If He Doesn't Go Off-Key, His Singing Is Still Acceptable

The next day, the sun rose as usual.

When Lin Mu arrived at the company, his colleagues in the office were already engaged in a lively discussion.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I knew I should have gone to Feng Bingbing's concert yesterday. What a huge scandal I missed!"

"Hey, who do you guys think Feng Bingbing confessed to?"

"Someone on the internet revealed that Feng Bingbing likes a man seven or eight years older than her. Apparently, this man has been spending her money!"

"No way? Feng Bingbing hasn't even graduated from college yet. I bet it's one of her classmates!"

Seeing Lin Mu enter, a group of people immediately surrounded him, bombarding him with questions:

"Xiao Lin, didn't you go to the concert last night too? Do you know any inside scoop?"

"Lin Mu, you're Feng Bingbing's classmate, do you know who that scumbag is? I'm going to kill him!"

"Xiao Lin, why did you suddenly stand up then? You made me think it was you!"

"Haha, if Xiao Lin were really Feng Bingbing's boyfriend, how could he still be working here?"

As the group was surrounding Lin Mu, their department leader walked in from outside. Seeing the unruly and noisy scene, the leader coughed in dissatisfaction:

"What are you all doing?! You're secretly enjoying such a big scandal behind my back! Xiao Lin, do you know who the man Feng Bingbing confessed to is?"

The colleagues, who had been quiet for a moment, became even more boisterous, filling the entire office with a cheerful atmosphere.

Lin Mu worked at an old state-owned enterprise in Jiangrong, which had been quite wealthy in the past.

However, due to poor management later on, its scale had shrunk repeatedly, eventually becoming a small factory with only two or three workshops.

The people working here were all laid-back types. Although they earned three thousand yuan a month, the job was stable. With a cup of tea and a pack of cigarettes, they could coast through the entire day.

Such an ordinary job was naturally the best cover for his "paparazzi" identity.

It was precisely because of the original body's caution that the "Sky Screen," feared throughout the entertainment industry, remained a mystery to this day.

Facing the curious questions from his colleagues and leader, Lin Mu helplessly spread his hands:

"I'm two years ahead of Feng Bingbing, so we're not really close. I only know the Class Monitor of her class, so I managed to get a ticket."

Upon hearing this, the crowd immediately dispersed. Some went to make tea, others read newspapers, and some grumbled in disappointment:

"I knew it wouldn't be Lin Mu."

"Earning three thousand a month, he can't even hold a woman's hand, and he dreams of being a Heavenly Queen? Xiao Lin, I'm not just talking about you, we're all the same."

Lin Mu smiled at the gossiping crowd, then said to his leader, "Uncle Chen, I'd like to take a leave of absence tomorrow."

Tomorrow was the preliminary round of Pure Voice in Jiangsu Province, and the competition venue was in Jiangrong.

Lin Mu's department was called the Administrative Operations Department. It didn't involve production or sales, making it the most leisurely department.

The department leader's name was also fitting: Chen Xian, meaning "idle," as in "idle to the point of boredom."

Hearing Lin Mu's words, Chen Xian rubbed his middle-aged bald head and waved his hand, "Alright, just go through the annual leave application process."

"Okay." Lin Mu nodded, preparing to make a cup of red dates and goji berries. Chen Xian suddenly called him back.

"Oh, right. I forgot, Director Liu said there's a department meeting tomorrow afternoon. You can take your leave another day."

Lin Mu thought for a moment, realizing that half a day should be enough. He said, "How about I just take the morning off and come to the company in the afternoon?"

Chen Xian pulled him aside and asked, "Is something going on at home? If you're having trouble, just say so!"

Lin Mu shook his head. Chen Xian looked concerned, so he couldn't hide it. He honestly replied, "I plan to participate in a singing competition. I want to gain a little fame and earn some money. Uncle Chen, please don't tell anyone about this. I want to keep a low profile."

Chen Xian paused, looking him up and down. "You can sing?"

"Yes, singing has been my dream since I was a child." Lin Mu nodded.

He wasn't lying. The "him" on Earth was a top student in the composition department at the Central Conservatory of Music.

Sight-singing and ear training, lyric writing and composition, playing various instruments – he was proficient in all of them.

During his time in school, many large companies wanted to sign him as a singer-songwriter.

If it weren't for the "confession attack" from a junior, he would surely have made a name for himself in the music industry.

Chen Xian looked at him seriously for a long time, then suddenly burst out laughing and patted his shoulder.

"Xiao Lin, young people should stay grounded and not aim too high. Although our company's income isn't high, at least we have social security and housing fund."

Chen Xian didn't believe Lin Mu at all, thinking he was taking leave to interview at another company.

"Uncle Chen, I'm really going to participate in a singing competition. It's Pure Voice, organized by Jiangrong Satellite TV. This show is quite famous."

Lin Mu said helplessly.

At this moment, laughter came from behind him. Lin Mu turned around, and two female colleagues waved their hands sheepishly.

"We were just passing by, not intentionally eavesdropping. Lin Mu, you're too funny. You're going to participate in Pure Voice? You might as well say you're the one Feng Bingbing confessed to!"

The original body and his colleagues would occasionally have dinners and go to karaoke. However, his performances at KTV were always disastrous.

Later on, whenever he was present, karaoke sessions would usually turn into card games or murder mystery parties.

He heard that he was actually going to participate in a singing competition, and his two female colleagues thought Lin Mu had gone mad.

"Mr. Zhou once said, if a person has no dreams, what's the difference between them and a salted fish? Singing is my dream, and I want to give it a try."

Lin Mu smiled and continued, "Besides, isn't Pure Voice a show where you can't see the contestants' faces? Even if I mess up, no one will know it's me."

After speaking, he turned around and walked out of the door with a flourish.

Chen Xian shouted from behind, "Where are you going?"

Lin Mu waved his hand without looking back, "To the restroom."

The two female colleagues looked at his tall and elegant retreating figure, mesmerized.

"So handsome! By the way, who is Mr. Zhou?"

"Actually, if he didn't sing off-key, Lin Mu's singing is quite good."

Lin Mu wasn't going to the restroom; he was going out to take a call.

"Brother Mu, we've already registered you."

Fat Tiger and A Hen had gone to the preliminary round venue of Pure Voice this morning to register Lin Mu and get a feel for the competition venue and rules.

It had to be said that as Jiangsu Province Satellite TV's flagship program for the past two years, Pure Voice was very thorough in all aspects.

For example, for this Jiangsu Province preliminary round held at the Jiangrong Drama Center, instruments like guitars, bass, and pianos were prepared on-site for contestants to facilitate original artists.

Lin Mu planned to perform a song accompanied by piano and vocals. He was worried about how to move a piano there, but now everything was settled.

This season's auditions had also added a new, exciting rule – the S Card.

Each provincial preliminary round area had one S Card, which the judges could give to the contestant they deemed the strongest in that region.

Anyone who received an S Card would not have to participate in subsequent rounds or elimination matches; they would directly advance to the national finals.

Once they entered the national finals, the show's recording would officially begin, and contestants would get to interact with four renowned celebrity mentors.

"S Card?"

Lin Mu frowned and asked, "Are there no judges with the surname Guo in the Jiangsu Province preliminary round?"

"No, Brother Mu, why do you ask?"

"It's nothing. People surnamed Guo usually like to hand out S Cards indiscriminately."

"But we have an old acquaintance, Liu Qiang, hehe!" Fat Tiger suddenly chuckled lewdly.

Speaking of this Liu Qiang, he was actually quite tragic.

He was originally a top-tier singer and a mentor in the national finals of Pure Voice last year. However, his wife took advantage of his absence to have an affair.

And it was the "Sky Screen" trio who captured the footage of Liu Qiang's wife cheating.

After this incident was exposed, Liu Qiang immediately divorced his wife. However, he was then verbally abused by some netizens:

"To treat his wife so harshly for such a small mistake, Liu Qiang, are you even a man?"

"Men can cheat and be forgiven, but women have to be divorced for cheating? Is that fair?!"

Liu Qiang eventually kicked his ex-wife out, but his career was also severely impacted, falling from a popular A-lister to a B-list celebrity.

Last year, he was a mentor in the national finals of Pure Voice, but this year, he could only serve as an ordinary judge in a regional preliminary round.

However, Liu Qiang did find some happiness in his love life. He remarried at the beginning of this year. His second wife is an outsider, reportedly very virtuous, and they have a good relationship.

But the reason the chubby guy was laughing so lewdly wasn't because of these past events.

Two months ago, they had captured footage of Liu Qiang cheating after his remarriage.

"Only the S Card, and no one named Guo, so there shouldn't be any trouble. One morning should be enough."

Lin Mu muttered to himself, ignoring the chubby guy.

"One morning is enough? Brother Mu, what do you mean?" Fat Tiger asked, confused.

"What's my number?" Lin Mu retorted.

"Number 16," Fat Tiger replied.

"Then I'll probably get on stage around ten o'clock. I can get the S Card and go back to work at the company. The timing should be about right."

Lin Mu calculated and immediately felt confident.

"Huh?"

Fat Tiger was a bit bewildered.

"You'll know when the time comes. By the way, where's A Hen?"

Lin Mu asked.

"A Hen went to investigate Feng Bingbing's confession target," Fat Tiger whispered.

Brother Mu had told him last night not to bother investigating, but Fat Tiger, being the stubborn one, still went ahead. The chubby guy was afraid Brother Mu would be angry.

"Let him be. He won't find anything anyway."

Lin Mu chuckled in amusement and hung up the phone.

Back in the office, his bored colleagues swarmed him again, asking if he was really going to participate in Pure Voice.

Upon receiving Lin Mu's affirmative answer, everyone was shocked.

"Lin Mu, you're incredibly brave!"

"It's not like you, Xiao Lin, I've never heard you say singing was your dream before?"

"Is your dream to sing without hitting a single note?"

Although these colleagues were gossipy, they were good people. Their teasing Lin Mu now was also meant to advise him against making a fool of himself, as everyone knew his singing ability.

"Thank you all. I'm just going to join in the fun. If it goes badly, I'll be back tomorrow afternoon, so don't worry."

Lin Mu said with a smile.

Seeing that he was determined to face his fate, his colleagues could do nothing more. They patted him on the shoulder, their expressions conveying a sense of impending doom, like the wind whistling mournfully as they crossed the Yi River.

After dealing with his well-meaning colleagues, Lin Mu returned to his seat. His phone buzzed. Lin Mu picked it up and saw it was a message from Feng Bingbing.

After I was so heartless yesterday, why is she still messaging me?

Lin Mu was a little confused. He tapped on the message notification, his eyes suddenly widened, and his hand trembled so much he almost dropped his phone.