66: My foolish ex-husband! It is a great honor to admit one's mistakes and improve oneself!

The moonlight spilled among the mountains and forests.

At the entrance of the village in front of the mountain, Chen Fang sat under the night sky, strumming his guitar.

His gentle, slightly hoarse voice entered the ears of everyone present, gently caressing and striking the softest parts of their hearts.

As the song reached the chorus, the melody gradually climbed, and the determination and resolve in his voice grew stronger.

“I pray for a transparent heart and eyes that can shed tears.”

“Give me the courage to believe again, to cross lies and embrace you.”

“Whenever I can’t find the meaning of existence, whenever I get lost in the dark night.”

“the brightest star in the night sky, please guide me closer to you.”

His emotions were very strong, carrying a plea and longing, singing of his yearning for light and hope. Yet, this was not a passive waiting, but a firm pursuit.

Although the current situation was confusing, he would never succumb to fate, but would seek the inner light in adversity to illuminate the path forward.

In front of the screen, Liu Kexin had already sat up, leaning against the wall.

She clearly felt that the energy in her heart, consumed by studying and the departure of her postgraduate study partner, was rapidly recovering.

She recalled a passage she had once read.

It takes great courage to change one's lifestyle.

Because when faced with the “unease” caused by change and the “dissatisfaction” brought by not changing, choosing the latter is often easier, so some people choose the latter. They are unwilling to sacrifice the pleasure they currently enjoy for self-change, unable to muster the courage to change their lifestyle and face unease. So even if there is some dissatisfaction or lack of freedom, they still prefer to maintain the status quo.

This is not about right or wrong; it's just that some people choose stability, while others choose to move forward in the unknown darkness.

But caught in the middle, wanting to lie down but unable to, wanting to push harder but unable to, neither enjoying the present nor looking forward to the future, that must be the most uncomfortable.

She was no longer conflicted; she wanted to choose to move forward!

Let the postgraduate study partner go.

People always have a herd mentality; it's easy to go along with others.

But what if a partner leaves? Success requires courage to face all difficulties.

Abandonment without challenge is hypocritical!

Liu Kexin felt a surge of emotion in her heart.

She didn't expect that the one who understood her best was actually her former idol, or perhaps, he had experienced the same things.

She looked at her phone.

On the screen, Chen Fang was playing the guitar with his back to the mountain, “I’d rather all the pain stay in my heart than forget your eyes…”

His brows were slightly furrowed, and his slightly hoarse singing made people feel his pain, yet also his determination, his firm pursuit of the brightest star in the night sky.

Liu Kexin's eyes drooped slightly, and a ripple stirred in her heart.

More than a month ago, after learning the news of his scandal, she hadn't bothered to investigate. Firstly, because she was busy with her studies and too lazy to delve deeper. Secondly, because her admiration for him was less about genuine liking and more about a tool to motivate herself to move forward. If he couldn't motivate her, then she didn't need him.

But now, a hint of guilt seemed to sprout in her heart, and a question she couldn't suppress emerged.

Could someone who could sing this song with such emotion truly be the kind of person depicted in those scandalous rumors?

Could he have been wronged?

Liu Kexin tilted her head to look out the window. If the rumors were true, and he could still display such a difficult, forward-moving demeanor in the darkness in front of the camera, then she could only say that the acting world owed him an award for Best Actor.

...

The audience's thoughts soared with the song, each lost in their own reflections.

Meanwhile, at the scene.

Chen Fang's song, full of loneliness and power, echoed through the mountains and forests under the night sky.

Zhenzhen's mouth was slightly agape as she looked at Chen Fang. She didn't understand the deeper meaning, but she was moved by the melody and felt very peaceful, a faint smile appearing on her face.

She looked up at the stars in the sky. The starry sky was so beautiful, as if the little stars were winking at her, telling her, Zhenzhen, you need to be braver, you need to work hard.

The little child didn't quite understand, but she was still drawn into the world of music.

Among the adults present, many were deeply moved.

Sitting behind Chen Fang, a young man in his early twenties looked at the night sky and shed tears.

His father suffered a comminuted fracture in a mining accident while working away from home and couldn't do heavy labor. His mother suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, experiencing chronic pain and taking traditional Chinese medicine for relief, working at a steamed bun shop. His younger sister had hyperthyroidism, taking medication year-round and having monthly check-ups. His younger brother was in the second year of junior high. He himself was frail and sickly, also taking medication year-round.

The pressure of life was immense.

He came here today simply because the production team paid for extras. He hadn't expected it to give him such a powerful boost.

This was the first time he had personally experienced the power of music.

The lyrics were simple, but Chen Fang's singing pierced his heart, injecting immense strength into him.

As long as you're alive, there's always hope. Keep going!

He sniffled, trying to raise the corners of his mouth, and looked at Chen Fang's back.

Not far away, the director walked over to the Assistant Director and checked the comments in the live stream. The despondent atmosphere in the live stream had dissipated considerably.

“Ah, I don't know how to describe it, but I inexplicably feel empowered.”

“This song reminds me of my days preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam. Countless nights after self-study, cycling back to the dorm, looking at the stars. Now I'm at my dream university, and I want to tell everyone, the harder you work, the luckier you get; it's true.”

“Getting stronger is a lonely road. Perhaps no one understands you, perhaps no one supports you. The path ahead can only be described as dark. And you are looking at a glimmer of hope, stumbling forward. Difficult yet determined.”

“I miss him so much! Why did we break up? Where is he now?”

The director's gaze swept across the comment section.

Some heartbroken people remembered their lovers, but most were lonely individuals moving forward.

Everyone had different feelings, which was normal. Like reception aesthetics, it believes that the meaning of a work is not fixed, but constantly generated through the reader's reading and interpretation. Once a song is created, how it is interpreted is up to the listener.

No matter how it was interpreted, it all pointed to one thing—

This song was going to be a huge hit!

The director pulled over a stool and sat down, quickly telling the Assistant Director: “Show me the shielded comment section, quickly.”

The Assistant Director quickly opened another page. To prevent Chen Fang's scandals from affecting the audience's viewing experience, the production team had blocked many comments using keywords. This page displayed the real-time comments that had been blocked.

The director fixed his gaze, and the screen displayed:

“My confused first love, my ex-husband!”

“Please, I'll trade my best friend's five years of being single for him to be innocent.”

“He didn't break the law, it's never too late to mend your ways if you know your mistakes. Just go the creative route from now on. Oh my god, tears are wetting my data cable, watching a handsome guy and getting an electric shock at the same time.”

“Was it pre-recorded and lip-synced?”

“No one's moral compass runs with their looks, thinking he did nothing wrong, right? Be rational, don't cyberbully someone who might be the real victim just because of his looks.”

The director put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath.

Lip-syncing my ass! Lip-syncing? I worked so hard to host this live broadcast, and they're saying it's lip-synced?!

And some people are even saying, “cyberbully someone who might be the real victim.” Then why do you think Chen Fang couldn't be the victim?

Oh my god, my blood pressure is rising.

He had seen negative reviews for the entire show, but it was his first time personally witnessing such malicious speculation about his guest.

This feeling was truly different from observing. Just one look and his blood pressure shot up.

How did Chen Fang endure until today?