Send You a Song

Chapter 1: A Song for You

"How cliché!"

"Years as a simp, a goddess girlfriend, gave everything, finally held hands; signed a contract, the relationship went nowhere; on the eve of graduation, decided to break up. Heartbroken, drank all night; the original host croaked, and I'm taking over?"

As a blessed middle-aged man of the post-80s generation, stuck in the 996 grind.

Song Dao, beaten bloody by society until his head split open, with a past too painful to look back on, had somehow transmigrated into a parallel world—a music academy student on the verge of graduation, a composition major in the prime of his youth.

Also named Song Dao.

Tsk, felt like this name was cursed.

He was already miserable enough, and though the original host was young, his life experience didn't seem much better.

It fit that saying: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

At least he'd lived decently until thirty-five, but this guy's life had come to a screeching halt at twenty-four.

He'd once heard a theory: so-called transmigration was just a spacetime disorder causing neutrino worlds to overlap, with a soul awakening in another version of itself in a different world.

So, even heaven couldn't stand to watch, giving him a chance to start over in another world?

Song Dao thought this mainly because of the system loading in his brain.

Whether it was another world's version of me or not, he hoped this young, same-named original host could also go somewhere where he wouldn't be hurt.

If they could swap, then give him a system too.

—After divorce, I became a middle-aged male god.

Don't be a fucking idiot simp anymore!

Song Dao mused.

In three days, after attending the graduation ceremony, degree conferral, and a evening party.

He could announce his graduation from the music academy.

Completely free.

As for that just-broken-up girlfriend?

Who is she?

Today was his second day after transmigrating.

Also the first afternoon after he'd integrated his memories.

As for how he transmigrated, it seemed to be after drinking too?

The memories were fuzzy, and Song Dao didn't want to recall them.

This world's history had diverged since the late Han Dynasty.

Liu Bei joined forces with Zhuge Liang to unify the realm, forming a brand-new parallel world.

Song Dao didn't know why, but when he saw that line, his heart suddenly stirred: even if it was a parallel spacetime, at least there were people and events he knew, and this time the Chancellor had finally won.

Suddenly, he felt a bit more belonging toward this world.

After Shu Han unified the realm, it lasted seven hundred years of dynastic rule, then went through changes of dynasty, and now it was the Xia Kingdom.

The trajectory was roughly the same as the world Song Dao had been in before.

It was now late June 2025.

With the booming development of the internet industry, a flood of self-media had sprung up like bamboo shoots after rain, forming an era of extreme information and entertainment supremacy.

Also an era of restlessness.

Fewer and fewer people made music with heart, and even concerts were just famous old singers performing their old songs.

All about selling nostalgia.

As a music academy student, the original host Song Dao could not only write lyrics and compose music but also had a decent voice.

Add in his handsome looks, and though he wasn't a campus celebrity, he was well-known to many.

At the graduation party three days later, he had a performance slot.

For this, he'd poured his heart and soul into creating a song called "Love You Forever."

He planned to confess to his goddess at the graduation party, ending his student career perfectly in front of everyone.

And win the beauty!

This wasn't just the original host's wishful thinking—the name had actually been submitted by his girlfriend, Miao Xiu.

But everything changed abruptly when Miao Xiu was suddenly noticed and signed by Times Media.

In the memory images—

The original host saw her step out of a luxury car door.

Before he could even go say hello, he watched Miao Xiu turn back and give the person inside the car a passionate kiss.

Initiative, passion—even from behind, you could feel the joy radiating from her entire being.

In that moment.

All the deep affection became a joke.

And when Miao Xiu, as if sensing something, turned around and met Song Dao's disbelieving gaze—

Guilt lingered in her bright eyes for only two brief seconds.

The next moment, it shifted into the flustered anger of someone caught in a secret—

"What are you doing here? Following me, right? Since you've seen it, I'll be straight with you. Song Dao, there are some things you just can't give me. We're ultimately from two different worlds! There was never really anything between us anyway. I hope you won't keep pestering me from now on."

The icy words came from Miao Xiu's mouth.

Song Dao held the sheet music for 'Love You Forever' in his hand.

He had originally planned to go record the song.

He stared blankly at the familiar face, the unfamiliar expression, speaking words that were infinitely cold, devoid of any warmth.

In that instant, the young man's dream shattered, and his heart died.

The sheet music in his hand fluttered to the ground.

A single light page, yet heavy as a thousand pounds.

It crushed all his pride, becoming the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Song Dao wanted to lash out, but when he opened his mouth, it came out as a pleading entreaty: "Don't degrade yourself like this. As long as we work hard, we can have this kind of life too, A Xiu."

"I'm not degrading myself."

Miao Xiu said with clear-headedness: "I know what you're thinking. You think I've become a plaything, right? But Song Dao, I'd rather be a rich man's plaything and see a bright future than cling to so-called true love with no hope in sight."

"I know exactly what I want."

Miao Xiu said in a low voice: "And I know even more clearly that you don't have it."

After saying this, she, who had originally planned to go back to school, turned around without a trace of reluctance and got into the car.

Song Dao chased to the car door, hoarsely asking her: "Then what about the years we loved each other, our love, everything I gave you? What was all that?"

Answering this question was the middle-aged man sitting in the back seat, potbellied, with thinning hair.

He naturally put his arm around Miao Xiu's slender waist, and with the mellow voice unique to middle-aged men, said in a very amused tone: "Love? Hilarious. People still believe in that these days?"

The contempt in his tone deeply stung Song Dao.

The middle-aged man hugged Miao Xiu: "Xiu Xiu, aren't you going to say goodbye to your ex-boyfriend? Actually, I should thank him. Thank him for his love and persistence, because of that, I got the complete you."

His gaze was mocking as he looked at Song Dao.

He was showing off.

Miao Xiu bit her lip, and through the car window, said very clearly: "Song Dao, you really should thank me."

"Thank you?" Song Dao felt the absurdity.

"Yes, thank me."

Miao Xiu's gaze was coldly fixed on his face: "Thank me for being so clear about playing you. I know you better than you know yourself. I could have kept you hanging, told you everything today was a misunderstanding, and you would have ultimately chosen to believe and compromise, then accept it."

"But I didn't do that!"

As if to justify the correctness of her own actions, and also to show her resolve to the middle-aged man beside her.

Miao Xiu's tone was extremely cold and resolute.

"I can say sorry to you, but that's it. Let's break up."

"Song Dao, music is dead. There's no future."

"Go back to your hometown, be a music teacher, find someone stable to spend your life with."

"After all, that was always your dream, not mine."

The tinted window slowly rose.

Blocking Song Dao's view, and cutting off the sound.

The sleek, streamlined car slowly pulled away, like a noble fish, soon merging into the torrent of traffic.

A light puff of exhaust, and Song Dao smelled the scent of burning gasoline.

What he saw in his eyes were thousands of taillights.

One of them had carried away his love.

At the entrance of the music college, several pairs of eyes watched Song Dao standing there, utterly lost.

They watched his young body slowly bend, curling up as he crouched on the ground, his trembling hands covering his face.

An old sanitation worker grumbled as he walked over, seemingly complaining about young people not caring for the environment.

He forcefully swept the sheet music bearing the words 'Love You Forever' into his dustpan, raising a cloud of dust.

With a clatter, he dumped it into the trash can.

A piece of scrap paper isn't even worth a plastic water bottle.

That same evening.

In this world, Song Dao drank himself to death.

And from another world, Song Dao arrived.

Three in the afternoon.

Song Dao finally heard a mechanical electronic voice ring out in his mind—

[Earth Music Propagation System loaded. All music tracks have been entered into the database. Please claim your newbie gift pack, Host.]

Song Dao took a deep breath and silently thought: Claim.

The next moment.

It was as if he were wearing smart glasses; a few lines of text appeared before his eyes.

[Currently unlocked music library: Pop Songs]

[Based on the Host's predecessor's experiences, one song has been granted (includes full arrangement, copyright automatically registered)]

[Advanced Guitar Technique x1]

[Versatile Voice (Beginner) x1]

[If the Host performs this song at the graduation party, the system will grant a newbie bonus: for each increase in heat, gain one point of prestige]

[Income generated by the song: the system will deduct fifty percent after tax, the remainder is at the Host's own disposal]

[Heat calculation method: number of viewers (newbie only)]

[Entering major charts grants prestige rewards]

[Winning various awards grants prestige rewards]

Seeing these words, Song Dao thought to himself, just as I expected.

He had just transmigrated and was still groggy when he'd already heard the system loading prompt.

As someone who had read countless transmigration novels, panic didn't exist—only anticipation.

The newbie gift pack was solid. Not only did it give a fitting song, but it even thoughtfully handled the arrangement and copyright.

What heat and prestige did wasn't clear yet; he'd leave that for later study.

Right now, Advanced Guitar Technique and Versatile Voice had already started affecting him.

A massive amount of guitar knowledge suddenly flooded his mind, and his throat felt itchy, undergoing changes.

The original owner had also played guitar and played it well, but he was far from advanced.

Versatile Voice was even more impressive, even at just beginner level.

Song Dao gave it a quick try and found he could already do voice-over work.

As for that song, he wasn't unfamiliar with it.

The moment he saw the song title, some blurry memories became clear.

Back during the divorce, he'd had it on loop for a while.

But without the system, he'd have struggled to think of such a fitting song. Whether it was soul damage from the transmigration or the system blocking it, many songs he'd once known intimately—he could only recall the title and a fragment of the melody, nothing more.

"Pop songs? I don't really agree with that label. Any song that can resonate with the masses and be widely sung has its own reason for existing and emotional value. Calling them 'pop songs' feels a bit dogmatic."

Song Dao muttered as he walked to the bathroom.

He turned on the faucet and washed his head and face thoroughly. He needed to cool down.

Even as an experienced middle-aged man, he couldn't help feeling a bit excited right now.

After calming down, he hesitated a little about whether to sing the song the system had given him.

But just then, his phone suddenly rang with a notification sound.

He wiped his hands haphazardly and opened it to look.

—Song Dao, what happened at the school gate yesterday was photographed and posted on the campus forum. It's already caused a bad impact on me. You started this, so I hope you'll come forward and clarify!

Oh, is that so?

He had been hesitating.

As a middle-aged man who weighed pros and cons, even if the original owner of this body was truly another version of him from a parallel world, emotionally, he was still an outsider.

Even if he could empathize due to similar experiences, at most he'd curse a couple of times from a third-person perspective.

A simp, a gold digger!

But that was it.

It was a good chance to make a clean break and just go their separate ways.

But the moment he saw that message, along with the fact that she'd changed his contact name to "Baby"—

The rage surging up from deep inside him couldn't be held back anymore.

I'll clarify your fucking ass!

He felt like this wasn't his own emotion, but... the original owner's?

Song Dao took a deep breath, looking at the mirror.

"Brother, I'll settle this score for you. She wants you to confess at the party, right? Even though that song of yours is useless now, I'll give her one—one that suits her better!"

Song Dao stared at the young face in the mirror, freshly washed and still dripping with water droplets, and made his promise seriously.

The face in the mirror was still very pale, but it smiled along with him.

Like it was saying goodbye.

Saying goodbye to Song Dao in front of the mirror, and saying goodbye to this world.

He dried the water off his head, tidied himself up fresh and clean, and first went to the recording studio off campus.

In the afternoon, he went to the academy's party planning office.

"Accompaniment track?"

The other person stared wide-eyed at Song Dao like he was an alien.

That scene at the academy gate had already spread across campus.

So there was no way he could have expected the guy to still show up—and still want to sing?

"Yeah." Song Dao nodded.

"You... still singing? You really still wanna sing... a love song?" The guy's eyes got even bigger.

The others were also staring at Song Dao with strange looks.

A love song?

Song Dao thought for a moment. "Yeah. A song about love."

"Bro!"

Several guys from the planning office stood up. "Licking your wounds... isn't gonna do shit anymore, right?"

"To give myself closure." Song Dao said calmly.

In his heart, silently: It's for the one who left. He needs closure.

Closure!

Song Dao: "I just can't accept it. Why does the love of most of us students end up as a plaything of money?"

He said this on behalf of the original owner. He could feel that kind of emotion in him—like an obsession.

It had exploded the moment he saw that message.

Since that was the case, he felt it was necessary to help the original owner release this pent-up resentment that hadn't yet scattered between heaven and earth.

As boys from the Art Department, they got to see scenery that students from ordinary schools basically never saw—

Plenty of heart-stopping beauties!

But it also made them witness too early the magic of money, the cruelty of society, and how fragile love really was.

And at that very moment, most of them were weak, shallow, and fragile!

Hearts higher than the sky, but they could only watch helplessly.

Why... does the love of most of us students end up as a plaything of money.

These words hit those big boys like a sledgehammer.

Several of them fell silent, and finally accepted the accompaniment track. "Alright!"

"We brothers, we'll help you—give yourself closure!"

"Thanks."

Song Dao turned and left.

Three days later.

Evening.

The party arrived as scheduled.

In the grand auditorium, the crowd surged like a tide.

The performances were all carefully prepared by the students.

Gotta say, when the Art Academy did something like this, they could still unleash a huge amount of energy.

Many of the acts were of very high quality.

Some already-famous people had been invited back to perform.

As the evening began, there were piano pieces, violin solos, singing, dancing, and even a short skit.

Though not particularly funny, the students still offered warm applause.

Students at the Art Academy all hoped that if one day they stood on that stage, they would receive applause rather than silence and indifference.

So at times like this, they were more than willing to give their own applause.

Naive students.

Finally.

"Next up, a senior brother in his fourth year will bring us a song. After he sings this song, he will graduate and leave this place. Let's welcome Senior Brother Song Dao... with an original song of his!"

The hostess was pretty, her voice sweet and full of enthusiasm.

But for some reason, she only mentioned it was an original song, without naming the song itself.

Still, the name Song Dao caused a brief hush in the audience.

Then came even more intense murmuring.

For the students, if one person saw what happened at the school gate, soon a whole crowd would know.

Especially since the protagonist was Song Dao, who had some small fame on campus, and it involved such a explosive "love triangle" breakup.

Someone had snapped a photo on the spot and posted it to the Campus Forum.

The photo was taken "perfectly"!

The taillights of the departing car contrasted sharply with the figure curled up on the ground...

The car's luxurious paint job reflected the huddled body.

That sense of heartbreak, despair, suffocation, helplessness, and dejection hit you right in the face.

No words were even needed; everyone could deduce the correct story.

In their minds, they had already showered that curled-up body with a rain of tears.

By the time the original host was drowning his sorrows in drink, many already knew.

Countless comments flooded in.

The most upvoted reply, pinned high by countless students, read:

"Ah, the tragedy of male students at art academies—if the guy isn't particularly wealthy, then... this scene plays out every year. The music academy repeats itself year after year, and the tragedy of love repeats itself just the same."

Since he had some small fame, it didn't take much effort for everyone to learn the name of the male lead in the photo.

Song Dao!

A graduating fourth-year composition student.

With the name known, more and more details were dug up.

The truth quickly came to light—the same old tune, the music academy's annual graduation season staple!

But when a girl claiming to be Miao Xiu's roommate came forward, things got a bit lively.

This was probably exactly why Miao Xiu wanted Song Dao to step up and clarify.

The girl gave a detailed account of Song Dao and Miao Xiu's romance.

Including how they were high school classmates, how Song Dao had been a simp for many years, spending a lot of money on Miao Xiu and even covering her dorm's milk tea and various snacks for four years, before finally winning her hand.

She also posted old photos of Song Dao and Miao Xiu together.

She specifically noted that these were from Miao Xiu's previous Moments posts, which she thought were nice and saved.

Now, on Miao Xiu's side, those posts were gone.

In the photo, Song Dao was gentle and handsome, his gaze sharp, radiating the unique vitality of youth.

Miao Xiu was lively and cute, her smile innocent, her head tilted slightly toward Song Dao.

Looking at this old photo.

Then looking at the latest one of that curled-up, despairing body.

Placed side by side, the contrast made it painfully clear what heaven and hell meant!

Miao Xiu's roommate even revealed: it was Miao Xiu who forced Song Dao to personally write a song and sing it to her as a confession at the graduation party!

And just a few days ago, Miao Xiu suddenly signed with Times Media, and everything changed from that point on...

Seeing this, anyone seasoned by the information age instantly understood.

All of them sighed in regret.

No one thought Song Dao would show up for this graduation party.

But unexpectedly, the hostess announced his name.

Singing?

An original song?!

Even after all this, he still wants to... grovel?

Hoping the other side will change their mind?

Everyone was utterly incredulous, their gazes involuntarily fixed on the stage.

A slender, tall guy with a hint of weariness about him—handsome in a disheveled way—was carrying a guitar and walking toward a high stool.

He wore a simple blue-and-white plaid long-sleeved shirt on top, paired with clean, crisp jeans.

His posture was straight.

His eyes were very bright.

But somehow, everyone felt a deep sadness in his gaze.

Silently, he sat down on the stool, adjusted the microphone a little.

He gave a slight nod toward the band off to the side.

The melodious accompaniment began to play.

On the big screen behind the stage, a line of text slowly appeared.