Chapter 73: A Casual Song

Xiaowei thought Zhang Qiyang was really about to smash the guitar over Qin Xueyang’s head and quickly intervened, exclaiming, “That guitar is a limited edition custom! Don’t... don’t break it!”

Li Xuan, realizing that Zhang Qiyang was only joking, waved at Xiaowei with a smile, signaling her not to get involved, and then explained to Qin Xueyang, “Simply put, the Gong mode is a scale built around the note ‘Gong’ from the traditional five-note system—Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, Yu. It’s a classic and common mode, not some sort of imperial court music.”

“Oh, I see! Haha, I guess I made a fool of myself again.”

Qin Xueyang, with his chubby, guileless smile, showed no sign of embarrassment. He grabbed a handful of lychees and deftly peeled them, waiting to hear Zhang Qiyang perform his new song in the Gong mode.

“Then I’ll give composing a try.”

With the same impudence as the protagonist of one of his old novels, Zhang Qiyang declared he would “try composing” a song, though he was actually about to adapt an existing one.

Chen Ke asked, “You’re just going to sing like that? You already have something in mind?”

“For a little piece like this, what’s there to plan? Just go for it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the melody under his fingers turned beautiful. Li Xuan’s eyes lit up, finding the chords Zhang Qiyang used to be intriguing. They had a vintage, old-song rhythm, yet still retained a lively quality, making the whole thing wonderfully pleasant and immersive.

In stark contrast to the somber tone he’d used for “Exaggeration,” Zhang Qiyang began singing this classic folk ballad from another world with a voice brimming with delicate brightness and sunshine:

“...The evening breeze caresses Penghu Bay, white waves chasing the shore, there are no coconut groves beneath the setting sun, just an endless blue sea...”

“...Sitting on the low wall before the door, imagining over and over again, that on the twilight beach, there are two and a half pairs of footprints...”

It was like feeling the sea breeze on your face, watching the waves chase the sand—the imagery in this opening was so vivid that Li Xuan and Chen Ke couldn’t help but sigh inwardly!

Zhang Qiyang’s impromptu composition, both in lyrics and melody, was so lively! So catchy!

It was every bit as good as the classic old song “Penghu Bay”!

Though it borrowed the style of an old song, the melody was smooth and steady, but Li Xuan could tell that Zhang Qiyang had introduced some subtle innovations.

For example, the sixth interval leap in the third measure instantly gave the song a sense of movement, conjuring up for her the scene of walking along a familiar childhood beach, leaving a trail of footprints—so vivid that her thoughts surged, her imagination soared, and as she listened to Zhang Qiyang’s sunny voice, she felt as if she had returned to her beautiful childhood.

What Zhang Qiyang sang next moved Li Xuan even more.

“...Back then, Grandma would take my hand, leaning on her cane, and we’d walk through the twilight towards the warm afterglow of Penghu Bay...”

“...Each footprint was a string of laughter, passing the hours away, until night fell and swallowed us up on the way home...”

It was as if he were reading the book of Li Xuan’s heart—every line resonated with her most precious, warm, and beautiful memories.

Li Xuan felt herself melting into the song, her lovely eyes brimming with tender affection, filled with memories of childhood and her grandmother.

To her, this song moved her even more than “Penghu Bay,” because this truly was “Grandma’s Penghu Bay”!

She could almost picture how delighted her grandmother would be if she heard this song.

She believed that even the weathered wrinkles on her grandmother’s face would melt away in happiness because of it.

Before she even finished listening, Li Xuan had already made up her mind: next week, she would sing the “Grandma’s Penghu Bay” that Zhang Qiyang had written for her!

“...Penghu Bay, Penghu Bay, Grandma’s Penghu Bay...”

“...the place of so many childhood dreams...”

“...sunshine, beach, waves, cacti, and an old driver...”

The further Zhang Qiyang sang, the more spirited he became. The chorus was deeply emotional, warming the hearts of every woman in the room.

But the mention of cacti and the “old driver” in the last line was a bit jarring.

Li Xuan, being from Penghu Bay herself, knew well that there were indeed cacti there.

Cactus ice was a famous local treat—tangy, sweet, and utterly delicious.

The fact that Zhang Qiyang included Penghu Bay’s cacti in the song truly amazed Li Xuan.

But what she couldn’t quite grasp was: just what was that “old driver” on the beach supposed to mean?

After finishing, Zhang Qiyang couldn’t help but laugh.

He didn’t even know why he had sung “old driver”—maybe he’d just run into too many meme “old drivers” online lately and it slipped into the lyrics.

Seeing Zhang Qiyang stop, Qin Xueyang praised, “Keep singing! That song is amazing!”

Representing the bystanders, Xiaowei nodded in vigorous agreement!

Xiaowei never would have thought that Zhang Qiyang, on a whim, would sing such a warm and touching little folk tune!

That he could write songs like “New Crap” and “Exaggeration” was already in line with his irreverent nature.

But to be able to casually sing such an evocative, retro ballad—this was almost against the laws of nature!

Still strumming, Zhang Qiyang said, “If you want more, just repeat what I just sang. I basically modeled it after ‘Penghu Bay,’ giving it a two-part structure.”

Chen Ke thought through the two-part form Zhang Qiyang had set up. If it ended here, the song would already be complete! There was hardly anything to revise!

With just a casual thought, a spontaneous strum, and an improvised lyric, Zhang Qiyang had created a song so complete and beautifully moving—it was like a bombshell going off in Chen Ke’s heart.

After only half a song, Chen Ke felt she’d been blown to smithereens!

Though the mode Zhang Qiyang used in this song was very simple, and there weren’t any flashy techniques, Chen Ke knew full well that it was precisely such effortless mastery that revealed true talent!

Even those who had never lived on the Penghu Islands would be filled with nostalgia for childhood and loved ones after hearing a song like this.

If this folk tune had come out in the 1970s or 80s, it would have certainly outshone “Penghu Bay” and become a classic for the ages!

Nowadays, with musicians’ minds so restless and distracted, many might never write something so natural, genuine, and full of feeling in their entire lives!

But Zhang Qiyang, with just a casual, offhand song, had already created something so moving, as if in that golden moment of serendipity, the song, once sung from his lips, was ready to take the world by storm—needing not a single change!

How extraordinary must his musical talent be, to reach this level!

Chen Ke, who had worked as both singer and agent, had struggled in the business for over twenty years, yet she had never seen any musician casually hum a complete work into existence.

Zhang Qiyang’s musical gift was truly out of this world!

No wonder everyone thought he must have a whole team behind him—he himself was a team!

Chen Ke was utterly convinced, completely in awe of Zhang Qiyang’s improvisational genius.

She was finally willing to believe that the songs Zhang Qiyang performed really could be his own creations.

With such phenomenal talent, anything he achieved in the music world would seem only natural!

This man was indeed a once-in-a-generation musical prodigy!