10 Jinjiang Literature City 10
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Yun You’s heart skipped a beat at his words, “I’ll follow your lead.”
Who exactly is going to sing?
No wonder his fans call him the “Enchanting God,” “Male Fairy,” or say “Just looking at his face gets me all excited.” Even something as simple and normal as asking for opinions sounded extraordinarily affectionate coming from him.
Yun You quickly shifted the responsibility: “I was just speaking casually. You should do whatever you think is best; don’t mind me.”
Zhao Zhiyu smiled at her: “Yeah, I also really like this song.”
“That’s good.”
She took a deep breath, realizing she had been reading too much into it.
“Yun You—”
At that moment, she heard someone calling her from behind. Han Sheng was waving at her. She lowered her head and told Zhao Zhiyu, “My friend is calling me. I’ll just go over for a moment.”
Zhao Zhiyu nodded gently: “Okay.”
After she left, the man slowly wiped the smile off his face, leaned back in his chair, and narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched her retreating figure.
Yun You hurried over in three quick steps. “What’s up?”
Han Sheng sneaked her into a corner, his gaze flickering nervously over her shoulder. “You and Zhao Zhiyu seem pretty close?”
Yun You, thinking maybe her “I’ll follow your lead” had been overheard, felt a pang of anxiety: “No, why would you ask that?”
“I saw you two chatting for a while.”
“We just met. We’re not really close.”
“That’s enough. Can you get his autograph for me?”
“Huh?” Yun You was surprised. “You’re his fan?”
Han Sheng scratched his head awkwardly: “Yeah. It’d be best if it’s a personalized autograph, like ‘To Little Fish’s Trident, keep improving, may your pulls never be bad.’”
She hadn’t expected Zhao Zhiyu to be so popular among male fans. Her top fan was a guy as well.
“You should just go ask yourself. He’s right there.”
“How could I?”
“Then I should do it?”
“You know him, right? Go break the ice.”
“Break the ice?”
“…”
Realizing she’d slipped up and feeling a little embarrassed, she brushed him off casually: “I’ll ask him for you later.”
“Don’t wait. Go now. You said you just met; strike while the iron’s hot.”
“If you can do it, go ahead. I’m chicken; I’m out.”
“…”
Han Sheng watched the girl run off in frustration, then glanced at the idol standing close by, determined not to miss this chance.
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After psyching himself up, he gritted his teeth and gathered courage to approach: “Excuse me, may I have your autograph?”
Hearing this, Zhao Zhiyu looked up, his gaze cold and emotionless, like a sharp, icy blade—piercing and indifferent.
Han Sheng was stunned.
Instinctively, as a man, he felt this look was hardly friendly—but hadn’t he done anything wrong?
He had answered calls, supported him, battled haters for days on end—a true fan.
Yet soon Zhao Zhiyu’s expression softened. He took the black pen from Han Sheng’s hand and added a few elegant strokes beneath the photo, especially the final character of his name, written with flair.
The chief director checked the time and used a megaphone to prepare everyone. In ten minutes, the venue would clear for filming. Four high-definition cameras were set up, and the dazzling lights suddenly dimmed by two stops.
Han Sheng carefully placed the signed photo in his notebook.
Though it wasn’t personalized, he was still very satisfied.
He definitely had to get more close-ups of his idol later!
The show officially began as the cameras panned across the studio.
The host appeared amid the audience’s eager anticipation: “Welcome everyone to Pineapple’s large-scale online variety show, Time to Shine 2. I’m Xie Xinyue, representing the idol producers.”
The trainees stood straight in front of their pyramid-arranged seats—one hundred in total—bathed in stage lights, creating a magnificent scene from the aerial view.
“Let me introduce the mentors. First, we have the original girl group member, renowned for her beauty but determined to rely on talent: the Grand Slam Best Actress, Qing Xi.”
Thunderous applause erupted. The camera shifted to Qing Xi, who wore a wine-red baseball cap and a silk dress with a linen shirt over it, casting a cold glance at the lens.
She sang a song from her debut—nostalgic and old-school. Though her expression remained indifferent throughout, the fans’ enthusiasm did not wane, calling out, “Sister, you’re so cool, I love you!”
Next came a rapper with dreadlocks and a mop-top hairstyle, who performed an impromptu rap: “I’m a rapper, not a reader. Study harder with me; join me and you’ll never be over.”
The third was a cute boy, young with a round face and a pointed chin, dressed in a light-toned sweater, looking fluffy all over.
He smiled, made a heart sign to the camera, and performed a boy band dance, finally heating up the atmosphere.
“The last is our talented and acclaimed new romantic-style music producer, Zhao Zhiyu.”
As soon as the host finished, the stage lights went out, leaving only a spotlight. The audience screamed wildly, light sticks flashing, forming a sea of blue.
The stage rose, and Zhao Zhiyu appeared at the top. He had switched back to black hair, wearing a misty blue shirt paired with high-grade gray trousers. Amid deafening cheers, his expression was calm.
He lifted his gaze to scan the crowd, his eyes passing over dozens of people before settling on the girl in the corner.
Yun You met his glance briefly.
Her heart tightened, tinged with a secret hope.
Was he really going to sing “Moonlight”?
Zhao Zhiyu raised the microphone, gently pressed his index finger adorned with a simple ring against the earpiece, then swept a pick across the guitar strings.
The familiar intro began.
His low, soothing voice gradually filled the air.
The audience erupted—the fans went wild, screaming nonstop, as if they might tear the roof off.
“Holy crap, it’s Moonlight!”
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“What’s today’s date? Is it New Year’s already??”
“Didn’t he say he’d never sing this song again in his life!!”
“This was the song that got me hooked! I’m going to cry!!”
Han Sheng was so excited he ignored the camera and yelled along with the crowd—until the assistant director behind him kicked him.
Han Sheng: obedient now.
Since “Moonlight” unexpectedly went viral, Zhao Zhiyu rarely sang it in public. The official reason was copyright issues. Fans cursed his former company for mistreatment, forced to replay his old performances repeatedly. Even so, the song topped charts for an entire year.
Wearing his earpiece, Zhao Zhiyu couldn’t hear the explosive cheers, fully immersed in the music. His voice emerged slowly over gentle guitar, drowning out all noise.
The lyrics:
“The rain fell all night long / I looked out the window at the flickering lights / Unable to tell if they were street lamps or fragments of stars / Keeping me company through a sleepless night.”
The melody was gentle, with a floating, dreamy quality, steeped in melancholy—as if walking alone on a rainy, dark night, turning a corner, and unexpectedly seeing a warmly lit café—uncertain if real or imagined.
The notes landed densely on her heart, and Yun You was lost in the moment, unaware that he had changed the lyrics.
“I saw that girl under the sunset in summer / I walked into a noisy storm in autumn / The wind carried away my whispered words / You will understand / You will eventually understand.”
The once resigned and hopeless line, “You don’t understand, how could you understand,” had been altered to “You will understand, you will eventually understand.”
A few changed words, like withered branches sprouting new leaves, breathed new life into the song, brightening its tone considerably.
“Is Little Fish crazy?”
“What is he doing? Why change the lyrics?”
“Could it be the copyright holders forbade him from singing the original words?”
“But changing just a few words? Could it be he actually confessed to the goddess and succeeded?”
When the song ended, the stunned audience remained lost in shock for a long moment.
Host Xinyue returned on stage to bridge the moment: “Wow, it really felt like a battle of gods. It was like listening to an exquisite concert.”
Following Xinyue’s lead, the mentors appeared one by one, chatting briefly. Xiao Yi’an was witty and humorous, warming up the crowd with a few jokes. Lin Shen was gentle and quick to respond, making the atmosphere unusually harmonious.
When it came to Zhao Zhiyu, Xinyue asked, “Many fans noticed the ‘Moonlight’ lyrics were changed on the spot. Why is that?”
Zhao Zhiyu smiled: “Maybe I’ve grown older and gained a new understanding of this song. After all…”
“Love isn’t something you wait for; it’s something you win.”