Chapter 125: Ten Years

Even Lin Ze was somewhat taken aback by this song. It was highly likely that Panda’s ranking would be quite high this week.

Just as the audience was still silently savoring the song that had just ended, Xu Shenshen took the stage.

"Street Corner."

A very familiar phrase; it seemed that many love songs made use of these two words.

"I stand at the street corner, the familiar sound of bickering ringing in my ears."

"The lightbulb, which I've symbolically flickered twice, has been there for seven years now..."

The perspective of this song was to imagine oneself as a streetlamp. It was a departure from Elder Shi's usual songwriting habits. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite stunning enough. It could evoke a sense of melancholy, but it failed to draw the listener in. Perhaps it would have earned a decent score if he had performed third, but it was a pity he followed Panda.

After the song concluded, it was finally Lin Ze's turn. He walked to the backstage area and cast a look of regret at Xu Shenshen. Xu Shenshen had nothing to compete with; having just stepped off the stage, his face was filled with confusion. He couldn't understand why the audience's reaction had been so lukewarm.

"It was good, just a pity you performed after Panda," Lin Ze comforted him. Xu Shenshen looked at Lin Ze with some puzzlement, but Lin Ze’s name had already been called on stage.

Lin Ze walked onto the stage. Once the cheers from the audience died down a little, he closed his eyes and gently lifted his head. In that moment, it was as if he had returned to his previous life—the world where Su Zitan had already passed away.

A prelude that Lin Ze hadn't heard in a long time began to play, yet once it reached his ears, it felt incredibly familiar.

"Ten Years."

"If those two words hadn't trembled."

"I wouldn't have realized I was in pain."

"How could I say it out loud? It was just a breakup, after all."

"If there were no demands for tomorrow."

"Holding hands would be just like a vacation."

"Among thousands of doorways, someone has to be the first to leave..."

There seemed to be a sense of relieved ease in Lin Ze's voice, yet it carried an infinite bitterness. The people in the room all shook their heads at that moment. How did Lin Ze manage to pull out another song with such a high degree of completion?

Elder Shi’s expression turned serious instantly.

"Ten years ago."

"I didn't know you, and you didn't belong to me."

"We were still the same, staying by the side of a stranger."

"Walking through the increasingly familiar streets."

"Ten years later."

"We are friends, still able to offer greetings."

"But that kind of tenderness—I can no longer find a reason to hold you."

"Lovers eventually, inevitably, end up as friends."

Memories had long since broken through a certain boundary in their minds. There were faint sounds of sniffing in the audience. Memories they thought they had forgotten all flooded into their hearts at this moment.

Rong Zhengyu opened his mouth. As a lyricist with a story of his own, he had intended to completely relax and truly experience this music, but... he was next. With the person before him presenting a song like this, he simply couldn't calm down... This was even worse than following Elder Shi!

"Until I had been friends with you for many years."

"Only then did I realize my tears."

"Were not shed for you, but for someone else."

Lin Ze slowly faded out his voice, waiting for the outro to finish. Su Zitan hadn't been able to come today because of company business; otherwise, Lin Ze wouldn't have dared to look into the audience for fear of breaking his composure.

After the song was sung, the applause was still slow to come; everyone was so deeply immersed in "Ten Years" that they couldn't pull themselves out. Lin Ze bowed and left the stage. It wasn't until the host came back on that the audience noticed even the host’s eyes seemed slightly red.

Entering the large lounge, everyone inside stood up and applauded just like last time, with the exception of Elder Shi, who sat there looking as if he were constipated.

"That's truly terrifying, Brother Lin. Please, leave us a way to survive," Li Xiyan said, pressing her palms together and bowing toward Lin Ze. The other singer-songwriters behind her were on the verge of tears.

"That’s what we should be saying..."

...

"Should we assign tasks to everyone this week? If you ask me, let's just all go somewhere and have a good time; the previous weeks have been quite exhausting," the assistant director said to Director Zhang.

Director Zhang nodded. "I agree. Everyone is familiar with Lin Ze and the others now, so let's just go on a trip together for the final week and have some fun."

The plan was set, and the next step was choosing the location.

"Since we're heading to the Northwest this week, let's wander around the desert, then head west to loop around the grasslands."

Director Zhang had plenty of backup plans, but they wouldn't be needed this week; there would be no more of those tasks. Let them go and have fun, nice and easy. Director Zhang had also given himself a vacation, only informing everyone tonight that there would be no tasks for the following week.

Everyone had enjoyed filming the show together over this past month. Now that the month was coming to an end, Lin Ze’s six songs occupied the top six spots on the charts. The two songs performed by Zhang Yang had disappeared along with his departure.

...

"A sandstorm, Director Zhang!"

Everyone stepped out of the vehicle and looked at the yellow sky, feeling immensely melancholy. Director Zhang wasn't idle; he quickly distributed masks to everyone.

"Quick, put them on..."

While handing out the masks, a hint of coolness suddenly fell from the overcast sky. It was raining... A sandstorm mixed with rain left little mud spots on everyone's white clothes. It was literally raining mud.

[Hahaha, experience the charm of the Northwest!]

[It hasn't rained during a sandstorm for years; who would have thought you'd run into it.]

[Hahahaha...]

The cameramen rushed to protect their equipment, and everyone, having just stepped out, quickly scrambled back into the vehicles. They had originally wanted to film some shots, but ended up heading back into the hotel.

Everyone took showers, changed their clothes, and stood in the hotel conference room, pressing against the glass to watch the sky filled with yellow sand.

"Will we be able to go to the desert tomorrow?" Bai Qiong asked, looking worried.

"Don't worry, the sandstorm and rain will stop by tomorrow; the forecast shows clear skies," Director Zhang said quite confidently.

"I hope so, otherwise we'll be stuck in the hotel playing mahjong all day," Pei Xue laughed.

They had rented the Star Hotel in the desert for the next day, but if the weather stayed like this, they probably wouldn't be able to go. Everyone sat in the hotel eating and chatting. Surprisingly, the number of online viewers was even higher than before.

Early the next morning, they were ready to head to the desert. They left early by car, and although the sky was still a bit yellow, it wasn't as extreme as the day before.

"Actually, I said there were no tasks, but let's give everyone a small one today!" Director Zhang laughed.

"Huh?" Everyone turned to look at him.

"Today, everyone must go check in by riding camels, sandboarding, and taking a desert off-road vehicle!"

"These are all mandatory! If you don't complete them, you'll be sleeping outside in a tent tonight!"

"Deal!" Lin Ze shouted.

"Off-road vehicles! Let's go!"