The night before the college entrance exam results were released, I redeemed my Peking University ad

Please enjoy "What's Wrong?"

When Ji Bai posted this Weibo, everyone was still immersed in the afterglow of "If Back Then" and hadn't come back to their senses.

The lyrics, imbued with a classical Chinese aesthetic, were still swirling in my mind, and the lingering notes of the opera-style vocal transitions hadn't yet faded when a new video link popped up.

"Holy shit?"

"Another song??"

"Is this wholesale???"

Everyone was stunned, and went in with a mixture of belief and skepticism.

It was still that worn-out wooden guitar, still that warm yellow lamp. The boy didn't even change his posture; he just brushed aside the stray hairs on his forehead and his fingertips returned to the strings.

"It looks like it's raining, I wish I could live next door to you..."

The intro is completely different from the melancholic ancient style of "If Back Then". This is a light and cheerful sweet song with a rhythm so upbeat that you can't help but sway your head along.

Summer is almost over, please buy less ice cream, and don't wear short skirts when it's getting cooler...

"Don't be so naughty anymore. If you're ever unhappy, I'm willing to lend you Grommy..."

As the chorus began, Ji Bai slightly raised his head and smiled at the camera.

Just that one smile, as clean as lemonade with ice on a summer day.

You actually understand my feelings...

I'm singing this song for you. It doesn't have any particular style; it simply means I want to bring you happiness…

"To thaw the frozen river for you, to be a moth drawn to the flame for you, nothing is unworthy..."

"I'm singing this song for you. It doesn't have any particular style; it simply represents my wish for your happiness..."

"I'd toss and turn at night for you, what's wrong with giving up the world for you..."

As the last note faded, the final chord of the guitar vibrated slightly and slowly dissipated into the quiet night.

The video ends.

The screen went black.

The comment section that popped up was blank for a good ten seconds.

Then, it blew straight through.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

"It's so sweet it's killing me! It's so sweet it's killing me!!!"

"This is so good! It's fucking amazing!"

"It feels like stepping back into my youth, back in high school, when I secretly liked my deskmate but was too shy to even speak to her!"

"The basketball court in summer, ice-cold soda, love letters hidden in the lining of my backpack... one song brings them all back to me!"

"Heavens! The Great Emperor actually has dual spiritual roots!"

"Mathematics, a top-tier spiritual root! Music, a top-tier spiritual root!"

"Dual spiritual roots? What kind of top-grade spiritual root is that? That's a celestial spiritual root, an immortal spiritual root!"

"The Mathematical Emperor switched to music, and immediately produced three divine masterpieces. Is this what you call dual spiritual roots? This is the favored son of Heaven!"

"Speak up, Kuroko!"

……

Inside an old Western-style house in Beijing, Yan Dahai watched the video, his lips twitching.

besides?

Are you some kind of hit song wholesaler?

"If Back Then" is a classical Chinese love song, with excellent lyrics, music, and artistic conception.

"What's Wrong" is a sweet song with a catchy melody, great emotional resonance, and is extremely popular.

An eighteen-year-old boy, three timeless classic songs in one night!

wrong!

Including the previous song "The You of the Past", that makes four songs now!

Yan Dahai sat up straight, holding onto the edge of the table, his Adam's apple bobbing as he forced himself to calm down.

He cannot afford to lose.

Having spent most of his life in the music industry and worked his way up to a legendary status, he can't afford to stumble in front of a high school student.

He took a deep breath, picked up his phone again, typed and deleted repeatedly, and finally posted a new Weibo post.

Having listened to two of Ji Bai's new works, objectively speaking, the melodies are smooth and catchy, and both are above average.

But the title of "Golden Song" is not just about being catchy.

The lyrics of "What's Wrong" are entirely in plain language and lack literary quality; the melody is simple and lacks complex structure; the arrangement is thin, relying on just one guitar; and the production quality is far from meeting the standards of a hit song.

The creative enthusiasm of young people is commendable, but the public should not confuse catchy pop tunes with true timeless classics.

As soon as this Weibo post was published, music critics from all walks of life immediately followed suit, unifying their opinions and collectively criticizing the post.

@Music critic Lao Zhou: "It's just a typical online love song. The melody is catchy but not memorable. It'll be popular for a while and then disappear. It can't be considered a classic."

@Lyricist Chen Shu: "The lyrics are too straightforward and simplistic, lacking literary merit. They follow a clichéd sweet romance formula and have little substance."

@Arranger and Producer Akai: "A guitar played from beginning to end, without any changes in sections, no layering in arrangement, and no harmonic arrangement, this song is obviously unacceptable."

@Liu Ming, a composer of traditional Chinese music: "It caters to popular tastes, is too popular but lacks style, and cannot be considered a superior work."

Online trolls followed suit, stirring up the discussion in the comments section once again.

"That's so tacky!"

"A catchy pop song is still just a catchy pop song at its core!"

"You call lyrics written in plain language a 'hit song'? Even an elementary school student could write that!"

"The melody is so simple that you can write one in three minutes. It's just a mass-produced pop song. Fans, stop hyping it up."

"So what if it's three songs? They're all mass-produced works, none of them are classics."

"Writing a lot doesn't mean writing well; it just means that he has a low barrier to entry for songwriting."

……

Ji Bai scrolled through the comments and smiled.

You think it's too tacky?

good good!

A few minutes later.

Weibo updated again:

[Please enjoy this book, which is appreciated by both the refined and the popular!]

boom!

The entire internet is in an uproar again!

"Is this the fourth one?"

"Holy crap! This is a golden goose!"

"No way, how does the Emperor's brain work? Has his prefrontal cortex mutated? He can solve mathematical theorems in a flash, and now he can write songs in a flash too?"

"Wait a minute... what's this song title? 'Appreciated by all tastes'?? Damn, this is blatant mockery!"

"Hahahaha, holy crap! The Emperor is going head-to-head! You think I'm vulgar? I'll just write a poem called 'A Song for All Tastes' and throw it in your faces!"

"This taunting is off the charts! You can't argue with that!"

The onlookers quickly clicked on the video.

Ji Bai lowered his eyes, his fingertips plucked the strings, and his voice carried a lazy smile.

"Do you watch every movie in its entirety? Are every day unforgettable...?"

The verses are like casual, relaxed conversation.

"A dull expression might be because someone tends to overthink and isn't good at expressing themselves through facial expressions..."

"Always hoping, always disappointed, that's just how life is..."

During the chorus, he slightly raised his chin, and his voice carried an undisguised mockery, as if he were laughing at everyone in the audience, or perhaps at himself.

"They said to quickly write a love song that is both elegant and popular, vividly written, and easy to sing..."

"She's elegant in public and skilled in the kitchen, just like the girl I've been looking for..."

"Quickly write a love song that appeals to both refined and popular tastes, then you won't have to worry about it not being sung everywhere..."

Even if a song is incredibly cheesy and terrible, there will still be people who applaud and appreciate it…

The lyrics of the entire song jump back and forth between self-deprecation and irony, and every line seems to be written specifically for those "experts".

You say I'm vulgar? I admit it, my intention is to appeal to both refined and popular tastes.

You say I don't meet the standards of a Golden Melody Award? I'll just write that into my lyrics.

You say my song is too simple? I'll turn it into a full song.

Use your attacks to write my work.

This move is more ruthless than any other response.

At the end of the video, Ji Bai put the guitar aside, shrugged at the camera, and left with a half-smile.

Some people were stunned!

Songs can be written like this?

what?

……