Entertainment: A song that brought his deceased wife back to life.

It was online for two hours.

The total number of views across all platforms has exceeded 100 million.

The digital album sales figures were so high that the servers were overheating. "Said Goodbye" topped all the major music charts, breaking the record for the longest consecutive reign on Tencent Music.

Ma Dongteng looked at the revenue figures on the back end and whistled.

The first-day copyright revenue sharing plus digital album sales amounted to another tens of millions.

Ma Dongteng picked up his phone and sent the earnings details to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing replied instantly.

"Put money into my account."

Ma Dongteng replied with "Received".

Ten minutes later, the payment arrived in my account.

-

Luo Qianyu's upscale apartment.

Luo Qianyu had just come out of the shower, her hair still dripping wet.

When I walked into the living room, Xu Qing was sitting on the sofa with her phone screen lit up, tapping it a few times.

Luo Qianyu walked over and sat down on the sofa.

"What are you doing?"

Xu Qing put down her phone.

"Transfer money."

Luo Qianyu took his phone and glanced at it.

The transfer record page of a bank's mobile app.

Recipient: Qinghe Education Foundation.

Amount: 16,480,000.

Account balance: 312.7 yuan.

Luo Qianyu stared at the balance for five seconds.

Three hundred and twelve dollars and seventy cents.

More than 16 million, all transferred.

Not a single penny was left.

Luo Qianyu put her phone back on the coffee table.

He didn't say anything. He stood up and went to the balcony.

I stood there for about ten seconds.

They walked back.

He sat down next to Xu Qing.

Her eyes welled up with tears.

"Xu Qing."

"Um."

"What exactly are you doing this for?"

Xu Qing glanced at her.

Luo Qianyu's voice trembled.

"This world is so big, and there are so many people who need help. You could drain yourself dry and still not fill that hole."

She turned her head to look at Xu Qing.

"You earn tens of millions a year, but you eat instant noodles and live in a basement. Now that you've moved out, it's still the same; you only have a few hundred dollars in your account."

Why don't you leave anything for yourself?

Xu Qing leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.

He didn't say anything.

Luo Qianyu's tears fell.

The Luo family lacked nothing, and she had never worried about money since she was a child.

But what about Xu Qing? She spends every penny she earns on other things, not caring about herself at all. And what about herself? All she has left is three hundred yuan and a guitar that Xu Qing stole.

Luo Qianyu rested her head on Xu Qing's shoulder.

Do you owe this world anything?

Xu Qing's gaze lingered on the ceiling for a long time.

"No debt."

He said.

"Then why do you live like you're paying off a debt?"

Xu Qing did not answer.

The living room was quiet.

The city lights outside the window were shining in patches.

Luo Qianyu reached out and took his hand.

You owe no one anything.

Her voice was very soft.

"You deserve to keep something for yourself too."

Xu Qing lowered his head and looked at her hand holding his.

A long time passed.

He gripped it back.

"OK."

Luo Qianyu looked up at him.

"Leave 500 for myself next time."

Luo Qianyu's expression froze for a second.

She flung his hand away.

"Xu Qing, are you out of your mind?!"

"Didn't you just tell me to save some?"

"Five hundred? You call five hundred 'leaving some money'? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?"

"Then tell me how much to keep."

"At least... at least keep ten thousand!"

"Ten thousand is too much; it affects my philosophy of life."

"You call that a philosophy of life? That's self-torture!"

Xu Qing's ears rang from her shout.

I gently patted her head.

"Stop crying, your nose is as red as a clownfish's."

"I didn't cry!"

Luo Qianyu rubbed her eyes vigorously with the back of her hand.

The more you rub it, the redder it gets.

Xu Qing looked at her, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

He reached out and pulled Luo Qianyu over, letting her lean against him.

Luo Qianyu did not struggle.

She buried her face in Xu Qing's clothes and mumbled something.

"Let me know before you transfer money next time."

"If I tell you, you won't let me share it."

"I won't stop you." Luo Qianyu sniffed. "I just want to prepare myself mentally in advance."

Xu Qing didn't reply.

He placed his hand on Luo Qianyu's back and patted it gently twice.

The night outside the window was very dark.

The phone screen went dark.

The account balance is 312.7 yuan.

Enough for two boxed meals and a bowl of instant noodles.

The living room remained quiet for a long time.

Luo Qianyu leaned against Xu Qing's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

Luo Qianyu hadn't recovered yet.

The number kept replaying in my mind—312.7 yuan.

"Xu Qing."

"Um."

Don't you think you're living a life that's too tiring for you?

Xu Qing didn't respond.

Luo Qianyu lifted her head from Xu Qing's embrace, her eyes red as she looked at him.

"You've earned so much money, and you've given it all to others. What about yourself? Don't you want to buy some nice headphones? Don't you want to eat something good? Don't you—"

"I have headphones."

"Your earphone gasket has fallen off."

"It does not affect the sound quality."

Luo Qianyu wanted to pinch Xu Qing's cheek again.

But Luo Qianyu held back.

Because Luo Qianyu knew that Xu Qing wasn't trying to argue.

Xu Qing truly doesn't care about her, and that's what makes Luo Qianyu feel bad.

"What exactly are you trying to make up for?" Luo Qianyu's voice trembled with tears. "You've emptied yourself out; how can you make up for it?"

Xu Qing's hand stopped on Luo Qianyu's back. The lights in the living room were on, and the city night view outside the window reflected light spots on the glass.

Xu Qing looked into Luo Qianyu's eyes and remained silent for more than ten seconds. Then, Xu Qing pulled Luo Qianyu up and made her sit down next to him.

"Let me tell you a story."

Luo Qianyu wiped her eyes and looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing leaned back on the sofa, her gaze falling on the darkened phone screen on the coffee table.

"There was a boy who lived by the sea."

Xu Qing spoke very slowly.

"One day, the tide went out, leaving many puddles on the beach. The puddles were full of stranded little fish. Thousands upon thousands of them. When the sun came out, the puddles would dry up, and all the fish would die."

Luo Qianyu listened quietly.

"The boy squatted on the beach, picking up the small fish one by one and throwing them back into the sea."

Xu Qing turned to look at Luo Qianyu.

"Someone passing by thought the boy was crazy. They said, 'Look how many fish are on this beach. How long will it take you to collect them all? Who cares?'"

Luo Qianyu paused in breathing for a moment.

Xu Qing reached out and used his thumb to wipe away a tear that was still clinging to the corner of Luo Qianyu's eye.

The boy said—

Xu Qing's voice was very soft.

"But this little fish cares."

Luo Qianyu froze.

This little fish cares.

This sentence kept echoing in Luo Qianyu's mind.

Luo Qianyu suddenly remembered.

A few months ago, the whole internet was speculating about who Mingyue Qingfeng's girlfriend was, and various female celebrities were vying to ride the wave of popularity.

Luo Qianyu had been suffering from insomnia for three days in a row, and was almost driving herself crazy.

While Luo Qianyu was asleep, Xu Qing posted a Weibo message using the official account in the middle of the night.

"I don't care, but my little fish does."

One Weibo post caused a sensation across the entire internet.

All those who speculate, spread rumors, and try to ride the coattails of the situation should shut up.

At the time, Luo Qianyu felt that Xu Qing was helping her out of a predicament.

Luo Qianyu finally understood.

That was Xu Qing's answer.

Everything Xu Qing did—writing songs, donating money, providing anonymous funding, and living like an ascetic in a cramped basement—was remarkable.

Xu Qing was simply being that boy on the beach.

It's okay if we can't pick them all up.

It's okay if we can't save everyone.

But Xu Qing cared about every little fish she picked up.

Including the shallow-water fish.