Chapter 75: "A Flood of Memories"

The organizer’s request came so abruptly that Zhou Ran was caught completely off guard. Yet, such things were common enough at these gala performances. It was just like how Host He was always stepping in at various events to fill in for someone at the last minute—favors exchanged back and forth, part and parcel of the business.

So, when Zhou Ran received the organizer’s sudden request, he only paused for a second or two before agreeing. With time running short, he didn’t hesitate further and followed the organizers backstage to prepare for his upcoming performance.

Chen Yi, who was sitting next to Zhou Ran, burst out laughing at Zhou Ran’s reaction. Chen Yi figured that Zhou Ran was probably the busiest person at the entire awards ceremony. He’d barely warmed his seat, and though the coming awards had nothing to do with him, the organizers still managed to find him something to do. It was almost absurd.

“Emergency fireman Zhou Xiaoran, charging in!”

“Wait, why isn’t it Wu Wei? Why Zhou Ran?” Many in the audience were dumbfounded the instant Zhou Ran took the stage.

The list of guest performers for the Chinese Golden Melody Awards had been set long beforehand, and the organizers had publicly released it early on. According to the schedule, the next guest singer should have been Wu Wei, a veteran pop king.

But most of the audience didn’t dwell on the matter. To them, the bigger the star, the better the show.

As Zhou Ran stepped onto the stage to sing, many fans in the livestream erupted in excitement—for this was his first public performance in a month or two. Releasing an album was one thing, but it had been nearly two months since he’d last sung live.

The last time Zhou Ran performed in public was at the finals of “Who Is the King of Song.”

“My Zhou Ran is finally going to sing again!”

“Ranbao, do you know how long I’ve waited for this moment?”

“What a surprise! Well done, organizers!”

“Will Zhou Ran sing a new song? I’m hoping for something amazing!”

Before stepping on stage, Zhou Ran had searched for a song to perform. He’d considered singing something new, but then realized it would be too rushed, so he decided to pick one of his previously released songs. That way, the house band would have no trouble keeping up.

Picking up the microphone on stage, Zhou Ran felt a familiar sensation return to him. It had been a while since he’d sung, and stepping up there filled him again with anticipation.

He looked out over the audience, feeling as if the entire venue was his domain, a place where he could sing and perform at will.

“Hello, friends! We meet again! Feels like it was only ten minutes ago that we last saw each other!” Zhou Ran greeted the audience, mic in hand.

Laughter rippled through the crowd at his words.

Once he sensed the atmosphere was just right, Zhou Ran decided it was time to start in earnest.

“All right, the next song is ‘Sunny Day’—for all of you!” As Zhou Ran spoke, the accompaniment began.

The opening notes of “Sunny Day” immediately stirred memories for many of Zhou Ran’s fans. The last time he’d performed this song, he had been a nobody, unknown to everyone.

Now, as Zhou Ran sang “Sunny Day” again, he was at the very top of the entertainment world. Who hadn’t heard of this new superstar?

To be honest, not even the protagonists of feel-good novels had it as good as Zhou Ran—he was a living, breathing version of such a character.

[The little yellow flower in the story
Has drifted since the year it was born
The childhood swing
Sways with memories to this day
Re So So Si Do Si La
So La Si Si Si Si La Si La So]

The moment Zhou Ran sang the first note, every listener was transported back to the time when “Who Is the King of Song” first aired—a wave of nostalgia washed over the audience and online fans alike.

Many in the audience who knew “Sunny Day” began humming along, and in an instant, Zhou Ran had turned the Golden Melody Awards ceremony into his own personal concert.

Even Ji Song and Chen Yi, sitting in the audience, joined in, with Ji Song even swaying his head in time to the music, a look of pure enjoyment on his face. Truth be told, Ji Song was quite nostalgic for the days of recording “Who Is the King of Song,” which had been the most relaxed period for him—everyone simply singing, relying on their own talent, and nothing but ability deciding the outcome.

The longer you spend in show business, the more you realize how rare true fairness is. The industry is a battleground of power and interests, with everyone fighting for their own gain. At best, fairness is only ever relative.

[On the windy day, I tried holding your hand]

But then the rain gradually fell,
So hard I could no longer see you.
How long must I wait before I can be by your side?
When the sun shines again,
Maybe then, I’ll be a little better.
Once upon a time, there was someone who loved you for a long, long time.

As Zhou Ran sang, the entire audience joined in, and the awards ceremony was completely transformed into his own stage.

Even far away in Xingcheng, Zhang Xiaofeng found herself humming along with Zhou Ran’s singing. The song “Sunny Day” brought back a flood of memories for her, too—it was through this very song that she had come to know Zhou Ran, and slowly became one of his devoted fans.

Looking back, Zhang Xiaofeng realized that her affection for Zhou Ran probably started with “Sunny Day.” She was drawn in by the song and stayed because of the person.

After hearing “Sunny Day,” Zhang Xiaofeng had started to learn more about Zhou Ran, step by step.

Feelings are often a matter of fate, coming together through a series of coincidences. If you’re destined to meet, you will encounter each other at some moment, and only with time will you come to realize it.

And when you finally look back at how you came together, you can’t help but exclaim, “Wow, what a coincidence—we had a connection from that moment on.”

[Once upon a time, there was someone who loved you for a long, long time,
But as the rain fell,
It blew the distance far apart,
And only with great difficulty could we love for just one more day.]