"The shy rose blooms quietly…"
"Hmm? This song…"
After just the first line, Lu Qing immediately felt that this song was different from anything she had heard before.
It was neither like typical Mandarin songs from Huaguo nor like Cantonese songs.
It was neither traditional folk music nor fast-paced pop.
It seemed to sit somewhere in between tradition and pop, carrying a hint of modern elements while still retaining a certain charm.
Although Lu Qing wasn't particularly knowledgeable about music, as a literature major, she had a good sense for it. She could tell that this song was highly innovative.
But it wasn't just innovative.
More importantly, it was beautiful.
Just like the opening line, "The shy rose blooms quietly," both the melody and the lyrics carried that same sense of shyness.
It had a certain feeling to it.
Like a young girl experiencing her first stirrings of love.
Or the awakening of emotions.
"Slowly it blooms, leaving behind feelings for me
Spring's gentle hands turn over her waiting
I quietly wonder whether I should softly pick her…"
It could be said that 'The Shy Rose Blooms Quietly' was a representative work of 90s Mandarin pop in Huang Yifan's previous life. Its singer, Meng Tingwei, became famous across the country because of this song. Not only was the melody graceful, but the lyrics were also deeply poetic. In particular, the lyrics matched the melody perfectly, capturing the emotions of many young girls in love.
However, halfway through the song, Huang Yifan suddenly stopped.
Just like the lyric, "I quietly wonder whether I should softly pick her," singing a song like this to a girl… did it carry unintended implications?
He had only intended to sing without thinking too much about the lyrics. But now, as he sang it again, he realized it wasn't quite appropriate, especially in a one-on-one setting.
But Lu Qing was immersed in the song. When he suddenly stopped, she asked, "Fanchen, why did you stop? This song is so well written, both the melody and the lyrics. Especially that line you just sang, 'I quietly wonder whether I should softly pick her…'"
As she said it, her face suddenly turned red.
She seemed to realize the song was a bit suggestive.
"Ahem… let's stop here for today. I'll sing it for you next time."
"You won't lie to me, right?"
"I won't."
"Then it's a deal."
"It's a deal."
After that, Huang Yifan didn't stay long in Changnan. After touring the scenic spots for two days, he returned to Xinfeng.
"Lu Qing said that after registering with my real identity, I can take on tasks from the Writers Association. Let's see what's available."
At present, both of his pen names, Qiushui and Fanchen, are at the 5-star level. Advancing further wouldn't be too difficult given all the classics in his mind, but reaching 6-star required 5 million experience points, which was no small number.
After some thought, Huang Yifan logged into the Xijiang Provincial Writers Association website.
After entering his account and password, he clicked on "Tasks and Activities." A long list of hundreds of tasks immediately appeared.
He randomly clicked on one.
It read: Write a commentary for a newspaper. Payment: 500. Points: 50. Requirement: 2-star author or above.
He closed it immediately.
50 points? At that rate, he'd never reach 6-star in his lifetime.
He clicked another.
Task: Write a short story. Payment: 5000. Points: 500. Requirement: 3-star author.
Still too little. Not interested.
He checked several more. Most paid a few hundred or a few thousand. The money wasn't the issue, but the points were too low, usually just a few hundred, at most around 1000.
It was frustrating.
What's the point of these tasks? Might as well just write and publish novels.
Just as he was about to close the page and start writing his next novel, Huang Yifan realized something.
He had been browsing the general task hall. These tasks were open to all star levels and were low-value. The real rewards lie in high-level tasks.
When he filtered for tasks available to 5-star authors, only three tasks appeared.
The first task: Write a documentary-style novel about rural life. If shortlisted for the Golden Honor Literary Award, reward: 1 million points. No monetary reward.
The lack of money didn't matter. The 1 million points, however, caught Huang Yifan's attention.
Wow. Completing this would instantly boost him significantly toward 6-star.
But unfortunately, it was a documentary-style novel. He didn't have many works like that in mind. Even if he tried, getting shortlisted would be unlikely.
Reluctantly, he skipped it.
The second task: Recompile the entire 'Sacred Poetry.' If nominated by the provincial Department of Education, reward: 3 million points.
Even better.
With his current 1.9 million points at 5-star, completing this would directly push him to 6-star.
He nodded. Real-name registration definitely had its benefits.
But he still shook his head.
'Sacred Poetry' was too long, with over a thousand poems. He hadn't even read all of them, let alone recompile them. And this wasn't just translation; it required detailed explanations, historical context, and textual analysis. It demanded both immense literary skill and a huge time investment.
Not worth it.
Sigh… another missed opportunity. 3 million points gone.
With some regret, he opened the third task.
This was the last 5-star task.
5 million points.
He hadn't even read the description yet, but just seeing "5 million points" made his eyes light up.
Damn. No matter how hard it is, I'm taking this.
Without even checking what the task was, he clicked to accept it.
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Glossary:
羞答答的玫瑰静悄悄地开" (The Shy Rose Blooms Quietly) 孟庭苇 (Meng Tingwei)
yt: https://youtu.be/Ih89W2jXQWg?si=s2dK7kWkMFaxoIDU
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