Chapter 19

Chapter 19

When Su Xingyao arrived at the waiting area, number 77 had already received three lights from the judges.

Number 77 had an adorable appearance, dressed cutely, and his singing style was fresh and charming.

While his vocal skills weren’t the best, his unique style and extremely likable appearance made him the type of contestant the audience would undoubtedly love.

As soon as number 77 finished his performance, several judges couldn’t help but interact with him, each praising him in turn.

Seeing this, the contestants who hadn’t performed yet and those in the standby area couldn’t help but start talking.

Everyone agreed that number 77 was likely to be the first to get four pass cards and advance today.

After all, it was the 77th contestant, and it was high time someone advanced.

Moreover, number 77’s performance was indeed quite good.

Thinking this, everyone watched as the judges, after interacting with the contestant, began to hand out pass cards.

Su Xingyao, at the bottom of the stage, couldn’t see what was happening above and could only gauge the outcome by the audience’s reactions.

Soon, the audience erupted in cheers.

Hearing this, Su Xingyao was happy for number 77.

It looked like he got a pass card.

Just as Su Xingyao thought this and was about to clap for number 77, the cheers suddenly stopped.

“Just open it directly when you go up later.”

At the same time, a staff member handed him the adjusted microphone, reminding him how to use it later on.

This interruption meant that as soon as Su Xingyao politely thanked the staff, he heard Fu Qingyan speak regretfully.

“Sadly, number 77 only got three pass cards in the end.”

“Please proceed to the standby area for a short rest and wait for the next round of judge selections.”

Hearing this, Su Xingyao was a bit surprised.

In the contestant seats, number 77’s standby status made many lose their cool.

Number 77’s skills in each area weren’t top-tier.

However, his overall strength was good, and on average, he was a rare all-around contestant who balanced vocals, personal style, and audience appeal.

Usually, such contestants would easily make it through the first round.

Yet, these judges, who had just praised number 77 to the skies, saying how much they liked him, still held back one pass card when it came time to issue them, preventing his advancement.

This move by the judges not only upset number 77 but also made many other contestants lose their cool and feel disheartened.

After all, if even a contestant like that couldn’t advance smoothly, wouldn’t it be even tougher for them?

The show had already been recording non-stop for four hours.

Being in such a tough competition for four hours is a real test of endurance for every contestant who hasn’t yet performed.

Especially with the mentors pulling off one unpredictable move after another…

Many contestants waiting to perform just want to get on stage and get it over with.

However, the production team isn’t about to make it easy for them.

As if to push their already shaky nerves over the edge, after contestant 77 left the stage, the assistant director grabbed the mic and stepped on stage.

“We’re taking a short break, everyone. Recording will resume in twenty minutes.”

The steady flow was suddenly thrown off, and everyone was caught off guard.

The twenty-minute break was meant for the mentors to regroup.

But for the contestants still waiting to perform, it meant facing another twenty minutes of waiting.

Su Xingyao had it the worst, though, as he was all set to perform.

Contestant 79 watched him leave the stage, torn between pity and a bit of glee.

He was all set to perform, but then everything came to a sudden halt.

He gave a sly smile.

In such a high-pressure situation, a sudden interruption like this only adds to the stress, making the twenty-minute break more of a burden than a relief.

He kept an eye on Su Xingyao, wondering if this would throw him off his game.

The staff brought water and fruit backstage to help the contestants recharge.

Su Xingyao got a bottle too, but he left it untouched.

He paid no mind to contestant 79’s sly look, found a quiet corner in the waiting area, closed his eyes, and tried to relax.

Su Xingyao stayed calm despite the interruption, but the other contestants couldn’t keep quiet.

“Who could possibly be the first to get a pass card?”

“At this rate, maybe no one will get a pass card today.”

“I think the production team might be holding back to build up the suspense.”

“Exactly, it doesn’t seem related to singing skills. Even the big shots who sang their hearts out earlier got held back.”

After speculating about the production team’s intentions, someone still couldn’t help but ask, “So, will anyone actually advance today?”

“With such a crazy advancement rate, it’s probably unlikely.”

“There are still over twenty people left, right? What if a miracle happens?”

While a few people were joking, someone suddenly thought of Su Xingyao.

“Hey, that guy in the mascot costume with the voice changer hasn’t gone up yet, right? Is there a chance he could pass?”

Another person laughed dismissively. “Come on, real pros wouldn’t bother with all that flashy stuff—they probably wouldn’t even make it on stage.”

Twenty minutes can feel like an eternity or pass in a flash.

The contestants offstage were chatting away, and soon they heard the assistant director's voice asking everyone to take their seats again.

On stage, Shen Huaixi and Fu Qingyan were bantering back and forth.

Shen Huaixi turned around and glanced at the audition seats behind him, half-jokingly saying, "I know you're all anxious, but honestly, I'm even more anxious than you."

With that, he waved the pass card in his hand, "I really want to hand out this card right now."

Fu Qingyan, familiar with his style, seamlessly picked up the thread, "Looks like Teacher Shen is eager to see who'll be the first to advance today."

He paused for two seconds, steering the conversation back to the competition.

"Now, let's all look forward to the next contestant's performance."

"Next up... contestant number 78."

After Fu Qingyan's deep voice announced the number of the next contestant, the stage lights dimmed.

As the lights dimmed, Su Xingyao noticed Xiao Li waving at him from nearby, silently mouthing words.

"Teacher Su, you’ve got this!!"

Su Xingyao smiled and waved back at her.

In an instant, the stage lights at the bottom went dark.

A spotlight snapped onto Su Xingyao.

The audience, unable to see the performer, fixed their eyes on the stage's center.

After a brief silence, a deep, resonant cello melody filled the dark stage with a sorrowful tune.

The music was soft, yet it carried the weight of a thousand goodbyes.

As the song's prelude began, the room fell silent.

As the melody grew more familiar, the offstage contestants stared in disbelief.

Someone couldn't help but exclaim.

"No way, it's 'Goodbye Yesterday'!!!!"

"No doubt about it—it’s 'Goodbye Yesterday.'"

"Who’s the bold tycoon picking this song for their debut?"

"Goodbye Yesterday."

A song that’s deceptively simple to listen to but brutally hard to sing.

Even the original singer admits they can’t nail it live.

At the mention of the song’s name, contestants gasped, their eyes glued to the stage, eager to see who had the guts to tackle this song.

Wen Yun and Xu Beizhou, seated at the mentor table, were equally intrigued by the song choice.

One kept their head down, eyes closed, listening intently. The other stared intently at the stage, as if searching for clues in the rising platform.

The soothing prelude brought a hush over the crowd.

In the deep silence, an ethereal voice came through the microphone.

"Hey, yesterday we bid farewell here."

The pure and clear voice, like a gentle April breeze, swept past everyone's ears without warning.

The soft, low singing, like heavenly music descending from the skies, was elegant and mesmerizing, instantly capturing everyone's attention.

Everyone present was irresistibly drawn to this cool, mysterious voice.

The singer, like a mournful poet, breathed life into each note, slowly and melodiously conveying his sorrow through song.

A tender song, a tender voice.

The moment Su Xingyao sang the first line, he deeply impressed everyone present, professionals and amateurs alike.

No one expected that, after just a short twenty-minute break, the first contestant to perform again would have such a beautiful voice.

On stage, Sheng Yan, a mentor who had seemed disinterested, sat up straight, propping his chin with one hand, his eyes gleaming with anticipation, locked onto the rising stage.

After a moment of surprise, the contestants below the stage were instantly excited.

With just one line, they recognized his talent.

"Holy crap, a real tycoon is here."

"Finally, it's here!! The first advancement spot today is definitely his!"

"From the very first note, I wanted to kneel; it's just so solid."

"I'm about to cry; this really lifts our spirits as contestants."

The contestants, who should have been rivals, chose to bow to this beautiful singing, overwhelmed by his sheer talent.

Many contestants, due to the mentors' previously harsh elimination rate, felt a sense of pride in this outstanding singer, hoping that contestant number 78 could immediately secure four passes to boost everyone's morale.

The contestant seats started to buzz.

The mentors' emotions also spiked instantly.

But Su Xingyao, below the stage, was unaware of all this.

Like a sprite lost in his own world, he held the microphone with both hands, eyes closed, earnestly delivering his performance.

"Love knows no end,

Parting is always a sorrow."

The delicate, gentle voice carried a touch of fragility and loneliness.

Softly and lightly humming, it was like weeping and storytelling, enduring and unending.

His singing didn't rely on strong emotions to heighten the atmosphere.

But the sincerity in the song deeply moved every listener.

Everyone was drawn into his emotions, following his voice into a carefully crafted atmosphere, listening in silence.

Two minutes flew by in the blink of an eye.

"I pass by your window

The first ray of morning light

So warm"

The last line was delivered with a sweet and moving voice...

After the pause, it felt like a healing journey of poetry and distant places.

Below the stage, the contestants, who had been holding their breath, burst into excitement.

Even their heartbeats raced during the pause.

This was hands down the best performance of the night.

A powerhouse with a commanding stage presence.

Completely blown away by the performance, the contestants stood up, clapping wildly to show their respect and admiration for number 78.

"Holy crap, this is insane!"

"This voice is truly beautiful."

"I’m bowing down to the tycoon—this performance outshines the original singer."

"The skill is beyond anything I could ever achieve, and the tone is the most enviable I’ve ever heard. Number 78 is truly incredible."

Amid the waves of applause, someone was already dying to see number 78’s face.

After all, a beautiful voice always makes you wonder about the person behind it.

But since number 78 was still backstage, everyone could only imagine what they looked like.

What kind of person could have such a stunning voice?

Many racked their brains trying to figure out who this tycoon was, frantically recalling who had been sitting in that section.

But with the competition so intense, everyone was on edge, and with people shuffling around and sitting randomly, many couldn’t recall who number 78 was.

"Number 78!! Who are you? Show yourself!"

"Wait... Could it be the guy in the mascot suit? I think he was sitting with number 77 earlier."

"I think he was in the 80s."

"No way... The mascot suit can’t possibly produce that voice. Isn’t he using a voice changer?"

"Someone with such a pure voice wouldn’t dress so flashily."

Just as the arguing reached its peak, the countdown started on stage.

Each contestant has two minutes to perform.

If the contestant is not turned away by the mentors during the performance, they can keep singing until the two minutes are up.

However, if no mentor hits the buzzer within the two minutes, the contestant will be automatically eliminated.

At this moment, because they were so engrossed in the performance, the mentors on stage forgot to hit the buzzer for Su Xingyao.

Seeing the ten-second countdown on the screen, the contestants offstage were going crazy.

Ten

Nine

Eight

Seven

The contestant area erupted in noise once again.

Many contestants stood up and shouted towards the mentor seats, "Come on, press the button! Press the button!!"

"Mr. Wen, snap out of it!! Stop daydreaming, press the button!!"

"Sheng Yan!!! If you don't press the button now, contestant number 78 will be eliminated!!!"

"Xu Beizhou!! What are you doing?? Press it, press it!!!"

Even though they weren't the ones performing, the contestants were all extremely nervous.

But no matter how much they shouted, the mentors on stage acted like they couldn't hear, with no response.

They could only watch helplessly as the countdown went from ten to seven.

Then from seven to four...

Three

Two

Everyone's hearts were in their throats.

Then anger followed the tension.

What on earth are these mentors doing!!!

One

...

The countdown on the screen stopped at the last number.

With the sound of buttons being pressed, the LED screen displayed the words "Congratulations, you've made it to the stage."

The room fell silent, and the contestants felt their hearts skip a beat at that moment.

Someone sighed in relief, "Thank God they pressed it..."

But soon everyone realized that only three mentors had pressed the button.

At this moment, Wen Yun, the only one whose light hadn’t lit up, was looking down, confused, and frantically pressing the button in front of him.

“What’s wrong with my light? I definitely pressed it… why isn’t it on?”

Fu Qingyan on stage chuckled and replied, “Teacher Wen, you might’ve been a tad late.”

Wen Yun immediately scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, “Age is catching up with me. We agreed to light up the buttons together at the last second, but I held everyone back.”

After Wen Yun’s explanation, the contestants finally relaxed.

So they weren’t just zoned out—they’d planned this all along…

“So you guys had secretly planned this? I was freaking out just now…”

“I knew it, how could you bear to eliminate such a talented singer?”

“If you eliminated him, you’d get roasted when this airs.”

“Mentors, can you tone down the drama? You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Wait, what… production team, is your lift broken too? Why hasn’t the contestant come up after the lights lit up?”

“Yeah, why hasn’t contestant 78 come up yet??”

Fu Qingyan on stage seemed to catch everyone’s complaints and made a calming gesture toward the contestant seats.

“Now everyone’s probably dying to see contestant 78 take the stage.”

As soon as he finished, the contestants answered in unison, “Of course!!”

Hearing this, Fu Qingyan said, “However, the mentors pressed the button at the very last second, and the system glitched.”

??????

The contestants were a bit confused.

“What??”

“Glitched??”

The contestants felt like their hearts were about to stop again—out of frustration.

“I just wanna see who contestant 78 is… why’s this so dramatic?”

“Guys, I’m losing it—someone back me up here!!!”

Seeing that the suspense had done its job, Fu Qingyan on stage, just as everyone was about to lose it, smiled and said, “Just kidding.”

That whole thing was just the director messing with us.

After all, this show is going to be edited and broadcasted later.

The director wouldn’t pass up a chance to keep the audience hooked.

The contestants, realizing they’d been pranked by the production team, took a deep breath and gave the director a thumbs-up on camera.

“Alright, director, you nailed it—this was a solid 6.”

The mood was perfect, and Fu Qingyan took charge again.

"Alright everyone, let's give it up for contestant number 78!"

His words quickly brought the room to silence.

With the drumbeat provided by the production team, everyone's gaze turned toward the central lift stage.

The stage was just four meters high, and the elevator ride up took only a few seconds.

But those seconds felt endless to everyone in the studio.

They had waited ages, and the production team had kept them on the edge of their seats.

Now, they could finally see the real thing!!

Fans of contestant number 78's voice fixed their eyes on the stage, hearts pounding.

They silently counted down, hearts racing.

Soon, the lift stage approached the main stage, and the head of contestant number 78 finally began to emerge.

But just as everyone was about to see, the mischievous lighting guy dimmed the lights.

The spotlights that had been on contestant number 78 started dancing around the stage.

The spotlights circled a few times, building suspense, then focused directly on contestant number 78.

And then, it all became clear.

The tycoon, contestant number 78, slowly rose from the center of the stage...

Was actually the last person anyone expected...

Someone in a cat mascot head!!!