Chapter 48 - 41: The Last Song for Myself
She smiled at Chen Lin. "I’d like to request a song for myself, and for everyone else like me—wanderers far from home."
This resonated deeply with Chen Lin.
He, too, had left his hometown to study alone in a city thousands of miles away. Every person who leaves their home behind carries a longing for the land they came from.
He chose a song with almost no hesitation.
"A song for you, ’Falling Leaves Return to Roots,’ and for all our friends who are far from home."
The original singer of this song was Wang Leihong, and its technical difficulty was quite high. The old Chen Lin would never have dared to sing it live.
But now, he confidently relinquished partial control of his body to "Little Singer."
The melodious accompaniment began to play, and he poured all of his own longing into every line he sang.
"I raise my head to endless gray clouds,"
"A season known as loneliness."
"My backpack’s filled with things for a home,"
"And just like that, the journey starts."
"By day, I feel no warmth from the sun,"
"By night, I see no blue in the Moonlight."
"I had to choose this cold beginning,"
"Leaving behind nothing but regret."
...
His voice was filled with the desolation and solitude of a wanderer first leaving home. That melancholy of being a stranger in a strange land instantly captured everyone’s hearts.
As he entered the chorus, the emotion shifted abruptly. The longing and yearning for home erupted like a bursting dam.
"Oh, so far from home, I can’t help but sigh,"
"Transforming into an autumn night."
"And I, like falling leaves, return to my roots,"
"Falling into your heart."
"A bit of melancholy, a bit of loneliness,"
"I accept it all willingly."
"My love, like falling leaves, returns to its roots,"
"For home is only by your side."
...
"I hope to help you find,"
"The eternity you’ve lost."
"But when I speak, you are silent,"
"Leaving only a dream."
"And I, like falling leaves, return to my roots,"
"Falling into your heart."
"A bit of melancholy, a bit of loneliness,"
"I accept it all willingly."
"My love, like falling leaves, returns to its roots,"
"For home is only by your side."
When the song ended, the patrons below the stage were silent for a moment, seemingly still immersed in the atmosphere created by his voice. A few seconds later, a tsunami of cheers and applause erupted.
Amidst the clamor, Chen Lin, with his enhanced hearing, clearly heard the hushed discussion of a few patrons at a neighboring table.
"This dude is fucking incredible, isn’t he? He totally nailed that desolate, lonely feeling in the first half, which is what made the yearning and attachment to home in the second half hit so hard!"
"Yeah, the emotional depth is just insane!"
Chen Lin himself felt that this was his best performance of the night.
’It seems the more you can personally relate to a song, the more it can move people when you sing it.’
...
...
After that, two more customers came on stage to request songs.
Before he knew it, the night was drawing to a close.
"The last song of the night," Chen Lin said, standing center stage. He looked at the focused faces in the crowd and suddenly smiled. "For this last song, I’d like to make a request for myself."
He paused, recalling his first year and a half of university, then thinking about the earth-shattering changes of the past few weeks. A hundred emotions welled up inside him.
He gestured to the staff backstage, signaling them to start the accompaniment.
"A song for all of you, and for myself: ’Ordinary Road.’"
The desolate yet vast intro began, instantly pulling everyone’s thoughts far away.
"Wandering, lingering on the road,"
"Are you leaving? Via, via."
"Fragile, and so proud,"
"That was once how I appeared."
"Simmering, so unsettled,"
"Where are you going? Via, via."
"Mysterious, and so silent,"
"Are you really listening to the story?"
...
This song, Chen Lin felt, could be sung for everyone in the world, and it perfectly matched his current state of mind.
The system had given him infinite possibilities, making him no longer ordinary, but the road ahead was still full of uncertainty and confusion.
But so what? As long as he kept moving forward with earnest effort, just like the song said, fearing no challenge, then everything he experienced would have meaning.
It was just like the conclusion he had written for his major assignment that morning: "It is faith and perseverance that allow all things to develop, thus forming this world, which, while not perfect, is still vibrant and colorful."
The more Chen Lin sang, the more he felt it. His voice carried relief, determination, and an indomitable strength.
At some point, the audience below began to softly sing along with him. The voices grew from small to large, from a scattered few into a unified chorus.
This was a first in his career as a resident singer.
...
As the chorus hit, the entire room’s emotions were pushed to their peak!
Everyone stood up, waving their arms and singing their hearts out along with Chen Lin!
"I’ve crossed over mountains and over seas,"
"And passed through seas of people, too."
"I once had everything I could desire,"
"Then in a flash, it all scattered like smoke."
"I once was lost, in despair, with no direction to hold,"
"Until I saw that being ordinary is the only answer."
"I once destroyed everything I owned,"
"Just wanting to leave it all behind."
"I once plunged into endless darkness,"
"Struggling, but unable to pull myself free."
"I was once like you, like him, like the weeds and wildflowers,"
"In despair, in longing, crying and laughing, just being ordinary."
As the final note of the song faded, the entire bar fell silent for a few brief seconds.
Then, the entire bar erupted!
"Chen Lin!"
"Chen Lin!"
"Chen Lin!"
The thunderous, tsunami-like shouts nearly blew the roof off.
Standing center stage, Chen Lin looked at the excited, thrilled, and moved faces in the audience, listened to the shouts of his name, and couldn’t help but burst out laughing with joy.
This was the most satisfying and joyful performance he’d had since becoming a resident singer.
And at that very moment, a series of familiar system prompts suddenly popped up before his eyes.
[Host’s performance has been detected to have received unanimous, strong approval and emotional resonance from the entire audience!]
[Performance Evaluation: Excellent!]
[Rewarding Host with one Little Red Flower!]