Have you ever been a celebrity? Why are you writing about entertainment?

Why were you selected directly?

"That's not how the judges work. You should have performed well, but they pointed out the shortcomings of your song. After the judges discussed it, they voted, and you barely made it into the waiting area..."

"How can you still get direct entry even though the rules have changed? I don't accept that!"

When Qi Yuan heard that his little sister had gotten a direct entry spot, the sky fell down. It was one thing for the first few to be selected because of the rule bonuses, but wasn't it said that no one else could get a direct entry? So what happened?

Now, Qi Yuan has become the only one in the team whose fate is uncertain. Where does he put his old face?

When people heard his impotent rage, they just laughed, without any sense of schadenfreude. After all, given the quality of his work, it was only a matter of time before he broke through the competition.

They just found it amusing to see Qi Yuan get his comeuppance; every time he was humiliated, a cheerful atmosphere would fill the studio.

Qi Yuan was truly devastated this time. It was one thing to not be able to beat others, but to be even worse than his little sister was a disheartening experience.

Actually, there's no comparison in this regard. First of all, the director's attitude towards them is different. Putting aside this relationship, a chorus is inherently easier to stand out than a solo performance.

The song "Where Has the Time Gone" doesn't really showcase vocal skills. No matter how well Qi Yuan sings it, the overall impression is always just so-so.

My brother-in-law isn't from the district; he's just unlucky...

Choir singing is different. As long as the chemistry is good enough, even mediocre songs can be made to look amazing, let alone the combination of Yu Weijia, Qi Luoan, and an excellent piece of music.

With such a luxurious setup, there are few programs in the entire Spring Festival Gala that can compare to it, so it is well-deserved to receive direct entry.

Qi Yuan quickly realized that it wasn't the general's fault, but rather that the solo performance itself was simply not good.

The young lady only benefited from the chorus performance; her subsequent solo performances will most likely remain undecided.

"Whose turn is it tomorrow?"

Qi Yuan couldn't wait to have a teammate who was still waiting to be decided. It was rather awkward for him to be the only one playing in the revival match.

Today's judging stopped at program number 38, which means it will probably reach around number 50 tomorrow.

Everyone's eyes instinctively fell on Yu Wei. If they remembered correctly, his single was the 47th.

Qi Yuan instantly performed a smile-disappearing act; Yu Wei, well, that's hard to say...

While others struggle to break through with a single, he's different; Qi Yuan is quite confident in the future star he values.

However, if Yu Wei makes a mistake and is put on hold, that's not bad either. If someone as strong as Yu Wei is put on hold, doesn't that prove that he's fine?

That would be perfect, as the two of them fought their way out of the waiting area and forged a deep bond of camaraderie!

"And Yu Tong, her song is number 43, and it's also coming tomorrow."

Qi Luoan interjected, saying that Shen Yutong hadn't asked for Yu Wei's song and had been busy creating in seclusion; no one really knew her serial number before.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuan's smile widened. It seemed that the waiting area was about to welcome two new friends, both of whom were quite capable.

Who said the pending zone is a zone? Speak up!
Yu Wei didn't expect to be on the same day as Shen Yutong, but it's okay, their songs aren't really competing, since his own song hasn't been decided yet.

Not many people knew that he planned to snipe someone. Qi Luoan was an accomplice, Qi Yuan was only partially aware of the situation, and the other friends were completely unaware, treating it as just an ordinary review.

Little did they know that Yu Weilian's submitted songs were all randomly chosen, and what she actually sang depended on the circumstances.

The next morning, Yu Wei returned to his familiar judging panel. He planned to participate in the scoring as usual in the morning and then go backstage to prepare for the competition in the afternoon.

He wasn't addicted to giving scores; he was just doing it to quickly find out if Teacher Zhong Qing would appear. It was too troublesome to contact people in the back office; he was just looking at the schedule.

Yu Wei sat down and opened the document. The first person he recognized today was Wu Qi. They had greeted each other remotely on a variety show before.

This person is quite capable, and it's well-deserved for them to be on the Spring Festival Gala. After all, it's the Spring Festival Gala, and there will always be some talented performers to fill the seats.

His eyes swept across the list one by one, and he quickly found the corresponding target, number 44 Zhong Qing, who was arranged right after Shen Yutong.

"freely?"

The title of the work in Zhong Qing's column on the process sheet is "Free and Easy". If nothing unexpected happens, this is the second posthumous work in the letter of the senior Chen Ping.

This word implies freedom; could it be that the theme of the song is freedom?
There are so many songs with the theme of freedom. Yu Wei wrote about it in his novel at least. When he was writing the copy of "The Singer-Songwriter", he brought out the song "I Am Free Like the Wind".

It wouldn't hurt to try again; I do recall a few suitable ones.

Just as he was rapidly sifting through songs in his mind, today's judging officially began. The judges were taken aback when they saw Yu Wei at the back, not expecting him to be there.

After all, this kid left right after singing yesterday, with no intention of working overtime at all. He's singing today too, so shouldn't we make some preparations?
Or perhaps he's just confident in himself...

They looked at each other but didn't pay much attention. Let them come if they want; after all, Yu Wei's song wasn't going to be eliminated.

It's good that you're here. There's a major song coming out this morning. The main creators can see the songwriters, so they naturally know what this means.

Before his death, Chen Ping was a regular on the Spring Festival Gala. Since his passing, many people have complained that the Gala has lost its charm.

This year, they were fortunate enough to find a posthumous work by the late Mr. Chen. This song is indispensable in terms of both its historical value and its commemorative significance.

This is precisely why Xu Zhen has always been so confident. With Chen Ping's return after 25 years, the Spring Festival Gala's popularity is bound to be high. The judging process is just a formality; in reality, the song has already been decided internally. With a veteran artist and a highly commemorative and valuable work, it can't be ignored.

They were witnesses in a way...

Wu Qi, who was the first to be affected, performed perfectly. His singing skills, song selection, and stage presence were all outstanding. However, even so, he was still only placed in the waiting list.

If Qi Yuan were here, he would definitely burst out laughing. This is what a solo performance is like. He should go back and reflect on it some more.

To be honest, Yu Wei's attention was not very focused. After all, he was facing a similar opponent who was also cheating, so the pressure was considerable.

The previous work by the senior artist Chen, "Even Ordinary," left a deep impression on him. I wonder what kind of work he will produce this time.

This anticipation and nervousness towards an unknown work is something I haven't felt in a long time...

Yu Wei wasn't a fighter, but when he was at the card table, he would get curious about the cards his opponents had. It wasn't until Shen Yutong appeared that he snapped out of his daze.

Her new song, "Old Memories," is a work that draws inspiration from works in fake competitions and incorporates the strengths of various sources.

The melody of the song follows a nostalgic, slightly traditional Chinese style, but the lyrics are very scholarly. From this song, Yu Wei can see the style of at least three indigenous people.

Of course, it wasn't imitation or collage, but a bold attempt to integrate it with one's own understanding.

Just when everyone thought this would be another typical literary and lyrical poem, Shen Yutong's voice gradually rose.

A beautiful trill made everyone's heart skip a beat. The judges instinctively sat up straight, glanced at each other, and saw surprise in each other's eyes.

This young girl was just using the most simple creative narrative, and in the blink of an eye she's playing such an academic yet lively melody magic trick.

It can only be said that Shen Yutong deserves the title of the strongest female singer of the new generation. She is qualified to perform on the Spring Festival Gala on her own.

Yu Wei gave it a 9.9 without hesitation. He was not good at rating his own songs, so he had never been one for social niceties, but Shen Yutong gave him this opportunity.

This is just a favor, it's actually quite nice...

As a member of the song selection team, Yu Wei giving it a 9.9 rating is actually fine. This kind of traditional Chinese style song is very suitable for the Spring Festival Gala. It's plug-and-play and versatile.

However, the final overall score was still relatively low for the third group, and from the audience's perspective, the song didn't seem to be very eye-catching.

Shen Yutong created this song to explore her own musical style, without trying to cater to anyone, so it's not very approachable overall.

However, the Spring Festival Gala aims for performances that are approachable and easy to understand, so giving the third group a moderate score is reasonable.

After a brief discussion, the song was also put on hold. Since it's not Yu Wei's song, there's no need to target it.

Watching his friends leave the stage, Yu Wei dared not let his guard down for a moment, because he knew that the big one was coming.

Senior Zhong walked onto the stage, wearing a faded ink bamboo patterned cheongsam with a plain gray cardigan over it. Her steps were steady, as if she were walking in her own living room.

The clothes were clearly old; only Ye Shengyu noticed it, as this was the first time she had ever seen Chen Ping wear such clothes…

She took out a few pages of manuscript from her cloth bag. The paper was yellowed and the edges were curled. She gently placed them on the piano lid. The ink and handwriting were neat and had the charm of old-fashioned vertical writing.

Zhong Qing hopes that he will be by her side when she sings this song...

Yu Wei subconsciously looked in Ye Laodeng's direction and found him with his head down, his dejected expression evident.

This is an error!
The deceased are gone, but life must go on. Too much obsession becomes a demon in one's heart, which will either destroy oneself or others.

Yu Wei became even more determined to wake up the old master Zhong; he would correct the mistakes that had already been made.

Zhong Qing didn't look at anyone, she just silently began to play. Many people don't know that the artist who dominated the Asian music scene actually learned piano from her.

She fell for the music, but little did she know that the man, focused solely on learning the instrument, didn't care about her at all...

The piano sound was extremely clear and transparent, like a raindrop falling from a very high eaves, landing precisely in a hollow on a bluestone slab, splashing out a circle of silent ripples.

Yu Wei immediately became alarmed. The opening of this song was unusual, setting it apart from Shen Yutong's song from the very beginning.

The difference is obvious; this is a true masterpiece.

The judges in the audience didn't know whose song it was, but they dared not be negligent in the slightest. The moment the piano music started, all the whispers, coughs, and rustling of papers died down.

Then Zhong Qing began to sing, starting in a very low, almost murmuring tone. It wasn't the kind of voice that someone her age should have; it lacked the roundness that comes with deliberate maintenance, and it didn't have the dryness that comes with aging. It was just clear.

Upon hearing the first line, Yu Wei felt as if struck by lightning. It was a Cantonese song, which wasn't a problem in itself. The real issue was that the first line of the song was a self-narration.

The song is titled "Freedom," and he thought the focus was on freedom, but it turned out to be about the self. The theme of Chen Ping's song is none other than himself.

He was writing about himself...

Even if Yu Wei searched the entire music library, he still wouldn't find a single song about Chen Ping, since there's no such person there.

Unable to lock on, how am I supposed to snipe? (End of Chapter)