Taking Liu Yifei back to Northeast China for the Chinese New Year has sent the entire internet into

Fang Yu's voice, like a warm current, dispelled the coldness and despair on the stage.

It's neither flashy nor technically impressive.

It even carries a slightly relaxed narrative feel.

There wasn't much pain in his voice.

More than anything, it's the unconcealable smile and wistfulness when recalling that period of "wealth".

in the audience.

The goosebumps on Zhao Jiajia's arm traveled all the way to the back of her neck.

At that moment, she finally understood.

This song is not a simple AB section structure at all.

It is a complete play.

Two characters, two perspectives.

A conversation that will never be answered, conducted across the same memory.

A beggar is not necessarily poor.

The king may not necessarily be truly high above.

They were talking about the same thing from beginning to end.

Love.

When you have it, you are the king.

After losing something, anyone can become a beggar.

Immediately afterwards, Hua Yu's voice rang out again.

"Without you, I am worse off than a beggar."

"How profound the pain is."

This sentence, in stark contrast to Fang Yu's calm "How happy I was" just now, forms an almost cruel contrast.

One is still in heaven, the other has already fallen into hell.

The same song contains a mix of joy and sorrow.

"Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh—"

Hua Yu's low murmur was drawn out for a long time.

It was like a long-suppressed lament finally being torn open.

The lingering notes hung in the studio, not dissipating for a long time.

in the audience.

Lin Xiao covered her mouth, her eyes red-rimmed.

It's not just simple heartache.

It was because she had followed Hua Yu for five whole years and had seen him perform on countless stages, big and small.

But never before has he been so genuine.

The Hua Yu of the past was always perfect.

Exquisite, gorgeous, and flawless.

But Hua Yu, who was so perfect it was like looking through a pane of glass, had never made her cry.

Of course, it has to be today.

Hua Yu, wearing ripped jeans and speaking in a trembling voice, seemed to be dissecting himself from the inside out for everyone to see, which made her unable to stop crying.

In the players' lounge.

Fu Longfei stood in front of the big screen, unable to utter a single word.

Just minutes before, he was repeatedly reassuring himself.

Fang Yu and Hua Yu's styles don't match, and they haven't had enough time to get to know each other.

This is my first time participating in a competitive music variety show, and I might not be able to stay calm under pressure.

But now, that last bit of luck has been sung away until there's not even a trace left.

These two people are not incompatible.

Quite the opposite.

Their contrast is what makes this song so sharp.

On stage, the lights began to change.

Fang Yu took a step forward and stood in the center of the stage.

Hua Yu took a half step back and slowly disappeared into the shadows behind him.

The second paragraph belongs to Fang Yu.

"Who is crying, and who is laughing?"

"One person plays two roles."

The more obsessed you are, the more tormented you become.

"The memories are still stirring things up..."

His voice remained steady.

No rush, and no deliberate display of emotion.

But every single word dismantles the most unbearable tug-of-war in love.

I know perfectly well that I can't go back.

Yet he kept turning back.

Even though I know that if I keep going forward, I'll fall even harder.

But no one was willing to be the first to let go.

The back row of the audience seats.

Music critic Zhou Yiming lowered his head, his pen flying across the notebook.

"Structural parallelism, shifting perspectives, dual narratives..."

He drew a heavy horizontal line at this point.

"This is not an ordinary love song."

"This is a script."

The media reporters sitting nearby had already given up taking notes.

He stared at the stage for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out a sentence.

"Was this really written by a 24-year-old?"

No one answered him.

Because everyone's attention has been drawn back to the stage.

"Holding you tight, I am richer than a king."

"How happy I was."

"Without you, I am worse off than a beggar."

"How profound the pain is."

The second chorus ends.

The piano chords, which were originally progressing steadily, were cut off by a long trailing note.

The drumbeats faded, and the strings retreated as well.

The song enters its final section.

Right side of the stage.

Hua Yu lowered her head, her voice very soft, as soft as a sigh.

"When everything is over."

"It's quiet now."

"It's over..."

He would pause after singing each word.

That didn't seem like a deliberately designed singing style.

It's more like he was reluctant to finish saying those words.

It was as if as long as the last word hadn't been uttered, everything wasn't truly over.

After a brief pause, Hua Yu spoke again.

This time, his voice trembled even more noticeably.

It's not a vibrato produced by technique.

It's not that it's slipping away, but rather that it's truly almost out of reach.

Why...?

"Also possesses..."

"I'm so reluctant to part with it..."

When the last three words were uttered, Hua Yu's voice almost dissipated.

Most of it became breathy sounds.

He clung to the last word, "得" (de).

It's as if, even at the very end, they still refuse to let go.

next second.

"Thump!"

The drumbeats fell heavily.

The emotions that had been suppressed throughout the song burst forth at this moment!

The stage was bathed in light.

Fang Yu and Hua Yu stood side by side.

At this moment, they were no longer a king and a beggar.

They are just two people standing in the same memory, pushed in different directions by love.

The two of them raised their microphones at the same time.

"Whoa whoa!"

"Who can truly understand!"

"..."

"In my memories, I was richer than the king!"

"Luxury pleasure!"

"After losing you, I'm worse off than a beggar!"

"My heart is breaking!"

As the last line was sung, Hua Yu took a step forward.

Almost at the same second, Fang Yu took half a step back.

This movement is very small.

But it sent a jolt through everyone in the audience who knew anything about the stage.

From the moment he stepped onto the stage, Fang Yu stood in the position of "King".

He controls the work, the narrative, and the most stable center of the entire stage.

But at the very last second...

The king abdicated voluntarily.

They gave all the lights, the atmosphere, and all the attention to the beggar.

Hua Yu stood in the center of the stage, using her last breath to pull out the final note.

"Cut——!"

"Snapped!"

All lights went out at the same time.

The music stopped abruptly.

There was no fading outro, nor a slow dimming of the lights.

One second ago, emotions were surging like waves across the entire venue.

The next second—

The audio and video were cut off simultaneously.

The stage was plunged into complete darkness.

in the audience.

The two thousand portraits were put on pause.

There was no applause, no screams, and not even whispers.

Only the lingering echo of the phrase "heartache like a knife" remains in everyone's ears.

Again and again.

Repeatedly echoing.