Yanjing Film Studio, Yanjing.
The crew of Seventeen-Year-Old Bicycle.
"Cut! That's a wrap for today. Everyone, finish work for the day!"
After filming from dawn till midnight, the director finally called it a day.
With the movie nearing completion, the crew was racing against time.
The actors and staff were utterly exhausted.
"Yuanyuan, let's go."
"Coming, Xun Jie!"
Gao Yuanyuan grabbed her backpack and hurried to catch up with Zhou Xun.
In the film, Gao Yuanyuan played the female lead, while Zhou Xun took on the role of the female supporting character.
At this time, Gao Yuanyuan was still a relatively unknown actress, while Zhou Xun had already been crowned Best Actress at an international film festival.
Zhou Xun noticed Gao Yuanyuan rummaging through her backpack. Under the dim streetlights, she couldn't quite make out what it was. "What's that... a radio?" she asked curiously.
Gao Yuanyuan fiddled with the device as she replied, "Yeah. Shen Lang is performing the title track from his new album on a show tonight."
"Shen Lang?" The name sounded familiar. Zhou Xun paused, then exclaimed, "Oh... right! That's the guy who saved that girl from attempting suicide with his song, isn't it?"
Gao Yuanyuan nodded.
Zhou Xun smiled faintly. "Do you like him?"
Gao Yuanyuan shook her head vigorously. "No, I just think his songs are really good."
Zhou Xun teased, "Let me hear it. How good can it be, coming from our great beauty Yuanyuan?"
"Fish Leong's 'Courage'—to bravely love, bravely face challenges, and create your own happiness. I hope Mr. Wu's confession is successful."
"In the blink of an eye, the show is almost over. I know our hotline has been flooded with calls. Everyone's waiting for Shen Lang's album's lead single."
"Now, I'll hand the time over to Shen Lang."
Gao Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness I didn't miss it."
Zhou Xun pursed her lips and smiled. "Releasing an album's lead single on the radio? That's a first for me."
"'Midnight Melodies'—this is Shen Lang, here to keep our promise, come rain or shine."
"Ten years—as distant as a dream, yet as beautiful as one. Ten years is enough time for us to experience stories of love, time, growth, letting go, release, and rebirth. Ten years can let us feel both the beauty and helplessness of love, and ten years can also teach us the wisdom of life."
"'Ten Years'—for everyone."
The purpose of a lead single is simple: to promote an album.
For an album to achieve strong sales, it must contain at least one wildly popular hit song.
This makes the lead single particularly crucial, as it's directly tied to the album's financial prospects.
Shen Lang chose "Ten Years," originally by Eason Chan.
How powerful is it?
It won the "Pepsi Music Chart Top 10 Golden Songs" in 2002 and was crowned the "Top 10 Chinese Love Songs of the New Century."
Even in 2024, it continues to dominate music and short video platforms.
The simple piano intro created a warm and tranquil atmosphere for Gao Yuanyuan and Zhou Xun.
"If those two words hadn't trembled,
I wouldn't have realized how much it hurt.
How could I say it?
It was just a breakup..."
Shen Lang began to sing, his voice low and gentle.
Zhou Xun was hearing him sing for the first time.
His magnetic and emotionally resonant voice instantly drew her into the song.
Countless images flashed through her mind.
What were those two words?
And why were they spoken with a trembling voice?
What kind of scene could that be?
"Ten years ago,
I didn't know you, and you didn't belong to me.
We were still the same..."
Walking beside a stranger, down streets that are gradually becoming familiar...
Gao Yuanyuan had heard Shen Lang sing before. She had even anonymously requested "Lonely Sandbank Cold" and "Angel's Wings" over the phone.
She loved his penetrating voice.
She also loved songs that could reach deep into the heart.
This song, "Ten Years," had a simple and clear arrangement, without excessive ornamentation, highlighting the purity of the melody.
From calm to climax to calm, it created an emotional ebb and flow.
The rhythmic shifts were perfectly timed.
The alternating use of slow and fast tempos added dynamism and tension to the song.
Ten years later,
We'll still be friends, exchanging greetings.
But that tenderness,
We'll never find a reason to embrace again.
Lovers inevitably end up as friends...
How many decades in life are worth lingering over?
And how many loves are worth waiting for?
These were the thoughts swirling in Gao Yuanyuan and Zhou Xun's minds at that moment.
In Shen Lang's voice.
In the lyrics and melody of "Ten Years."
In an instant.
Gao Yuanyuan froze in the bustling crowd of commuters. Though the streets teemed with people, she heard nothing.
Zhou Xun's mind swirled with unspeakable beauty and pain. Suddenly, the wind felt too strong, drying and stinging her eyes, leaving her unsure where to look.
What kind of love could leave those who understood this song unable to find peace for so long?
As the line "Only after being friends with you for years did I realize my tears weren't just for you, but for others too" faded, those with their own stories couldn't help but sigh at their past memories.
The music stopped abruptly.
"Hello, this is Midnight Melodies. I'm Shen Lang. Do you have anything you'd like to share with us?"
"That song you just sang was so sad. I can't stop crying. Is there a story behind it?"
"Once you hear this song, it no longer belongs to me. The tears you shed become the story—your story, the song's story."
Yes...
When I first listened to music, I heard the melody.
Later, I listened to the lyrics.
Then, I listened to the stories.
Now, I listen to myself.
As the last hotline call ended, this episode of Midnight Melodies came to a close, leaving only static on the radio.
Gao Yuanyuan wiped her eyes and asked, "Xun Jie, wasn't it good?"
Zhou Xun quickly dabbed the corner of her eye and nodded. "His voice is so magical. It evokes such vivid imagery. Ten years—that's the youth and memories of so many people. How many decades does one person even have?"
Gao Yuanyuan smoothed her wind-tossed hair. "Ten years is three thousand six hundred days. It sounds like a long time when you count them, but it passes in the blink of an eye."
Suddenly, several sobs broke the silence.
Gao Yuanyuan and Zhou Xun turned around.
To their surprise, a dozen crew members were trailing behind them.
It turned out they weren't the only ones who had been listening to Shen Lang's "Ten Years" along the way.
"It's so moving."
"If they can still greet each other, does that mean they're still friends?"
"Every word he sang pierced my heart, both gently and heavily."
"What exactly were those two words?"
"'Breakup,' of course."
"No, later in the song, he sings, 'No matter how you say it, it's still just a breakup.' So those two words can't be 'breakup.'"
Gao Yuanyuan turned back to the radio in her hand and whispered, "I really want to hear the rest of this album."
After a moment of silence, Zhou Xun's lips curled into a faint smile. "Call me next time you have a chance to listen."