He was in college, but his songs were at the Grammys.

Wutong Street, Old Town, Jianghai City.

The signboard of "Lanyin Piano Shop" looked a bit old in the afternoon sun.

But the glass windows were very clean, and you could clearly see all kinds of guitars and violins hanging inside, as well as several electronic keyboards leaning against the wall.

The store was playing a song, the currently popular one called "Big City, Small Love".

"The ends of her jet-black hair were coiled into a circle..."

The singing flowed from the speakers, filling the not-so-large space.

He Lan had just seen off a high school student who had bought a folk guitar and turned to walk back to the cashier.

She was forty-seven years old, but looked younger than her actual age. She wore a simple beige knit sweater and dark trousers, her hair was loosely tied in a bun at the back of her head, and she had a gentle smile on her face, a smile that she had cultivated over the years.

"This violin is making a good profit," she said to her husband, Chen Jianxue, who was tuning a violin, as she made notes in the ledger.

Chen Jianxue grunted in response, but didn't stop what he was doing.

He was two years older than He Lan, very tall, with a straight back and the kind of upright posture that comes with being a soldier.

Although I've been retired from the military for many years, that spirit and energy are still there.

The bow gently glided across the strings, producing a series of pleasant sounds.

"The tone is acceptable." Chen Jianxue nodded in satisfaction and carefully placed the violin back into its case.

The shop is quiet with no customers at the moment.

Only the song "Big City, Small Love" is still playing on repeat.

He Lan put down her pen, leaned against the cashier's counter, and listened to the singing, a smile unconsciously spreading across her face.

"This song..." she began, her voice soft, "is really beautiful."

Chen Jianxue walked over to her, listened quietly for a while, and then said, "Yes."

The couple exchanged a glance, both seeing a knowing smile in each other's eyes.

They already knew all along.

Starting last Friday night, Brilliant Galaxy Entertainment launched a massive advertising campaign across various platforms.

They recognized the poster immediately—a silhouette of a boy holding a guitar against a backdrop of blue sky and white clouds.

That was their son, Chen Ming.

He Lan was scrolling through short videos when she suddenly saw the "GG" message on the splash screen. She paused for a moment, then jerked her hand on Chen Jianxue's shoulder: "Old Chen! Look!"

Chen Jianxue leaned closer to take a look, and his eyes widened in surprise.

The couple stared at their phone screens for a long time without saying a word.

Finally, He Lan spoke first, her voice trembling slightly: "This child... when did he write the song? Why didn't he tell us at all?"

Chen Jianxue was silent for a few seconds, then said, "The child has grown up."

Yes, I've grown up.

At eighteen, she was admitted to Jiangxi University of Arts; at nineteen, she signed with a company; and now she has released her first song.

Chen Ming mentioned all of this casually over the phone.

But they had no idea when the song was written, when it was recorded, or when it was promoted.

It's not that I don't care, but that I don't dare to ask too many questions.

Chen Jianxue and He Lan both came from artistic backgrounds.

Chen Jianxue was a military arts soldier when he was young, and He Lan was a dancer in a local arts troupe.

After retiring from the military, he opened this music store out of his love for music, and it has been running for twenty years.

They know this industry all too well.

Talent, hard work, and luck are all indispensable.

They can better imagine and understand the immense psychological pressure a newcomer experiences when releasing their first official song.

So when they discovered that their son had secretly released a new song, the couple's first reaction was not to excitedly call and ask, but to tacitly choose to remain silent.

Sometimes, parents' concern can also be a huge pressure.

They watched the charts every day, seeing "Big City, Small Love" climb from eleventh place all the way up, seeing more and more comments in the comment section, and seeing their son's poster appear on more and more platforms.

But they didn't say anything.

He only asked during the routine nightly phone call, as usual.

"Have you got a meal yet?"

"Are you tired from studying?"

"Do you have enough money?"

Chen Ming always smiled and said, "I know, Mom, don't worry."

Then we continued to talk about school, embarrassing things our roommates did, and interesting stories about our teachers.

Nobody mentioned that song.

It was as if it were just an insignificant secret.

"Tell me," He Lan suddenly spoke, interrupting Chen Jianxue's thoughts, "Is our son in love while writing this song?"

Chen Jianxue was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "That's quite possible."

"Look at these lyrics, 'My mind is filled with you, my heart is filled with you.'" He Lan pointed to the speaker. "How sweet! Could you write something like this if you didn't have someone you like?"

"That makes sense! What do you think our future daughter-in-law will look like?"

"She'll definitely look beautiful! After all, our son is so handsome!"

The moment the words were spoken, the phone on the cashier's counter rang.

The ringtone is also "Big City, Small Love".

He Lan picked it up and saw the caller ID: her son.

Her eyes lit up and she immediately looked at Chen Jianxue.

Chen Jianxue also came over, and the two looked at each other, both seeing the same anticipation and nervousness in each other's eyes.

coming.

He Lan took a deep breath, pressed the answer button, and turned on speakerphone.

"Hey, son." Her voice was as calm as possible.

On the other end of the phone.

Chen Ming composed himself for a moment.

Talking to your parents is not like talking to other people, where you can be casual.

He needs to act more excited.

My parents will be happier to see this.

After coughing, Chen Ming spoke.

"Mom and Dad!" Chen Ming's voice came through the receiver, brimming with barely suppressed joy. "I wrote a song! It's a hit!!! I'm number one on the newcomer chart!!!"

He Lan and Chen Jianxue exchanged another glance.

The play can begin.

"What?!?!" He Lan's voice instantly rose eight octaves, filled with shock and disbelief. "Son, when did you write this song? Your father and I had no idea!!!"

Chen Jianxue quickly pulled the phone closer, his brow furrowed, and said in a serious tone, "Son, today isn't April Fool's Day, is it? Don't try to fool us."

On the other end of the phone, Chen Ming paused noticeably.

Chen Ming knew immediately that his parents were faking it.

He could faintly hear the music store singing on the other end of the phone; wasn't that "Big City, Small Love"?

Chen Ming was happy to play along with the two drama queens!

Then, a smile crept into his voice, but he still tried to play along: "Mom and Dad!! Is the song you're playing in the store right now called 'Big City, Small Love'?"

He Lan looked at the speakers with a blank expression: "Yeah, what's wrong? It was randomly playing, and it sounds pretty good..."

"I wrote that song!" Chen Ming's voice rang with even more excitement. "Look at the singer and the songwriter!"

Chen Jianxue frantically picked up his phone, pretended to search, and then gasped in shock.

"Oh my! Honey! It really is! The singer is Chen Ming, and the lyricist and composer is also Chen Ming!"

He Lan also "climbed over" to take a look, and then exclaimed, "My God! It really is our son! Old Chen, look at this photo, isn't that our son?!"

"Wow, son, you really wrote it!" He Lan's voice was full of surprise. "My goodness! Your dad and I just randomly picked this song! We never expected it was written by our son! Son, you're amazing! Mom and Dad are so proud of you!"

Chen Jianxue excitedly added, "Oh my! My son has really made something of himself! This song is so well-written! And he sings it so well too!"

The couple took turns praising her to the skies.

He praised her for several minutes in a row.

On the other end of the phone, Chen Ming finally couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Oh dear, stop acting, stop acting, you've overdone it..."