Chapter 470: The True Climax

The more intellectual one is, the more easily the unspoken appeal of what is left unsaid strikes home.

Whether it be books, paintings, or songs.

Just as for Liu Yifei’s father and his family, the clean and restrained expression in the lyrics of "Chengdu" was enough; compared to those stage performances filled with loud shouting and overflowing emotions, it was easier to pierce through to their bones and reach their hearts.

However, for the vast majority of simpler people, it is actually impossible to gain spiritual insight from lyrics or a melody alone.

And at this time, what is needed is the singer’s interpretation. Expressions, movements, every smile and frown, every joy and sorrow. To move and persuade them, to influence and lead them.

In this regard, the most famous and widely disseminated stage performance in China at present is precisely "Hawthorn Flower," performed two years ago on the Spring Festival Gala stage, where someone used acting skills to express their singing ability.

The reason why the CCTV team spared no effort to travel thousands of miles across the Pacific to "thrice visit the thatched cottage" in LA is all because of this.

Within the Great Firewall, on Youku and the CCTV website, the view count for that clip of "Hawthorn Flower" from the Spring Festival Gala has already exceeded ten million.

Yet on YouTube, where Chinese singers often lack traffic, the viewing data is even more terrifying. In one video where a user added Chinese and English subtitles to the song, the view count actually reached over 60 million, with a staggering 140,000 comments.

Clicking into those 140,000 comments, one finds people from different countries all over the world, writing in various languages about the sadness and emotion they felt while listening to this song and watching this video.

When the song finished, that single tear falling from his right eye was praised by countless people; in the hyperbolic language of many foreigners, they used English, French, Japanese, Korean, or Spanish to praise it as if it were a miracle.

However, do they understand the lyrics?

How could they? They don't understand them at all.

But they can see. They say music is the most universal language in the world. Bullshit. Acting is.

Therefore, when the Spring Festival Gala program list was announced on the 29th day of the lunar year, and the song title "Chengdu" was written after Chen Nuo’s name.

In fact, all of China was looking forward to what kind of song this would be, and what kind of interpretive style Chen Nuo would use.

When 22:00 arrived, who was only watching in front of the television besides Liu Yifei’s cousin? Who else but this family put down everything in their hands to watch the entire song?

Even Liu Xiaoli watched it to the end before going to play mahjong.

When the melody of "Chengdu" rang out, and Chen Nuo sang that line with a cracked voice, although many in the music industry were laughing, in fact, many more people were already wanting to cry.

Chen Nuo did not realize at all that his voice had cracked.

If, when he sang "Hawthorn Flower" last time, he had projected himself into the role of Lao San.

Then this time, while singing "Chengdu," Chen Nuo projected himself.

Although it was from his past life, it was indeed an entire life he had lived.

So, while both are about love, the love in "Hawthorn Flower" was clean, pure, and without regrets even in death.

But what about the love from his previous life?

It can only be said that it was filled with all sorts of regrets.

The song sings of being in Chengdu, but it is about so much more than just Chengdu.

He had held so many people’s hands in so many places, and walked down so many different streets.

In the end, he took no one with him.

When he sang—

"What makes me shed tears

Is not just last night's wine

What makes me reluctant to part

Is not just your tenderness"

There was a sob in his voice.

When he sang—

"How much longer must the remaining road be walked

You hold my hand tightly

What makes me feel troubled

Is the freedom of struggling."

There was remorse in his voice.

When he sang,

"In that rainy little city

I have never forgotten you

The only thing Chengdu cannot take away is you"

He lowered his head, and an endless sense of desolation surged up, reaching the bottom of his heart.

What these complex emotions presented on the television screen were slightly reddened eyes, lightly trembling corners of the mouth, and deliberately restrained breathing and expressions.

On that stage, which Liu Yifei felt had ended in just a flash, every minute and every second, these performed images were quietly plucking at people’s heartstrings.

There was no sadness, yet it surpassed sadness.

It was not a movie, yet it surpassed a movie.

Compared to his one-man show two years ago, this year there was even a female lead dancing in front of him. It was precisely the presence of Jin Chen that allowed more people that year to understand his performance.

When the Kong family’s living room fell silent, thousands of households in front of their televisions were just like them, plunged into an inexplicable silence.

Millions of people felt, in unison, that they had understood something from his singing.

But if one were to ask them one by one what exactly Chen Nuo wanted to express, if you asked a thousand people, there would be a thousand and one answers.

Yet, at that moment, everyone firmly believed that their own understanding was the only truth.

Thus, they were immersed in it, quietly recalling many past events—people they didn't have time to say goodbye to, cities they missed, and old times they couldn't properly bid farewell to.

It wasn't the chattering of the intellectuals in the Kong family as they listened to the song, nor the obscure exchanges of glances they shared after listening to half of it;

It was the moment when these people—whose education was not as high and whose comprehension was not as strong, and who needed to watch the performance to understand the whole song—were moved, even to the point of reddening eyes, that was the true climax of this stage and this song.

Such a moment, starting from that cracked note, ran through the entire performance.

Back to Chen Nuo.

He was on stage, but he was not sure if he had truly sung out the sorrow in his heart, nor was he sure if he had really moved the audience in front of their televisions; in fact, he hadn't even thought about these things.

Why did his voice crack?

Because although it was a performance, wasn't he also singing for himself? When one’s heart is stirred, how could the voice not tremble?

As the song ended, those faces from his past life gradually faded from before his eyes—

Finally, what emerged were the people of this life:

Wen Yongshan, Liu Yifei, Tong Liya, Xia Yehe, Fan Bingbing, Gao Yuanyuan.

At the final second of the curtain call, he revealed such a smile.

It was a happy, relieved, and warm smile.

It was a reconciliation with himself, a self-embrace spanning two lifetimes.

He knew that the him of this life was destined to become a better Chen Nuo.

Amidst the grand applause, he bowed deeply to the audience and walked off the stage.

At the same time, the image on the television switched, and Li Yong and Li Sisi stepped onto the stage to begin their lines.

"Thank you, thank you Chen Nuo for the wonderful performance you brought us. An incomparable performance. Sisi, I saw you crying while listening to the song, didn't you?"

"Li Yong, I saw you crying too."

"Hahaha, yes, we both cried. And I also saw many people in the audience who were just like us..."

Chen Nuo had just turned his face and had not yet fully left the stage when he heard a low sob from behind him.

He turned back to look and saw that Jin Chen’s tears were already falling down in torrents.

He naturally knew what was going on and couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart.

A minute ago, Jin Chen originally had a move where she jumped from the left side of the stage to the right, but for some reason, she suddenly lost her balance upon landing and fell flat on her face right there.

If it were normal times, he might have been able to reach out and save her, but at that moment, he was still immersed in his emotions and hadn't reacted at all, so he could only watch helplessly as she fell on the stage.

Making such a fool of oneself on such a big stage, it is normal for one’s psychological defenses to collapse.

Now he only hoped that the director was sharp enough; otherwise, if hundreds of millions of viewers across the country really saw her fall, this tumble of Jin Chen’s might dim her future.

After leaving the stage, he ignored the excited congratulations of others and walked straight to Ha Wen, asking, "It wasn't broadcast, was it?"

Ha Wen had been looking at Jin Chen, and upon hearing his question, she smiled and said, "No, don't worry. There was a delay, the director cut the feed. By the way, congratulations, Mr. Chen, it was truly an absolutely classic stage. You sang so well this time, and the performance was even more superb, much better than during the rehearsal. I saw the reaction of every audience member at the scene, it was exceptional. Another classic. Mr. Chen. It was beautiful."

Ha Wen seemed like a completely different person compared to her previous arrogant self. Chen Nuo didn't care whether she had changed or not; he smiled and said, "It wasn't just my credit. Little Jin danced very well. Moreover, the live audience was actually very tolerant. Look at how enthusiastic the final applause was; that wasn't just for me. So, Director Ha, the young girl didn't have it easy, don't be too harsh on her."

Ha Wen managed to squeeze out a smile: "I know."

Chen Nuo glanced at Jin Chen and saw her looking at him with teary eyes, looking as if she were stunned.

However, since the two were not familiar with each other, he didn't have much to say, so he walked toward the dressing room, surrounded by Qi Yuntian, Gulinazha, and others.

Originally, he wanted to remove his makeup and change clothes early so that Qi Yuntian, Nazha, and Linghu could each go home early to celebrate the New Year, but how could it be that simple!

The walk over was fine; everyone was busy, and at most they would take a few photos of him or give him a respectful look. But once he entered the dressing room, various visits were unavoidable.

The first to come was Zhao Liying.

Zhao Liying’s makeup artist, stylist, and manager were all part of the team under Qi Yuntian, and as soon as they met, it was "President Qi this" and "President Qi that," exchanging pleasantries enthusiastically.

Her makeup artist happened to know Gulinazha, and the two were exceptionally affectionate when they met.

Zhao Liying herself walked over and stood quietly to the side, watching him remove his makeup.

Seeing in the mirror that she had already changed her clothes and removed her makeup, Chen Nuo couldn't help but smile and say, "Why haven't you left yet?"

"I was just about to leave." Zhao Liying smiled, "I came over to say hello to you."

Chen Nuo said, "Are you heading back to Langfang overnight tonight?"

"No, my parents came up, they are here in Beijing, and they are going back tomorrow morning."

Michelle interjected, "Zhao bought a house with me, we live together, her mom and dad are very nice, and the food they cook is very delicious."

Chen Nuo said: "A house? What kind of house, oh, you mean a residential complex?"

Zhao Liying smiled, her eyes curving, and said: "Yes, we are in the same residential complex; Michelle and I are neighbors."

"But she is wealthier, her house is much, much bigger than mine," Michelle said. "And there is Nazha; the three of us are good friends and plan to live together, but Nazha has no money. She is planning to borrow money from the company. Chen, when can the company lend her money?"

Chen Nuo smiled, "Soon, after the New Year." "OK, I'm done, we can go now," Michelle said.

Chen Nuo stood up and said: "Then let's go together..."

But at this moment, a knock on the door sounded, and someone outside said: "Is Mr. Chen there? We are from the Yinghuang department..."

After listening, Chen Nuo shrugged and said to Zhao Liying: "It seems you have to go first."

"Alright then, you go ahead and get busy." Zhao Liying nodded, but after saying this, she did not move immediately; instead, she stood in place, her pair of bright, sparkling eyes looking at him, as if she were still waiting for him to say something.

Chen Nuo said: "If you see Team Leader Su when you go back, help me pass on a Happy New Year."

Zhao Liying gave a faint smile, the look in her eyes very complex—whether it was disappointment or something else, Chen Nuo could not tell. But he had made up his mind to play dumb, looking at her with a chuckle.

In the end, Zhao Liying said nothing more, nodded and said: "Okay, I know, Happy New Year. Bye-bye."

"Bye."

Next, after Chen Nuo finished socializing with the miscellaneous people and walked out of the CCTV building to the parking lot, he raised his hand to check his watch; it was already 11:12.

He turned his head and said: "Linghu, I will take Qi Da's car; you are responsible for sending Nazha back, and then you should hurry home too; you should still be able to make it in time to celebrate the New Year with your wife."

After speaking, he spread his hands, and Qi Yuntian placed the two red envelopes he had prepared earlier into his hands. He took one in each hand, handed them out, and said: "Happy New Year."

Guli Nazha had a beaming, overjoyed expression, reached out to take it, and said loudly: "Thank you, Chen Zong, Happy New Year, Chen Zong!"

But next to her, Linghu did not reach out, shaking his head and saying: "The company already issued them earlier."

Chen Nuo said: "That was issued by the company; this is from me, take it."

Linghu froze for two seconds, but in the end, he took it.

"Alright, you guys hurry back." Chen Nuo waved his hand and was about to leave when suddenly a sharp, urgent female voice came from behind: "Wait, wait a moment!"

Everyone turned to look and saw Jin Chen wearing a black down jacket, running over quickly.

After the program ended, this girl had only appeared once in the dressing room and then disappeared; at this moment, it was unknown where she had suddenly popped out from, and her female manager was following behind her.

Chen Nuo and the others all turned to look at her.

Jin Chen ran over, and just as she stood still, her eye sockets immediately turned red, tears swirling in her eyes, her lips trembling slightly as she looked at Chen Nuo, as if she had many things to say but could not utter a single word.

Suddenly, she bowed deeply, definitely more than ninety degrees; the flexible posture of a dancer was fully displayed at this moment, her face almost touching her legs.

When she straightened up, her fresh, makeup-free face was covered in tear tracks, one after another, looking exceptionally sorrowful.

Chen Nuo originally thought she would say something, but after waiting a few seconds, the girl just wept silently and said nothing.

Finally, he smiled and said softly: "Keep it up." As he spoke, he patted her shoulder and turned to leave.

The girl with red eyes, the look of gratitude and panic, the man leaving under the night sky, and the silent parking lot.

This scene was actually very simple and ordinary, but Guli Nazha did not know why it kept replaying in her mind, lingering for a long time.

On the night of New Year's Eve, there were pitifully few cars on the roads of Jingcheng. Sitting in the passenger seat, Guli Nazha stared blankly at the road ahead and suddenly asked: "Big Brother Linghu, what did you do before you followed the boss?"

"I did things."

Saying that was the same as saying nothing.

But Guli Nazha was already used to his style, just like when receiving the red envelopes earlier; if it were in the past, she definitely would have muttered a few words, but now that they had spent a long time together, she knew Linghu had this personality, and her boss never cared about these things either.

"Then have you ever met someone as good as the boss before?"

Linghu was silent for a moment, as if recalling something, and finally said slowly: "Yes."

Not getting the expected answer, Guli Nazha was slightly disappointed and said in a low voice: "Anyway, I haven't met anyone like that... Hey, it's really great."

After speaking, she stopped talking and took out her phone to open Weibo, wanting to see what the netizens were saying. In her mind, with the boss taking action, one was worth two, so surely the internet was filled with praise; she just wanted to go in and see, to enjoy it and be happy along with them.

As a result, just after clicking into Weibo, she saw the line of text at the very top of the trending list; she froze for a moment and really couldn't help it, letting out a "pfft" of laughter.

"Chen Nuo sang off-key."

Chen Nuo sat in the passenger seat, holding his phone, looking at this number one trending topic on Weibo with a rather speechless expression. He turned his head and asked: "Was it that obvious that I sang off-key?"

Qi Yuntian laughed while driving: "Do you remember when we watched that person sing 'Love's Support' together last time?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Nuo was immediately shocked: "Damn, I won't be like her, right? That's impossible, right?"

Qi Yuntian laughed even louder: "A bit better than that."

"That's a relief." Chen Nuo breathed a sigh of relief.

Qi Yuntian asked: "What are they saying on Weibo?"

"Nothing much, just making fun of me." Chen Nuo hadn't actually started reading carefully yet and answered casually.

Qi Yuntian stopped laughing, his brows furrowing: "Making fun of you? Really? Let me see." As soon as he finished speaking, he snatched the phone from Chen Nuo's hand.

"Damn it, what are you doing! You're driving!" Chen Nuo immediately shouted.

"There isn't a ghost in sight on this road; I could drive with my eyes closed. I'll just take a look." Qi Yuntian said it easily, but his hand movements were very fast; one hand gripped the steering wheel, the other held the phone, sliding across the screen a few times.

But after looking for only a few seconds, his brows relaxed, and he returned the phone to Chen Nuo with a chuckle: "I told you, what's there to fear about singing off-key? Didn't you sing off-key last time too? This is what real singing is, okay!"

On Chen Nuo's phone, under the Weibo topic, there were still countless people causing a stir at this hour; besides the entertainment blogger who started the topic, the highest-liked comments were mostly talking about other things under this topic.

"#Chen Nuo sang off-key# How did this trending topic even come about? I didn't know Chen Nuo sang off-key. Did any of you notice Chen Nuo singing off-key? I was looking at his face from beginning to end and didn't notice anything else. Babies, I really want to die under his jeans." 8,000 likes, 550+ comments, 100+ reposts.

"#Chen Nuo sang off-key# Once again proves that Nuonuo never lip-syncs." 15,000 likes, 1,300+ comments, 1,900+ reposts.

"#Chen Nuo sang off-key# How pitiful the person who created this topic is. I am not a fan of Chen Nuo; I am just an ordinary acting class teacher. The performance just now was absolutely textbook level. When we were immersed in the performance of China's greatest actor and cheering for his master-level acting, someone's attention was actually on the singing being off-key?" 9,000 likes, 680+ comments, 400+ reposts.

"#Chen Nuo sang off-key# From the first second he stepped on stage, he entered the state. He used his gaze to dance with the dancers throughout the whole venue, almost using only his eyes to lead us into the play. I heard there is a saying in the director circle that Chen Nuo possesses the eyes that know how to act best in the whole world. This is true." 7,400 likes, 1,880+ comments, 800+ reposts.

"#Chen Nuo sang off-key# Compared to Hawthorn Flower, I like this stage more because his performance was more restrained and subtle, unlike last time, where it forced you to cry by pressing your head down. This time, those who want to cry can cry, and those who don't want to can feel sorrow in secret. It's not pretentious at all, so I like it very much." 79,800+ likes, 3,950+ comments, 2,200+ reposts.

This last comment had an exceptionally high number of likes and comments. Chen Nuo was a bit curious, clicked into the comment section to see, and well, it turned out Wang Fei had used her "@veggieg" Weibo account to like this comment.

Speaking of which, the Heavenly Queen is indeed magnanimous; even though the topic "Wang Fei and Chen Yixun's 'Because of Love' sings out a heavenly sound" was forced to second place on the trending list because there were too many people coming to watch the joke about his off-key singing, she still wasn't angry, and it seemed she even watched his performance and listened to his song on Weibo.

Truly showing off before an expert.

Thinking this, Chen Nuo's mood finally detached completely from the song; he was out of the character, and his heart felt comfortable. He picked up his phone and began to look back and reply to messages one by one.

On his private phone number's WeChat, there were already over fifty unread messages.

Just before opening Weibo, he had taken a casual glance; there were messages from female friends like Liu Yifei, Gao Yuanyuan, and Tong Liya, as well as greetings from friends and peers like Jiang Wen, Zhang Yimou, Chen Kexin, and Wang Zhihan. Additionally, there were blessings from acquaintances who were hard to categorize, like Cai Yinong and Han Sanping.

Liu Yifei said: "You sang very well. Call me when you're done; I have something to tell you."

He replied: "OK, wait for me to finish the reunion dinner at home."

Wen Yongshan sent: "Darling, your singing is getting better and better. I was quite moved listening to it, and my younger sister said you've become even more handsome."

He replied: "Haha, thank you. Wish your uncle and aunt a Happy New Year for me."

Gao Yuanyuan wrote: "This is the most beautiful love song I have ever heard in my life. Thank you for keeping it a secret from me before, which made tonight's surprise possible. I really hope that one day, I can walk hand in hand with you on the streets of Chengdu."

He replied: "I believe there will be such a day."

Fan Bingbing sent a photo and said: "Telepathy between father and daughter; as soon as you started singing, Ruoruo woke up." [Image]

He replied: "Give her a kiss for me, and remember to teach her to call me Daddy."

Wang Zhihan's style was the same as always—

"The Year of the Dragon is here, good luck surrounds you! Raise the dragon's head, and all troubles are cast away; wag the dragon's tail, and good fortune comes naturally. May you be blessed by the dragon in the new year, may everything go smoothly, may your days be as fiery as a dragon lantern, and your mood as joyous as a dragon dance! Wang Zhihan is here to wish you a Happy New Year~"

A mass message, no reply. But he felt a bit touched; it seemed this guy had already walked out of the previous shadow. Letting him follow Xiaomei in Shanghai to run the foundation seemed to be the right move.

Tong Liya sent a message: "Our whole family of over thirty people gathered in front of the TV to watch you sing. You sang really well; no one spoke for several minutes. Did that girl fall?"

He replied: "Yes, remember to keep it a secret."

Then there was Jiang Wen: "Brother Nuo, your acting is not as good as your singing." He replied: "You're talking nonsense."

Zhang Yimou: "Nuozi, congratulations, you sang well and acted well; a very excellent stage, it even made me want to shoot a short film for this song." He replied: "Thank you, Director Mou. Do you have time after the New Year to help me direct an episode of a TV series in Hong Kong?"

Chen Kaige: "&$@' )(." He replied: "Thank you, Director Kaige."

An unknown number: "newbee." Chen Nuo looked at this number, froze for a moment, then reacted, feeling a bit between laughter and tears, and replied: "happychinesenewyear, take care of yourself, contact me if anything happens."

By the time he had finished replying to almost all the WeChat messages, the car had slowly driven into Ziyu Villa.

At the entrance of the villa, a girl stood in the cold wind, breathing out white mist, standing on tiptoe and craning her neck to look outside. As soon as she saw their car lights turn on, she immediately turned and ran into the house, shouting in broken Chinese while running: "Oppa is back! Brother is back!"

Chen Nuo couldn't help but laugh and said to Qi Yuntian: "Stop here, I'll walk in myself."

After getting out of the car, he walked into the gate and followed the path covered with thin snow toward the villa.

The night was deep, the lights in the courtyard were soft, and the accumulated snow under his feet made a slight "creaking" sound when stepped on, so quiet that he could almost hear his own heartbeat.

Before he even reached the door, the villa door was pushed open with a "creak."

Three people walked out.

The one at the very front was clearly not very willing, being dragged out by the ear by a shorter figure, and a slim girl followed behind.

The three walked out of the door and looked at him together.

One of them shouted loudly: "Walk faster, look what time it is! The whole family is still waiting for you to eat the reunion dinner; the food has been reheated three times!"

Another responded coldly: "Chen Bicheng, it's the New Year, I don't want to fight with you, you'd better restrain yourself. Darling, hurry up, it's so cold outside."

The last voice was soft: "Oppa, welcome home. You sang so well; Mom even cried listening to it."

Someone there immediately shouted: "Where did I cry?"

"You didn't cry? Hehe, secretly wiping tears, did you think no one saw?"

"Chen Bicheng! I will definitely cure your illness today..."

In this noise, Chen Nuo stopped his steps, stood in the snow looking at this scene at the doorway, and once again smiled wholeheartedly.

Happy New Year. He said to himself.

(End of chapter)