Chapter 357: Mountains and Rivers Unharmed, Smoke and Fire Ordinary

Watching the show every Friday night had become a fixed ritual for Bihai Lanting 1502.

But this time it was October 2nd, during National Day holiday, so Xu Yinghuan and the other two were also here, and the seven of them sat together on the living room sofa watching I Am a Singer on TV.

In previous episodes, it was usually just four of them crammed onto Li Luo's bed together, having tortured him multiple times already.

As for this episode, it was one Li Luo had been eagerly awaiting.

Because this episode aired during National Day holiday, most people across the country were off work and had time to sit in front of the TV for entertainment.

The hottest variety show recently, I Am a Singer, naturally entered the field of vision of even more people.

In the show, singers like Han Hong and Sun Nan were familiar to the older generation, while slightly younger singers like Li Jian and Zhang Liangying were known to middle-aged women like Lin Xiuhong.

In addition, there was Yuan Wanqing, a dark horse who broke through from the challenge rounds, bringing surprises in every episode.

High-quality new songs came one after another, triggering multiple trending topics on Weibo.

As a result, the trending topic for Yuan Wanqing's new album consistently stayed within the top twenty of the rankings, and whenever Friday approached, it immediately surged into the top five.

Such a long-lasting trending topic was truly unheard of and unseen before.

Especially during this National Day holiday, when everyone had free time, they flooded the comments under Yuan Wanqing's album topic, speculating about what song she would sing.

Of course, due to National Day, it was easy to guess—at least other singers would likely perform songs related to country and homeland.

The only question was whether Yuan Wanqing had considered this when producing her album.

After all, the songs on the album were probably finalized long ago; it couldn't be that when she made the album, her vision was already so far-sighted as to foresee this exact moment, could it?

Therefore, many believed her song probably wasn't a red song, but something else entirely.

But if that were the case, facing other singers performing patriotic songs during National Day, hers would seem inferior.

【But does National Day necessarily require singing songs praising the motherland? As long as it's a good song, that's enough.】

【That's true—if all seven songs were red songs, it would get tiring after a while.】

【But if everyone else sings and you don't, you might get criticized.】

【Haha~ I already see people taking out loans to start yelling, and the show hasn't even started yet.】

【Will Yuan Wanqing make it to the finals? She has to eliminate three people in the challenge rounds, and her rankings in previous songs have been quite high.】

【I heard the previous rankings accounted for 50% or something like that, and the main factor is how many votes she gets in the challenge rounds—if she ends up seventh, she might be eliminated.】

【She's definitely out—her album's lead single has already been released, and nothing after it can match it; her potential is exhausted, she can't compete with others anymore.】

【I think she used the lead single in the wrong place—if she'd saved it for this episode, she might have truly broken through among all these patriotic songs.】

【True, the lyrics of "No Limits in the Sky" are actually somewhat fitting for National Day—both are uplifting.】

Online discussions were abundant, all debating whether Yuan Wanqing could advance to the finals.

Meanwhile, readers of I Am Really Not a Star had already sat in front of the TV, eagerly waiting as the show was about to begin.

They turned on the TV to Hunan Blue TV, opened their phones to Qidian APP, and were ready to refresh for the latest chapter at any moment.

At exactly 8 p. m., I Am Really Not a Star updated a new chapter on schedule.

Chapter title—"As You Wish"

Readers saw this chapter and immediately perked up, clicking in to read and find out what song Yuan Wanqing would sing on the singer stage tonight.

But this guy Chongran deliberately placed Mo Qinghan as the seventh performer.

He dragged out over three thousand words describing the first six singers, building up the tension, before finally rushing to the seventh performer's turn.

When the host announced that Mo Qinghan's new song was "As You Wish," the plot abruptly ended.

Fuck!

【You fucking asshole! At least give us one line of lyrics! Why cut it off here?!】

【That's too much! Your grandma! I should've waited until Yuan Wanqing came on and read two chapters at once!】

【Those who haven't read yet, don't read yet—wait until Yuan Wanqing performs, or you'll burst from holding your breath.】

【What song is it? I haven't read yet—is it written?】

【The song's called "As You Wish," but nothing else is known—we have to wait for the next chapter; he didn't write a single lyric!】

【This song title feels like a red song—could it be that when Ran Shen made the album, he already foresaw this day?】

【Hey, don't say it… in the plot, Mo Qinghan sings this song on October 2nd too—perfectly aligned with reality.】

【Holy shit! This plot has been foreshadowed for months—is he some kind of fortune-teller?】

【He probably knew Yuan Wanqing would join the show long ago, and knew the date in advance—so being prepared is normal.】

【Still, that's impressive—he even accounted for National Day. Ran Ge is literally copying reality, but turning it into something new.】

【Other authors' copying: Look at what veteran singers wrote, take their songs and use them! Ran Shen's copying: Look at what song I need, write one myself, have Yuan Wanqing sing it, then write it into my novel.】

【Aaaah! Ants are crawling all over my skin! When's the next chapter coming?!】

【The show has started—they're drawing lots now.】

【Fuck! Is she really seventh? Cheating! There's definitely cheating!】

【Is it possible that the world in I Am Really Not a Star is the real world, and we're actually living in a novel world, manipulated by some malicious hand?】

【She's singing now—Han Hong first. Her voice is perfect for red songs—she commands the stage.】

【Yuan Wanqing's high notes are good too, but she can't match Han Hong's presence.】

【Good thing not everyone sings red songs—so far only Han Hong and Sun Nan have, others picked normal songs.】

【They're both killing it—if "As You Wish" is also a red song, it might not stand a chance.】

These readers turned the comment section into a live bullet-screen for I Am a Singer, and in just over an hour, they flooded it with over a thousand comments.

And when the host announced Yuan Wanqing's song as "As You Wish," the Qidian backend refreshed again.

Chapter title—Shanhe Wuyang, Yanhuo Xunchang.

……

In the family housing complex of Qianjiang University.

Xu Rongsheng and Cui Suling finished dinner, cleaned the house, then sat on the living room sofa and turned on the TV to watch a program.

At that moment, Cui Suling scrolled through her phone and suddenly received a message from Lin Xiuhong; she paused for a moment. "Lao Xu."

"Hmm?"

"Isn't today Friday?"

"Yes."

"There's Yuan Wanqing's show tonight. Xiuhong reminded me—want to watch it later?"

"Oh, that one." Xu Rongsheng nodded. "All the songs are written by Li Luo?"

"Exactly." Cui Suling smiled. "You really like that kid, don't you?"

"Ahem." Xu Rongsheng coughed. "He's a talented little fellow. I hear he writes songs pretty well too?"

"Yeah, all of them are quite good." Cui Suling chuckled. "You wouldn't believe it—I heard a part-time girl at the library humming 'Chasing the Light,' one of Li Luo's songs."

"Oh, really?" Xu Rongsheng smiled. "Then he's definitely popular."

"I really like him." Cui Suling grinned. "Li Luo is exceptionally outstanding. He's not in the top class, but his grades are excellent. He even started a study group at home to help his classmates improve—he's far more responsible than your girl."

"You're saying that." Xu Rongsheng laughed. "You praise him, but why drag Youyu into it?"

"I'm just thinking," Cui Suling went on enthusiastically, "Youyu needs someone to keep her in line. All she does is sleep in and refuses to exercise. We've yelled at her, scolded her—it does nothing. Only Li Luo can get through to her."

"Lately, after waking up every morning, Li Luo pulls Youyu out of bed."

"Then they go jogging together to school. Isn't that a huge improvement over her previous habit of sleeping in?"

Hearing this, Xu Rongsheng nodded in agreement. "Hmm, that's definitely good."

"Besides, Li Luo's family isn't poor either." Cui Suling counted off on her fingers. "I heard from Xiuhong that they've already paid off the mortgage on their Bihai Lanting apartment."

"You know, right? His father bought several storefronts on Xijie—worth several million at least. They're truly wealthy."

"I heard they even set up a company just for Li Luo to manage the Chongran brand. Is he making a fortune from writing now?"

"He's so impressive at such a young age. I notice Youyu's been getting close to Li Luo too—she's just one year older."

"But one year isn't that big a difference, is it? I think it's fine, it's just…"

"Hey hey hey!" Xu Rongsheng cut in, laughing nervously. "Where are you going with this? They're still in school—what are you analyzing for?"

"I'm just saying," Cui Suling muttered softly. "I really like Li Luo. I often invite Xiuhong over on weekends to cook for them—I'm growing fonder of him every time."

"So what if you like him?"

"Do you think your daughter doesn't like him?" Cui Suling glanced sideways at him.

"This…" Xu Rongsheng recalled the scenes he'd witnessed at the forum, and fell silent.

But.

"Look at Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng," Xu Rongsheng whispered. "Li Luo has plenty of beautiful girls around him, all close to him—especially Ying Chanxi. Their families have been close since childhood. Can that relationship be the same?"

"It's hard to predict these things," Cui Suling said. "For someone as outstanding as Li Luo, isn't it normal for girls to like him? I say, you'd better act fast."

"Think about us—I was the one who chased you first. I've never denied that."

"You'd just arrived here for university, hadn't even started freshman year yet—I set my eyes on you right away."

"I didn't give any of those other girls a chance, right?"

His wife's words left Xu Rongsheng with a helpless, amused expression.

One could only say that in some ways, Xu Youyu had inherited Cui Suling's finest qualities—but thanks to Xu Rongsheng's gentle upbringing, the two had blended into the Xu Youyu she was today.

"In any case, let things take their natural course," Xu Rongsheng shook his head, smiling. "Li Luo knows his limits. Let's wait until college to see how things develop between them. They're still too young—we shouldn't meddle."

As they chatted and watched TV, time quickly reached eight p. m.

When "I Am Really Not a Star" began airing, Xu Rongsheng pulled out his phone and opened the latest chapter. After reading it, he murmured: "'As You Wish'—what a title. I wonder how the lyrics are."

To be fair, although Xu Rongsheng couldn't easily judge a song's musical quality, he did have standards for lyrics.

For instance, the recent songs Li Luo wrote for Yuan Wanqing contained several lines he particularly liked.

Like these two from "Under the Flying Clouds": "The heart rubs against the clouds, aching and numb, yet longing crawls through dreams" and "Loneliness is a trench coat, wrapping up fear."

Each gave him a sudden sense of clarity.

When the TV program aired and song after song ended, finally Yuan Wanqing stepped onto the stage—Xu Rongsheng sat up straight and refreshed his phone.

Seeing the new chapter appear, he paused for a moment.

【Shanhe Unharmed, Smoke and Fire Ordinary】

The title had a certain charm.

Xu Rongsheng didn't tap into it—he decided to listen to the song first, then read the novel.

So he set the phone aside.

Yuan Wanqing's figure emerged from darkness into the center of the stage.

As the music softly began, Xu Rongsheng and Cui Suling were immersed in the melody.

Onstage, Yuan Wanqing picked up the microphone and sang gently: "You are~ the distant road~ the lantern in the mountain mist~"

Cui Suling felt nothing special upon hearing the first lyric, but beside her, Xu Rongsheng's eyes brightened slightly.

Distant road, mountain mist, lantern—these images linked together instantly created a vivid picture.

As if a group walked along a fog-shrouded mountain path with no visible end, yet always saw that single beam of light, guiding them forward.

"And I will love the world you love~"

"May you have the smiles you wish for~"

……

"If you once suffered for my sweetness~"

"I will live as your wish~"

……

"Every day of this prosperous era~"

As the chorus began, Xu Rongsheng held his breath; these words pierced his mind, sending a faint electric shiver down his spine, deeply moving him.

Especially as he recalled the hardships the nation had endured, he felt an overwhelming sense of shared sorrow, slowly exhaling a long, heavy breath.

When the second chorus ended, the lyrics reached the song's climax.

Xu Rongsheng had seen the chapter title earlier—and now it appeared plainly in the lyrics—

"The mountains and rivers remain unharmed~ the smoke and fire ordinary~"

"Yet did you see the vision you longed for?"

"Children~ sleep peacefully in dreams~"

"Just as you loved them~"

Yuan Wanqing's clear, bright high notes, filled with joy and relief, sank deep into Xu Rongsheng's heart, plucking at his soul's strings.

"And I will~ dream the reunions you dreamed of~"

"May you have forever what you wished for~"

"Walk the long road you walked~"

"This love for you~"

When he heard "Walk the long road you walked," Xu Rongsheng's heart clenched sharply, his breath freezing—then as the next line slowly unfolded, he felt his whole body trembling.

"I will~ see the world you never saw~"

"Write the poems you never wrote~"

……

"Make a vow with you~ to live a life clear and pure~"

"Like your youthful face~"

As the final chorus ended, Xu Rongsheng listened to these new lyrics, and countless images flashed through his mind.

The more one had studied modern and contemporary traditional literature and understood that history, the more deeply one was moved by this song.

So much so that after the song ended, Cui Suling clapped and cheered, simply thinking it was beautiful—until she turned and saw her old Xu weeping, his eyes brimming with emotion.

"What… what's wrong with you?" Cui Suling couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Xu Rongsheng cry; seeing tears on his face startled her, and she hurried over, frantically grabbing tissues—then knocked over the box, "Are you okay, Old Xu? Don't scare me like this."

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" Xu Rongsheng tried to compose himself, but tears kept streaming down; after wiping them away forcefully, he couldn't help smiling and sighed softly, "The song is good, the lyrics are good—excellent."

……

Li Luo didn't know that the song he'd written for Yuan Wanqing had just made Xu Rongsheng cry.

Right now he was sitting on the living room floor, occasionally subjected to the ministrations of three girls' bare feet.

Whether due to strong learning ability or not, Ying Chanxi had grown increasingly bold—she now dared to stretch her feet across his neck to scratch his itch.

The smooth, soft, pale soles brushing against his neck made it hard for him to focus on the show.

Only when Yuan Wanqing appeared did the feet in the living room temporarily fall still.

After Yuan Wanqing finished singing, everyone felt a quiet sense of loss, wishing to hear it again—but no one, unlike Xu Rongsheng, came close to crying.

"Did you post your new chapter?" Ying Chanxi asked curiously.

"I posted it." Li Luo nodded, shaking his phone, "I uploaded it the moment Aunt Yuan appeared."

"Your comment section's gonna murder you," Xu Youyu said with a chuckle, glancing at his phone, "You broke off the chapter so brutally."

"I'm just staying true to reality—how's that breaking off?" Li Luo grumbled, "I just wonder how the reaction will be."

"The reaction is good," Yan Zhusheng said, holding his phone, "People online are already praising it."

"Let me see?"

Yan Zhusheng handed her phone to Li Luo, then leaned casually against his shoulder.

Seeing this, Ying Chanxi immediately seized the chance, poking her head over from his other shoulder: "I want to see too."

Sandwiched between two girls, their long hair falling over his vision, breathing in their sweet scents, Li Luo barely registered what was on the phone.

When the program ended and the host announced that Yuan Wanqing's "Ru Yuan" had won first place in this episode, the living room erupted in cheers.

With night falling, Qiao Xinyan and the others decided not to stay longer; after offering congratulations to Yan Zhusheng, they left Bihai Lanting together, each returning home.

Li Luo rose from the floor, stretched, and headed toward his bedroom.

But after showering, he saw three figures lying on his bed—and fell into deep thought.

"What's the meaning of this? Didn't you already finish watching the show?"

"We haven't seen the comments yet," Xu Youyu grinned, "Mango TV has viewer comments—we're going to rewatch it."

"Li Luo, come quick," Yan Zhusheng patted the empty space beside her.

"Don't dawdle, hurry up," Ying Chanxi said, cheeks flushed, "We need to finish watching and sleep early—we have to study tomorrow morning."