Volume One, Chapter Nineteen: Why does it seem like Su Le? Is it just an illusion?

"It's too late for regrets now. Honestly, if you hadn't met Su Le back then, you might already be a sensation by now!"
"But don't lose heart. Folk music isn't a dead end!"
"Besides, right now is an opportunity." Suddenly, A-Lian said this.
Lu Yaoyao looked at her, puzzled.
At that moment, A-Lian pulled out her phone, opened Weibo, and played one of the trending videos.
On the screen appeared a man wearing a white elephant mask, standing on stage, singing.
As the chorus arrived, "South Mountain South, Northern Autumn Sadness, South Mountain has valleys piled high," the melody soared.
The mood of the song rushed forth, enveloping the listener.
It was clearly just a folk tune, yet it was performed with such grandeur and deep emotion that one couldn't help but be swept away.
The singer in the white elephant mask interpreted folk music in his own unique way, preserving its plain and pure essence, yet infusing it with new elements, making it shine with a different brilliance.
By the end, Lu Yaoyao was deeply shaken.
So, folk music could be sung like this—with such passion.
In her previous understanding, folk music was simply the songs of the people: easy to grasp, simple, down-to-earth!
It was the best choice for bar performances.
Rustic, unsophisticated, never fit for the grand stage.
But...
When the masked man on screen stood beneath the stage lights, enveloped by atmosphere, his distinctive voice, the heartfelt lyrics, the beautiful melody—he elevated "South Mountain South" to an exalted level.
Lu Yaoyao felt a profound stirring in her soul; she began to reconsider her views on music, especially folk music. She realized that the charm of music never lies within form or label—the true power comes from authentic emotional expression and ceaseless artistic innovation. Through the mysterious singer’s rendition, "South Mountain South" revealed that folk music could be both gentle and delicate, as well as bold and magnificent. It could touch the softest parts of the heart, and awaken a deeper and more expansive contemplation of life.
"I was wrong, A-Lian," Lu Yaoyao said softly, her gaze filled with self-mockery.
At that moment, through "South Mountain South," she instantly recognized how laughable her previous notions had been!
A powerful singer, a popular singer, is not defined by their genre!
Every singer has their own domain and strengths.
To take a genre from obscurity to popularity, to lift it from the folk to the dazzling stage—this is the mark of a successful artist!
Over these years, despite decent traffic, she had never had a truly outstanding work.
She hadn’t even had a sudden breakout hit like "Big Fish."

All the popularity had been manufactured and promoted by the company.
She herself had never sung a song that genuinely exploded, never earned the audience’s deep recognition.
"Yaoyao, you've always resisted folk music, and I’ve supported your view!"
"But this one song—'South Mountain South'—blew up in just three hours, sweeping all the major charts, and even those folk songs that had languished in obscurity beneath the rankings were pulled up!"
"It’s sure to dominate the weekly charts, climbing by millions in popularity every hour!"
"It’s a slaughter, a total massacre!"
"After tonight, folk music will probably be completely ablaze. This is the best opportunity for you, because folk music is your forte!"
"As for Master Sun’s two songs, let’s put them aside for now. What matters most is that you write an original folk song and ride this wave to rise!"
As she spoke, A-Lian’s face was full of excitement.
As a manager, she desperately wanted to see her artist make it big.
And now, only Lu Yaoyao fit the bill!
She was just one step away from stardom!
Of course, that step was one many stars would never cross in their whole lives.
"Write my own... original?" Lu Yaoyao asked, confused.
"Of course!"
"It has to be original—otherwise, even if you become popular, you'll just be working for the songwriter!"
A-Lian smiled.
"But... I can’t write lyrics or compose music!"
"What should I do?" Lu Yaoyao said, troubled.
At that moment, she suddenly thought of someone.
A-Lian also raised her hand, gesturing.
"A-Lian, let me think about it."
"I want to listen to this song for a while."
"Let me be alone for a moment," Lu Yaoyao said, her mood suddenly somber.
A-Lian could only nod, saying as she left, "Don’t overthink it. Even though you divorced that Su guy, asking him to write a folk song for you isn’t asking for his life!"
"If it comes to it, we pay him—a million, is that enough? That’s ten times what he was worth five years ago!"
"If one million isn’t enough, then two million!" A-Lian said calmly.
"A-Lian, you’re wrong!"
"Don’t forget, when we divorced, he didn’t take a cent of the five million."
Suddenly, Lu Yaoyao spoke in a low voice.
That sentence left A-Lian speechless, her mouth open but no words coming out.

She could only turn and leave.
When everyone was gone, Lu Yaoyao sat in her chair, listening to "South Mountain South" over and over.
By the end, she couldn’t help but extract the backing music and use it as accompaniment to sing along herself.
She even recorded it in the studio.
As she sang, her emotions were already swept up by the song.
That unique melody and those lyrics created instant resonance.
When the recording finished, Lu Yaoyao opened the player.
Her own voice came through the speakers.
The timbre, tone, rhythm—everything was perfect!
Listening, she nodded, a satisfied expression on her face.
"Why does singing this song feel so familiar? So strangely intimate!"
Suddenly, Lu Yaoyao noticed something crucial!
It was also folk music, but the moment she heard "South Mountain South," it felt tailor-made for her.
It fit...
Effortless.
Emotion, mood, rhythm, even the lyrics—all memorized after a single listen.
She played the video again, listening once more.
"His voice..."
"And Su Le..."
"So similar."
Lu Yaoyao suddenly stood, holding her phone, searching for clues.
But in the end,
She shook her head.
"Impossible."
"Su Le can write songs, but there’s no way he could compose a folk song of this caliber!"
"Besides, he can’t even sing high notes."
Quickly, Lu Yaoyao dismissed her wild, fleeting notion.
This White Elephant Idol could be anyone—but it could never be Su Le.