Chapter 83

"Is the song you wrote in Cantonese?" Wu Yifan asked with interest.

"It is in Cantonese. It fits the theme of this competition quite well. If I draw the theme of a minor character, I can use this song to participate."

"Has this song been published before?" Wu Yifan asked again.

"It hasn't been published. During that period, my mental state and overall life were not good, and I couldn't get over the shadows of the past. In a way, 'Exaggeration' is also a cry of frustration from my heart."

Lin Zai Shan spoke candidly. It wasn't his own wound, so it didn't hurt as much to reveal it. But he could sense that the resentment in the old man's heart was somewhat like the protagonist in 'Exaggeration,' powerless to change anything, leading to a distorted life.

On the other end of the video, Li Xiaoni's doubts and shock grew stronger as she listened to Lin Zai Shan's calm recounting of his past frustrations. After hearing Lin Zai Shan speak for so long, not a single word felt familiar to her.

The way Lin Zai Shan spoke now, with logic and depth, was worlds apart from the big thug he used to be.

How did he transform so completely?

Was it because of the death of Old Lin, which dealt him a huge blow?

Did he read many books in prison? Gain many insights into life? Learn Cantonese?

After all, he didn't know Cantonese at all before!

This change was too drastic!

It was as if he had become a different person!

Could the power of love really be so great, capable of completely changing a person?

For some reason, Li Xiaoni thought of the little girl who had supported Lin Zai Shan like a pillar.

"Is your 'Exaggeration' inspired by 'Puppet'?" Zhou Dongliao, another senior producer at Cai Die, asked.

"It's not inspired by 'Puppet.' I had already composed the melody of 'Exaggeration' long before I wrote the lyrics. The melody was written in a state of great pain after I heard the news of a friend's death. But I didn't have the lyrics until I watched 'Winding Road,' which gave me the inspiration to turn the song of mourning for my friend into a cry of frustration for myself."

To help these people better understand the song, Lin Zai Shan brought over the background of 'Exaggeration' from another life.

The original title of 'Exaggeration' was 'Depression,' written by Hong Kong composer C.Y. Kong on April 1, 2003, in London, after hearing the news of his good friend Leslie Cheung's death. It expressed his grief over losing his friend, the shock of hearing the news, and his confusion over Leslie's decision to leave.

Later, when Eason chose this song for his album, he had planned to write the lyrics himself to express his thoughts on Leslie, which was the only time Eason had ever wanted to write lyrics himself.

But he couldn't write lyrics that satisfied him, so he eventually handed the task to the most talented Hong Kong lyricist, Wyman Wong.

Wyman Wong then turned the story in the lyrics from mourning Leslie into a cry of frustration from a minor character, creating a timeless classic.

"I'm curious, Mr. Lin, do you mind if I ask you a somewhat private question?" Guan Yaling wanted to understand Lin Zai Shan better.

"Go ahead."

"From your description, it seems you had a very difficult and painful time for a long period. Now, you seem to be much more at peace. What brought about such a significant change in you?"

When Guan Yaling asked this question, Wu Yifan and others also showed their interest, eager to know the answer.

Lin Zai Shan understood why she asked this question. He would be working closely with the Cai Die team for a long time, and it was necessary for these people in the industry to understand his life and his transformation.

"In the past, I left a very bad impression on you, and I am aware of that. I am grateful that you are willing to 'take a risk' and work with me. Over the years, many things have happened to me—important family members have left, and new important family members have appeared. It all seemed very strange to me. My grandfather, who raised me, passed away while I was in prison, which was almost a devastating blow. I thought my life would remain dark forever. But who would have thought that my daughter would appear in my life like a ray of dawn..."

Guan Yaling interrupted Lin Zai Shan in extreme surprise: "Your daughter?"

Li Xiaoni was also shocked, as if she had been electrocuted! Her first thought was that the little girl was Lin Zai Shan's daughter!

How strange!

The little girl was quite old, how could she be Lin Zai Shan's daughter!

Wu Yifan and others were also shocked to hear that Lin Zai Shan had a daughter!

Facing the surprised looks of everyone, Lin Zai Shan smiled warmly and said to Guan Yaling, "You must have seen her. On the day of the recording, my daughter wore a bright red T-shirt and sat in the first seat of my family and friends' section. She cheered for me several times..."

Guan Yaling interrupted Lin Zai Shan again in shock: "That was your daughter! Your daughter is so big already?!"

"Yes, she will graduate from university in two years."

Lin Zai Shan's words shocked the others even more!

"You're not even 40 yet, and your daughter is about to graduate from university? This..." Guan Yaling was embarrassed to ask further, seriously doubting whether this was Lin Zai Shan's biological daughter. Maybe she was adopted?

"That is my biological daughter. I know you must be very surprised. When her mother passed away and she came to me alone, I was also very surprised that someone would have a child for me. What surprised me even more was that she was such a kind and lovely girl, like a gift from heaven, lighting the last lamp in my dark life. Following this light, I have come to where I am today. In the future, I will do my best to create a happy life for my daughter. I am no longer the person I used to be; now I am just a father working hard for my daughter. The guitar my grandfather gave me is also my daughter's favorite guitar. I will use that old guitar to fight for a championship for both of them. Please believe me, I will do my best to participate in this competition."

Guan Yaling was deeply moved by his words. She guessed that Li Xiaoni, on the other end of the video, must have a new understanding of Lin Zai Shan.

Indeed, Li Xiaoni had a new understanding of Lin Zai Shan. All her previous doubts were resolved at this moment.

Lin Zai Shan had truly been reborn from the ashes!

All this was because of his daughter!

She never expected that this once iron-willed and stubborn man could have such a tender side.

Li Xiaoni was deeply moved by Lin Zai Shan's story. She no longer applied her old impressions to the current Lin Zai Shan, as he was no longer the Lin Zai Shan she knew or the one she remembered. He was a completely new Lin Zai Shan.

"Given your dedication to your daughter, we at Cai Die will certainly provide you with the greatest musical support!" Wu Yifan was also moved by Lin Zai Shan. He himself had a daughter and understood the feeling of working hard for one's child. The significant transformation in Lin Zai Shan was all because of his daughter. Moved, he made a very loyal promise to Lin Zai Shan!

Unlike Wu Yifan's fiery temper, Luo Xiaoyan, the vice president of Cai Die, was a calm person.

As a mother of two, the 47-year-old vice president also found Lin Zai Shan's story touching. But she thought more about how much benefit Lin Zai Shan could bring to Cai Die.

They hadn't yet seen Lin Zai Shan's musical talent, and Wu Yifan was already excited just by hearing a story. This wouldn't do!

Luo Xiaoyan quickly coughed to stop Wu Yifan from making rash promises. She brought the topic back to the main point and said calmly, "Mr. Lin, we understand your feelings. After having children, everyone naturally thinks more about them. We believe you will work hard in this competition. But talking about the championship is too early."

As she said this, Luo Xiaoyan smiled, as if it were an absurd idea.

Luo Xiaoyan genuinely didn't think Lin Zai Shan could win the championship. For someone like Lin Zai Shan, with so many negative points, it would be a miracle if the Oriental TV station gave him the championship! As long as Lin Zai Shan could bring some glory to Cai Die with his music, she would be very satisfied.

"Let's get back to the main topic."

Luo Xiaoyan pointed to the documents in front of her and said to Lin Zai Shan, "There is still some time before the next round of the PK match is recorded, but you need to prepare at least one song for each of the four themes. The themes will be drawn randomly, and we can't control that. According to our understanding from the program team, the participants will draw lots to determine the themes, and any of the four themes could be drawn."

"I understand." Lin Zai Shan nodded, putting aside his emotional story and preparing to discuss music.

Wu Yifan, who had developed a good impression of Lin Zai Shan, became even more interested in his musical talent: "The 'Exaggeration' you mentioned earlier, is it a complete work? Not just a short melody?"

"It is a complete work. I think it can be used directly in the competition if I draw the theme of a minor character."

Zhou Dongliao said straightforwardly, "Can you sing it now? We want to listen and see if there are any ways to improve it."

"I can sing it, but I need to change the location. Your company should have a practice room with a keyboard, right? I need keyboard accompaniment."

Wu Yifan immediately asked Zhou Dongliao, "Is our keyboard teacher here?"

Lin Zai Shan quickly said, "No, no, I don't need anyone to accompany me. I can play the keyboard myself."

"Great! Let's go to the practice room. We'll listen to Mr. Lin's work and then discuss the next steps."

Wu Yifan was the first to stand up and led everyone to the practice room. They were all very interested in Lin Zai Shan's 'Exaggeration,' written during his dark period, and wanted to see how much of his talent remained from the past.

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【Kneeling for recommendations!】

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