Huayu: Were you ever a top star before writing nonsense?

Chapter 199 "If the Moon Doesn't Come"

In Shen Can's opinion, "If the Moon Doesn't Come" is a very new song.

Time flies so fast; in the blink of an eye, several years have passed.

This song was released in early 24. The lyrics were written by Jiang Hui, the music was composed by Li Zhe, the arrangement was done by Shi Songhao and Han Bing, and the vocals were performed by Wang Yuzhou and Qiao Juncheng—all of whom were relatively unknown in the industry before the song was released.

They can be described as a group of ordinary people.

However, when they came together, they created a song that became a huge hit 24 years later, with short videos garnering billions of views.

It's not because the song is artistically sophisticated, but because it's "heartfelt".

It's worth mentioning that after this song, lyricist Jiang Hui also wrote lyrics for another song that received extremely polarized reviews—"Jump Tower Machine".

Wang Yuzhou, one of the singers of "If the Moon Doesn't Come," can be said to have played a significant role in the song's popularity.

Despite being an amateur with little professional training, her voice is gentle, full of charm, and her singing is like heavenly music.

Her own life story is also somewhat legendary.

She was a student at Tongji University, and a top student in the direct-entry doctoral program in life sciences. In other words, she could have gone all the way to a doctorate, but she transferred to the School of Design and Innovation to start from scratch. Then, during her junior and senior years, she joined the military and became the first female naval officer in Tongji's history.

After graduating from university, she suffered a terrible car accident and spent two or three years recovering. After recovering, she used all her savings to build her first recording studio, where her single "If the Moon Didn't Come" was born.

She also incorporated her insights into life into her songs.

Shen Can chose this song because it is down-to-earth and resonates strongly with those who are in adversity or have felt lost.

Inside a rented room in Shanghai.

He Jiang turned on his Lenovo laptop.

She had been using the computer for three years. She bought it during the summer after finishing her freshman year of college, when she stayed in Shanghai and didn't go home. She saved up money by working part-time at a bubble tea shop and tutoring.

Although the configuration isn't high-end, it's still usable.

The laptop hummed as it ran, and He Jiang secretly prayed, "Please, please don't let it break down."

As an intern editor at Dianping, I still have to make time to reply to authors' messages, even during my weekends off.

Those authors don't care whether the editor takes a break or not; some even send messages in the middle of the night asking if they can get a contract or a recommendation.

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Therefore, computers are of utmost importance to her.

"Achoo." He Jiang sneezed. Seeing that there were no tissues on the table, she quickly got up, walked to the bedside, squatted down, and took out a pack of tissues from the plastic bag under the bed.

The rented room was small, with limited usable space, so she could only put some things under the bed.

Just then, the laptop finally turned on.

"My Lenovo is terrible." He Jiang glanced at the boot time, which was almost two minutes.

She first watched Shen Can's short video, which made her laugh out loud and her bad mood improved a lot. Even her cold symptoms seemed to have lessened a bit.

She then found Shen Can's new song on QQ Music.

To be precise, you don't need to bother looking for it, because the official recommendation is right on the homepage.

After entering the playback page, He Jiang clicked to play the music video.

The next second, Wan Qian's singing voice rang in her ears.

"Is Shen Can using that instant immortality trick again?" He Jiang was stunned for a moment, recalling Shen Can's actions in the short video. That person started singing as soon as he said he would, without giving anyone a chance to react.

The new term "instantly opening immortal" is what netizens in the comments section used to describe Shen Can's behavior.

So this song is one too?

Goodness, there wasn't even a prelude.

To her recollection, this was the first time she had ever heard this type of song.

Shen Can is really bold in his musical creations.

Hmm—it seems like I've always been quite bold.

Honestly, she wouldn't be surprised if Shen Can composed a funeral piece someday.

Wan Qian's singing voice kept reaching He Jiang's ears, echoing in the rented room.

"The wind blows over the mountains, the boat docks at the shore, and the scenery is beautiful, so let's take a look."

I headed north, you went south, and the stories unfolded one by one.

Wan Qian's singing voice is very gentle, not the ethereal kind, but it makes people feel very comfortable when they hear it.

He Jiang looked surprised.

"Wan Qian also graduated from the performing arts department, right?"

She had previously read gossip posts about Shen Can on Tianya forum.

The post listed the female celebrities who had contact with Shen Can, such as Gao Yuanyuan and Yang Rong.

Furthermore, it conducts an in-depth analysis of the female celebrities' "micro-expressions" and their interactions with Shen Can in their daily lives.

What are we analyzing?

The poster seems to have been influenced by Shen Can's mind; he's analyzing just how deep the relationships between female celebrities and Shen Can really are.

Among them is Wan Qian. The poster concluded that "the probability of Wan Qian having in-depth communication with Shen Can is as high as 69%, and all indications suggest that they are not just a simple senior-junior relationship."

The post also contains information about Wan Qian.

He Jiang wasn't interested in Shen Can and Wan Qian's relationship; she was a staunch supporter of the "Chan Fei" (Chan Fei and Wan Qian) couple. However, she didn't have much ill will towards Wan Qian either. Instead, she was surprised by Wan Qian's voice, and her singing was simple, sincere, and touching.

"Are performing arts students really that good at singing these days?" He Jiang blinked.

Shen Can is also in the performing arts department.

The music video begins with a series of beautiful landscape scenes.

It seems that Shen Can enjoys using beautiful scenery in his music videos to quickly calm people's hearts.

Foxtail grass sways in the wind, passenger ships slowly sail away from the port under the setting sun, and people happily play on the Bund in Shanghai — Shi Shi appears in the video, standing on a pedestrian bridge, gazing at airplanes flying high in the distance, heading towards her unknown future.

Wearing a white down jacket and quiet and reserved, it's hard to associate her with the cute girl in Shen Can's short videos.

Anyway, He Jiang can't do it.

"She's so beautiful, with such great poise and elegance. If I were a man, I'd be crazy about her."

He Jiang felt that this Shi Shi was such a contrast, she had some acting skills, and her future was promising.

Just then, Shen Can's magnetic singing voice rang out in the room.

In an instant, He Jiang's eyes lit up, his mouth opened wide, and he felt as if his ears had been impregnated.

Shen Can got her pregnant!

"Ugh, I'm working late again. You get on an empty subway, and it's the last train."

It's so frustrating. I love you so much, but we have to break up. I can't understand relationships.

It's so frustrating. Getting close to my ideal is so difficult, yet I'm still so unwilling to accept it.

How to embrace the ordinary? If perfection is the hardest thing to achieve, then choose acceptance.

The lyrics resonated deeply with people.

He Jiang's heart trembled as he listened to Shen Can's singing.

Wan Qian's initial singing was very lyrical and story-driven, while Shen Can's singing went straight to the point, elevating the overall atmosphere of the song while remaining down-to-earth, quickly building up the emotional foundation.

At the same time, the sense of storytelling is stronger because Shen Can is singing about things that happen in real life.

Who wouldn't find this annoying? To paraphrase Sun Wukong, it's absolutely "infuriating!"

In the music video, with Shen Can's singing, Shi Shi's "main scene" officially begins.

In the first scene, she was working overtime in the office until very late. Everyone else had left, and she was the only one left still working overtime miserably.

She took a sip of water, rubbed her eyes, and then continued typing on the keyboard and getting back to work.

The scene then shifts to the second location, where Shishi is walking down the street, looking dejected.

The empty streets don't evoke feelings of how hard she's trying, but rather a sense of heartache.

Her pretty face showed only a hint of fatigue, yet it seemed to be filled with exhaustion.

He Jiang understands her!

If given a choice, who would want to work overtime until late at night?

Overtime? What a load of crap!

Aside from workaholics, who wants to work with others? Isn't it comfortable to lie in bed and sleep?

It's all because we were forced into it by life.

"Shen Can sang what's in my heart," He Jiang murmured, deeply moved.

She also experienced the embarrassment of working overtime until late at night, only to miss the subway.

That was her previous job.

What's outrageous is that when she took a taxi home, her company said the 55 yuan fare was too high and refused to reimburse her for the full amount. In addition, her salary was only average in Shanghai, so in a fit of anger, she simply quit her job.

Her friends say she's too temperamental.

But how good can you expect Chusheng Company to be to its employees if it doesn't pay them overtime or even reimburse them for taxi fares home after working overtime?

What? Employees are just expected to make sacrifices?

You're talking to me about dedication? I came out to work to earn money, and you're telling me about dedication?

Why doesn't your boss share some of your profits with your employees?

Many bosses are typical scoundrels who "want the horse to run fast but are unwilling to feed it."

As for love—she had a campus romance, but after graduation, her ex-boyfriend was afraid she would become a "Voldemort" and broke up with her. She could understand it, after all, anyone who wanted to marry her would probably hesitate and struggle with the kind of family she came from.

She had truly loved him deeply and thought they could spend their lives together, but ultimately, reality proved too much to overcome.

Currently, two people are pursuing her, but He Jiang can clearly see that they are only after her looks and figure. They are only after her body, not truly in love with her.

Just as He Jiang was lost in thought due to the influence of the song, Wan Qian began singing the climax of "If the Moon Didn't Come".

If the moon hasn't come yet, the streetlights can still shine on the windowsill, illuminating the white camellias as they gently bloom.

If the morning breeze hasn't arrived yet, the evening breeze can still embrace you, gently swaying the shadows of the trees on the ground.

In the music video, Shi Shi didn't choose to take a taxi, but instead continued to stroll along the long streets of Shanghai, as if she wanted to walk home.

She walked onto the overpass, then down, gazing at the bustling traffic, but she was the only pedestrian there.

The noise and loneliness formed a stark contrast.

She watched quietly, without sighing, only glancing up at the streetlight in front of her.

He Jiang bit his lip and said softly, "In Shanghai's winter, there are very few opportunities to see the moon. It's only possible on clear days. Most of the time, the only light illuminating the windowsill is the streetlights."

"And this is the life of those who drift to Shanghai."

She understood the meaning of the lyrics Shen Can wrote.

The unsatisfactory things in life are nine out of ten.

In life, there are too many challenges and setbacks to face, and it is difficult to achieve perfection.

It's difficult to achieve perfection in everything, but it's easy to achieve a state of "small fullness" (a state of moderate prosperity). Facing life's unpleasantness with equanimity, and relaxing and letting go of ego are the most important things.

The moon represents "dreams," or rather, anything one wants to achieve, but if it cannot be accomplished or done...

The streetlights are also very good.

On days when the sky is obscured, before the moon rises, you can find your own "poetry and distant places" and a sense of healing and relaxation by embracing the image of "the streetlights as the moon outside your window."

"However, in reality, it's very difficult for ordinary people to find that 'streetlight' that can illuminate their own window," He Jiang sighed, expressing his feelings.

Sometimes, just surviving is difficult enough.

Suddenly, Shen Can started rapping.

This idol, who can play basketball, dance, and has only been in the industry for about two and a half months, suddenly started rapping!

His voice has changed; it's no longer the magnetic voice he used to have, but rather a bit hoarse, and the emotions in his singing have become more tender and gentle.

"Her wired speaker, which cost a few dozen yuan, was playing rewind on a loop. She was leaning against the windowsill in the corridor, eating her slightly chilled takeout."

How can I describe the wistful state of a girl from a small town who is determined to stay in Shanghai?

Looking at the towering buildings of the CBD, where is her home? How many square meters is the shared rental room? Who remembers her birthday?

The future is always uncertain, and the pressure of life is even more suffocating. Why do we have to go through so much hardship at such a beautiful age?

Walking forward in a daze, stumbling and falling but unable to cry out in pain, not daring to easily hope for love, nor easily indulging in self-pity.

The music video plays scenes that match the lyrics: Shi Shi listening to the song, eating takeout in a hallway, and living in a rented apartment —

On her birthday, no one called her; she simply bought the cheapest little cake and made a wish.

"Happy birthday!" Shishi wished herself a happy birthday, smiling as she blew out the candles, but the smile vanished in an instant.

Seeing the energetic young man played by Shen Can kissing the woman in pink played by Xu Xinran on the street, she showed envy on her face and even imagined herself kissing Shen Can.

She also wants to be loved.

But love—she dared not hope for it.

This music video is full of lively scenes, but it consistently conveys a sense of loneliness.

The loneliness of a girl adrift in a big city.

Holy crap!

He Jiang felt his scalp tingle and stood up abruptly from his chair, goosebumps erupting all over his body!

This is no longer just singing about one's own feelings; it's singing about oneself!

If she weren't certain that she had no connection with Shen Can, she could reasonably suspect that Shen Can had installed a camera next to her.

This rap not only shocked her, but also made her empathize more deeply. It struck a chord with her, and it really did!

Living alone in a strange place, working hard to survive, with no one around, afraid to fall in love, and no one to confide in about my troubles and stresses —

"I believe people who drift in big cities can empathize with this," He Jiang thought to himself, tears streaming down his face.

She wasn't crying for the song, she was crying for herself.

Shen Can was still rapping when the climax came.

"Moon, moon, you don't understand how heavy sixpence really is. That bus that leads to her hometown appears in her dream again."

The pillow was being gripped tightly; tears were streaming down her face. She wondered whether she would stay or leave next year. The hazy moonlight brushed past her tear tracks, revealing her youthful face. A gentle evening breeze blew, and the camellias outside the window had bloomed.

In the music video, Shi Shi wakes up from a dream in a rented room with tears in her eyes. The hazy moonlight shines down, and she quietly looks out the window. The evening breeze blows, and camellias bloom.

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