Don't call me a singing god, I just want to go back to doing scientific research.

Backstage in the studio, the director stared intently at the viewership ratings curve on the monitor, which was climbing wildly upwards; his eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets.

He grabbed the walkie-talkie, his voice trembling with excitement: "Say yes! Give him time! Don't say five minutes, he can talk until dawn!"

This isn't just a review, it's a ratings engine!

On stage, Dong Xuelan, who was about to take the stage, subtly touched her headset. After receiving the instruction, her professional smile was flawless as she gracefully turned to the side and extended her hand: "Of course, we are very honored to invite Teacher Xiao to give us his comments."

"I wouldn't call it a critique, just some personal insights to share with everyone." Xiao Ruqian cleared his throat, slowly adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and perfectly captured the demeanor of an old-fashioned scholar.

He didn't speak immediately, but instead turned his gaze to Gu Yang in the center of the stage, his eyes filled with an admiration for a worthy opponent: "Gu Yang, let me ask you first, when Teacher Luo gave you this song, did he explain the allusions it referenced to?"

Gu Yang was taken aback by the question and subconsciously shook his head, his voice carrying a hint of honesty: "No, Teacher Luo Mu didn't mention it. These... I just looked up the information myself and sang them according to my own understanding."

Ling Luo is reading documents that he can't understand at all every day, so he can't keep bothering him.

It would make him seem too incompetent to have Ling Luo break down and cram every song into his mouth.

But as soon as he said that, the scene erupted in chaos.

[What? The author didn't offer a single explanation? They just released it verbatim?]

[Teacher Luomu: I just wrote this casually, so listen to it casually. Whether you understand it or not depends on fate.]

[Shrimp and pig's heart! Shrimp and pig's heart?! Others rack their brains to come up with allusions, but Teacher Luomu is just using allusions like colloquial language!]

[Wow, Gu Yang figured it out on his own? That's incredible comprehension! Indeed, our Yangyang is the most deserving of being Teacher Luo Mu's student!]

Xiao Ruqian nodded knowingly, seemingly unsurprised by the answer. He slowly turned to the camera and the audience, his voice, transmitted through the microphone, steady and highly penetrating.

"At first listen, this song evokes homesickness; upon second listen, it evokes romantic sorrow. But if you listen more closely, you'll discover that it expresses the sorrows of life as a whole."

"Let's look at the first line, 'In my childhood, I chiseled a hole in the wall to steal light from someone's house.' The story comes from Kuang Heng of the Western Han Dynasty, who was poor but loved to learn and chiseled a hole in the wall to let in light. This line instantly paints a picture of a young man from humble beginnings who harbored lofty ambitions."

"Then, 'Lovers on the bridge come and go in pairs, while the peonies by the bridge sigh at the long night.' Note the word 'sigh'!" Xiao Ruqian's tone suddenly intensified. "'Peonies by the bridge' comes from Jiang Kui's famous poem 'Yangzhou Slow' from the Southern Song Dynasty. 'Thinking of the peonies by the bridge, year after year, for whom do they bloom?' The peonies bloom year after year, yet they don't know for whom they bloom. Imagine, even though the peonies by the bridge bloom on schedule every year, it's hard for anyone to have the heart to appreciate their beauty. That one word 'sigh' perfectly captures the unspeakable sorrow and endless helplessness of a woman confined to her quarters!"

Several Chinese literature students in the front row were no longer just staring blankly; they instinctively took out their phones to take notes, looking as if they wanted to kowtow to Professor Xiao on the spot.

"Let's talk about the chorus, 'Sighing, I thought it was just ordinary back then.'" Xiao Ruqian's gaze slowly swept across the entire audience. "This line comes from 'Huanxi Sha' by Nalan Xingde, the foremost lyricist of the Qing Dynasty. When you possess something, you don't realize its value; only after losing it do you realize it was a peak you can never reach again in this lifetime. This line is the finishing touch! It instantly elevates the song's emotion from personal homesickness and love to an endless lament for the passing of time and the wasted years!"

"When a traveler is far from home, looking back at the moon, he misses his hometown and the past. But time is the most ruthless, and things change. The moon is still the same moonlight, and the bridge is still the same stone bridge, but the person waiting by the bridge is no longer the same. This deep-seated pain cannot be spoken to outsiders, and in the end, it can only turn into the heaviest sigh—it turns out that those ordinary days that we once took for granted are the past that we can never return to in this life."

Xiao Ruqian put down the manuscript in his hand, his gaze falling on Gu Yang again, and he could no longer hide his admiration: "This song, with its lyrics, music, and arrangement, is a work of art that is a masterpiece. What I just said is only a glimpse of the whole picture. As for the deeper meaning, you can follow my Weibo after the program airs, and I will compile it into an article for everyone to appreciate."

[Holy crap! No, Professor Xiao! Tell us now! I'll send you rockets!]

【Ugh! Our Chinese teacher just posted a notice in the class group: write an analysis of "Luzhou Moon" of no less than 800 words, incorporating Mr. Xiao Ruqian's comments! I... I just wanted to listen to a song in peace and quiet!】

[Dude upstairs, I'll laugh first! Thank goodness I graduated, hahaha!]

The chat in the live stream was completely insane, but unfortunately Xiao Ruqian couldn't see it; he was still continuing.

"Let's talk about Gu Yang's performance. Gu Yang, all I can say is that the decision to choose you was the right one, because your performance infused this work of art with a true soul."

"You didn't choose to use a loud, wailing voice to emphasize the sorrow, but instead used a simple, restrained, and gentle way to extract the loneliness and melancholy buried deep in your bones and present it to us. This approach, seemingly plain, is actually sophisticated. It bypasses all superficial techniques and strikes the softest spot in people's hearts."

  

He paused briefly before giving his final summary: "If the curtain fell on this song, then you gave it flesh and blood, and warmth. Thank you for bringing us such a perfect piece."

Xiao Ruqian's words were less like a critique and more like a public lecture. He transformed a popular song into a lecture on traditional Chinese culture, and yet he captivated the audience, leaving them completely convinced.

After a brief moment of silence, the audience at the scene and in the live broadcast room erupted in cheers!

I was wrong! I was just thinking about my mom's braised pork, and now I'm fucking contemplating the meaning of life!

[I take back what I said earlier. The curtain isn't a monster; it's the God of Literature descending to earth for a tribulation! It'll ascend to heaven after finishing this song!]

[One line of lyrics is an allusion; I seriously suspect that before writing the song, Luo Mu read through the entire "Complete Tang Poems" and "Complete Song Lyrics" like novels?]

[Gu Yang is amazing! Teacher Xiao praised it as having been infused with soul! The Luoyang couple is definitely the best match!]

In the audience, Ling Luo listened silently, and nodded affirmatively when she heard Xiao Ruqian's analysis.