Separated

On a concert stage watched by millions, Jiang Zhongyu holds the microphone and sings “You Are the Dawn in My Heart.” The melody flows gently as tears fall in silence. The millions in the audience are moved, wondering what unforgettable story lies behind the song.

No one knows that the song that touched so many people wasn’t written by him.

When they were young, Jiang Zhongyu tended a street-side vegetable stall, growing up alongside Lin Yujie, who came from a poor family. Watching her go hungry for much of the year and endure one hardship after another, he swore to himself that he would make enough money to take her away from that life. When he got the chance to launch a singing career, he lied to Lin Yujie, saying he would be gone for just a few days.

But the moment he entered the idol industry, its rules became his shackles. Idols weren’t allowed to publicly have a partner. From then on, the spotlight and the gulf of public opinion separated them. He kept sending Lin Yujie money, hoping to ease her hardships. She accepted every payment, but was too proud to spend a cent, saving it all in her bank account.

The crushing pressure and guilt slowly wore down Lin Yujie’s body. On the night she was critically ill and fighting for her life, he missed his last chance to see her.

Before she died, Lin Yujie left him this song and gave him the rights to it. The applause at grand concerts rings out year after year, but he has forever lost the one dawn in his life. A separation brought about by reality consumed the rest of their lives, leaving them no chance to meet again.

Jiang Zhongyu became a star overnight, and his performance of “You Are the Dawn in My Heart” brought the whole internet to tears.

Everyone was captivated by the romantic story of youthful regret he told, until a live interview tore away the glamorous illusion.

He had never written the song.