Chapter 135: Among the Living

Huang Guokun grew increasingly excited as he listened from his office. He had originally planned to go out for a social engagement that evening, but Huang Guolun’s performance of "Story of Time" had anchored him to his chair. Unable to tear himself away, he remained glued to his seat, focusing entirely on the musical showcase.

Guided by the rhythm set by Zhao Jing, Huang Guolun and Bai Yao performed a dozen more songs, both new and classic, including "Anhe Bridge," "Intimate Lover," and "Green Trees Turning Yellow." The musical atmosphere of the special event reached a fever pitch. The dozens of patrons in the Duck Shop felt as if they were attending an intimate, master-class concert. The distinctive, captivating singing of Huang Guolun and Bai Yao provided them with an intoxicating auditory feast. For many, this live performance was an unprecedented experience, even more moving than many of the large-scale concerts they had attended before. It was a visceral, soul-stirring emotion born purely from music.

Even someone as well-traveled and experienced as Hu Xuefang was shaken by the duo that night. It was undoubtedly one of the most impressive live performances she had ever witnessed in her life. She felt fortunate to have come to the Duck Shop for the show; had she missed such a mesmerizing musical event, she would have regretted it for a long time. She felt truly lucky to have heard such pure music before Huang Guolun rose to fame.

Thinking about it, she owed it all to Shen Yumeng’s invitation. If it weren't for the young girl inviting her, she might have waited a long time before crossing paths with the music of such a hidden master living among the common folk.

Shen Yumeng had been teased by Zhao Jing several times since then, but being able to receive another "baptism" by Huang Guolun’s music—one far superior to the previous rehearsal—left her feeling as if she were enveloped in a dream, a surreal pleasure where music blossomed like a city in bloom. She deeply regretted not dragging Nan Fang along to hear Huang Guolun live. Nan Fang was thin-skinned and liked to put on airs; he was afraid Huang Guolun would think he was being overly familiar, so he felt too embarrassed to attend back-to-back performances. Despite all of Shen Yumeng’s persuasion, Nan Fang didn't want to seem desperate for good music by appearing too frequently. Consequently, he missed out on this dreamlike night of music.

Every person in the café that night, including Zhao Yan, Sister Xu, Liu Xiaowei, and Su Ling, enjoyed the purest beauty of music.

The audience watching the Qingtian livestream also connected with the charm of Huang Guolun's music through digital signals. Although the effect of listening to Huang Guolun and Bai Yao through a terminal was far inferior to being there in person, some songs transcended the limitations of equipment through the sheer perfection of their lyrics and composition. No matter the device, those heart-piercing performances allowed them to feel the timeless charm of Huang Guolun’s music.

Between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM, the number of viewers in the livestream room grew rapidly, climbing from eight thousand to ten thousand, then twenty thousand, thirty thousand... until it broke the astonishing threshold of one hundred thousand concurrent viewers. This was a figure Zhao Jing had never dared to hope for. Although she knew Huang Guolun’s musical appeal was immense, she never imagined so many viewers would flood into their room.

The audience on Qingtian Live was typically very picky and superficial; most preferred watching beautiful women play games, act cute, or watching professional gamers compete. Only a tiny fraction came to listen to music. Unless it was a top-tier music streamer like her senior sister, who already possessed massive popularity, gathering hundreds of thousands of viewers, it was considered a great success for an ordinary streamer to have tens of thousands of concurrent listeners. Without any promotion, their room had gathered one hundred thousand viewers in just over an hour and was still growing steadily, which filled Zhao Jing with immense joy. Throughout the night, her smile never faded; her dimples were nearly etched into her cheeks.

What pleased her even more was that the total amount of gifts received in her room had reached a new high. Previously, the most she had ever received in a single session was a little over twenty thousand in value, ten thousand of which came from a single wealthy patron sending a long string of "Rainbows." Tonight, there were no crazed big spenders, but the continuous tips from hundreds and thousands of viewers totaled nearly thirty thousand, shattering her record and leaving her overjoyed.

Her senior sister, Chen Lan, had officially started her stream at 8:30 PM. Zhao Jing had received a system notification and had gone over to cheekily greet Chen Lan, hoping she would visit her room to "check the house" when she had the time. However, by 9:00 PM, Chen Lan had shown no sign of coming, which left Zhao Jing feeling a bit disgruntled. At 9:00 PM, Chen Lan’s room already had 230,000 viewers, topping the music category charts. Zhao Jing’s room ranked second. Zhao Jing suspected that Chen Lan saw how popular their stream was and, fearing being surpassed, was unwilling to visit.

Zhao Jing stopped holding out hope for a visit from Chen Lan. If she didn't want to come, so be it. To succeed without relying on Chen Lan’s traffic was enough to make her feel triumphant.

Back at the Duck Shop, Huang Guolun was playing and singing Wang Jianfang’s "In the Human World":

"...Perhaps you can't fight against heaven and earth / Perhaps lowering your head brings tears / Perhaps the June snow will fly into your heart..."

"...There will be a Berlin Wall you cannot cross / Spending a lifetime as a neighbor to suffering / What has this great time already taken from you..."

This was a song requested by one of the café guests, and it happened to be a piece Huang Guolun loved and felt deeply. You have your thousand lights, and I have my endless horizon. Huang Guolun’s weathered voice was heavy with the burdens of life. Listening to such a song, the dozens of people in the café and the one hundred thousand in the livestream felt a pang in their hearts. A sense of poignant sorrow, capable of breaking one’s heart, fermented within the chorus as Huang Guolun sang:

"...In the human world / Who lives without it feeling like purgatory? / I won't cry / I have no dignity left to give up..."

"...When one day / Those dreams / Drown in the sea of people, don't be sad, let them go / Let this song / Be the funeral..."

"Let this song be the funeral"—it broke the hearts of those listening. Huang Guolun’s interpretation of the song felt like carving a totem of sorrow into one’s heart. There were no earth-shattering shouts, only the crushing bitterness behind the image of a man standing tall. Perhaps only a man could truly understand the desolation of this song.

"...The mask hangs on the face / Rumors are sharper than blades and arrows / Beneath the feet of money / There are too many slaves..."

"...How bottomless is the human heart / The soul is in flight with nowhere to go / Reality is like a wheel / And I am but an ant..."

Whether young or old, every man in the café felt a sense of existential desolation as they listened to Huang Guolun. Zhao Jing adored men with this kind of temperament, especially older men like Huang Guolun who carried stories. When he sang such songs, the aura of a lonely wanderer he exuded was incredibly charming.

Taking a moment to glance at the livestream status, Zhao Jing’s brows knit together in surprise. The number of viewers had suddenly jumped from one hundred thousand to one hundred and twenty thousand! A massive influx of unknown visitors was pouring in! Had the Qingtian homepage featured them?

As Zhao Jing wondered, a flood of comments from the "Lan Legion" appeared in the chat:

"Checking in with God Lan!"
"The Lan Legion is here! Bystanders clear the way!"
"Wherever the Lan Legion marches, no grass grows!"
"The Grand Commander of the Lan Legion's Foodies is here!"
"Left Vanguard of the Lan Legion, the handsome guy made of grass and mud, reporting for duty! Whoa? Is this blind uncle singing 'In the Human World'? Could he be the legendary Tunnel Brother?"
"Lan Legion passing through! 'In the Human World'! Thumbs up!"
"Damn, I just clicked in and heard this song; it reminds me of the guy who cried while driving."
"Summoning Tunnel Brother!"
"The Lan Legion has arrived to conquer the city!"

Seeing the screen flooded with messages, Zhao Jing was both shocked and delighted; her senior sister had finally come to check on her! Her dimples deepened into a wide smile. Her request hadn't been in vain—her sister had finally arrived and brought a massive influx of new viewers! Oh yeah!

Zhao Jing excitedly clenched her fist, secretly thankful that Huang Guolun was currently singing "In the Human World." She believed this song would surely retain many of the new viewers. She was grateful because "In the Human World" had recently become a minor viral hit online. The song was not an original by Wang Jianfang but a cover filled with attitude. The English original was Chris Medina’s "What Are Words," which Wang Jianfang had covered years ago without much success.

Recently, a video had circulated online titled, "Girl Gets Married, Ex-Boyfriend Follows for Seven Kilometers, Finally Discovered, Girl Sends Text: Sorry, Stop Following." The man in the video cried while driving through a tunnel, earning him the name "Tunnel Brother." The music playing in his car was exactly this version of "In the Human World." Paired with his heart-wrenching sobs, the scene was enough to make even an iron Buddha feel sorrow. Seven kilometers of tailing, seven kilometers of heartbreak—the bride was getting married, but the groom was not him, creating the greatest distance in the world. "Girl, do you know how much I loved you? How could you bear to see me cry?" The story of Tunnel Brother spread online, sparking heated discussion.

She was simple, cute, and beautiful back then—at her absolute best. He was immature, foolish, and poor—at his absolute worst. Why was it that they always met like that?

Wang Jianfang’s "In the Human World" had unexpectedly become popular again amidst this buzz. The café guest who requested the song had recently watched that video, and after listening to several other heart-wrenching songs from Huang Guolun that night, he had felt compelled to hear him sing this one. Now, having heard it, the man’s heart ached even more.