Gu Xingyi had always been an orphan—in both lives. But in this one, he had a family, he had friends, and because of that, he cherished these hard-won bonds more than most.

If someone hurt his family or friends, Gu Xingyi would, of course, find a way to make them pay.

After Chen Feng left, Gu Xingyi suddenly felt a bit lonely. Just a few days ago, he had come here alone. But after all the hustle and bustle, that solitude felt even more pronounced now.

Thankfully, it didn’t last long. Just after 9 a.m., Gu Xingyi received a call from Yang Chenglin.

His song had been selected by Huayin!

According to Yang Chenglin, the people over there had taken just one glance and picked it out from thousands of submissions.

Her voice was full of excitement. When she called, she was already downstairs at the hotel. Huayin was preparing to shoot a music video and needed Gu Xingyi, the songwriter, to come guide the process.

"Guide" just meant giving feedback—after all, since he was the composer, he would have a better sense of how the MV should look and how the song should be sung.

This was Huayin! A subsidiary of Huayang!

Gu Xingyi cleaned himself up properly, freshened up, and finally headed downstairs.

Outside the hotel, Yang Chenglin was still driving that gray Mercedes. Anyone who didn’t know better might think some old man owned it. Onee-san types sure had different tastes than most girls!

When she saw Gu Xingyi, she brushed the loose hair from her forehead, her eyes gleaming slightly.

"Didn’t expect it—cleaned up like this, you actually look the part!"

Gu Xingyi rubbed his nose and chose to ignore the look in Yang Chenglin’s eyes.

"Let’s go! Time’s not early anymore. The quicker we get this done, the sooner we can catch lunch!"

Without another word, Gu Xingyi climbed into the back seat. Yang Chenglin rolled her eyes—was the front passenger seat not good enough for him?

Once they were in the car, Yang Chenglin spoke while driving: "The director in charge of the MV at Huayin called and praised you nonstop. So? Got any ideas for the MV or the lead singer? Don’t go in there and mess things up!"

It was obvious she was a bit worried that Gu Xingyi, being young and inexperienced with this kind of situation, might get stage fright, so she brought it up ahead of time.

"Relax, I’ve got it under control."

Gu Xingyi looked totally composed—not a hint of nervousness. On the contrary, it was Yang Chenglin who seemed more anxious than he was.

She glanced at him in the rearview mirror and, seeing that he truly didn’t seem nervous, dropped the subject.

At 9:40, the car stopped at a parking lot in front of a tall building. Gu Xingyi and Yang Chenglin got out one after the other. When Gu Xingyi looked up, he saw a big sign on the building.

Huayang Television.

And in smaller characters underneath: Huayin Headquarters.

Brimming with prestige!

Gu Xingyi hadn’t even been able to set foot in Huayin in his previous life, and now he’d been invited here in this one.

Yang Chenglin walked ahead, urging the still-staring Gu Xingyi along. The two entered the building side by side. Clearly, she had arranged this in advance, because as soon as they stepped inside, a group of people came out to greet them.

Leading them was an elderly man with white hair. Despite his age, he was well-built and full of vigor, with a sharp glint in his eyes.

He didn’t look like other old men at all—there was no cloudiness in his gaze.

Behind him were several middle-aged men, all around forty or so, which made Gu Xingyi and Yang Chenglin stand out even more.

Not only were they much younger, but a group of older professionals coming to welcome two youngsters was certainly unusual.

Staff around the building occasionally cast curious glances their way, watching the pair with intrigued expressions.

"Grandpa Lin, why’d you come down yourself? If my dad finds out, he’s going to scold me to death!"

Yang Chenglin walked up quickly and playfully clung to the old man’s hand.

That gesture startled Gu Xingyi—an onee-san acting cutesy was too much to handle!

Sure enough, the old man’s face lit up with a doting smile.

"Lin girl, don’t give me that! Your dad dares scold you? He should count himself lucky you don’t beat him up, haha!"

"Grandpa Lin~"

The onee-san blushed slightly, her tone coquettish.

"Alright, alright, back to business. This must be young Gu, right? A true talent! Quite the presence!"

"Nice to meet you, sir, and thanks for the kind words. I’m Gu Xingyi."

Gu Xingyi nodded politely at the elderly man.

"Good, good! Talented and well-mannered. No wonder you could write a song like that!"

"I’m Lin Guodong, the director responsible for this MV. If you don’t mind, you can just call me Grandpa Lin too, like Lin girl here."

Seeing that Gu Xingyi was courteous but not pretentious, calm and composed, Lin Guodong was even more pleased.

This was exactly the kind of young man he had pictured—thoughtful, talented, and grateful. Young people like this were rare nowadays!

"Grandpa Lin, I’d be honored."

Gu Xingyi kept a gentle, sunny smile on his face. He had a warm and approachable air about him.

"Good! Xiao Gu, shall we head upstairs?"

Lin Guodong was delighted, even switching to a more familiar form of address. He grabbed Gu Xingyi’s hand and led him toward the elevator, not bothering to introduce the others behind him.

Gu Xingyi had no choice but to follow, though he did nod politely at the middle-aged men behind them.

The elevator went straight to the 20th floor. As soon as the doors opened, Lin Guodong pulled Gu Xingyi into the recording studio.

"Xiao Gu, Lin girl said you sing really well. Could you give us a demo? We haven’t actually heard this song sung yet—not even the lead vocalist has been decided."

"Sure."

Gu Xingyi nodded.

"Would you prefer a cappella?"

"Piano. This song only needs piano accompaniment."

"Got it!"

Once they got down to business, Lin Guodong became much more serious. He left Gu Xingyi alone in the recording studio while the others stepped out.

As the technicians switched on the microphone...

The group of middle-aged men waited with bated breath, eyes fixed on the recording booth as Gu Xingyi sat down and began preparing emotionally.

Once he entered work mode, Gu Xingyi was completely focused. From the outside, people could visibly see the shift in his expression.

Lin Guodong nodded. This was what a true musician looked like.

A real singer should first pour emotion into the song—not just scream and wail.

Inside, Gu Xingyi began to play the piano, the gentle prelude softly echoing through the speakers.

Everyone outside instinctively held their breath. As the piano played, their eyes stayed locked on the booth.

"Maybe far away, or maybe yesterday—
Here or across the sea...
The long road twists through joy and pain,
People meet, then part again..."

Lin Guodong’s eyes widened just from hearing the first line.

Yes! This was exactly the feeling he had envisioned!

When he first saw the lyrics, he had a sense this would be powerful—but hearing it now, the impact hit even harder.

The other middle-aged men exchanged shocked glances. They hadn’t expected the live performance to be this moving.

Even Yang Chenglin, though it was her second time hearing Gu Xingyi sing this song, couldn’t help but be captivated, eyes glued to him with admiration.

This side of Gu Xingyi was absolutely magnetic.

Unaware of any of this, Gu Xingyi was fully immersed in the song, wanting only to sing it better—flawlessly—with no regrets.

"Maybe someday we’ll drift apart,
Or maybe meet again by chance...
In the crowd or in the skies,
Let me see your face again...

Though tears may flood these eyes,
Though I’m silent, my face soaked in sorrow—
I don’t want divine halos,
Just your simple, ordinary light!"

As the song neared its end, Lin Guodong’s eyes were already misty. Having once been a soldier, he could feel the full weight of these lyrics.

Those unsung heroes who work quietly behind the scenes—those truly ordinary people—are often the greatest of all. They are the ones who deserve to be idolized by the younger generation.

But out of all those celebrity chasers... how many chase people like them?

Not just Lin Guodong—everyone present was deeply moved. Just like Gu Xingyi, they had entered that emotional space.

So this was it—a truly good song really could move everyone.