Chapter 1185: A smashing release!
Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
Several days later.
A promotional poster was put out.
A red dress made up the bulk of the poster's composition and color.
"The music video of Zhang Ye's first single to get a smashing release today!"
"Countdown: 1 hour."
The netizens kept posting on the Weibo of Zhang Ye's Studio.
"Hurry up!"
"The publicity has been going on for days already."
"Why hasn't it been released yet?"
"It's Zhang Ye's first single, I can't wait!"
"Judging by the poster, it already looks like it'll be awesome."
"Just wait a little longer, it's coming soon."
"Damn, there are this many people waiting for it to be released?"
"But of course. Teacher Zhang has never released a single in such a grand manner before, and it's even a music video. Before this, 'The King Sent Me to Patrol the Mountains' was recorded on the radio program, then 'Beijing Welcomes You' was performed with an all-star lineup, while 'You and Me' was a duet with Lillian that was edited out from the Olympics opening ceremony performance. All those can't be considered actual music videos, so now that we're finally getting a proper one, of course I have to support it. I will sacrifice everything else and wait for its release!"
"Just based on Zhang Ye's reputation, I'll watch it."
"Regardless, I'm also looking forward to it."
"I heard that he shot the music video with his classmates."
"Li Xiaoxian is also releasing her single today. I'm talking about Sunset Glow from King of Masked Singers."
"Ah? Spring Garden's Li Xiaoxian is going solo?"
"Surely not, right? She's only releasing a single. Even their group leader, Xiaodong, has done it before."
"Ah, check this out!"
"What happened?"
"Li Xiaoxian's release date for her single has changed!"
"Pfft, are you sure?"
"The date was set in stone a month ago."
"Yeah, wasn't it scheduled for today?"
The netizens suddenly discovered that the reason given for Li Xiaoxian's change in her release schedule was that they had encountered some technical difficulties at the publishing stage. That was why they had to change the release date to next week.
Then, a young C-list singer's agent also delayed their new album's release date. It wasn't delayed by long, just two days, and the reason given was that their publicity department had gotten the dates mixed up.
A music industry insider posted on Weibo: "Are they trying to avoid Zhang Ye?"
Another industry insider posted with a laugh: "Looks like no one is willing to fight it out with Zhang Ye during the same promotional period."
None of the industry insiders and netizens believed the reasons given for the delays.
"Bullshit, what mix up of dates!"
"They announced it two weeks ago and it's suddenly a mix up now?"
"If they're avoiding Zhang Ye, just say so. Is it that difficult to admit?"
"Haha, just look at Teacher Zhang's relations with others. This single that he's releasing has really come too suddenly. It's not only us, even a lot of the music industry insiders were caught by surprise!"
"Well, they don't really have a choice but to avoid it."
"Yeah, surely they wouldn't want to go head to head with Zhang Ye, right?"
"Well, I reckon that even Chen Guang would do the same."
"Do you guys think Zhang Ye will sweep the charts this time?"
"That's almost definite, isn't it? During King of Masked Singers, which songs of his didn't make it into the charts?"
"But it's different this time. It's going to be a music video, so we'll have to see the artistic value and how well it matches with the song. Zhang Ye may be good at writing and singing songs, but making a music video…"
The scheduled time for release was nearing.
Counting down:
Five minutes.
Three minutes.
One minute.
Zhang Ye's fans went onto the exclusive online video hosting site releasing the music video for "To Youth."
More came from the industry itself to check it out. Almost everyone involved with music had come to have a look for themselves what Zhang Ye's music video single would look like. They were incredibly curious about it.
The music video was released!
A mellow scene appeared on screen.
A gentle autumn breeze blew past. The leaves on the trees were rustling. A hand appeared on screen grasping a fluttering tree leaf. Then, the hand brought the leaf up towards the mouth and the person started blowing on it. But there was no sound.
It was Zhang Ye's face.
The camera zoomed out and a lot of people started walking towards the screen from a distance. They finally gathered at the center of the shot.
A lot of viewers were taken aback.
It was a school campus?
This was Media College?
Zhang Ye's alma mater?
…
At a house somewhere.
Qiu Yumei was languishing in bed. There was no spirit in her eyes.
Her husband asked, "Want some more?
Qiu Yumei replied, "I'm not eating any more."
"Do you want some water?"
"I'm not thirsty."
Her husband said nothing as he covered her with a blanket. He turned around and sat down in front of the computer to put on some music for her to listen to. To his surprise, he saw Zhang Ye's music video!
He reflexively clicked on it. "Little Qiu!"
Qiu Yumei did not open her eyes. "Huh?"
He pointed at the computer in excitement and said, "It's your classmates, Zhang Ye, Liu Tie, and everyone else!"
The song played.
"Perhaps we won't see it again.
"That golden sky where we bid farewell.
"Some people are destined to never meet again.
"Those once green and young faces."
Qiu Yumei suddenly opened her eyes. She was stunned!
Zhang'er!
Shanshan!
Yingyi!
Tie-zi!
Old Wang!
You guys! You guys—
…
At a work site.
A young man wearing a hard hat was covered in mud. He said loudly, "Let's seize the time we have left. There are only a few days left, so let's hurry to meet the deadline. I'll request bonuses for all of us once we're done!"
However, there were a few workers who were still watching something on their phones a ways away. They were very focused on whatever it was.
What's this?
On their cell phones during work hours?
The young man strode up to them. Just as he was about to say something, he was startled!
"I pick up a windmill palm's frond.
"And place it on natural slate rock.
"In memory of the youth that has passed by
"And the innocent promises of which we talked."
It was Zhang Ye?
Shanshan?
Wang He?
The young man was dumbfounded!
…
In a street.
At the entrance of a grocery store.
The crowd of people had stopped in their tracks and were all pointing at a woman holding a basket in her hand. That woman looked a little old, like she was in her 30s, but she was not actually that old. There was still a hint of beauty hidden beneath her gaunt and pale face!
"The wind now sings.
"Singing a song of the places it's been to.
"In the darkness,
"a flower blossoms for you."
The basket in the woman's hands dropped to the ground.
She held the cell phone playing the music video and held her head in her hands as she squatted down and started crying!
"The moment you turn around,
"a smile beautiful as the sunset's crown.
"It once blossomed in the spring of our youth."
…
The music video ended.
Several lines appeared at the end of it.
"To the youth that we will someday no longer possess!
"To the old friends we once stood side by side with!
"Where are all of you now?
"Are you…doing fine?"
The music video was pretty short, but it felt quite long.
Countless people finished watching it with a sense of shock!
The totally unprofessional sound of the violin, the totally wrong way of playing the chimes, the sorrowful voice, the long dress fluttering from the dancing, every image was just too shocking to them!
Zhang Xia posted on Weibo with a sigh: "How wonderful!"
Li Xiaoxian's Weibo: "This is what art is."
An industry insider: "Dong Shanshan's dance was the sublimation of the entire song and music video! That red dress was simply stunning!"
A big shot of the entertainment circle: "The person playing the violin is that host from the Central TV Sports Channel, right? It sounds so amateurish and she probably didn't learn the instrument for long, but why am I so touched? Perhaps this is what youth means. Perhaps being youthful means that one will never be perfect! It's a really stunning music video!"
The reviews from the industry were very good!
The comments from the netizens were even better!
"This is really awesome!"
"I cried listening to it!"
"Me too! I can't calm down!"
"Zhang Ye, you're marvelous! Dong Shanshan, you're marvelous! Yu Yingyi and everyone else, you're all marvelous!"
"If only I was born a few years earlier! It would have been nice if I were in the same class as Zhang Ye, Dong Shanshan, and the others! I'd really like to know what their story was!"
"This song is to die for!"
"I cry every time I listen to it!"
"My classmates, where did they all go!"
"I'm starting to miss my classmates too!"