Zhou Chen?
Isn't it Xu Kun?
The Ordinary Road?
Shouldn't it be You Are So Beautiful?
The live-streaming chat comments visibly froze at that moment.
As Zhou Chen appeared, the Aikuns snapped out of their daze, and the chat exploded with frenzy once again:
"What the hell is Zhou Chen? Wasn't the finale supposed to be Kunkun?"
"Where is Kunkun?! Where is Kunkun?! Where is our Kunkun?"
"What the fuck are the Director's Team doing? Our Kunkun's Weibo was hyped up ages ago, where is he? Where did he go?"
Aside from the Aikuns, ordinary viewers were also chiming in:
"Look on the bright side, with someone else, our ears won't get polluted!"
"Exactly, that Ten Years was pretty good, the new song should be decent too."
"The Ordinary Road doesn't sound like a love song, does it?"
"With Ten Years as a masterpiece, why choose a new song instead of singing Ten Years?"
"Another new song! Looks like he's dead set on debuting solo, huh?"
"..."
Unfortunately, the comments from these onlookers could do nothing to stop the overwhelming force of the Aikuns:
"Aren't the directors going to give us an explanation? Swapping the lineup at the last minute??"
"Changing people just like that, do they think we Aikuns are pushovers?"
"Didn't Zhou Chen just get famous off of one song, Ten Years? Is the capital behind him really that powerful?"
"Aikuns! Show the Director's Team our solidarity!"
"Boycott Zhou Chen! Bring back Kunkun!"
"Boycott Zhou Chen! Bring back Kunkun!"
"..."
In a flash, those eight characters flooded the entire live-stream screen.
The onlookers were thoroughly amused by the spectacle.
It was like watching a comedy:
"Stop screaming.How could a third-tier nobody like Zhou Chen steal resources from a top-tier traffic star? Changing people at the last minute probably means your Kunkun did something good and went inside to sew sneakers!"
"So awkward, hahahaha. It feels like The Legend of Zhen Huan welcoming Noble Consort Xi back to the palace, Kunkun really has so much face."
"Hey, stop shouting, stop shouting, I don't want to laugh myself to death!"
"..."
The live-stream chat was exceptionally lively.
Simultaneously, relevant information popped up on Weibo and rocketed onto the trending searches at breakneck speed.
"Zhou Chen and Xu Kun fight for resources"
"Consort Kun returns to the palace"
"Aikuns and onlookers provide comic relief"
With a third-tier transparent newcomer and a massively popular top-tier star blatantly engaging in a turf war for resources, compounded by the Aikuns' antics, gossip-loving netizens flooded the Golden Rooster Awards gala live-stream almost instantly.
The online audience count, which had been at a modest three million, skyrocketed directly past ten million!
Clearly, gossiping is human nature.
Down in the audience.
Zhao Min's expression shifted drastically, her eyes filled with sheer disbelief.
Zhou Chen!
How did he end up as the finale act?
The Golden Rooster Awards were packed with stars. Those permitted to perform on stage were either veteran A-listers who had made their names long ago or traffic heavyweights like Xu Kun.
Zhou Chen was merely a second-tier—no, once he left Wind and Moon Legend, he was at best a third-tier nobody.
Yet right now, Zhou Chen was performing the finale!
The atmosphere offstage was turbulent.
On stage, contrasting sharply with the exquisite haute couture worn by the gathered celebrities, Zhou Chen wore a simple pair of jeans and a T-shirt, a relaxed smile hanging on his face.
The electric guitar began to play.
The simple melody seemed imbued with countless vicissitudes of life, instantly capturing the audience's ears and holding them fast.
It forced the superstars sitting in the audience—who had been sitting for a long time and growing listless—to spare a bit of attention for the stage.
Right after that.
A voice, clear as water, low and slightly weathered, rang out:
"Tardily lingering on the road
Are you leaving, viavia
Fragile yet proud
That used to be who I was"
Some people hesitate and look before they leap, but others have already shouldered their packs and set off down the road.
What about you?
Will you stay or move forward?
Pretended confidence and pride are like castles in the air, collapsing at the slightest touch.
Yet that was what I used to be.
In the audience, the young host couldn't help muttering, "This song is pretty good."
"Of course it is!"
Gao Yu murmured softly.
Listening to Zhou Chen sing this song, he seemed to see his own once-fragile self.
On stage, Zhou Chen's subdued voice sang in a low hum:
"Boiling with restlessness
Where are you going, viavia
Silent like a riddle
Are you really listening to the story?"
There are many who achieve fame and fortune and become winners in life, but there are also those who linger on the road, too anxious to move forward and change themselves.
What about you? What are you like? What is it that you truly want? Can you see your own heart clearly?
Then ask yourself if you have lived well, and ask your own heart what it desires.
Gao Yu raised a hand to touch his chest. Everything he ever wanted was already his now.
All of it could be turned into stories to tell others.
Only the heartache and regrets along this journey were too late to be let go.
Zhou Chen had already reached the chorus:
"I once crossed mountains and oceans
And passed through crowds of people
Everything I once possessed
Vanish like smoke in an instant
I once felt lost and disappointed
Lost all my direction
Until I saw that the ordinary
Is the sole answer"
The melody was so smooth, the singing so calm, yet it was filled with the hardships and tribulations of life.
Gao Yu heard the fearless determination in the singing, yet it carried a hint of anticipation for the future.
Just like himself—no matter how difficult things got, he would grit his teeth, persist, and forge bravely ahead.
He believed everyone could hear themselves in Zhou Chen's song!
And find resonance!
"When you are still daydreaming
About your tomorrow, viavia
Will it get better or even worse?
To me, it's just another day
I once destroyed everything I had
Just wanting to leave forever
I once plunged into endless darkness
Struggling, unable to pull myself out
Like you, like him, I once was
Like those wild grasses and wildflowers
Despairing yet yearning
Crying and laughing, living an ordinary life"
When some people are still daydreaming that tomorrow will be better or even worse when they go home, I have already started a new day.
Everyone gets lost, indulges in daydreams, and envies other people's talent and success, not knowing that others are merely ordinary wildflowers, experiencing despair and yearning, tears and laughter.
Yet if you only lie in bed rotting away every day, running away from problems, refusing to study or exercise while wallowing in self-pity, you will be ruined sooner or later.
The most painful thing in life is to be repeatedly humiliated by fate without the slightest ability to fight back.
"Keep walking, just walking like this
Even if something was given
Keep walking, just walking like this
Even if something was taken away
Keep walking, just walking like this
Even if something is missed
Keep walking, just walking like this, even if..."
The plain and repressed buildup of the first half was completely released at this moment.
Just keep walking like this, walking onward.
Things that have been abandoned can no longer be possessed; whatever can be taken away or missed never belonged to you in the first place.
No matter what happens, never stay in one place. As long as you keep walking, keep walking, new things will always appear.
Only by marching forward courageously will you get everything you desire.
Gao Yu thought of the script he had shoved into the corner of his study. He liked it a lot, so why hadn't he dared to film it?
Was it because he was afraid of losing his halo as a genius director?
So what if he was?
Who hasn't experienced failure?
And even if it was a failure, he had to taste it for himself.
"Time is like smoke, passing just like this
Tomorrow is already here, viavia
The wind-swept road is still long
Where has your story reached?"
As the lyrics finished, the accompaniment gradually faded out.
The song came to an end.
The crowd remained motionless for a long time.
Their heartstrings were plucked by the singing, plunging them into their own memories.
Where has my story reached?
Where has my life journeyed?
The half-minute silence made Zhou Chen start to wonder if something had gone wrong with the show's schedule.
Where was the host?
Wasn't she going to come out and say a few words?
"Clap!"
Someone initiated the applause.
"Clap clap!"
"Clap clap clap!"
Immediately afterward, thunderous applause resounded through the entire venue, refusing to stop for a long time.
The camera swept across the audience. Those stars who stood in the public eye maintaining their glamorous façades all had red-rimmed eyes, struggling to preserve their dignity so they wouldn't break down crying.
The host had been crying from the very first few lines of the song all the way to the end.
She couldn't put into words what made this song so good.
But it reminded her of leaving her village, studying and fighting her way into the industry, and finally buying a house for her parents with the money she earned. Their reaction wasn't joy that they finally had a house; instead, they had gripped her hands and repeatedly asked if she had suffered any grievances—and if she had, she could just come back home, where her dad and mom could afford to feed her.
The sunshine that day had been just right, the breeze mild, and their three sets of intertwined hands were the most ordinary, warmest happiness.
After coming full circle, the little village she had once wanted to escape eventually became her answer.
"Hey, hey, Weiwei, hurry up and go on stage for the next segment." Gao Yu's voice came through the earpiece, carrying a slight nasal tone; he too had been struck straight to the core by this song.
Damn it, the lyrics were already written so well, and the composition was this brilliant!
It was truly infuriating!
Weiwei hurriedly wiped away her tears, quickly touched up her tear-stained makeup with the help of a makeup artist, and dashed onto the stage:
"Thank you! Thank you, Zhou Chen, for bringing us this brand-new song, The Ordinary Road!"
"I can see that everyone loves this song very much, and the lyrics are written with profound meaning. I believe every single one of us has our own answer."
"Now let us unveil the final award..."
Clearly, this should have been the reveal of the most important award, yet everyone's thoughts still lingered on the song Zhou Chen had just sung.
The veteran singers and veteran actors sitting in the front row were also somewhat distracted.
Especially Heavenly King Liu Minghua, who kept glancing over at Zhou Chen's seat, prompting his celebrity friend beside him to remark: "What? Taken a liking to this newcomer?"
"Yeah, the lyrics are written very simply, but the greatest truths are the simplest," Liu Minghua praised Zhou Chen unreservedly. "If possible, I really want to collaborate with him once!"
His celebrity friend could barely hide his shock. Liu Minghua had made his name long ago and was extremely demanding when it came to his work; it was rare to see him praise a young person like this.
Yet thinking of the song Zhou Chen had just sung, he didn't find it strange anymore.
This young man named Zhou Chen was definitely not someone who would stay in a small pond for long.
Who knows, he might really get to collaborate with Liu Minghua!
The minor stars sitting in the back rows started whispering directly to one another:
"Wails... if I could sing a song like this, I wouldn't have to worry for the rest of my life."
"It's amazing. The lyrics are simple, but paired with the melody, it has a feeling that strikes straight to the heart."
"I saw Heavenly King Liu listening to it until he cried."
"Like you didn't cry!"
"I cried too. How come I didn't know Zhou Chen was this awesome before? Did he write this song himself?"
"Not sure, but I really want to book a song from the person who wrote the lyrics and music."
"Keep dreaming, look at those big shots in the front row. If Zhou Chen really wrote it himself, do any of us still stand a chance of getting a song from him?"
"So envious. To be able to show your face in such a huge setting and succeed."
"This guy Zhou Chen is so lucky. To have these two songs—starting today, he's going to soar to prosperity."
"..."
It wasn't just the stars in the audience who were moved by The Ordinary Road.
The people watching the live stream online went completely crazy!
The slow, lyrical rhythm paired with Zhou Chen's clear, weathered voice was full of low-key humming, filling the entire song with a faint sadness and warmth.
It was like a fine, dense electrical current drilling into the body. At first, you didn't feel much, but by the time you snapped out of it, that sour, aching sensation had already enveloped your mind and body, refusing to dissipate.
"Oh my god, the tune of this song is as simple as it gets, so why do I feel so heavy?"
"Can anyone understand me? I listened to this song and started crying nonstop!"
"No need to understand, because I'm howling tears too!"
"I'm in my twenties and it made me cry. I've been lost all this time—getting into college from high school, finding a job after college. I don't know what I actually want, but as long as I keep walking and walking..."
"I'm in my forties, with a wife, a child, and a good job in the worldly sense. But who would have thought how high-spirited I was when I was young! Turns out the ordinary is truly the sole answer."
"Knowing who you are, knowing your own weight, and knowing what you're doing right now is actually simple, but it's also really hard. We find ourselves lost, walking the ordinary road beneath our feet with all our might."
"Just now getting off work, I was walking down the street. It was a bit noisy. Ahead of me was an old couple supporting each other, behind me were students fresh out of school, and beside me was a smoking barbecue stall... Suddenly I knew what the ordinary being the sole answer meant."
"Wuuu, what the person before me said is so true. These are all the ordinary little joys of life."
"What you said is great, but are you sure you didn't just want to eat barbecue?"
"The ordinary is the sole answer; in the end, all experiences turn into stories."
"How much must one experience, and how many times must one reconcile with oneself, to have this turned into lyrics and recounted so smoothly?"
"Even though I know the ordinary is the sole answer, I still persist! Striving to move forward!"
"Yeah! We are ordinary, but our ordinary selves always have our own extraordinary aspects!"
"Though someone might ask you, 'So what if it's like this? So what if it's like that?' Money can't buy my own happiness! I'll live it just like this and like that!"
"My tears escaped the heartbreak love song Ten Years, but they still fell for The Ordinary Road."
"Lucky you upstairs, I couldn't escape either of them, bawling my eyes out!"
"..."
A single rendition of The Ordinary Road forged something extraordinary online.
Countless people shared their feelings after listening to the song. Whether older or younger, they all found their own realizations.
Songs express aspirations; songs convey emotions.
That is precisely what an outstanding, great song does.
Needless to say, they would naturally hear the answers they wanted within the music.
No need to overthink—just keep walking and walking onward, and that would be enough.
The Ordinary Road spread through the crowd at an astonishing speed. Unlike Ten Years, which was specifically designed to heal those suffering from broken hearts, the melody of The Ordinary Road subtly and inadvertently struck the softest part of the heart. Not a single person could escape it.