530: Chapter 530 The Solar Mind Network's Mutation, Until the End of the World

Chapter 530: Sun Heart Network Anomaly, Until the End of the World

The multi-functional broadcasting hall of Dongdu TV Station currently looked more like a messy vegetable market.

Fang Cheng shielded Zhou Xiumei and Wen Xin, squeezing through the crowded security checkpoint.

As soon as they stepped inside, a smell mixed with perfume, hairspray, and boxed lunches rushed toward them.

A dozen folding long tables were pieced together to form a temporary registration point, and the ground was littered with crumpled waste paper and empty mineral water bottles everywhere.

Fang Cheng took a registration form from the staff, found a slightly emptier corner of a table, and helped Zhou Xiumei fill out her personal information and competition song.

Afterwards, he exchanged it for a circular number sticker with "0527" written on it.

"Stick it on your left chest, don't stick it crookedly."

Fang Cheng peeled off the backing and handed the number tag over.

With a guitar case slung over her shoulder, Zhou Xiumei took it carefully with both hands, stuck it onto her dress, and pressed it repeatedly.

The waiting area was on the other side of the hall.

There were no glamorous independent dressing rooms here; it was just a circle drawn with red warning tape, with a few rows of chairs set up inside.

It was filled with all sorts of contestants, and the sound of vocal warm-ups rang out from time to time.

A girl on the left wearing studded leather was shaking her head frantically like a rock star, letting out meaningless roars from her mouth.

An old man on the right wearing sunglasses was practicing the moonwalk facing the wall, his leather shoes rubbing against the floor to produce a harsh "squeak, squeak" sound.

Not far away, there was also a young man making hand gestures while muttering: "Yo, yo, check it out!"

Coupled with those around them doing passionate monologues, practicing lines, touching up makeup and applying foundation with small mirrors...

Such a chaotic and bizarre scene couldn't help but make the already introverted Zhou Xiumei turn a few shades paler.

"Are you nervous?"

Fang Cheng looked at her with gentle eyes, naturally reached out, and patted her shoulder.

"No."

Zhou Xiumei shook her head in denial, stubbornly mumbling in a low voice:

"I... I just feel a little thirsty in my throat."

"Alright, I brought water."

Fang Cheng smiled and didn't expose her.

Then he pulled out the mineral water he had prepared long ago from his bag, unscrewed the cap, and handed it directly to her mouth.

Zhou Xiumei was slightly startled, her cheeks flushing instantly, but she still obediently leaned over and took a small sip from his hand.

The warm current of water slid past her dry throat, and even the trace of panic deep in her heart was diluted by this sweetness.

The messy interfering sounds around her didn't seem so harsh at this moment.

Right at this moment, a burst of women's screams suddenly came from the entrance of the hall, even drowning out the live sound system.

"Look quickly, Cheng Jiashu is here!"

"It really is Cheng Jiashu! Ahhhhh—Husband!"

The originally noisy hall instantly boiled over, like an exploded pot.

Several bodyguards dressed in black suits rushed in quickly, joining hands to build a human wall, forcibly cutting out a passageway through the crazily pushing crowd.

At the end of that passageway, a young man wearing a white custom-made casual suit walked over leisurely.

His hair was exquisitely styled, and a perfectly measured smile hung on his face.

Facing the screams around him that were about to shatter eardrums and the camera flashes that almost blinded people's eyes, he always maintained an elegant posture.

From time to time, he still smiled and waved to both sides, triggering another round of heartbreaking screams around him.

Cheng Jiashu.

That big star who only lived on TV and posters now truly appeared in reality.

Standing on the outer periphery of the crowd, Fang Cheng had his hands in his pockets, watching this scene coldly.

Even separated by dozens of meters, he could still clearly see the fine eyeliner drawn at the corners of Cheng Jiashu's eyes, and even smell that faint, familiar scent of perfume.

"He puts on quite a big front, just a bit too effeminate..."

Fang Cheng evaluated inwardly.

But he also had to admire this guy's acting skills.

No one would ever imagine that the gentle, handsome idol star in front of them would secretly be a murderer whose hands were stained with blood and who could go crazy at any moment.

Cheng Jiashu, walking on the red carpet, seemed to sense something and suddenly paused his steps.

His head turned slightly at an angle, and his gaze crossed countless bobbing heads and light boards, accurately landing on Fang Cheng in the corner.

The gazes of the two intersected instantly in the air.

The arc of the smile at the corner of Cheng Jiashu's mouth didn't change, only his eyebrows twitched lightly.

Afterwards, he turned around unconcernedly and walked toward the judges' seats surrounded by a group of staff members.

That momentary eye contact seemed like an illusion, failing to attract anyone else's attention at all.

Except for Zhou Xiumei, whose nerves were extremely tense.

"He... was he looking at us just now?"

Zhou Xiumei pressed her hand against her chest, feeling like her heart was about to jump out.

"Probably because there are many beauties on our side."

Fang Cheng shrugged, making a casual joke to ease the atmosphere.

After the commotion, the auditions officially began.

Because it was a preliminary-natured competition, the judges basically had no patience to listen to a whole song, and their efficiency was almost ruthless.

"Stop! Pitch is too poor, next."

"Stop! What are you singing? Please memorize the lyrics before coming back."

"This contestant, this is a singing competition, not a shamanistic ritual dance, step down."

That girl cosplaying a rock star had just gone up and roared a couple of times at the microphone before she was ruthlessly rung off by the judges and chased down.

When stepping off the stage, she also gave an aggrieved middle finger, resulting in being directly carried out by two security guards.

Watching the contestants coming down looking dejected one by one ahead, Zhou Xiumei's breathing became faster and faster, and her complexion became increasingly ugly.

"Brother Cheng... I... I think I feel like vomiting..."

Her lips were tightly pursed, and her voice was a bit muffled and trembling.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng pulled a chair over without a word to let Zhou Xiumei sit down.

Then he squatted in front of her, his line of sight level with hers.

Those broad shoulders were like a thick wall, completely isolating the noisy and chaotic scene around them.

"It's okay, this is a normal physiological reaction, everyone gets nervous."

Fang Cheng comforted her with a few words, seeing Zhou Xiumei's eyes focused on him, and then continued:

"Do you still remember the Meditation Breathing Technique I taught you in the car just now?"

Zhou Xiumei nodded.

"Alright, practice it again with me."

Fang Cheng guided her step-by-step:

"First close your eyes and inhale, drawing all the qi into your belly, relax your shoulders and don't move them."

"Then hold your breath, imagine a ball of fire burning, count down silently for three seconds, three, two, one..."

"Then, exhale the turbid qi inside your body, and flush out all the bad emotions..."

Zhou Xiumei obediently closed her eyes, took a deep breath according to the rhythm, and then slowly exhaled, her chest rising and falling slightly with the breath.

After a few times, her originally stiff body really softened up quite a bit.

Wen Xin also crowded over at this time, extending two warm little hands to tightly wrap around Zhou Xiumei's palms, rubbing them while blowing warm air:

"Sister Zhou, don't be afraid, I am using my superpower to transmit energy to you!"

The temperature coming from the palms and the familiar voice by her ear made Zhou Xiumei's heart, which was about to jump out of her throat, settle down a little bit.

The audition process proceeded very quickly, even somewhat cruelly.

Most contestants couldn't sing three lines on stage before they were rung off and stopped by the judges.

Only a very few could get pending qualifications, and those advancing directly were even rarer than phoenix feathers.

After more than two hours of long torment.

"Next, welcome contestant number 0527, Zhou Xiumei."

The host's slightly weary voice spread across the entire venue through the microphone.

Zhou Xiumei's whole body suddenly stiffened, she opened her eyes, and stood up like a marionette.

"Go."

Fang Cheng gently pushed her on the back and encouraged her warmly:

"Wen Xin and I will be watching you right down the stage, don't be afraid."

"Come on, Sister Zhou! We support you from below!"

Wen Xin also clenched her small fists to cheer her on.

Zhou Xiumei nodded stiffly and shouldered that somewhat old, second-hand guitar.

Then, taking heavy steps, she walked step by step onto that stage, which wasn't very high yet felt extremely long.

Until she stood under the spotlight and in front of the camera, did she discover how strong this sense of oppression was.

Several high-power spotlights shone directly over, and her field of vision instantly became a sheet of white, making it completely impossible to see the situation and faces off the stage.

She could only feel several scrutinizing gazes falling upon her, along with that nearly suffocating silence.

Zhou Xiumei had been sickly since childhood, and dropped out of school in her teens due to illness.

Years of a secluded life left her with almost no friends, let alone speaking in front of so many people.

Inferiority, introversion, and social anxiety acted like a thick cocoon, tightly wrapping her inside that safe yet cramped room.

But now, this cocoon had been brutally torn open, exposing her nakedly beneath hundreds of pairs of eyes.

She gripped the microphone, and because of the excessive sweat seeping from her palms, it even felt a bit slick.

"H-Hello, teachers..."

As soon as the voice left her lips, it carried a clear tremor.

Amplified by the sound system, that timidness lacking in confidence sounded particularly grating.

"I am... Number 0527, Zhou Xiumei."

At the judges' panel offstage, two veteran musicians frowned slightly and lowered their heads to make a mark on their forms.

They seemed to have lost interest, even picking up the nearby water cup to moisten their throats.

Only Cheng Jiashu, sitting in the middle, crossed his hands against his chin and watched with great interest as the pretty girl on stage curled up into a ball.

Zhou Xiumei felt her throat grow dry and her mind go completely blank.

The self-introduction lines she had memorized so thoroughly just moments ago now escaped her entirely, not a single word coming to mind.

A flurry of soft whispers came from the audience below.

Though she couldn't make out the contents, to her highly sensitive ears, it clearly sounded like the audience mocking her clumsiness.

Just as her psychological defense lines were about to collapse and she wanted to turn and flee this stage,

"Xiumei—Look here!"

A not-so-loud yet exceptionally clear male voice pierced through layers of noise and drilled into her ears.

Zhou Xiumei instinctively followed the voice, squinting her eyes to look toward the shadows on the left side of the stage.

Although against the light, although separated by a crowd,

she spotted that familiar, tall figure at a glance.

Fang Cheng did not scream frantically like the support groups of other contestants.

He just stood there quietly, raising his right hand high and giving her a big thumbs-up.

Beside him, the short Wen Xin was also standing on tiptoes, bouncing up and down while waving her hands:

"Sister, you can do it! You're the best!"

Seeing this scene, Zhou Xiumei's pupils contracted slightly.

Not knowing if she was hallucinating from extreme nervousness,

in her field of vision, the surrounding chaotic and noisy world suddenly seemed to fade and blur.

Only the spot where Fang Cheng stood became incomparably clear.

She saw a faint golden halo seemingly radiating around Fang Cheng's body.

That halo wasn't dazzling, yet it carried an astonishing heat, like a sun rising in the dark night.

It was so resplendent that it even suppressed all the harsh noises around.

It was like Zhou Xiumei's anchor in this world.

A lighthouse standing tall in this surging ocean of crowds.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable warm current appeared out of thin air inside her body.

It was a sensation as scorching as magma, pouring in through the center of her brows and instantly flowing through all her limbs and bones.

Her originally cold and stiff fingers regained sensation.

Her heart, which had been pounding wildly, was calmed and steadied by a warm, large hand.

Even the fear and distracting thoughts entrenched in her mind were forcefully dispelled by this overbearing golden light.

At this moment, the hundreds of audience members offstage and those stern judges seemed to have turned into lifeless backdrops.

The entire world left only her, and that "sun".

Zhou Xiumei's eyes flickered slightly.

She recalled the figure pedaling a dilapidated tricycle on the night he encouraged her against the evening breeze to pursue her dreams.

She recalled the countless days and nights sweating in the cramped practicing room.

She recalled the four-leaf clover necklace representing luck that clung tightly to her neck.

"Hoo..."

Zhou Xiumei closed her eyes and took another deep breath.

The near-drowning sense of suffocation in her heart instantly dissipated completely.

When she opened her eyes again, those originally dodging, cowardly eyes had now become exceptionally bright, like two ignited flames.

Her previously curled-up body straightened little by little, and she adjusted the position of her guitar strap.

"Teachers."

Facing the microphone, Zhou Xiumei's voice no longer trembled, becoming steady and firm:

"Next, I will sing an original song named 'Until the End of the World'. Thank you everyone."

At this moment, Fang Cheng, standing offstage, felt his heart stir slightly.

In his spiritual perception, a faint golden thread extended from the great sun in his mind, connecting to Zhou Xiumei.

But he didn't think much about it for the time being, because on stage, the sound of the guitar had already rung out.

"Clang—"

A crisp strumming note rang out, followed closely by smooth arpeggios.

Zhou Xiumei's eyes shone brightly as she tilted her head back slightly, not rushing to approach the microphone.

Instead, she waited for the final note of the prelude to fall before gently parting her lips and steadily delivering the first line:

"They say the seasons are getting more and more capricious,

Even the rain gets hurt along with them,

The whole world is like dust in the wind,

Who dares to say out loud to anyone, 'Do you love me?' "

As soon as this first verse was sung, the entire venue suddenly fell silent.

The judges, who had previously been somewhat casual, stopped in unison as if the pause button had been pressed.

That female judge who was just about to drink water even left her cup suspended mid-air, forgetting to put it down.

This song was a classic work by Chyi Chin transcribed by Fang Cheng according to memories from his past life.

The tune carried a fin-de-siècle rock desolation, which was originally supposed to be interpreted by a weathered male voice.

But Zhou Xiumei's clear, ethereal, yet slightly stubborn female voice endowed it with another completely different Soul.

It was like a wild flower stubbornly blooming in the cold wind above the ruins.

Tragically beautiful, frail, yet filled with a touching vitality.

"Don't ask me whether forever is truly enough."

Zhou Xiumei's eyes became hazy, as if she had fully immersed herself in it, her left hand nimbly shifting positions on the guitar neck.

"If the Earth breaks away from the Universe,

The eternal earth begins to melt,

Let us hold each other tightly and turn into sand,

If there truly is a judgment at the end of the world,

Leaving just the two of us among all humanity..."

As the lyrics and emotions progressed, the strength of her right-hand strumming gradually increased, and her voice resonated from her chest, her timbre becoming increasingly bright and translucent.

Every single lyric was like a bullet, precisely striking the hearts of everyone present.

The audience members offstage who had originally prepared to watch a joke now had their mouths wide open one by one, forgetting even to hold up their light boards.

At the judges' panel, Cheng Jiashu's eyes were piercingly bright, the smile in his eyes deepening as if he had seen some rare and precious treasure.

"The storm gradually rises, the earth begins to shake,

I am calling out to you in the wind, can you hear me?

Before the end of the world arrives,

Still hiding that sentence in your mouth, 'Do you love me'..."

Entering the chorus, Zhou Xiumei seemed to completely let go.

Her fingertips pressed hard against the strings, bringing out a wave of vibrato.

That scorching energy kept churning in her chest, seemingly transforming into a Soul-stirring voice at this moment.

She forgot technique, forgot the stage, and even forgot herself.

She was simply singing by instinct, using her voice to vent all the emotions that had been suppressed in dark corners for many years.

"Don't be afraid, la... la... la..."

In the final chanting, she reined in her explosive power, turning into a gentle whisper with an incomparably lingering gaze.

As if whispering into the ears of the person closest to her in the entire world.

That singing echoed across the dome of the broadcast hall, like a pair of gentle hands smoothing out the wrinkles in everyone's hearts.

Quite a few emotional female audience members had already covered their mouths, tears welling up at the corners of their eyes.

Many people were completely immersed in this tragic yet affectionate apocalyptic atmosphere, unable to extricate themselves.

The song ended.

The lingering note of the guitar solo vibrated in the air, refusing to dissipate for a long time.

Zhou Xiumei held down the strings, her chest rising and falling violently.

A layer of fine sweat oozed from her forehead, but those eyes were as brilliant as stars, shockingly bright.

The scene remained quiet for a full three seconds.

Afterwards, a thunderous applause erupted.