A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

Shen Yi'an sat on the sofa in the rest area, his face ashen.

Ji Xiaocheng stood next to him, looking at the words on the screen, his chest tight with emotion.

The thought of having gone through so much to get to the finals and even receiving a song tailor-made for him by Shen Yi'an, only to have his hopes dashed before he even got on stage, was truly disheartening.

Keep in mind that the band hadn't started playing yet in the middle of the night, so they were unaware of the quality of the song "Old Boys".

However, given Su Fan's previous performance, Ji Xiaocheng had no confidence at all.

At this point, even Shen Yi'an stopped his verbal sparring.

Because he wasn't sure himself.

On the other side of the backstage, He Xiaoxiao and Xie Siyu were also stunned when they saw the information on the big screen.

Xie Siyu let out a long breath, turned to He Xiaoxiao and said, "Sister Xiaoxiao, thank goodness I'm not next, otherwise I feel like I would have been finished."

He Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at her, wanting to call her spineless, but the words that came out were: "With this attitude, how are you going to get by in the future?"

But she did not deny Xie Siyu's words.

Because she knew in her heart that whoever followed the song "Old Boy" in the middle of the night would be in trouble.

At that moment, music started playing on the stage.

Cui Zhan's singing arrived as scheduled.

"That's the person I've been thinking about and loving day and night."

How exactly should I express this?

Will she accept me?

……

This lyric is too straightforward.

It's so straightforward, it's like it was torn from someone's diary.

Who didn't have someone like that when they were young?

I miss you day and night, but I dare not speak.

I'm afraid of being rejected, afraid of losing even my friends.

All I could do was scroll through her social media posts again and again late at night, turning myself into a voyeur.

After singing the first line, Cui Zhan didn't pause, but lowered his voice, as if confirming something with himself.

"Maybe I'll never say those words to her."

I am destined to wander the world

How can I have any attachments?

……

When I was young, I thought it was cool to wander the world with a guitar, traveling everywhere and making the world my home.

I later realized that wandering the world isn't cool; it's having no other choice.

You went to a faraway place, not because there is poetry there, but because your hometown could not contain your dreams, because there was no place for you in that person's heart, and because you yourself dared not stay.

You can only leave, leave far away, far enough that you can pretend you don't miss her.

Xiao Zhao is the youngest in the band, but he's already in his thirties.

When he saw this song, he was reminded of his younger days.

He had a crush on a girl for four years, from high school to university, but he never dared to confess his feelings.

On graduation day, he drank half a jin of baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor), mustered up his courage, walked up to her, and said, "I wish you happiness."

She smiled and said, "Thank you!"

He turned around, and tears streamed down his face.

They never saw each other again.

He would occasionally scroll through her WeChat Moments late at night and see news of her marriage and childbirth. He noticed the fine lines around her eyes, but her smile remained the same as before.

He never liked or commented on anything.

He just watched.

Like watching a movie that has nothing to do with me.

But the lead role was the one he most wanted to play in his life but never got to.

Cui Zhan's voice shifted from a low murmur to a more complex emotion.

It wasn't anger, nor was it a roar; it was a self-questioning born of utter exhaustion.

"Dreams are always out of reach"

Should we give up?

Flowers bloom and fade, another season has come.

Where are you, spring?

……

Dreams are inherently unattainable.

If something is easily obtained, is it still a dream?

It's at most a small goal.

Just when everyone thought the song was going to stay somber, Cui Zhan's voice suddenly rose.

Youth is like a rushing river.

Gone and never to return, no time for farewell

All that's left is a numb me; the passion I once had is gone.

Look at the flowers falling all over the sky

Withered at the most beautiful moment

Who will remember that she ever came into this world?

……

These lyrics, as if possessing a magical power, pull listeners back to their own past.

In those years, who didn't harbor dreams and be full of passion?

Who doesn't feel that they are special and that the world is waiting for them to change it?

Some people stay up all night writing songs and play guitar against the wall in their rented rooms.

Someone painted all night, and the paint stained all their clothes.

Some people hold thick manuscripts and dream that one day bookstores will be filled with their works.

You believe you will succeed.

It's not maybe, it's definitely true.

But what happened next?

Later you realize that the world won't make way for you just because you have dreams.

As a result, some people began to compromise, started doing things they didn't like, and locked their dreams away in drawers.

I occasionally open it for a peek, and the dust makes me cough.

Then tell yourself, this is called maturity.

But who knew that this wasn't maturity, but resignation?

Just when everyone thought this song was about shattered dreams and the end of youth.

The lyrics below immediately exploded in popularity.

"Many years have passed in the blink of an eye"

So many partings and reunions, joys and sorrows.

Once a young man with lofty aspirations

Envious of the geese flying south

Figures going their separate ways

Hurriedly moving further and further away

Where will the ordinary future lie?

Ah, can someone give me the answer?

The people who were with me back then

Where are you now?

The person I once loved.

What does it look like now?

……

After hearing this, many people looked up.

We're not looking at the stage, we're looking at the ceiling.

Because they were afraid that if they lowered their heads, tears would fall.

How many years?

Everyone has a number in their heart.

Three years, five years, ten years, twenty years...

Time is like a dull knife; it doesn't cut, but it wears you down.

Smooth out your rough edges, smooth out your temper, and wear down your boastful words, "I will definitely succeed."

The boy who once pointed at the sunset on the playground and said, "I want to change the world."

Nowadays, I sit in a cubicle revising a PowerPoint presentation, squeeze onto the subway to go home, and compare prices at the supermarket to see which soy sauce is cheaper.

He no longer envied those who flew high; he began to envy the geese flying south.

At least they know where they're going.

He even has to check the work group chat for where he'll eat tomorrow.

The song continues.

Have your original wishes come true?

Is offering sacrifices all that's been done now?

As time and the winds of life dry up my ideals, I can never find my true self again.

Looking up at the starry sky

The one that accompanied me back then

Do you still remember the story here?

……

At this moment, the live stream chat began to flood with comments.

"My original dream was to be a scientist, but now I'm a food delivery driver."

"I once wanted to open a bookstore, but now I sell mala tang (a type of spicy hot pot)."

"Dreams? I gave them up a long time ago."

……

Cui Zhan's voice gradually lowered from its high pitch, not out of despair, but to slowly release the resentment that had been hidden deep within his bones all those years.

Life is like a merciless carving knife.

It changed our appearance

Must it wither before it even blooms?

I had dreams.

……

Old Li is the oldest member of the band, already over fifty.

He remembers his father saying to him when he was in his twenties, "Can playing music put food on the table?"

He said, "Yes."

More than 20 years later, he still hasn't proven himself.

But he was still playing.

It's not that I don't believe what was said back then, it's that I dare not disbelieve it.

I'm afraid that if I lose heart, I really won't be able to hold on any longer.