My Years as a Copyist in Taiwan

Zhao Wen put on a mask from the moment he boarded the plane.

In just over a month, he flew to Tokyo Bay twice. Looking at the lights below, the gentle smile of Teresa Teng, the queen of pop with tiger teeth, appeared in his mind.

This was a figure he could only look up at from across the internet. He never imagined that one day he could stand shoulder to shoulder with her, hear her call him "A-Wen" with a smile, and get along like real siblings.

In his past life, he was destined to be a lone star, and his longing for family affection was something that others could never imagine.

Now that he's been given a second chance at life, Zhao Wenwen softly calls him "brother," Teresa Teng gently calls him "Awen," the silly aunt doesn't talk much but truly treats him like family, and Alai doesn't say a word but the sincere emotions expressed through his gestures always move him.

These people who are genuinely good to him are his weakness.

He didn't reveal any information about this trip to Tokyo to anyone except the diva's team. Since he was a "mystery guest," he had to keep it a secret.

He only wanted to stand by her side at the most dazzling moment of her life, to add fuel to the fire, and to watch her rise to the pinnacle of glory once again.

Autumn 1982, NHK Auditorium, Tokyo.

This is recognized as the most prestigious venue in the Japanese music scene, capable of accommodating 4,000 audience members. Only national-level singers have ever been qualified to hold a solo concert here. Among the five great Showa era divas, only Momoe Yamaguchi and Hibari Misora ​​have held solo concerts here.

Teresa Teng had been away from the Japanese music scene for several years, and as soon as the news of her comeback concert came out, all 4,000 tickets sold out in two days. The tickets, which cost 5000 yen each, were being sold for 30,000 to 40,000 yen on the black market, and they were still hard to come by.

In this era, there were no VIP seats for female singers' performances; the best seats were reserved by PolyGram for people with connections.

Outside the venue, fans who couldn't get tickets had gathered, while inside, every seat was taken. The front row was filled with business tycoons and entertainment figures, and even Miyuki Nakajima, who is said to have supported half of the Chinese music scene, sat quietly in the audience.

Miyuki Nakajima is a solitary person. She didn't come to listen to Teresa Teng sing; she came to analyze Teresa Teng.

With the keen intuition of a top music creator, she vaguely sensed that the person she admired most and the one on stage were probably not ordinary collaborators!

Zhao Wen had already arrived backstage and was finalizing the stage flow with the diva: "I'll sing the first four verses solo, then we'll sing together on the line 'You've protected me since I was little,' and the chorus..."

Zhao Wen wouldn't dare perform a blockbuster song at the diva's solo concert, as that would diminish the impact of "Repayment" and "I Only Care About You," and it would also overshadow the main act, a major taboo for any guest performer.

Liu Ruoying invited 500 as a guest, and when she sang "Norwegian Wood," the entire audience sang along. My sister Liu was completely devastated...

Mayday invited them ten times, but 500 finally managed to ruin the event, and Ashin was relegated to the background...

These were all profound lessons, which is why Zhao Wen copied a song called "Sister," which had a strong aftereffect. Although it wasn't a huge hit at the live performance, it became Jia Shengqiang's signature song thirty years later.

Many readers may not know this person, but they should have heard this song.

During the audition stage of the 2013 Super Boy competition, Jia Shengqiang was the most explosive dark horse of the entire competition, reaching his peak right from the start. At that time, the "Great Mage" was just a nobody with a niche style, whose original works were unmemorable, and he dared not cast spells in public. If it weren't for Jia Shengqiang's angry confrontation with judge Jin Ying, which led to all the resources being poured into him, the "Great Mage" might have been finished.

From then on, Jia Shengqiang experienced the darkest moment of his life: his media exposure plummeted, the company stopped providing him with any resources, he could only take on sporadic local commercial performances, and his conflict with the company continued to escalate...

The song "Sister" has been played on repeat across the internet for years, and people only remember the song, having long forgotten the original singer.

The top life that should have belonged to Jia Shengqiang was ruined by a moment of madness, and all his resources were handed over to the great mage and others he had once crushed, which is incredibly regrettable.

Zhao Wen really liked this hothead. He secretly plotted, "Brother Qiang, thirty years from now, you can mess with whoever you want. I, Mr. Snail, will definitely help you reach the heavens!"

The lights dimmed, and the entire room fell silent.

Bathed in warm yellow spotlights, Teresa Teng, dressed in a light apricot-colored long gown, slowly walked to the center of the stage, holding a microphone stand, without immediately signaling the band to start playing.

She loves chatting with the audience, chuckled, and revealed her signature pair of tiger teeth: "Good evening, friends in Tokyo. It's been a long time since I've been able to stand here and see you all again. I'm really happy."

A wave of cheers erupted from the audience. After the commotion subsided slightly, Teresa Teng and the others resumed their leisurely conversation.

"Recently, many friends have written to ask me if I almost canceled my Tokyo concert due to personal matters. To be honest, I did struggle with that decision for a long time, but when I thought of every single listener waiting for me, I couldn't bear to break my promise. Because I realized that being able to stand on stage and sing is the most important thing in my life!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wen understood that the Empress Sister must have finally made up her mind to completely sever ties with the Guo family.

Teresa Teng's gaze swept over the tiered audience seats on the first and second floors:

"I saw so many light signs with my name on them, and many friends who came from afar, holding signs for Taiwan and Hong Kong, crossing mountains and seas to keep this appointment. I felt warm and touched."

An even louder round of applause erupted from the crowd, with some audience members shouting her name. Teresa Teng tilted her head and smiled in response, patiently waiting for the cheers to subside.

"For today's performance, I've prepared many familiar old songs, as well as two brand-new pieces, which I'll sing for you later. And there's a surprise I'll be sharing during the middle of the show, so please look forward to it."

Only then did she turn her head and nod slightly towards the band, and the gentle prelude of the piano flowed out slowly...

......

The eleventh song, "Repayment".

The diva's English and Japanese skills are second to none among singers of this era. She had already translated "Repayment" into Japanese, and even Zhao Wen, the plagiarist, was hearing the Japanese version of "Repayment" for the first time.

The piano prelude was like flowing water, and the diva recreated the melancholy she felt that day in the Taipei restaurant: "Silent lips, still bearing traces of tears."

This is not makeup; it cannot conceal scars.

......

Another hit song alongside "I Only Care About You"!

The seasoned music fans and critics in the front row were stunned.

Is this Mr. Snail's strength?

Teresa Teng's voice naturally possessed a gentleness and a touch of melancholy, which imbued this classic song with a magical quality, captivating the hearts of her fans.

As soon as the second verse ended, someone couldn't help but want to applaud, only to be met with an angry glare from the person next to them, before they reluctantly sat down properly.

After finishing the song, the diva gave a slight bow, not immediately engaging in small talk, because she knew that this was not the time to be a chatterbox.

There was at least three seconds of silence before someone in the second-floor stands shouted, "Teresa!"

Soon, shouts and applause rang out from the entire audience, as everyone used their applause to tell the diva that this was a golden song destined to spread throughout Japan!

Teresa Teng stood in the center of the stage, and only after the applause subsided did she smile and say, "This is a new song I've been preparing for a long time, 'Tsugunai.' Today is the first time I'm singing it for you all here. Thank you for your support, I'm so excited."

Another round of even louder applause erupted from the audience, and even the band members waiting backstage couldn't help but clap along.

"Next, I'd like to invite a friend whom I'll call a mystery guest."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire audience was stunned again.

Neither music fans, reporters, nor Polydor Records executives had ever heard of this claim.

No one could tell what kind of performance planning term this was—in 1982, the entire East Asian entertainment industry had never had the definition of "mystery guest." All the performers who appeared on stage would be printed in the program book and disclosed to the media in advance.

Entertainment reporters in the audience quickly scribbled down this unfamiliar term in their notebooks, intending to inquire about its meaning after the performance.

Teresa Teng saw the blank stares of the audience and her smile deepened. Ah Wen's brain, this new word really fooled everyone!

The stage spotlight shone on, and Zhao Wen walked out carrying his guitar. The diva shouted, "Let's welcome—Mr. Snail!"