Su Yu's choice of Gong Ju Ren surprised everyone.
Even Mo Yan turned his head to look at him in astonishment.
However, after a brief surprise, Mo Yan quickly regained his composure. In his opinion, Su Yu had his reasons for every decision since his debut, and this time, choosing Gong Ju Ren would surely bring a surprise.
Mo Yan understood Su Yu, but the audience was getting impatient.
"How dare he choose Gong Ju Ren, and with Shen Jinghong and Mo Yan as opponents!"
"Has Ting Yu gone mad, or does he want to fulfill Teacher Mo Yan's wish and let Mo Yan win first place?"
"This isn't fulfilling a wish; it's practically handing it over, which is outrageous."
"Is it possible that Ting Yu knows Mo Yan is going to retire, so he wants him to get first place on the love song chart? But you don't need to be this obvious about letting him win, do you? Treating the audience like fools?"
Many viewers couldn't hold back their frustration.
Setting aside the gap between Gong Ju Ren and Shen Jinghong, for Mo Yan's debut performance, Ting Yu was the only one who could perform, like playing cards where you know the opponent has four twos, and you must play your trump card.
Yet, Ting Yu didn't seem to care at all. He continued to support his own singers as he had in previous episodes.
"Who wants to go first?" Mo Yan asked the producers with a smile.
As it was a casual tea party format, the production team didn't impose too many rules, and the order was decided through discussion.
"Me! I'll go first!" Jiang Qian said quickly.
This episode featured truly legendary performers. She just wanted to finish her performance and watch the show. Regardless of whether Mo Yan or Ting Yu performed earlier or later, others would be at a disadvantage. It was better for her song to be performed first.
"I'll be second!" Zhou Qingshan had the same thought. However, since Jiang Qian had chosen first, he could only quickly pick second.
Seeing their eagerness, Mo Yan couldn't help but smile.
He didn't think his singing had that much influence. After listening to Su Yu's "Shan Qiu" (Hills), he felt that as a song about his own career, he was the best choice to perform it. After all, Shen Jinghong wasn't Ting Yu, and Shen Jinghong couldn't fully grasp that emotion.
Jiang Qian's singer was a top artist who had won a Golden Melody Award and had profound achievements in love songs. Coupled with Jiang Qian's emotional style, her performance brought tears to the eyes of the audience.
"Teacher Jiang Qian is worthy of being the sole Queen of Songs in the Chinese music scene. The lyrics of her songs are very delicate, perfectly expressing the subtle pain of love!"
"Although Teacher Jiang Qian was nervous, her performance was absolutely top-notch!"
"The quality is so high right from the start; I'm even more excited for the songs that follow!"
Amidst the discussion, Zhou Qingshan and his singer took the stage.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Qingshan abandoned his usual heavy metal style and opted for a fresh and clear folk style.
The singer he chose was Wu Yao, a veteran singer in his forties. His husky voice, tinged with the vicissitudes of life, sang about unfulfilled love in his youth, evoking a sense of looking back on life and the loneliness of being alone in old age.
The entire song revolved around the theme of loneliness. His voice conveyed a sense of melancholy, yet it wasn't sorrowful.
"Another great song!"
"Elder Zhou's mastery of love songs is truly consummate, especially that unique sense of loneliness that gave me goosebumps!"
"Who's next?"
Although both Zhou Qingshan and Jiang Qian delivered songs of Golden Melody quality and their performances were very moving, the audience was more focused on Mo Yan and Su Yu for this episode.
"Shall I go first?" Mo Yan asked Su Yu with a smile.
Su Yu's lips curled up, and he nodded, "Then I'll look forward to Teacher Mo Yan's performance."
He was also looking forward to Mo Yan's performance.
It wasn't that he was afraid of losing, but simply curious. After all, like everyone else, he had never heard Mo Yan sing.
Under the camera's gaze.
Mo Yan nodded.
Then he stood up and walked towards the stage.
His disciple, Shen Jinghong, followed him.
The latter's face couldn't hide his excitement.
After so many years, he was finally able to sing a song with his master. Shen Jinghong felt more thrilled than he did on his first date.
The stage lights dimmed. Mo Yan sat at the piano, and Shen Jinghong sat on a stool beside him, holding a guitar.
The combination of an elder and a youth created a special charm.
After Mo Yan nodded to the production team.
He reached out and struck the first note.
The prelude began, surprisingly evoking a warm feeling.
The song information appeared.
"Eighteen"
Vocals: Mo Yan / Shen Jinghong
Lyrics: Mo Yan
Composition: Mo Yan
"At eighteen, in front of the piano, I wrote countless times.
The challenge of youthful fame, chasing the classics of seniors.
Back then, writing songs, composing, I had no sleep,
Love songs, no matter how I wrote them, I never tired of them..."
Shen Jinghong's voice carried a touch of nostalgic melancholy. However, due to his younger tone, when singing such a song, it exuded youthful spirit but lacked a certain depth.
After the first verse, everyone finally understood why Mo Yan had personally chosen to perform this song.
This wasn't just a song; it was clearly his memoir!
"At the awards banquet at thirty,
My mindset had settled.
The love songs from before were already called classics,
My lyrics and composition were already too proficient.
Yet, I never tired of writing love songs..."
Mo Yan's voice rang out. It wasn't the stunning performance one might have imagined, but his voice, filled with the weariness of years, made hearts ache when singing such straightforward lyrics.
This was an emotion steeped in time.
A returned-to-simplicity emotion that comes from writing experiences into songs.
He played the piano with both hands, a faint smile on his face.
Compared to Ting Yu reaching the pinnacle of the Chinese music scene at twenty, Mo Yan became the God of Songs at thirty.
Back then, he was full of youthful spirit. Even when suppressed by the entertainment industry overlord Guang Nian Entertainment, he still grew under immense pressure.
One classic song after another, carrying ten years of hardship, was listened to and sung by countless people.
"In these years, I've fallen into the abyss and reached the mountaintop,
Only when my hair turned white did I realize it was all ephemeral..."
When the chorus was sung by the master and disciple together.
The audience was already in tears.
It wasn't that the song was very sad; the melody of the song was actually warm.
This was Mo Yan's brilliance. He didn't write the song with a sense of deep suffering but rather in the manner of an elder recounting past events to a junior, conveying his experiences and reflections within the span of a song.
This emotion was more genuine and even more touching.
Even Su Yu couldn't help but raise his hands and clap along to the beat.
Seeing this, others also raised their hands, swaying to the rhythm.
The atmosphere in the venue was a mix of melancholy and warmth.
By the end of the song, everyone was applauding!
The applause contained both emotion and reluctance.
Perhaps this was Mo Yan's last song. He had written an incredibly warm yet deeply touching song with his own experiences.
This man who had shouldered the Chinese music scene for decades deserved everyone's respect!
...
ps: This song is inspired by Andy Lau's "Seventeen."