Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 917 Dispelling Sorrow
In a courtyard in the suburbs of London, Dong Youbian sat in a corner of the living room, lost in thought, after watching the video.

Chen Manman, who had already returned, sat on the living room sofa, unsure of what to do. She wanted to say something to comfort her, but thinking of Bian Lang and Guo Sichu, she ultimately chose to remain silent.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door. Seeing that Dong You didn't react at all, Chen Manman got up and went to open the door herself.

Upon opening the door and seeing Silva, Chen Manman sighed and let him in.

"Chen, how is Miss Dong? I saw the video, and I imagine she must be feeling terrible right now."

Chen Manman didn't answer, but pointed with her lips in the direction where Dong Youbian was.

Seeing Dong Youbian huddled in a chair in the corner, wrapped in a blanket and lost in thought, Silva sighed softly, "Why bother?"

Chen Manman also sighed, "Who told this man to be so promiscuous? If it were any other man, Youbian wouldn't have ended up like this."

"That's true. Bian Lang's talent is absolutely deadly for a female singer! You promised to moderate your drinking, and I have no other worries. Humming an old tune on the new road, what vivid lyrics..."

Silva recited the English lyrics, which were translated from the original text. Although the song was added by Bian Lang on the spot, DGM was already familiar with Bian Lang's habits, so the lyrics translation was always readily available.

As soon as Bian Lang started singing, the translator on the other side began working on the lyrics. After the initial translation was completed, it was sent to the external translator, Waltz, for polishing.

So when Silva saw the English lyrics online, it was already a version polished by Words. Although it might not be able to fully express the meaning of the original lyrics, it was enough to make Silva feel very romantic.

Her views on love are certainly different from those of other Chinese people. Although she didn't say it aloud, she was quite envious of Dong Youbian's relationship.

Speaking of Waltz, besides polishing the English lyrics for Bian Lang's Chinese songs, her side jobs also include participating in CAA's covert investigation into Bian Lang's case. As a member of the American cultural and entertainment industry, she naturally knows much more about CAA than Bian Lang and his group.

As for why she helped Rolling Stone, part of it stemmed from her dislike of the CAA organization. As a translator, before taking over Bianlang's V, she felt she had little chance of attracting the CAA's attention.

However, after the first volume of "V for Vendetta" became popular, people from CAA started contacting her, offering to pay her to include their own ideas in the translation.

For a dystopian comic book inspired by the Swastika Kingdom, the original work perfectly aligns with the pseudo-liberal ideology that Americans want to export to the world. However, Bian Lang's brain isn't computer memory; the plot he memorized and then reconstructed will inevitably have discrepancies.

Especially in the dialogue, he and Old Murdoch definitely approached it from the perspective of Chinese ideology. So although it still has a dystopian theme, the message it conveys is not the kind of message the Americans want people to see.

If it hadn't become a hit, that would have been one thing. But now it's a hit, and sales continue to rise even after its completion. Furthermore, film companies are already in talks with CAA about film adaptation rights. This has made those behind-the-scenes manipulators who want to control public opinion in the entertainment industry through CAA uneasy!

You know, if it were adapted into a movie, given Bian Lang's personality, he would definitely demand that the director aim for the Oscars.

In the original Earth, the path to winning an Oscar has been clearly explained in other entertainment articles: political correctness plus strong public relations. The most typical example is "Brokeback Mountain," where director Li also grasped the trend and, by leveraging public opinion, ultimately won the major award.

"V for Vendetta" has such a foundation, and as the Rolling Stones' reputation and influence grow, if it were actually made into a movie, the Rolling Stones only need to travel around during the movie's preview screenings to immediately boost the publicity.

And his Chinese identity naturally generates a lot of buzz!
Therefore, CAA offered a high price at that time to have Waltz insert his own ideas into the translation.

However, Watts refused. AC was not a CAA-affiliated company, and her love for the Rolling Stones and The Edge of the Wave, as well as her respect for the work, made it impossible for her to do this.

So much so that after Walker discovered CAA's shady dealings, she decided to use her own influence to help Bian Lang and Rolling Stone. She also wanted to see if CAA, which claimed to be invincible on home soil, would be proven wrong by Bian Lang and Rolling Stone.

……

Returning our focus to Europe, after taking photos in a studio in Moscow, the Rolling Stones flew directly back to London to prepare for the final stop of their tour in Berlin.

The time was too tight beforehand, and although they achieved great success in Red Square, the Rolling Stones didn't even have time to celebrate.

This return to London, coupled with the huge success of "The Nameless Man," has made everyone feel that the crisis has been resolved, so naturally, it's time to celebrate and relax, and the location, of course, is The Vault of Heaven.

As soon as Bian Lang entered, George shouted and beckoned him over: "Wave! Where's your new girlfriend? If I'd known this would happen, I would never have missed Red Square!"

“She’s behind us! That wasn’t part of our original plan, so I changed it at the last minute…”

Looking back at the video, Bian Lang himself felt that this was an absolute classic in his Rolling Stone career. It was especially significant for him and Guo Sichu!
This was not only the first official public appearance of the two lead singers of the Rolling Stones, but also the scene where they fell in love. If the people around them haven't changed many years later, how wonderful it would be to sit together and watch this video again.

Therefore, he also felt sorry for George and felt he had to give a serious explanation.

"Alright, you don't need to use that excuse anymore. Anyway, if you don't satisfy my ears by being here today, then you can forget about Rolling Stones Craft Beer!"

Bian Lang replied with a smile, "No problem!"

After returning to China, he was temporarily banned from using his hands, so even if he felt like it, he could only play around in private. Therefore, it was good for him to get back into the swing of things. Bian Lang was fully aware of this and would never cross the line or give anyone leverage over something like this.

"Oh! Really? Then shall we wait for Guo to come along?"

Bian Lang nodded to indicate that it was no problem: "Then let's have a drink first!"

Guo Sichu has an endorsement deal with the cosmetics brand CL, which has a store on Oxford Street. This brand is also one of the most steadfast supporters of Guo Sichu in this incident.

Their assessment at the time was that Guo Sichu's reputation would not be affected, and with her becoming one of the lead singers of Rolling Stones and Bian Lang being banned in China, Guo Sichu's status would be further enhanced, so they chose to support Guo Sichu.

They even released a poster with the theme "Love Bravely" to publicly show their support, so Guo Sichu reciprocated by stopping by Oxford Street since she was already there.

It has to be said that Guo Sichu's reputation in Europe has risen somewhat after her performance in Red Square. So when she arrived at the store today, Chinese tourists, needless to say, recognized Guo Sichu at a glance, as she was not trying to hide her identity at all.

Even some foreigners started pointing and saying, "That's the lead singer of the Rolling Stones, the one who sang 'Listen to Your Heart'." "Wave's girlfriend? She's really beautiful, with such smooth skin, so she's a CL spokesperson?"

"Yes, look at the sign at the entrance, she's the spokesperson for the China region!"

"Why not a global brand ambassador? Do you really think that big white American girl is prettier than her?"

"Indeed, the difference between East Asian skin and theirs is too great. Seeing the real spokesperson has increased my confidence in CL."

Plus, Guo Sichu didn't bring any security; she just strolled around the store with an assistant. She didn't refuse any requests for photos or autographs. The only problem was the time constraint at the end, so she borrowed some store staff to help her leave. This earned her a lot of goodwill from passersby.

Bian Lang waited at the bar for about 20 minutes before Adams and Guo Sichu appeared together. Bian Lang had assumed the two would meet at the entrance, but it turned out Adams had waited there specifically for them.

The first thing he said to Bian Lang was, "Wave, I've already exchanged views with Guo. We can sign her personal management contract, but Rolling Stone has to pay more. What do you think?"

Bian Lang chuckled and handed over a glass of Rolling Stone craft beer, saying, "Let's drink. Leave the business matters to Sister Chen. With Si Chu's strength and influence, you can expect to bleed a lot of money!"

"Hahaha! If you're considering continuing your tour next year and recording songs in Europe, then I can decide on the signing fee; you can name your price!"

Bian Lang shook his head directly and said, "You know that's impossible!"

After chatting for a few more minutes, Bian Lang went on stage. After Da Yong and the others finished their impromptu performance, Bao Ye and Dylan went on stage. George immediately exclaimed in regret, "We should have raised the price of tickets tonight!"

Then, people inside Rolling Stone started to urge Bian Lang to perform "The Nameless Man" live again. Apart from the rhythm guitar, the only instruments he could play were improvisations!
However, everyone had clearly thought about it privately, so the teamwork felt very good.

As soon as the applause subsided after the performance, Guo Sichu went on stage: "Bian Lang, I know that once you start singing a song of a certain style, you definitely have more than one song in your head. Don't hold back, sing another one tonight!"

Bian Lang nodded with a smile, his eyes fixed on Guo Sichu.

Then, head down, he played the piano to find the key, followed by a simple intro and then began singing in a low voice:
"When you step into this place of joy, carrying all your dreams and aspirations..."

Faces of all colors, makeup of all colors, no one remembers what you look like...

After three rounds of drinks, you're in the corner, stubbornly singing a bitter song...

As you listen to him being swallowed up by the noise, you pick up your glass and say to yourself...

One cup to the rising sun, one cup to the moonlight, awakening my longing, softening the cold window...

So you can fly against the wind without looking back, unafraid of the rain in your heart or the frost in your eyes...

One cup to my hometown, one cup to the distant land; may my kindness guide my growth...

Therefore, the road between north and south is no longer long, and the soul no longer has nowhere to rest...

One glass to tomorrow, one glass to the past, supporting my body, strengthening my shoulders...

Although I've never believed in the idea of ​​mountains and rivers lasting forever, life is too short to dwell on the past...

One cup to freedom, one cup to death, forgive my ordinariness, dispel my confusion...

Well, people always leave hastily after dawn; the most absurd people are those who are sober…

The song made everyone who understood it at the live performance feel melancholic, and a day later, Liu Ziyang's music review elevated this new song to another level:
"When you step into this place of pleasure... no one remembers what you look like." This describes a young man from an ordinary city who comes to a big city like Beijing and Shanghai. He feels that this is paradise, a place of pleasure. He carries his ideals, wants to make a name for himself, and wants to give his parents a better life.

But he noticed that people on the street were coming and going in a hurry, their makeup covered in dust from the road, and no one cared about an ordinary outsider like him.

"After three rounds of drinks, you're in the corner... You pick up your glass and say to yourself," This line describes the setbacks you encounter at work, being scolded by your boss, being harassed by clients, being given a disdainful look by an old lady when bargaining at the market, and being scorned as an "outsider" by an old man on the bus when your accent is revealed.

You've left your hometown and family to make a living, and feeling depressed, you resort to drinking to drown your sorrows. You hide in a corner, singing to yourself in anguish, but no one around you pays attention. They chat noisily about their own happiness, while you, filled with melancholy, can only pick up your glass and confide in yourself.

"A toast to the rising sun...frost in my eyes," you wake up in the morning and face the rising sun, feeling full of strength. Unable to sleep at night, you live in a cheap rented room (basement). Through the cold window, you look at the moonlight outside. The rising sun awakens your dreams, and the moonlight gently warms this cold "home," allowing you to suppress your grievances.

So you can keep striving without looking back, squeezing onto subways and buses amidst the difficult crowds, working overtime until late at night, eating irregular takeout meals, earning a meager salary, and enduring the cold stares of others, without fear of your own sadness or distress.

"A toast to my hometown... my soul is no longer adrift," this means that when neither the morning sun nor the moonlight can dispel the anguish in our hearts, we remember our hometown and the original intention behind our wandering. It is this longing for our hometown and our persistence in pursuing our initial dreams that allows us to hold onto the kindness in our hearts.

How many people have lost their innocence after witnessing the backstabbing and scheming among colleagues? How many people have been tempted to run red lights after seeing others go unpunished? How many people have abandoned their principles and done things they once despised, driven by the pressures of life?
"A toast to tomorrow... Life is too short to dwell on the past." Looking forward to tomorrow while reminiscing about the past gives you the courage to keep going.

You once harbored such grand ideals, feeling like you had arrived at a place of joy, carrying all your dreams and aspirations. You worked so hard, greeting the sunrise in the morning and accompanying the moon at night. When you felt lonely, you thought of your hometown; when you felt like giving up, you thought of the distant horizon.

And now, you're making fun of yourself by saying, "I never believed in the saying 'mountains high and rivers long,'" and comforting yourself with, "Why bother with dwelling on the past?" How heartbreaking that seems.

"A toast to freedom... The most absurd people are the sober ones." You want to give up your original dream, escape from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and go back home to live that ordinary life without ideals and hopes; you even thought about death. You have so many burdens on your shoulders, but you have no confidants, no friends, and no one to help you.

You have to admit that you are ordinary. Drowning your sorrows in alcohol only makes them worse. Finally, when you are drunk, you can take off your disguise and relieve the depression in your heart.

Daylight breaks, and you leave the bar dejectedly, dragging your groggy head. A sliver of clarity returns, and you face the cruel world once more. Have you accepted your ordinariness? Are you still filled with uncertainty? The lyrics depict the emotions gradually building with each verse, reaching a peak, before abruptly ending upon regaining your composure.

I think this song, "Sorrow," and the previous one, "The Nameless Man," are from the same series. After listening to these two songs, I feel we should really thank those who stand by and watch others go astray.

Without you all, Bian Lang might have remained stuck in that rock star position and wouldn't have been able to create songs with such humanistic concern and resonance with the underprivileged!
(End of this chapter)