Under everyone's watchful gaze, Zhou Li's stunned facial muscles twitched rapidly, soon forcing her face into its trademark icy expression.
"I don't think that's appropriate. What if there are even better songs later?"
Liu Qiang said with a smile, "Didn't Teacher Zhou just say that original songs are basically all garbage? Maybe this one is a diamond in the trash heap. Surely we can't expect to find diamonds in the trash every day, can we?"
He had a higher standing than Zhou Li, and she only dared use her sharp tongue on contestants without connections. Naturally, she wouldn't dare target him.
Still, Zhou Li wasn't quite willing to just eat her words.
"This song still has quite a few flaws."
"Oh? Do tell." Zhang Wanteng grew interested and looked at Zhou Li over his thermos.
Liu Qiang narrowed his eyes at her, too.
"As expected of Teacher Zhou! She can even find flaws in a song this beautiful!"
"Come on, Teacher Zhou, tell us! What are these flaws?"
Curious and astonished murmurs rose from the audience.
Zhou Li had only said that because she didn't want to be embarrassed. She hadn't expected the audience and the other two judges to take her seriously and ask her to explain.
Damn!
Where am I supposed to find flaws in a song this good?
Are you people crazy? Could you not take everything so seriously?!
If she had some time, perhaps she really could find some so-called flaws from an unusual angle.
But there wasn't enough time. She couldn't come up with anything to say.
Besides, to be honest, this song had touched a tender spot in her heart.
Zhou Li was still immersed in sadness, and her brain hadn't gotten enough oxygen.
But with so many people watching, she couldn't just say nothing.
With no other choice, Zhou Li braced herself and said:
"First of all, this song seems to be about a boy's memories of his first love.
"The gently sorrowful melody and the slightly hoarse singing
"perfectly capture the boy's youthful, bittersweet first love. Especially that last line:
"'I'll learn to let you go because I love you too much.'
"It vividly expresses the boy's pure, untainted feelings.
"Even though it hurts that he can't be with you, he loves you, so all that matters is that you're happy.
"A touch of sadness, a pure first love—everything is just right."
Ahem. Zhang Wanteng set down his thermos and quietly reminded her, "Teacher Zhou, you're supposed to be talking about the flaws. Why are you crying?"
"Huh?"
Zhou Li paused awkwardly and wiped her eyes. They were actually wet.
As she'd been speaking, she'd suddenly remembered her own first love.
In her memories of girlhood, there was that handsome, clear-eyed figure; the joy of a successful confession; and the helplessness and pain of breaking up after graduation.
Those were the tenderest memories, hidden in the deepest part of her heart.
She usually never showed them to anyone, unless something struck a chord she couldn't put into words.
Like a song that hit just the right note.
"Oh, no. It's the onions. They put too many in the noodles I had this morning."
Zhou Li gave an awkward explanation, while a million curses welled up inside her.
I was trying to talk about the flaws, but I just can't think of any, damn it!
Fine, I can't find any flaws in the music itself, but...
Zhou Li's eyes lit up. "But this song's scope is too narrow."
"Too narrow?" Liu Qiang looked at her, puzzled.
"That's right!" Zhou Li nodded solemnly, her face shining with righteousness.
"This song is about a boy's heartbreak, but it doesn't mention a girl's heartbreak. That's indifference and discrimination toward women,
"and it goes against our musical ideals of equality and universal love!
"Therefore, although I think the song is quite good, its perspective is far too narrow."
"??"
The performance hall fell silent. Everyone looked utterly bewildered.
After a long while, someone gave Zhou Li a thumbs-up, full of admiration. "With that one punch, Teacher Zhou has obliterated the very principles of the universe."
"Hahaha! As expected of Teacher Zhou. You sure can twist words around. If you weren't so ugly, I'd rush up there and pry your mouth open just to see what's inside!"
"Teacher Zhou is incredible! Another classic quote!"
The audience was quite pleased.
And why not? They'd heard such a beautiful song and witnessed Teacher Zhou land a stunning blow. They'd certainly gotten their money's worth!
Pfft!
Zhang Wanteng sprayed out a mouthful of tea and goji berries. As Liu Qiang handed him a tissue, he said to Zhou Li,
"Teacher Zhou's critique is... certainly unique. But from a professional musical perspective, wouldn't 'Quiet' deserve an S Card?"
Zhou Li nodded. "I was only pointing out the song's shortcomings. As for giving it an S Card, I agree with that, too. Newcomers are bound to have flaws, so we should focus on encouragement."
Zhang Wanteng had been about to take another sip of tea to soothe his throat after choking. Hearing that, he nearly sprayed it out again.
The audience was dumbfounded.
"Who was it that just said she didn't agree with giving him an S Card?"
"How the hell did she change her tune so smoothly?"
"'Quiet' can get an S Card, but I can find flaws in any song, no matter how good it is. So you may have come out ahead, but I'll never lose?"
Liu Qiang couldn't help giving Zhou Li a thumbs-up, too. Your skin is unbelievably thick. Impressive!
"Now, congratulations to contestant Dawei Tianlong! He has received the only S Card in the Jiangsu division and advances straight to the national top hundred!"
Liu Qiang announced it loudly, and the audience erupted into warm applause.
Some audience members began wondering whether "Quiet" would be released on the major music platforms. They hadn't gotten enough of it yet.
Hearing them discuss it, Liu Qiang narrowed his eyes slightly, a strange smile appearing on his face.
Meanwhile, in the tent for original-song contestants, Lin Mu heard the judges announce that he had received an S Card. He stood up, left the tent, and walked off the stage.
Backstage, the assistant director who had brought him over earlier hurried up to him with excitement and handed him a silver-white card.
"Congratulations, contestant Dawei Tianlong! This is also the first S Card awarded in season two of Pure Voice!"
The on-site director was beaming. It was only the first day of the preliminary rounds, and they already had an original song with a chance of becoming a huge hit. That was wonderful news for the production team!
The staff around them applauded sincerely. They'd heard "Quiet" just now, too, and it really was beautiful.
This contestant, Dawei Tianlong, was both handsome and talented. Quite a few female staff members looked at Lin Mu with greedy, lustful eyes.
"Thanks. The cafeteria at my workplace is about to open, so I'll be going."
Lin Mu took the silver S Card, thanked them calmly, and strode toward the backstage exit of the theater center.
If he hurried back to the factory now, he'd make it in time for lunch. This little state-owned enterprise might not be good at much, but the cafeteria cooks were genuinely great.
If he got back now, he should still have time to grab a serving of steamed pork with rice flour.
The production staff stared blankly at his disappearing back, unable to react for a moment.
"The cafeteria?"
The on-site director murmured, "You've just won an S Card, and all you care about is when the cafeteria opens?"
Before you continue