Chapter 137 A Stage That Amazed Everyone
That one smile from him sent me straight to the ICU.
[This guy with the cold face actually looks so good when he smiles! That moment just now completely captivated me, I'm totally mesmerized!]
My roommate said my smile has practically flown out of the solar system.
My class atmosphere vanished instantly; handsome guys are definitely the best remedy.
[Just watching this teaser trailer has already made me a fan of Bian Ji Vertical Spiral! I didn't know much about this singer before, but starting today I'm going to listen to his songs properly!]
[As you can see in any TV series or movie, his songs are everywhere; "Ji" has a very wide reach.]
The preview video is only about twenty minutes long and serves as an introduction to the guests for the first time.
After that, the guests arrived at the recording location and met in a large lounge, where they politely greeted and exchanged pleasantries with each other.
Among these guests, some were familiar to them, but the singers they knew the least and had never met before were Elia and Bian Ji.
In social segments of variety shows like this, familiar small groups quickly bond together.
Bian Ji wasn't in a hurry. He quietly walked to a separate sofa and sat down, intending to wait until everyone had finished exchanging pleasantries before speaking.
I see a sense of peace and tranquility in "Ji"; he is so calm and composed.
I sensed that too; he must be a very emotionally stable person in real life, right?
Uh... even stable emotions vary depending on the specific situation.
When Lu Yinzhao saw this comment, he couldn't help but think of Bian Ji's beating of Ge Yinghao.
However, Bian Ji did appear very relaxed in the video, so it seems he wasn't lying to himself.
Lu Yinzhao felt a little relieved. As long as Bian Ji wasn't nervous on the show, the more relaxed he was, the better he would perform.
[The image appears to be divided into an "i" section and an "e" section, as if by a dividing line.]
[“Ji” doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a person; this is his first time participating in a variety show, so it’s normal for him not to know how to interact with people.]
[I didn't expect Elia to be so reserved. She and "Ji" seem like two pitiful little things.]
[They probably just have a language barrier, haha.]
Just then, Elia walked towards Bian Ji in the scene and began to communicate with him in English.
"Hello, I'm Elia, I know you!" The woman with golden wavy hair smiled warmly.
Bian Ji also replied in English: "I know you too. I listened to your latest album, 'Lunar Tides,' and I'd like to try making this dreamy pop style in the future. I'll also incorporate some ambient electronic music into my next album..."
When Bian Ji started talking about his major, Elia exclaimed "Wow!" in surprise.
"Ji, to be honest, I decided to come to China because I knew you would be on this show. I haven't told you yet, Giovanna was my teacher and also my friend. She praised and recommended you to me a long time ago. I've also heard your music. You have a voice that's been kissed by God, it's simply wonderful!"
Elia's expression was slightly exaggerated because she was happy and excited.
Bian Ji politely thanked her: "Thank you. I hope we can have the opportunity to collaborate on this show. I'm really looking forward to your performance."
[Oh my god! If it weren't for the subtitles, I wouldn't understand what they were saying at all. Am I doing a listening comprehension exercise?]
[“Ji”’s English is so good, her voice is so sweet when she speaks English~]
[She studied abroad for so many years, how could her spoken English be bad? I'm just surprised that Elia came to this show specifically for "Jiggle".]
[Thanks to "Ji" for accepting the director's invitation, otherwise I wouldn't have had the chance to meet my goddess Elia.]
[Waaaaah, my two favorite scumbags are together! Production team, please let them work together! I want to see it!]
After that, the other singers, who had finished exchanging pleasantries, came over to Bian Ji and Elia and chatted with them, constantly enlivening the atmosphere.
At this point, the host came in and gave a short introduction, explaining the rules for the initial stage of the program.
The first stage performance is about to begin, and everyone will draw lots to determine their order of appearance.
This initial stage performance is for demonstration purposes only and will not be included in the competition score.
No wonder everyone seemed so happy; it turns out the first show was just a performance!
[Great! I can finally enjoy this audio-visual feast!]
That concludes the pilot episode.
How could viewers resist clicking on the next episode?
They all jumped to the next video, and Lu Yinzhao was no exception; he had come to watch Bian Ji's performance.
Fortunately, the premiere day featured the pilot episode and the first half of the first episode of the main series airing together.
Otherwise, everyone will really get bored.
The order of the draw has been determined. From beginning to end, the order of appearance is: Xin Yang, Yuan Mo, Elia, Qiu Yan, Ye Siyu, Yan Jiayu, and Bian Ji.
Lu Yinzhao couldn't help but laugh when he saw this. Bian Ji's luck was as good as ever... a steady performance.
But singing last is fine too; maybe it will amaze the audience.
[Xin Yang is the first one to go on stage! I came here specifically to see him!]
He still uses the classic setup: a guitar, a chair, and a standing microphone.
I love listening to Yangyang's folk songs; the rhythm is soothing and they tell a story.
After Xin Yang took the stage, he immediately started playing the intro music on his guitar.
He sang one of his older songs, which was quite popular and is also one of his representative works, "Stars in the Straw Pile".
"A star fell into the haystack, bending Grandpa's pipe..."
The chorus was repeated several times, and Lu Yinzhao found it quite memorable, but the whole song was rather bland.
The final shot gave a close-up of his wrist, revealing a hemp rope bracelet made of wheat straw.
It can be considered a small design made specifically for this stage.
This song is still too classic; I think it's the pinnacle of all Xin Yang's folk songs.
[He's been singing the same song for so many years, and all his other songs are just average. I thought he'd change things up on this show, but even the arrangements are pretty much the same. It's boring.]
I also think it's a bit too simplistic. He at least put some effort into rearranging the music, right? This is "The Voice of China," when did the bar become so low?
Any singer who appears on a show will inevitably face harsh criticism from the audience, especially in high-level music variety shows like this.
Regardless of whether a singer performs perfectly or not, there will inevitably be differing opinions.
Xin Yang still has a group of die-hard fans who are now arguing with passersby in the live chat, each saying their own opinion for their idol.
Please! This is your first stage performance, you absolutely have to sing a signature song that everyone is familiar with!
[Besides, folk music shouldn't have its arrangements drastically altered, right? This is their style, okay?]
I think it's really beautiful and evokes so many images; it even made me cry. If you don't like this style of music, can you please stop putting it down?
The chat was getting heated when it was flooded with comments from fans of the next singer.
Come listen to Yuan Mo's singing!
[My brother Mo's voice is absolutely amazing, it's breathtaking!]
Wow, he actually sang this song! It's one of my mom's favorites!
Yuan Mo, a senior figure in the music industry, also chose one of his old songs, "On the Wilderness," which is still told in a gentle and narrative style.
However, he added a morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) musical element to the arrangement, which gave it a unique flavor.
Yuan Mo stood in the center of a circular platform half a meter high, the folds of his dark gray linen suit seeming to hold the wind. After the interlude of the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) ended, he continued singing: "The wind took a nap on the tip of the grass..."
[Another classic song. Is the theme of today's performance "Classics Endure Forever"?]
[As expected of Yuan Mo, a senior is still a senior. This arrangement is quite good, much better than Xin Yang's perfunctory arrangement.]
[They're catchy, but they both feel like they're just playing on nostalgia. Both are slow songs, and I'm finding them a bit uninspiring.]
Lu Yinzhao still admires netizens' sharp tongues; even if the sky falls, their mouths will hold it up.
He just hoped that when Bian Ji came out to sing later, these people would be less critical.
The person in front had just said there was no passion, but the next person to come on stage, Elia, ignited the flames on the stage.
She is known for her indie pop music style.
The song "Glitch & Go" has a fast drumbeat and rhythm, and the dense English lyrics are presented smoothly in one breath, which really tests the singer's skills.
[Ahhh, my wife is so shrewd! She's incredibly cool!]
I'm definitely better suited to this kind of music; it makes every cell in my body vibrate.
[I've already started dancing along at home; this style is so sorely Arya.]
As the song ended, Elia tilted her head back and struck an ending pose. The light shone down from above, and her golden curls, slightly disheveled by the rhythm, exuded a captivating beauty.
My goddess is shining brightly, waaaaah~
This singing ability completely surpasses the previous two.
There's really no comparison. Upbeat songs are just more energetic, while Xin Yang and Yuan Mo are better suited to ballads.
After Elia, Qiu Yan returned to the public eye. Perhaps because she hadn't performed on a public stage for so long, Qiu Yan made a slight mistake in the high notes and couldn't quite reach them.
But she also had excellent professional skills, and immediately used a vocal shift to get through it.
Is Qiu Yan out of sorts?
[Perhaps I was too nervous; this mistake shouldn't have happened.]
[He hasn't warmed up his voice yet... I can hear his throat is very tight.]
Compared to Qiu Yan, who made a slight mistake on the high note, the next contestant, Ye Siyu, is a well-known queen of high notes.
She hits a high note in almost every song, which really showcases her technical skill.
In terms of skill, outsiders really have no complaints.
As Ye Siyu's high notes rose, the microphone in his hand was slowly pulled away.
When he got to the most exciting part of the song, it seemed like the whole stage was trembling.
Lu Yinzhao hissed softly. This lung capacity... is terrifying.
His eardrums had just started to feel numb, so he quickly turned the volume down a few notches.
[As expected of a great vocalist! Those high notes almost pierced my skull.]
[This is purely showing off skills; there's no emotion involved.]
She used to always sing high notes; I'm getting a little tired of it.
【No, what's wrong with you guys? This is someone's strength, why can't that be showcased? Do you only find it original when you have a female singer who excels at high notes singing bass?】
[Stop arguing, stop arguing, my brother Yan is about to start.]
Yan Jiayu is considered to have a very large following among the new generation of singers; half of the people watching the show today are his fans.
Yan Jiayu is an original singer-songwriter who is willing to try many popular styles, which are more in line with the tastes of young people.
He sang a relatively upbeat song on stage today, which is from his album released this year, called "Cloudy to Sunny".
Everyone come and support my brother Yan's new song! "Cloudy to Sunny" is super catchy!
I knew Yan Jiayu would sing this song; it'll be a perfect opportunity to promote it.
Yan Jiayu looks so handsome and stylish in his stage outfit today.
[Aren't you fans being a bit too biased? I admit Yan Jiayu's songwriting is pretty good, but his singing is far worse than the previous ones, isn't it?]
I thought it was a well-known fact in the industry that Yan Jiayu had good singing skills but poor technique; his voice is just plain, unnatural.
I was quite surprised when I found out he was coming to the show. I'm a long-time viewer of this program, having watched all the previous seasons, and Yan Jiayu really doesn't stand out among these guests.
[It's probably just his fans who hype him up; the song itself is pretty ordinary.]
There are always some people who dare to criticize these singers' fans, which makes the comments section unwatchable towards the end.
Lu Yinzhao realized that Bian Ji would be the next to appear, so he quickly turned off the live chat.
When Bian Ji sings, he must see the other person's whole face; he can't let those arguing comments block his brother's stunning good looks.
"The next performer... I'm sure everyone has heard his songs. He's been dedicated to creating original music for eight years..."
"...For eight years, his songs have accompanied many people through their headphones while they stayed up late, rushed around, or daydreamed, but his face has never been shown on camera."
"Some guessed he was a reclusive musician, others said he was hiding among us, but today, he stands here with his latest original work, ready to show us his true self for the first time..."
"...Please enjoy the song 'The Coming Rain'."
After the host finished his introduction, the stage lights suddenly went out, followed by a moment of silence.
Someone is walking towards the camera against the light.
Thump, thump, thump.
It was the sound of leather shoes hitting the stage, and also the sound of the heartbeats of all the audience members.
A beam of moon-white spotlight slowly spread out, coating the young man with a thin layer of frost.
The prelude was accompanied by muffled thunder in the clouds, booming and rumbling, but it could never break through the clouds.
Amidst the sounds of a piano, a cool, clear voice quietly entered the room.
"The clouds pressed down on the last inch of the windowsill... The wind swept away the cicadas' chirping from the end of the alley, so far away..."
When the young man spoke, his jawline was taut, and his voice was low and soft.
"I counted the second hand, and it went around for the third time."
"...Fog on the glass, drifting over my fingertips."
The stage backdrop displayed a horizon shrouded in darkness, with wispy clouds turning black at a visible speed.
The dark pattern on the back of Bian Ji's shirt was suddenly illuminated by the sidelight, revealing silver thread embroidery resembling raindrops.
The dark patterns in this deep blue are like raindrops that haven't yet fallen.
Before the chorus arrives, the piano in the interlude suddenly pauses for half a beat, followed by the addition of drums, and the rhythm changes at this turning point.
The drumbeats exploded like raindrops hitting a sheet of metal.
The tempo of the lyrics also gradually increases here.
"I stand under the eaves, watching the rain, swimming into the sea... getting closer and closer, shattering the silence..."
"All the unspoken words... were swept away... the half-old movie ticket in front of the window..."
"...the words were blurred by the rain, becoming a period."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yinzhao felt a sudden tightness in his chest, and he could almost picture a sudden downpour breaking through a window.
The person on stage sang with great passion, and with the sudden rain and light created by the stage, in that instant, the young man seemed to be in this rain, soaked to the bone, yet struggling desperately in the darkness.
Lu Yinzhao's gaze was involuntarily fixed on the other person's collar, where three buttons had been undone. The dark pattern was fully revealed in the sudden bright white light, and it was now flashing as if it had been activated by an electric current.
As the climax approached, twelve strobe lights suddenly rained down white light from the top of the stage, like dense rain arrows piercing through the mist.
The stage flashes, and a black, skeleton-like violin appears out of nowhere in the scene.
The young man had replaced the microphone in his hand with a violin bow, and played a high-pitched and dense violin tune mixed with a sudden downpour of piano interludes.
Rumble— Rumble—
The screen darkened again, then gradually brightened again.
The young man still looked the same as when he first took the stage, and the dark clouds on the background screen slowly dispersed.
The rain curtain lights on the stage then stopped.
The final lyrics slowly play: "The rain is still tapping on the windowsill..."
"...Like when you left, the door...was still open...unclosed."
As the last note fell, the young man stood quietly in the center of the stage.
Until the lights suddenly dimmed, only that tall silhouette remained, still immersed in the lingering echoes of the sudden rain.
The camera cuts to the lounge, where the other guests look stunned.
Elia clutched her head and blurted out, "Amazing! Blows my mind!"
Qiu Yan rubbed her arms and looked at Ye Siyu beside her, "I have goosebumps."
Xin Yang clapped repeatedly: "He's treating this performance show like a real competition!"
Yuan Mo smiled admiringly: "The younger generation is truly formidable; these young people can sing so well these days."
Yan Jiayu raised an eyebrow: "Did he really write this song recently?"
"I heard from the production team that it seems so; they said it was specially prepared for the opening of this program," Ye Siyu said.
Yan Jiayu: "He's so serious, it's starting to ignite my fighting spirit."
Even watching on screen, Lu Yinzhao could feel the intense emotions Bian Ji was conveying on stage; hearing it live must have been even more breathtaking.
Only then did he turn the live chat back on.
[After Elia's performance, I thought she was the best singer of the day, but after Bian Ji's song, I can only say that no one can beat her.]
[“Ji” can play the violin? Soooo cool!]
I have absolutely no resistance to guys who can play musical instruments!
Why can't I vote this time? Where's the voting device? Give it to me! I want to vote!
[His singing of "Ji" suddenly made the other six seem like they were just there for fun, while he was the only one who was truly there to participate in the competition.]
He was so sincere; he wrote a song specifically for this competition, but the production team tricked him—his initial performance didn't even count towards the score! How infuriating!
This song is so good, please release it online soon! I want to download it!
I think the biggest highlight of this season is Bian Ji; he's definitely a dark horse.
I think Bian Ji's performance will definitely create a "catfish effect" in this competition. Look, none of the other guests dare to laugh anymore, even that carefree Yan Jiayu is starting to get nervous, hahaha!
Why doesn't Bian Ji have a Weibo account yet? I really want to follow him! I'm totally captivated by his performance!
Staring at the screen, Lu Yinzhao wrinkled his nose and thought to himself with a touch of smugness: Hmph, his brother is just that awesome!
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Author's Note: Zhao Zhao: Brother Aji is the best, no arguments allowed. (Hands on hips jpg.) [Thumbs up]
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