Chapter 162 (1621st update, includes original lyrics and comments)...
162:
It was pitch black.
The audience members stared at the dark stage in front of them, and were momentarily puzzled.
Viewers in the live stream asked curiously: "What's wrong? What's wrong?"
"Next up, Shao Ting and guest singer Shao Xi will perform the song 'Dream Startled' for us," the host's voice came from behind the stage.
"Shao Xi? Who is Shao Xi?" someone asked.
Viewers in the live stream also asked in confusion: "[Guest performer Shao Xi? Who is that? I've never heard of her before?]"
[Also surnamed Shao? What's their relationship with Shao Ting?]
Mu Shaowu quickly raised his oversized light board.
Mu Shaoyan and Duan Yi quickly raised their signs as well, and mobilized the people who had previously received their light sticks to raise them as well.
Everyone: ? ? ?
“Little brother, this isn’t our Xixi,” the girl behind him said.
Mu Shaoyan: Sister, this is the Xi Xi I want to support.
"It's okay, it's all Xi anyway, he won't know."
The girl behind me: ...Are all Cao Xi fans this treacherous?!
Oh well, it's all Xi anyway, so let's just consider it supporting Shao Xi.
But who is this?
She surfs for 18 hours a day, how come I've never heard of her?
Can this backup singer win?
That's really worrying!
"Boom—"
The sound of lightning and thunder came from the stage.
Then, someone came out carrying a dim lamp. She turned around, and the lamplight shone on her serene face, like a meticulously painted oil painting.
The spotlight followed and shone on her.
She wore a white European-style court dress with a red velvet cloak over it. The hood of the cloak was pulled up over her head, making her beautiful features even more striking.
"Wow, it's so beautiful!" someone in the audience exclaimed.
"Shao Ting is so beautiful!"
"This is so evocative!"
She slowly walked to a tree, hung the lamp she was holding on it, clasped her hands together, and prayed, “Dear Tree God, my father has been summoned to the palace by the king for eleven days. I am very worried about him and hope that he can return as soon as possible. I am willing to pay any price for this.”
"Really?" a clear voice asked.
The viewers in the live chat exclaimed in surprise: "Whose voice is that?"
[This sounds so good!]
Why does it sound like a child's voice?
The cloaked girl turned around in surprise, "Who is it?"
However, no one answered him; there were only the squeaking of mice and the flapping of bat wings.
The next second, elegant and smooth piano music came from the piano.
Accompanying the piano music was a song as quiet and mysterious as the night.
"The mouse is humming"
Bats flitted through the night.
A crow landed on a dead tree.
The girl is praying
The old cat next door is being naughty
The witch is still by the fireplace.
Accompanied by a cheerful child's voice, a spotlight slowly illuminated the stage, revealing a child in a green suit in the center, playing an instrument and singing.
He sang very lightly, his voice sounding not like it came from his own throat, but as if the heavens had borrowed a celestial melody to bless the world on this night.
The girl in the red cloak stood in the corner, listening to his song, and slowly began to sing along.
As she sang, she curiously carried the lantern towards him.
Yet, he hesitated for a moment, but as he sang, the pitch rose higher and higher, becoming more and more powerful, thus pushing the song to its climax.
After the chorus finished, the girl said firmly, "No, we still have to go and see."
A clear child's voice rang out again:
Little Red Riding Hood screams
Snow White is sleeping
Cinderella is not full
The girl continued:
Whose spindle pricked whom?
Who should get the red apple?
Whose blood is the sweetest?
Who should get the red dancing shoes?
The two of them sang a song, one after the other, until Mu Shaoting finally reached a short distance from Ye Qingxi.
She knocked on the door, then took off her hat and cloak, revealing her exquisite beaded tulle dress.
The audience's eyes lit up instantly:
Wow! This dress is so beautiful!
[My waist is so tiny, oh my god!]
This was like a stage play; I couldn't take my eyes off it!
[Beautiful voice and beautiful person, as expected of Shao Ting!]
So, is there really a little kid in the center of the stage? Ahhh, I'm so curious!
[Yeah, I've been watching that little kid! Why isn't there a close-up? Give us a close-up!]
"Is anyone there?" the girl asked.
Her answer was the sound of a smooth piano.
The girl lifted her skirt and went inside.
The child in the green suit sat at the piano, playing with both hands.
He played the guitar and sang at the same time:
She bravely moved forward.
"I don't know where I am"
The girl then began to sing:
His hands gently flicked
Laurel leaves are falling.
The two continued talking back and forth until the girl walked to the piano.
Curious, she looked down to see the person in front of her, but the piano suddenly turned and faced the other side, and the child who had just been in front of her was now facing away from her.
A smile played on his lips as he continued to play with effortless skill.
"My God! How did they do that?!" someone in the audience exclaimed in disbelief.
"There must be a turntable under the stage. It must have been the turntable that spun around and moved the people and the piano away. Shao Ting really went to great lengths! This stage design is really excellent!"
What Shao Ting? Mu Shaowu thought to himself, this is what his son came up with!
It is said that this will maintain his mystique and reveal his mischievous nature.
"So cute." The girl sitting next to him couldn't help but say, as she picked up her camera and started taking pictures of Ye Qingxi.
Feeling embarrassed and annoyed at being teased like this, the girl huffed, "That's not how you play it."
After saying that, she sat down in the chair in front of the piano and started playing herself.
But the child in front of her was unwilling to give up the piano.
The two of them started fighting over the piano.
"Wow! There's even a piano duel here!" the audience exclaimed in shock.
Viewers in the live stream exclaimed in amazement: "Is this really a child? He plays so well?!"
[Not only does he play the instrument well, but he sings well too! This kid is amazing!]
[He not only plays and sings well, but he acts very well too. Just that laugh just now immediately showed that he was teasing Shao Ting.]
[Yes, yes, that laugh just now, it was like being a cute little devil! It instantly captured my heart!]
[Huh?! Isn't he the tree god? How can a god have a devilish smile?!]
But he's always been manipulating Shao Ting! Especially that smile, it's so obviously a little devil's laugh!
[Oh my god, so what is it? I don't think I understand it at all!]
[No matter what it was, his stage presence was always steady, and he remained calm throughout! He truly gave the impression that he was the main character!]
Yes, it's only because Shao Ting is truly beautiful that it's hard not to be captivated by her.
As the two played, they unknowingly ended up playing a four-handed duet.
This time, it was Mu Shaoting who spoke first.
Ye Qingxi followed closely behind.
They took turns singing, and finally, the two of them sang the last verse together. After the duet, the piano music slowly stopped.
Ye Qingxi withdrew her hand and turned to look at Mu Shaoting.
A faint smile played on his lips, sly and mischievous.
The girl frowned. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Ye Qingxi raised her hand and gently poked her forehead. "You'll find out, beautiful princess."
His voice was soft and mysterious, like a beautiful and magical dream.
The next second, the spotlight disappeared, and only a beautiful girl in a white dress remained in front of the black and white piano.
A sound came from afar.
"Catherine, come out quickly, your father is back."
The stage went dark again.
Everyone exclaimed in shock: "It's over?! That's it?!"
Wow, no wonder it was a nightmare! It really did feel like a dream!
So, is it really true?!
[It feels real, right? That child was the tree spirit she went to make a wish to, so in the end her wish came true, and her father came back.]
[I feel something's off. The song's style is clearly not that bright. It doesn't seem like she encountered the Tree God, and the one who returned might not be her father.]
[Ahhh, is this also a song by Murong Qing? Isn't Murong Qing amazing?! She can handle any style!]
This song is completely different in style from the solo song by Mu Shaoting just now.
So who is that kid? Not his character, but him! His performance was absolutely amazing! He's like a professional actor and singer combined!
[Shao Xi, didn't we say from the beginning that we'd be guest performers? Shao Xi!]
[What an amazing kid! That last sentence was so evocative, it was like he was a demon himself!]
[And she's so beautiful!!! Although she's wearing a mask so you can't see her whole face, just from her eyes and the lower half of her face, she's absolutely gorgeous!]
This is truly an amazing song!!! I will definitely listen to it again and again!
【Me too! 】
Ye Qingxi sat in the chair, her mind at peace.
As the lights dimmed, his heart, too, returned to peace in that moment of darkness.
But soon the lights came on again.
Mu Shaoting pulled him up and walked forward with him.
The two bowed to the audience, and instantly, thunderous applause erupted.
Mu Shaowu quickly raised the light board in his hand again.
Mu Shaoyan and Duan Yi raised their banners again.
Ye Qingxi spotted their light boards and banners at a glance.
Immediately afterwards, the green spread along their location, and Ye Qingxi saw what Mu Shaowu had told him: a vast expanse of green across thousands of miles of mountains.
In a WeChat message to him, Mu Shaoyan sharply commented: "This is the empire your father stole for you."
Ye Qingxi didn't know what was going on at first.
It wasn't until Mu Shaoyan explained why "xixi" was used instead of "曦曦" that he understood his father's good intentions.
At that moment, Ye Qingxi was suddenly moved.
His eyes were a little sore.
I don't know if it's for Mu Shaowu or for this green light sign.
He had seen even bigger billboards and green landscapes that were even more expansive than this, stretching as far as the eye could see.
It was a gift from his fans.
It was his favorite view.
In that instant, Ye Qingxi felt as if she had returned to the New Year's Eve when she was fifteen and took off her mask.
He was back to the age of sixteen, standing on the stage, surrounded by his fans, his domain wherever he went.
He finally discovered it.
His heart wasn't as resolute as he imagined.
Or perhaps he always knew.
Therefore, he has always resisted the entertainment industry and the stage.
It's not that I don't like it.
Rather, they dare not.
I'm afraid that once he steps back onto this stage that belongs to him...
I'm afraid that once he gets close to the place where my talent lies...
He could no longer leave.
It's like the roots have found soil.
It was like a long-awaited rain after a drought.
Just like now.
He still feels a tremor in his heart when he climbs it.
I still feel happy when I sing the songs I wrote.
I will still be moved when I see the support that belongs to me.
He cherishes this stage.
Or rather, he is attached to the entertainment industry, with which he has been constantly torn between love and hate, getting back together and breaking up, getting back together and breaking up again, a tangled web that he can't let go of, can't bear to leave, can't forget.
The scorching spotlight shone down on him, illuminating not only Ye Qingxi's face, but also his heart, which at that moment seemed to have nowhere to hide.
The final round does not require judges' comments, so you only need to answer a few questions from the host.
When asked, "Why did you choose Shao Xi as your guest performer?"
Mu Shaoting answered frankly, "Xiao Xi is my nephew. He has been by my side the whole time I came to participate in the competition. So after seeing Murong Qing's song, I had a bold idea. This song has a fairy tale style, and we all know that the 'tong' in fairy tale is the 'tong' in children. So why don't we let real children sing it?"
"There was a duet segment in the finals, so I immediately thought of him. I felt that the two of us could complete this song together, and this was also an attempt for me."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingxi looked at her with some surprise. Her words sounded quite official and proper. It was truly impressive that his aunt could say such things.
"It was indeed a very new experience. Xiaoxi, what are your thoughts on singing with your aunt this time?"
"My aunt sings so well~" Ye Qingxi said cutely.
Sure enough, the audience couldn't help but laugh.
Viewers in the live stream couldn't help but laugh, exclaiming, "What an adorable baby!"
【Ahhh, baby, you sing so well!】
[Not only is Haohao a great singer and beautiful, but she also has a sweet tongue. I really want to steal her!]
[And he stayed with Shao Ting the whole time. If I were Shao Ting, I'd want my baby to come on stage and sing with me too!]
How enviable!
"Xiao Xi, you sing very well too. Not only do you sing well, but you also play the piano well. You're such a talented kid!" the host praised.
Ye Qingxi smiled and said to him, "Thank you, Uncle~"
[So polite!]
[Waaaaah, I'm going to vote for my baby later!]
【Me too! 】
Soon after the host finished asking the questions, Ye Qingxi and Mu Shaoting left the stage.
As soon as Qin Cheng saw him return, he immediately praised, "Xiao Xi, you sang so well."
After praising her, she realized she seemed to have forgotten about her aunt, so she turned to Mu Shaoting and said, "Auntie's voice is also nice."
Mu Shaoting laughed; she also thought it sounded beautiful.
He even found Ye Qingxi's voice more pleasant than his own, a voice she was already used to hearing.
Gentle and quiet, like the sound of moonlight.
The guest singers on stage continued, but after the theatrical performance, the two men standing and singing became less appealing.
A moment later, the host invited the three contestants and their guest performers onto the stage and announced, "Now we're moving on to the most exciting part: the voting! Audience members here, viewers at home, and those watching online, log in, select your favorite guest performer group, and cast your vote! Voting begins!"
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