Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

Two weeks later.

As the literary fervor surrounding "Pride and Prejudice" gradually subsided, and netizens across the internet were still urging Lin Yuan to announce his next film or writing project, a new song was suddenly released simultaneously on major music platforms.

There was no overwhelming marketing, no promotional posters; all the music apps on the internet simply displayed a simple and gentle cover image, along with a concise song title and artist: "Accompany You Through the Long Years" / Lin Yuan.

Then, Lin Yuan's long-dormant private Weibo account slowly posted a message:

[This is dedicated to Zhiwan, and to all of you who have walked with me through these years. My new song is now available on all platforms. "Accompanying You Through the Long Years"]

This Weibo post was like a depth charge, instantly creating a massive wave in the quiet ocean of the internet late at night!

Due to the massive influx of traffic, the servers of NetEase Cloud Music and QQ Music even experienced brief lag and loading delays, with a message popping up on the page saying "Network busy, please try again later!"

"Holy crap?! The server crashed?! That old bastard released a new song and crashed the music platform?!"

"Why does this song title sound so much like a confession? The whole internet is watching his sweet moments with Gu Zhiwan, and now he's just shoving a love letter into everyone's ears?! Help, I'm so jealous!"

"That old bastard knows how to poison his fans! One minute he's handing us a knife with 'Chinese Paladin 3,' and the next he's quietly written a sweet song and released it?!"

Countless netizens clicked the play button on the music platform with a mix of "warning" and "spectator" mentality.

However, when the soothing, clear piano music, accompanied by Lin Yuan's warm, deep voice, came through the headphones, the entire online world instantly fell into an unusual silence. The exquisite sound details and layered instrument arrangements reproduced to the extreme in the top-notch recording studio were gentle, healing, and profound, like a thick blanket that instantly enveloped everyone's anxiety and fatigue in the dead of night.

After experiencing the heart-wrenching tragedy of "Chinese Paladin 3" and the high-profile slap in the face of "Pride and Prejudice", this extremely gentle and pure song completely touched the softest part of everyone's heart.

The number of comments on major music platforms exceeded 100,000 in just half an hour, propelling the platform to the top of the trending charts on NetEase Cloud Music and QQ Music.

"I'm so upset... I'm really upset! I take back what I said about that old scoundrel being heartless! This song is so gentle!"

"‘Losing and starting over time, I never left…’... Oh my god, I burst into tears when I heard that! This isn't a new song release, it's clearly a high-class love letter he wrote to Gu Zhiwan!"

"The ultimate cure for late-night emo across the internet! Listening to this song tonight to fall asleep makes me feel gently enveloped by the whole world!"

Besides the fans who went wild online, even veteran producers in the music industry who had been silent for a long time were brought out of the spotlight.

When Lin Yuan wrote the theme song for "Chinese Paladin 3", the music industry had already heard about his arrangement skills. However, this song, "Accompany You Through the Long Years", completely broke the defenses of the top producers in the Chinese music scene.

National-level music producer Mr. Zhang posted a message on Weibo overnight expressing his feelings:

"Lin Yuan has not only mastered film and literature, but he's also grasped the ultimate atmosphere of pop music! You'd better leave some room for other musicians to survive!"

10 PM.

Only one floor lamp was on in the living room, casting a dim, soft yellow light.

Gu Zhiwan curled up in the large sofa, holding a tablet computer in her arms, with the song "Accompany You Through the Long Years" on the music platform playing on repeat in her headphones, and a sweet smile that she couldn't suppress on her lips.

Lin Yuan walked over with a thin blanket, casually draped it over her, sat down next to her, and raised an eyebrow, complaining, "Gu, you big star, what time is it? You've listened to this song at least fifty times, are you planning to wear your ears out?"

Gu Zhiwan took off her headphones, tossed the tablet aside, and naturally threw herself into Lin Yuan's arms. She wrapped her small arms tightly around his waist, burying her face deeply in his chest, her voice muffled yet filled with unwavering certainty and sweetness:

"Lin Yuan... This song is the most beautiful confession I've ever heard in my life."

Listening to the heartbeat of the girl in his arms, Lin Yuan gently stroked her soft, long hair, turned his head to look at the bright and tranquil night sky of Beijing outside the window, his eyes as gentle as water.

Just as the atmosphere reached its most warm and romantic peak, both cell phones on the table suddenly lit up simultaneously and began vibrating wildly—

"Ding! Message bombardment in the 'Loving Family' WeChat group (99+)"

"The Lin and Gu families have formed a joint WeChat group to pressure each other into marriage!"

The two were stunned for a moment, then leaned over to take a look and saw that the WeChat groups of the two families had already exploded with activity.

Lin's mother directly forwarded the song "Accompanying You Through the Long Years" in the group chat and tagged Lin Yuan:

"Son! This song is so beautiful! It brought tears to my eyes! But what's the use of just saying 'companionship is the longest confession of love'? Just confessing your love without getting a marriage certificate is just being a scoundrel! While this is still going strong, you two should hurry up and get your wedding arranged! Your Aunt Gu and I have already picked out three wedding venues!"

Gu's mother immediately followed up with a reply, adding several wedding photo sketches:

"Exactly! Xiaolin's heart is completely in his song, Auntie is 100% satisfied! Zhiwan, don't be shy, bring Xiaolin home for dinner tomorrow, and we'll pick a date for our engagement!"

Lin's father, who rarely speaks, surprisingly sent a voice message, his tone calm yet tinged with pride:

"Old Gu, did you see that? My son's little love song has made your precious daughter determined to marry him. I think there are a lot of auspicious dates in the second half of the year, so let's have a drink tomorrow and finalize the date."

Mr. Gu immediately sent a voice message, coughed twice, and although he was still trying to maintain his elder's authority:

"Hmph... the song is indeed well-written, showing some responsibility. Since Xiaolin is so sincere, come over tomorrow and have a couple of drinks with me. But as for the engagement... we'll have to leave it to Zhiwan!"

Watching the four elders in the group chat, chatting away and working in perfect unison, "jointly urging marriage online," the original romantic atmosphere in the living room vanished instantly, replaced by bursts of laughter and warmth.

Gu Zhiwan's face instantly turned bright red to the roots of her ears. Both angry and embarrassed, she covered her face with a pillow and nestled in Lin Yuan's arms, whimpering softly.

"Aaaaaah! My mom and the others have already created a group chat! Lin Yuan, it's all your fault! Why did you post a love song? Now the whole world is chasing after me to get married!"

Looking at the blushing girl in his arms, Lin Yuan's eyes were overflowing with doting affection. He tightened his grip on her waist and whispered a soft laugh in her ear:

"Being urged a bit is fine. Anyway, I've already given my heartfelt confession, and for the long years to come... it's time to change my role and walk with you on this journey."

The next morning, sunlight streamed into the kitchen through the gaps in the curtains.

Lin Yuan had just woken up from his sleep when he smelled a faint, burnt smell.

He was startled and quickly pushed open the door to go downstairs. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he was shocked by the scene before him.

Wearing only a loose shirt and a quirky chef's hat, with a patch of black cigarette ash smeared on her face, Gu Zhiwan was frantically holding a frying pan, wrestling with a strangely shaped, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside (or rather, dark on the outside and raw on the inside) "omelet" in the oil.

Seeing Lin Yuan standing at the door, Gu Zhiwan froze, quickly hiding the plate behind her back, and hummed somewhat guiltily:

"What...what are you looking at! To 'repay' you for the love song you sang last night, I got up early to make you breakfast, which is unusual for me! Although...although I may look a little wild, my heart is priceless!"

Lin Yuan looked at the dark, heart-shaped egg pancake on the plate, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

He stepped forward, casually took a tissue, and gently wiped the ash from her face. Then, he picked up a fork and bravely cut off a small piece and put it in his mouth.

"How did it go? How did it go?" Gu Zhiwan asked nervously, her big eyes filled with anticipation.

"Hmm...the texture is very unique." Lin Yuan smiled and said a few words, "Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the aroma of charcoal. It is indeed worthy of being Chef Gu's first creation."

"Lin Yuan! You're mocking me!" Gu Zhiwan pounced on him in shame and anger, ruffling his hair.

Sunlight streamed into the kitchen as the two playfully wrestled, while the kitten, Matuan, rolled around at their feet, meowing.

Lin Yuan held the girl in his arms, and the two smiled at each other, everything understood without words.

Through the long years, having you by my side is truly wonderful.