Chapter 191 – 151: The Strongest Stage, Those Regrets_2
It was as if to taphorize the plight of folk music, all lovers of this genre groping in the dark, unable to find a way out, could only cling to their guitars and let out a weak roar.
At the end of his performance, Yu Zhongyi received only 523 votes, firmly placing him at the bottom.
The live guitar performance indeed didn’t have the best effect; even if all the folk music enthusiasts in the audience voted for him, the score wouldn’t be too high.
By now, the two at the bottom had erged: Xu Ou and Yu Zhongyi.
Among the seven, the last to perform, veteran Hou Xueheng, brought a classic old song. He had arranged it anew and invited an old friend to sing backup. The old song sung anew let the audience relive a classic.
The final tally reached an astounding 724 votes, practically unbeatable.
“My God, Uncle Hou is too stable on stage, isn’t he?” Qi Yingying covered her mouth and said, turning her head to look at Jiang Jingsheng, “This number of votes… Even last episode’s challenging singer didn’t get seven hundred, right?”
“Yeah, 724 votes is really terrifying.” Jiang Jingsheng took a deep breath and shook his head, saying, “He’s too solid, we’re simply not on the sa level as Teacher Hou.”
“The production team is too vicious, how could they invite Teacher Hou to anchor the show.” Guan Fengcheng touched his nose, “I guess the final champion, if there’s no surprise, will be Teacher Hou.”
“Great arranging ability, the experience of a seasoned veteran.” The plump and rotund Wen Shuanghua said sentintally, “Teacher Hou’s fundantals are just too solid, no one can hold a candle to him.”
“It seems like we’ve all finished our performances, and the last one to take the stage is the challenger, right?” Xu Ou steadied her mood, sniffled, and looked up to ask.
If the challenger’s votes were lower than hers, it ant she could stay for another episode. Although this hope was extrely slim, Xu Ou still decided to look forward to it one last ti.
After all, before the show started, Hou Xueheng had also hinted that today’s challenging singer was very young, younger than everyone present here, suggesting less experience.
Perhaps… there was one last chance, as long as the challenger’s final votes were lower than hers.
“Yes, but I have no idea who it could be,” Jiang Jingsheng said, “I almost know all the younger singers, just strange that I’ve guessed around and found no one who fits the bill.”
Jiang Jingsheng might have guessed, but he had to pretend not to know. Spilling the beans too early and ruining the mysterious atmosphere the production team had created would not make him seem any funnier.
Clap!
All of the lights on the stage went out, instantly drawing the eyes of everyone in the studio.
The female host stood at the edge of the stage, reading from a cue card.
“Today, the challenging singer who has co to our stage debuted at fifteen, skyrocketed to fa at twenty-one. At twenty-two, she took third place in the Chinese Album of the Year with her digital album ’Spring Chill’, securing her position as a young diva.”
“Last month she suddenly terminated her contract with her previous company. Returning after eight years in the industry, she’s still a fresh face, with her song ’The One I Miss’ hitting the top ten in eight music charts.”
“Let’s welco with applause our challenging singer——”
The hostess suddenly stopped speaking, as if the explosion of dynamite at its climax was suddenly muted.
A beam of light cut through the darkness of the stage, illuminating Lin Wanzhou who was slowly erging from backstage.
She was dressed in a white cotton dress, with her black hair tied into a ponytail, her young and slender legs as tender as spring water.
Her bright eyes, proud nose, and rosy lips made her look pure, reminiscent of soone from student days, like the vague figure that appeared in everyone’s mory.
A youthful aura hit the air, bringing a fresh breeze to the heated stage.
Backstage, Xu Ou watched the broadcast on the television screen; as soon as the host read out that long list of achievents, she had already guessed it was Lin Wanzhou. Jiang Jingsheng beside her even outright exclaid it.
“It’s Lin Wanzhou, she indeed is the one!”
Well, the little social butterfly wasn’t even pretending anymore.
“Really? Jingsheng, you said you didn’t know anyone who fit the bill, right?” Guan Fengcheng didn’t forget to tease Jiang Jingsheng, his face wearing a smile.
“This… I guessed it, I know Lin Wanzhou, but I have no contact with her.” Jiang Jingsheng said with a wry smile, “She’s very cold, never easily exchanges contact information with anyone.”
“Wow! Isn’t her outfit too pretty?” Wen Shuanghua exclaid, “Her face also looks so tender, she’s really young, I’m so envious of girls with that youthful look.”
“This ti, it’s really as if Lin ii has fallen from the sky,” Hou Xueheng comnted. “The ancients spoke of cardamom tips on the branches of clove, and it seems fitting for Lin ii now.”
“Judging by her outfit today, the song she’s going to perform is probably related to youth.”
“Lin Wanzhou has a face that’s practically born for a first love, well-aligned with people’s imaginations of a white moonbeam,” folk singer Yu Zhongyi coughed.
“If my youth had encountered such a radiant person, I would definitely have written her a hundred songs.”
“I wonder what song she will sing, it seems there aren’t many popular songs about youth nowadays,” Qi Yingying pursed her lips, thought for a mont, then raised her head to ask.
“Could it be ’The One I Miss’? I quite like that song.”
On stage, Lin Wanzhou was dead nervous.
She clenched her fists, step by step moving towards the center of the stage, with the spotlight following her. The blinding, snow-like light shone on her cheeks, casting a halo around her.
Beyond the light, it was pitch black, her heart thudding wildly. Standing on the stage looking down, she couldn’t see anything, but she knew there were eight hundred silent listeners in front of her.
Lin Wanzhou steadied herself, holding her breath slightly, silently recollecting the past in her mind. She silently mouthed the lyrics, gradually stirring the emotions within her heart.
The lodious accompanint slowly began to play, and she also slowly entered her zone.
“In haste that year, how many tis did we say farewell, only to postpone it after.”
The mont the first line of lyrics ca out, the expressions on the guests backstage varied. Everyone’s first thought was, is this an original new song?
Xu Ou’s heart tightened, whether a song is good or not can almost be determined from the beginning. Even from the prelude, one can tell, and this “In Haste That Year”…
Apart from excellent, she couldn’t think of any other word to describe it.
Lin Wanzhou’s voice was ethereal, pure, her breathing steady, with lyrics rich in emotion. It was easy for her to draw listeners in, pulling them into the story she was narrating.
“No matter that the kiss has not yet turned into calluses, embracing…”
The lyrics were simple and sincere, telling a sad story, evoking the audience’s nostalgia and emotions. Was it not in one’s youth, under the sunlight, that one spread out their fingers and swore heartily?
No betrayal before it’s due, you have no good matchmaker. Hoping you’re not angry, let’s set autumn as the date.
The gentle voice narrated all the regrets and brashness of youth. Those years of reckless youth have passed; the faces of those people are now unknown, yet the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze.
No one stays eighteen forever, but there’s always soone who is eighteen. Now middle-aged, standing at the crossroads of ti, one looks back at the dust-covered past.
“If seeing again without reddened eyes, can I still face you with blushing cheeks?”
As soon as these lyrics were sung, the studio was suddenly abuzz. Almost everyone present was a singer-songwriter, all too familiar with the portrayal of lyrics.
Even idol singers like Jiang Jingsheng and Qi Yingying had strong appreciation skills.
“This line is genius!” Yu Zhongyi inhaled sharply.
At this mont, Lin Wanzhou was singing “We ought to owe each other.” The audience got goosebumps, and Hou Xueheng furrowed his brows.
Now, the song’s interlude.
Within the gentle lody, a faint weather forecast interjected, “The Central teorological Observatory predicts that starting from tomorrow, a strong cold front is approaching…”
The stage was dark, with only Lin Wanzhou in a white dress bathed in light, standing motionless at the center with a microphone.
Suddenly, the sound of rain poured down.
Pitter-pattering on the fallen leaves, streets, rain awnings, the distant rumbling of thunder, the sound of car horns seed to co from far away, as if a sumr downpour had hit underneath the stage.
In the darkness, only the audience’s sense of hearing was left, infinitely heightened, as if they were truly amidst it all.
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