Chapter Forty-Nine: Within My Song

The next morning, Zhou Xuan woke up on time, sticking to his daily routine of running and practicing boxing. As for the alcohol he drank the previous night, his robust constitution had already processed it completely—unlike others who would suffer a headache all day after drinking so much white liquor.

Today was the first day of school. Logically, Zhou Xuan should have gone to register, but since he was still in Rong City, he decided to wait and register directly tomorrow along with attending classes. After all, next semester’s registration was just a formality.

The journey from Rong City to NC County took five or six hours by car, and by the time he arrived in the county, it would be quite late. Zhou Xuan had no intention of registering that day.

While having breakfast, Zhou Xuan called for a car, and the hotel front desk promptly arranged a vehicle to send him off. Zhou Xuan couldn’t help but admire the impeccable service of a five-star hotel.

He instructed the driver to take him to the bus station. Within a couple of minutes, the driver turned on the radio.

“Dear listeners, hello and welcome to FM 77.5 MHz, Tianfu Music Radio. It’s now 10 a.m., time for our daily new song recommendation program. I’m your host, Xiao Xi,” one voice said, followed by another, “And I’m Yun Feng. Today, we’re pleased to recommend the first song, titled ‘In My Song,’ performed by Fan Yixuan. Let’s listen and feel the music.”

“Ah!” Zhou Xuan was surprised. The radio station was already playing “In My Song,” and it had been less than two months since he had handed two songs to Fan Yixuan. They had already completed recording and started radio ranking. The official album release must be close at hand, he thought.

Thinking of Fan Yixuan’s enchanting voice and recalling the two singers who had performed this song in his previous life, Zhou Xuan sincerely hoped she would cherish herself and become a good artist. He wished she would not, like some others in his past life, become arrogant after a hit song and engage in illegal acts, ruining their image among fans.

“No defenses at all,
No slightest hesitation,
You appeared just like that in my world…
You exist deep in my mind,
In my dreams, my heart, and my song.”

This was a song Zhou Xuan very much admired, but he was not fond of the two artists who had sung it before.

“Alright, everyone, after listening to ‘In My Song,’ what feelings do you have? Feel free to call or write to our program with your thoughts and opinions. By the way, is anyone familiar with the singer Fan Yixuan? Yun Feng, are you acquainted with her?”

“Cough, cough... I’ve heard her songs, and she did release an album, though it didn’t receive much attention. I’ve also listened to her voice, which is quite distinctive, but perhaps her earlier songs didn’t suit her voice well, so they didn’t sound great. However, the recently released song ‘In My Song’ is quite a revelation—very beautiful, and the more you listen, the more you feel it. So, everyone should give it more listens to truly appreciate it.”

“Haha, Xiao Xi, I’m not very familiar with Fan Yixuan, but this song ‘In My Song’ is really lovely. I believe those who like it will definitely play it on repeat.”

“Indeed, most big-name singers haven’t released albums at the start of the year. Fan Yixuan’s company chose a very good timing for the album launch.”

“Well then, let’s wish Fan Yixuan’s album great success. Now, let’s move on to our next song, titled...”

Listening to the radio hosts’ conversation, Zhou Xuan smiled to himself.

He hadn’t expected Fan Yixuan’s company to be so proactive, even getting radio hosts to advertise so blatantly. Clearly, they had invested heavily in the promotion.

Thinking of Yan Lanxi, who took the songs from him nearly two months ago without even mentioning the major event of the album launch, Zhou Xuan felt she still thought he had betrayed her best friend.

“Hmph. When Fan Yixuan’s album sells massively, she’ll realize these two songs only cost twenty thousand yuan—it’s unbelievably cheap. Plus, the songwriter’s name is listed as Zhou Zixuan, evoking the Ming Dynasty author of the same name. That historical association will surely boost the album’s popularity. This is such a great deal; Yan Lanxi owes me a few big dinners in the future,” Zhou Xuan mused inwardly.

Just then, Yan Lanxi called.

“Hello, what is Master Zhou the genius up to?” came her cheerful voice.

“Of course, I’m studying. I don’t have a job yet, so I have to study hard to find a good one later.”

“Hah, everyone knows you’ve earned two hundred thousand just from selling songs—that’s more than ten years’ salary for ordinary people, and you still claim to be poor? I strongly disapprove.”

“Hehe, that money all went to my parents to open a shop. I really am broke now,” Zhou Xuan replied, a bit speechless. He truly had no money at the moment.

The ten million yuan investment from Deng Cheng had already been transferred to the company’s account—it wasn’t Zhou Xuan’s personal funds anymore.

Meanwhile, buying computers and various other expenses had drained his savings completely.

Zhou Xuan was now just waiting for the royalties from the Ming Dynasty project to arrive at the end of the month—that would bring some money.

“Alright, enough chit-chat. I called to tell you Fan Yixuan’s album will officially launch nationwide tomorrow.”

“Oh, really? Then I wish Fan Yixuan’s album great success. But that doesn’t concern me anymore.”

“Hmph, you’re still not satisfied with twenty thousand!”

“If the album sells well, you have to treat me to a meal.”

“Hmph, if anyone’s treating, it’ll be Fan Yixuan—I can’t afford it.”

After chatting for a while, Zhou Xuan hung up. By then, he had arrived at the station. He got off, bought a ticket, and then picked up several newspapers to pass the long hours on the road.

In the 1990s, highways were not yet widely built, so the return trip would be on provincial or national roads, with a modest speed.

Fortunately, he could read books or newspapers on the bus. Whether now or after 2020, Zhou Xuan knew that during long journeys home or to school, passing time by reading was a common habit.

At that moment, Zhou Xuan thought about the future era of smartphones, when everyone would be engrossed in their phones—on the subway, buses, walking on the street, or even at gatherings—no one knowing exactly what others were doing.

Although smartphones greatly accelerated information access, they ironically reduced face-to-face communication. Nowadays, everyone chatted through WeChat or QQ, with less direct interaction.

Looking around at the middle-aged men and women nearby—some sleeping, some chatting enthusiastically—Zhou Xuan felt a warm sense of closeness.

If it were a bus full of young people in the future, he guessed they would all be staring at their phones.