Chapter 874: Happy New Year

That year you were the same age as I was~

Young like a naive little song~

But to create that new world in your dream~

You turned and hurried into the wind and rain~

When Yuan Wanqing's voice emerged from the TV speakers, she had not yet stepped onto the stage.

At that moment, a large screen behind the stage already displayed an unopened scroll.

As Yuan Wanqing stepped onto the stage from the left, singing while slowly walking toward the right, the scroll on the screen unfurled bit by bit, following her footsteps.

On the scroll, a group of youths dressed in Republican-era student uniforms, their faces youthful and innocent, marched through alleyways, holding flags high.

In a library, a young man held a book, his gaze resolute, then turned and stepped out into the rain and wind beyond.

By then, Yuan Wanqing had reached the far left edge of the stage, and the scroll was fully unfurled.

As she sang the next lyrics, a group of dancers in military uniforms entered the stage from her side and slowly advanced toward the right.

I saw countless lovely yous~

Rushing forward without looking back into the smoke of battle~

Countless youthful silhouettes vanished into the night~

In exchange for dawn~

The large screen's scroll flipped again, and the youths once dressed in student uniforms now wore military uniforms as well.

Smoke rose from the battlefield as a group of military silhouettes walked into the darkness.

On the distant horizon, a sun slowly rose.

At this moment, the music shifted into the chorus's climactic segment.

Yet Yuan Wanqing's voice remained soft, carrying a faint sense of memory and reverence.

I gaze at the stars you once saw~

Crossing a hundred years of time and space to meet again~

That smile you gave just before turning away~

I understand~

As she sang these four lines, she slowly walked toward the group of military silhouettes on the left.

But when Yuan Wanqing returned to the left side of the stage, the group in military uniforms had already left, gone without a trace.

At this moment, Yuan Wanqing's voice rose in intensity, and behind her, the large screen unfurled another scroll.

Unlike the old, yellowed scroll before, this one was strikingly white and pristine.

I gaze at the stars you once saw~

Beneath my feet, the earth has changed its time and space~

That red fluttering in the air you left behind~

In my heart~ in my heart~

Yuan Wanqing walked again toward the right side of the stage, where a group of children in blue-and-white school uniforms, red scarves tied at their chests, entered from the right and ran toward her, laughing and shouting.

They met in the center of the stage, and the scroll unfurled again as Yuan Wanqing moved.

One after another, scenes of modern beauty flashed by: towering skyscrapers, airplanes, submarines, factories, dams.

At this moment, the background scroll vanished, replaced by a school playground, where a red flag was slowly rising.

The children and Yuan Wanqing stood together at the center of the stage, raising their right hands in pledge.

Raising my hand, I speak the same vow~

In black and white, your smile is so clear~

You said you never regretted giving your life~

To this vast land~

At this moment, the earlier group in military uniforms returned to the stage and stood behind the children.

Their faces showed wonder and emotion, glancing left and right, as if admiring the skyscrapers that had risen, the airplanes and tanks, the aircraft carriers and submarines.

Only when the children finished their pledge and turned around did they meet each other's gaze.

I long to reach out and hold you tightly~

To tell you all has settled at last~

That new China you dreamed of a hundred years ago~

How beautiful it is~

At this moment, the children stepped forward willingly and embraced the figures before them tightly.

The chorus's climax sounded again.

Accompanied by Yuan Wanqing's voice, the children on stage sang along loudly.

At this moment, the children's voices felt like redemption—innocent and pure, as if cleansing the soul.

As the final lyric faded away, Li Luo's grandfather, sitting before the TV, fell silent for a long time before letting out a quiet sigh.

"She sings beautifully, and the lyrics are wonderful."

The old man beside him also let out a long sigh, clearly moved; his gaze toward Li Luo grew even more approving.

Others also offered praise.

Li Luo had become immune to such compliments; he merely offered humble replies, and only after everyone dispersed and returned to their seats did he pull out his phone to check.

This was Yuan Wanqing's second appearance on the Spring Festival Gala; the first was two years ago, during the winter break when Li Luo and his classmates were in Gao Er.

Last year, Yuan Wanqing could have participated in the Gala, but at the time, Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing's relationship had just become known among their acquaintances, and Ying Zhicheng planned to take Yuan Wanqing straight to the countryside to reveal it.

So Yuan Wanqing declined the Gala invitation outright.

Yuan Wanqing hadn't originally planned to go this year, but during negotiations with TikTok, Li Luo wrote a song, and after some planning, it naturally became this way.

At this moment, on Weibo's hot search list, the adapted version of "Displaced Space-Time" climbed to number one alongside Yuan Wanqing's performance.

Behind this were both the inherent popularity of the Spring Festival Gala and the emotional power the song gained through Yuan Wanqing's rendition.

Of course, TikTok's behind-the-scenes promotion also played a role.

Because right after Yuan Wanqing finished singing, TikTok was flooded with clips within seconds.

Whether or not there was authorization didn't matter—first, get a bunch of accounts to post it; any reports or complaints could be dealt with later.

Traffic and popularity must be seized.

In addition, Yuan Wanqing's studio version was quickly uploaded to TikTok.

Under Ying Chanxi's arrangement, Yan Zhusheng was the first to release a cover version of the adapted "Displaced Space-Time," reaping the first wave of benefits.

Li Luo watched the comments for a while, then opened his own "I Am Really Not a Star," which had just updated two chapters—the plot of Mo Qinghan appearing on the Spring Festival Gala.

【Same familiar taste—it's a crossover with reality again, isn't it?】

【Damn it, these lyrics are so good, and tonight's stage was perfect—I cried watching the novel and the Gala at the same time.】【These lyrics are insane, the adaptation is perfect.】

【They've turned Lei Shen into a one-song-three-earnings deal—others make money once from a song, but he earns once in his novel, once on TikTok, and once again on the Gala.】

【This is the pinnacle of entertainment fiction—no one else could pull this off.】

【Who the hell writes their own songs? And the author's song actually makes it to the Spring Festival Gala?】

After reading the chapter comments for a while, Li Luo put away his phone, satisfied.

He never expected that an innocent mistake—accidentally writing "Nianlun" into his novel—had created such an oddball entertainment novel in the Online Novel world.

Others create plots within books; he creates plots in reality, then writes them into his book.

For other entertainment fiction authors, this was truly a dimensional strike.

"Mom called." At this moment, Yan Zhusheng also pulled out her phone and connected WeChat video call with Yuan Wanqing.

Hearing this, Yin Zhi Cheng, who had already returned to the dining table, immediately stood up and came over to look at Yan Zhusheng's phone screen.

"Good evening, Aunt Yuan." Li Luo smiled at Yuan Wanqing across from him, "Happy New Year's Eve."

"Happy New Year's Eve." Yuan Wanqing was in a private rest room; her makeup was clearly visible on camera, "Did you watch the stage just now?"

"Our whole family watched." Li Luo chuckled, "Both grandfathers praised you."

"They praised you," Yuan Wanqing laughed. "Your song was amazing—the director kept complimenting it, saying the performance effect was excellent."

"That's because Aunt Yuan sang it so well," Li Luo gave a thumbs-up. "Tonight's stage effect was really great."

"The director put a lot of thought into it—he has high hopes for this song."

After exchanging a few compliments, Yuan Wanqing had Yan Zhusheng hold the phone and greet everyone else.

As Yin Zhi Cheng's current wife, Yuan Wanqing still felt guilty for not being home for New Year's Eve.

But clearly, no one thought anything was wrong.

After all, it was the Spring Festival Gala.

Most people can't even get in.

After finishing the greetings, Yuan Wanqing turned to Yin Zhi Cheng.

Taking the phone from Yan Zhusheng's hands, Yin Zhi Cheng chatted with Yuan Wanqing for a few minutes before returning it.

The Spring Festival Gala was still on, but the family's attention was no longer focused on it.

Only when a few skits came on could they barely pull everyone's gaze back.

The rest of the time, people drank, played mahjong, or played board games.

Midway through, Chen Lu also called via WeChat video to introduce Zhao Shuhan's family situation to Li Xuefeng.

After exchanging greetings, Zhao Shuhan's parents warmly invited Li Xuefeng to visit.

Thinking that Chen Sijia would return to work on the fourth day of the New Year, Li Xuemei also wanted to open the mahjong parlor early to earn money.

After some thought, Li Xuefeng decided to visit the in-laws on the fourth day of the New Year.

Hearing this, Li Luo's eyes flickered as he pondered something, his gaze shifting between Li Guoru and Li Xuexian.

As the time neared midnight, Ying Chanxi took out the fireworks and firecrackers she had taken from Second Grandpa's convenience store and said to Li Luo, "It's time to go downstairs and set off the fireworks."

"Wow~" Xu Youyu stared at the pile of fireworks, eyes wide, "So many? Can you even finish them all?"

"Try it and you'll find out," Li Luo stood up and smiled. "Come on, let's time it—light them at midnight."

Yan Zhusheng and Xu Youyu stood up and followed behind Li Luo and Ying Chanxi; Li Xiang and Chen Sijia trailed behind them down the stairs.

The elders didn't go downstairs, but gathered at the railing of the second-floor open balcony, smiling down at the younger generation in the courtyard.

The living room TV still broadcast the final program before midnight.

Several hosts stood at the center of the stage, behind them countless performers and stars; as the hosts and everyone in the audience shouted the countdown, the new year was about to arrive.

At this moment, Ying Chanxi watched the time on her phone; Li Luo squatted beside the fireworks box, holding a lighter and the fuse.

When Ying Chanxi shouted loudly, "Light it!", Li Luo immediately ignited the fireworks.

As the fuse burned rapidly, the first firework shot into the night sky and exploded with a bang—bright, dazzling blossoms—just as the clock struck midnight.

"Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year~"

"Happy New Year."

The elders on the second-floor balcony raised their heads to gaze at the blooming fireworks in the night sky.

In the courtyard below, three girls rushed into Li Luo's arms, chanting blessings of "Happy New Year" together.

But they didn't dare hug for long—after speaking their wishes, they quickly slipped out of Li Luo's arms so the elders on the second floor wouldn't see.

But Li Xiang, crouching on the stairs, was struck hard by the sight—unable to hold back, he burst into a loud cough, nearly choking on his own saliva.

"Are you okay?" Chen Sijia turned her head to look at Li Xiang, asking in confusion.

"Didn't you see just now?" Li Xiang strained to turn his head toward Chen Sijia and asked.

"See what? Fireworks?" Chen Sijia frowned, not understanding what Li Xiang meant.

"Yeah... the fireworks were so beautiful, they thrilled me to pieces." Li Xiang tugged at his lips, said no more to Chen Sijia, his heart filled only with deep admiration and envy for his little uncle.

How the hell did he even pull that off?

It's just too absurd.

This year is truly unbearable—just thinking about having to endure this kind of shock every year made Li Xiang feel like he was about to snap.

When the hell would Heaven finally give him a girlfriend?

He didn't ask for much—didn't need a high-quality girlfriend like his uncle, who got three at once; he just wanted one.

Li Luo had no idea what his cheap nephew was thinking; after watching the fireworks, he handed each of the three girls a sparkler, while he himself played with other fireworks.

After all the commotion, Grandpa and Grandma could no longer stay up, so they went back to their room to rest.

The others tidied up in the living room, then prepared to head to the temple for blessings.

"Huh? To the temple?" Xu Youyu had never participated in such an activity during the New Year before; she immediately looked curious, "Now?"

"Mm." Li Luo nodded with a smile. "There's a saying called 'fighting for the first incense'—the first incense lit each morning is said to be the most efficacious."

"We're going to the temple at the stroke of New Year's Day to seek the first incense."

"Praying at this time is far more efficacious than on ordinary days."

"There's such a belief?" Xu Youyu nodded in realization, following Li Luo downstairs again. "What wishes have you made before? Were they fulfilled?"

"Of course." Li Luo chuckled, glancing over the three girls, then winking at them. "Isn't she right here beside me?"

"Oh, you scoundrel." Xu Youyu caught the direction of his gaze and rolled her eyes. "You're so greedy—you planned this all along. Well then, I've already decided what I'm wishing for tonight."

"What wish?"

"Hmph~ I won't tell you."