Chapter 132: The Singing Child

The buzz surrounding *The Beauty of the Corpse* is rising rapidly. However, the primary reason for this surge is not the live music session hosted by Huang Guolun and his team, which has contributed only a marginal promotional effect. The real driver has been the 600,000 yuan that Kunlun Culture genuinely invested to pay major film influencers to post soft-sell advertisements for the movie.

Huang Guokun had been anxious for a week, but this weekend, *The Beauty of the Corpse* finally hit the anticipated turning point in its growth, which left him feeling significantly more relaxed. At this very moment, the film company president is in his office, smoking a cigar and watching the music session through a live stream. He remembered Huang Guolun mentioning earlier that he would be bringing Bai Yao onto the Sunny Live platform this Saturday night to promote the film. Although he knew this kind of promotion was like trying to put out a burning cart of firewood with a single cup of water and would not yield great advertising results, he was still gratified that Huang Guolun had taken the initiative.

In the past, Huang Guolun had never shown any interest in participating in the company's promotional activities. This time, not only did he create the theme music for *The Beauty of the Corpse*, but he was also sparing no effort to promote the film; these actions made Huang Guokun feel as if he had been given wings like a tiger. He mused that since Bai Yao had started helping take care of Huang Tao, Huang Guolun seemed to have developed an intention to dip his toes into the entertainment industry. Huang Guokun’s long-standing hope had always been for the brothers to work in unison and carve out a massive empire in the entertainment world. Seeing Huang Guolun gradually moving toward that path filled him with excitement.

Come to think of it, this was all thanks to Bai Yao. If not for this young woman entering Huang Guolun’s life and helping him look after Taozi, he would never have had the energy to pursue anything outside of his daily routine. Watching Bai Yao sing "Yesterday" on his computer screen, Huang Guokun felt nothing but relief and emotion. He hadn't expected her to sound even more captivating singing soft, tender pieces than when she sang heavy metal. Once Huang Guolun had put his finishing touch on her "rotten voice," it had become something of supreme quality—almost supernatural. With such a gender-ambiguous vocal identity combined with her neutral, charismatic aesthetic, she would be an absolute powerhouse among both men and women if she entered the entertainment industry. People often talked about "goddesses" for men and "idols" for women, but if Bai Yao debuted, she would surely become a deity worshipped by both.

*Tsk, tsk, tsk...* Puffing on his cigar and smacking his lips, the more Huang Guokun watched Bai Yao, the more he liked her. It would be a crime against nature if this girl didn't debut! She and Huang Tao were both prototypical stars; it was a pity they were both in Huang Guolun's hands. Huang Guokun couldn't help but sigh. If they were his children, he would have groomed them into superstar newcomers long ago.

Seeing many people in the chatroom sending "rainbows" to Bai Yao, Huang Guokun’s fingers itched, and he sent one worth a hundred yuan himself, adding the message: "Go for it, Xiao Bai! Try to enter the entertainment industry soon! It would be a tragedy for both man and heaven if you don't become a singing star!"

On the other side of the stream, Zhao Jing was overjoyed as she watched the chatroom fill with an increasing number of rainbows and praise for Bai Yao’s singing. It wasn't even eight o'clock yet, and the total number of gifts was nearing two thousand. At this rate, their earnings for the night might exceed one hundred thousand! Zhao Jing was so thrilled she felt like she could jump out of her skin. However, she kept a clear head; she knew it wasn't time to show her face yet. She would leave the stage to Bai Yao and Huang Guolun for a while longer to let them heat up the atmosphere, and then she would unleash her "big move" to push the stream's popularity to the next level.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

After Bai Yao finished singing "Yesterday," the audience, including Zhao Yan, erupted into applause. They had found the performance incredibly enjoyable.

Feng Zheng shouted excitedly, "Xiao Bai, I love you! I will support you forever!" Transforming into a super-fan, he brazenly stood up, raised his hands above his head, and made a heart shape for her. Bai Yao smiled and formed a heart with her thumb and index finger in return—not with any deeper meaning, but simply to thank him for his consistent support. Receiving that gesture, Feng Zheng was so happy he nearly fainted; if his classmates hadn't been holding him back, he would have rushed onto the stage to give Bai Yao a giant bear hug.

The viewers in the live stream saw the heart gesture and felt as if they had been struck by an overwhelming wave of love—

"Goddess, please have my children!"
"Whoever has the guts, go to the cafe Zhao Jing mentioned and get Xiao Bai's number! I bet my life that Xiao Bai will be the hottest commodity in the music scene!"
"Even if a fairy descended from heaven, in my heart, there's only you, Sister Jing!"
"Can we request songs? Please have Xiao Bai sing 'Mouse Loves Rice'!"
"A glass of gentle wine to forget the past. Xiao Bai, I want you to guide my future."
"Miss Bai, I love you! I love you so much that you are the center of my circle, and protecting you is the radius—even pi has become 520!"
"To the guy who said 520, can you be any more nauseating? I haven't eaten dinner yet, and you're making me want to throw up!"

...

"Teacher Huang, why don't you and Xiao Bai do a duet?" suggested Wang Peng. Jiang Lili and the others around him echoed their support.

Bai Yao turned her head meekly toward Huang Guolun to seek his opinion. Huang Guolun countered, "How about we do a duet?"

"Sure." Bai Yao nodded happily.

" 'Singing Children'?" Huang Guolun suggested a song he believed he had written himself, one he had rehearsed with Bai Yao. He was unaware that in this parallel world, the song had been written by Wang Zhengrong.

Bai Yao cleared her throat, ran through the melody of "Singing Children" in her mind, and prepared to sing. Huang Guolun pulled the microphone closer and said to the crowd, "I really love this passage from Bei Dao's essay *Polish Traveler*: 'Back then we had dreams, dreams of literature, dreams of love, dreams of traveling across the world. Now we drink deep into the night, and when our glasses clink together, it's the sound of dreams shattering.' "

As these words left his lips, many of the more experienced people in the cafe felt a deep sense of resonance.

Huang Guolun continued, "Actually, sometimes, having our edges worn away isn't our fault. I hope we can all be singing children. No matter how the world changes, in the evening breeze, under the setting sun, we can still sing—if only for the most beautiful sunset. 'Singing Children'—dedicated to all of you."

Huang Guolun strummed a lonely, desolate melody.

Bai Yao, having absorbed the essence of Huang Guolun’s mature singing style, began to sing as if telling a story: "Perhaps it's because we're young / We can still be stubborn / Still like a child; On this road / There is much sorrow / On the journey / We've lost our way..."

For the people in the cafe, this was an entirely new song, but with the "smoky" texture of Bai Yao’s voice, it felt strangely familiar—pleasing to the ear and deeply moving. When Huang Guolun joined in with his weathered, magnetic vocals, the song struck even deeper into their hearts: "Perhaps it's the memories / That make us a little panicked / In the passing years / We've changed our appearance; The madness of the past / Is now a wound with its edges worn away / Echoing in memory / Singing on the journey..."

More narrative-driven than Bai Yao’s performance, Huang Guolun’s voice carried an innate, mature quality—a trigger for memories that always seemed to strike the softest part of a person's heart, leading them to reminisce about their own fleeting years. Just like the quote from Bei Dao he had shared, listening to this song, many felt as if they could hear the sound of glasses clinking and dreams shattering. Yet, even so, they felt compelled to keep singing.

Bai Yao and Huang Guolun joined forces for the chorus:

"...We are singing children / Singing children / Under the sunlight / In the banyan trees / Are our smiling faces."
"We are obedient children / Children who don't want to grow up / In the falling petals of memory / Has your appearance changed?"
"We are singing children / Singing children / Under the sunset / We sing only for the most beautiful afterglow."
"We are obedient children / Children who don't want to grow up / In the evening breeze / You will see / Me carrying a guitar / Wandering the ends of the earth."

...

The harmony between Huang Guolun and Bai Yao was perfect, like a pair of master and apprentice ready to wander the world together, with the afterglow as their backdrop and a lifetime of vicissitudes in their wake. The people in the cafe were thoroughly enchanted.

Shen Yumeng whispered to Hu Xuefang, "This song must be an original by Teacher Huang. It’s so atmospheric."

Hu Xuefang praised, "Yes, Teacher Huang’s music always finds the truth in simplicity. It’s remarkable."

Shen Yumeng tentatively asked, "Sister Fang, if we invited both Teacher Huang and his apprentice onto our show, it would definitely be a highlight, right?"

"Inviting both of them? This... is interesting."

Hu Xuefang was becoming increasingly inclined to invite Huang Guolun to the show, though she knew getting past their editor-in-chief would not be easy; she wasn't sure how she would convince her to let him appear.

Elsewhere, in the Kunlun Culture office, Huang Guokun listened to the duet and felt a wave of profound emotion. He had arrived late to the live stream and missed Huang Guolun’s initial songs like "Bell and Drum Tower." By the time he joined, Bai Yao was already singing "Yesterday." This was the first time he had heard Huang Guolun sing that night. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Huang Guolun’s singing now felt incredibly compelling. His voice hadn't changed much, yet the texture of his performance seemed to have transcended from that of an ordinary person to a master level; everything he sang now had a special resonance.

Singing alongside a voice as uniquely identifiable as Bai Yao’s, Huang Guolun’s magnetic vocals didn't fall behind at all; in fact, there was a sense that he was leading Bai Yao forward, which left Huang Guokun deeply impressed. Whether it was a sudden awakening or the result of years of accumulated experience, Huang Guolun’s music was becoming increasingly sophisticated and stylish. For Huang Guokun, this was nothing short of fantastic!

If Huang Guolun could make a mark in the music industry, and he himself continued his diligent work in the film industry, they could support, encourage, and promote each other. By joining forces, they could truly allow Kunlun Culture to carve out its own piece of the sky.