Lu Tianyu, President Liu, and others were ultimately sentenced to heavy prison terms. Xingyao Entertainment declared bankruptcy and liquidation, its vast business empire collapsing, reduced to a series of cold numbers and asset lists on legal documents. The government-led industry rectification also came to an end, with a series of new regulations promulgated to standardize market order.
On the surface, the storm had subsided, and the damage was being repaired. The sun shone again, as if all the filth had been swept away by the rain and wind.
However, for those who experienced it firsthand, the road was still long, and the end was far from being reached.
Lin Chen's father, Lin Jianguo, held the heavy verdict, but felt no relief. His son's medical expenses were like a bottomless pit. Although there were some social donations and partial compensation awarded by the court, it was still a drop in the ocean compared to the continued exorbitant treatment and future recovery. What pained him even more was that although his son had miraculously survived, he had never woken up. Day after day, he stayed by his son's bedside, gazing at his thin, silent profile. The unfinished road to his son's awakening seemed endless.
Su Yuqing continued her investigative journalism career on a new media platform. Although the Xingyao incident had ended, she knew it was merely the tip of the iceberg. New forms of collusion between capital and power, variations of industry unspoken rules, and those like Lu Tianyu who cleverly concealed themselves in this storm were still festering in the shadows. Her reporting shifted to a broader social sphere, but her gaze never strayed from questioning systemic injustice. She knew that the path of oversight was never-ending.
Chen Kai's "Spark Music Corner" gradually gained fame, attracting many young people who truly loved music. He often took out Lin Chen's manuscript of "Mountain Questions" to tell his students the story of that young boy, not to wallow in sorrow, but to remind them that the path of art was fraught with thorns; they must cherish their dreams, but also learn to protect themselves. He incorporated Lin Chen's unfinished musical vision into his teaching, continuing this unfinished path of inheritance and enlightenment.
On a grander scale, however, the transformation is far from complete. Will the new industry regulations truly take root, rather than remaining mere empty words? After setbacks, will capital restrain itself, or seek new, more covert expansion methods? How long will public attention last, or will it fade with time and become numb again? Will those voices and forces temporarily suppressed in the storm make a comeback?
All of these are unresolved questions.
The stage Lin Chen once dreamed of, the place where music purely moves people, seems clearer than before, yet still seems distant. His self-destruction served as a warning to those who followed, illuminating a rugged path, but this path still needs countless people to continue walking, pioneering, and protecting it.
The unfinished road winds its way forward.
Along the way, there are those who remain asleep, those who tirelessly seek answers, those who silently pass on their knowledge, and countless others who follow, carrying hope and proceeding cautiously.
The tombstone has not yet been erected, because the story is not truly over.