A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

The next morning, Jiang Yi and the others appeared at the restaurant with dark circles under their eyes.

Seeing their appearance, Ma Xiaoya immediately laughed: "Brother Jiang, what's wrong with you guys? Did you drink until dawn last night?"

Little Fatty yawned and said, "What's the point of drinking? We've been put through this by Boss Su."

The moment these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent.

Everyone turned their gaze to Su Fan, their expressions increasingly strange.

Su Fan solemnly reminded him, "What you said is ambiguous. Please rephrase it."

Little Fatty was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening.

Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, he quickly explained, "It's not what you think! We were having a good time drinking last night when President Su suddenly sent Brother Jiang a song. To figure out the song, we stayed in the rehearsal room all night."

He Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up: "Another new song?"

Ma Xiaoya, not even bothering with breakfast, immediately pressed, "Written for the new province?"

Jiang Yi pulled out a chair and sat down, casually placing the sheet music on the table: "The song is called 'Kashgar Poplars,' and President Su asked me to sing it."

Upon hearing this name, everyone immediately thought of the poplar forest from yesterday, and also of the story that Aihemaiti had told.

Jiang Yi placed the sheet music on the table, and the others immediately gathered around.

Actually, the live stream had already started while everyone was having breakfast.

However, they were so engrossed in their conversation that neither of them noticed the camera in the corner.

The viewers in the live stream instantly perked up.

"Wait a minute, did I just hear something terrible?"

"Kashgar Poplars? So Su Fan disappeared for one night and came up with a new song?"

"What do you mean, 'disappeared for one night'? Jiang Yi and the others rehearsed all night; the song must have been written long ago!"

"No wonder Su Fan was so quiet after we went to the poplar forest yesterday; he was holding back something big!"

"Where's the production team? Quickly zoom in on the sheet music so we can take a look!"

……

As the news spread, more and more viewers flocked to the live stream.

Within minutes, the number of online users began to rise rapidly.

When Xia Ping walked into the restaurant and saw everyone still discussing the music arrangement without any restraint, he finally couldn't help but remind them, "Have you all forgotten that today's live stream started during breakfast?"

The area around the dining table immediately fell silent.

Everyone turned their heads in unison to look at the camera in the corner.

Staff from the Xinjiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism were also watching the live stream.

Upon hearing that Su Fan had released a new song, the entire publicity department immediately sprang into action.

In the previous stops, the songs were almost always scheduled for the latter half of the trip.

But the journey in Xinjiang Province has only just begun, and there are already signs of a new song in the works.

This means that they can not only attract attention in advance with the song, but also maintain the popularity of the song throughout the entire trip.

Such a rare opportunity should not be wasted.

As a result, promotional materials focusing on the poplar forest, Kashgar Old City, and winter tourism in Xinjiang Province were released one after another.

Many netizens who hadn't been watching the live stream before were drawn in by the news of the new song.

In the restaurant, Su Fan glanced at the ever-increasing number of viewers on the live stream and said, "Alright, let's rehearse a bit more later, and then sing today."

Jiang Yi had just picked up his chopsticks when he heard this, and he immediately stopped: "So fast? Don't we need to rehearse a few more times?"

"I've listened to the demo you sent, and the overall effect is good."

Jiang Yi was still a little worried: "But some details haven't been fully worked out yet, especially the last part. I feel like the emotions could be pushed a little higher."

Su Fan shook his head: "This song is not suitable for being polished too much. If you design every word and every breath to be perfectly precise, you will actually wear away the desolation and roughness in it."

Jiang Yi nodded thoughtfully.

In a corner, staff members from the Xinjiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism were rubbing their hands together excitedly.

Su Fan has decided to perform today, so their promotional plan should naturally be changed accordingly.

In the morning, the production crew went directly back to the poplar forest.

The performance venue was chosen to be under those two intertwined poplar trees.

Although it was called setting up a stage, there was actually no complicated setup.

The staff simply set up a few sets of speakers and radio equipment without damaging the surrounding environment.

Jiang Yi and the others then brought over their respective musical instruments.

There were no dazzling lights or huge background screens.

Two poplar trees, weathered by wind and sand, make for the perfect stage backdrop.

After the equipment was set up, everyone did some simple sound tuning.

After confirming that the equipment was working properly, Xia Ping gestured to Su Fan.

The live stream camera then zoomed in.

By this time, the live stream room was already packed with viewers who had come after hearing the news.

Su Fan stood in front of two poplar trees, picked up the microphone and said, "I believe everyone has heard the story Uncle Aihemaiti told yesterday. Some missed opportunities are not because anyone changed their mind, nor because anyone forgot their promise, but simply because the letter was not delivered, and the road home took too long. A person's life is very short, and there are many things left unsaid and many promises left unfulfilled. Yet the poplar trees can stand here for a long time. So I think, if trees could remember people's stories, perhaps they would have already waited for the two people in the story to meet each other."

At this point, Su Fan turned to look at Jiang Yi, who was already standing in the performance area.

"This next song is dedicated to the people in the story, and also to all those who have waited through the years, but have never forgotten."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Fan took a few steps back.

Jiang Yi stood alone between two poplar trees, holding the microphone in front of him with both hands.

The wind across the wasteland brushed against the hem of his clothes.

The next moment, a desolate prelude slowly rose in the poplar forest.

After the intro, Jiang Yi's voice came through.

I've never thought about it carefully.

Where should I place you in my heart?

You have always exceeded my expectations.

You should be placed in a proper place.

You forgot about me when you were collecting things.

……

Jiang Yi did not deliberately show off his singing skills.

His voice carried a hint of weariness, weathered by time, and even a touch of suppressed emotion.

But the more this is the case, the more real the regret in the lyrics seems.

Some people stay together for so long that they both assume the other will naturally stay by their side forever.

It's only after you've truly lost them that you realize they've already occupied the most important place in your heart.

Aihemaiti stood at the back of the crowd, his originally calm gaze trembling slightly with the singing.

Many years ago, when those letters suddenly stopped, he also thought that the girl had forgotten him.

He was stubborn and refused to write anymore.

But every night, he would take out the photo he brought from his hometown and look at it over and over again for a long time.

It wasn't until many years later that he learned she had never forgotten him.

Those letters that never arrived were never proof that two people had changed their minds.

Fate, however, led them to the same misunderstanding, and brought the real answer too late.