Chapter 70: "South of the Southern Mountains"

The middle-aged man, from the rhythm Su Chen tapped out with his knuckles, could clearly tell the other understood music. A spark lit up instantly in his eyes. When a true connoisseur recognizes your melody, it's like finding a soulmate among towering mountains and flowing streams—such understanding is rare, and discovering someone who appreciates you is rarer still.

“Hey? This guy actually sings pretty well!”

“He’s got something… at least my ten bucks weren’t wasted.”

“Do you think he’s a fan of Brother Chen? Heh, maybe he’s run into his idol and hasn’t realized it?”

The two paparazzi standing nearby listened to the song and nodded in praise, whispering quietly to each other. Though they knew little about music, they could feel that the man’s rendition had a unique charm—it was wonderful to listen to.

Soon, the song ended.

The man looked at Su Chen, saying nothing, awaiting his verdict.

“You’ve brought a different feeling to this ‘Southern Girl.’ In my opinion, it’s no less moving than the original lyrics and melody. Really impressive!” Su Chen clapped as he spoke, then smiled, “But, you might try switching the rhythm of the first line in the third verse to 4/2 timing.”

Upon hearing this, the man frowned thoughtfully and, almost reflexively, began strumming the guitar strings, repeating the passage as Su Chen suggested.

As the new melody rang out, his pupils contracted, and in that instant, a sudden clarity washed over him.

“This… the change is astonishing!”

He had always felt that, despite all the effort he’d poured into reworking the song, something was still off. Yet he could never quite pinpoint what. He hadn’t expected that, after performing it just once for this young man, the problem would be found and fixed!

In the next moment, his gaze toward Su Chen became one of sudden respect. He had assumed Su Chen was merely a fellow professional, but now realized he was in the presence of a true master.

Without hesitation, he bowed deeply to Su Chen. “Thank you for your guidance, teacher.”

Though in matters of skill, those who excel become the teacher, Su Chen felt an inexplicable awkwardness seeing a man nearly twenty years his senior bowing to him. He sidestepped the gesture.

“No need, really—there’s nothing to thank me for. This is a small issue; with a little more thought, you’d have figured it out yourself.”

He reached out a hand to help the man up.

Meanwhile, the audience in the livestream was marveling at Su Chen’s talent.

“Wow, I can barely even follow the melody, yet Su Chen can spot issues? I didn’t hear anything wrong at all!”

“Seriously, how have you lived this long and not realized? Sometimes the gap between people is bigger than the gap between a person and a dog!”

“Did you guys notice? When Su Chen listened and critiqued, he was more like a mentor than a mentor! And that humility—I’m in love!”

“Exactly! With Su Chen’s talent, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be a mentor. He’s a thousand times better than certain so-called experts!”

...

Inside the barbecue stall, Su Chen scanned the code and paid the man ten yuan. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, “I can tell you’re a skilled singer—how did you end up as a street performer?”

The middle-aged man smiled.

“To be honest, I played music when I was young—wrote and sang my own songs. Life was good for a while.”

Wang Bingling couldn’t help but ask, “Then what happened...?”

The man fell silent for several seconds. Su Chen realized there must be something he couldn’t speak of.

“Sorry, my sister’s question was a bit abrupt,” Su Chen offered.

The man waved it off. “No, no, I just… got a little emotional, that’s all.”

“Actually, my wife fell ill. Not terminal, but she can’t live a normal life. Treating her and buying medicine quickly used up all our savings.”

“After that, I borrowed from friends, from the bank, even from loan companies.”

“One by one, the friends dried up, the house was mortgaged, the job was lost, my name ended up on a credit blacklist… But her illness still needed money. So I could only try to earn what I could by singing.”

As he spoke, the man laughed carelessly, as if all these misfortunes hadn’t happened to him.

One of the paparazzi, staring at the man’s weathered face, asked in confusion, “You’ve gone through all this… and you still keep going?”

“She suffered so much with me when we were young. Now that she’s in trouble, how could I possibly leave her?” The man’s tone was light, but the determination in his eyes was unmistakable to all.

A hush fell over everyone. Even the flood of comments in the livestream went silent for a moment.

Then Su Chen broke the silence.

“Uh… boss, could you bring me that pen and paper again?”

“Of course!” The owner, just like last time, fetched pen and paper. This time, both were brand new—fresh ink, crisp white sheets.

Seeing the surprise in Su Chen’s eyes, the owner grinned, “In the service industry, when customers have a need, we improve right away!”

“Haha, no wonder you’re making money!” Su Chen replied, and without further ado, began writing at the table.

The paparazzi looked on in confusion, unsure what he was up to. Only Wang Bingling seemed to sense a faint inkling of the answer…

But… could it be?

Even the livestream was now filled with question marks, viewers baffled.

In less than ten minutes, Su Chen handed the paper to the man.

“I have a song that I think suits you. It’s yours—see if you like it.”

The elderly man was taken aback. Had Su Chen just… written a song in this short time? So quickly?

He didn’t dare hesitate, and took the lyric sheet.

He glanced at the title: “South of the Southern Mountains.”

The title revealed little, so he continued reading.

Gradually, for reasons unknown, his hands began to tremble. The carefree expression faded, replaced by tears brimming in his eyes.

The man read softly, as if soothing a child to sleep, his expression gentle, barely daring to raise his voice.

“…He said, of all the beauty that people praise, none compare to the first time he met you.”

“Time limps on in vain, helpless and frail.”

“If all the lands were joined together, I’d walk my whole life just to hold you.”

“Drunk on his dreams, goodnight…”

A man who had not been defeated by life, now wept uncontrollably because of this song.