《The Seventh Chapter of Night》
Performed by: Ting Yu / Lin Yanyu
Lyrics by: Ting Yu
Music by: Ting Yu
Much like "The Mourning of the End of War," the intro to this song, "The Seventh Chapter of Night," is unusually long for pop music.
If an ordinary person wrote a song like this, listeners would likely lose patience before the verses even began and exit the playback. However, Ting Yu's intro not only avoids feeling lengthy but also meticulously builds the atmosphere.
The sound of a typewriter, coupled with the addition of numerous chords, followed by a sudden slowing of the music, creates a sense of impending tension, like the calm before a storm. The accompaniment then gradually transitions from slow to rapid, and in the next second, Ting Yu's hands dance across the piano!
"1983, a small alley, a clear December.
The Seventh Chapter of Night,
The typewriter continues to push,
Towards that next line that nears the truth,
The mist of the cherry pipe,
Drifts towards withered trees,
Silently weeping to me..."
Rap!
Another rap song!
The imagined cheers did not erupt.
This was because everyone was still immersed in the emotion of the intro. Even as Su Yu began to sing, they hadn't quite come back to their senses!
The camera zoomed in, showing Su Yu's hands dancing on the piano, striking each clear note.
He cast his gaze towards Lin Yanyu in the distance, singing in her usual style.
"On the circular square by Baker Street,
On the knight's armor,
The fleur-de-lis emblem, faintly gleaming,
The sound of an unmanned carriage, a late-night visit,
Evil beneath the Victorian moonlight,
A bloody beginning..."
During the previous "Fairy Tale King" competition, when Su Yu heard Mai Lin mention that his father, Doyle, was a detective novelist, he had discussed the novel "Sherlock" with him. To his surprise, the cases in this "Sherlock" were identical to those in Sherlock Holmes. At this point, he was waiting for an opportunity, a chance to release this song, "The Seventh Chapter of Night." With this trip to Britain and the detective theme, Su Yu knew the opportunity had arrived.
This "The Seventh Chapter of Night" ranks among Jay Chou's top three songs. Its quality can be described as explosive. Even Jay Chou himself said that the arrangement took a full seven months. Keep in mind that Jay Chou's productivity at the time was even more terrifying than Ting Yu's now; for a single song to take seven months was already insane.
Yet, such a meticulously crafted work did not receive much recognition at the time, not because of its quality, but because it was too ahead of its time!
Even twenty years later, this song remains a benchmark in the Chinese music scene, unrivaled.
This fact alone is enough to illustrate how incredible this song is!
This is precisely why Su Yu felt that this episode would likely be the easiest one in the entire competition.
"The vanished pistol, the scorched cane,
The melting wax figure,
Who was absent, on the jewelry box,
The false impression of symbols,
Contradictions lead to his constructed dead end,
Evidence perfectly buried,
That mocking smile aimed at the Scottish police..."
The camera zoomed in, and the lights behind Su Yu on stage flashed.
The quiet, murmuring tones perfectly amplified the song's tense atmosphere!
As the lyrics unfolded, it was like narrating a suspenseful, intricate, and unpredictable mystery story!
The vanished pistol, the scorched cane, and so on, escalated the suspense of this narrative!
In the producer's area, Sean and the other producers frowned, their expressions grave.
The smile on Lauren's face gradually froze, and his crossed legs began to jiggle involuntarily.
Mina beside him, however, was filled with shock!
"The Identity Case!"
"The Copper Beech Case!"
"The Musgrave Ritual Case!"
"..."
With every line of the lyrics, the cases from his grandfather Doyle's "Sherlock" that corresponded to them flashed through her mind!
However, what shocked her even more was that Ting Yu could weave these classic cases into a brand new story!
This was the truly terrifying part!
Just as everyone was captivated by the tense and suspenseful atmosphere,
The camera suddenly swung around!
Lin Yanyu sat diagonally on the steps, one hand propping herself up on the ground, the other holding the microphone and tilting her head slightly, her red lips parting.
In the next second, the audience erupted in a thunderous exclamation!
"If evil is a grand and cruel musical movement.
(Then justice is a deep and helpless melancholy.)
Its finale, I will personally write.
(Then I will ignite, the faint light within the ashes.)
The dawn’s light, dries the last line of sorrow.
(Then raindrops will wash away the high walls of darkness.)
Black ink, staining peace..."
(The house lights dim, the red curtain falls...)”
Su Yu played the piano throughout, and under the camera's gaze, the two exchanged glances, as if countless stories were colliding!
Lin Yanyu's melodic singing, coupled with Su Yu's rap foundation, felt like a conversation between questions and answers, pushing the story directly to its climax!
The exquisite melody, combined with the stimulating duet-like interaction, evoked immense admiration for the arrangement and communication!
The song entered its instrumental break.
Beneath the string melody, punctuated by rhythmic drumbeats, it evoked the anticipation of the truth being revealed.
"Hahaha, this song is amazing, but I can only say that after hearing half of it, I can't pinpoint what makes it so good!" Losov's gloomy expression was gone.
He slapped Roman's thigh beside him, laughing like a child.
Roman grimaced, enduring the slap, but a smile also graced his face: "I'll just say one thing, pay attention to the piano. From the beginning to now, although the piano isn't prominent, it's been a constant thread. I dare say none of us here could write this melody!!"
The two laughed unrestrainedly, while Sean's expression grew more serious: "Just listen to the song, what's with the noise!!"
He too had noticed the melody Ting Yu had been playing all along, which was the very foundation of the song's emotional continuity.
It didn't steal the spotlight, yet it was indispensable!
With Sean's admonishment, Losov and Roman ceased their discussion and, like Lauren, crossed their legs.
With smug smiles, their toes tapped rhythmically to the music, as if Ting Yu were their teammate, projecting an attitude that was as obnoxious as it could be.
At this moment, the instrumental break had passed.
The camera focused on Ting Yu on stage.
He took a deep breath, and in the next second.
"The truth can only pierce through,
Soil without footprints,
A sudden, subtle floral scent,
An intentionally conspicuous outfit,
Everyone lies for different reasons,
Wearing masks,
And the motive has only one name: desire..."
The tone gradually quickened, and the atmosphere intensified once more!
Ting Yu sat there playing the piano, yet the audience could hear a sense of pursuit in his voice.
The narrative, like peeling back layers of an onion, the cunning arrogance of the killer, the determination to uphold justice, and the tension of a cold case being unveiled step by step permeated the entire venue!
While suspense was continually built, one could also discern subtle clues within it.
Many people stared intently at the lyrics on the big screen, translated into various languages!
Some savored the lyrics, while others closed their eyes to enjoy the song!
The stage lights flickered, and on stage, Lin Yanyu slowly walked towards Su Yu.