Chapter 112: The Three Dukes’ Selections Announced
When the screen lit up again, the overtones of the guzheng fell like clear spring water, and the sound of the flute swirled up in a whimpering voice.
The ink-splashed mountains and rivers in the picture are slowly blurred, and only a lonely boat can be seen in the vast sky and earth.
Xie Qingyu's breathing unconsciously stagnated until the ethereal female voice pierced through the mist:
"Life is like a play, and we are all in a hurry to take the stage
Who is not a line of frost in other people's stories?
The ink flows freely on the screen, and finally condenses into four powerful characters - "Five Phases of Life".
The creative concept of "Five stages of life, one song of vastness" is written on the side like an inscription.
The contestant seats, which had been noisy before, were now completely silent.
Everyone held their breath, afraid of missing a single note.
Xie Qingyu's fingertips trembled slightly. The sadness and clarity flowing in this song were like a soft sword, silently piercing into the softest corner of his heart.
At this moment, the song had just begun, and a figure dressed in white, as clear and graceful as jade, holding a flute on his back, came slowly in the ink-and-wash smoke.
His face was hazy as if covered by mist, and his eyes seemed to be staring at everyone, but also seemed to penetrate all the audience and look into the distance.
The picture of the song "Five Phases of Life" unfolds here - the fates of the five characters "a son of a noble family, an actor, a scholar, a knight-errant, and a general" are intertwined in the troubled times, just like five-colored silk threads woven into a vast brocade.
The son of aristocratic family holds a flute throughout the story. The story begins with him and ends with him.
The music also gradually changes from elegant and soothing to the violence of war and finally returns to silence.
The lights illuminate each character in turn and then go out one by one, just like lives withering away in the tide of time.
Finally, only a solitary lamp remained, illuminating the weathered silhouette of the suona player.
"It turns out... I am also a character in the play..." The female voice slowly fell with a sigh of enlightenment.
The lingering sound is so lingering that you can hear a pin drop in the auditorium.
Because the tremor that penetrated his soul lingered for a long time, Xie Qingyu's fingertips unconsciously pressed against his lips, as if this could seal away the myriad thoughts surging in his heart.
According to the established process, Qu Qinghuan should have stood on the center of the stage again and announced the candidate for the central position of this song.
However, the big screen did not go dark.
Unlike other tracks, which place the production team information at the beginning, it remains until the last note of "Five Phases of Floating Life" fades away.
The names of the creators are displayed in exaggerated fonts, occupying the entire screen. The deliberately enlarged typeface seems to be announcing something to the world.
[Lyrics: Lin Jinghua
Composer: Lu Chuan
Producer: Lu Chuan
The entire contestant's booth instantly erupted in gasps.
The fingertips of a certain contestant trembled uncontrollably, almost piercing the air: "This Lin Jinghua...could it be..." His voice stopped abruptly, as if he was afraid of disturbing a legend who had been sleeping for many years.
The companion beside him shook his head mechanically, his pupils trembling as if he was struck by lightning.
But looking at the program crew's smug look, as if they can't wait to put a golden border on the name, the answer seems self-evident.
Xie Qingyu, the white crane among the geese, tried hard to keep in sync and not let his reaction be too abrupt compared with other contestants.
Although he had no idea about the name, his pricked-up ears had already caught the exclamations coming from all around him.
Soon, the whispers merged into a torrent of information, allowing him to piece together the brilliant life of this legendary female poet.
At the age of sixteen, she shocked the literary world with a modern adaptation of "Eternal Night Visit: Lantern Festival".
Those modern poems refined from thousands of years of ancient rhymes have forced the literary world to acknowledge the weight of the word "genius".
The National Academy of Poetry made an exception for her, and the song of the same name she later wrote in collaboration with a now deceased diva took the international music scene by storm, winning numerous awards.
The famous review in the magazine "Guofeng" is still regarded as a benchmark: "The last female poet of the 20th century!"
——No one raised any objection to this seemingly exaggerated title.
What is even more amazing is that this guardian of classical literature immediately entered the pop music scene. His debut work "Que Yu" directly won the "Golden Wutong Award" for Best Lyrics, and the "New Literati Lyrics School" he founded has influenced people to this day.
Just when everyone was expecting her to continue her legend and create new glories, she suddenly retired after the queen passed away due to illness.
He declined the lucrative contract and lived in seclusion in the Jiangnan water town, accompanied by ancient books. He only occasionally picked up his pen when required by national cultural projects. The outside world is still speculating about the connection between the two.
A contemporary literary giant once commented on her with three sentences:
"A cross-era creator, a brush in his left hand and a fountain pen in his right, a literary genius who can use common vernacular to create astonishing artistic conception, a cultural watchdog who rejects all forms of fame and false profit!"
In this circle, her name is an insurmountable mountain.
Now in her fifties, she has been silent for many years. The media has repeatedly speculated that she has "run out of ideas", but she has never defended herself.
Who would have thought that this great lyricist who had been in seclusion for many years would team up with the new and talented producer Lu Chuan to produce a work like "Five Phases of Floating Life" on a talent show?
No wonder the contestants had to confirm repeatedly. It was just like running into a Michelin three-star chef in a street restaurant.
No! It's even more exaggerated than this!
Thinking of this, Xie Qingyu's eyes curved slightly, and a hint of joy flashed across his eyes.
The fans really gave him a huge surprise, as you can see from the reactions of the other contestants.
The program team obviously did not announce the composers of these songs in advance, but they still accurately locked in and reserved for him "Five Phases of Floating Life", the well-deserved pinnacle of the seven tracks.
As for whether he will be the center of this song?
Sorry, Xie Qingyu still has enough confidence in his ability to vote for his own fan list.
Sure enough, after the contestants recovered from their shock, Qu Qinghuan returned to the stage to announce the final result: "According to the fans' vote, the center position of "Five Phases of Floating Life" is——"
Her eyes slowly swept across the crowd, finally landing on one spot, and a knowing smile appeared on the corner of her lips.
"Thank you, contestant Qingyu!"
In an instant, cheers erupted from the contestant seats, and everyone gathered around to congratulate Xie Qingyu.
Leo excitedly shook his brother's arm, as if he had won not only the C position, but also some supreme honor.
Qu Qinghuan stood aside, his eyes also filled with smiles.
She couldn't help but recall the mentors' reactions when they learned about this song.
First, they collectively accused Lu Chuan of "hiding too deeply and that they would no longer be friends." After all, composing a song is not a one-day job, but they didn't even hear a word of it.
Then, the sour feeling could not be hidden.
Li Zhiqiu, in particular, was so obsessed with this song that he made countless calls to his old friend Lin Jinghua, begging him for cooperation.
"Jinghua, you've already come out of retirement, why can't you write a song for me?" Li Zhiqiu even imitated the coquettish tone of the young contestants on the show, dragging out the tone, "I want one too~ want one~~"
Lin Jinghua on the other end of the phone was amused by her and shook his head and sighed: "Have you been around young people for too long? Your mentality has improved a lot, and even your speech has become childish."
You have to know that when Li Zhiqiu was young, he was a devil pepper that could choke people to death. No matter whether you were a man or a woman, young or old, he would fight with others in front of the camera if he was not convinced.
The fact that she has managed to get to this point shows how strong her business ability is.
Qu Qinghuan withdrew his thoughts and looked at Xie Qingyu who was surrounded by the crowd, his smile deepening.
She knew that this song, under Xie Qingyu's interpretation, was destined to become the most dazzling existence on the Sangong stage.
After the seven songs were announced, the next step was for the center position of each center to select team members according to the second ranking.
Originally, S-level players should have been chosen first, but Xie Qingyu, who had been sitting firmly on the S-level throne for many weeks and ranked first in the second round, naturally became the first person to be selected without any dispute.
Xie Qingyu stood in the center of the stage holding the microphone, his eyes sweeping across the faces in the contestants' seats that were full of anticipation, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.
In fact, he already had a suitable candidate in mind as early as when the track was announced.
"You Jinzhao." He read out the first name without hesitation.
The part of the actor must belong to him!
When You Jinzhao heard his name being called first, he tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth, but they still curled up uncontrollably.
He pretended to be calm and nodded to Xie Qingyu on the stage, then walked with seemingly calm steps towards the seven song title signs that the staff had just placed.
However, he was completely unaware that he was so nervous that his hands and feet were shaky and his walking posture was as funny as a penguin that had just learned to walk upright.
It was not until he stood behind the sign of "Five Phases of Floating Life" and turned around that he suddenly realized that the contestants' seats were already bursting into laughter.
Even Xie Qingyu couldn't help but chuckle, with a faint smile in his eyes.
After the actor was chosen, the next choice became much simpler.
"Huang Ke." He quickly read out the second name.
This player can play the role of a knight.
Xie Qingyu had worked with him during the first public performance and was very impressed by his business capabilities, so it was worth looking forward to.
When Huang Ke heard that he could be teammates with Xie Qingyu again, he ran towards You Jinzhao happily, with the words "good deal" written all over his face.
After all, only those who have been teammates with Xie Qingyu know that it is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.
The third part to choose is the general's part.
Xie Qingyu's gaze slowly swept across the contestant seats, finally stopping on a figure that the other contestants were not expecting.
"Fan Niu Niu."
Fan Niu Niu, who was called, was stunned for a long time until the contestant next to him pushed him. Then he woke up as if from a dream and pointed at himself, indicating, "Is it really him?"
His eyes were full of disbelief.
However, his ranking and popularity were the lowest in the field, and he was actually prepared to be left alone until the end.
Xie Qingyu smiled and nodded, giving an affirmative response.
Fan Niu Niu's eyes turned red instantly, and he raised his hand and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand.
Then he straightened his back and strode towards You Jinzhao and Huang Ke who were standing behind the sign to warmly welcome him.
From this moment until the end of the San Gong, they are teammates fighting side by side.
Since the C-position part has been determined, Xie Qingyu now only needs to select the last team member - the literati's part.
His eyes searched the crowd and finally met Wei Liangchen's.
There was a gentle encouragement in his eyes, as if silently asking: 'Do you want to come?'
Wei Liangchen was touched, but shook his head slightly.
He was very clear about his situation - he was not suitable for the style of this song. If he forced himself to join, it would not only affect his training progress, but the stage effect might also be unsatisfactory.
Since Wei Liangchen declined, Xie Qingyu's gaze moved again and finally locked onto a figure.
"Zhou Yu'an."
There are only 35 contestants left, and they are already familiar with each other.
Zhou Yu'an left a very special impression on Xie Qingyu. He had a scholarly air about him, which was not created by glasses or makeup, but a temperament that came from his bones.
What’s even more rare is that he has good strength and is quite popular, ranking 18th in the second round.
When the name came out, the contestants had different reactions, and You Jinzhao almost laughed out loud - what a fate!
I didn't expect that he and this "well-informed and commentator" brother could actually be teammates in the Sangong performance!
That’s right, Zhou Yu’an was the one who secretly wrote comments for the top ten contestants on the first public stage, and was caught on the spot by You Jinzhao. He was then caught “secretly observing” many times.
However, facing You Jinzhao's excited eyes, "Commentary Brother" Zhou Yu'an just calmly pushed his glasses and walked towards the team with an expressionless face, as if everything was under control.
After Xie Qingyu finished selecting his four teammates, Bai Lang stepped onto the stage and took the microphone from him.
As the two passed each other in the center of the stage, their eyes met briefly and they nodded in tacit understanding.
This is a silent salute between the strong, and also a mutual respect for the fierce competition that is to come.
When Xie Qingyu and his personally selected teammates stood behind the song title sign of "Five Phases of Floating Life", a faint silver halo appeared on the wall behind them, spreading across the ground like ink.
It seemed to be silently announcing the official start of the third performance of "Road to Star Dreams".
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