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

As night deepened, a large crowd of music fans and media reporters still gathered outside the Beijing National Television studio.

Tonight is the "Peak Night" of the phenomenal music competition program "Singer 2020". As the stage with the highest standard and top-notch sound equipment in the Chinese music scene, tonight brings together many king-level singers from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. However, the name that nearly 100 million viewers on major social media platforms and live broadcast rooms are most looking forward to is a name that does not belong to the "permanent residents" of the pop music scene - Lin Yuan.

Since the official announcement that Lin Yuan would appear as a "special guest performer" on the final night of "Singer 2020" and premiere his new song, the anticipation across the internet has been completely heightened.

After the fateful and devastating impact of the theme song from the "Chinese Paladin 3" series, and the recently released, incredibly sweet and healing "Accompany You Through the Long Years," Lin Yuan's status in the current Chinese music scene has long surpassed expectations. There are no external doubts, nor any arrogant mockery; music fans only rejoice and eagerly anticipate his return.

Everyone is curious about what new works this legendary figure, who spans literature, film and music, will bring to this top-level competitive stage.

……

Backstage area of ​​the TV tower, top-notch lounge.

Veteran singers and top-tier vocalists frequently passed by in the corridor. Upon seeing Lin Yuan, these usually aloof stars all showed warm and respectful smiles, taking the initiative to greet him and hand him their business cards.

"Teacher Lin, we're counting on your new song to amaze the audience tonight."

"Director Lin, if there's a side story in your next film, please don't forget to consider me!"

Faced with the respect and admiration of his peers, Lin Yuan simply nodded slightly, appearing humble and indifferent.

During rehearsals, the program's music director stood frozen in front of the piano for a full two minutes after receiving the sheet music from Lin Yuan.

"Teacher Lin... the enunciation in the verses of this song is extremely restrained, but in the chorus, the powerful high notes and the rapid transitions between true and falsetto... the demands on breath control and vocal cord control are terrifying! Are you sure you want to carry the entire piece on your own, without any harmonic support, relying solely on the cello and piano?"

At that moment, Lin Yuan simply patted the director on the shoulder and said calmly, "Music is meant to touch the soul, not to compete on the complexity of the accompaniment. That's enough."

At this moment, the frenzied high-pitched bombardment and electronic rock music at the front of the stage gradually came to an end.

The stage manager, wiping sweat from his brow, jogged over and whispered, "Ms. Lin, it's your turn. All the lights are in place."

Lin Yuan straightened his well-tailored, minimalist yet sophisticated black suit, adjusted his tie, and stepped onto the stage that symbolized the highest vocal hall in the Chinese music scene.

"call--"

The frenzied cheers of the entire audience turned into an overwhelming silence the moment Lin Yuan took his seat.

In the vast studio, the dazzling neon lights and laser effects were all turned off, leaving only a beam of extremely cold, deep-sea ice crystal-like blue light descending straight down from the dome, enveloping Lin Yuan and the black grand piano in front of him.

There was no large electronic band, no elaborate stage design, and not even a harmonies section. In one corner of the stage, only a principal cellist stood quietly with his cello.

The extreme simplicity brings an extreme sense of oppression.

Lin Yuan lowered his head slightly, his long, slender, and slender fingers gently caressing the cool piano keys.

"bite--"

A clear, slow, and heavy piano note broke the silence. The cello then began, like a faint sigh from the depths of the sea, lingering long and lonely in the air.

The prelude was chillingly cold.

Lin Yuan slowly raised his head, leaned closer to the microphone, and slightly closed his eyes. The moment his deep, husky voice, with its uniquely textured quality, uttered the first word, thousands of audience members at the venue and hundreds of millions of netizens watching on their screens got goosebumps.

"I couldn't help but transform into a stubborn fish."

Swimming alone against the ocean current

年少时候虔诚发过的誓

Silently sinking into the deep sea

Watch it several times

In the end, I still lost you...

Lin Yuan exercised extreme restraint in his handling of the verses. His enunciation was light yet penetrating, with each word carrying a unique phlegm and a slight panting sensation.

That wasn't an ordinary performance; it was like a lonely traveler murmuring to the deserted deep sea in the still of the night before a storm. The obsession and despair of "knowing it's impossible but doing it anyway" was peeled away layer by layer by his deep voice, drilling straight into one's bones.

In the backstage dressing room, several top-tier singers who had been chatting and laughing just moments before suddenly straightened their backs, their eyes filled with shock.

"The tone and narrative of this verse... it's terrifying!" A veteran female singer murmured, clutching her chest. "He didn't show off a single vocal technique, but every note is pulling you into an abyss."

However, just when everyone thought this was an extremely restrained bass ballad—

The music suddenly changed!

The cello bow suddenly slammed open with a piercing roar, and the long-silent drumbeats and massive string section surged in like a long-dormant beast the moment the verse ended!

The cold blue beam of light exploded instantly, turning into a dazzling yet tragic bright white that filled the entire stage!

Lin Yuan's breath filled his chest cavity in a fraction of a second, his vocal cords tightened instantly, and he instantly raised the pitch from an extremely low narration to a high register with great pressure and penetrating power!

Powerful mix! Full chest resonance!

"I have been sentenced to a lifetime of loneliness by love!"

Don't fight back! Don't let go!

An endless circle to draw

An unfillable bond in my heart

It's you—!!

"boom--!!"

The sound pressure walls of the entire studio seemed to be completely ripped off at that moment!

There was no fake, strained vocalization, no unappealing, forced high notes. Lin Yuan displayed textbook-level, top-tier vocal control—his high notes were powerful, piercing, and full of metallic quality, explosively unleashing the despair and obsession of someone desperately fighting against fate while it grips their throat!

The music director and music critics present were so excited that they slammed their fists on the table!

However, what happened next was even more shocking!

Just as this incredibly powerful high-pitched bombardment reached its climax, Lin Yuan's voice seamlessly and effortlessly transitioned into a high-pitched falsetto in the following sentences—

Why does love condemn all beings to loneliness?

Unable to break free or escape

The knot on my brow that I can't untie

An inescapable fate

It's you...

From a powerful, tearing high-pitched burst, it instantly transforms into a supple, lingering, and heavenly falsetto!

This instantaneous tug-of-war between extreme hardness and extreme softness is like an incredibly sharp steel knife piercing through the clouds, only to transform into a feather drifting into the deep sea in a flash.

Ah—losing you…

Ah—I've lost you…

The soaring vocals intertwined with the mournful strains of the cello as Lin Yuan poured his heart and soul into his vocal performance, showcasing both technical skill and emotional depth. Countless audience members below were already on the edge of their seats, their eyes welling with warm tears.

As the climax and the raging waves subsided, the heavy instruments instantly left the stage.

All the noise and roar faded away in an instant, and the world returned to the clear sound of a monophonic piano.

Lin Yuan's hands landed on the piano keys, using an extremely light yet lingering soft tone to return to the lingering notes of the verse:

"The cycle repeats itself..."

In the end... I still lost you...

As the last note faded into the air, the close-up shot on the big screen focused on Lin Yuan's calm, deep eyes, which seemed to hold endless memories.

The music ended.

The entire studio fell into a complete three-second freeze.

There were no cheers, no applause, not even a sound of breathing—those three whole seconds truly demonstrated what it means to be "silent in all things"!

Three seconds later!

"Whoosh—!!"

The thunderous applause that rose to the feet of the entire audience, along with the screams that nearly lifted the roof off the studio, exploded out of nowhere!

"A divine stage! My God!"

"Those high notes! That transition between true and falsetto voices! I got goosebumps all over!"

The applause and cheers lasted for a long time.

A few minutes later, the lights came on, and the veteran host, with red-rimmed eyes and a face full of shock, walked onto the stage. He bowed deeply to Lin Yuan and then handed him the microphone.

"Professor Lin Yuan... please allow me, on behalf of the entire audience, to express our highest respect to you."

The host took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, and asked, "Everyone is very curious. Not long ago, you released that extremely healing, warm, and sweet song, 'Accompany You Through the Long Years,' and the whole internet was praising your gentleness. But why did you choose to bring such a depressing, sad, and even extremely profound ballad, 'Silence,' to this top-level competitive stage today?"

Upon hearing this question, hundreds of millions of viewers at the venue and in the live broadcast room held their breath, waiting for Lin Yuan's answer.

Lin Yuan stood in the center of the stage, microphone in hand, his gaze calm and composed.

"Because music is not just a sweet comfort, it is also a deep gaze at loneliness and fate."

Lin Yuan's voice resonated throughout the venue through the top-of-the-line microphone: "Love and obsession often go hand in hand. Sometimes, extreme restraint and tearing can strike the deepest part of the heart more directly than pure sweetness. I hope to tell everyone through this song that accepting past losses and sorrows is also a form of courage."

"Accepting the past is also an act of courage..." the host repeated, his eyes filled with admiration. "Thank you, Professor Lin Yuan! This is not only a vocal feast, but also a musical art that touches the soul! Thank you for bringing us 'Silence'!"

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience once again.

Although tonight's program has just finished recording and the audio has not yet been officially released on major music platforms, the live and broadcast clips have already caused a seismic sensation on major online platforms!

[Lin Yuanmo's high-pitched falsetto transition]

[A God-like Scene of Everything Remaining Silent]

Lin Yuan's on-the-spot response elevates the meaning of the poem.

One trending topic after another swept across the top of major platforms!

Backstage in the dressing room, several singers who had initially approached the competition exchanged bewildered glances. The previous season's "Singer" champion wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled wryly at the camera, saying, "We thought we were here to compete, but we didn't expect Teacher Lin to come here to deliver a devastating blow to the entire Chinese music scene. His high-pitched reverb and lightning-fast transitions between true and falsetto are something that no one else in the industry can replicate."

The comment sections of major music platforms exploded, with hundreds of thousands of messages flooding the official Weibo accounts of NetEase Cloud Music and QQ Music. The backend technical departments urgently allocated backup servers and even activated disaster recovery alerts overnight.

"Please, all platforms! Please release the lossless live audio of 'Silence' at midnight tonight!"

"I was just healed by a sweet song, and then 'Silence' completely paralyzed me on the sofa. You old bastard, you have no heart at all!"

"The number of reservations has already exceeded three million! Those high notes, that control—is this the power of an absolute master of the Chinese music scene?!"

The hype surrounding the film is escalating at an alarming rate, with giant countdown posters already displayed on the homepages of major platforms. Even before its official release, "Silent" has already secured its place on the charts tonight without a doubt.

Behind the broadcasting building, there is a quiet and secluded corridor.

Lin Yuan declined the celebratory banquet meticulously prepared by the program organizers, and also refused invitations to take photos with many top singers and music critics, walking alone in the corridor.

At the end of the corridor is a huge floor-to-ceiling glass window.

Lin Yuan stopped, put his hands in his trouser pockets, and quietly watched the bustling city outside the window.

On stage, he answered the host's questions about the song's artistic interpretation. But only he knew the true, deeper reason for choosing to sing this classic song from his past life, "Silence."

That was the accumulation of his inner journey through two lifetimes.

In my past life, those silent clamors I faced alone, those extreme loneliness I swallowed in the dead of night...

During that long period of time, he was just like the lyrics described, a trapped beast who "couldn't help but transform into a stubborn fish, swimming alone against the ocean current to the very end."

Obsession and loss are like knots in the heart that can never be untied.

Today, he poured his heart and soul into singing "Silence" on stage, tearing apart the repression with the most powerful high notes and soothing the wounds with the most resilient true and falsetto voices. This was not only to bring a shock to the world's music scene, but also to bid a complete farewell to and reshape his lonely and stubborn past.

All that has happened is but a prologue.

"Swimming against the ocean current alone to the very end... but I've made it out."

Looking at his young, composed, and profound face reflected in the glass window, Lin Yuan slowly curved his lips into a relieved smile.

Outside the window, the neon lights of the Oriental Pearl Tower and the endless skyline are reflected in the distance. A gentle breeze of the cold night blows through the ventilation openings of the corridor, carrying away a trace of restlessness.

Lin Yuan gently raised his hand and placed it on his steadily beating heart, feeling an unprecedented sense of relief and fulfillment.

"President Lin."

A low voice came from behind. The assistant walked over quickly, his tone full of awe: "Tianxing just received a notification that the approval for the next blockbuster project you assigned has been officially granted."

Lin Yuan gently pulled his coat tighter and withdrew his deep gaze from the bustling night view.

"Understood." He nodded slightly, turned and strode away. "Notify the team that there will be a meeting first thing tomorrow morning."