Chapter 135: 《Sunny Day》

In the lounge, Zhao Xueqin felt a sense of alertness the moment he saw Luo Mo take the stage holding a guitar.

He had been young once too, and knew that young people always wanted to prove themselves.

In the previous episode, he had deliberately said Luo Mo's music was subpar, planting a seed of doubt; Luo Mo choosing to sing while playing an instrument this episode was, in effect, a direct response to him.

At first, he thought this was quite good.

The harder you try, the more attention you draw, and the easier it becomes to pick out flaws.

When the guitar sound in the prelude rang out, Zhao Xueqin felt a flicker of joy.

"Too simple, using a few notes over and over again."

Yet, after it repeated a few times, he inexplicably felt it was stunning and very pleasant to listen to.

Heavenly King Zhao himself was first-rate in other aspects, but his songwriting level was third-rate.

However, his teacher Huang Xishan had once excitedly played a piece for him that also used a relatively simple pattern, yet it was incredibly catchy.

Huang Xishan had told him back then that making simple things well was actually the hardest part.

It was just like the simplest dish; the simpler it is, the harder it is to make it taste delicious.

As it turned out, the song Huang Xishan wrote later became a massive hit and one of Zhao Xueqin's signature works.

"But, comparing the two, this 'Sunny Day' by Luo Mo is even simpler!"

"It's too strange, this song is too strange!" Zhao Xueqin thought to himself.

In fact, for many people on Earth, the first song they learned when picking up the guitar was "Sunny Day"!

One reason was its simplicity, another was that it sounded good, and a third was... it was a weapon for picking up girls!

It's very strange; when you play certain songs, you inexplicably seem to become a little more handsome.

Some songs seem to be able to cast a filter over a person.

And this song, "Sunny Day," had such a rich flavor of youth.

Before a certain music platform lost the copyright to Zhou Jielun, this was the song with the highest number of comments on the entire platform; it was the memory of youth for countless people.

As Luo Mo's slender fingers swept across the guitar strings, the accompaniment of other instruments joined in at that moment.

In an instant, the feeling was there!

The prelude lasted a full thirty seconds—textbook-level composition.

There was no helping it; this man who loved milk tea and liked the color pink was once crowned as one of the 【Global Top Ten Musical Geniuses】—global!

Interestingly, the first song that crushed Heavenly King Zhao, "Eastern Wind Breaks," and this current song, "Sunny Day," came from the same album, "Ye Huimei."

Like "Eastern Wind Breaks," this song had also won major awards.

Zhao Xueqin leaned back on the sofa, and only a few words popped into his mind: "He came prepared."

Luo Mo leaned toward the microphone on the stand, and after the prelude ended, he opened his mouth and began to sing.

The very first line of lyrics was enough to grab everyone's ears.

"【The little yellow flower of the story,

has been drifting since the year I was born,

the swing from childhood,

sways with memory until now.】"

The moment the first four lines appeared, they fit the theme of this episode perfectly.

Looking at the overall tone, it followed that youthful campus style.

This made Zhao Xueqin's heart tighten, because he was already at an age where he could no longer create that feeling.

It wasn't that one couldn't reminisce about youth and campus life in middle age, but the sense of immersion you brought to the audience definitely couldn't compare to this sunny, clean young man sitting on a high stool.

At this moment, Luo Mo seemed to truly be under the sun, on the playground.

If the opening lines made Zhao Xueqin feel alert, then the content of the next line made a few big words pop into his mind: "How does he dare!?"

Luo Mo continued to play the guitar and continued to sing:

"【Re So So Si Do Si La

So La Si Si Si Si La Si La So,

blowing the prelude while looking at the sky,

I remember the petals trying to fall.】"

He was actually singing the musical scale directly!?

It was one thing to make the music so minimalist, but he actually sang the scale out loud?

To others, they might just think it sounded good and stunning, feeling it was simply imaginative and wildly creative.

But to Zhao Xueqin, it felt like the young man before him was responding to him.

"There, I'll just sing the melody out for you to hear this time."

In the audience, many spectators had already been drawn by Luo Mo into the atmosphere created by the song.

It had to be said that the stage design team for "King of Love Songs" was still very powerful, even more professional and impressive than the stage design for "Creating Idols."

The stage effects were done extremely well, and when paired with the guitar and the song, it could instantly make people recall those green years and the sound of cicadas on a summer afternoon.

It was quite miraculous; back then, after Zhou Jielun released his new song "Waiting for You to Finish Class," it actually caused the popularity of the old song "Sunny Day" to suddenly surge.

Love during one's green years is always more beautiful and more unforgettable.

In student days, many people's draft notebooks couldn't be shown to others, because if you looked through them carefully, you would see someone's name, or perhaps a nickname, amidst a pile of messy drafts.

In school days, the whole class would always rearrange seats; if you could sit a little closer to the person you liked, you seemed to be able to be happy for the whole day.

In student days, once the slightest coincidence occurred—even if their notebook and your notebook just happened to be stacked together—you would inexplicably feel sweet.

In student days, hearing certain things, even if they were unrelated, would make you take a few turns in your mind to think of them.

The whole song sung up to now, the melody is very simple, and the lyrics have no flowery vocabulary, but it is enough to stir the heart.

The singing continues, Luo Mo leans toward the microphone, and the rhythm of his articulation speeds up a little.

"【The day I skipped class for you,

The day the flowers fell,

That classroom,

Why can't I see it?

The rainy day that disappeared,

I really want to get drenched in it again.】"

When this part of the lyrics appeared, inside the VIP room, Jiang Ningxi's slender legs were pressed together, and her hands resting on her thighs trembled slightly.

She remembered very clearly that there was once a boy who said to her: "If you want to go home together after school, just knock on my desk."

Secret love is always mysterious and obscure.

Since then, if Jiang Ningxi wanted to go home with him, she would put on her schoolbag and leave the classroom alone first. Before walking out of the classroom, she would pass by his desk and reach out her right hand to knock once.

"Thump—."

Under the sunset, the two pushed their bicycles; in fact, it wasn't really that much on the way.

If it rained, even if Jiang Ningxi had an umbrella in her schoolbag, she would say she forgot to bring one.

Luo Mo would tilt the umbrella more toward her side, causing his own arm and shoulder to be soaked by the raindrops.

If the rain got a bit heavier, people would also lean a bit closer.

Youth is just like this; it is as if when arms touch, hearts also collide.

As mentioned before, on the day his family's small restaurant opened, Luo Mo was kicked to the entrance by his old man, where he played the traditional Chinese wind instrument for a long time to solicit customers.

Later, the old man gave him his wages, and Luo Mo treated Jiang Ningxi to a strawberry-flavored milk tea.

It was this cup of milk tea that made Jiang Ningxi tutor him for a long time, yet she was willing to do so.

Even now, she is forever devoted to strawberry-flavored milk tea.

It is not because that cup back then was particularly delicious.

It is just because that boy, under the scorching sun, played the traditional Chinese wind instrument until he was drenched in sweat, his temples damp.

When he saw her, he just gave a relaxed smile, reached into his pocket, took out some crumpled banknotes, and said heroically: "Here, take all this money to spend."

That day, it seemed the sky was clear for ten thousand miles, and the sun was bright.

The young girl held the milk tea, lowered her head to take small sips, walked by his side, stepped on his shadow, and would occasionally stand on tiptoe.

This girl, proud from a young age and cold in temperament, set all her Gentle and cuteness to be visible only to you.

Hmm, no, that's only visible to you occasionally.

Ha! It's as if even the wind is strawberry-flavored.

………

………

The camera is aimed at Luo Mo; under the instruction of General Director Ke Ming, there are to be several more close-ups of his face and his hands playing the guitar.

Luo Mo plays while singing.

"【I didn't expect that I still hold onto the courage I lost,

I really want to ask one more time,

Will you wait or leave—】"

From this part, one can see that this is actually a sad song.

Most youthful love affairs also end without result, and then leave a very deep mark in your memory.

Luo Mo had been a cheeky person since he was small, so even when Jiang Ningxi was tutoring him, he would often tease her on purpose.

Jiang Ningxi was usually cold and aloof, rarely falling for his tricks, and even if her face turned red, she would refuse to admit many things, to which Luo Mo would mutter: "Stubborn!"

Who would have thought that on graduation day, after he said "Stubborn" again, she suddenly leaned forward; Luo Mo dodged subconsciously, but still didn't manage to avoid it.

Jiang Ningxi's whole body was burning, yet she pretended not to care, widened her eyes, and feigned ferocity as she said: "It's soft!"

Having kissed, naturally, one would know.

The song "Sunny Day", at this moment, finally reached the chorus part.

"【On this windy day, I tried holding your hand,

But it just so happened, the rain gradually, became too heavy for me to see you.

How much longer, until I can be by your side,

Maybe I'll be a bit better when the day clears up.】"

On the side of the professional jury, many people had already given this strange song a high score in their hearts.

In this theme, this young man is simply killing it.

Compared to him, the few Singers who went on stage before were instantly eclipsed.

The sunlight of "Sunny Day" is too bright, too dazzling, directly outshining all other faint lights.

On Earth, this song has existed for over ten years, yet it will inexplicably rush into the top three of the Hot Song Chart again, or even to number one.

This makes many people sigh: "It's been almost 20 years, how many more years will 'Sunny Day' dominate the charts?"

"Flowing water of hot songs, iron-clad 'Sunny Day'."

Inside the VIP room, Shen Yinuo kept repeating two words: "Sounds good!"

Just like in "Creating Idols", the most frequent evaluation this daughter of Xinyu gave was that it sounds good.

The song brought by Luo Mo was truly too much to her taste.

She felt she was becoming a little obsessed with it.

Luo Mo's stage performances were always so magical; every time he brought a new stage, he could crazily gain fans.

Shen Yinuo felt she could barely hold on, nearly losing her focus; when Luo Mo was Singing, he was like an incarnation of a "Heartthrob," setting a great fire in the hearts of young girls.

She glanced at Jiang Ningxi and couldn't help but say, "Jiang Jiang, do you feel a sense of heartbeat looking at this stage? Isn't he just too good at gaining fans?"

"It's... it's alright." Hearing Shen Yinuo's question, Jiang Ningxi gave a violent start, her reply sounding a bit flustered and at a loss.

Shen Yinuo looked at her with suspicion, feeling that Jiang Ningxi, saying this right now, looked exactly like a child clutching a handful of candy, with the candy wrappers sticking out, yet still desperately shaking her head and saying: No, I don't have any.

—Hiding love like a thief.

The singing continued, and the remaining half of the chorus was also of the kind that, once it started playing, could stir up memories.

"【Long, long ago, there was someone who loved you for a long time,

But as it happens, the wind gradually blew the distance so far away.

It was hard enough to be able to love for one more day,

But at the end of the story, it seems you still said, bye-bye.】"

The final two words "bye-bye" were not very rhyming; it seemed that changing them to "see you again" would have had a better rhyming effect.

If you look closely at the lyrics written by Zhou Jielun himself, it is not hard to find that he sometimes deliberately avoids rhyming.

But the effect created is excellent, having a feeling of coming to an abrupt end.

The song entered the B section, and Luo Mo sang it through once more.

And as it reached the end of the song, the musical style began to change again.

The melody and composition of this song were truly simple, yet very varied.

The ending part had a humming feel to it.

The rhythm was a bit faster.

This technique was actually very similar to the recently released "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion."

"Preface to the Orchid Pavilion" had the same chorus climax; the first part was sung normally, and the latter part suddenly turned into Opera Singing, bringing you an incomparably stunning feeling.

As for "Sunny Day," it underwent a similar transformation in the closing part.

This humming segment gave one the feeling of a young man's monologue.

Therefore, after the last line "【But at the end of the story, it seems you still said bye】" was finished, the accompaniment also suddenly stopped, as if drawing a period to youth.

It could also be considered a very clever little design.

In the lounge, Zhao Xueqin didn't know how to evaluate this song for a moment, especially the song's composition and Arranger.

There were too many exquisite points in this song; combining these clever places together, with many parts being sufficiently unexpected, he was simply worthy of the name of a genius.

Inside the private room of the professional judging panel, many people were already conceiving: how should I evaluate this song in a moment? How many points should I actually give?

A female music critic seemed to react the moment the song ended, suddenly realizing something.

Previously, she had been completely immersed in the singing and in Luo Mo's handsomeness.

At this very moment, she recalled all the lyrics from just now and recalled the whole song, and a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed her mind.

Finally, she couldn't help but speak up:

"Although the song is titled 'Sunny Day,' the whole story is raining!"

(PS: Second update, 4000 words, asking for monthly tickets!)

(End of this chapter)