Chapter 28: Memories of Zhengzhou

Looking out at the audience below, Garen didn’t say anything extraneous. Holding his guitar, he began to sing softly, almost as if he were speaking to himself:

“I don’t know much about Zhengzhou, but I once came here for love.”

“How many times have I passed through this city on a train, quietly thinking of her alone?”

“She told me she likes the winter sunshine in Zhengzhou, the scent of coal stoves drifting through the alleys.”

“Mist passes across her young neck, and to this day, it still hasn’t dispersed…”

The crowd listened and thought, hey! This guy is quite frank. But even if he doesn’t know much about Zhengzhou, shouldn’t he avoid openly writing that into the lyrics?

Some people were curious—had Garen really been to Zhengzhou before? Did he actually have a romance with a girl from here?

Online, viewers watching the livestream had mixed reactions.

“This song isn’t as good as ‘Chang’an, Chang’an,’ it’s just okay!”

“These lyrics sound pretentious, and the singing feels rambling.”

“I thought it would be rock again… sigh! Pretty disappointing!”

“Folk music is just so sentimental!”

“Oh, come on! Writing a song in a few minutes and it’s already this good!”

“Exactly! If you think you can do better, go ahead—if not, don’t complain!”

“……”

Meanwhile, Wang Cheng was in his office, watching Garen’s livestream closely. Since Five Stars had signed Garen, he had to pay attention!

At that moment, the number of live viewers had already surpassed three thousand—and it was still morning, on a Tuesday. If it were evening or the weekend, who knows how many would be watching; it would be immeasurable.

As for Garen’s impromptu song, Wang Cheng hadn’t yet savored it in detail. Although he was now chief editor of the original music section, he was soon to be promoted to vice president, directly managing the live music division, so he cared more about these numbers.

At the same time, Wu Zhaoyang and the staff at Yida were also listening quietly, hoping to dig up some material for promotion from the song.

But even if there wasn’t any, the way this song debuted was enough for them to make a splash.

Garen’s voice was deep and gentle, as if he were speaking directly to you, telling an intimate love story about Zhengzhou.

“All I think of in Zhengzhou is you; thoughts swirling are nothing but remorse and grievance.”

“All I love in Zhengzhou is you; loving and loving, never understanding the meaning of love.”

“Zhengzhou only comes to mind occasionally; now her scent exists only in memories.”

“Whenever I talk about past travels with friends, I dare not say I’ve been there.”

As he sang these lines, everyone heard something different. The song was simple, but it carried a bittersweet flavor.

Many wondered—could a song of this caliber really be written in the time it takes to use the restroom?

The band members had wanted to help earlier but couldn’t, anxiously hoping Garen wouldn’t mess it up. Now, listening, they had to admit defeat.

As musicians, they looked beyond the surface when hearing a song. Though the first impression might not be appealing, with careful study and appreciation, one could sense a unique sentiment.

During the interlude, Garen suddenly spoke, “This song is called ‘Memories of Zhengzhou.’”

Most of the audience were locals; upon hearing this, an indescribable mix of emotions flooded their hearts.

Online fans started using their skills, searching for any information about the song, but found nothing at all. Only Garen’s personal forum had a few posts, and those had just appeared seconds earlier.

Wang Yang sat below the stage, coldly watching Garen. He simply couldn’t believe the song was an original composed live. Though it didn’t sound great to him, it was still original—that much couldn’t be denied. So he pulled out his phone, logged into the Music Association’s copyright website, and searched—hey! ‘Memories of Zhengzhou’ had already been registered.

He was instantly elated, thinking he’d found solid evidence of Garen plagiarizing.

But when he checked the details, he was dumbfounded.

‘Memories of Zhengzhou’:

Lyrics: Garen

Music: Garen

Registration time: April 26, 2015, 10:28 AM

Damn! The registration time was just seconds ago!

Unconvinced, Wang Yang looked further and his eyes widened—Registration agency: Yida Film and Television Legal Department!

Long after, Wang Yang was disheartened, unable to say a word.

On stage, Garen continued singing, his voice spreading across the square:

“All I think of in Zhengzhou is you; life seems to be nothing but pain and beauty.”

“All I love in Zhengzhou is you; in the end, we have nowhere to go.”

“Ambiguous or daunting, there’s affection and loyalty, yet empty pots with no rice.”

“Time changes much and nothing at all; let me embrace you again, Zhengzhou…”

At the side of the stage, Manager Cai and Ai Ya and the others all gave a thumbs up. They genuinely admired Garen. They’d heard of composing songs live, but usually the melody was complete and the lyrics a mess. Garen’s lyrics were neat, well-structured.

More importantly, the sentiment in the lyrics was thought-provoking.

On the livestream, fans started a new round of screen flooding.

“All I think of in Kunming is you…”

“All I love in the capital is you…”

“Shenzhen only comes to mind occasionally…”

“Everything in Suzhou is in my memories…”

“About…”

This time, the comments were particularly orderly, all variations on “about some city, I think of you, love you” and so on.

The barrage was so overwhelming, the screen became unreadable, with thousands of people commenting simultaneously, nearly crashing Five Stars’ server.

That day, Microblog was abuzz with discussions about the song.

“After Chang’an, now Zhengzhou! Is Garen planning to write a song for every city? Will he release an album called ‘Singing the Homeland’? — Folk Li (Music Voice Director)”

“I heard Garen wrote ‘Memories of Zhengzhou’ in the time it takes to use the restroom. I don’t know the specifics, but after watching the live video, I feel this song isn’t suited for such a large venue nor for solitary listening on a couch. It’s best for running, exercising, or even relieving oneself. Why? Because youth is all about movement, metabolism, gradually receding along the track of your life! — Zhang Zhizhong (Musician, Xinglang Entertainment Channel Chief Editor)”

“……”

This time, Yida’s PR department seized the opportunity, launching a fierce campaign, contacting many well-known influencers to comment. These influencers weren’t paid, but called in favors—they agreed because they saw Garen’s performance was genuinely impressive.

As Garen’s popularity soared, some were decidedly uncomfortable.