Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

All the lights went out in the same second.

The entire studio went dark.

A short gasp escaped from the audience, quickly swallowed up by the sound.

The red and blue lights flashed, like a galaxy scattered on the ground.

Quiet.

It was so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat.

The live stream chat paused for two seconds.

Why is it so dark?

Equipment malfunction?

No, listen—

A spotlight descended vertically from the dome of the venue, striking the center left of the stage.

Three little girls stood inside the pillar of light.

She had pigtails, wore a white cotton dress, and looked to be about seven or eight years old.

The three children held hands, their faces turned upwards—

"Eeya eeya eeyo—"

"Eeya eeya eeyo—"

"Eeya eeya eehee—"

The voice was young and innocent, drifting cleanly into every corner of the venue.

The second spotlight shone.

Shen Nian stood in the center of the stage.

She wore a black dress, her long hair pulled back, and a Tibetan-style necklace around her neck shimmered silver in the beam of light.

With her eyes slightly lowered, she picked up the microphone.

"A-Diao lives somewhere in Tibet—"

"Like vultures, they perch on the mountaintop—"

The first sound came out.

Clean and efficient.

A middle-aged man subconsciously rubbed his forearm, and goosebumps rose on his skin.

"Ah Diao, the area in front of the Jokhang Temple is bathed in sunlight—"

"Let's brew a pot of sweet tea and reminisce about the past—"

Shen Nian closed her eyes briefly.

"Hey—ah—"

A long, resonant chorus came from behind.

The Tibetan female voice, melodious and expansive, was like a wind blowing down from a mountain pass at an altitude of 5,000 meters, carrying a chill as it swept across the entire venue.

A woman in her forties in Section A, her review certificate hanging around her neck, was leaning on the handrail with both hands—

When he shouted that, the hairs on her body stood on end.

The live stream chat turned into a white wall.

Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!

I got three layers of goosebumps!!!

[What kind of divine arrangement is this?! What's with the harmonies?!]

The opening scene with three little girls was absolutely amazing!

Is Jiang Fan even human? Could a human have come up with this arrangement?!

Shen Nian stepped to that harmony, pushing her voice forward—

"Ah Diao, you always dress yourself up like a boy—"

"Even more tenacious than Gesang—"

She completely immersed herself in the song.

"Ah Diao, a hypocrite, has a thousand kinds of smiles—"

"When you come down the mountain, remember to take the Droma knife with you—"

In the minds of the thousand people in the audience, the same image appeared—

A girl, small but stubborn, tenacious and unyielding.

Life knocks you down, but you get back up again and again.

Gradually, the girl began to resemble Shen Nian on stage.

Thinking about what she had gone through this past year—

He was framed, blacklisted, suffered from depression, and disappeared from the industry.

Now she's alive again.

They appeared before everyone with an unstoppable momentum.

Interlude.

Shen Nian stood in the light, her chest rising and falling twice as she adjusted her breathing.

"Beneath the gray brim of the hat, sunken cheeks—"

"You rarely speak, and your answers are simple—"

"Where you are tomorrow, who will care?"

Even if I fall on the road—

On the mentor's seat, Jay Chou sat up straight.

His hand rested on the armrest, his index finger tapping unconsciously.

He could tell—Shen Nian's emotions and power were building up, ready to erupt at any moment.

"A life filled with twists and turns, yet also filled with passion and detachment—"

"Saying goodbye to youth, countless train stations—"

"Content with the ordinary—"

"Yet they refused to accept a mediocre defeat—"

"You are A-Diao—"

The sound gradually faded away.

The thousand members of the hearing panel held their breath.

The entire venue was like a string stretched to its limit.

"You are a free bird—"

Shen Nian's clear and melodious voice pierced through all the instruments and rose from the ground.

All the emotions that had been building up were released in this one sentence.

"Hey yeah—hey yeah—"

Many of the jury members cried.

Not one or two.

Several rows of people were wiping their eyes with their sleeves, while others covered their mouths with their hands, their shoulders shaking.

Tang Yingxue sat in the mentor's seat, her water glass hovering in mid-air.

She turned her head, and Jay Chou had already stood up.

Peter Chan took off his glasses and wiped the corner of his eye with the back of his hand.

"Ah Diao, love is a seed of sorrow—"

Shen Nian's voice slowly descended from its highest point.

"You are a tree—"

"You will never wither—"

As the last word was uttered, a tear slid down her cheek.

The camera zooms in, and a tear slides down the cheek from the corner of the eye and falls.

The number of viewers in the live stream was 2340 million.

The live chat is about to explode with comments.

I cried, I really cried.

Shen Nian, you are the bravest person I have ever met.

I could listen to this song on repeat for the rest of my life.

[Jiang Fan, who exactly are you? How could you write a song like this??]

Oh no, my brother is going to lose!

The music ended.

There was a three-second silence in the venue.

Applause came from all directions.

Shen Nian stood in the light, wiped her face with the back of her hand, and bowed to the audience.

The applause grew even louder.

Many people have already started shouting her name.

"Shen Nian!"

"Shen Nian!!"

Teacher He came out from the side stage to take over the event; his voice was a little hoarse.

"I..." He cleared his throat, "I've been hosting shows for over a decade, and this stage is one of the best live performances I can remember."

He didn't say anything more.

"Now, let's have the three mentors give their comments."

Jay Chou picked up the microphone and spoke while standing.

He looked at Shen Nian.

"You've improved in every single one of the four competitions. But today's achievement isn't just improvement, it's a transformation."

He paused for a moment.

"Among young singers, I can't think of another one who can sing to this level."

Peter Chan put his glasses back on and flipped through the lyric sheet in his hand.

"I want to talk about the arrangement of this song separately—the introduction with the voices of three little girls at the beginning, the design of Tibetan female vocal harmonies in the middle, and the arrangement of instrumental layers in the final chorus..."

"This isn't about arranging music; this is about creating a world."

He looked up towards the side of the curtain.

"Mr. Jiang Fan, you might consider working for our company."

The audience burst into laughter.

It was Tang Yingxue's turn.

She held the microphone and remained silent for two seconds.

Jiang Fan watched her from the side of the screen, waiting to see what tricks this second-ranked of the Four Heavenly Queens would pull today.

"I'm telling the truth."

Tang Yingxue switched the microphone to her right hand, leaned forward, and looked at Shen Nian on the stage.

"I gave you some less-than-pleasant feedback in the first two episodes."

The whole place fell silent.

The chat in the live stream slowed down instantly—everyone was listening.

"I take it back today."

Tang Yingxue's tone was very flat.

"From the very first note of this song, I knew that no one could beat you today. There's something in your voice that can't be learned through technique or accumulated through experience."

She paused, tapping her fingers twice on the microphone.

"When you sang the line 'You are a free bird,' my neck went numb. You can't lie about that reaction."

A few scattered claps began to appear from the audience.

"Let me say a few more words about the arrangement." Tang Yingxue shifted her gaze to the side of the screen.

"This arrangement would be a highlight on any album. It's not just providing background music for the singer; it's telling a story for her. I can't find more than three people in the entire Chinese music scene with this kind of ability."

Jiang Fan leaned against the pillar and could see Tang Yingxue's expression clearly.

He knew perfectly well who those few words praising the arrangement were meant for.

interesting.

Shen Nian was stunned for a moment, then bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle.

"Thank you, Teacher Tang."

Teacher He took the microphone at the right moment and calmed the atmosphere down.

"Great! Thank you to the three mentors for their insightful comments. All eight singers have finished their performances for the fourth ranking competition—"

"Now, let's have the jury vote!"

The large screen switched to the voting interface, and the voting channel for the 1,000-member jury was opened.