The past could never be regained.
Now, Shen Qing’s parents were also gradually aging, their temples showing white hair, and the sadness deepened.
Meanwhile~
Among the audience around Shen Qing, many were pursing their lips, and some girls with a lower threshold for tears already had red eyes.
In front of the television.
People were waiting for the next line!
“Zhang Liangying is going to make us cry again. With just these six lines, I’ve already prepared tissues, my nose feels so sore.”
“Don’t kill us with emotional knives, Liangying!!!”
“Last week my eyes were swollen from crying, tonight my eyes will probably be red again.”
“Even though it’s painful, I just want to listen.”
…
Liangying closed her eyes and began to sing the chorus.
“How many have loved your youthful, joyous moments”
“Admired your beauty, falsely or truly”
“Only one has loved your devout soul”
“Loved the wrinkles on your aged face”
“…”
When the first chorus ended, Zhang Liangying put down the microphone and looked towards the band, where a familiar young man was.
At this moment, Shen Qing sat on a high stool, holding a harmonica in both hands, playing a melody that was captivating and enchanting.
The appeal of this solo was no less than that of a suona, filled with vicissitudes and emotion.
Whether in the audience or in front of the television, many people were stunned, an unspoken emotion spreading through their bodies.
The director cut the camera to Shen Qing.
This was the first time Shen Qing appeared so clearly on camera. His deeply emotional playing with his eyes closed would surely keep many women awake all night.
This harmonica interlude lasted for 30 seconds.
The camera focused on Shen Qing for ten seconds, then cut back to the audience, judges, Zhang Liangying, and other contestants.
Everyone’s expression was complex.
This was another song that successfully made people feel emo~.
“Shen Qing must have written this song again! Look at him playing the harmonica, the emotion in the melody is too intense. Only the author could play with such damn feeling.”
“I really want to strangle Shen Qing! Three consecutive songs that make people want to cry!”
“I bet 《 When You Are Old》 will be on Central Media again tomorrow, and Liangying will be praised again. That’s great.”
“Central Media? I think it could even be on the Spring Festival Gala.”
“…”
When Shen Qing’s harmonica solo ended, Liangying’s singing remained touching.
“How many have loved your youthful, joyous moments”
“Admired your beauty, falsely or truly”
“Only one has loved your devout soul”
“Loved the wrinkles on your aged face”
By this point, the song had been sung twice, and 2 minutes and 50 seconds had passed. The three judges, thinking the song was over, all stood up and applauded.
Faced with such an excellent original song, no one could remain calm.
But at this moment~
Zhang Liangying began to sing acapella again.
“When I am old”
“I truly hope”
“This song is sung for you”
…
Although 《 When You Are Old》 does not have the passionate and surging emotion of 《 Father’s Prose Poem》, it is like aged wine, deep and continuous upon tasting.
The song was finished.
The Liangfen fans, who should have been cheering, were unusually quiet this time. They chose to applaud Zhang Liangying with silent applause.
Some wiped their eyes, gently dabbing away tears.
At this moment.
Xia Qing, without waiting for Wang Han and Li Xiang to take the stage, began her critique.
“I’m sorry, I can’t help but speak first. Liangying, you have moved me once again. I… when you sing songs like this, it’s like you’re stabbing my heart with an emotional knife. I can’t stand it at all. After just a few lines, I want to cry.”
After speaking, Xia Qing wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and, with red eyes, asked, “Liangying, is this song written for your mother? And is the composer still your usual composer, Shen Qing?”
The entire venue fell silent, awaiting Zhang Liangying’s answer.
During the previous song, everyone was in an emo state, and many hadn’t understood who the song was written for!
Zhang Liangying: “Yes, Teacher Xia. This song is written for my mother… The lyrics were adapted by Shen Qing from a modern poem by the Irish poet W.B. Yeats, and he composed the music himself.”
Shen Qing was now sitting in the audience, looking at the stage calmly, as if his heart was undisturbed.
But in reality, Shen Qing was a little satisfied, as the entire audience’s emo mood was orchestrated by him—my songs must be quite depressing, right?
