Chapter 151: A Dream-Chaser’s Pure Heart

This song was "A Fierce Heart of Chasing Dreams", a rock track with an unremarkable, plain verse and a chorus so explosive that it could give a listener goosebumps.

Liu Qingshan had never attempted this genre of music before, even though his vocal condition—possessing an S-tier voice trait talent—already granted him S-tier vocal skills.

Although he also possessed a special vocal quality unknown even to Jin Xishan, one extremely suited to this style of rock music, the magical change his vocal cords underwent after smoking a cigar was something he had kept hidden as a secret weapon, waiting for the right opportunity to unleash its maximum utility.

Therefore, the only singing method he could currently master was hitting high notes, and he didn't even want to deliberately use a raspy voice to interpret this piece.

Hence, he needed to observe the correct way a rock singer performed beforehand in order to release the full essence of this song with all his might.

Regarding the Checkmate Band present, Liu Qingshan had some ideas, but at least until the song was completely recorded, he did not intend to voice them.

The extra information appearing in his mind needed to be transformed into score format as quickly as possible.

Just as he was writing down the lyrics, it startled Ah Jie, who was watching from the side.

As the musical notes gradually appeared on paper one by one, more and more musicians and sound engineers gathered around Liu Qingshan.

Even Aidi, who was already over sixty years old, squeezed in, breathing heavily as the sheet music gradually neared completion.

By the time the lyrics and music were finished, someone eagerly rushed forward to take them for photocopying. The next two hours or so were spent in intense rehearsal between Liu Qingshan and the band members.

Liu Qingshan himself was a guitar master, but clearly, the musicians had no time to care about his guitar skills at this moment, as all of them were completely absorbed, heart and soul.

When it came to the initial trial singing stage, no one expected that Liu Qingshan would actually hand over the debut performance rights to Ah Jie.

"You go first, Ah Jie. I know you really like this song!"

Without any extra explanation, and after a brief, obvious moment of astonishment, Ah Jie happily stepped onto the small stage.

Because the equipment in the studio was professional, once the music started, the proper rock style was instantly striking.

Where on earth is this world full of flowers?
If it truly exists, then I will surely go there.
I want to stand upon the highest peak there,
Not caring whether it is a sheer cliff or a precipice.
To live with all one's might, to love with all one's might, even if it means being smashed to pieces,

Demanding no one's satisfaction, as long as I can look myself in the mirror.
Regarding ideals, I have never chosen to give up,
Even during those dirt-stained and weary days.

Ah Jie did not start with a bang, but rather delivered a somewhat mediocre yet utterly authentic rock vocal style.

It was a raw voice without any embellishment, almost every single line filled with rough tones that desperately needed polishing.

Perhaps Manager Bian, the only person present who did not understand music, was already frowning at this point, as if questioning how a piece that so many people had busied themselves over for the better part of a day could sound so unpleasing to the ear, even though the musical accompaniment had many bright spots.

However, as the chorus burst forth for the first time with passionate fervor, an indescribably exhilarating, deeply gratifying, yet bitter-sweet feeling of excitement and impulse violently erupted.

Run forward, facing cold glances and mockery,
How can one feel the vastness of life without experiencing hardship?
Fate cannot force us to kneel down and beg for mercy,
Even if our embrace is stained with fresh blood.
Keep running, carrying the pride of a pure heart,
How can the brilliance of life be seen without persisting to the end?
Rather than lingering on in a wretched existence, it is better to burn brightly with unbridled passion,
One day, it will sprout again.

The feeling of this song was akin to running a 3,000-meter race, steadily and evenly advancing step by step toward the climax.

The characteristics of the chorus were extremely distinct, resembling a final sprint, and the way it was expressed gave the audience a completely different sensation.

I'm hooked! This was the most distinct and personal feeling shared by everyone who heard it—a gratifying, piercing sensation that could penetrate flesh, blood, and bones to strike straight through the heart.

It was a passionate sensation of running with all one's might, a piercing ache of emotional breakthrough that could make a grown man burst into tears after being thoroughly moved.

The pride of a pure heart; though youth is gone, the dream remains.
No compromise until we grow old!

This was a song that could make one's entire being come back to life, making one feel as though the soul had been struck. Although there were quite a few flaws in the performance, it could inspire a reckless, unbridled urge: rather than dragging out a cowardly existence, it was better to burn away in a glorious blaze.

This was a story about youth. What is youth? Youth is capital; it is the capital to run forward and charge ahead recklessly, without considering any path of retreat.

Youth means being able to make mistakes, making them over and over again, and once certain of a mistake, starting all over from the beginning.

Youth means carrying the pride of a pure heart and the brilliance of life, staining the footprints behind with fresh blood, and never kneeling to beg fate for mercy.

Youth means charging blindly forward with all one's might, a stubborn persistence of never turning back until hitting a dead end.

This was also a story about dreams. What is a dream? A dream is something that, though it might seem foolish to others, you believe will certainly be achieved as long as you work hard enough.

A dream is that moment when, even though you have thought of giving up many times, you ultimately cannot bring yourself to do it, always feeling that your life ought to be more than just this.

A dream is the belief that as long as we still draw breath, we will clench our fists tightly and, before dawn breaks, run toward a broader future against a backdrop of cold glances and mockery.

At this very moment, Manager Bian no longer held his previous disdain. Instead, with reddened eyes, he stood immersed in the shock of having his entire body infused with boundless strength.

And Ah Jie's singing—that seemingly torn yet soaring voice, using a visceral, soul-stirring vocal delivery akin to a passionate cry—was telling people his musical attitude word by word.

Along with the restlessness of the guitars and the tremors of the drums, blending with the rugged vocals, they created an all-metal rock storm that declared "none shall stand before me."

Once the song finished, the entire room went wild. Especially Chen Qianhui, who possessed the height of a towering Amazonian, had discarded her high heels at some point and was jumping and dancing barefooted across the floor like a madwoman.

Liu Qingshan immediately walked onto the stage, a guitar already slung over his neck.

His performance just now had similarly pushed his restraint to its limits. As soon as the music stopped, he hurried right up.

He wanted to personally interpret a different style!

By this time, many people had noticed this and finally snapped out of the previous frenzy.

Ah Jie smiled knowingly, turned around to walk off the stage, but returned a moment later carrying another bass guitar.

Since it was only a trial run, adding one more instrument wouldn't disrupt the original drum arrangement.

In a complete band, the electric guitar produces a harsh and noisy sound through the amplification and distortion of effects pedals, which is precisely the primary characteristic of heavy metal.

The low-pitched bass guitar serves to stabilize harmonies and is also one of the primary instruments in rock music.

In the music, it mainly functions to reinforce the bass and complement the rhythm. Sometimes, without listening closely, one might not even notice the bass's presence, but if it were missing, the band would immediately feel the thinness and weakness of the overall tone.