Chapter 100: The Ordinary Road
Ni Hui had finally figured it out.
All those rumors about her son being some kind of "love expert" were nothing but exaggerations. In reality, he understood almost nothing about romance between men and women.
"I'm honestly curious how you managed to write all those love poems..." Ni Hui rested her chin on her hand. "A guy who's this hopelessly dense shouldn't be able to write lines that affectionate. It just doesn't make sense!"
Pu Tong had no intention of discussing romance with her.
He wasn't emotionally clueless, nor was he deliberately pretending to be.
He simply knew what he should do—and what he shouldn't.
Right now...
It simply wasn't the right time.
Perhaps this world was much more tolerant of teenage romance. After all, plenty of people openly shipped high school students together.
But having already lived through more than twenty years in his previous life, he understood something.
The vague feelings people experienced during adolescence were often temporary.
Before both people were mature enough to steer the ship called love, making such a decision recklessly would never be wise.
One person could afford to be impulsive.
But the other had to remain rational.
Besides, this wasn't something he should be worrying about at this stage.
What occupied his thoughts now was writing a song for Du Guohang's interview.
He had already decided which one.
"The Ordinary Road" a song originally released by Pu Shu in 2014.
Pu Tong had loved this song for a long time.
There had been countless quiet nights when he listened to it over and over again.
Just as the lyrics said—
We had once felt lost, disappointed, and stripped of every direction.
We had wandered through the deepest darkness with nothing to hold on to.
Believing we'd lost everything.
Yet despite all the pain...
The road was still beneath our feet.
Back then, the song had deeply resonated with him.
And now...
It perfectly matched Du Guohang's story as well.
Du Guohang had once enjoyed a wonderful family and a promising life.
But one impulsive mistake destroyed everything.
In an instant, he lost his career...
His family...
His reputation...
Even his freedom.
Pu Tong found it difficult to even imagine such a life-changing tragedy.
Yet after everything had been stripped away, Du Guohang had calmly accepted reality and continued living with quiet determination.
He accepted his ordinary self.
And he accepted the ordinary answer life had given him.
More importantly...
This song had the power to move countless people.
It could also give them strength.
That aligned perfectly with what his mother's report hoped to convey.
The greatest extraordinary thing in life...
Was being ordinary.
"What are you spacing out for?"
Ni Hui waved a hand in front of him, interrupting his thoughts.
"I'm...
creating."
Creating?
More like deciding which song to copy from his previous life.
"Oh?"
Although Ni Hui knew little about music, she could still appreciate a good song.
Every song her son had written before had turned out surprisingly good.
Surely this one wouldn't disappoint either.
"Then I definitely have to hear it!"
None of them had ever watched someone record a song before.
They all wanted to experience it firsthand.
Besides...
The song was meant for their news report.
Watching the process was simply an added bonus.
There was still plenty of time.
Not wanting to waste any of it, Pu Tong asked Old Ye to drive directly to the recording studio.
Truthfully...
This would be the first time he recorded a song himself.
Previously he'd only borrowed recording equipment to write melodies.
This time...
He would be the one singing.
Since he remembered every lyric by heart, there was no need to look at sheet music.
The last time he'd visited a recording studio had been when he accompanied Yu Wanwan to record a theme song.
Back then he'd simply waited outside.
Now...
He had to step into the booth himself.
Old Ye wasn't familiar with the district where the studio was located, so the drive was much slower than when Jiang Yun had driven them before.
Nor was the car anywhere near as luxurious.
Still...
Having a private car to take him there was already more than enough.
What more could he ask for?
Soon, they arrived.
The impressive building left everyone staring in amazement.
"...Wow."
Ni Hui clicked her tongue.
"This belongs to the Yu family too, doesn't it?"
She turned toward Pu Tong.
"Please forget about your little company already. Wouldn't marrying into their family be much easier?"
Marry into the Yu family?
If Yu Zhongheng didn't have him quietly disposed of first, he'd already be lucky.
If it were true love...
There might still be hope.
But if anyone dared covet the family's wealth...
They'd practically be walking straight into the muzzle of a gun.
Yu Wanwan had already arranged everything beforehand.
The moment Pu Tong entered, someone led him into the recording studio.
Inside, the recording engineer had been waiting.
"You're here, Teacher Pu."
The thin middle-aged engineer greeted him politely.
The title made Pu Tong shiver.
"Just call me Pu Tong."
Although someone who had already written several hit songs being called "Teacher" by a recording engineer wasn't strange...
It still felt incredibly awkward.
Meanwhile, Ni Hui and the others waited outside.
Even from there, they'd still be able to hear everything.
They already knew Pu Tong was talented.
But composing an entirely new song inspired by Du Guohang's story...
In just a few days...
Still sounded unbelievable.
Without wasting time, Pu Tong picked up a nearby acoustic guitar.
Since arriving in this world...
This was his first genuine recording session.
Claiming he wasn't nervous would be a lie.
After warming up for a bit, he nodded.
He was ready.
♪
Wandering... upon this road...
Will you leave?
Via... via...
That fragile pride...
Once looked just like me...
Restless... boiling inside...
Where are you going?
Via... via...
Silent... mysterious...
Are you really listening...
To this story?
Both the recording engineer and the three people waiting outside frowned unconsciously.
Every phrase seemed disconnected.
The lyrics felt almost random.
Even the repeated "via, via" seemed meaningless.
They couldn't understand what the song was trying to express.
Pu Tong, however, paid no attention to anyone else's reactions.
His heart had already become completely immersed in the song.
"Tongtong...
When are you going to appear on TV?
When that day comes, I'll bring all the children from the orphanage to watch!"
"Soon.
Very soon."
Back then...
Every time he spoke to the old director of the orphanage over the phone...
He always gave the same answer.
Every single time...
He lied.
He lied to those people.
He lied to himself.
He didn't want the people who sincerely wished him well to know how miserable his life actually was.
He had no money.
No family to support him.
He couldn't even afford the contract termination fee—not cheap, but not impossibly expensive either.
All he could do...
Was wait.
No matter how desperately he practiced...
No matter how frantically he improved himself...
Opportunities never came.
Because...
He was ordinary.
♪
I once crossed mountains and seas...
And passed through endless crowds...
Everything I once possessed...
Vanished like smoke...
I was once lost... disappointed...
Completely without direction...
Until I realized...
That being ordinary...
Was the only answer.
The confused expressions on everyone's faces slowly changed.
For just a moment...
They experienced the strange illusion that the young man singing inside the booth had also lived through an ordinary...
Yet extraordinary...
Life.
♪
While you're still dreaming...
About tomorrow...
Via... via...
Will it be better...
Or even worse?
To me...
It's simply another day.
I once destroyed everything I had...
Only wishing to disappear forever...
I once fell into endless darkness...
Struggling... unable to escape...
I was once like you...
Like him...
Like every blade of grass...
Every wildflower...
Despairing... hoping...
Laughing... crying...
Simply living...
As an ordinary person.
Only then...
Did they finally understand the earlier lyric.
"Are you really listening to this story?"
Anyone who had truly lived...
Could see themselves somewhere inside this song.
As those lyrics echoed...
Each of them unconsciously replayed their own past.
They too had experienced failure.
Loneliness.
Despair.
Yet...
They had never stopped living.
Du Guohang had lived like that.
Many others had too.
Perhaps...
Everyone had.
This song had never been written for one specific person.
It told...
The story of every ordinary human being.
Ni Hui looked through the glass.
Inside the recording booth...
Pu Tong's eyes had turned red.
A proud smile appeared on her face.
She didn't care how good the song was.
She only knew one thing.
Her son...
Was amazing.
Truly...
Wonderfully amazing.
♪
I once crossed mountains and seas...
And passed through endless crowds...
I once searched the whole world...
Yet never found an answer...
I'm merely like you...
Like him...
Like every blade of grass...
Every wildflower...
Somehow...
This is the only road...
I was destined to walk...
Time speaks no words...
Yet tomorrow already stands before us...
The road the wind has traveled...
Still stretches far ahead...
So...
Where has your story reached?
The song finally came to an end.
Only then did the recording engineer snap back to reality and press the stop button.
"So?"
Pu Tong smiled.
His whole body felt light.
Even after so many years...
Singing this song still made his eyes redden.
Still made him want to cry.
"It was...
perfect."
The recording engineer hadn't even realized his own voice had become hoarse.
At that moment...
He felt honored simply to have been the one recording this song.
In truth...
Being able to sing it...
Was also an honor for Pu Tong.
A timeless classic born from Pu Shu's understanding of ordinary life.
The song wasn't filled with profound philosophy.
Nor did it rely on flowery language.
Yet through those simple, sincere lyrics...
It gave voice to countless people who had once chased dreams...
Only to eventually return to ordinary lives.
All of us move forward through confusion.
Beneath our feet...
Lies the ordinary road that belongs to each and every one of us.
(End of Chapter)
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