As the prelude progressed.
The audience showed expressions of enjoyment.
Listening to Rain truly lived up to its reputation as the prelude killer; this prelude was once again a deeply moving melody.
This erhu solo alone was enough to draw the audience into the music.
The ancient charm was instantly ignited.
The prelude concluded.
Su Yu looked at Lin Yanyu, who was dancing gracefully amidst the stage fog.
She was like a flower through the mist, ethereal and hazy, her dance moves flowing beautifully yet seeming so distant.
"Lanting copy, cursive script flows like clouds and water,
Pushing open the moonlit gate, your heart is as delicate as your footsteps,
In my haste, millennia-old steles are easily replicated, but your beauty is hard to engrave,
A true masterpiece is lost, to whom can true sincerity be given…"
Su Yu's voice carried a peculiar magnetism, and coupled with his slightly unclear enunciation, it created an unusual feeling.
However, this feeling did not detract from the performance. After a few lines, the audience accepted this singing style, finding a novel beauty in it.
Just one word: beauty.
The stage was beautiful.
The dancer was beautiful.
The singing was beautiful.
Yet, amidst the beauty, there was a faint touch of melancholy.
Leading the audience to subtly guess that this song was a ballad of sorrow.
"A shepherd's flute plays horizontally, a few more small dishes of yellow wine,
The afterglow of the setting sun, like your shy blush, as if tipsy,
Copies are easily written, but the ink's fragrance lingers with you,
A single line of cinnabar, ultimately circles whom…"
The scholar expressed his melancholic thoughts through the flute, drinking lightly under the setting sun to relieve his sorrows.
Slightly tipsy, he gazed at the distant sunset, as if seeing the shy countenance of his beloved.
Deep affection, infatuation.
It was as if he were narrating the story of lovers separated by distance.
However, the last line of the preceding section gave the audience a sense that it was not that simple.
"…Irrelevant to romance, I write the preface, waiting for your return,
My brush hangs suspended, a thousand waves crash on the shore,
How to explain the word 'love,' no matter how I write it's wrong,
And what I lack most is, your lifelong understanding…"
Below the stage.
Chief Director Liu Qingfeng's mouth hung wide open.
His eyes were filled with astonishment.
This Listening to Rain truly was a talented artist of ancient style; the lyrics were absolutely brilliant.
Beside him, Shen Lingfeng, the president of the Calligraphy Association, clenched his fists, his teeth gritted tight.
Words constantly escaped from between his teeth.
"A huge profit, a huge profit!!"
The line "Irrelevant to romance" sent goosebumps prickling his skin.
And then there was the line "How to explain the word 'love.'"
Connecting it to the last sentence of "Wen Jing" from earlier, "What is…,"
He felt a sudden prickling sensation on his scalp.
What is love.
This word 'love' had been brought up by many before.
But many had objected.
Because the entire inscription was about reflections on reading and writing, with no mention of anything related to emotions.
Now, paired with this song, it felt incredibly harmonious, as if Su Yu, performing on stage, was that top scholar, telling future generations that even with his successful imperial examination, he could not decipher the word 'love.'
"Irrelevant to romance, I write the preface, waiting for your return,
My brush hangs suspended, a thousand waves crash on the shore…"
Suddenly.
A strange rap appeared.
It wasn't quite like rap.
Upon closer listening, it possessed a feeling of both freedom and strangeness.
…
Kyoto.
Lin family villa.
Chen Rong’s eyes widened, her pupils trembling violently.
She covered her mouth with her left hand and slapped Lin Zhaoyang's thigh with her right.
Lin Zhaoyang, standing beside her, grimaced in pain but held back from crying out.
"Haha, isn't this the way we practice our voices when performing opera!!"
"Xiao Rong, while you're excited, can you refrain from hitting me…" Lin Zhaoyang couldn't stand it any longer, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace.
"As expected of my excellent son-in-law, writing a song for the Calligraphy Association, he even thought of our Opera Association. The old president will probably be so happy he won't be able to sleep tonight."
Chen Rong was still bouncing in Lin Zhaoyang's arms.
"Don't move, listen to the song properly!" Lin Zhaoyang hugged her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.
Chen Rong finally stopped.
Lin Zhaoyang looked at Su Yu on the television.
He admired him immensely in his heart.
This kid could truly turn anything into something spectacular.
He actually used opera-style vocals for rap!
…
The audience at the scene wore expressions of utter bewilderment.
Opera vocals could be used like this?
How on earth did they come up with this idea??
This Listening to Rain.
A genius!
It had to be said, Listening to Rain had truly mastered the art of opera-style vocals.
However, Shen Lingfeng of the Calligraphy Association pouted.
"The Opera Association got lucky."
Even so, he was still happy in his heart.
Although he had paid for a song with opera vocals, allowing the Opera Association to gain a great advantage.
But that wasn't important; the important thing was that Listening to Rain's song was written for their Calligraphy Association.
Including opera vocals was probably to please his mother-in-law.
This kid was probably why the Lin Zhaoyang couple liked him so much.
What mother-in-law wouldn't like a son-in-law like this?
"Fingers flicking through time, a city's beauty vanishes in an instant,
…
Are you resentful? You shake your head and sigh, who made you furrow your brow,
And in the secluded chambers, only the scent of rouge remains…"
On stage.
The scholar gazed at that elegant figure, his eyes filled with deep affection.
But that elegant figure's gaze never fell upon the scholar.
She had stopped dancing and slowly crouched down amidst the mountains and rivers, hugging her knees like a wounded spirit.
That sense of sorrow and resentment immediately welled up in their hearts.
"…
And why would it be,
That secret thoughts are tightly sewn into embroidered shoes, with every stitch a grievance,
If flowers resent butterflies,
Will you resent anyone.
Irrelevant to romance,
I write the preface, waiting for your return.
…"
Hearing this.
The audience felt as if clouds had parted, revealing the sun, and they saw the storyline clearly.
This wasn't about people with mutual feelings missing each other.
This was actually unrequited love!
The last sentence of each preceding section, when connected, formed a hidden thread.
The scholar liked this girl, but the girl’s heart belonged to someone else.
No wonder every line of the song was about love, but the chorus contained the phrase "Irrelevant to romance."
Life naturally has its infatuations, this regret has nothing to do with the wind or the moon!
The lyrics of the entire song were from the scholar's perspective, watching the girl like someone else, being abandoned, silently hesitating, not daring to make a move.
"Hiss… What exquisite lyrics!!"
"What did I just hear? Are these three words of resentment something a person can write??"
"I'm numb, I'm numb, these lyrics are so awesome!!"
"Blue and White Porcelain has 'three provocations,' Lanting Xu has 'three grievances,' Listening to Rain's mastery of ancient styles has reached perfection!!"
"I don't understand what you're talking about, but I'll shout that Listening to Rain is awesome!"
"I'll shout 666!"
"Damn, only Listening to Rain's songs can give me goosebumps just listening to them!"
The audience was shocked!
Bewildered!
Unbelievable!
The quality of this song was outrageously high, and it even had three grievances corresponding to the three provocations in Blue and White Porcelain!
Listening to Rain was about to release another masterpiece of ancient style!
That's right, even without finishing the song, one could make this conclusion!
"Irrelevant to romance, I write the preface, waiting for your return,
My brush hangs suspended, a thousand waves crash on the shore
…
My handwriting is without shame, I fear no worldly judgment,
Rain beats the banana leaves, for several nights it has pattered,
I await the spring thunder, to remind you who you love…"
An explosion!
In the final section, the accompaniment became more intense, and Su Yu sang with more force.
His voice carried a faint sob, his emotional control reaching its peak.
He reached out and tossed the paper from the table into the air.
The paper fluttered, and on it, an unfinished character "情" (love) was clearly visible!
Witnessing this scene.
The audience, for no reason, felt a pang in their hearts.
That deep sense of tragedy and helplessness brought tears to their eyes on the spot!
The character for love is difficult to untangle and difficult to tie!
Among the myriad of characters in the world, only the character for love wounds the most!
…
ps: I didn't use the story from the MV; I used my own understanding of this song, which might differ from what you think. Please be gentle with your criticism…