Mo Yan and Su Yu’s exchanged story was about a boy who couldn’t move on after a breakup.
For a top producer like Mo Yan, this theme offered countless ways to write a song.
The theme was incredibly common in the Mandopop music scene, written about so extensively. Even with the addition of a campus youth background, the core remained a person unable to get over a breakup.
Everyone had been anticipating a truly amazing love song.
However, after Shen Jinghong sang the first verse and chorus of the song titled “Unexplainable,” the audience felt something was missing.
While the melody was catchy, the emotional depth of the lyrics seemed to fall short of his usual standard.
Not only did the audience lack strong immersion, but Su Yu and the others also recognized the song's shortcomings.
The song was still considered a quality piece, as Mo Yan had been writing songs for most of his life and any song he produced was bound to be of high quality. However, it wasn’t particularly stunning; at least, for Mo Yan, it was a solid but unremarkable song.
“Is Teacher Mo Yan not in good form today?” Su Yu remarked.
He suddenly recalled Mo Yan’s unusual behavior earlier and wore a contemplative expression.
In fact, when the theme was changed, Su Yu had been puzzled. Given Mo Yan’s skill, he could have spun any story, let alone a love story waiting for decades, even one waiting for millennia.
Yet, this time, Mo Yan had actually approached him to exchange themes.
Moreover, Mo Yan had been perfectly normal until the fourth story. It was only after the fourth story emerged that Mo Yan’s demeanor changed.
“Mo Yan, are you letting us have an easy time?” Zhou Qingshan also looked at Mo Yan.
“Rather than aiming for a better ranking, I’d rather hear a song where Teacher Mo Yan performs beyond his usual level,” Jiang Qian said with a smile.
The producers who participated in the program did so with a relaxed mindset. While they all wanted to contend for the first place on the love song chart, their primary goal was to exchange songwriting experiences and allow the audience to understand the process of creating a song.
The Chinese music scene was experiencing a revival, and the program specifically filmed the songwriting process of several top producers, entirely unedited. This allowed many industry insiders to learn a great deal from their process.
Of course, this excluded “Listening Rain.”
After all, that person was a freak.
Producing a song in ten minutes was beyond learning; it was impossible to even comprehend.
“Perhaps it’s because I slept too late last night,” Mo Yan said, trying to cover up with a smile.
Not sleeping well.
This was a universal excuse.
It was applicable in all professions.
It was also an unassailable reason.
“Listening Rain, it’s your turn,” Zhou Qingshan, clearly accepting Mo Yan’s explanation, turned to Su Yu.
Su Yu didn’t delve deeper, as he wasn’t a nosy person.
“Little Gong, go up there. Good luck,” he said to Gong Juren beside him.
Gong Juren chuckled, “Don’t worry, after your coaching, Brother Yu, I’ve realized I can completely empathize with the guy in the story.”
“Pfft!” Mo Yan, who had just opened his thermos to take a sip of water, choked and sprayed it out. “Cough, cough, cough…”
“Master!” Shen Jinghong, who had already come down from the stage, quickly helped Mo Yan catch his breath.
“I’m fine, I drank too quickly and choked. Cough, cough…” Mo Yan waved his hand.
The cameras had already followed Gong Juren to the stage.
The audience did not notice Mo Yan’s abnormality.
As for Gong Juren, after walking onto the stage, he sat on a stool typical of a classroom.
The prelude began with clear and melodious sounds.
“You’ve Returned to the Beginning”
Performed by: Gong Juren
Lyrics by: Listening Rain
Music by: Listening Rain
The song title was rather ordinary, and many singers had previously sung songs with the same title, also revolving around nostalgic youth.
However, this did not matter; song titles being the same was a common occurrence in Mandopop.
“Back to the very start again,
In memory, your youthful face,
We finally,
Arrived at this day…”
Gong Juren was dressed in a school uniform, and his voice possessed a natural youthful quality.
Furthermore, thanks to Su Yu’s guidance on how to better express the song’s emotions, the moment he opened his mouth, an intangible aura of youth enveloped the audience, transporting them back to that eighteenth summer.
However, because he deliberately lowered his vocal tone, the song carried a subtle sense of regret.
“The old photo under the desk,
Countless memories connected,
Today, the boy is going to meet the girl for their last date…”
Mo Yan held his thermos, his head slightly lowered.
Everyone assumed it was due to feeling unwell and didn’t pay much attention.
Su Yu only glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Seeing that his knuckles gripping the thermos were somewhat pale, he gave a knowing smile.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his urge to be a spectator, and refocused his attention on the stage.
“Back to the very start again,
Standing dazed in front of the mirror,
Clumsily tying the knot of the red tie.
Combing my hair to look like an adult,
Putting on a handsome suit,
Seeing you later will be more beautiful than I imagined…”
The song’s performance conveyed a complex mix of warmth and sadness.
Gong Juren on stage tilted his head slightly, holding the microphone, his expression immensely heartfelt.
The song originally depicted the protagonist’s feelings before attending the female lead’s wedding, but this was merely an introduction. The core was the subsequent "missed opportunity." Su Yu felt it resonated with the story told by the woman, and indeed, with the regrets of countless youthful experiences.
However, by chance, this part struck Mo Yan like lightning from a clear sky!
This “Listening Rain” was truly unconventional, writing this story from a male perspective.
Mo Yan felt that these few lines perfectly captured the complex emotions he felt when attending his class reunion.
“How I wish to go back to those years,
Back to the seats before and after in the classroom,
Deliberately provoking your gentle scolding.
Combinations arranged on the blackboard,
Can you bear to unravel them?
Who sat with whom, and he loved her…”
The reason youth is cherished by so many.
It is because after experiencing the baptism of society, one truly understands the preciousness of that time.
First love.
It might be shyly hooking fingers with a blush, a hesitant gesture.
It might be mischievous actions to make the girl angry, a bid for her attention.
Even more so, it could be the regret of not being able to confess before graduation.
Without a doubt, regardless of the type of regret, it represents the purest and most beautiful form of emotion.
“The heavy rain missed in those years,
The love missed in those years,
How I wish to embrace you,
Embrace the courage of missed opportunities,
Once I wanted to conquer the world,
But looking back in the end, I realized,
This world, every bit of it, was you…”
As the chorus began.
Gong Juren stood up from his stool.
A shimmering light flickered in his eyes, and his voice was filled with regret!
The young man harbored lofty ambitions, aiming to conquer the world.
Yet, in the end, there was always a lingering attachment in his heart!
But when he looked back, so many years had passed. Had he truly missed that person from back then?
“The heavy rain missed in those years,
The love missed in those years,
How I wish to tell you,
Tell you that I haven’t forgotten…”
Haven’t forgotten!
Bang!
The thermos in Mo Yan’s hand fell to the ground.
Startled, everyone next to him looked at him.
However, Mo Yan seemed to have no intention of picking up the thermos.
His mind was filled with the image of that person.
The next second.
“That night, the sky was full of stars,
A promise made in parallel universes,
If we meet again, I will,
Hold you tight!
Hold you tight…”
Mo Yan suddenly stood up and walked towards the program crew.
“Master!” Shen Jinghong quickly followed.
Mo Yan did not reply, but said to the staff, “I’m very sorry, I suddenly feel unwell. Could I leave now?”
At this moment, the cameras were still focused on the stage, so the audience did not notice the situation with the producers.
Mo Yan’s condition had been poor all day. If he said he was leaving during the formal competition, it would be unacceptable. However, this program was structured like a casual gathering, and Mo Yan’s song had already been performed.
The program crew instructed the cameraman to stop filming the producers and allowed the staff to grant Mo Yan’s request.
After all, Mo Yan was the "God of Music." If something happened to him during the program, the crew would be in serious trouble.
The best approach was to honestly inform the audience later that Mo Yan had to leave early due to illness.
After receiving the program crew’s consent.
Mo Yan, supported by Shen Jinghong, walked out of the recording hall.
It was then that Su Yu slowly turned his head. His eyes gleamed with excitement, and he opened his phone to send a message to Lin Yanyu: “Wifey, I have a juicy piece of gossip to share when I get back!”
His guess was correct. The woman who shared the story must have a connection to Mo Yan!
He just hadn’t realized that the usually gentle and refined Teacher Mo Yan harbored an impulsive youth within him. His persona as an elder artist had completely crumbled…
PS: Original singer of “You’ve Returned to the Beginning”: Hu Xia, Lyrics: Giddens Ko, Music: Mitsuhiro Kimura