Rock and Roll: Glorious Years

After the two made a pinky promise, the host announced, "Next, please welcome Zhang Qin from Class 2 to perform a solo female vocal piece, 'The Little Insects Fly.'"

Leading Zhang Qin onto the stage, and watching her classmates who scored 86 points but missed the chance to attend the primary school's auditorium walk down, their makeup ruined from crying, Bian Lang felt a pang of emotion: "Some adults in the entertainment industry don't even have the sense of shame that children have."

The minimum score for entry is now 90 points, and all three programs from Class 2 are out of the running. Although there is little hope for Zhang Qin, the last remaining contestant, the music teacher leading the accompaniment still nodded to Bian Lang and gave Zhang Qin a fist pump in encouragement.

Upon stepping onto the stage, the uncle and nephew bowed to the audience. Bian Lang then went to the keyboard, tested the keys to make sure there were no problems, and began to play.

Upon seeing this group, the parents in the audience began to discuss it:

"That little girl is so pretty! Her outfit is simple yet elegant, and her makeup is just right. She looks much better than my son with his monkey-like face!"

"Yeah, even if we can't go to the affiliated primary school tomorrow, the photos we took today are still very pleasing to the eye!"

"Isn't that handsome young man playing the accompaniment one of our kindergarten teachers?"

"They must have been hired from outside. It would be great if they were our school's music teacher; they look so pleasant!"

Hearing this, Mr. Zhang chuckled and interjected, "That's my granddaughter!"

Bian's father retorted, "That's my granddaughter, and the one providing accompaniment is my son!"

The prelude was short, only four bars even after Bian Lang made some changes, and then Zhang Qin's clear childlike voice began to fill the ears of everyone in the auditorium:

"The dark sky hangs low, accompanied by bright stars; insects fly, insects fly, who are you thinking of..."

As Zhang Qin sang, she opened her arms and fanned them up and down, accompanied by the fluttering of a pair of small wings behind her, making her look like a little elf flying out of a musical scene.

Compared to the previous performances that were all over the place with a strong sense of patriotism and professionalism, Zhang Qin's opening remarks gave everyone a refreshing feeling, and some of the judges in the first row began to nod slightly.

"The stars in the sky weep, the roses on the ground wither, the cold wind blows, the cold wind blows, but as long as you're with me..."

After singing that line, Bian Lang joined in, his voice low but perfectly reverberating in his comfort zone of the middle octave.

"Insects fly, flowers sleep, only pairs are beautiful. Not afraid of the dark, only afraid of a broken heart. Regardless of tiredness, regardless of east, west, south, or north..."

With his vocal reverb supporting her voice, Zhang Qin's voice sounded even clearer! In terms of the performance of the entire song, apart from the number of performers, it completely outshone other singing programs.

Dayong's son also attends the kindergarten's junior class, so the couple were also in the audience today, just standing quite far away.

When Bian Lang and his nephew came on stage, Dayong said the guy really looked like Bian Lang, but his wife immediately retorted, "What are you thinking? Bian Lang wouldn't be like you, always causing trouble. This is a school performance, not your rock concert. Accompanying your son's class on the drums, you really have a way of thinking..."

But as soon as Bian Lang spoke, even before Da Yong could remind her, Yong's wife immediately recognized the meaning: "Da Yong, isn't Bian Lan's daughter surnamed Zhang?"

"Stop guessing, it's definitely Bian Lang. How could I be mistaken for that voice..."

"Dayong, can't you learn from Bian Lang and make your son look good at kindergarten!"

"I..." Faced with his wife's rapid change of attitude, Da Yong didn't dare to say the rest of his words.

Zhang Qin had finished singing and began waving her little hands around the stage, "flying" back and forth. Accompanied by Bian Lang's non-stop ending, this simple yet touching scene was imprinted in the minds of everyone watching the show.

The music teacher backstage is now filled with regret. If she had paid more attention and arranged the song as an ensemble, it would have been a sure thing for the song to be performed in the auditorium of the affiliated primary school tomorrow.

Bian Lan, sitting in the audience, was already showing signs of tears, both for her daughter and for Bian Lang. She also recognized the expression of pure love in the song.

The two old men, Bian and Zhang, stopped arguing. Seeing the stunned expressions on the faces of the parents around them, they raised their hands, ready to applaud.

The song, which lasted for more than 1 minute and 40 seconds, came to a close with the audience still wanting more, and the applause that followed surpassed that of all the previous performances.

Of course, the final score was well worth the performance, with 99 points being the highest score of the entire event, which directly secured a spot for Class 2 to perform at the affiliated primary school tomorrow.

The only principal to give a score of 9 offered the most official explanation: "Little Zhang Qin, I gave you 9 points because I was afraid you'd get too proud!"

After thanking everyone in the audience with a joyful expression, Zhang Qin jumped into Bian Lang's arms and was carried off the stage.

As soon as the two arrived backstage, the music teacher came over to apologize to Bian Lang: "I'm so sorry, Uncle Zhang Qin, I didn't pay enough attention to Qinqin before. If..."

Bian Lang could roughly guess what was going to happen next. To avoid an awkward situation for both parties, Bian Lang interrupted directly: "It's okay. There are so many children in a class, and your teacher can't possibly take care of everyone. Since I, as the uncle, am capable, I won't trouble the teacher."

Bian Lang had already said this much, and whether the teacher didn't understand or was really unwilling to give up, he added, "It's not hard work. I don't know where Qinqin found this song, but I think there's still time. Could we organize everyone to learn it and turn this program into a children's choir, so that other children in the class can also have the opportunity to participate in the performance at the affiliated primary school tomorrow?"

Before Bian Lang could even refuse, Zhang Qin interjected, "This song was written for me by my uncle."

"Well, this song was written for Qinqin, so let's leave it for now. If there's a chance in the future, please let me know in advance, and we'll be very willing to cooperate!"

If this had been brought up a few days earlier, Bian Lang wouldn't have minded if Zhang Qin had agreed. But now, after they've already been selected for the show, he's trying to reap the benefits... "He's really dreaming!"

Several judges in the audience had already started searching for the song "The Little Insects" on their phones, but no matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find any information about it.

Compared to the music teacher's utilitarianism, Bian Lang felt much more comfortable with the homeroom teacher. The teacher kept thanking Bian Lang and said that she would treat Bian Lang's family to dinner after the event.

Bian Lang smiled and declined the homeroom teacher's offer. After his keyboard was taken away, he picked up his instrument case, took Zhang Qin's hand, and walked out of the small auditorium.

As soon as they came out, Bian Lan brought Zhang's father over.

Mr. Zhang picked up his granddaughter and, after praising her, said to Bian Lang, "Bian Lang, I used to be so confused. If Xiao Fan can't handle something at your studio, just come to me. Even though I've retired, my words still carry some weight."

Mr. Zhang was originally the second-in-command of the propaganda department in Chuncheng City. Three years ago, Mr. Zhang's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He lost his ambition and retired to take care of his family when he reached the appropriate age.

Previously, his relationship with Bian Lang was just that of relatives who would greet each other when they met. If it weren't for the fact that his granddaughter had a good relationship with the original owner, he really wouldn't have liked this relative very much.

But recently, he heard about Bian Lang from his son and daughter-in-law. He also knew about Bian Lang's online activities yesterday and today. In addition, the way he accompanied his aunt with great care today made him re-evaluate the Bian Lang who was arrogant to the bone and had no achievements.

"Dad, you're too kind. If you have time, please come visit me. By the way, where's my dad? Why didn't he come out with us?"

"I was surrounded by a group of old ladies inside asking for my contact information!" Bian Lan said with a somewhat strange smile.

Realizing what was going on, Bian Lang laughed and cursed, "I'm not going to be someone's stepfather."

The three of them stood and waited for a while, but instead of seeing Bian's father, they saw Dayong and his wife arrive.

Yong's wife liked girls. After Bian Lang introduced his sister to Yong's wife, she gave her son to Dayong so that he could tease Zhang Qin.

Da Yong complained helplessly, "Women's faces change faster than turning the pages of a book. And you're so fickle, I'm telling you, you absolutely mustn't..."

Bian Lang knew what he was going to say and quickly interrupted, "Don't say anything, or my sister will hear you and block you."

Da Yong smiled belatedly, then changed the subject, saying, "I can't believe you can write songs like this! If the band breaks up again this time, I'll still stick with you!" Da Yong wasn't so bothered by his past anymore.

"What are you thinking? We're going to Beijing to record a song on Monday. Your son will be on holiday then. You and your sister-in-law should discuss whether you want to bring the child along. This time it will probably be for more than half a month. Your sister-in-law will go crazy taking care of the child alone in Kunming..." Bian Lang couldn't even imagine someone taking care of a child like this.

Dayong nodded and said, "If it's not too much trouble, then I'll take it. By the way, haven't you thought about recording this song?"

"Which song? 'The Little Insects'?"

"Hmm, your little niece has a nice voice. The song, which is a little over a minute long, isn't complicated. Aren't you going to Nanyin Music Festival this afternoon? Why not record it while you have some time...?"

After thinking about the original arrangement, Bian Lang nodded and said, "Okay! Go to the music store and find me a guzheng."