Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

On New Year's Eve, Lin Yuan did not go to the studio.

He is at home.

Jiang Wanqing started preparing the New Year's Eve dinner at 2 p.m. The braised pork belly was stewing and the whole house was filled with its aroma, the sweet and sour pork ribs were laid out on the table to cool, and the fish was steamed but not yet served.

She poked her head out of the kitchen, holding a spatula: "Lin Yuan, what are you sitting there daydreaming about? Come help me set the table."

Lin Yuan got up from the sofa and set out the bowls and chopsticks.

Jiang Wanqing came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of soup, placed it on the table, grabbed the remote control, turned up the volume, sat down, and said, "This year's Spring Festival Gala seems quite lively."

"Um."

What time do you sing that song?

"Ten o'clock, I guess."

Jiang Wanqing picked up the soup bowl, glanced at him, and asked in a flat tone, "Aren't you nervous?"

Lin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Their nervousness is their problem; I've already handed in my work."

Lin Liguo sat at the other end of the table, picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in Lin Yuan's bowl, saying, "Eat."

The family of three sat around the table and ate happily for almost an hour.

Firecrackers went off outside, and the neighbor's children ran in and out. Occasionally, voices could be heard in the stairwell. That's how the festive atmosphere crept in; it was impossible to stop it.

After finishing his meal, Lin Yuan sat on the sofa with his phone on his lap. The screen lit up several times, all messages from friends.

Zhou Zixuan: "Brother Yuan! Keep watch tonight!"

Qian Zhuangzhuang sent me an emoji: a panda holding a small flag that read "Staying up for Brother Yuan on New Year's Eve".

Chen Mo sent a message: "Equipment is ready to record the entire stage performance."

Gu Zhiwan sent a short message: "Tonight I'll be watching your song on the screen. Happy Lunar New Year's Eve, Lin Yuan."

Lin Yuan read through each message, replied to them one by one, and then looked up to continue watching TV.

The gala featured one program after another, including skits, songs, dances, and crosstalk, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere on stage.

Jiang Wanqing would laugh out loud when she saw something funny, and occasionally she would turn to him and ask, "Do you know this actor?" Lin Yuan would then answer with a few words.

Fireworks lit up the sky outside the window, and the show was getting closer.

Backstage at the studio.

Na Ying sat in front of the makeup mirror, put on the last earring, and looked up at Faye Wong next to her.

Faye Wong sat upright, her light purple gauze dress draped over her shoulders, holding a lyric book in her hand and softly reciting the lyrics, her expression calm.

Na Ying picked up her water glass, took a sip, and said, "Where do you think that child is now?"

"At home."

"Not even coming to see the performance?"

"He said it's your problem if you hand it over." Faye Wong turned a page of lyrics without looking up. "That's good."

Na Ying smiled and asked, "Did he say that to you?"

"That's what Fei Zhao said."

Na Ying scoffed, stood up, straightened her dress, took one last look at herself in the mirror, and said, "Fine, then we'll sing for him."

Faye Wong closed the lyric book, stood up, and said calmly, "I was going to sing it well anyway, it has nothing to do with him."

Na Ying: "Ha, okay, it has nothing to do with him, let's go."

The director announced the countdown, and the backlight bar flashed twice.

In the studio, the previous program had just ended, and the cheers and applause hadn't completely subsided when the big screen switched to the preview for the next program.

"Next up, Faye Wong and Na Ying will perform 'Years'."

The entire room fell silent for a second, then erupted into a sound even louder than before.

As soon as the host finished speaking, the bright red, festive stage lights began to fade.

A soft, gradient blue-purple light spread up from the bottom of the stage, cloud and mist effects slowly rose, and a shimmering galaxy flowed across the background screen, making the entire studio feel like a different world.

Jiang Wanqing paused for a moment, then whispered, "Wow, this stage is beautiful."

As the piano prelude flowed out, Lin Yuan stared at the screen.

Faye Wong stepped forward from the left side of the stage and began to speak:

"A fleeting moment of reunion across mountains and rivers—"

Ethereal, clean, like a thin thread, gently drawing everyone's attention away.

The camera cuts to the right side of the stairs, where Na Ying catches the fish steadily.

"Regardless of how much dust and smoke has been raised—"

Warm golden fireworks light spread across the stage, one cold and one warm, as two voices approached the center from both ends of the steps.

As the chorus begins, the two slowly walk towards the center of the stage, their harmonies overlapping:

I've left a light on for you—

There will be no twilight in my heart—

Jiang Wanqing put down her teacup, remained silent, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and said, "This poem is truly beautiful."

Lin Yuan remained silent.

On stage, the two walked to the center of the steps, Faye Wong extended her hand, and Na Ying grasped it.

"Listen to the time, like an eternal melody, always accompanying us on our journey of constant gatherings and partings—"

As the last note faded, the stage lights slowly dimmed.

The studio was silent for a full two seconds.

Then applause rolled from the front row to the back row, surging up like waves. The camera panned across the front row and saw people clapping vigorously, while those sitting next to them turned their heads to wipe their eyes.

[Weibo Real-Time Update]

#WangFeiNaYingYearsSpringFestivalGala# topped the trending searches.

Following closely behind, #EveryoneHasALightInHisHeart# surged to second place.

The comment section exploded simultaneously:

@FayeWangGlobalFanClub: Faye's voice, her stage presence, her lyrics—I cried tonight. I've been listening to this song on repeat.

@NaYing's die-hard fans, look here: I cried so hard I couldn't speak when the two of them walked towards each other. That's what life is all about.

@Akina Mountain Old Man's Loyal Book Fan: Old Man's books make me cry, his songs make me cry, and his movies make me cry. What did I do to deserve this? Happy New Year, you bad guy.

@Feng Zian, a music critic: I must say, the lyrics are so accurate. Faye Wong's lyrics are heavenly, Na Ying's lyrics are earthly, and when the chorus is combined, it's like heaven and earth are both there.

@Aqiang, a migrant worker in a foreign land: I didn't go home for the Spring Festival in Shenzhen. I watched the Spring Festival Gala alone in my rented room. When I heard this line, I thought of the window in my mother's house where the light was always on, and I cried my eyes out. I will definitely go back next year.

The topic's popularity continues to rise, and the stage clips are spreading rapidly on short video platforms, with each one accompanied by the same comments: "I cried" and "On repeat."

Lin Yuan's phone had been vibrating non-stop since 11 p.m.

A message from Zhou Zixuan: [Brother Yuan!! Trending at number one!!]

Qian Zhuangzhuang sent: [Yuan-ge, my mom said this song is good and asked who wrote it. I said my roommate wrote it, but she doesn't believe me.]

Chen Mo sent a message with only three words: 【Archived.】

Gu Zhiwan sent a message: 【It sounds good.】

After reading these messages, Lin Yuan put his phone down.

Outside the window, fireworks began to burst in denser bursts, red, yellow, and green, exploding one after another in the night sky, illuminating half the sky and creating a lively scene.

It's midnight.

Jiang Wanqing brought out a bowl of glutinous rice balls, sat down next to him, pushed the bowl in front of him, and said, "Eat."

Lin Yuan picked up the bowl, ate one, the glutinous rice skin was soft, the sesame filling was very sweet.

On TV, the Spring Festival Gala hosts were announcing the New Year, and in the studio, the countdown reached its final note, prompting cheers from the entire audience.

Lin Yuan ate glutinous rice balls, fireworks outside the window, lights inside the house, and his mother was nagging beside him about how he was getting a year older this year, her voice coming and going.

He suddenly thought of a line from the song "Years":

It has always accompanied me through the journey of constant gatherings and separations.

When he wrote this, he was thinking of Faye Wong and Na Ying, of those who stayed up late on New Year's Eve watching TV, and of those who were far from home, adrift, and had not yet found their way.

But now, sitting here, the lights are on, the people are here, and his mother's nagging is real.

After finishing the glutinous rice balls, he put down the bowl, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes.

Fireworks exploded outside the window again, the whole city lit up and then dimmed, dimmed and then lit up again, and the year passed just like that.