Reborn in 2015, I became a male god starting in high school.

Chapter 165 I was once overwhelmed by the vastness of the world

Before Zhou Ziyang even performed, the students in the audience had a lot of doubts about him. After all, some big names in the music industry might not be able to write a single masterpiece even after spending several years, but Zhou Ziyang was only a freshman, and it was already surprising enough that he had said he had written a song called "Starry Sea".

What time is it? Why are you saying I've written another song?
Even Qi Tao was secretly worried about Zhou Ziyang. It felt like someone was deliberately messing with Old Zhou.
"No, Brother Tao, are you alright? Old Zhou is trying to steal your woman, and you're still worried about him?" Zhang Dapeng asked, puzzled.

Qi Tao said, "What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by stealing a woman? Lao Zhou and Si Yao were just putting on a normal performance."

Zhang Dapeng simply gave a thumbs up after hearing this, thinking to himself, "Awesome."

A few girls hiding backstage found a good spot to watch Zhou Ziyang perform. Shen Xin asked Xia Wei if Zhou Ziyang had written any other songs.

Xia Wei was actually quite embarrassed at this moment, because she said she was Zhou Ziyang's ex-girlfriend, but she knew nothing about Zhou Ziyang.

Even Shen Xin became curious and asked, "Aren't you Zhou Ziyang's ex-girlfriend? How come you don't know anything about him?"

These words made Xia Wei very embarrassed, but she was unwilling to lose face, so she could only say to herself, "An ex-girlfriend is not a current girlfriend, it's normal not to know, okay?"

Such an answer was obviously untenable. At this moment, Lin Siyao, who was standing in front of them, was probably the most nervous. She stared intently at Zhou Ziyang, who was sitting in front of the piano on the stage. What she feared most was that Zhou Ziyang would sing an original song. Unexpectedly, Zhou Ziyang was actually going to sing an original song.

No, he doesn't have that many original songs.

Wang Rouxin's tone towards Li Chumei was rather unfriendly. She asked Li Chumei, "Did you tamper with the school leaders' grading?"

Li Chumei was taken aback and glanced at Wang Rouxin with some embarrassment, saying, "What are you saying? The scores of the programs were all agreed upon by Dean Su and the others. They removed the highest and lowest scores. What do you mean I tampered with the scores?"

"You can fool others but not me. What a coincidence! I know you just think the gala isn't exciting enough. As the head of the organization department and the person in charge of this gala, you want to make the stage more spectacular so that everyone will think you're amazing."

"But you don't need to resort to underhanded tactics. What if Zhou Ziyang doesn't have a new song ready?"

At this moment, Wang Rouxin looked at Li Chumei with a hint of questioning in her eyes. She felt that Li Chumei was too selfish. From freshman year to now, Li Chumei has been the kind of person who only thinks about herself.

What Wang Rouxin was worried about was that if Zhou Ziyang's new song wasn't very good, then Zhou Ziyang's reputation would be ruined.

Those of you here probably think that Zhou Ziyang's actions were a publicity stunt orchestrated by the student union.

Therefore, at this moment, Wang Rouxin really hated Li Chumei's selfishness.

She could have discussed anything with Zhou Ziyang; there was no need to force her into this situation.

Wang Rouxin's eyes were filled with undisguised disdain, while Li Chumei initially appeared innocent and clueless. Seeing that Wang Rouxin didn't believe her at all, Li Chumei regained her confidence and superiority, saying, "I've been your roommate for three years. If you think this way about me, there's nothing I can do."

"I can't change your mind."

Wang Rouxin said, "Don't pretend to be righteous in front of me. I know you too well."

"If you embarrass Zhou Ziyang this time, then there's no need for us to be friends anymore."

"Ha~"

Li Chumei found Wang Rouxin's statement ridiculous and said, "Please, sister."

"We all know that Zhou Ziyang has a girlfriend."

"This is my business."

However, Wang Rouxin remained exceptionally resolute.

She said, "Anyway, I won't allow you to bully him!"

Li Chumei chuckled. After three years of getting to know each other, she realized that Wang Rouxin was actually quite adorable.

Bully?

How could a weak woman like me possibly bully Zhou Ziyang?
Besides, sister, do you think Zhou Ziyang is the kind of person who can be bullied by others?
Regardless, Wang Rouxin was a little nervous.

After all, the chances of original songs being accepted by others are too small.

Until Zhou Ziyang played the intro of the song in a series of smooth and flowing movements, he instantly captured everyone's attention.

The song "The Wind Rises" was originally released as a single in February 2017. Zhou Ziyang remembered that it seemed to be an adaptation of a song from Japan. However, Zhou Ziyang forgot the release date of the original song. But since he had already sung it, he thought he would go back and check the information. If it had been released, he would buy the copyright and say that he had rewritten the lyrics and sang it himself.

The piano accompaniment at the beginning of this song is indeed very Japanese in style, carrying a faint sadness, yet it is like a calm narration.

The intro lasted about forty-five seconds, then Zhou Ziyang began to sing softly:
We traveled and stopped along the way.

Follow the traces of youth drifting
Unlike those wildly popular songs that can ignite the entire audience from the very beginning, this song is more like a fine old wine that needs to be savored slowly. To be honest, although the original song is a Japanese production, its true popularity is largely due to the addition of Chinese lyrics.

Zhou Ziyang was playing the piano accompaniment seriously while singing softly.

It's less about singing and more about telling a story.

When I first came to know this world
lingering in all kinds of ways

It wasn't until this part of the song that its true uniqueness began to emerge. Students from Nanjing University generally had some understanding of it, while artistic young women like Li Chumei were likely to appreciate the song's distinctiveness even more.

Wang Rouxin was still confronting Li Chumei, but when Zhou Ziyang's singing started, both of them stopped and stared blankly at Zhou Ziyang on the stage.

At this moment, the spotlight shone on Zhou Ziyang, giving him an extra touch of unique charm.

Li Chumei's gaze toward Zhou Ziyang became increasingly commanding.

A smile crept onto her lips; she felt she had made the right bet this time.

Zhou Ziyang surprised her once again.

Actually, she hadn't thought that much about it. She just wanted Zhou Ziyang to play another piece on the piano, or of course, sing "Starry Sea" again.

But Zhou Ziyang surprised him greatly.

Lee Cho-mi prefers this song to "The Sea of ​​Stars".

Every word in the lyrics is worth savoring.

This is a college student's reflection on his life from childhood to adulthood.

The confusion of leaving a small city.

After struggling in big cities for several years, the feeling of returning home becomes even more timid.

Zhou Ziyang, a freshman in college, actually had such profound insights.

The students here may not be able to understand the feeling of being apprehensive about returning home.

But for them, who have just entered university, there is indeed a feeling of being new to the world and being reluctant to leave.

Zhou Ziyang can actually write such good lyrics.

Did he also write this melody himself?

Just as Li Chumei was filled with doubt, Zhou Ziyang played another smooth and flowing piano accompaniment.

Then there was a slight pause.

The world came to an abrupt end.

This song is best listened to quietly.

Everyone stared intently at Zhou Ziyang on the stage.

Zhou Ziyang did not play the piano again, but instead picked up the microphone hanging next to the piano.

Sing softly:

I was once overwhelmed by the vastness of the world.

I also indulged in it and talked in my sleep.

Cannot distinguish between true and false

No struggle

Not afraid of jokes

I once poured my youth into her.
This section is the climax of the entire song and is a true test of a singer's skill. Zhou Ziyang's a cappella performance brought the song to its peak. Li Chumei, who was carefully appreciating the lyrics and music, teared up when she heard this part.

There's no way around it, artsy young women are indeed hard to understand.

But Li Chumei truly understood the song. Looking at Zhou Ziyang calmly singing into the microphone on stage, she really felt that Zhou Ziyang was a genius and that this song was much better than "Stars and the Sea".

During the climax, Zhou Ziyang sang several verses in a row, each one higher than the last, until the entire audience fell silent after he finished the last verse.

If people thought Zhou Ziyang's "Starry Sea" was just a lucky break, then with the release of "The Wind Rises," everyone has to admit that Zhou Ziyang, a freshman, has the talent to be a singer.

Shocked.

When Zhou Ziyang finished singing the entire song, he simply came to the front of the stage.

He bowed slightly.

"Clap clap clap!"

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

Lin Siyao's hot dance was indeed captivating, but Zhou Ziyang's song was truly stunning. Zhou Ziyang simply used his singing skills to sing a cappella, yet it touched people's hearts.

"Okay, thank you!"

"Thank you, Zhou Ziyang, for the wonderful performance!"

The lights came on, and the hosts went on stage one by one.

Along with them were several other girls, including Lin Siyao and Wang Rouxin.

Wang Rouxin's eyes must have been sparkling as she looked at Zhou Ziyang. She had been worried about him making a fool of himself, but now she felt ridiculous.

How could Zhou Ziyang possibly embarrass himself?

My worries were completely unnecessary.

Lin Siyao's expression was clearly off. From the moment Zhou Ziyang said he wanted to sing an original song, she knew she was going to lose, but when Zhou Ziyang actually sang it, she was still somewhat shocked.

She listened to Zhou Ziyang sing from beginning to end.

The lyrics and music are very well written. The journey of stopping and starting along the way is a true reflection of Lin Siyao.

The host, holding the microphone, asked Zhou Ziyang a few questions, such as, "What kind of emotions does this song you wrote mainly express?"
Zhou Ziyang then took the microphone and began to express his feelings, saying that we are all on a journey, stopping and starting along the way, indulging in the world's prosperity, but ultimately returning to the ordinary.

The students here have just entered university; their lives are just beginning.

The reason I sang this song is to encourage everyone, to show that life is long and we should follow the steps of our hearts.

After Zhou Ziyang's long speech, enthusiastic applause immediately erupted from the audience.

Even Su Ya, who was sitting in the first row, couldn't help but applaud.

She admired Zhou Ziyang even more. Thinking about it carefully, the two songs Zhou Ziyang had written since the start of the semester seemed to be very positive.

The applause came in waves.

But then came the announcement of the results. Zhou Ziyang and Lin Siyao, both of their performances were very unique.

Lin Siyao's performance was a hit with the audience.

Zhou Ziyang's songs are full of positive energy, and of course, they are also pleasant to listen to.

The evaluation will be conducted by the school leaders present.

Upon hearing this, Lin Siyao knew she was going to lose.

But then they saw the school leaders and teachers in the first two rows whispering and smiling at each other, taking things into consideration.

Lin Siyao's performance was truly refreshing.

However, Zhou Ziyang's songs seem to have more promotional value.

Therefore, in their comparison, they both felt that Zhou Ziyang was more deserving of first place.

As expected, Zhou Ziyang won first place, receiving not only a certificate of honor but also a laptop worth four thousand yuan.

The award was presented personally by Su Ya, the vice dean of the School of Architecture.

Su Ya, wearing high heels and a stylish office lady uniform skirt, handed the certificate to Zhou Ziyang with a smile and said "Congratulations" to him.

Zhou Ziyang smiled and nodded in thanks.

Lin Siyao, who came in second, seemed a little down. How could a girl like her possibly ride a mountain bike?

This Zhou Ziyang is really something; he doesn't know how to bring honor to his class when there's a performance to be made.

As a result, he ended up slapping himself in the face.

The gala was originally scheduled to end ten minutes early, but because of two additional performances, it was dragged out by twenty minutes. By the time the awards were presented, it was already 8:50 PM, so the rest of the event proceeded very quickly.

The students had been watching the show for almost three hours and were already exhausted.

Some students left before the awards ceremony began.

Most of the people remaining there were school leaders and student union members in the front row.

There are photos to be taken during the awards ceremony, and also cleaning up and other tasks.

Many teachers told Li Chumei that the gala was very well organized.

Lee Cho-mi nodded modestly, indicating that she was still far from being able to do so.

Su Ya really likes Zhou Ziyang's song "The Wind Rises".

"I never imagined your mother raised you so well. I think your mother would be very proud of you if she knew," Su Ya said with a light laugh, patting Zhou Ziyang on the shoulder.

Zhou Ziyang nodded slightly.

“Zhou Ziyang,” Li Chumei called out to Zhou Ziyang.

Zhou Ziyang turned his head curiously, only to see Li Chumei say, "We're having a celebration banquet later, why don't you come along?"

Before Zhou Ziyang could speak, Su Ya said that they should attend more of these kinds of activities.

"You should socialize more with your classmates."

Su Ya, like an elder, patiently taught Zhou Ziyang.

At this moment, a student from the student council who was in charge of filming came over with a camera to take pictures.

So Su Ya pulled Zhou Ziyang aside and said, "Come on, let's take a picture."

Su Ya was very pretty, dressed in a well-fitting suit, and gently held Zhou Ziyang's arm with her delicate hands.

The two were very close, and Zhou Ziyang's arm touched her chest, where he could feel the frame of her bra.

After receiving their prizes and taking photos, unrelated personnel may leave first.

Students like Lin Siyao, who have finished their performances, can leave early after taking the group photo.

Seeing Zhou Ziyang being fawned over by everyone, Lin Siyao felt very jealous.

Just as she was thinking of leaving with Shen Xin and Xia Wei.

Unexpectedly, Li Chumei called out to her, "Lin Siyao,"

"?" Lin Siyao had no personal relationship with Li Chumei, and was very curious about why Li Chumei suddenly called her over.

But then Li Chumei chuckled and said, "You should come to the student council's celebration banquet later."

(End of this chapter)