Chapter 351 Why are you so depressed?

President Zhong was surprised by Ye Wanxi's honesty. After a moment of stunned silence, he burst into laughter.

This startled many people present, as Chairman Zhong is known for his seriousness.

Other mentors, when encountering juniors who are not technically proficient, will offer a few words of encouragement in addition to gentle criticism.

Chairman Zhong is different; he is strict with others and also with himself.

Last season, on this stage alone, quite a few people were scolded by him to the point of bursting into tears on the spot.

But this usually serious person is now smiling like a flower.

"Practical, yes, practical. It's just a pity that young people nowadays don't really like this kind of relatively noisy instrument."

The atmosphere in the mentors' seat suddenly froze when Chairman Zhong said this.

That's right. Nowadays, even if young people want to learn a musical instrument, most of them will only choose instruments like the piano or violin.

Even when choosing ancient musical instruments, most people would choose relatively elegant instruments such as the guzheng, pipa, erhu, and flute, which are quite classy when played.

And those obscure ancient musical instruments are being abandoned by young people and by society little by little.

Seemingly sensing the awkward atmosphere, Chairman Zhong took the initiative to change the subject: "The suona is indeed a very useful instrument. Weddings and funerals would feel incomplete without it. It's rare to see young people who play the suona so well these days. I happen to be celebrating my birthday next month. I wonder if I would have the honor of inviting you to join me and add to the joy?"

No one expected things to take such a sudden turn. The performers on stage were stunned for a moment, and then they all showed a look of envy, jealousy and resentment towards Ye Wanxi.

Many people in the live stream didn't know what Chairman Zhong's invitation represented, but there's no shortage of science popularizers in this world.

[President Zhong's birthday? I think President Zhong is 69 this year? Next month, it should be his 70th birthday celebration.]

[That's right, it's his 70th birthday! It's Chairman Zhong, after all; you can imagine how many celebrities will be attending his 70th birthday celebration.]

"According to you, this birthday banquet must be incredibly extravagant! No wonder everyone on stage stared in amazement when he said that. That guy's luck is truly amazing; he's liked wherever he goes."

[Wasn't it that terrifying song that just now caught the big boss's attention? I really don't dare say a bad word about her now, I'm afraid she'll blow me to the heavens if she's unhappy!]

Look at Dean Yang's expression! Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter!

Not only Dean Yang, but also the four mentors at the table were all staring at Chairman Zhong with shocked and admiring eyes. However, Dean Yang's expression was particularly exaggerated and lively among these people, and could be used to make a bunch of memes in a minute.

[Dean Yang: Old buddy, are you serious? (Shocked.jpg)]

[Dean Yang: Dude, why are you so desperate? (helpless and heartbroken.jpg)]

[Dean Yang: Can I skip next month's birthday banquet? (Looking utterly dejected.jpg)]

[Enough already! Doesn't Dean Yang have any dignity? P.S.: Requesting watermark-free emojis! Making emojis is one thing, but adding watermarks is another! Sharing is worse than keeping it to yourself; this is really unfair of you!]

The online uproar is temporarily unseen by those on the show.

Ye Wanxi, the person involved, was equally surprised to hear that Chairman Zhong had taken the initiative to invite her to his 70th birthday celebration.

However, she could tell that the other party's invitation was sincere and not just empty politeness, so she smiled and said, "It would be my honor. I will definitely practice hard during this time and try my best to play a good tune for you on your birthday banquet, wishing you a long and healthy life."

"That's great, it's settled then."

Chairman Zhong laughed heartily, clearly in a good mood, while Dean Yang had a numb expression that said, "I'm devastated." Just from his rolling eyes, you could tell how conflicted he was inside.

This scene was inevitably captured by netizens with keen eyesight, and they happily turned it into memes.

Although the viewers in the live stream were jokingly saying that Ye Wanxi had won and was the undisputed number one, the real number one still needed to be chosen from among the groups on stage.

President Zhong ultimately cast his crucial vote for Zhao Xiaoqin and her partner, reasoning that their performance revealed the rise of a new generation and their limitless potential.

According to the program's rules, the winner of each round will receive a direct ticket to the final episode.

In other words, Zhao Xiaoqin and her companion will return to this stage in the final episode of the show.

Xue Jifeng, who unfortunately came in second, missed the opportunity. As soon as the result was announced, Zhao Xiaoqin excitedly turned around and hugged Zheng Baihong.

The viewers in the live stream who were initially optimistic about Xue Jifeng started arguing, believing that Zhao Xiaoqin and the other person were no match for Xue Jifeng in terms of professional skills, and that they got Dean Zhong's vote entirely because of Ye Wanxi, which constituted cheating!

Xue Jifeng himself did not show any dissatisfaction. He even took the initiative to hug Zhao Xiaoqin and Zhao Xiaoqin to congratulate them on winning first place, appearing as a gentle and magnanimous gentleman.

Having long seen through his hypocrisy, Ye Wanxi didn't believe he could truly afford to lose. As he came over to shake her hand, she smiled faintly and teased him, "Thank you for your high regard, Mr. Xue. If it weren't for Mr. Xue speaking well of me to Chairman Zhong, I wouldn't have been able to make a name for myself on this stage today. Mr. Xue is truly a talent scout of our time."

Ye Wanxi's words were unvarnished and were transmitted to the live stream in real time.

The viewers in the live stream then realized that it wasn't just Zhao Xiaoqin's group that mentioned Ye Wanxi's name; according to Dean Yang, Xue Jifeng had also mentioned Ye Wanxi to him privately.

Both groups were clearly involved with Ye Wanxi, and Chairman Zhong voted for Zhao Xiaoqin and her partner. So why is it said that they cheated by relying on outside help?

Xue Jifeng was surprised that Ye Wanxi would suddenly bring this up. Meeting Ye Wanxi's half-smiling eyes, Xue Jifeng's heart skipped a beat, and a subtle sense of panic arose.

I felt that every move I made, and even the secret thoughts I had hidden, were laid bare before those eyes.

He still had a smile on his face and said politely, "Miss Ye, you're too kind. Your abilities are obvious to all. Even if I didn't mention it, others would definitely find out sooner or later."

He felt like he was vomiting blood inside. If, if he hadn't done those unnecessary things in the first place, would things have turned out differently tonight? And...

Xue Jifeng secretly glanced at Ye Wanxi, and after confirming that all the surrounding cameras were turned off, he immediately ran away in a hurry, as if he had been stung by something.

(End of this chapter)