The night deepened.
Rainy nights naturally carried a somber atmosphere.
Pedestrians hurried along the streets of this sleepless city.
But they all paused at the entrance of the small bar.
After the song finished.
They shook their heads and sighed.
Carrying their own stories, they continued their way into the night.
The myriad states of existence.
Everyone understood the emotions in the song differently.
Some people, upon hearing a certain song, would specifically think of a certain person, while others would think of a certain event.
It was the bitterness of loving but not being able to obtain.
Or perhaps the regret of loving each other but being unable to be together.
This might be the charm of love songs.
Outside the bar, the man who had been sitting outside had already left.
When he left, his steps were noticeably lighter than before.
The last line of the song, "A gentleman must be able to let go," gave him some insight.
...
Inside the bar.
After a brief silence.
It erupted into complete revelry!
"Boss, what song was that?"
"Boss! Come out quickly!"
"Boss, if you want to sell me wine, just say so. There's no need to play such a sad song to break my heart!"
"Where is the boss?"
The customers called for the boss.
A server quickly ran to the back and brought the boss out.
"What's wrong?"
The owner of the bar was a woman in her early thirties, dressed fashionably, with light makeup on her face. From her appearance, she looked like a cultured young woman.
She thought someone was causing trouble, but having seen such things often, she wasn't flustered.
"Boss, what was that song just now?"
Someone spoke first.
The bar owner was taken aback.
She hadn't expected them to make such a fuss just to ask for the song's name.
This had happened before.
When customers really liked a song, they would ask for its name.
But that was only in isolated cases.
An situation like today, where everyone was asking, was a first.
"Please wait." The bar owner couldn't help but smile. She hadn't heard the song that was played earlier as she was in her office in the back.
Walking to the control panel, she asked the staff member in front of the computer, "Xiao Li, what song was that?"
There were many songs on the playlist, and she remembered that the theme for today was sad love songs. Since the resident singer wasn't present, she had played songs from the internet.
"Qi Jie, it's this song."
Xiao Li quickly opened the playback history and brought up the song's information.
"Play it again, and project the computer screen onto the big screen on the stage."
Qi Jie said directly.
Then she turned to face the crowd.
Smiling, she said, "Please look at the big screen for the song information. Thank you all for coming. All consumption from now on will be 20% off!"
After she finished speaking.
A wave of enthusiastic cheers erupted in the venue.
"Long live the boss!"
"Boss, you're generous! Bring me ten more bottles!"
"Damn it, that song made me want to cry. I need a drink!"
"Huh? So this song is called 'Gentleman'? I feel like I've seen it somewhere before?"
"The song title and lyrics fit perfectly!"
"Sung by Zhang Yang?"
"Holy crap, lyrics and music by Ting Yu!"
"Hiss... Ting Yu?"
"Hiss... Damn it, this is that new song by Ting Yu?"
"Hiss... So it's Ting Yu!"
"Who is Ting Yu? Which Ting Yu?"
"It's that Ting Yu!"
"Which one?"
"It's that one!"
"Which Ting Yu is it already?"
"Are you ever going to stop? How should I know? I'm just joining in because everyone else is hissing. Can't you search online yourself? If I told you everything, how would you grow!"
"Uh... Big brother, I'm sorry, I'll search myself."
"..."
When everyone saw the song information on the screen.
A collective gasp of cold air immediately sounded.
So this song was Ting Yu's new song!
Upon learning the truth, everyone in their hearts exclaimed, "As expected of you!"
Qi Shenghua stared blankly at the big screen.
It took him a long time to snap back to reality.
In his ears, the music started playing again.
"Ting Yu, Ting Yu, it's Ting Yu again. Where isn't he?"
After a long while, he put down his glass, cursed under his breath, and got up.
He didn't want to listen to his new song at the company, and he didn't expect to hear it while trying to relax with a drink at the bar.
What made him even more speechless was how engrossed he had been in it!
Qi Shenghua walked out of the bar.
The rain outside had not stopped.
"It's raining, it's raining, it's raining every day!"
He frowned, irritably took out his phone, and made a call.
"Hello, President Qi." From the other end of the line, came the voice of his assistant.
"Hello, my ass! Come back and pick me up!" Qi Shenghua shouted.
"Uh... Didn't you tell me to leave?" The assistant sounded confused.
Hearing this, Qi Shenghua's temper flared instantly: "I told you to leave, and you left? In this rainy weather, how am I supposed to get back? Do you still want your job? If not, pack your things and get out tomorrow!"
"No, no, President Qi, I'm coming right away, wait for me!"
Before the assistant could finish speaking, Qi Shenghua hung up the phone.
This left him completely bewildered.
What was going on? They had only been apart for a short while, and President Qi was already so angry?
He felt wronged!
He felt extremely wronged!
It was President Qi who had told him to go back first!!!
He quickly found an intersection, turned around, and drove towards the bar.
...
Shortly after the release of "Gentleman."
It instantly swept across major platforms as a trending topic.
In a way, this song was even more heart-wrenching than "Coral Sea."
After all, "Coral Sea" told the story of two people who loved each other but couldn't be together.
While "Gentleman" was a complete depiction of loving but being unable to obtain.
The vast majority of relationships involved loving but not being able to obtain.
Therefore, this song provided a stronger sense of identification.
Ling Feng, a well-known music critic, reposted "Gentleman" on Weibo.
And captioned it.
"Everyone thought Ting Yu was a ancient-style talent. This title also made people overlook his achievements in love songs. The impact this song 'Gentleman' has had on me is no less than Ting Yu's other ancient-style songs. Because, whether it's the accompaniment, the arrangement, or the lyrics, it made me want to shed tears. A love song that allows people to connect emotionally is a good love song!"
Ling Feng's review of "Gentleman."
Resonated with many netizens.
They all expressed their agreement with his viewpoint in the comments below.
"Previously, Ting Yu's love song themes were not mainstream, such as the youthful memories in 'Later,' or the absurd situation of attending an ex-girlfriend's wedding in 'Guest.' Although these songs are pleasant to listen to, not everyone could relate to them. But this song, 'Gentleman,' truly made me cry."
"Ting Yu's love songs require careful appreciation to discover the emotions within. This song 'Gentleman' sings about the emotional journey of many people."
"I've been listening to this song on repeat since it was released, and I'm still listening to it now. I admit this song speaks to my heart!"
"The sense of imagery in the chorus is incredible! Especially the climax at the end, that ultimate release from extreme humility, Ting Yu is an emotional master!"
"Before, I thought that no matter how humble one was, they still had their principles, until I met her..."
"I'm not as cultured as the previous few commenters. I just want to say, Ting Yu is awesome!"
"Haha, that's real. Awesome is all that matters!"
"I'm more cultured. If I hadn't been in a relationship, I would definitely have a few profound things to say..."