Sounding the Peak: The Music Variety Show Finals Night (Seven)
The competition continued onstage, while the internet was buzzing with activity. Finally, after countless people had waited in anticipation, it was Chen Ze's turn to perform.
As the familiar melody began, Chen Ze sang "Childhood," a song by Luo Dayou from his previous life.
Chen Ze gently plucked the strings of his guitar, and the cheerful prelude flowed out like a babbling brook. The noisy venue fell silent in an instant. Everyone seemed to be under a spell, immersed in an atmosphere of warmth and joy.
"On the banyan tree by the pond, the cicadas kept calling out for summer." When Chen Ze sang the first line, several high school students in uniform had still been chatting quietly. Hearing it, one girl suddenly tapped the boy beside her on the shoulder and said excitedly, "Hey, isn't that the pond we used to visit when we were little? That old banyan tree is still there!" The boy smiled and nodded, his thoughts seeming to drift back to those carefree childhood summers.
At the mentors' table, Ai Kun closed his eyes slightly and swayed gently to the melody, an entranced expression on his face. He thought to himself, This Chen Ze really has a versatile style. His voice is pure and expressive, and the moment he opens his mouth, he takes people back to that childhood summer full of life. He captures the emotion of the song perfectly. It's as though he can handle any song with ease!
"On the swing by the playground, only butterflies had come to rest. The teacher's chalk on the blackboard kept chattering away, writing as hard as it could. Waiting for the bell, waiting for school to end, waiting to play-childhood." Chen Ze's singing continued to drift through the venue.
In the front row, the gray-haired woman from last time was listening quietly as well. This time, her granddaughter hadn't dragged her along; she had come to accompany her spouse. Her eyes shimmered with tears. She remembered her own childhood. The playground back then had been simple, but the swing had been the children's favorite. In class, the teacher had written furiously at the blackboard, while she had always been distracted, longing for the bell so she could go and play. Her spouse gently took her hand, and they smiled at each other as memories long sealed away were opened once more.
A group of young office workers sitting in the middle couldn't help exchanging smiles and glances when they heard the lyrics. One of the young men said with feeling, "When we were in school, we looked forward to the bell every day. Class seemed to go on forever. Looking back, our worries were really so simple." Everyone nodded in agreement, as though they had returned to their school days, full of hopes and expectations.
At the mentors' table, Song Ying clapped gently and said to the other mentors beside her, "Those lyrics delicately portray what goes through children's minds in class. Chen Ze's singing paints vivid pictures, making it easy for people to connect with it. His breath control is steady, and he transitions naturally between his chest voice and falsetto. You can tell he has a very solid foundation."
The internet was just as lively!
"See that? Chen Ze brings us a surprise every time!"
"Wow, my idol is singing another new song!"
"These lyrics went straight to my heart. Chen Ze is so talented!"
"Little brother Chen Ze, I love you!"
"The school store had everything, but there wasn't half a cent in my pocket. Zhuge Silang and the Devil Party—which one got hold of that treasured sword?" As these lyrics rang out, the audience grew even more excited!
At an orphanage, a group of children were watching television. When the cheerful rhythm came from the screen, they immediately jumped up and down in their seats, humming along. Although they didn't quite understand the "school store" and "Zhuge Silang" in the lyrics, they were swept up in the joyful atmosphere, leaving several volunteers at a loss.
At a nursing home, a group of elderly people were also watching television. An old woman was rocking with laughter. She turned to the old man beside her and said, "Whenever I passed the school store as a child, I'd stare longingly at the snacks and toys inside, but I never had any money to buy them. And those cartoons—I looked forward to watching them every day, and I'd argue endlessly with my friends about the characters!" Her friend laughed and replied, "Yes, it really was so easy to be happy back then."
During the interlude, a passage of whistling from Chen Ze made everyone's eyes light up. It was the first time they had heard whistling incorporated into a song. Far from sounding out of place, it fit remarkably well. The audience seemed to see their younger selves, hands in their pockets, whistling without a care or fear, and they couldn't help smiling knowingly.
"Why hadn't that girl from the next class passed by my window yet? Snacks in my mouth, comics in my hand, first love in my heart-childhood." When Chen Ze sang this verse, the atmosphere in the venue reached its peak.
Many young audience members screamed with excitement. They remembered the girl or boy in the next class they had secretly liked in their youth, and those innocent, beautiful feelings surged in their hearts.
A young woman's cheeks flushed slightly as she whispered to her best friend beside her, "I still remember how, in high school, I hoped every day that I'd run into him in the hallway. I really can't forget how that felt." Her friend laughed and teased her, "Haha, so you had a little secret like that too!"
A married couple held hands, their faces glowing with happy smiles. They recalled their first love and those simple, beautiful days, their hearts full of feeling. The wife gently put her arm around her husband's shoulders and whispered in his ear, "Although we can't go back to our childhood, we have the happiness we share now, and that's beautiful too."
"I always waited until bedtime to realize I'd barely done any homework. I always waited until after the exam to realize I hadn't studied the books I should have. An inch of time is an inch of gold, the teacher said, but an inch of gold can't buy an inch of time. Day after day, year after year, childhood passed in a daze." A trace of wistfulness and melancholy entered Chen Ze's singing.
The entire audience was immersed in the slightly sorrowful atmosphere. Everyone reflected on their childhood, the time they had wasted and the opportunities they hadn't properly cherished. A young entrepreneur said thoughtfully, "When I was little, I always thought there was plenty of time and no need to hurry. Only now do I understand that once time is gone, it really never comes back. If I could go back, I'd treasure it so much more."
In a corner of the audience, a teacher nearing retirement was filled with emotion. She remembered the generations of students she had taught, watching them grow while her own youth gradually slipped away. She sighed softly and silently wished that the children of today would cherish their time and leave no regrets.
"No one knew why the sun always set on the other side of the mountain. No one could tell me whether immortals lived among the mountains. For so many days, I sat alone, staring blankly at the sky, so curious, so full of dreams-such a lonely childhood." As Chen Ze's singing gradually faded, a brief silence fell over the venue.
Suddenly, thunderous applause and cheers erupted throughout the venue. Audience members rose to their feet, giving Chen Ze their warmest tribute. Their faces showed both emotion and satisfaction. This performance had been more than a musical performance; it had also been a collective remembrance of and tribute to childhood.
The mentors also stood and applauded Chen Ze.
Mentor Ai Kun said excitedly, "Chen Ze, your performance was wonderful! With your singing, you took us back through every little piece of childhood. You presented the laughter, tears, hopes, and confusion perfectly before us. Your singing was full of emotion and power, and it let us feel the magic of music. I believe you'll go farther and farther down the path of music."
Many people knew that Ai Kun was a young man from a wealthy family, but few knew that he had spent his childhood at his maternal grandmother's home in the countryside. Chen Ze's "Childhood" was a true portrait of those years.
Mentor Wang Feng also said earnestly, "Chen Ze, in this part of the performance, you interpreted the innocent, uncertain feelings of adolescence perfectly. There was a faint shyness and longing in your voice that let listeners truly feel the beautiful yearning for love they had known as children. In terms of technique, you handled the high notes beautifully, with a bright, penetrating tone."
Lin Qingxue also said, "Chen Ze, you sang the soul of the song. You expressed the helplessness at the passage of time and the longing for childhood to the fullest. Your emotions were so sincere that all of us mentors and the audience were deeply immersed in your singing. From technique to emotional resonance, you did an outstanding job."
The other mentors nodded in agreement and praised Chen Ze's performance highly. Standing onstage, Chen Ze bowed deeply to the audience and the judges.
"Thank you, everyone! Thank you for recognizing me!" Chen Ze said, his face full of gratitude.
Giant Loli was also shouting excitedly in the crowd, but she was a little far away this time, and Chen Ze failed to notice her again.
In the end, Chen Ze advanced without question!
"Ding~ Congratulations, host, on completing the mission. You have received 10 Attribute Points to allocate as you wish and 10,000 Empathy Points."
"Ding~ 10,000 Empathy Points deducted. Host still owes this system 5,833,250 Empathy Points."
Chen Ze had just returned backstage when he heard the system notifications.
"System, put all the Attribute Points into bearing."
"Ding~ Allocating points for the host. Allocation complete!"
"System, open the status panel!"
Name: Chen Ze Gender: male Age: 18 Height: 178 cm Physique: 80 Constitution: 70 Bearing: 80 Charm: 80 (outstanding) Skills: View the Other Person's Information lv1, Top-Tier Singing Skill, Musical Instrument Mastery, Dance Mastery.
Chen Ze lifted his shirt and discovered that his once-flat lower abdomen had acquired eight-pack abs at some point. At the same time, his entire bearing had changed! If he had previously been a young master from a wealthy family, he now looked more like an heir groomed by a great family!