Huayu96: My Thirty Years of a Prodigal Son

Despite my reluctance, the time to say goodbye to He Qing finally arrived.

The two have finished filming all their scenes.

Qin Sheng has recovered from his illness.

It's time to go home and prepare for the college entrance exam.

Before leaving, Qin Sheng held He Qing's hand reluctantly.

He Qing simply smiled and said to Qin Sheng, "Forget about me and start your new life well."

Qin Sheng nodded silently, then left dejectedly.

It was already April when I returned to my home in Tianjin.

Qin Sheng's parents are both ordinary workers.

When her son returned from filming, Qin's mother was happy for three seconds, but then she started nagging him.

"The college entrance exam is less than three months away! And you're still out having fun! Get back to studying!"

Qin Sheng could only sit down at his desk with a wry smile.

The college entrance examination was not a big pressure for him.

In his previous life, he was a legitimate student who took the college entrance exam. Although his score wasn't high, he still scored over 500.

He later entered the entertainment industry because he was handsome enough.

To say that participating in the 96 college entrance examination in this lifetime was effortless and a complete victory would not be an exaggeration.

Sure enough, after studying for more than two months with a half-serious attitude, Qin Sheng scored an outstanding 356 points, successfully exceeding the Beijing Film Academy's admission score by 100 points.

They achieved the remarkable result of ranking first in both their professional and general education courses.

After sharing the good news with his older brother, Qin Sheng began to think about how to spend his summer vacation.

He still couldn't forget his sister He Qing and wanted to go find her.

But a phone call disrupted his plans.

"Xiao Qin! It's me, Liu Huan!"

The voice on the other end of the phone was strong and enthusiastic, like that of an old friend whom I hadn't seen for many years.

Qin Sheng was stunned for a moment when he held the microphone, but then he realized what was happening.

It seems the Water Margin production team has decided to invite Liu Huanlai to sing "Heroes' Song".

Liu Huan.

A legendary figure in the Chinese music scene.

A respected veteran artist with both high moral character and artistic talent.

In her past life, she had only seen him once from afar backstage at a gala. She never expected that in this life, he would take the initiative to call her.

"Hello, Teacher Liu!" Qin Sheng greeted him politely.

"Hey, why call me teacher! Your brother Zang Jinsheng and I have been friends for a long time, just call me brother!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Liu Huan got straight to the point.

"The crew just talked to me a couple of days ago about the song 'Heroes' that you wrote, and they're going to have me sing it."

I heard from your brother that you've finished your college entrance exam and your results were pretty good.

How about coming to Beijing for summer vacation?

"Shall I show you around Beijing beforehand, and while we're at it, we can talk about your song?"

Qin Sheng hesitated for less than ten seconds before deciding not to go to see Sister He Qing for the time being, and to go to the capital first.

"Brother, I'm available anytime."

"Great! Then set off in the next couple of days. Call me when you arrive in Beijing, and I'll arrange for someone to pick you up!"

After hanging up the phone, Qin Sheng began packing his luggage.

He had been to the capital city many times in his previous life, but he had never been to the capital city in 96.

With the remaining film crew salary in his pocket, Qin Sheng boarded a train to Beijing the next day.

Tianjin is not far from Beijing, and we arrived there quickly.

When he exited the station, a bearded man wearing sunglasses was waiting for him at the exit, holding up a sign.

The bearded man was Liu Huan's assistant, and he picked him up in a Santana.

I walked through the streets of Beijing in 1996.

There are no skyscrapers or traffic jams that make you question your existence.

The streets are full of bicycles and buses.

Looking at the scenery outside the window, Qin Sheng felt it was all very new and exciting.

The car was driven to a residential area near the North Third Ring Road and then parked.

The assistant led Qin Sheng upstairs and opened the door to a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment on the third floor.

"This is what Brother Liu arranged for you. You can stay here for the summer vacation. Let me know if you need anything."

Qin Sheng looked around.

The house wasn't big, but it was clean, tidy, and had everything you needed.

It seems Liu Huan really took the arrangement for him seriously.

Before they even met, Qin Sheng had already developed a certain fondness for Liu Huan.

After putting away his luggage and seeing off his assistant, Qin Sheng was just about to lie down and rest for a while when the landline phone in the room rang.

Qin Sheng got up to answer it.

"Have we arrived yet?"

It was still Liu Huan's booming voice.

"We're here, brother. The house is wonderful, thank you so much."

"Hey, why are you being so polite with me? Are you free tonight? I have a few friends having a get-together."

If you're free, come over; we can chat about your "Heroes' Song."

Qin Sheng agreed.

At 8:30 p.m., following the address given by Liu Huan, Qin Sheng found his way to the entrance of a bar called "Blues".

He glanced around and realized it wasn't a noisy nightclub, but a performance bar with live shows.

I hadn't walked more than a few steps inside when I saw Liu Huan.

Mainly because of his appearance, he's too easy to recognize.

I went up and greeted them.

After confirming that it was Qin Sheng, Liu Huan warmly pulled him to a seat.

He then introduced his seatmate.

Following Liu Huan's introduction, Qin Sheng looked at his other two friends.

Immediately, he opened his mouth in astonishment.

The other two were surprisingly Na Ying and Mao Amin.

They were all familiar faces I'd seen in my past life.

Qin Sheng wasn't actually that surprised, but being good at being low-key and playing the straight man, he still exaggerated a bit of surprise.

Sure enough, seeing Qin Sheng's delighted expression and hearing his constant flattery, the two divas were in a very good mood.

He greeted Qin Sheng with a smile.

The two divas did not doubt that Qin Sheng's compliments were an act.

Because at this point in time, they are incredibly famous, and it's only natural that the whole world should know them.

To be honest, a gathering of three music industry giants like this shouldn't have included someone like me, who's practically nobody now.

But I did manage to sneak in.

This only shows that Mr. Liu Huan is indeed a good person, and that the entertainment industry in 96 was still quite unregulated.

After they sat down, Liu Huan poured Qin Sheng a beer and then they started talking about "The Ballad of Heroes".

After asking detailed questions about the composition, arrangement, and performance of "Heroes' Song," Liu Huan finally nodded in satisfaction.

This friend's younger brother is definitely not a good-for-nothing.

He certainly has his own unique understanding of music.

Qin Sheng's clear and professional presentation finally won the approval of Na Ying and Mao Amin.

After finishing a beer, Na Ying asked Qin Sheng with great interest:

"Besides 'Heroes' Song,' have you written any other songs?"

Qin Sheng thought for a moment and nodded.

"I've written some."

"What type?"

"Haha, we have everything, popular, rock, and ballads."

Na Ying raised an eyebrow, instantly losing interest.

If you write about everything, then you're not proficient in anything!

I was just thinking of this kid as an expert, a genius.

It seems the other party still needs a long time to grow.

Na Ying stopped asking, but Mao Amin suddenly spoke up:

"Qin Sheng, do you have any songs that you think are well-written? Sing one for us."

Mao Amin curled her lip at Na Ying's sudden change of expression.

This girl is great in every way, except she's a bit too headstrong.

They were fine just a moment ago, but the moment something doesn't go their way, they immediately start giving people the cold shoulder.

As the leader of the circle, she naturally couldn't treat people and handle things that way.

I still have to clean up her mess myself.

Qin Sheng felt a warmth in his heart as he sensed the goodwill emanating from Mao Amin.

The boss is indeed the boss.

This level of vision is something that Na Jie, that simpleton, can't compare to.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Sheng smiled and said, "Sister Amin, I did write a song that I thought was pretty good before."

And I think this song is especially suitable for you to sing.

Upon hearing that it was a song suitable for her to sing, Mao Amin immediately became interested.

Although I don't really believe this child can write any profound songs suitable for him to sing, after all, "Heroes' Song" is a masterpiece, so it would be a lie to say that I have no expectations at all.

Looking gently at Qin Sheng, Mao Amin asked, "What's the song called?"

Qin Sheng smiled shyly and replied, "Acacia, red beans grow in the south, this is the most auspicious symbol of longing."