"Can't escape the storm's eye, no time to flee. I can't think anymore, I can't think anymore..."
Hearing the song playing from the Sony Walkman, Lin Yuan froze.
Before he knew it, it was already 2001. While he had been busy filming Jurassic Park 3, Jay Chou had released his debut album, Jay, on November 7, 2000, officially beginning his road to musical legend.
This song, "Tornado," was one of the tracks on that debut album.
"Do you like this song? It's by a new singer. I really like his music," Liu Yifei asked.
A new singer? Lin Yuan almost laughed. The feeling was truly strange.
New singer Jay Chou.
And as for whether he could get used to the song—how could he not?
To Lin Yuan, and to a huge number of people born in the '80s, '90s, and even the 2000s, Jay Chou was a singer of special significance.
His songs had accompanied them as they grew up, through life's storms, eventually becoming an anchor for their memories of youth.
In Lin Yuan's memories of his previous life, Jay Chou's songs had been playing during his final moments, when he sank into darkness.
"I like his music too. In the future, he'll become a legend of the Chinese music scene," Lin Yuan said.
Liu Yifei asked curiously, "You think that highly of him?"
She found it a little hard to believe. Although Jay Chou's songs were very good, he was still a newcomer after all.
Who knew whether his path ahead would remain steady? Maybe he would run out of inspiration.
"Of course. People with genuine talent will never be buried, no matter what."
"Sounds like you're talking about yourself," the Celestial Fairy said with a smile.
"Enough talk. Let's sleep. It's getting late." Lin Yuan did not respond. Instead, he checked the time on his Rolex watch.
"Okay, let's sleep."
Liu Yifei took a pink blanket from her backpack, shook it open, and draped it over herself.
It covered only half of her.
Seeing Lin Yuan looking at her, she closed her eyes and said, "Sleeping, sleeping. I'll share some of the blanket with you. Don't catch a cold."
She looked utterly casual and natural, but her slightly reddened ears exposed how far less calm she was inside.
Lin Yuan looked at the small blanket. To cover both of them, they would have to press tightly together.
The blanket had been prepared by her, it was deliberately small, and she had brought only one... Her intentions could not have been more obvious.
But Lin Yuan had no intention of exposing her. He silently lifted the blanket and slipped underneath.
Mutual affection really was wonderful. Simps would never understand this feeling.
With his eyes closed, Lin Yuan could smell the youthful fragrance coming from Liu Yifei, faint and lily-like, wonderfully pleasant.
The subtle sound of her breathing rose and fell with her chest, as melodious as ever.
Though both of them were wearing outerwear, he could still feel the warmth of her body through the blanket. It felt cozy and comforting.
In a way, this counted as sharing a bed under the same blanket, didn't it?
In fact, Lin Yuan also had a blanket in his backpack, one that was just as small.
If he were stupid enough to take it out, he would truly be beyond saving.
Under the blanket, Lin Yuan extended his hand around Liu Yifei's soft, slender waist and gently held her with one arm.
Even through her down jacket, Lin Yuan felt her waist tense and stiffen at once. But she quickly relaxed again and let him hold her.
Hidden beneath the blanket, no one could see what Lin Yuan was doing. This counted as being alone in a secluded corner, right?
She had said he could hold her by the waist. It should not be considered going too far.
After doing that, Lin Yuan did not attempt anything more excessive.
At ease, he relaxed and drifted off to sleep.
So numb!
A needle-like pain woke Lin Yuan from his sleep.
He shook his numb right arm, then gently lifted the blanket and stood up.
Falling asleep while holding Liu Yifei had certainly been nice, but the price was poor circulation and a numb forearm.
Lin Yuan looked out the window. The sky was still dark.
It was four in the morning, and Liu Yifei was still sleeping soundly.
Even asleep, the Celestial Fairy was still a Celestial Fairy. She looked beautiful from every angle, flawless without a single blind spot.
Lin Yuan carefully tucked the blanket around her, adjusted her U-shaped pillow, and headed for the restroom.
The restroom was quite far away, at the rear of the carriage. He carefully softened his footsteps to avoid waking the other sleeping passengers.
As Lin Yuan moved through the dimness, he failed to notice a pair of bright little eyes opening and staring at his retreating back.
When Lin Yuan left the restroom, he was surprised to find that the blonde little girl was waiting outside the door.
"You're Lin Yuan, right?"
"That's right, I am. And you are?"
"Ha! I knew I hadn't mistaken you!" The little girl laughed, then immediately lowered her voice. "In the commercials and movies I saw before, you were always wearing ancient Chinese costumes. I stared at you for half the day today because I was worried I'd gotten the wrong person."
"So you're my fan?" Lin Yuan asked.
With Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon becoming a hit in North America, it was not strange that some people recognized Lin Yuan.
But he had always thought that most viewers would become fans of Chow Yun-fat, Sister Michelle Yeoh, and Zhang Ziyi. His role did not have a particularly strong presence, so there should not have been many people paying attention to him.
In truth, Lin Yuan was still underestimating the impact of that promotional commercial.
That sword-dance advertisement had already been regarded by many Western viewers as the most aesthetically beautiful commercial, and the one with the strongest Eastern charm.
No one knew how many people had watched that advertisement over and over again.
Hearing Lin Yuan's reply, the little girl nodded vigorously. "Yes! Can you give me an autograph?"
She handed him a small notebook and a pen.
"Of course. May I ask your name?" Lin Yuan was naturally very friendly toward his fans.
"Taylor. Taylor Swift," the little girl said seriously.
"..."
Hearing that name, Lin Yuan froze.
No wonder he had found the little girl so familiar. She was Taylor Swift before she had grown up!
If there was any female singer over the next twenty years with the broadest commercial influence, then without question, it would be Taylor Swift, affectionately known by her fans as "Taylor."
"Red," "Shake It Off," "Blank Space," "I Don't Wanna Live Forever"... She had countless hit songs and dominated an entire era.
And her fourteen Grammy Awards, thirty-two American Music Awards, twenty-three Billboard Music Awards... even those countless accolades were not enough to describe her brilliance.
The sheer height of her peak, and how long she remained at that peak, were what truly inspired awe.
On top of that, most of her hit songs had been written by herself, setting her talent fundamentally apart from other popular singers.
Taylor's influence and standing in Western pop music might have been even greater than Jay Chou's in the Chinese music scene.
After all, Jay Chou had become somewhat complacent in his later years, while Taylor had remained at the top all along.
And this future superstar was actually his fan?
Before you continue