Recently, Feibo had stirred up another wave of buzz: Chen Zhuo was actually releasing solo songs! And Su Li had written them!
Chen Zhuo also posted a teaser on Feibo:
"DX Chen Zhuo v: My first solo release. Two songs with lyrics and music written personally by Brother Su @Su Li Not Eating Pears will be out tomorrow.
Thank you, Brother Su, for your trust in me. Recording was a rocky process, but Brother Su kept comforting me. I won't let his songs down!"
[Congratulations to Zhuo Bao on getting solo songs!! Thank you, Su Li, for writing songs for Zhuo Bao!]
[Two songs again? How many songs does Su Li have stashed away?]
[Zhuo Bao can't go three sentences without mentioning Su Li. What a great friendship.]
[Must be nice cozying up to a composer. Nobody else in the group has a solo single yet, but he's already got his.]
[Why so bitter? If you're so capable, get your fave to make friends with Su Li too.]
[With Chen Zhuo's abilities, is he worthy of Su Li's lyrics and music?]
Opinions online were divided over Chen Zhuo's solo release, because people felt that, as a member of an idol boy band, his abilities were average.
Others felt that since Su Li had written songs for him, he must know what he was doing.
All those questions carried over into the next day.
Li Lin was an office worker, but his hobby was listening to music.
Ever since hearing Su Li's compositions on the previous two occasions, he had become a die-hard fan.
He felt that Su Li's songwriting and composition were decades ahead of every current composer!
Even now, he still had those five songs on repeat. He couldn't bear listening to the songs he used to enjoy anymore.
He had been happy to see that Su Li was writing songs for Chen Zhuo, since that meant more good music to listen to. Still, he had doubts about Chen Zhuo's abilities and worried he wouldn't do Su Li's songs justice.
The next day, Chen Zhuo's songs were released right on schedule.
He saw that the first song was called "Fairy Tale."
He couldn't help thinking, Fairy Tale? It should be a sweet song!
He plugged in the top-of-the-line headphones he had bought specifically for listening to music and pressed play:
"I've forgotten how long it's been since I last heard you
Tell me your favorite story
I thought for so long, I started to panic
Had I done something wrong again?"
After hearing the opening, he thought, So good! Exactly the quality I expect from Su Li. But these lyrics... is this another tragic romance?
Having sobbed his eyes out after listening to "Later," he wondered whether he should get some tissues ready.
"You told me through your tears
That fairy tales were all lies
That I could never be your prince
Perhaps you wouldn't understand
Ever since you said you loved me
Every star in my sky lit up"
Chen Zhuo's singing was completely different from how he sounded singing boy-band songs: affectionate, gentle, with a hint of melancholy.
Combined with this melody and lyrics so rich with story, it already made him feel deeply sad.
This song seemed to tell a very sad love story, yet it seemed different from "Later" and "Painted Heart."
"I would become the angel
You love in fairy tales
Spread my arms
Turn them into wings to protect you
You have to believe
Believe that, like in fairy tales,
Happiness and joy will be our ending"
By this point, he felt he understood what the song was about and couldn't help wiping his eyes.
How had Su Li written another song that made people cry despite themselves?
He was still at work, so he could only hold back his tears and keep listening to the end:
"I will become the angel
You love in fairy tales
Spread my arms
Turn them into wings to protect you
You have to believe
Believe that, like in fairy tales,
Happiness and joy will be our ending
Oh
Let's write our ending together"
"Boohoo..." He couldn't stop his tears.
None of the lines looked particularly sad, so why was it so heartbreaking when Su Li wrote them?!!!
What kind of heart-stabbing menace was he?!!
Seeing him cry like that, the coworker beside him couldn't help asking, "Li Lin, what's wrong?"
Through his tears, Li Lin pointed at his phone. "Su Li's new song made me cry. Have a listen too..."
His coworker was a little skeptical at first. What song could make someone cry like that?
Until he, too, finished listening to "Fairy Tale."
The office became a scene of two grown men clinging to each other and sobbing.
The comment section was already awash with tears.
[Can someone tell me what kind of devil Su Li is?! Why can he write songs this depressing every single time?]
[When I saw the title, I thought it would be a sweet song, but... I've already cried my way through half a pack of tissues.]
[Chen Zhuo's voice is clearly so affectionate and steadfast, so why am I crying like an idiot? Li Bao, you have no heart!!]
[Even "Later" didn't make me cry from start to finish, but this one did. Su Li, you win.]
[It made me think of my girlfriend who died of an illness. I wish I could tell her that I'm willing to protect her, that happiness and joy are our ending.]
[I take back what I said before. Chen Zhuo did such an amazing job with this song! No wonder Su Li chose him to sing it.]
Reading the comments on the website, Chen Zhuo silently clenched his fist. Brother Su, I did it!
Li Lin and his coworker wiped away their tears. Remembering there was a second song, they collected themselves and looked at the next track: "Back-to-Back Embrace."
That title... gave him another bad feeling!
The intro was a passage of lovely piano music. The melody made his eyes light up. It sounded so good!
Chen Zhuo's emotion-filled voice rang out:
"Our words never come out clearly
How can we make things understood?
Every word, every phrase is like a trap
We never stop dredging up old grievances
Who's being unreasonable?
Your hands pull away at just that delicate moment
Then the flames of war flare up again"
Compared with the previous song, Chen Zhuo's voice sounded very different: resonant and rich, with a gently unfolding, storytelling quality to his delivery.
Li Lin's eyes lit up. This Su Li song was actually no less impressive than the previous one, and just from the opening, he liked it even more.
"We embrace back to back
Abusing silence as it roars
Before our love has time to grow old
It's buried in a joke amid the flames of war
We embrace back to back
The truth twists and turns in tangled circles
Just wanting me to know
Just wanting you to know
Love's warning"
By this point, he had already started downloading it and setting it as his ringtone. He had no other words to describe it; all he could say was that Chen Zhuo's performance was absolutely perfect.
Most importantly, Su Li's lyrics were incredible! Paired with the melody, if there hadn't been so many good songs this year, all of them by Su Li, it felt as though every song could have taken first place!
He thought the ending was the most brilliant part!
"I don't want
To keep going until
We're strangers, with only ourselves to blame
Since we can embrace
Don't let go so easily
This warning
Just wanting me to know
Just wanting you to know
Love's warning"
Li Lin felt that he preferred this song, not because "Fairy Tale" wasn't good, but because "Fairy Tale" was so heartbreaking that he couldn't take it.
Though this song was sad too, its impact wasn't as overwhelming, and he absolutely loved the arrangement.
By then, Feibo's trending searches had been taken over again.
#Chen Zhuo's heartfelt renditions of "Fairy Tale" and "Back-to-Back Embrace"#
#Chen Zhuo's vocal skills#
#Su Li, the depression-inducing composer#
#Su Li made everyone cry again#
[Su Li, Chen Zhuo, are you two doing okay? Because I'm really not!]
[I'm just so grateful. If I ever listen to another song written by Su Li while I'm out on the street, I'm a pig. I cried last time, and this time was even worse!!]
[I'm fine. I just cried so much that my boss gave me time off, that's all. [smile]]
[Who gave you the courage to listen to a song written by Su Li without getting tissues ready? Cheng Sirong?]
[Thanks, commenter above. I was still crying, but your comment instantly made me laugh.]
[You have to admit, Chen Zhuo's vocal skills and emotional delivery this time are already on par with top-tier singers.]
[Chen Zhuo has officially taken off. I feel like Su Li practically dragged him into the sky with these two songs.]
[Composers really are the bosses!!]
Before you continue