A Song for You

"How tacky!"

"A loyal simp for years, finally winning over the goddess and making her his girlfriend after giving her everything; signing with a company, no more relationship; on the eve of graduation, breaking up for good. Overwhelmed by grief, drinking all night; the original owner died, and I took over?"

As a blessed middle-aged man from the '80s who had worked 996.

Song Dao, who had been beaten bloody by society and had too many painful memories to revisit, had somehow transmigrated into a parallel world, into the body of a young and promising composition major at the Music Conservatory who was about to graduate.

His name was Song Dao too!

Tsk, this name felt cursed.

His own life had been miserable enough. The original owner might have been young, but his life did not seem much better.

Just as the saying went, "Happy lives are alike, while unhappy lives are unhappy in their own ways."

At least he had lived fairly well before turning thirty-five. This man's life had come to an abrupt end at twenty-four.

He had once heard a theory that transmigration was actually caused by temporal and spatial chaos, where neutrino worlds overlapped and a soul awakened within another version of itself in a different world.

So even heaven could not stand watching anymore and gave me another chance in a different world?

The reason Song Dao thought so was mainly because of the system currently loading in his mind.

Whether or not he was another version of himself, Song Dao hoped that this young original owner with the same name could go somewhere he would no longer be hurt.

If they could switch places, then give him a system too.

—After My Divorce, I Became a Middle-Aged Male God.

Don't be a fucking idiot simp anymore!

Song Dao pondered.

In three days, after attending the graduation ceremony, degree conferral, and an evening gala.

He could officially declare that he had graduated from the Music Conservatory.

He would be completely free.

As for that girlfriend who had just broken up with him?

Who is she?

Today was his second day after transmigrating.

It was also the first afternoon after he had finished integrating his memories.

As for how he had transmigrated, apparently it had happened after drinking too?

The memories were blurry, and Song Dao did not want to think about them.

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

Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang had joined hands to unify the realm, creating an entirely new parallel world.

For some reason, when Song Dao saw that sentence, his heart suddenly lifted. Although it was a parallel timeline, at least there were people and things he knew. And this time, the Chancellor had won in the end.

All at once, he felt a little more belonging in this world.

After Shu Han unified the realm, its dynasty lasted seven hundred years. Following several changes of dynasty, it was now the Xia Kingdom.

Its trajectory was more or less the same as the world Song Dao had come from.

It was now late June 2025.

With the booming development of the internet industry, countless self-media platforms had sprung up like mushrooms after rain, creating an era of extremely advanced information and entertainment above all else.

It was also a restless era.

Fewer and fewer people devoted themselves to making music. Even at concerts, those once-famous singers only sang their old songs.

It was all about nostalgia.

As a student at the Music Conservatory, the original Song Dao could not only write lyrics and compose music, but also possessed a fine voice.

Coupled with his handsome appearance, although he was not exactly a campus celebrity, many people knew of him.

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

For it, he had poured his heart and soul into creating a song called "Love You Forever."

He had planned to confess to the goddess at the graduation gala and, under everyone's witness, bring his student life to a perfect close.

Winning the beauty's heart!

This was not merely the original owner's wishful thinking. Miao Xiu herself had signed him up for the performance.

But everything suddenly changed when Times Media took notice of Miao Xiu and signed her.

In his memories—

The original owner had watched with his own eyes as she stepped out of a luxury sedan.

Before he could go over and greet her, Miao Xiu turned back and gave someone inside the car a passionate kiss.

She was proactive and enthusiastic. Even from behind, he could feel the joy radiating from her entire body.

In that instant.

All that deep affection became a joke.

And when Miao Xiu seemed to sense something, turned around, and met Song Dao's disbelieving gaze.

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

The next second, it transformed into furious embarrassment after having her private affairs exposed—

"Why are you here? Were you following me? Since you saw it, I'll be direct. Song Dao, there are things you can't give me. We're people from two different worlds! There was never really anything between us to begin with. I hope you won't keep pestering me in the future."

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 record the song.

He stared blankly at the familiar face and unfamiliar expression as she spoke words of endless coldness, completely devoid of warmth.

At that moment, the young man's dream shattered, and his heart died.

The sheet music in his hand drifted to the ground.

It was only a light sheet of paper, yet it weighed a thousand pounds.

It crushed all his pride and became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Song Dao wanted to get angry, but when he opened his mouth, it became a pleading attempt to keep her. "Don't degrade yourself like this. As long as we work hard, we can have a life like that too, A Xiu."

"I'm not degrading myself."

Miao Xiu spoke very clearly. "I know what you're thinking. You think I've become someone's plaything, don't you? But Song Dao, I would rather become a rich man's plaything and see a bright future than cling to so-called true love without any hope."

"I know what I want."

Miao Xiu said softly, "And I know even more clearly that you don't have it."

After saying that, she, who had originally intended to return to school, turned around and got back into the car without the slightest hesitation.

Song Dao chased after the car and asked hoarsely, "Then what were these years of love between us? What was our relationship? What was everything I gave you?"

The person who answered him was the pot-bellied, thinning-haired middle-aged man sitting in the back seat.

He naturally wrapped an arm around Miao Xiu's slender waist and said in the rich voice unique to middle-aged men, with an amused tone, "Love? That's hilarious. Do people still believe in that these days?"

The contempt in his voice pierced deeply into Song Dao.

The middle-aged man held Miao Xiu close. "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 whole you."

He looked at Song Dao mockingly.

He was showing off.

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

"Thank you?" Song Dao found it absurd.

"Yes, thank me."

Miao Xiu looked coldly at his face. "Thank me for screwing you over so clearly. I know you better than you know yourself. I could have kept stringing you along. I could have told you that everything today was a misunderstanding, and in the end, you definitely would have chosen to believe me, compromise, and accept it."

"But I didn't do that!"

It was as if she were flaunting the correctness of her actions, or declaring her resolve to the middle-aged man beside her.

Miao Xiu's tone was utterly cold and resolute.

"I can say I'm sorry, but let's leave it at that. Let's break up."

"Song Dao, music is already dead. It has no future."

"Go back to your hometown, become a music teacher, and find someone reliable to live an ordinary life with."

"After all, that has always been your dream, not mine."

The dark-tinted car window slowly rolled up.

It blocked Song Dao's view and cut off the sound as well.

The sleek, luxurious car slowly pulled away. Like a noble fish, it soon merged into the rushing traffic.

The exhaust puffed softly, and Song Dao smelled burning gasoline.

Before his eyes were countless taillights.

One of those cars had taken his love away.

At the entrance of the Music Conservatory, several pairs of eyes saw Song Dao standing there, utterly lost.

They watched his young body slowly bend, curl into a squat, and cover his face with trembling hands.

An elderly sanitation worker muttered as he walked over, seemingly complaining that young people did not care for the environment.

He forcefully swept the sheet music marked "Love You Forever" into his dustpan, sending dust flying.

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

A piece of waste paper was worth less than an empty bottle of mineral water.

That night.

Song Dao of this world drank himself to death.

And Song Dao from another world arrived.

Three in the afternoon.

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

[Earth Music Propagation System loading complete. All music has been added to the library. Host, please claim your beginner's gift pack.]

Song Dao took a deep breath and silently said, Claim it!

The next moment.

It was as if he were wearing smart glasses, as several lines of text appeared before his eyes.

[Currently available music library: Pop Song]

[Based on the host's previous life experiences, one song will be granted, including complete arrangement. Copyright will be automatically registered.]

[Advanced Guitar Technique x1]

[Versatile Voice (Beginner) x1]

[If the host performs this song at the graduation gala, the system will grant a beginner benefit: every additional point of popularity grants one point of reputation.]

[The system will collect fifty percent of the song's after-tax income. The remainder will be at the host's discretion.]

[Popularity calculation: number of viewers, beginner stage only.]

[Reputation rewards will be granted when songs enter major rankings.]

[Reputation rewards will be granted when songs win various awards.]

Seeing those words, Song Dao thought, Just as expected.

When he had first transmigrated and was still dazed, he had already heard the system's loading prompt.

As someone who had read countless transmigration novels, panic was not an issue. He felt only anticipation.

The beginner's gift pack was impressive. Not only had it given him a song fitting the situation, it had even thoughtfully handled the arrangement and copyright.

He did not yet know what popularity and reputation were for, but he could study them slowly later.

At that moment, Advanced Guitar Technique and Versatile Voice had already begun taking effect.

A massive amount of guitar knowledge suddenly appeared in his mind, while his throat grew itchy as it underwent changes.

The original owner had played guitar too, and he had been fairly good at it, but he was still far from advanced.

Versatile Voice was even more impressive, even if it was only at the beginner level.

Song Dao gave it a simple test and found that he could already work in voice acting.

As for that song, he was not unfamiliar with it.

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

He had even played it on repeat for a while after his divorce.

But without the system, it would have been difficult for him to think of such a fitting song. He did not know whether his soul had been damaged during transmigration or whether the system had blocked something.

Many songs he had once known extremely well now left him able to remember only their titles and fragments of their melodies. He could not recall much else.

"Pop Song? I don't really agree with that definition. Any song that resonates with the public and is widely sung has its own meaning and emotional value. Categorizing it as a pop song is obviously a little too rigid."

Song Dao muttered as he headed into the bathroom.

He turned on the faucet and splashed water over his head and face. He needed to cool down.

Even as an experienced middle-aged man, he could not help feeling excited at this moment.

After calming down, he was still somewhat hesitant about whether to sing the song the system had given him.

But just then, his phone suddenly chimed with a message notification.

He carelessly wiped his hands and opened it for a look.

—Song Dao, someone took photos of what happened at the school gate yesterday and posted them on the Campus Forum. It has already caused a very negative impact on me. You caused this, so I hope you can come forward and clarify things!

Oh?

He had been somewhat hesitant.

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

Even if their similar experiences allowed him to empathize, at most he would curse them a few times from a third-person perspective.

A simp and a gold digger!

But that was all.

It would be best to use this opportunity to make a clean break. From then on, they could each live their own lives.

But the instant he saw that message, and saw that the other party's contact name had been changed to Baby.

The rising fury deep in his heart could no longer be suppressed.

Clarify my ass!

This didn't feel like his own emotion, but... the original owner's?

Song Dao took a deep breath and faced the mirror.

"Brother, I'll settle this score for you. Didn't she want you to confess to her at the gala? Even though your song is no longer needed, I'll give her one—a song that suits her even better!"

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

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

As though saying goodbye.

Goodbye to Song Dao standing before the mirror, and goodbye to this world.

After drying the water from his hair and tidying himself up until he looked fresh and clean, he first went to an off-campus recording studio.

That afternoon, he went to the academy gala's organizing office.

"Backing track?"

The other person stared at Song Dao as though he were an alien.

What had happened at the academy gates had already spread throughout the campus.

So no matter what, he had never expected Song Dao to still come—and to still sing.

"Yes." Song Dao nodded.

"You're... still singing? You really want to sing... a love song?" The other man's eyes grew even wider.

The others also looked at Song Dao strangely.

A love song?

Song Dao thought for a moment. "Yes, a song about love."

"Bro!"

Several boys from the organizing office stood up. "Even if you keep simping... there's no use anymore, right?"

"To give myself an answer," Song Dao said calmly.

Silently, he added in his heart: The one who had left needed an answer.

An answer!

Song Dao said, "I just can't accept it. Why does the love of most students ultimately become a plaything of money?"

He said that for the original owner. He could feel those emotions from the original owner, like an obsession.

They had erupted the moment he saw that message.

Since that was the case, he felt it was necessary to help the original owner release this lingering resentment that had yet to dissipate into the heavens and earth.

As boys from the Art Department, they saw sights that students at ordinary colleges rarely got to see—

Countless beautiful women who could make one's heart race!

But they also saw too early the power of money, the cruelty of society, and how fragile love could be.

Yet at that time, most of them were weak and lacked any foundation; they were utterly vulnerable!

Their ambitions soared higher than the sky, but they could only watch helplessly.

Why... did the love of most students ultimately become a plaything of money?

Those words dealt an immense blow to this group of young men.

The boys fell silent, then finally accepted the backing track. "Fine!"

"Bro, we'll help you give yourself an answer!"

"Thanks."

Song Dao turned and left.

Three days later.

Evening.

The gala arrived as scheduled.

The grand auditorium was packed with people.

Every performance had been carefully arranged by the students.

It had to be said that when it came to this sort of thing, the Art Academy could still unleash tremendous energy.

Many of the acts were of very high quality.

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

As the gala began, there were piano performances, violin performances, songs, dances, and even a skit.

Though it was not particularly funny, the students still rewarded it with enthusiastic applause.

The Art Academy students all hoped that if they stood onstage one day, what they received would be applause rather than silence and indifference.

So at times like this, they were more willing to offer their applause.

Pure-hearted students.

Finally.

"Next, a senior in his fourth year will bring us a song. Once he finishes this song, he will graduate and leave this place. Let's welcome Senior Song Dao... with an original song!"

The host was beautiful, her sweet voice full of enthusiasm.

But for some reason, she only said it was an original song and did not mention its title.

Still, the name Song Dao made the audience fall briefly silent.

Then came even more fervent whispering.

For students, as long as one person witnessed what had happened at the campus gates, it would not take long for a whole crowd to know.

Especially since the main character was Song Dao, somewhat well known around campus, and the incident had been such an explosive "love triangle" breakup story.

Someone had immediately taken a photo and posted it on the Campus Forum.

The photo had been taken "very well"!

The taillights of the departing Little Car and the curled-up figure crouching on the ground... formed a stark contrast.

The Little Car's noble paintwork set off that huddled body.

The feeling of heartbreak, despair, suffocation, helplessness, and dejection practically rushed off the image.

It did not even need any accompanying text; everyone could infer the full story.

In their hearts, they had already shed a rainstorm of tears for that curled-up figure.

Many people had already known about the original owner's drinking binge.

Countless comments flooded in.

Boosted by innumerable students, the most upvoted comment read:

"Ah, the tragedy of boys at art schools—if this guy isn't particularly wealthy, then... this kind of story plays out every year. The Music Conservatory remains the same year after year, and so does the tragedy of love."

Since he was somewhat well known, it took almost no effort for everyone to learn the name of the male lead in the photo.

Song Dao!

A fourth-year composition student about to graduate.

Once they knew his name, more and more details were dug up.

The truth soon came to light—a standard Music Conservatory graduation-season staple with a different wrapper!

But after a girl claiming to be Miao Xiu's roommate came forward, things became a little more lively.

Perhaps that was exactly why Miao Xiu had wanted Song Dao to step forward and clarify things himself.

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

She explained that they had been high school classmates, that Song Dao had simped after Miao Xiu for many years, spending a great deal of money on her and practically covering four years' worth of milk tea and assorted snacks for her entire dorm before finally winning her over.

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

She specifically explained that they had come from Miao Xiu's old social-media posts, which she had saved because she thought they were nice.

They could no longer be found among Miao Xiu's posts now.

In the photo, Song Dao looked gentle and handsome, his eyes bright, carrying the spirited vigor unique to youth.

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

Looking at that old photo.

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

Placed together, the contrast made heaven and hell painfully clear!

Miao Xiu's roommate even revealed that Miao Xiu had forced Song Dao to write a song himself and sing it at the graduation gala as a confession to her!

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

The moment people raised in the information age saw this, they understood at once.

Everyone sighed with emotion.

No one thought Song Dao would attend this graduation gala.

But no one had expected the host to announce his name.

Sing?

An original song?!

Even after all this, he still wanted to... simp?

Was he hoping she would change her mind?

Everyone looked utterly incredulous and involuntarily turned toward the stage.

They saw a lean, tall, handsome young man with a faintly dispirited air, a guitar in his arms, walking toward a high stool.

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

His figure was straight.

His eyes were bright.

Yet for some reason, everyone felt that his gaze was deeply sorrowful.

He sat silently on the stool and adjusted the microphone.

Then he gave the band beside him a slight nod.

A melodious accompaniment began to play.

A line of words slowly appeared on the large screen behind the stage.