99: The Song of the Pipa

Once the vote count was released, Zhang Xiaoxiao was overjoyed. She knew her level; she wasn't asking for first place, just to surpass herself was enough.

The second to perform was Lou Qingran. It must be said that Lou Qingran is a talented woman; she completed her performance brilliantly this time. She is the type of contestant who rises to the occasion, and her song on the theme of breaking up was the complete opposite of Zhang Xiaoxiao's style.

Although the lyrics were simple, they were full of the atmosphere of daily life, and the tune of the entire song carried a melancholic flavor.

When her high notes burst forth, they made people feel a cathartic sense of heartache. Without a doubt, this song would surely become a top-three hit on the music charts, a must-listen song for breakups.

Finally, Lou Qingran's vote count was released: 4.76 million votes. This was a count that even Lou Qingran herself had not expected.

She was also very satisfied with this vote count.

The third to perform was Song Ke. Song Ke's three keywords were rock, guitar, and temptation.

For Song Ke, these three keywords were not only without any difficulty, but actually made him feel like a fish in water.

This was practically like using a cheat code.

On stage, everyone could see Song Ke wearing a cropped leather jacket, with a thick silver chain hanging around his neck, paired with white suit trousers on his lower body, his hair dyed with blue highlights, and holding a guitar. He looked extremely stylish.

Rock is what Song Ke excels at most, and now that he was in his element, his aura was fully unleashed.

Song Ke's fans were ecstatic to see him like this. The wild music started, Song Ke began his rock performance, and the fans started fawning over him on their screens.

Song Ke's song was a metallic style of music, using a wild, tough-guy style to showcase masculine charm, aiming to fit the theme of "temptation."

There were many musicians in the audience, and they nodded continuously as they heard the song. It was good; it was very authentic rock, and the arrangement was excellent.

The audience below the stage stood up. Song Ke was singing with burning passion on stage, and he also felt that this was his best performance in terms of state of mind.

Perhaps the final competition had ignited his potential; at this moment, Song Ke was full of confidence. The champion of this final round would surely be him.

When Song Ke's performance ended, just as he had expected, the entire venue was filled with endless screams, all thanking him for leading the fans to enjoy such wonderful music.

When the Host announced the vote count, Song Ke was very nervous, but when he saw the final count was 6.13 million votes, Song Ke couldn't keep his mouth from curling into a smile.

6.13 million—he was 1.37 million ahead of Lou Qingran. This time, he certainly had no issues.

Song Ke walked off the stage with his head held high; the look he cast toward Lu Qingyu was like a victorious rooster.

This situation reminded him of his school days. His grades in class were always first, but later a boy transferred in. That boy also studied very well; in weekly exams, monthly exams, and midterms, he was always overshadowed by this boy, but every final exam, he was the one in first place.

In the end, everyone still admired him. Lu Qingyu was just like that classmate—what was the point of having good grades normally? As long as he got first in the "final exam," then he would be the best in everyone's eyes.

It was time for Lu Qingyu to go on stage. Chen Ting and Lou Qingran, sitting below the stage, felt involuntarily nervous; they didn't know what kind of song Lu Qingyu would sing.

But most of them didn't hold high expectations, after all, the keywords given by the audience were too bizarre.

The audience was mostly just curious; they enjoyed watching celebrities fail. As for Lu Qingyu's fans, they just hoped that Lu Qingyu could complete a whole song; whether it sounded good or not didn't matter—at least the assignment would be turned in.

Today, Lu Qingyu was wearing a Chinese-style outfit designed by Qin Zhao. Moon-white had almost become the exclusive color Qin Zhao gave to Lu Qingyu. Black straight-leg trousers were paired with black Martin boots that went over the ankles, carrying a touch of wildness amidst the elegance.

While everyone was guessing what Lu Qingyu would sing, the three words "song of the pipa" appeared on stage in an ink-wash style, and everyone was stunned.

"song of the pipa, is it the song of the pipa I know?"

"Ahhh, can the song of the pipa even be sung?"

"Little brother always gives us surprises, go little brother."

Seeing this name, even Chen Ting was incredibly curious.

The music started, the prelude was very short, and everyone heard Lu Qingyu begin to sing:

"At the Xunyang River head, at night, I bid a guest farewell; The maple leaves and reed flowers rustle in the autumn air."

"The Host dismounts, the guest is on the boat; We raise our wine to drink, but there is no music."

"Drunkenness brings no joy, we part in sorrow; At the time of parting, the vast river is soaked in moonlight."

"Suddenly, I hear the sound of a pipa on the water; The Host forgets to return, the guest does not depart."

"Following the sound, I quietly ask who is playing; The pipa sound stops, the player hesitates to speak."

"It's actually the ancient poem song of the pipa! My god, this is so interesting, ancient poetry can actually be sung as a song."

"And it's in the form of pop music, this is too incredible."

"I'm excited, I'm excited! I have a premonition that this song will be a hit."

"So cool! Lu Qingyu is too smart, this song is definitely all ancient text."

When Chen Ting heard the lyrics, his heart felt delighted. This kid was too clever; if it was poetry, then there really wasn't a single line of colloquial speech.

Just as he was feeling amazed by this song, the sound of a pipa rang out in the accompaniment.

The sound of the pipa was crisp and clear, the vibrato was graceful. A few simple notes combined together felt like something struck into one's mind, and one couldn't forget this sound at all.

The only word in everyone's mind was "peerless."

The rhythm suddenly became lighter and clearer. On stage, Lu Qingyu continued to sing:

"I move the boat closer to invite her to meet; We add wine, turn up the lamps, and resume the feast."

"After a thousand calls and ten thousand summons, she finally emerges; Still holding the pipa, half-covering her face."

"Turning the pegs and plucking the strings a few times; Before the melody is formed, the emotion is already there."

"String by string, suppressed and mournful; It sounds like a recounting of a life of unfulfilled ambition."

"Lowering her brows, she plucks freely and continuously; Telling of the infinite matters within her heart."

"Lightly pressing and slowly twisting, brushing and then plucking; First playing 'Rainbow Skirt,' then 'Liu Yao.'"

Paired with the lively rhythm, everyone did not expect that this "song of the pipa" could be so catchy, and surprisingly good to listen to.

"I love it, I love it! Not only did I hear a great song, but I also found a way to memorize the textbook."

"Ahhhhh, how did he think of singing ancient poetry? It's too amazing, it sounds too good."

"Help me, how can it be this good!"

The live stream surpassed 25 million viewers. The director was so excited below the stage that he didn't know where to put his hands.

He didn't just fall in love with this song; he also fell in love with this singing youth.

If it weren't for the law, he would have wanted to crack open Lu Qingyu's head to see how it was grown inside; how did he think of singing "song of the pipa"?

This hell-level difficulty was actually solved just like that by Lu Qingyu!

At this moment, Song Ke was gritting his back teeth tightly.

While everyone was amazed by Lu Qingyu's singing, Lu Qingyu suddenly switched to a theatrical singing style.

"The large strings are loud, like a sudden rain; The small strings are soft, like a whisper, like a whisper."

"Loud and soft, played in a complex mix; Like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate, falling onto a jade plate."