"Tomorrow will be today,
Haven't seen you for a year,
Who is willing to change,
Leaving you for sixty years,
Hope to recognize your children,
And hear you say goodbye before parting..."
Sixty years, a full cycle.
All the brilliance that life once held must eventually be repaid with loneliness.
In the span of a short song, a lifetime of emotion is expressed.
From the initial melancholy and world-weariness after a breakup, to the determination to move forward, contemplating the next meeting, and finally, the hope of hearing a farewell before leaving this world, without regret.
In this era of fast-paced romance, steadfast devotion seems to be ridiculed.
After a breakup, crying oneself into a stupor, heartbroken to the point of agony, onlookers will only say, "Serves you right."
A lifelong, exclusive love has also become the most extravagant wish of this era.
Everyone seems eager to mock anything and anyone that deviates from the mainstream. Spending a lifetime to forget someone, once considered incredibly romantic, now appears utterly foolish.
Yet, this song can still resonate with people. Even in such a humble state, no one has the right to mock a deeply devoted heart.
The interlude's guitar melody amplifies the song's emotions to their peak.
Among the thousands of singers and musicians present, no one cheers. Everyone sits quietly in their seats, absorbing this profoundly moving audio-visual feast in silence!
This song doesn't feature excessive technical displays or ear-splitting high notes.
However, Zhang Wei is singing with sweat pouring down his face.
This is because the simpler the song, the more it tests vocal ability and the capacity for emotional rendering.
These are precisely Zhang Wei's strengths.
He is fully immersed in the stage, savoring this dreamlike performance!
"It's most frightening when a deeply emotional person sings love songs!"
"The lyrics are so humble, I couldn't help but tear up."
"Despite the lack of explosive emotions, my heart feels a pang."
"It's this kind of natural emotional progression; in the entire domestic entertainment scene, besides Ting Yu, it's likely only Zhang Wei!"
"Mainly, Zhang Wei's vocal tone is so captivating, as if he was born to sing love songs!"
The song is not long.
It doesn't follow the typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure. After the first chorus, the emotions build naturally.
As the song reaches its conclusion, the drums suddenly fade away.
It returns to the initial low and melancholic piano melody.
"To have met you in the moments of my life,
Has seemingly used up all my luck,
Only today do I realize,
That I once breathed the same air..."
"Ming Nian Jin Ri," arguably the pinnacle of humble songs in domestic entertainment, finally concludes.
The venue falls silent, and after a few breaths, an incredibly enthusiastic applause erupts!
The gazes directed at Zhang Wei are filled with a mixture of shock and envy. As peers, who wouldn't desire such powerful vocal ability, who wouldn't want to sing a widely acclaimed song!
Especially at Zhang Wei's age, the inherent沧桑 (cāngsāng - vicissitudes/weathered quality) in his voice is a divine tool for stage presence!
In the audience,
Yin Na applauds excitedly, "As expected of a song by Ting Yu, it's so moving. With this kind of vocal ability, Zhang Wei can easily win the King of Singers!"
Liu Huan also applauds but glances at Yin Na with surprise, chuckling, "If I recall correctly, you only liked high notes."
During "The Masked Singer," Yin Na's standard for evaluating vocal performance had always been how high the notes could go.
Even when listening to Ting Yu sing before, she would feel nothing without high notes.
"Ahem... People grow, and Ting Yu has taught me many things."
In fact, she was educated by Ting Yu.
Throughout the entire "The Masked Singer," she had been proven wrong so many times that she had grown by the end, learning how to appreciate the quality of a song.
Therefore, in Yin Na's heart, she felt quite grateful towards Ting Yu.
"Then you should properly thank Ting Yu," Han Qi says calmly.
"I'd like to, but now that he has grown to this extent, I feel awkward approaching him."
Actually, Yin Na had considered asking Ting Yu to write a song for her.
However, she was once his judge, and now Ting Yu's industry status is such that she wouldn't dare to approach him casually. Moreover, Ting Yu's fees are beyond her means.
"Heh, if you didn't seize the opportunity back then, it's naturally impossible now," Han Qi states bluntly.
Yin Na nods awkwardly.
Indeed, even during the "The Masked Singer" period, Yin Na hadn't paid much attention to Ting Yu. By the time "Time Music King" rapidly advanced, he had reached a level she could no longer aspire to.
...
"Qian Jiang, what do you think?"
In another section, the four songwriting gods remained relatively composed.
They were more focused on appreciating the song's lyrics and melody, seeking points of resonance.
"A heart-wrenching song. And seemingly simple, but the arrangement's handling of emotional rendering is already at a very high level. I dare say this song will likely remain popular for a long time and become a classic Mandarin pop love song!"
Qian Jiang directly gives a high appraisal.
She isn't saying this solely because Ting Yu wrote the song, but because she genuinely feels that "Ming Nian Jin Ri's" melody and lyrics perfectly align with the market and possess the qualities of a classic.
"My thoughts are similar to Teacher Qian Jiang's. This song will definitely become a classic Mandarin pop love song!"
Chen Shuhao states with absolute certainty.
However, a sense of past versus present, of weathered experience, flickers in his eyes.
He was once the foundation of Huangchao Entertainment but voluntarily moved to Dingsheng Entertainment for a woman, becoming a traitor in others' eyes. Even knowing that woman was toying with him, he still went ahead without hesitation.
Perhaps others saw him as a fool, but he used that opportunity to completely move past that relationship.
Chen Shuhao knows that if he hadn't made the decision to face it, he might still be stuck.
Now, seeing Ting Yu succeed him at Huangchao Entertainment, and even surpassing his own achievements from back then, Chen Shuhao feels a profound sense of wistfulness.
"Isn't it normal for him to write songs that become classics?"
Fang Lingyu, a producer who has been constantly challenged by Ting Yu, doesn't want to praise his opponent but feels his perspective is too narrow.
After all, Ting Yu hasn't directly competed with him. It's just that whenever he takes on theme songs for film and television, his competitor is Jiangnan, and all of Jiangnan's film and television theme songs are written by Ting Yu.
Among the songwriting gods, Fang Lingyu is undeniably the victim. Once the strongest producer in film and television, after being repeatedly outmaneuvered by Ting Yu, he has now become the eternal runner-up.
"Teacher Fang speaks wisely!" Qian Jiang says with a half-smile, looking at this victim.
"Yes, in this regard, you certainly have the right to speak," Mo Yan nods in deep agreement.
"I understand your predicament..." Chen Shuhao pats his shoulder, a look of shared experience on his face.
Fang Lingyu's eye twitches involuntarily.
Ultimately, it turns into a sigh.
The new generation is too strong; the era of the older generation must end.
Now is Ting Yu's era!
...