So Annoying, Ying Ying Ying

"Next contestant, Dawei Tianlong, presenting an original song: Hill."

Behind the stage, as the host's voice echoed, Lin Mu walked onto the stage.

He had already found a staff member earlier to change the song he was going to perform.

Since it was an original song performed with self-accompaniment, there was no need to redo the backing track, only to change the song title.

At this moment, a curtain had been drawn on stage to conceal the contestants, and the lights dimmed.

Taking advantage of the break, Lin Mu surveyed his performance area.

Besides the usual array of instruments, there was also a screen standing nearby, displaying footage of the four judges and the audience behind them.

As soon as Lin Mu stepped on stage, he saw Feng Bingbing on the far right.

In the screen, the girl had fair cheeks and exquisite features. Her waist-length hair was tied into a single ponytail, casually draped over her shoulders, looking neat and refreshing, charming and bright.

She was wearing a simple white T-shirt, but because some areas were too prominent, it was forced to look like a tight-fitting shirt despite being loose.

This woman, she's playing dirty!

Lin Mu didn't let his gaze wander further down, as anything below the neck was beyond description.

Soon, Lin Mu frowned slightly.

In the screen, Feng Bingbing was squinting, leaning forward slightly, seemingly trying her best to see through the curtain shielding Lin Mu.

"Damn it, I knew I'd be suspected."

Lin Mu sighed. Fortunately, he had changed the song, otherwise it would have been troublesome.

"Contestant Dawei Tianlong, please begin your performance."

Zhang Zheng, from the judges' panel, said.

Lin Mu picked up a guitar, sat on a high stool, and closed his eyes slightly.

For some reason, his heart trembled a little.

It wasn't nervousness, but a strange flutter.

Images unrelated to the current moment suddenly flashed through his mind:

In the late-night art club, a girl sobbed despairingly, hugging her arms:

"I still can't sing. As soon as there are people around, I can't sing. I'm scared... Auntie, I'm sorry, I'll never be able to sing again."

A boy pushed the door open, stood beside the girl, and after a moment of silence, suddenly burst into song.

The tune was off, the song was unrecognizable, it sounded like ghosts wailing, shaking heaven and earth.

After finishing, the girl looked up at him blankly.

The boy looked down at the girl, grinned, and said, "If even I dare to sing so terribly, what the hell are you afraid of?!"

"Contestant Dawei Tianlong?"

Zhang Zheng's voice pulled Lin Mu back to his senses.

Damn it, women only affect my playing speed!

Lin Mu shook his head, collected his thoughts, and his fingers strummed the guitar strings.

The sound of the guitar playing through the microphone reached the ears of the audience and judges.

"It's the guitar this time?"

Wang Xinzhe and Zhang Zheng exchanged a glance, slightly surprised.

Before the show's recording, Chen Xin had shown them performance clips of key contestants from the preliminary rounds.

This included the five S Card contestants.

Pure Voice had five preliminary competition zones, with each zone able to issue one S Card.

Last season, only three zones issued S Cards. This season, the overall skill level of the contestants had clearly improved, with all five zones producing S Cards.

These five S Card contestants were naturally the focus of the show's attention in the top 100 competition.

It was possible that one or two of them would become very popular.

Chen Xin showing the judges these performance clips in advance was also meant to draw their attention and encourage them to give appropriate support when needed.

The essence of a talent show was to make contestants popular, which in turn would benefit the show.

After watching the preliminary round clips, all four judges agreed that among the five S Card contestants, three needed special attention.

Xiao Bai from the Northern Province zone, Doraemon from the Sichuan Province zone, and Dawei Tianlong from the Jiangsu Province zone.

Among them, Dawei Tianlong was the only original singer-songwriter, so the judges were all deeply impressed by him.

His piano performance of Quiet in the preliminary round had greatly amazed both Wang Xinzhe and Zhang Zheng.

Hearing Dawei Tianlong playing the guitar again, the two immediately became interested.

Men, after all, like those who can play multiple instruments.

Zhang Zheng turned his head and whispered to Feng Bingbing beside him, "This dragon knows quite a lot of tricks."

Feng Bingbing stared blankly at the heavy curtain on the stage, murmuring, "His singing is terrible."

"Huh?" Zhang Zheng was taken aback.

"Uh, it's nothing. Let's just listen to the song, listen to the song."

Feng Bingbing snapped back to reality, gave Zhang Zheng a smile, and gave a perfunctory reply.

Just then, singing began on stage.

"There's still so much I want to say but haven't."

"I'm saving it because I want to turn it into a song."

"Letting it be sung softly, remembered faintly."

"Even if I finally forget, it'll have been worth it."

The singing was slightly hoarse, full of vicissitudes, like a middle-aged man recalling his life's successes and failures, hardships and joys after a drink.

Ultimately, they all turned into faint notes, converging into the song being sung now.

Wang Xinzhe was instantly stunned.

Some songs, from the very first line, could resonate with people of a certain age.

This song, Hill, seemed to be written for middle-aged men like him.

"Perhaps we've never matured, haven't yet understood, and are already getting old."

"Even though the one living in my heart is still that young man."

As the singing on stage continued, especially after this line, Wang Xinzhe felt goosebumps erupt all over his body.

It wasn't the kind of emotion that made you want to cry, but a sadness and unwillingness slowly spreading from the depths of his heart.

It was like his once thick, jet-black hair, which had gradually thinned with the passage of time.

Reaching middle age, looking back suddenly, one realizes youth is no more.

Even though the young man living in your heart is still there.

Wang Xinzhe suddenly raised his hand to touch his hairline.

Am I really old?

It wasn't just him; even Zhang Zheng, who had been smiling all along, gradually quieted down.

Listening to this song made Zhang Zheng uncontrollably recall his days singing at bars, the time he and a few friends, after a heavy drinking session, decided to form a band, only to have to go their separate ways due to livelihood.

He was lucky; he had finally become famous.

As for his old bandmates, one went abroad, one returned to farming in the countryside, and one died in a car accident last year.

"Old Lei, Old Cui... we're all doing alright. Old Hei, brother will bring you some good wine and food tomorrow to see you."

Zhang Zheng suddenly realized he was also approaching forty.

The successes and failures of the past, perhaps, were just like this.

Zhang Zheng suddenly clenched his fist.

Damn it, why do I suddenly feel like I'm old?

As for Feng Bingbing, she was completely dumbfounded.

How could this voice be so weathered?

He's clearly a middle-aged man, okay?

Why is he completely different from the preliminary round?

She had originally wanted to listen carefully to "Dawei Tianlong's" singing again, to see if it was really Senior Lin.

But now, hearing this, Feng Bingbing was completely flustered.

What is this!

Could I have been overthinking things?

No, that can't be right. In the preliminary round, Dawei Tianlong's voice was clearly Senior Lin's!

How could this be?

She felt so annoyed, boohoo!