Chapter 45: I Once Couldn't Pull Myself Away From the Vastness of the World

Xu Heng inserted the USB drive containing the recorded accompaniment into the computer. He had recorded the accompaniment using a guitar; firstly, he hadn't found contact information for a high-quality band, and secondly, the song "The Wind Rises" was quite suitable for guitar, so he took the task upon himself and arranged the accompaniment.

"The Wind Rises" was a viral hit song from 2017 in the previous space-time, but it originated from the Chinese-lyric version of the Japanese song "Jealousy," which had drawn quite a bit of criticism.

The song "Jealousy" was the ending theme for *Shenye Shidang San*, released in 2014, which was still a significant distance away from 2007. This meant that in this space-time, as long as Liu Yiyan sang "The Wind Rises," the song would be "original" to him.

A song with no negative baggage and the potential to go viral—the traffic it could bring to Liu Yiyan was easy to imagine.

Perhaps she might even become one of the new "QQ Big Three" because of it.

Xu Heng could foresee the results after the release of "The Wind Rises."

Xu Heng had considered singing the song himself, but he didn't have the habit of being in the public eye. He was a person who feared trouble and didn't like being followed by paparazzi every day. After thinking it over repeatedly, he decided to leave the public-facing matters to his little lover.

The only remaining difficulty now was whether Liu Yiyan could replicate the song, even if it was just eighty percent of it.

After all, the singing difficulty of the original "The Wind Rises" was not low, especially the high notes and falsetto parts, which required strong vocal fundamentals.

Xu Heng picked up the guitar he had left in the recording studio two days ago and said to Liu Yiyan, "I'll sing it once first; you just listen and get a feel for the overall rhythm."

"Oh, oh, okay." Liu Yiyan's state of mind hadn't returned to normal yet, and she was still in a daze.

She still didn't know how Xu Heng had learned to write songs, and he had even said he would make her a big star. The last time she heard that, she thought Xu Heng was just joking with her.

But ever since she saw that piece of music which seemed quite good, everything seemed to be slowly becoming reality.

Xu Heng... could he really write and sing songs?

This doubt vanished the moment the guitar began to ring out.

A pleasant melody echoed in the recording studio; just the two or three notes played on the guitar at the beginning completely captivated Liu Yiyan.

Playing the piece with an instrument felt completely different from the way she had hummed it.

Walking and stopping along this journey~

Following the traces of a youth drifting by~

The moment before stepping out of the station~

I was actually a bit hesitant~

I couldn't help but laugh at this homesickness~

It was still unavoidable~

And the sky over Nagano~

Is still so warm~

The wind stirred up the past~

In the past, when I first knew this world, I was filled with attachment, looking at the horizon as if it were right before my eyes, and I was willing to go through fire and water to walk it once more~

Now that I have walked through this world, I am filled with lingering thoughts, flipping through the different faces of the years, unexpectedly stumbling into your smile...

After the verse was finished, Liu Yiyan was shocked.

Because the melody of the verse was truly excellent, and amidst the fresh and simple style, it seemed to sing of the youthful sorrow of parting for boys and girls.

If it were students who had just graduated from their third year of high school hearing this song, they would probably find it even more relatable.

But when the chorus part, "I once couldn't pull myself away from the vastness of the world, and was addicted to its prosperity, unable to tell truth from false, making no struggle, fearing no ridicule," came out, Liu Yiyan felt that the preceding verse was truly a grade lower than this chorus.

Whether it was the lyrics, the melody, or the singing difficulty, the chorus was outrageously strong.

Liu Yiyan was no master of appreciation, but as a student of a professional conservatory, she had the ability to identify the quality of a song's foundation.

This song was truly good.

Xu Heng's clear and resonant voice brought out the advantages of this song very well.

It was hard to imagine that he could create such an excellent piece and also sing it so well.

But what she didn't know was that in his previous life, Xu Heng had sung this song no fewer than a thousand times.

His favorite song was called "Ten Years," but the one he sang the most was "The Wind Rises."

Because he felt that this song was written about his own youth; whenever he sang it, he would think of his first meeting with Ying Ziyun ten years ago, and emotions would surge from his heart involuntarily.

I will eventually return my youth to her, along with the midsummer played from my fingertips, the movement of my heart, just let it go with the wind~~~

In the name of love, are you still willing~~~

As the song ended, Liu Yiyan was still lingering in the melody for a long time, and only woke up when Xu Heng called her name.

"This song is just too beautiful, how did you create it?" Liu Yiyan asked with wide eyes.

"You can write it too if you have a broken heart."

"Ah?"

Liu Yiyan knew about the situation between Xu Heng and Ying Ziyun, so Xu Heng's explanation was quite reasonable.

A boy who had just broken up, on countless heart-wrenching and painful nights, wrote this song for the love story between him and his ex-girlfriend, recording the love story from high school graduation to their breakup in college...

Wait, that's not right!

Liu Yiyan suddenly became alert and stared intensely at Xu Heng.

If she remembered correctly, this guy seemed to have found her as a lover just three months after breaking up. Would a man with a mental maturity like a thirty or forty-year-old uncle scream and die for love? She found it a bit hard to believe.

But after searching Baidu for the lyrics and melody of "The Wind Rises," she found no relevant information.

In the end, she had to admit that this song, filled with stories and the frustration of youth, was indeed written by Xu Heng.

"I didn't expect you to have talent in this area," Liu Yiyan murmured.

Xu Heng stroked her head: "Even the best talent is prepared for you."

Although the sweet words were very effective, Liu Yiyan was still conflicted about one point: "Why don't you sing it yourself? You sing very well; there's absolutely no need for me to sing this song."

"Because you told me your dream was to become a big star like Liu Tianxian," Xu Heng said with a smile. "Don't worry, you will never become Liu Tianxian; you are you, Liu Yiyan, and you will be more popular and more famous than her."

Liu Yiyan was completely stunned. She didn't expect that a casual remark she made at a high school reunion dinner could be remembered by Xu Heng for so long, which couldn't help but move her.

"Go in; from now on, you are the original singer of this song," Xu Heng opened the recording studio door and said to her.