Chapter 15: There Are No Outdated Songs, Only Outdated People

When the mentor finished questioning, Xu Ze stood on the stage as the lights shifted. Behind him, the giant screen displayed information about his work:

"Title: 'Shattering the East Wind'"
"Lyricist: Xu Ze"
"Composer: Xu Ze"
"Performer: Xu Ze"

Xu Ze's deep and melodic voice began to fill the air, the lyrics appearing in sync on the screen behind him.

[A lamp of parting sorrow stands alone by the window]
[Behind the door, I pretend you have not yet left]

...

Inside the Little Solitude Bar, from the moment Xu Ze’s voice rang out, the scene from the night he had sung at the bar was recreated. The suddenly hushed patrons, the crowd lingering at the entrance—though the songs were different, the emotions they stirred were the same.

Yet only Xu Yan and Miao Miao knew that the boy from that night and Xu Ze were one and the same.

Miao Miao marveled inwardly—this young man’s lyricism was truly extraordinary. Lyrics demanding such a profound cultural foundation were beyond the reach of most composers in a lifetime.

When the song ended, the barrage of comments exploded.

"My God, this song is just too beautiful!"
"So good, so good!"
"This is easily the most amazing song I’ve heard so far."
"I think this song just raised the whole standard of the show."
"Agreed, +1."
"The lyrics are stunningly beautiful, no wonder he’s a top student at Qingbei University!"
"Of course! It’s like having the national team write lyrics—how could it not be extraordinary?"
"Ahh, when will this song be uploaded? I want it as my ringtone!"
"Waiting for it—let me know as soon as it’s up!"
"Handsome, talented, and sings wonderfully—the perfect boyfriend template!"
"Hmph, don’t get your hopes up. He’s already married me."

...

At that moment, Mentor Wang Yihan suddenly asked, "Don’t you think traditional musical styles are outdated?"

Xu Ze replied without hesitation, "There are no outdated songs, only outdated people."

His answer directly rebutted Wang Yihan, subtly implying that those who claim a song is dated are simply incapable of writing one themselves.

The comment stream went wild again.

"What a line! 'There are no outdated songs, only outdated people!'"
"Every word from a top student makes so much sense!"
"Studying really does matter!"
"I regret it—I should have worked harder in school!"

...

In Yu Xiaoxiao's dorm room, her roommate Tang Juan slammed her desk. "What a line! 'There are no outdated songs, only outdated people!' Xu Ze is just too handsome!"

Yu Xiaoxiao glanced at Tang Juan, wanting to argue, but recalling the terrifying ordeal she endured the previous night, she swallowed her words. In her heart, she silently declared, "My Wang Yihan is the handsomest!" After a moment’s hesitation, she added, Xu Ze isn't bad either.

...

On the program, the popular mentor Zhang Yingjing asked Xu Ze about his creative inspiration. To everyone’s surprise, Xu Ze revealed that he composed "Shattering the East Wind" as part of a research project, thus pioneering the genre of Chinese-style songs.

Most astonishing of all, he had written the song in just half a day.

Viewers in the comments were practically on their knees.

"My God, I’m just like Mentor Wei Ping—kneeling before him!"
"So this is what a modern god of literature and music looks like?"
"Chinese style! Only in our magnificent land could such richly layered music be born!"
"My mother asked why I’m watching TV on my knees."
"Even his reasons for writing songs are so lofty."
"Pity—I only missed the Qingbei cutoff by 500 points. Otherwise, Xu Ze might have been my classmate."

At last, the mentors raised their score cards.

"A," "A," "B," "A."

Three A grades!

Only Wang Yihan gave a B; the other three mentors all awarded an A.

Xu Ze became the first contestant to earn an A, and did so with three at once!

Some doubters appeared in the comments.

"I think it should have been four A's."
"Me too! Why did Wang Yihan only give a B?"
"I know—because Xu Ze just called him out."
"Is Wang Yihan really that petty?"

The debate raged in the comments. Oddly, when people accused Wang Yihan of being petty, his fan army didn’t swarm to defend him as usual. Only a few scattered comments appeared: "Maybe he has his own reasons."

Most of Wang Yihan’s fans hesitated.

"Honestly, this song really does deserve an A."

...

Meanwhile, the Qingbei University message board was in an uproar. All twenty posts on the front page were about Xu Ze.

"Our university student Xu Ze competes in 'I Am a Songwriter'"
"'Shattering the East Wind'"
"Chinese Style Songs"
"Does anyone know Xu Ze?"

Alumni marveled at Xu Ze's musical talent and literary prowess. Many were asking for more personal information about him. A few who knew him chimed in, saying he was a student in Class 2 of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature.

Then, a user named “Graceful as Jade” posted a slew of Xu Ze’s photos:

Photos of him in class, eating in the cafeteria, playing basketball, reading in the library…

Xu Ze looked even more handsome in these candid shots than on TV.

Even the usually reserved top female students couldn’t help but comment below.

"Great pics—saved!"
"This basketball photo is wallpaper material."
"How did we never notice such a handsome guy at our university?"
"Because all you ever see is your textbooks."
"+1"
"+1"
"I’m in the library right now, sitting exactly where Xu Ze was in that picture, jpg."
"I’m checking in at that seat tomorrow!"
"Count me in!"

In the university faculty group, even the long-silent senior professors were discussing Xu Ze.

"This student writes excellent lyrics."
"My daughter just called and asked me to find out more about him."
"Lao Li, your daughter watched the show too?"
"Mine did as well—she wants me to get his WeChat."
"Does anyone know more about this student? What’s he like?"
"I heard he’s from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature."

So the senior professors began tagging the department chair. Normally a big shot among the younger staff, the chair was reduced to a mere lackey before the elders and immediately tagged Xu Qing.

"Professor Xu, he’s your student. Say a few words about him."

Having just finished watching the program, Xu Qing saw the chair’s tag in the group and pressed her hand to her forehead, speechless: "Please, Chair, spare me."

What could she say? She knew little about Xu Ze herself. As for those lyrics, she had only one thought: if it were her, she could never write anything nearly as good.

At the same time, several related hashtags suddenly shot to the top ten of the trending searches on Weibo.

#ShatterTheEastWind
#IAmASongwriter
#ChineseStyleSong
#QingbeiTopStudentIsASinger
#WhoPlaysShatterTheEastWindOnThePipa

Many casual users who saw the trending topics were bewildered. They thought some superstar had just released a song, but upon clicking, discovered it was a music competition show—a top student from Qingbei University performing a song he had written himself.