Chapter 2

"Whoosh—"

The sound of the toilet flushing.

After sleeping for a while, Lin Zaishan felt much more refreshed, but his body was still weak and feeble.

He washed his face at the sink.

With a layer of water on his face, Lin Zaishan looked at his newly reborn face in the mirror.

This haggard and pale face was both unfamiliar and somewhat familiar.

It was unfamiliar because this face bore no resemblance to his former appearance.

It was familiar because this face looked strikingly similar to the movie star Tony Leung from his previous life.

His eyes were quite sinister and also very weathered.

His complexion was sallow, emaciated, with severe dark circles, and he looked somewhat sickly—this was Lin Zaishan's first impression of his new face.

The shoulder-length hair on the back of his head was already half white, somewhat resembling the appearance of Stephen Chow in his middle age.

On this new face, it was hard to see the former self's youthful and spirited appearance. If you said he was 47, some people might believe it.

This was the face of a middle-aged, down-and-out uncle.

He wasn't wearing a hospital gown but regular clothes—a dull gray bamboo cotton T-shirt with a frayed neckline. Below, he wore loose black mid-length jeans, without a belt, the waistband was loose, and the non-low-rise style had become a low-rise style, looking casual but somewhat unkempt.

This uncle, who was originally 183 cm tall, had been ravaged by alcohol and an unhealthy diet, and now his body was as thin as a bamboo pole, lacking vitality.

Fortunately, this uncle's voice hadn't completely deteriorated.

Through the memories, Lin Zaishan knew that the original owner of this body had a super-high voice like Axl Rose, the lead singer of Guns N' Roses.

In his youthful and spirited days, this uncle's high notes were extremely moving, and his low notes were deep and powerful, like a punch, his voice could strike deeply into people's hearts.

Just with this voice, this uncle was rightfully called a "rock genius."

However, unfortunately, years of heavy drinking and a lack of deliberate vocal care had left this uncle's vocal cords somewhat damaged.

He could still hit the high notes, but it required a lot of effort, and he could easily become hoarse, lacking the youthful ease and impact of his high notes.

The changes in his vocal cords made his mid and low notes even richer and more flavorful.

It was as if an additional mixer had been added, making his voice very magnetic and imbued with a sense of沧桑 (weathered charm) that could open up people's imagination.

In his previous life, Lin Zaishan studied pop music composition and performance at a music college. He wanted to be an outstanding singer, but fate didn't give him that opportunity.

In his previous life, his vocal cords were somewhat thin. Although his singing skills were excellent and his emotions were rich, his voice found it hard to touch people's hearts.

He was a singer with great singing skills but not one who could stir the soul and make people's blood boil.

Now, after singing a couple of songs with this somewhat damaged voice, Lin Zaishan felt that this uncle's voice was the kind that could make people's ears addicted and strike directly to the heart, a magnetic and sweet voice.

Such a voice didn't need any technique; just singing simply could touch people's hearts.

Previously, this uncle often used this voice to shout out very decadent and punk music, not fully utilizing the magnetic charm this voice should have had.

Actually, this voice would be more captivating when singing heartfelt urban love songs or folk songs.

Although in the rock field, this voice still had the strength of a seasoned veteran, in the pop field, this voice had a charm that transcended dimensions and could touch the soul.

However, this uncle's body was now in very poor condition, with short breaths, and he had shattered the bowl of rice that fate had given him.

To put this bowl of rice back together, Lin Zaishan would have to quit smoking, quit drinking, and abandon all unhealthy lifestyles in the future, to rejuvenate this 37-year-old body and restore the vitality of a middle-aged man.

Gurgling.

His stomach growled.

He hadn't eaten for a long time, and Lin Zaishan suddenly felt very hungry.

Leaving the bathroom and returning to the clean and tidy ward, it was already dusk outside.

The hospital he was in was by the sea.

Pushing open the window, he could see the vast ocean.

At this moment, the sky and sea were connected, the sunset dyed the sea red, presenting a scene of fiery beauty.

In mid-September in the southern city, the air was hot and humid.

From the bathroom to the window, it was only a few steps, but Lin Zaishan was already covered in a layer of cold sweat from hunger, showing how weak this uncle's body was.

The beautiful scenery and the excitement of rebirth nourished Lin Zaishan's heart. He didn't immediately call White Dove to hurry back with food. If it were the former uncle, he would have been impatient and angry, calling White Dove to bring food.

Holding the guitar, facing the beautiful sunset and sea view, Lin Zaishan used music to fill his stomach. He slowly sang the original uncle's hit song "Wheat Field"—

...

The view at dusk is so beautiful~

I see the distant wheat fields~

I see many beautiful smiles~

And I've shed many troubles~

...

Coz—I—know—you—won't—be—here~

Coz—I—know—you—won't—be—there~

I—don't—even—want—to—talk~

But—I’ll—catch—your—smile~

I’m—the—catcher—in—the—rye~

...

This was a song that combined Chinese and English.

The original uncle dropped out of school after junior high, and his education level was not high.

The lyrics he wrote were very straightforward and lacked depth.

Just looking at the lyrics, this was not a work that shone with genius.

However, the melody he composed for this song was excellent, with a bit of a British rock flavor, a bit psychedelic, and very romantic.

His composition style in this song was somewhat like that of another world's朴树 (Pusu).

Combined with the uncle's excellent voice, it was no wonder this song became a hit across the country.

In this plane's Chinese Empire, a hundred years ago, it had been developing along the lines of Western bourgeois reform, with a strong trend of Westernization.

The people here, in addition to speaking Mandarin and their local dialects, could speak fluent English, with more than half of the population.

The普及度 (popularity) of English was very high.

Whether this was a good or bad thing was debatable.

The cultural field here was heavily eroded by the West, but due to the existence of the Great Chinese Royal Family, the traditional culture of Chinese civilization was still stubbornly preserved.

Many historical and cultural treasures were even better preserved than in the world where Lin Zaishan had lived in his previous life.

This plane's Chinese Empire was a beautiful empire that combined tradition and openness, but its actual development was somewhat problematic.

This was evident from the lack of copyright protection awareness in this empire.

The society here lacked the most essential aspect of Western civilization: the spirit of contract.

People here followed the old Chinese tradition of valuing harmony and resolving everything through negotiation, rather than following contracts.

In fact, the high-level parliament of this plane was not incapable of protecting cultural intellectual property rights, but no political party dared to easily touch this free cake to gain more public support.

This led to the complete decline of the pop music industry in this plane.

To make a name for himself in the pop music industry of this plane, Lin Zaishan had a long road ahead.

The city where he was reborn was the entertainment capital of the Chinese Empire and all of Asia—Donghai City.

This plane's Chinese Empire was divided into 22 large provinces and two special administrative regions.

Among them, Minzhou, located in the southeastern coastal area, was one of the top three wealthiest provinces.

Donghai City, the capital of Minzhou, was the entertainment center of the Chinese Empire in this plane.

Four of the eight large television groups covering the entire country had their headquarters in Donghai.

Eight of the top 15 film and entertainment production companies in the country had their headquarters in Donghai.

Although record companies had gradually declined after entering the 21st century, the four major Chinese music record companies, which were once dominant, all had their headquarters in Donghai.

This was the base of the artists.

If you were strolling in Donghai, you might easily bump into a few popular artists.

Being reborn in such an entertainment capital, Lin Zaishan's luck was not bad.

However, the competition here was also very fierce. Yesterday, you might have been a star, but today, others might ignore you.

The younger generation pushing out the older generation was particularly evident in the entertainment industry here.

Given his past misdeeds, it was clear how difficult it would be for Lin Zaishan to push back the older generation in such a circle.

However, Lin Zaishan didn't think about that much now.

He just wanted to enjoy music and earn money happily in this life, using music to give himself and White Dove a carefree and happy life, which was enough.

...

Coz—I—know—you—won't—be—here~

Coz—I—know—you—won't—be—there~

I—don't—even—want—to—talk~

But—I’ll—catch—your—smile~

I’m—the—catcher—in—the—rye~

...

At the last verse of "Wheat Field," the notes were too high, so Lin Zaishan didn't force it. Instead, with a carefree and contented mood, he adapted the last verse, making it somewhat like Pusu's "Those Flowers." The notes were not high, and when sung with his weathered, magnetic voice, it had a unique flavor.

The last note of the guitar's gentle strumming fell, and facing the beautiful scenery outside the window, Lin Zaishan exhaled contentedly.

Suddenly, White Dove's praise came from behind—

"Dad! You got inspired! The last verse adaptation is so good! Quick, sing it again, I'll record it! Don't forget it!"

It turned out that White Dove had been at the ward door since halfway through Lin Zaishan's singing.

With a worn-out canvas backpack slung over her shoulder and a lunch bag in hand, she saw Lin Zaishan's thin and weathered figure playing and singing in front of the sunset, and she thought her dad looked so cool!

She hadn't disturbed Lin Zaishan just now but had listened to him sing her favorite song with all her heart.

Lin Zaishan's unique adaptation of the last verse thrilled White Dove! She hadn't heard Lin Zaishan play such a moving melody in a long time.

Excitedly, she took quick steps into the room, put down the lunch bag, and took out a professional voice recorder from her backpack, ready to record Lin Zaishan's inspired singing to avoid him forgetting it.