Li Lu still had enough self-awareness to know that his singing ability was only average, so taking on a song with too high a difficulty would be more trouble than it was worth.
“Exchanged. The host also receives the perfect performance skill for this song.”
The system responded instantly, and a full song, lyrics and melody included, entered his mind.
Someone like Me, by Mao Buyi.
“This, this, this is way too good. There should be no problem, right?”
Li Lu knew his own level. Compared to this song, everything he had written before was completely unpresentable.
“All resources come from a parallel space that is extremely similar to Blue Star in history and culture, and it is also a blue planet.”
The exchange in his brainwaves took only an instant in reality.
The few people present were all stunned by Li Lu’s sudden outburst.
Liu Mian widened her eyes, unable to understand what he was thinking at that moment.
“I already helped smooth things over for you, and you still had to jump in. Are you being stubborn again?”
“What do you mean, ‘just wrote one’? It must have been written before.”
Her gaze could not help drifting toward Lin Lin. No way, did he really write a song for her?
A strange anger rose in her heart, as if she were missing something.
Not only Liu Mian, but the other male and female guests also looked toward Lin Lin.
Lin Lin’s heart started pounding violently. No way, had he really written a song for her?
Why, from the moment she saw him, did she feel like there would be a story?
Even though she kept calling him a scumbag, she still could not help wanting to get closer.
Why is my face so hot? Why is everyone looking at me?
Am I blushing? They’ll misunderstand me.
The livestream room’s bullet comments went crazy. A celebrity dating variety show really is more interesting.
In other shows, two guys would just start fighting, but here the showdown was actually a singing battle.
『Exciting!!!』
『Here it comes, here it comes. Will it be a slap in the face, or will he get slapped in the face?』
『He should have done this long ago. If he’s that cowardly, why come on a dating variety show?』
『Man, even if you sing “I am a pile of shit,” I’ll still say it sounds good.』
『Is this the original script?』
『I suddenly have a premonition that Li Lu is about to stage a comeback.』
『Not to sound conspiratorial, but could this be scripted? Did Li Lu get new backing?』
…
Li Lu’s eyes shone brightly. With a system, a man is truly formidable.
He asked a staff member for a blank sheet of paper and, with a flourish, wrote out a complete score in just a few minutes.
There were not many musicians at the recording site, only one keyboard player, one bassist, one drummer, and one guitarist.
But for Li Lu now, that was more than enough.
The few of them gathered together to discuss the performance of this song.
The other guests were dumbfounded. Had he really written a good song?
The delight and shock on the faces of the musicians were impossible to hide.
Even though they did not have much fame, as regulars on the production team, they were certainly experts.
But now they were listening to him like elementary school students.
“No problem. Let’s run through it once.”
Li Lu arranged everything and confirmed it one last time with the teachers.
The few of them stepped onto the small stage, ready to begin.
“Li Lu, first tell us: is this song written for Lin Lin?”
Yang Shu shouted out, and all the male guests except Zhang Wenbo burst into laughter.
This was a dating variety show. Someone was already making a move so quickly?
The camera caught the female guests, who could not quite say anything and instead seemed a little nervous.
Especially Lin Lin, who seemed afraid to lift her head.
“No, I just messed around with it. Don’t misunderstand.”
Li Lu smiled along. He must have been crazy to write a song to flirt with his ex.
It had been so many years. Everyone should just live their own lives.
The system was also very considerate, giving him something he was very satisfied with.
He snapped his fingers, and the lighting around the stage dimmed, leaving only him alone, holding a microphone while seated on a swivel chair.
The sound of the piano began, and a faint loneliness spread out.
Li Lu’s whole aura seemed to change as well… melancholic, wistful.
On the livestream screen, the director had already received the materials for the new song.
At this moment, the subtitle crew had already kept up.
“Someone like Me.”
『Even the intro sounds good.』
『Good.』
『The intro makes me want to cry.』
『Stop posting. I want to watch the handsome guy.』
…
“Someone like me, who is outstanding
…
After more than twenty years, still drifting in the sea of people.”
A pleasant low-mid voice, carrying just a hint of hoarseness.
The guests at the scene were all shocked. Even those who were professional actors understood music better than most people.
Was his voice always this good? Why had they never noticed before?
“Someone like me, who is clever
Has long since said goodbye to innocence
How could I still use a relationship to exchange for a body full of scars?”
The female guests felt a mix of emotions. Wasn’t he singing about himself?
Had he still not moved on?
“Someone like me, who is confused
Someone like me, who is searching
Someone like me, who is accomplishing nothing”
…
Lin Lin suddenly wanted to cry. He really was singing about himself.
Always making fun of himself as a waste, getting worse and worse over the years, unable to find a direction.
You’re not. You sing very well. You are excellent.
“Someone like me, who is cowardly
Keeps a little reserve in everything
How could I once, for someone
Have thought of throwing myself in without hesitation?”
…
Liu Mian held her face in both hands, using the motion to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
There had once been someone willing to throw himself in for her without hesitation.
But she seemed to have lost him.
…
“Someone like me, so bewildering
Would anyone feel bad for me?”
Everyone sank into that melancholy world. Who isn’t a bewildering person?
It hurt so much.
The five female guests were practically itching to rush up and tell him that someone did feel bad for him.
Unfortunately, this was a show.
The bullet comments exploded, to the point where they could not be read clearly at all.
『Damn it, isn’t he singing about me?』
『The innocent, the foolish, the confused, the unwilling-to-settle, the bewildering… he hit all of them.』
『Hearing an old song suddenly made me panic.』
『At first hearing, you don’t understand the meaning; on the second hearing, you’re the person in the song.』
『Ah, when is this song coming out? I’m buying it.』
『It made me cry, really made me cry. Please invite him to the Singer show.』
『I think I like him again. Is this the surprise after years of settling down?』
…
After the first verse, everyone was drawn to the man on stage.
In the dim background, the light around him made him look like the white moonlight in everyone’s heart.
He raised the microphone again, and a melodious whistling sound rang out.
My God, he could actually whistle??
He even had this talent, and it was part of the song’s music.
The second verse began:
“Someone like me, who is vulgar”
…
“Clap, clap, clap…”
Yang Shu took the lead in applauding, unlike after the other guests had finished performing before.
No loud cheers, no polite commercial flattery.
This song did not seem to need that.
It made people think of their younger selves… wounded, confused, not knowing what the future would be.
Mediocre, yet unwilling to be ordinary.
People like us have ambition, desire, confusion, and resentment, but what can we do?
“This really is a song that makes people feel bad. It’s too good.”
“Thank you.”
Li Lu did not pretend to be too humble. This song was truly perfect.
The system was so good at choosing songs. It was completely tailor-made for him.
When he sang, he could not help thinking of all these years.
Having been glorious, confused, and down and out.
In fact, someone like him.
All he really needed was just someone who could stay by his side.
But it seemed that person still had not appeared yet.