Chapter 151: "An Essay Written by Father"

"That was an autumn, the wind so lingering."

"It reminds me of them, those helpless eyes..."

Amidst the string arrangements of the intro, Li Caiwei raised her microphone and began to sing, carrying her love for parents and children.

The song "Dawn" was written, composed, and originally performed by Han Hong, with arrangement by Xiao Ke. The song won awards including the Top Ten Golden Melodies of the Year in 2001.

The song continued, and when a loud crash resonated through the valley,

the audience felt the sadness within the melody, their hearts tightening.

Sitting in the lounge room and listening to Li Caiwei's performance, Fang Xing felt that her delivery had exceeded his expectations.

After sending this song to her, he had only heard her rehearse it twice at the company, and hadn't followed up since, as he was busy preparing his own track.

Therefore, he had no clear idea of how well Li Caiwei would ultimately be able to interpret the song.

However, hearing the main verses today, he knew she had genuinely put effort into capturing the emotion in the song over the past few days, and she had indeed captured it securely.

If this song were given to a young female singer without children to sing, it would be very difficult to convey that specific depth of emotion.

Having children and becoming a mother imbues one's inner self with a particular blend of outward softness and inward resilience.

Li Caiwei put this emotion into the song, rendering it deeply moving.

As she reached the final chorus, Fang Xing was even somewhat moved.

"I wanted to hold his hand tightly..."

"Mother tells me there is still hope..."

"Seeing the sun rise..."

"They smiled..."

"Dawn has broken..."

Some of the more sentimental audience members at the scene began to have reddened eye rims and softly sobbed.

In the singers' lounge.

Chen Xiyin listened to the entire song, her eyes filled with envy.

She truly envied Li Caiwei.

Clearly, back during *Tomorrow's Star*, she was the one acting as Fang Xing's mentor.

Yet only a few months had passed, and here on *The Voice*.

Fang Xing had leaped to become a primary singer, while she was merely a challenging challenger.

Being a primary singer was nothing in itself.

However, taking first place in every single competitive performance left her not knowing what expression to use when facing Fang Xing.

Moreover, she was certain that Fang Xing's first-place finishes did not rely on luck.

Especially during the rounds of *Blue and White Porcelain*, *The Brightest Star in the Night Sky*, and *Qilixiang*, which were absolute landslide victories, with no one able to shake his top position.

If it were only that, it might still be bearable.

What made her even more envious was that the songs Li Caiwei obtained from Fang Xing seemed destined to dominate *The Voice* as well.

After listening to "Dawn," Chen Xiyin didn't even dare to imagine that the song she had just sung could compete with it.

Although there were still three singers to follow, Chen Xiyin already knew in her heart that "Dawn" was definitely at the level of securing at least second place and contending for the first.

Whether it could take first place depended entirely on what song Fang Xing would sing next.

Li Caiwei was originally just a quasi-first-tier singer, and she had been inactive for several years.

If not for Fang Xing's sudden appearance, which gave Li Caiwei a chance to take flight once again, she would likely have remained obscure, with very little chance of a comeback.

Yet, simply because of Fang Xing's appearance, she was given the opportunity to be a guest performer on *Tomorrow's Star*.

A single rendition of *Red Opera* directly brought Li Caiwei back into the public eye.

Immediately following that, another song, *Painted Heart*, swept the charts and became the hottest film and television theme song of the year.

Now, appearing on *The Voice*, yet another song like "Dawn" showcased an unstoppable momentum toward the peak.

Chen Xiyin was truly full of envy; if anyone gave her just one of these great songs, she could take flight too.

Having debuted from a girl group, although their popularity was extremely high during the first two years, once the limited-time group disbanded, without breakout works, they would essentially fade into obscurity.

In fact, her original management agency had also sent a song collaboration request to Fang Xing's studio.

However, just a few days after sending it, they received a polite refusal reply.

Obviously, the request plan had never even reached Fang Xing's desk; it was returned right at the business cooperation department of Songshi Records.

The reason for the return was actually quite simple.

Her current contract with the limited group still belonged to Zhaoyin Culture, with eight more months remaining until expiration.

Right now, the fierce rivalry between Songshi Records and Zhaoyin Culture was intense, and they were unlikely to produce music for her at this juncture.

Therefore, she could only watch with envy now.

...

In another lounge room.

Liu Hongsheng's expression became even more fascinating after listening to "Dawn."

In the previous round.

Although he couldn't surpass *Blue and White Porcelain*, he had at least outperformed *Life Like Summer Flowers*.

Hence, for this round, he hadn't taken Li Caiwei seriously at all.

As a dignified Heavenly King, he didn't need to take a quasi-first-tier singer to heart.

Furthermore.

In the previous round, he had already suppressed Li Caiwei and defeated the song produced by Fang Xing.

Therefore, he was full of confidence that he would turn the tables in this round.

To this end, he had asked Changjing Records to custom-craft a golden melody for him that fit the theme of family affection.

Originally, he was brimming with confidence, but after listening to Li Caiwei's performance of "Dawn,"

he began to sense a hint of trouble.

Though he was reluctant to admit it, as a professional singer, he could hear that the lyrics, composition, and vocals of this song were top-tier, and the emotion expressed was extreme to the utmost degree.

Especially in the final section of the chorus, those echoing calls were like heavy hammers striking the hearts of the listeners.

When the camera swept across the live audience, Liu Hongsheng even saw audience members sobbing with red-rimmed eyes.

This made Liu Hongsheng start to feel nervous, beginning to worry that the song he had prepared might not be able to suppress "Dawn."

What worried him even more was that Fang Xing hadn't even taken the stage yet, and just Li Caiwei alone had already made him feel an immense threat.

If the songs Fang Xing produced for Li Caiwei were already this tricky, what would the situation be like when Fang Xing himself took the stage?

A bad omen arose in Liu Hongsheng's heart.

...

After Li Caiwei finished her performance, He Hao stepped onto the stage and praised, "Thank you, Caiwei, for bringing us such a touching song. Next, it's time for the singer who produced this song to take the stage."

Hearing this, the audience at the scene already knew who was about to appear, but this time they did not shout Fang Xing's name.

Because the audience was still immersed in the sorrowful melody of "Dawn," unable to snap out of it for a long time.

"Please let Caiwei step down to rest, and let us welcome our next singer." He Hao made a gesture of invitation.

Fang Xing walked out from the back of the stage, standing calmly in front of the audience.

Seeing Fang Xing appear, some audience members with red eyes complained slightly: "Why write such a sad song? I can't pull myself out of it tonight."

He Hao began the pre-performance questioning: "Fang Xing, tonight's competitive theme is family affection. We just listened to a song you produced, told from a child's perspective, expressing yearning for their parents.

"You've also listened to this song now. How do you think Caiwei interpreted it? Did it meet your expectations?"

Fang Xing nodded and replied, "It has exceeded my expectations. Actually, I only listened to two rehearsals of this song before I started preparing my own piece. So, I only found out just now what the final presentation effect would be."

He Hao started stirring up trouble: "Caiwei's performance is already this amazing, do you still have the confidence to surpass her? After all, both songs were produced by you. Which one do you think touches the audience more?"

Fang Xing considered for a moment and replied, "That's not necessarily certain; the emotions in both songs are very sincere. I can only say I will do my best to perform the upcoming song well. As for the final ranking, it's entirely up to the live judges to decide."

He Hao continued to ask, "Caiwei's 'Dawn' is told from a child's perspective, expressing longing for parents. Then what is the song you are about to perform actually about?"

Fang Xing slowly said, "It's about the bond between father and son."

Following the head director's instructions to keep stirring up trouble, He Hao asked, "If you were to compare the two songs, what are the differences between them?"

Fang Xing considered it before answering, "Actually, 'Dawn' tells the story of an accidental tragedy where parents protected their child with their lives.

"The song that follows tells a more ordinary story, one that the vast majority of people have experienced or are experiencing to varying degrees.

"Therefore, this next song sings about the stories around everyone, and the emotions that reside in everyone's heart."

He Hao raised an eyebrow and said, "I see. Since we've brought it to this point, why don't you tell everyone the name of this song?"

"This song is called 'Prose Poem Written by Father'."

Fang Xing slowly uttered the name of the song. Even while reciting the title, his voice entered the poetic mood of the lyrics, possessing a plainness that revealed genuine emotion.

"Alright, let's hand the stage over to Fang Xing, and the competition officially begins." He Hao finished his final bridging line and turned to walk off the stage.

"Prose Poem Written by Father" is a song with lyrics by Dong Yufang, and composed and originally performed by Xu Fei.

This song exquisitely interprets a father's love and responsibility toward his children, as well as the helplessness children feel as they notice the passage of time and their father growing old.

In this song, Li Jian's cover version on *I Am a Singer* feels more like a prose poem, expressing emotions that strike even deeper into the heart.

Li Jian's cover modified the lyrics, changing the daughter to a son to express the father-son bond.

It also made the song more suitable for a male vocalist.

Therefore, the version Fang Xing was going to perform was also Li Jian's cover version.

The stage spotlights fell upon Fang Xing, and the venue quieted down.

Fang Xing turned his head toward the band, signaling that they could begin.

The melodious and smooth piano intro began.

Listening to the intro, Fang Xing slowly closed his eyes, recalling the image of his father in his memory.

When the emotion choked his throat and the urge to express it became overwhelming,

Fang Xing slowly raised the microphone and began to sing:

"In 1984, the crops had not yet been harvested."

"My son lay in my arms, sleeping so sweetly."

"Tonight's outdoor movie, there was no time to see."

"My wife reminded me to fix the sewing machine pedal."

"Tomorrow I have to go to the neighbor's house to borrow some more money..."

The main verse used plain words to recount the trivial matters encountered in daily life by a financially strapped family.

What seemed like a plain story was nevertheless something that the older generation had experienced to a greater or lesser degree.

Fang Xing had experienced it across two lifetimes, and in this lifetime, Fang Dad had also had to ask relatives for a loan when he was young in order to buy his son an electronic keyboard.

Perhaps different from television plots, Fang Dad did not receive cold shoulders from his relatives; after buying the electronic keyboard for his son, he practiced frugality and paid the money back bit by bit.

That incident was just a very ordinary matter, and the relatives knew Fang Dad was buying an electronic keyboard for his son, which was why they readily lent the money.

Fang Dad and Fang Mom were the kinds of people who felt distressed even owing someone a penny; even if it meant living frugally, they had to pay the money back.

That past memory held no hatred, no revenge or face-slapping—just an ordinary event in the lives of that generation.

However, when Fang Xing saw that electronic keyboard which could still make sound after more than a decade, he knew how much Fang Dad cherished that instrument.

Even if that instrument was worthless by today's standards.

Fang Xing still remembered crying and making a fuss as a child to buy that electronic keyboard.

Thinking back now, he was indeed ignorant back then.

The main verse sang to its final two lines:

"The child has been crying all day, making a fuss to eat a biscuit."

"The blue polyester-cotton shirt, pain drills into the heart."

"Squatting by the pond, punching himself hard twice..."

It was still plain narrative, recounting stories that had happened in millions of families.

Such plain narration was not difficult to sing, but singing it well was extremely difficult.

The more ordinary the lyrics, the more profound the emotion required to express them.

Fang Xing used his memories of his father across two lifetimes, singing this section of the verse with a voice as smooth as poetry.

The story recounted resonated deeply with the audience.

However, because the song was indeed understated, if it remained merely thus, it would still be difficult to truly touch the audience.

In the singers' lounge.

After listening to this verse, Liu Hongsheng wore a smile on his face.

Because this song was too plain, as plain as reading a poem.

Even though he could hear that Fang Xing used solid vocal foundations to deliver this main verse just right, revealing genuine emotion through plainness.

However, on the competitive stage of *The Voice*, plainness represented low votes.

Originally, Liu Hongsheng had been worried that Fang Xing might also pull out a heavy-hitting move, meaning his formidable rivals tonight wouldn't be just one, but two.

Now, after listening to the main verse, he felt much more at ease; at least this understated prose poem could not defeat the family-affection song he was going to sing.

Judging by the current situation, tonight would be a battle between him and Li Caiwei for first place.

He couldn't be certain who would ultimately take first place, but even if he didn't get first, as long as he defeated Fang Xing, his goal would have been achieved.

However, he didn't get to celebrate for long.

As "Prose Poem Written by Father" reached the chorus, the melody and lyrics suddenly shifted, bringing about a massive reversal.

"These are the words in my father's diary."

"This is the prose poem left behind by his youth."

"Years later, I look at them and weep endlessly."

"My father has grown as old as a shadow..."

The moment the chorus emerged, it transformed all the stories told in the preceding verses into the contents of a father's diary.

Originally, the verse was sung from a father's perspective, recounting the trivialities of a tight-budget family life.

Because these small stories occurred around millions of audience members, the audience could easily perceive the emotion within the song.

However, if these stories were told solely from the father's perspective, the song would be far too thin.

The appearance of the chorus elevated the song to an entirely new height.

The stories told in the verse became words in a father's diary, a prose poem left behind by a father's youth.

By the time the son saw these words, the father had already grown old.

This bond between father and son instantly surged forth like a gushing spring.

The melody and lyrics of the chorus sang directly into the hearts of the audience.

Audience members who had initially only felt a sense of emotion over ordinary trivialities suddenly felt their hearts tighten, involuntarily thinking of their own fathers.

They remembered the days of their youth, the sight of their fathers running about for the sake of survival.

The fathers of those days perhaps lacked great capabilities, but they supported their families with their shoulders.

Until one becomes a parent themselves, one will never truly know whether a father's affection written into daily life is intense or ordinary.

Only when one eventually has children of their own can they truly understand this emotion.

It was a feeling that words could fail to describe.

No matter how many gorgeous adjectives were used to portray it, they would only make this affection less pure.

Only by using the most unpretentious words to recount those real, everyday trivialities could one slowly experience the emotion expressed in the song.

The song began with plainness, but once the chorus broke out, it made the live audience think of the aging fathers waiting at home.

It made the live audience begin to reflect on themselves: how long had it been since they last called home, how long since they had looked at their father's face and noticed whether there were many more white hairs?

For the live audience, "Dawn" was indeed touching, but after all, it wasn't a story happening to them personally.

Yet "Prose Poem Written by Father" sang of the father living inside everyone's heart.

On the stage.

Pouring all the emotion from his heart, Fang Xing delivered the final section of the chorus:

"This is the footprint left behind by that generation."

"After a few storms, those traces will be wiped away."

"This land once made me weep endlessly."

"It has buried so many bitter pasts of people's hearts."

"Oh... ooh... ooh ooh ooh..."

As the final humged phrase concluded, Fang Xing put down the microphone, his inhaling breaths carrying a trace of moist nasal sound.

Many audience members at the scene had already decided that as soon as the program ended, they would make a phone call home.

Yet, not every audience member still had the opportunity to call home.

Some middle-aged audience members already had moistened eye rims.

At their age, many had already been battered by life to the point of forgetting how to cry.

Yet, when thinking of the aging father in their memories, tears still soaked their eye rims.

They had already become fathers to sons and daughters, and their children were still young, perhaps not yet understanding this emotion.

But they thought that one day, when their children grew up and heard this song, they too would think of their fathers, just as they were doing now.

After finishing his song, Fang Xing lowered his head to compose his emotions, keeping his eyes open to let the moisture within them slowly dry away.

After a long while.

Applause slowly echoed through the venue.

The applause started out sparse and gradually grew enthusiastic.

Many middle-aged audience members with tear-filled eyes had basically not applauded before, but this time, with red eye rims, they clapped desperately.

The applause grew more and more enthusiastic, lingering and enduring.

Until Fang Xing bowed and said, "Thank you."

Only then did the audience's applause slowly subside, returning to quiet.

After returning to quiet, the audience did not chatter and discuss like before.

During the previous episodes, after a song was sung, the live audience would discuss whether the singing was good or not.

However, after listening to "Prose Poem Written by Father," the live audience, having finished their applause, simply sat in their seats, quietly processing their own emotions.