Chapter 160: Father

Back then, the song "Father" and its accompanying micro-film by the Chopstick Brothers touched countless souls. Especially for those living far away from their parents, hearing this song for the first time invariably brought them to tears.

While "Childhood" stirs up a nostalgic ache for bygone days, and "The Brothers on My Upper Bunk" laments an irreversible youth and campus era, "Father" inflicts a heartbreaking sorrow over the relentless, unstoppable aging of one's parents—a helplessness that pierces the heart.

"Why are they all crying?" Xiaoxiao asked in confusion, snuggled in Gao Litong's arms backstage.

The backstage monitors continuously switched camera angles, showing that whether tender women or stalwart men, everyone was shedding tears while listening to this song.

Holding Xiaoxiao, Gao Litong was weeping too, as thoughts of her own father flooded her mind.

Although her father was a second-generation wealthy heir, he was not the type to idle away his days. He possessed a profound sense of responsibility; his current hardship was no longer driven by the pursuit of wealth, but by the tens of thousands of employees relying on him.

If any business sector suffered losses or went bankrupt, it would inevitably impact numerous employees and their families.

It is not capitalism that is thoroughly evil; rather, it is the human heart.

Nor are all human hearts entirely evil—some are driven by the pressures of life, while others are corrupted and assimilated.

Though her father appeared glamorous on the surface, he was actually exhausted and spent most of the year away from home.

That was not the life he desired. Gao Litong was already twenty years old; she was no longer a naive little girl who understood nothing.

At this very moment, countless viewers wished, just as the lyrics went: *I am willing to trade everything I have, just to make your years linger longer.*

A father's love is as deep as the ocean and as steady as a mountain, no less than a mother's love.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I will definitely come home to spend the New Year with you this year." Huang Lei sent a text message to his father through his tears. He hadn't been home for two years, always feeling that his family was at fault for failing to provide him with a comfortable foundation. He had exhausted himself trying to buy a car and a house on his own, constantly comparing his father to others, only to see his own father fall short in every comparison.

"I always envied others for having a wealthy father and resented mine for being poor. Yet, my father never once blamed me for being mischievous and causing trouble, always trying his utmost to give me the best he could. I took it all for granted... I truly deserve to die."

"Dad, I'm sorry. Your daughter was too willful. You were right—I should have listened to you. I've decided to break up with my current boyfriend and return to our city. He doesn't know how to cherish me, wastes his days playing around, and refuses to work. You were looking out for your daughter's best interests by opposing our relationship. Dad, I was wrong."

"Dad, has your cough gotten better? I'm sorry for being so busy with work. Every time you called, I always grew impatient. I'll come home in a few days to see you and Mom."

"Dad, are you doing well at home? I miss you and Mom."

"..."

The song "Father" deeply moved the audience, unlocking the windows of their souls. An overwhelming tide of guilt toward their fathers surged within them. Many either called their fathers directly or left messages online, carving out a deep sense of apology and remorse from the bottom of their hearts.

"Dad, thank you for your hard work all these years." Watching The Voice together as a family, a daughter wrapped her arms around her father's shoulders, her eyes red.

"Tomorrow, let's go visit your grandfather together. He's quite lonely living by himself, but every time I invite him to stay with us, he worries that you kids won't be happy about it," the father said to his daughter.

"Mm, let's go see Grandpa together and bring him over to live with us," the daughter nodded. After all, a father had a father of his own, too.

...

Sung through the voices of two children—one older and one younger—"Father" vividly and movingly portrayed both a father's affection for his children and a child's love for their father, touching the very depths of the soul.

Indeed, this particular version of "Father" captured the sincere emotions of children far better. Otherwise, Su Tong would never have insisted on replacing the male contestant from the previous season of The Voice who had originally been scheduled to duet with him.

As the song came to an end, the entire audience rose to their feet. Thunderous applause erupted and lingered for a full two minutes.

"Nian Nujiao, Nian Nujiao..."

This was only two-thirds of Nian Nujiao, as the group originally consisted of three members.

The audience chanted Nian Nujiao's name.

"I'm so looking forward to the complete Nian Nujiao. We're still missing Xiao Qiao."

"This was so touching. I feel like I've been a total dog all these years, treating my father with such a cold and ungrateful heart."

"I'm so sorry to my father. I always took from him without ever saying thank you, let alone thinking of repaying him."

"The most touching song of the year."

"Nian Nujiao is amazing! Gege is so great, and Da Qiao is wonderful too. My heart aches for fathers, and my heart aches for them."

"..."

Countless viewers in front of their televisions and netizens alike flooded Weibo to leave messages for Nian Nujiao and cast their votes for Su Tong.

"Su Tong, Da Qiao, please stay a moment." Host Hua Shao hurried over just as Nian Nujiao was about to leave the stage after her performance. His eyes were still red. "Your song isn't just a matter of sounding good anymore—it's a matter of life and death! You drained an entire reservoir of tears from me; I almost cried myself to fainting."

"I thought you had cried yourself to fainting in the restroom and wouldn't be able to make it back on stage," Su Tong joked, displaying the composure of a seasoned host as he bantered with his co-host.

Cried to fainting in the restroom?

The entire audience burst into laughter through their tears. They had just been crying their eyes out over the song performed by Su Tong and Xiao Yu, and now they were being amused by Su Tong's wit, leaving them truly between tears and laughter.

"I know you're an internet broadcaster who's good with words—you can talk the dead back to life and talk the living to death. I'm not going to bicker with you; I want to talk to the little beauty by your side." Hua Shao removed his glasses, wiped his eyes with a handkerchief, put it back in his pocket, and turned to Xiao Yu. "This must be the long-famed Da Qiao. Ever since the first episode of the fourth season of The Voice aired, countless netizens have strongly demanded that Student Su bring both Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao to the live stage. Tonight, not only did everyone get to see Da Qiao, but we also heard her soul-stirring performance, hearing her innocent voice plead for time to slow down and stop letting her father age. I..."

At this point, Hua Shao's voice choked with emotion. "I... I'm sorry, I'm still too emotional."

Quickly composing himself, Hua Shao continued, "Da Qiao, why don't you say hello to everyone first?"

Holding Su Tong's hand with one hand and lifting the microphone with the other, Xiao Yu said in her childish voice, "Hello everyone, please vote for my older brother. He is the best brother in the world. Thank you, everyone."

Only by holding her brother's hand could she keep herself from feeling nervous.

Wow~

Aww~

Xiao Yu's innocent child-like voice captivated everyone over the age of ten. Even if Xiao Yu hadn't solicited votes for Su Tong, the siblings' performance alone had already won over countless netizens and judges.

"Such deep sibling affection," Hua Shao said with an expression of envy, turning to the live audience and the viewers at home. "What I want to tell everyone is that Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao only arrived in Yandu yesterday... Student Su's doting affection for his two younger sisters makes even me jealous. If not for the production team's repeated pleas, he wouldn't have agreed to let Da Qiao come out and meet everyone. I know how grueling work in the entertainment industry is, and Student Su simply didn't want his sister to walk down this path."

"Haha, Hua Shao, you're talking too much. I don't think this line was in the script," Su Tong interrupted with a smile.

The entire hall erupted in laughter. Ever since Hua Shao began hosting, his reputation had been stellar, and he had never appeared so flustered or incoherent before.

"Haha, well then, let's have Student Su and Da Qiao take a brief rest." Hua Shao escorted Su Tong and Xiao Yu off the stage and proceeded to announce the next act.

The guest performances continued. An artist and actor starring in an upcoming television drama to be broadcast on Xinghang TV came up to sing a song to promote the show.

After finishing the song, the actor interacted briefly with the host.

Meanwhile, the staff members were busy calculating scores, synthesizing the ratings from the mentors, the panel of judges, and the online viewers.

"Haha, it's time once again for that thrilling moment." Hua Shao held another slip of paper in his hands. "Now, the scoring results from the mentors, the judges, and the netizens are all in, and they are right here in my hands." (To be continued...)