Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 962 Understanding Yet Not Understanding
The stage lights, like piano keys, were flashing, and Xia Yuxi, immersed in them, felt that she had misunderstood rock band performances a great deal before.

He used to think that comparing a band's performance to a pop singer's concert was a joke. Even after watching the previous episodes of "The Big Band," he still questioned the authenticity of the event until he stood on that stage himself and truly realized: "Putting everything else aside, these speakers are really good."

As for the VG team from DGM, who were treated like cattle by Bian Lang, Xia Yuxi naturally had a high opinion of them. In any case, the work they did and their completion rate were far superior to the so-called number one team in Asia that his previous company had assigned to them.

Meanwhile, back in Europe, Thor, who never stops talking, asked Bian Lang, "What were you thinking when you wrote this song?"

Bian Lang didn't answer directly, but instead sang along with Xia Yuxi in the video:
The falling flowers tonight are poetic.

Alas, the flowing water of the past is heartless.

The music may never end, and the people may never disperse.
Unforgettable summer, joyful moments together…

As a man, a rock musician, and Zijian's former colleague, how could Bian Lang not understand what Zijian's lyrics were trying to express? But just like the lyrics say, "The falling flowers are willing, but the flowing water is indifferent." Watching this part of the video from the original Earth's Big Band, you can see that even if Shilu was reluctant, she had already let go.

As for how this former couple could still be so in sync when they look back, Bian Lang could only say that you'd have to ask the people involved. In any case, Bian Lang himself couldn't figure it out.

Just like the following interlude, when Bian Lang watched it, he really couldn't understand what Shi Lu's mentality was, that she could use the drums as a melodic instrument in such a suddenly slowed-down, melodic interlude, and still respond so well to Zi Jian.

Perhaps, as Shi Lu herself said, there's something between her and Zi Jian that's hard to explain—they're just compatible, and no one else could do it.

Hedgehog performed this song again later, but Shi Lu was no longer the one singing harmonies with Zi Jian. If you still see this song as everything Zi Jian wanted to say to Shi Lu, then you're really contradicting yourself. If it were Bian Lang, someone with a bit of a fastidious streak, he would never sing this song if Shi Lu wasn't sitting behind him in the back.

No amount of money will work!

However, this is like the calm before the storm, setting the stage for the explosion to come. Although the image quality in the shot isn't great, the sound recording is absolutely excellent.

When Dingding's steady, powerful loop came out, Steiger, unusually, asked during the song, "Wave, is the drummer really a girl?"

"Replace it if it's fake!"

"That's amazing! If she came to Europe, she would definitely be a market darling... How can such a small body have so much energy..."

Speaking of this, Bian Lang recalled what Shi Lu had said:
“I think I will continue to play in a band until I am at least 50 years old. I don’t necessarily have to play drums; I might also play keyboards. I am also full of hope for the future. I think there will be a special right person who will accept my daughter and my band.”

This kind of certainty probably comes from someone with absolute self-confidence. Even after leaving Hedgehog, Shi Lu remains Shi Lu.

But this hedgehog is definitely not the same hedgehog it used to be. At least Bian Lang felt that it had lost a lot of its fierceness.

But now the collaboration on stage is with Strauss and Ding Ding, and Bian Lang thinks it's very good, at least better than the later performances by Hedgehog without Shi Lu.

It's fortunate that it was the Strauss-Dingding duo; if Xia Yuxi had played it, the two of them would probably have turned "High Mountains and Flowing Water" into a cheesy Indian anthem.

Dingding's singing on stage, "La la... la la la la..." was more pleasant to the ear than Shi Lu's. But it definitely didn't have that same kind of drive that Shi Lu had, the kind of energy that made you want to overturn the world with your drumsticks.

Then, Xia Yuxi continued singing:

He seemed to want to speak but stopped, unable to articulate his thoughts.

Raising a cup to the present, let us not sigh in the morning.

If we separate tomorrow
At least tonight, together

No need to worry about pain.

Believe that true love will eventually find you.
If everything was already destined
Perhaps, we should love ourselves more.
Regardless of the future or the outcome
And there has never been a need to recall…

When Xia Yuxi was studying this part, he always put himself in the role of Bian Lang, and the "you" in the lyrics was naturally the rock music fans.

Thinking about it this way, it's actually quite fitting for the occasion.

"If we have to part ways tomorrow..." From Bian Lang's perspective, it's almost as if he has already temporarily parted ways with his fans.

Or, to put it another way, if we consider rock music as the subject, it's not impossible. Rock music in China wasn't entirely rejected by the mainstream, but some bands were practically walking a tightrope over a cliff. A single misstep could have led to their demise.

Although Xia Yuxi's performance at the scene was considered emotionally engaging by music fans, Bian Lang felt it was still far inferior to Zi Jian's performance on The Big Band.

After all, by that point, Zijian already knew there was nothing he could do to salvage the situation, which is why he wished the other person well: "Believe that true love will eventually find you..." And the person he was wishing well for was right behind him.

If all these conjectures and assumptions come true, what a tragic romantic story it would be. Some might say that Zijian is an idiot, still trying to act tough even at a time like this. Couldn't he just lower his head and Shilu would be there? But that's just who Zijian is. If he weren't like this, how could he have written this song?

The story begins with the first four lines: "The lush days, the four seasons, the golden years, love and confidants..." Like all beautiful stories, it is vibrant and exciting, yet also unexpected.

The story ends with the last four sentences: "If everything is already destined, perhaps we should love ourselves more, and no matter what the future holds, there is never any need to remember." Like all tragic stories, two flowers bloom, but ultimately they are separated by fate.

However, the ending of being separated by distance may not be so imperfect. It's just that from one party's perspective, the relationship, up to the breakup, might have been exactly the kind of feeling they wanted.

A mundane life might be better, but what's the point? When you love, you should be passionately devoted; when you break up, you should feel the pain. Otherwise, if breaking up is as commonplace as sneezing, what's the point of the relationship?

After adding all these complex emotions, Bian Lang felt that Zi Jian was really about to explode. In the end, Bian Lang felt that he was crying, but it was covered by his sunglasses.

After the song ended, the close-up shots focused on Yifan and Shilu's faces, without showing Zijian again. As for the ending where Zijian untied the guitar, seemingly intending to smash it, Bianlang never asked what was going on in his past life.

If you just put yourself in that situation, you'd probably still smash it.

After all, things have come to this point, and I've given you all my blessings, but I need to have a way to vent. Especially about Zijian, whom Shilu always said would never grow up…

Many men may seem immature in the eyes of their partners. This is why domineering CEO novels are so popular among female readers; most women probably don't find someone they perceive as more mature when choosing a partner.

But as soon as the marriage ends, tastes change immediately. Mature men become a thing of the past, only young men remain true!

far away...

In any case, Zi Jian's version of this final segment on The Big Band is legendary, even Bian Lang can't surpass it. So, watching Xia Yuxi's segment on Bian Lang is ultimately a pity.

After all, Zijian probably poured his heart and soul into writing and performing this.

In their youth, they were naive and poor, and because they had nothing, love seemed to be their entire life.

Later, conflicts in their lives gradually increased, and setbacks in his career made Zijian increasingly depressed. Shi Lu described the scene at the time as "a wall full of empty wine bottles, so big that they would all fall over if you touched them with your finger," and life became unbearable.

After the breakup, Shi Lu's life was not happier; on the contrary, it became more cruel and turbulent. Just as she said, everything was "fate."

In fact, Zijian has always lived in his own world. In an interview, Shi Lu said that she was always distressed that no one knew her band. After the release of "Daydream Blue," she thought they should be famous, but in the end, no one knew them. But Zijian always had an indifferent attitude and continued to make music in his own hands.

Shi Lu hopes life will keep moving forward, while Zi Jian is more easygoing and content with whatever comes his way.
Artists are often lonely. Although Zijian may not be considered an artist, his first album after breaking up with Shilu, "Illusion Pop Star," was hailed as a god-like album by Hedgehog fans. Most of the songs in the album were written within a year of his breakup with Shilu.

It was filled with emptiness, decadence, and loneliness!

Then came the sudden emergence of "Train," a song born from Zijian's heartbreak, hospitalization, and Shilu's impending departure from the band—a series of blows that nearly drove him to despair. Who could have imagined that the song he created during his lowest point would become a turning point in their lives this summer, making them household names?

During Zijian's hospitalization, Shilu said she was extremely worried. There's no need to overanalyze Zijian's character; Shilu once said that all of Zijian's ex-girlfriends still maintain good relationships with him and are very supportive. Based on this alone, it's clear that Zijian is definitely not a scumbag.

Zijian's immaturity was the main reason why Shilu left him. Of course, there were also economic issues. But the contradiction is that Zijian's immaturity is precisely the cornerstone of Hedgehog's songs, which generally have a youthful feel, and is also the reason why they are loved by the public.

Is Zijian truly incapable of maturing, or does he, as a music creator, simply not want to mature or socialize?

Bian Lang thinks it might be the latter. Zi Jian is somewhat idealistic. Without a platform to showcase his talents, idealism can only lead to poverty, lack of recognition, an unsatisfactory life, and an unbearable partner. But once he has a big platform like The Big Band, his charm, which surpasses that of ordinary people, is like super tear gas. You can't help but shed tears as soon as he opens his mouth.

It could be said that Zijian's low socialization resulted in the loss of Shilu, but it created Hedgehog.

The recording of The Big Band lasted for nearly three months. In the early stages of recording, it was obvious that Zi Jian was still naive and Shi Lu was taking it one step at a time. Their state was not much different from last year. However, after entering the top 8, their state was obviously different. It was clear that they took every performance very seriously. Zi Jian was no longer in a carefree state and strived for perfection in every song.

During the unplugged callout segment, even with only 48 hours, Zijian insisted that Yifan play the acoustic bass, and even added the cello at the last minute, rehearsing and practicing for two consecutive nights. He even rewrote the lyrics for the bump on his head, and wrote two motivations for the songwriting competition for Shilu to choose from.

In Shi Lu's words, "Originally, I felt it wasn't good enough, so he stopped writing it, and it ended up being a mess. Now, I think it's good enough, but he thinks it's not good enough and needs to be revised again."

With each interview and increased contact and communication between the two, including their candid moments on shows like "I'm Hosting the Band," one could deeply feel the difference between them.

For example, when Shi Lu wipes away Zi Jian's tears, the way Shi Lu looks at Zi Jian, and how she doesn't mention Zi Jian in three sentences during the interview, even though they still argue, I can see Shi Lu's appreciation for a man who takes things seriously. Moreover, she once loved this man, as if that person from the past has returned.

Zijian is a real man. Shilu took the initiative to break up with him and left him. According to our common sense, Zijian must have a lot of resentment in his heart.

However, in any interview, including arguments, apart from musical debates, Zijian always praised Shilu and never said a bad word about her. During arguments, he would remain silent when scolding Shilu, or he would retort like a child. Shilu was always the dominant one.

Is this kind of man immature? He might be much more open-minded than many so-called mature men.

That's why Zijian's final performance in this song was so amazing...

However, Xia Yuxi's performance at the scene truly captivated the music fans.

Seeing Xia Yuxi, who had stopped singing but was still lost in her emotions, Liu Yao couldn't help but ask Liu Ziyang, "With this performance, do you think you can get first place?"

Liu Ziyang's answer was also straightforward: "Judging from their current performance, as long as the fans don't go crazy, they are either number one or number two right now."

Having caught the unspoken implication, Liu Yao continued, "Didn't Goat perform poorly yesterday? What do you think of his performance today?"

"It's normal for performance to fluctuate. Don't forget, Bian Lang personally arranged the song for this last performance. Who can say for sure what will happen?" Liu Ziyang had seen all the rehearsals, so he firmly believed that as long as Goat performed normally, the points he lost yesterday would be nothing.

Bian Lang's song can close this gap, and that's the confidence that "Summer Finale" gives Liu Ziyang.

(End of this chapter)