He unexpectedly becomes a father at the start of his life, and the mother of his child is a national

The bow left the strings.

The room suddenly fell silent, so quiet that you could hear Sisi's soft breathing and the faint sound of some car passing by in the far distance outside the window.

Several seconds later, Sisi suddenly cried out "Wow!" breaking the silence.

She slid off the sofa, ran to Chen Hao, hugged his leg tightly, and looked up at him with her little face:

"Dad! You played so beautifully!" she said, smiling a little shyly.

"Sisi cried while listening... Although, although Sisi didn't know why she was crying, she just felt... so sad, yet so beautiful! Like a dream!"

Chen Hao put down his zither, bent down, and picked up his daughter with some difficulty.

Sisi hugged his neck and pressed her still slightly damp face against his.

"Silly girl," Chen Hao's voice was a little hoarse, from being too engrossed in the music, "why did you cry while listening to music?"

"Mmm!" Sisi nodded vigorously, then rubbed the corner of her eye with the back of her little fist.

"It sounds so good! Dad plays the best!"

Lin Caiwei also stood up at this moment.

She walked up to Chen Hao, who was holding his daughter, and looked into his eyes.

Her gaze was calm and deep; she looked at him for a long time, as if trying to find the source of the music he had just heard in his eyes.

"Chen Hao," she began, her voice indeed a little hoarse. She cleared her throat before continuing.

"I have listened carefully to the three versions of 'Zigeunerweisen' by Mutter, Heifetz, and Friedman, more than once."

Chen Hao hummed in agreement, gently patted Sisi's back, and waited for her to continue.

"But," Lin Caiwei took a breath and said slowly and clearly,

"I think your poop just now... was better than theirs."

Chen Hao was visibly taken aback for a moment, then laughed. His smile contained surprise, but even more so, disbelief that she was exaggerating.

"What you're saying... how could I possibly compare to them? They're world-renowned masters, I'm just playing around with my own skills."

"I'm not being polite, nor am I exaggerating." Lin Caiwei's expression was unusually serious, without the slightest hint of joking.

"Their version is of course excellent, beyond words; it has been tested by countless hours and countless ears."

But your version... is different.

It's more... flavorful, more touching.

I can tell that you're not "performing" this piece; you're more like using the music to "tell" your own story.

She paused, as if searching for a more precise word: "There is a 'story' in your music."

This skill cannot be acquired simply by practicing techniques diligently.

Is this more like... a talent? Or perhaps it's something you've experienced and felt that has been incorporated into the music?

It's more real.

Chen Hao felt a little embarrassed by her words, and his ears even felt a little hot.

He freed one hand and scratched the back of his head: "I probably just played it casually, and the tune just happens to suit your taste."

"Not just right."

Lin Caiwei shook her head, her gaze still fixed on his face, which was churning with too many emotions; the surprise hadn't completely subsided.

Admiration truly surfaced, but there were also deeper and more complex things that even she herself might not be able to fully discern at this moment.

"Chen Hao," she said softly, her voice filled with an unprecedented tenderness and sigh.

"You really... really surprise me."

Chen Hao put the violin back in its case, and before he could finish his modest words, Sisi pulled his hand and led him toward the control panel.

"Daddy, didn't you say you were going to play a new song for Mommy?" The little guy had a great memory, and his short legs moved incredibly fast.

"Play it for Mom right away!"

Chen Hao laughed as his daughter pulled him away, saying, "Okay, I'll let you go now."

He walked to the control panel, bent down, turned on the computer, and brought up the folder he had created specifically for this purpose.

Sisi lay beside his legs, her little hands on his knees, her head tilted back as she stared at the screen.

Lin Caiwei sat down in the swivel chair next to her and casually tucked her loose hair behind her ear.

The screen displays project files for ten songs, each labeled with its title and completion date.

The filenames are neatly arranged, from 01 to 10, followed by the song title and date.

Lin Caiwei glanced at the numbers and did some mental calculations. The most recent song was completed three days ago.

The first song is called "Time Amber".

"What style is this song?" she asked.

"Light rock." Chen Hao opened the file, hovering the mouse over the play button. "But the arrangement has some electronic elements added, so it's not noisy and suits your voice."

He pressed play.

The prelude is a piano piece, a few simple notes, as clear as water droplets.

Lin Caiwei subconsciously held her breath.

Then the drums come in, a slow and steady rhythm, like a heartbeat.

The bass is deep and resonant, supporting the entire melody with a steady yet gentle sound.

Lin Caiwei listened quietly, her fingers tapping a rhythm lightly on her knees.

Chen Hao's voice came from the speakers.

This is a demo he recorded, used as a reference for arrangement.

His singing is very restrained, without excessive embellishment or flashy vocal transitions; it's like a soft whisper in your ear.

Lin Caiwei knows many singers and has heard countless demos, but there has never been a demo that made her feel "this song should be sung like this".

"Time is preserved in amber, and I am preserved in your eyes..."

Lin Caiwei's eyes lit up.

The lyrics are so well written.

It's not the kind of good that piles up fancy words, nor is it the kind that's deliberately obscure and profound; rather, it's the kind of concise and refined that's just right.

Every word carries weight, and every sentence evokes a vivid image.

She could even imagine what it would sound like if she sang those words—

Sing the verses more subdued, but when you reach "seal me," hold the last note slightly longer and use more breathy vocals.

Sisi leaned over the control panel, tilting her little head to listen.

She couldn't understand the lyrics, but she could tell that the song was very beautiful.

As soon as the song finished playing, she clapped her hands loudly, exclaiming, "Mommy, this song is so nice!"

Lin Caiwei nodded, her voice softer than usual: "The lyrics are exceptionally well written."

Chen Hao turned to look at her: "You think the lyrics are good?"

"Mmm." Lin Caiwei was still immersed in the emotions from just now.

"These aren't forced catchy phrases; they come from genuine feelings. And the rhymes are very natural, not contrived."

Chen Hao didn't say anything, but the corner of his mouth curled up slightly.

He clicked on the second song.

Wings Against the Wind.

The intro features a distorted electric guitar sound, powerful and impactful, a completely different world from the first song.

This is an inspirational pop-rock song with a brisk rhythm and an uplifting melody.

The bass line is very dense, the drum beats are powerful, and the harmonic arrangement in the chorus is very rich.

"When the whole world tells you to give up, you insist on flying against the wind..."