37: Chapter 37 Removing the Mask, Tearing Apart the Deep Sea

At 7:00 PM, the backstage of the Tencent Video studio was bustling with noise.

Agents, makeup artists, and assistants packed the hallways.

Inside Lu Ming's private dressing room, Shenghai Entertainment's top idol Chen Fei sat on the sofa, getting his styling done.

The situation on Zhao Tianyu's side was just as grand.

A-list singer Lin Jun from Times Media was going over lyrics with him.

In the entire backstage area, only the dressing room in the furthest corner had its door tightly shut.

A piece of printed paper was stuck to the door: Jiang Fan.

In the hallway, several contestants from other tracks gathered together.

"Have you heard? Jiang Fan's guest singer hasn't shown their face yet."

"Show their face? Shenghai Entertainment issued a ban; who would dare take his gig? He probably found some amateur and is too embarrassed to let them be seen."

Li Cheng pushed open Jiang Fan's dressing room door, carrying two bottles of mineral water.

"Everyone outside is waiting to see you make a fool of yourself."

Li Cheng tossed the water to Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

"Let them watch."

Shen Nian sat on the other side of the room, her whole body huddled in the shadows.

Her hands, resting on her knees, were shaking uncontrollably.

After a year, she had returned to this place filled with spotlights and cameras.

There were even a few acquaintances from her time at Shenghai Entertainment in the hallway outside.

Jiang Fan put down the water bottle and glanced at her.

"Nervous?"

Shen Nian looked up, her eyes filled with panic.

"Jiang Fan, I'm afraid that once I get on stage, my voice will tremble."

Jiang Fan stood up and walked over to her.

"Shen Nian, remember this. You aren't here to compete today."

Shen Nian was stunned.

"You are here for revenge."

Jiang Fan looked down at her.

"That man sitting at the judges' table outside ruined your life. All you need to do now is walk up to him and smash the microphone in his face."

Shen Nian's chest heaved violently.

"Sing out all your anger, despair, and unwillingness."

At 8:00 PM, the livestream officially began.

The studio was brilliantly lit.

Eight million viewers instantly flooded into the Livestream Room.

Teacher He stood in the center of the stage and raised his microphone.

"Welcome to the Tomorrows Star duet battle!"

"Tonight, the remaining twelve contestants will join their guest singers to bring us a feast for the eyes and ears!"

At the judges' table, Xue Zhiheng twirled a pen in his hand, his face full of anticipation.

Xu Qingya wore a black haute couture evening gown, her gaze sweeping across the backstage passage.

She wanted to see exactly who Jiang Fan had found.

Hua Xingyu leaned back in his chair with a polite smile on his lips.

He had already prepared a speech, just waiting for Jiang Fan to make a fool of himself on stage.

The competition proceeded according to the drawing order.

Zhao Tianyu and Lin Jun performed in the second group.

An original pop-rock song immediately ignited the entire venue.

During the judges' scoring segment, all three gave high scores of over 90.

The audience jury votes reached 480.

The total score was 760.

Lu Ming and Chen Fei performed in the fourth group.

Shenghai Entertainment had poured huge amounts of money into it, and the stage effects were maxed out.

Chen Fei's inherent top-tier popularity made the fans at the scene scream repeatedly.

The two collaborated on a dance track with a strong rhythm.

Hua Xingyu gave a perfect score of 100.

Xu Qingya and Xue Zhiheng gave 92 points.

The audience jury votes were 485.

The total score was 769.

Lu Ming stood on stage and cast a provocative glance at the passage entrance.

Teacher He walked back to the center of the stage.

"Next, please welcome the next group of contestants."

Teacher He glanced at his cue card.

"Please welcome, from the Solo Track, Jiang Fan! And his guest singer—"

Teacher He deliberately drew out the final syllable, not reading the name.

The lights in the entire venue suddenly dimmed.

Only two spotlights shone on the passage entrance.

Jiang Fan, wearing an outfit Xu Qingya had prepared for him, stepped out.

Following behind him was a figure wrapped entirely in a black trench coat, with a half-mask covering their face.

The Livestream Room chat was instantly flooded with comments.

"Holy crap, Brother Xiao Chou's outfit is so cool!"

"Who is that behind him? Covered up so tightly?"

"Too embarrassed to be seen! He definitely couldn't find a celebrity and grabbed some passerby to make up the numbers!"

"With the Shenghai Entertainment ban in place, who could he possibly find? He's definitely going to crash and burn tonight!"

Jiang Fan walked to the center of the stage.

Ignoring the chatter below, he stood still in front of the microphone.

The black-clad figure walked to another microphone beside him.

Hua Xingyu, sitting at the judges' table, watched that figure.

For no reason, he felt a surge of irritation.

Xue Zhiheng picked up the microphone.

"Jiang Fan, isn't your guest singer going to introduce themselves?"

Jiang Fan adjusted the height of the microphone.

"We'll talk after we sing."

With one sentence, he completely shut down everyone's curiosity.

Xu Qingya watched Jiang Fan on stage, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

This man always knew how to build everyone's anticipation to the maximum.

On the big screen, the song information slowly appeared.

"deep sea".

Lyrics: Shen Nian.

Composer: Jiang Fan.

Arrangement: Jiang Fan.

Vocals: Jiang Fan / Shen Nian.

Boom! The moment the words "Shen Nian" appeared on the big screen, the entire studio instantly fell into a dead silence.

Hua Xingyu, sitting at the judges' table, sat up straight abruptly.

The smile on his face completely vanished.

In the backstage lounge, Lu Ming's water cup dropped to the floor with a clatter, spilling everywhere.

Chen Fei frowned.

"Shen Nian? Why does that name sound so familiar?"

Lu Ming's face turned deathly pale.

"A year ago... that trainee who was banned by Shenghai Entertainment."

The Livestream Room chat froze for two seconds, and then an unprecedented explosion occurred.

"Shen Nian?! Is it that Shen Nian I'm thinking of?!"

"The plagiarism dog who stole Hua Xingyu's song? Didn't she quit the industry?!"

"Jiang Fan must be crazy! Finding a disgraced artist to be a guest singer?!"

In the studio, some of Hua Xingyu's fans had already started booing loudly.

"Get lost, you plagiarizing dog!"

The sound grew louder and louder, converging into a wave of noise.

On stage, Shen Nian stood before the microphone.

Listening to the overwhelming abuse from the audience, her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

The nightmare from a year ago seemed to be repeating itself.

Just then, a hand reached out and pressed onto her shoulder.

Jiang Fan's hand was steady, carrying an unquestionable strength.

"Take off the mask," Jiang Fan said.

Shen Nian looked up, meeting Jiang Fan's calm eyes.

She raised her hand to grab the edge of the mask.

And ripped it off.

A pale, gaunt, yet still stunning face appeared in the close-up shot on the big screen.

The booing from the audience paused briefly at that moment.

Shen Nian closed her eyes and leaned into the microphone.

An ethereal, desolate female voice, heavy with despair, instantly pierced through the entire studio.

"Scattered moonlight passes through the clouds,"

"Hiding from the crowds, paving the scales of the deep sea."

Hua Xingyu sat at the judges' table, his hands gripping the armrests of his chair tightly.

His breathing became rapid, and a layer of cold sweat seeped out on his forehead.

This voice.

He was too familiar with it.

A year ago, it was in the Recording Studio at Shenghai Entertainment where he heard this voice sing that song, "starry sky".

Then, he made that song his own.

Now, she was back.

And she had come back with Jiang Fan.

On stage, Shen Nian's singing continued to sink deeper.

"The soul sinks into silence,"

"No one will wake you."

An extreme sense of oppression enveloped the entire venue.

The audience members who had been heckling just moments ago had unconsciously shut their mouths.

The deathly aura emanating from this voice made people feel a tightness in their chests.

Xu Qingya frowned; the emotions in this song were too negative.

On a competitive stage, this was absolutely fatal.

Just when everyone thought this song would sink to the bottom, Jiang Fan approached the microphone.

A deep, resonant, and powerful male rap, like the tolling of a great bell, crashed down!

"You like the salty scent of the sea breeze,"

"Stepping on the wet gravel,"

"You say people's final destination should be back in the deep sea,"

"You ask me where longing goes,"

"If anyone loves you,"

"If the world could no longer."

Two completely different voices collided violently in mid-air.

The hidden electronic drum beats exploded at this moment.

Shen Nian opened her eyes abruptly.

Her gaze crossed the edge of the stage, staring fixedly at Hua Xingyu at the judges' table.

The grievances, despair, and pain of the past year.

In this moment, they all transformed into a force that broke through the surface of the sea.

She gripped the microphone with both hands, her high notes exploding without reservation!

"Spring rain! Summer cicadas chirping! Tomorrow will be a good day!"

"Autumn winds rise! Snowflakes drift lightly! The deep sea cannot see the seasons!"

Jiang Fan's harmonies supported her high notes firmly from below.

"Too late! Too late! You once cried while smiling!"

"Too late! Too late! Still, I must sing it for you to hear!"

The sound system of the entire studio was vibrating.

In the audience, some people had goosebumps.

Several audience members in the front row subconsciously opened their mouths wide.

Hua Xingyu slumped in his chair.

He watched the woman on stage, who was releasing her high notes with abandon.

Cold sweat slid down his temples.

The song ended.

The lingering notes echoed in the studio for a long time.

The entire venue was dead silent.

Jiang Fan's gaze landed on Hua Xingyu.

"Teacher Hua," Jiang Fan picked up the microphone, "do you understand this song?"

Everyone's eyes instantly focused on Hua Xingyu's deathly pale face.