Chapter 286: A Song That Moved the World

The doctors who rushed to save him came out to tell the family to prepare, but it wasn't until early the next morning that Mr. was declared dead.

At this point, Wei Ming had already returned home; to avoid disturbing his parents, he stayed directly in the Sihe Academy on Beichi Zi, with the police chief guarding the bedside and the ginkgo tree squatting outside the house.

That same day, Xinhua News Agency issued an obituary: the renowned Chinese writer, translator, and social activist Shen Yanbing (pen name: Mao Dun) passed away in Yanjing at the age of 85.

It outlined his life: he joined the Left-Wing Writers' League in 1930, was elected vice-chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles in 1949, became chairman of the Writers' Association, served as the first minister of culture, and held positions in the CPPCC.

His works include the novels Midnight, The Rainbow, Frost Leaves Redder Than February Flowers, and Corrosion; the trilogy The Withering; the short stories Lin's Shop and the Rural Trilogy—Silkworms, Autumn Harvest, and The Last Winter; and essays such as Eulogy to the Poplar and Conversations on Scenery.

It ultimately emphasized his status as one of the founders of modern Chinese literature.

Gong Ying, in Subei, learned of the news; having portrayed the lead in the film adaptation of Mr.'s most important work, Midnight, she could not suppress her sorrow and regret, and wrote Wei Ming a letter.

Meanwhile, Shanghai Film Studio was already rushing to produce copies, preparing to release Mao Dun's work to audiences nationwide as soon as possible—he had personally filmed a scene for the crew.

Beyond this, many figures in China's literary circles wrote articles commemorating Mao Dun; Ba Jin left behind the words: "The fire never dies, the heart never stops, the pen never rests."

Wei Ming was no exception—he wrote an article to commemorate and thank the great writer he had met only once.

After much thought, he ultimately submitted the manuscript to People's Literature, the first national-level literary magazine in New China, founded by Mao Dun himself.

He quickly received notification from the editors of People's Literature that his piece had been accepted; an article written with genuine emotion is instantly recognizable to those who understand.

The key point was that they never expected Mr.'s final written words would be an introduction to Wei Ming's novel—what immense importance and expectation this represented!

Yet at just twenty, having written the lengthy novel The Right Path of Humanity Is the Tide of Change, his potential was undeniably vast and worthy of anticipation.

Amid the nationwide mourning for Mao Dun, overseas reactions also emerged.

Singapore's Nanyang Siang Pau published an obituary, calling Mao Dun's death a tremendous loss to China's literary world and indeed the global literary community.

Japanese media also gave high praise to Mao Dun, publishing approximately seventeen articles about him within just eighteen days, strongly affirming his literary value and historical status, and offering in-depth critiques of his masterpiece, Midnight.

At Mao Dun's memorial service, the Mao Dun Literature Prize—funded by his 250, 00-yuan estate—made its public debut for the first time, aiming to encourage the creation of long-form Chinese novels, with Ba Jin serving as chair of the judging committee, and detailed rules to be announced later.

Two hundred and fifty thousand!

In an era where ten-thousand-yuan households were rare, 250, 00 was undoubtedly a massive sum.

If we calculate that twenty thousand yuan today could buy a respectable apartment in Yanjing, this amount would be roughly equivalent to sixty to seventy million in the future.

Moreover, this was China's first literary prize named after an individual; it was foreseeable that this award would, without exception, become one of the highest honors for Chinese long-form fiction.

Domestic news outlets covered Mao Dun's death and the Mao Dun Literature Prize, but internationally, Reagan of the United States took the lead.

For this new president had followed in John Lennon's footsteps—he was shot, but luckier than Lennon, he was ultimately saved.

Initially, domestic reports omitted many details; Peking University students eagerly speculated about the hidden political truths behind the incident: was it the work of political rivals, disgruntled citizens opposed to his policies, or perhaps the Soviet Union?

They would never have guessed it was the act of a deranged fan of a female star, trying to attract her attention by imitating a movie character.

Even Wei Hong and her fellow first-year female students were discussing the incident; when she went home for the weekend, she brought it up with her parents.

They once again realized how dangerous America truly was—movie stars got shot, presidents got shot—was there any safety left?

Even if they let Wei Ming go abroad with Xiao Hong, they still wouldn't feel at ease—they'd have to go along too.

Wei Ming sat on the sofa cracking sunflower seeds with his grandmother; hearing his father also wanted to follow them to America as a chaperone, he laughed: "If the whole family moves to America, what if the country thinks I'll never come back?"

"Oh no, that won't do," Xu Shufen hurriedly said. "Our son is now a respected writer, representing the nation's image—we can't let the state worry about this. Let the two of them go; we'll stay here and guard the home until they return."

Old Wei realized this made sense, and reluctantly gave up his idea of venturing into the tiger's den.

He then continued asking his children about the story behind the assassination of the American president: "Do you think it was the Soviets?"

Wei Hong looked at Wei Ming: "You'd better ask my brother—he's close to the overseas students; they probably know more of the inside story."

Wei Ming didn't disappoint them: "I actually know something about this. Your guesses are all wrong—it has nothing to do with politics."

"Oh?" Everyone quickly gathered around.

Wei Ming: "But before I get to this incident, I need to tell you about a movie—Taxi Driver. It's a film from a few years ago, directed by and starring two very famous figures. The protagonist is a taxi driver, a veteran, perpetually depressed…"

"A taxi driver is depressed?" Old Wei, his wife, and even Xiao Hong found this unbelievable—taxi drivers were a prestigious job!

Today, four-wheeled taxis existed only at luxury hotels, offering high income and great prestige, serving foreign guests who often paid in foreign currency.

Wei Ming tapped the coffee table: "Conditions are different abroad. Driving a taxi there is just an ordinary job. The key is, he fought in Vietnam—that's a national trauma for an entire generation of Americans."

"What? Didn't they suffer from the Korean War?" Old Wei objected.

Wei Ming smiled helplessly; the impact on Americans was far less than the Vietnam quagmire. Vietnam, even during full-scale involvement, lasted eight years—altogether, nearly twenty years, beginning right after Korea and only fully ending in recent years. The number of troops deployed, soldiers killed or wounded, and military expenditures were all terrifying.

But now wasn't the time to lecture Old Wei: "Pain, pain, yes, pain—but this taxi driver was deeply broken. Later, he fell for a girl—beautiful, respectable, working for a presidential candidate. She rejected him, so he made a decision…"

He took a sip of water and continued: "He planned to assassinate the presidential candidate, but failed. Then, by chance, he wiped out a gang of traffickers forcing women into prostitution and saved a little girl, becoming a hero in the media. The key was this little girl."

"That little girl—she's not the real villain, is she?" Wei Hong's mind raced.

Wei Ming tapped her head: "You're imagining too much. The actress who played the girl is Zhu Di."

Old Wei and Xu Shufen exchanged glances—oh, same surname as Zhu Lin.

"Zhu Di started as a child star—beautiful and intelligent. The man who assassinated President Reagan was deeply obsessed with her, couldn't have her, so he decided to imitate the movie's protagonist and kill a president to impress her."

"Isn't he insane?" Old Wei marveled.

Wei Ming nodded in approval of his father's insight: "Listen carefully—he'd already planned to kill the president before. He nearly succeeded with President Carter, but when Carter lost the election and Reagan took office, the target changed to Reagan."

The good-natured Carter, it seemed, had experienced fortune turning to misfortune and misfortune turning to fortune.

Wei Ming summarized: "That's the situation. The assassin has been captured. His family has some money and is trying to save him—his only hope is to claim he's mentally ill, which might spare him the death penalty."

"What? Can you get away with it by claiming insanity?"

Old Wei and the others were stunned—if that were true, then President Reagan was incredibly lenient. In Chinese thinking, not executing his entire clan would be considered benevolent.

Wei Ming smiled: "Lock him up for life, then slowly torture him in a mental hospital until he wishes he were dead."

Of course, he was eventually imprisoned for only forty years and released in 2021; the man who killed Lennon was still behind bars when Wei Ming was reborn.

The Wei family sat stunned, as if listening to a story—but Wei Ming's expression was serious: "If you don't believe me, Xiao Hong, ask the overseas students at Shuoyuan. Your English should be good enough to discuss this, right?"

"Of course it is—I've attended plenty of Spanish classes, and I trust you completely," Wei Hong said. "But what about Zhu Di? Did she suffer consequences too?"

"Of course. Though overseas doesn't have the phrase 'beauty brings disaster,' this incident started because of her, and she bore immense pressure. Fortunately, she's now in university, so she can use her studies to lie low for a few years. By the way, she attends Yale University."

Old Wei: "What night road university?"

Wei Hong: "Dad, Yale is one of America's top universities, ranked among the best. Though Yale is stronger in humanities and social sciences."

Since her brother had always said he'd study abroad, Wei Hong had researched foreign universities suitable for her—Yale was never on her list.

The next day, Old Wei saw Old Sun reading the newspaper at the gate and immediately approached him to recount the hidden truth behind the assassination of the American president, leaving Old Sun utterly bewildered.

Xiao Hong began explaining the bizarre, twisted story behind the incident to her classmates. Compared to political assassination, a love-driven madness resonated more with these girls—they listened with wide, glittering eyes.

But since it was a foreign president who hadn't died, the hype quickly faded.

Yet abroad, especially in America, the incident was enormous and remained hot. At the time, George H. . Bush had even prepared to assume power—until Reagan miraculously recovered.

In America, nothing is too good to exploit: MCA had already completed "Moonlight Shadow" last month, planning to release it when Sarah Brightman gathered enough songs for an album—or on the first anniversary of John Lennon's death.

Then, just as Reagan was shot, a global sensation erupted. MCA immediately mobilized its media power to revive the news of Lennon's assassination months earlier and launched a massive publicity campaign.

Once the hype peaked, they swiftly released "Moonlight Shadow" globally, tightly linking the song to Lennon's death.

Thus, in early April, Wei Ming's first English-language single officially launched.

Black singer Michael Jackson was then still a young black man, just twenty-three.

Two years earlier, his album Off the Wall had spent eighty-four weeks on the Billboard album chart, with four singles all reaching the top ten, one earning him a Grammy for Best R&B Male Vocalist.

But now he was frustrated: he hated his new album Thriller, which his label had produced—poor arrangements, strange songs. He clashed bitterly with his company and wanted to smash the master tapes.

Work on the album had been halted. Friends urged him to take a break, but he wanted to travel abroad—his manager refused.

One day, he rode his bicycle through the streets of Los Angeles. When he entered a record store, the shop was playing The Beatles' classic "Yesterday."

He loved The Beatles and especially Lennon. Damn Mark Chapman—how many great songs had he stolen from the world?

After the record ended, the shop owner switched to another. Michael Jackson was about to leave, but the melody from the new record drew him back. When he heard the singer's first line, he turned around—what a beautiful voice.

Though not his musical style, MJ was always open-minded—he was willing to listen more to such a lovely voice.

"When they last met, beneath the moon, shadows danced…"

The lyrics were also beautifully written, but as he listened, he realized something—this song, was it about Lennon and Yoko Ono on the night he was killed?

When the four-minute song ended, MJ immediately asked: "Can you play it again?"

"I was going to play it again anyway," the owner smiled. He loved this gentle music—it seemed to have a calming power.

After listening again, MJ was certain: the song described exactly what happened on December 8th.

That night had devastated and enraged music fans worldwide. Every time he recalled it, MJ's heart stirred—but the song's calm serenity soothed his agitation.

Amazing!

Amazing melody, amazing lyrics, amazing voice!

"Who sang this? Who wrote it?" he asked the owner.

The owner checked the cover: "Sarah Brightman sings it. Lyrics and music by Mr. Why. Never heard of either."

Michael Jackson, well-traveled and well-read, recalled: there was a British group called Hot Gossip that released a decent album, I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper—hadn't one member been named that?

But "Mr. Why" was unheard of—sounded nothing like a real name, clearly a stage name.

"Give me one," Michael Jackson decisively bought the record and took it home to savor.

After listening ten times, his frustration over the new album finally calmed. He made a heretical decision: even if he had to pay breach penalties, he would remake Thriller—he couldn't let his hard-won reputation be ruined by a terrible album.

Thriller means thriller, or can be translated as "Tremble."

Leveraging the traffic from two celebrity assassinations and Sarah Brightman's angelic voice, "Moonlight Shadow" quickly broke into the global music market.

Not just in America and Britain, but across Asia too.

In Hong Kong, there had once been a band famous in the 1970s for imitating The Beatles' look and music style—imitation born of admiration, and The Beatles' popularity inspired many young musicians to pick up guitars and fight the world.

Later, the band called Wynners disbanded, and its members pursued separate careers. The two lead singers, Tan Yonglin and Chung King-tao, both thrived in film, television, and music—especially Tan Yonglin, who excelled in music, with hit Cantonese and Mandarin songs.

At this time, Tan Yonglin was preparing his third Cantonese album, but had failed to invite the mysterious musician Ah Ming.

One day, after leaving the recording studio, his good friend Chung King-tao called him over to his home—along with Chen You and other former Wynners members.

Though the band had broken up, their friendship endured; they still occasionally reunited to make music.

Tan Yonglin thought Zhong Zhen Tao had written a song for them to sing together, but he shook his head.

"I just want you to listen to a song."

"What song?"

"I just came back from the U. . — I brought this one with me, called 'Moonlight Shadow'."

"Is it popular?" Peng Jianxin asked.

"Not yet, but I believe it will be soon." Then Zhong Zhen Tao began to play.

American music was now wildly energetic, dominated by rock, but this song was unexpectedly calm, the singer's voice carrying a classical quality.

Such a song might find a bigger market in Europe, but in America?

None of them were optimistic — until they finished listening, savoring the lyrics, when Tan Yonglin was the first to react: "Is this about the night Lennon was shot?!"

Xiao Sa Ge nodded: "Exactly. It's a song specially written to commemorate Lennon — the lyrics and melody are both superb."

In fact, since Lennon's death, many singers — whether out of genuine admiration or just chasing the spotlight — had used music to honor him; even Tan Yonglin, with his own songwriting talent, had tried writing one, but he wasn't satisfied with what he produced, so he never released it.

In terms of quality, Tan Yonglin admitted that 'Moonlight Shadow' was far superior to his own song — perhaps the best in this genre, given that Lennon had only been dead for three months, and even someone as brilliant as Paul McCartney had yet to release a single tribute song.

Writing a great song takes time and reflection.

Even without the backdrop of Lennon's assassination, the song's quality was exceptional — in its original timeline, it had topped music charts across multiple European countries.

Soon Tan Yonglin's attention turned to the songwriter, "Mr. Why": "I've never heard of a musician in the U. . by that name?"

"America's huge, its music market is huge — it's perfectly normal for a talented newcomer to suddenly appear," Chen You chuckled.

But Zhong Zhen Tao shook his head again and pulled out an English-language picture book: "He didn't just appear out of nowhere — he's actually a children's author."

"What? A children's author?!"

In the U. ., because 'The Game of the Brave' had already gained minor fame, with combined hardcover and paperback sales exceeding 100, 00 copies, more people noticed that the songwriter of 'Moonlight Shadow' shared the same name as the author of that children's book.

Yet this discovery did little to boost 'Moonlight Shadow's' popularity — after all, the public rarely cared about the songwriter behind a song.

What truly propelled 'Moonlight Shadow' onto the fast track, sending record sales and radio plays soaring, was a brief interview by Yoko Ono.

She revealed she had recently heard a song called 'Moonlight Shadow'; at first, upon learning its meaning, she refused to listen — she feared being reminded of that night.

But eventually, under Paul's strong recommendation, she gave it a try — and found within herself a rare sense of peace.

With the endorsement of Lennon's widow and Paul, the other iconic figure of The Beatles, the song — which had merely been hovering near the bottom of the Billboard Hot 100 — instantly jumped to No. 48 on the Billboard Weekly Singles Chart.

Far away in London, Sarah Brightman, rehearsing for her new opera 'Cats,' heard that her own recording of the song had broken into the Billboard Top 100 — she let out excited meows of delight.

She was deeply grateful to MCA for choosing her, and to Mr. Why, the brilliant creator.

She knew this musician was a children's author, because her relatives' children owned copies of 'The Game of the Brave' and 'The Lion King,' especially loving the latter.

So she decided to visit this creator someday — though before that, she had to go to Macmillan Publishers, or she'd never find him.

One week after The Wynners first heard 'Moonlight Shadow,' the song reached Hong Kong and became wildly popular on the radio.

Zhou Hui also heard it. Her first action was to dig out from her drawer an English-language copy of 'The Game of the Brave' — a gift from Ah Ming.

She looked at the author's name — her eyes widened. It was 'Mr. Why.' No way, no way — could this hit song sweeping Europe and America also be written by Ah Ming?!

Her second action was to sit at her piano and begin playing and singing the song herself.

Unfortunately, limited by talent and training, her version still fell far short of the original.

Her third action was to insert a blank cassette into the recorder and "write" a letter to Ah Ming, asking if he was the songwriter.

Meanwhile, Wei Ming, stationed in mainland China, remained unaware of 'Moonlight Shadow's' growing international fame due to the isolation of communication.

He was now excited about something else.

The March issue of 'Harvest' had just been reprinted by 200, 00 copies.

Its total single-issue circulation of 1. million broke 'Harvest's' own record — and set a new all-time high for Chinese pure literary journals!

And this record owed its greatest debt to 'The Right Path of Humanity: The Middle Volume.'

(End of Chapter)