A song called "The You of the Past" has prompted the entire internet to beg me not to leav

The lights in the entire venue gradually dimmed.

The once vibrant pink ocean gradually quieted down, and the glow sticks lost their frenzied color, leaving only a warm pale yellow.

The image on the big screen then changed.

There were no dazzling special effects or elaborate stage design, only a slightly yellowed old photograph.

In the photo, a young, pretty woman is holding a one-month-old baby girl. The woman looks down at the child in her arms, her eyes gentle.

The second photo shows a refined young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

He sat upright, held the little girl's hand, and taught her to write calligraphy stroke by stroke.

The little girl had two braids, chubby cheeks, and an expression as serious as her father's.

One photo after another.

The little girl slowly grew up.

Wearing her school uniform, standing on the competition stage, winning her first singing trophy, and finally becoming the radiant diva standing in the center of the Bird's Nest tonight.

But the young couple in the photo are also getting older year by year.

Wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes, and silver strands appeared in his jet-black hair. His once straight back had begun to bend slightly, and he didn't know when it started.

In the first row of the VIP section, Shen Zhenbang initially had a stern face.

The old professor of Chinese studies from Fudan University had been frowning ever since he saw Lin Yan holding his daughter's hand.

In public, they were pulling and tugging at each other.

outrageous.

But when those old photos appeared on the big screen, his body froze.

Li Wan sat next to her husband, looking at a photo of herself when she was young, and slowly covered her mouth with her hand.

She tried to hold back, but tears still streamed down her face.

A grand piano had appeared in the center of the stage, seemingly out of nowhere.

Lin Yan sat down on the piano bench.

Long, slender fingers landed on the piano keys, and a soothing prelude began.

There was no guitar clamor, no drumbeat fervor.

Only the clean sound of a piano, carried slowly by the night breeze, flowed through the entire Bird's Nest, like someone gently turning the pages of a yellowed old photo album in front of 100,000 people.

Shen Qingqiu stood beside the piano, looking up at the large screen.

The parents in the picture are still very young.

When I looked down at the audience again, the black hair I remembered had long since turned white.

Her nose tingled with emotion.

She never gave these photos to the concert team.

When exactly did Lin Yan go to the house to get it?

As the piano music played, Lin Yan approached the microphone.

He abandoned his usual nonchalance, his voice deep and hoarse with the weariness of years.

"The old tree in front of the door is sprouting new buds..."

"The withered tree in the yard is blooming again..."

"I've managed to survive for so long..."

"Hiding a full head of white hair..."

After the four lines were sung, the audience, who had just been immersed in cheers, seemed to have been simultaneously muted.

Some people lowered their heads.

Someone held the hands of their parents beside them.

Some people, looking at the white hair on the screen, suddenly realized that it had been a long time since they had really looked at their parents' faces.

Lao Xue in the front row was still feeling toothache from the previous song.

At this moment, the smile on his face completely disappeared, his mouth was slightly open, and goosebumps rose on his arms.

The entire Bird's Nest was so quiet that only the sound of piano music could be heard.

In the stands of 100,000 people, glow sticks swayed slowly to the beat, like a shimmering galaxy in the night.

"Little feet from my memory..."

"Those chubby little lips..."

"I gave him my whole life..."

"Just for that one call of 'Mom and Dad'..."

Shen Qingqiu raised the microphone, wanting to sing.

But as soon as she uttered the first sound, her voice was choked with uncontrollable sobs.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed the surging tears.

The next second, that ethereal voice with its penetrating power resounded throughout the Bird's Nest.

Where has the time gone...?

"I've grown old before I could truly savor my youth..."

"Raising children is a lifelong commitment..."

"My mind is filled with images of the child crying and laughing..."

In the VIP section, Shen Zhenbang finally lowered his head.

He took off his gold-rimmed glasses and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

Before he could even put the lenses back on, his shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably.

Li Wan leaned on her husband's shoulder, crying so hard she couldn't speak.

They watched their daughter grow from an infant in swaddling clothes, step by step, to the bird's nest where they would be staying that night.

I always feel like there's still a long way to go.

I still feel like she's that little girl with two braids, who would secretly glance at her father's face if she made a mistake in writing a single word.

But in the blink of an eye, she has grown up.

And they really have grown old.

This song is dedicated to Shen Qingqiu's parents.

It is also sung for every parent in the world who has devoted half their life to their children.

There were no cheers above the Bird's Nest, only muffled sobs.

In the stands, many young people took out their mobile phones.

Someone typed "Dad, are you asleep?", deleted it, and then typed it again.

Someone walked towards the audience passage and dialed a number that hadn't been contacted in a long time.

After the call connected, he opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Some people just stared at "Mom" in their contacts, hesitating to press the button.

The piano music continues to flow.

Where has the time gone...?

"My eyes are already blurry before I can even get a good look at you..."

"Half a lifetime spent on daily necessities..."

"In the blink of an eye, all that's left is a face full of wrinkles..."

Lin Yan closed his eyes and slowly traced the black and white piano keys with his fingers.

His voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like he had truly traveled through decades.

Every word uttered reminds one of the person who always says "everything is fine at home" on the phone.

The photos on the big screen stopped.

The last picture shows Shen Zhenbang and Li Wan sitting side by side on the sofa in the villa on the hillside.

The two didn't look at the camera; instead, they looked at the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Lin Yan, wearing an apron, was cooking with her back to them.

In the bottom right corner of the photo, there is a line of very small text.

Thank you for bringing the best of her into this world.

When Shen Qingqiu saw those words, tears finally streamed down her face.

There are no flashy high notes, nor are there complicated arrangements.

Just a few ordinary words, yet they reminded countless people of the light that was always left on for them at home.

In the stands, someone softly began to sing along.

At first, it was just a sound.

Then came the second, the third...

More and more people are joining in.

Soon, the voices of 100,000 people converged, crossing the stage and the stands, surging towards the sky above the Bird's Nest.

There were no drumbeats, no strings.

Only Lin Yan's clean piano notes supported the chorus of 100,000 people.

The song contained longing, guilt, and love that was never spoken.

Where has the time gone...?

The last note faded.

Lin Yan's fingers remained on the piano keys, not immediately withdrawing.

The lingering notes of the piano echoed in the night, growing fainter and fainter until they completely dissipated.

A few seconds later, Lin Yan stood up from the piano bench.

He walked to Shen Qingqiu's side, took her hand, and led her to the front of the stage.

There were no unnecessary formalities, nor any deliberate attempts to evoke emotion.

He looked at the first row of the VIP seats and bowed deeply.

Shen Qingqiu looked at her parents below the stage, and tears streamed down her face.

She gripped Lin Yan's hand tightly and bent down with him.

The next second, thunderous applause erupted.

"Whoosh..."

The applause of 100,000 people swept across the Bird's Nest like a tidal wave, interspersed with sobs that could not be suppressed.

This applause is for the two people on the stage, and also for those parents who grow old silently, yet dedicate their entire lives to their children.

Shen Zhenbang put his glasses back on.

His eyes were still red-rimmed, but his gaze behind his glasses remained fixed on Lin Yan.

He recalled how this young man usually wore shorts and flip-flops and lounged around the house.

Then look at Lin Yan, who is standing in the center of the Bird's Nest, wearing a white shirt and holding his daughter's hand.

Shen Zhenbang remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he let out a long breath and slowly nodded towards the stage.

Not a single word was spoken.

But Lin Yan understood.

At least for this moment, he has finally gotten his pass on the most difficult hurdle: his father-in-law.

Lin Yan straightened up and turned to look at Shen Qingqiu.

He raised his hand and used his fingertips to wipe away the tears on her face, his eyes filled with an unprecedented seriousness.

"Don't cry."

He lowered his voice, a familiar smile playing on his lips.

"You won't look good if your makeup is ruined."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was clearly amplified throughout the venue by the microphone.

A burst of good-natured laughter erupted from the audience.

The heavy burden that had been weighing on the hearts of 100,000 people has finally eased a little.

Shen Qingqiu glared at him with red eyes.

But she gripped his hand even tighter.

Lin Yan did not let go of her.

He turned around, looked up at the 100,000 spectators, and also at all the cameras on the scene.

The bird's nest, which had just calmed down, fell silent once again.

"The first fourteen songs tonight are for all the listeners, and for all our families."

Lin Yan paused for a moment.

His right hand reached into his pocket, his fingertips touching the velvet box he had prepared for half a month.

The box is still there.

The ring size will be correct.

Two weeks ago, after Shen Qingqiu fell asleep, he held her ring finger and measured it three times.

The next morning, she complained that he slept badly and kept grabbing her hand in the middle of the night.

Thinking of this, Lin Yan took a soft breath.

One hundred thousand people in the audience were waiting.

Shen Qingqiu, standing beside him, also sensed something and stared at him blankly.

Lin Yan gripped the square box in his pocket, his gaze falling on her face.

"But this last song..."

His voice, transmitted through the speakers, reached every corner of the Bird's Nest.

"That's the only reason I organized this concert at the Bird's Nest."