Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Teacher He's voice echoed in the studio.

"Congratulations to Shen Nian on advancing to the finals!"

The lights were on.

Applause and cheers surged in from all directions, one wave higher than the next.

Shen Nian stood in the center of the stage, the phoenix embroidered with gold thread glowing red under the spotlight.

On the judges' panel, Jay Chou led the way by standing up and applauding.

Peter Chan stood up, and even the usually calm Tang Yingxue clapped her hands.

The live stream chat is going crazy with comments.

Teacher He took a deep breath and waited for the applause to subside before speaking: "Now, let's turn our attention to the 'joy' theme showdown."

"First, please welcome—Fang Xiaoxiao!"

The lights changed abruptly.

A warm yellow halo spread from the edge of the stage, and a few simple lines appeared on the background screen, outlining the contours of a stream and a wooden house.

Fang Xiaoxiao walked onto the stage carrying a wooden guitar.

She wore a cream-colored cotton and linen long dress, was barefoot, and had her hair loosely braided at the back of her head.

Compared to Shen Nian's heavy red attire, she was like a refreshing breeze that had just blown out of the valley.

She smiled into the microphone, revealing two small tiger teeth.

"That song was too heavy," the voice said in a light tone, "Let's give everyone a break."

Someone in the audience laughed.

His shoulders, which had been tense for half the game, visibly relaxed.

She sat on a high stool, with the guitar resting on her lap.

Ding dong.

The intro flows out, a modified folk song.

The melody is simple and clean, like the wind sweeping across a wheat field on a summer evening.

Some people started tapping their feet gently to the rhythm.

I love this song! I'm finally feeling better.

The aftereffects of the song "Double Happiness" were so strong that my back is still feeling chilly.

Fang Xiaoxiao is like the girl next door—comfortable and approachable.

As the last note faded, Fang Xiaoxiao bowed deeply while holding her guitar.

The applause was enthusiastic, but compared to Shen Nian's performance, it lacked some of the awe-inspiring power and instead brought a lot of relaxed, knowing smiles.

Teacher He's voice rang out again.

"Next, please welcome—Chen Hao!"

A beam of cool blue light shone down from the ceiling and converged in the center of the stage.

Chen Hao walked out from the side of the screen.

Black cargo pants, a loose dark red sweatshirt, hair swept back with water to reveal a sharply defined forehead.

He held the microphone in one hand and stood in the center of the stage.

The intro begins—

It is his original song "Young Man Strong".

Chen Hao waved one hand, pointing to the audience below.

"If my youth are strong, then China will be strong!"

Upon hearing the first sentence, more than half of the audience stood up.

Some people nodded in rhythm, others raised their arms, and the enthusiasm instantly ignited the entire venue.

The live stream chat exploded.

[Chen Hao!!! This is what a stage performance should be like!]

[That was so exciting! It gave me goosebumps.]

[As a 35-year-old middle-aged man, my eyes welled up with tears while listening.]

As the last long note faded, Chen Hao took the microphone away from his mouth.

Sweat streamed down his forehead, and his chest heaved violently.

The applause was even more enthusiastic than the one for Fang Xiaoxiao.

-

Voting session.

On the big screen, still images of Fang Xiaoxiao and Chen Hao were displayed side by side.

"Voting channel is now open."

The results came out very quickly.

"Fang Xiaoxiao, 481 votes."

"Chen Hao, 519 votes."

The gap is small, but the outcome is already decided.

When Teacher He announced the results, Chen Hao simply nodded.

Fang Xiaoxiao smiled and gave him a thumbs up: "Brother Chen, you're awesome."

Congratulations to Chen Hao on advancing to the finals!

Thus, the finalists for "The Voice of Heaven" have been determined.

Shen Nian, Chen Hao.

Zhang Yihan and Fang Xiaoxiao will compete for third place.

-

Backstage.

Shen Nian had changed back into casual clothes, a white T-shirt and jeans.

She leaned against the dressing table, staring at Chen Hao's performance on the screen.

Zhou Yutong handed over some warm water: "Sister Nian, have some."

After the recording of the program ended, Jiang Fan stood up from the sofa.

He gestured towards the door with his chin. "Let's go back to the hotel."

The three people left the studio.

A crowd of fans gathered at the entrance, holding up banners and their phones, their flashes going off everywhere.

The screams of "Shen Nian" blended into a cacophony of heat.

Shen Nian was shielded by Zhou Yutong and quickly got into the nanny van.

The car door closed, shutting out the noise outside.

Zhou Yutong leaned closer to Shen Nian and whispered, "Sister Nian, 'Double Happiness' is absolutely going viral online. You're in the top three trending topics on Weibo. 'Shen Nian Double Happiness,' 'Ghost Marriage,' 'The Suona Sounds and the Soul Disperses'..."

She swiped her phone screen, getting more and more excited as she spoke: "Music critics are also praising it, saying that this song has brought out the soul of Chinese folk music."

Shen Nian remained silent, looking down at her outstretched palm.

Jiang Fan, sitting in the front row, glanced at her. "Tired?"

"A little." She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and said, "My head is still buzzing."

-

In the hotel room, just swipe your key card.

Jiang Fan quickly took off his coat and went into the bathroom.

When she came out, she had a towel loosely tied around her waist and her hair was half wet.

He walked to the bedside and reached for his phone on the bedside table.

The screen was lit up; it was a message from Su Yuyan.

"The song 'Sigh' is now available online."

He opened Penguin Music.

On the homepage banner, Su Yuyan's new song is listed third.

The cover features a profile shot of her wearing a dark green cheongsam, the neckline slightly open, a hint of crimson at the corner of her eyes, as she leans languidly against a carved wooden window.

Click to play.

The guzheng strings come out first, clear and bright, with a very light electronic drumbeat underneath.

Su Yuyan's voice slid out, naturally carrying a watery, sticky, and alluring quality.

The audio clip abruptly ended after thirty seconds.

There are already tens of thousands of comments.

"This song is addictive! I've listened to it on repeat for the fifth time, and I still can't stop."

"Damn it, after hearing that, I immediately went and dragged my girlfriend out of bed."

"I was washing the dishes when my husband picked me up and carried me away."

"Who is Fan Yu? These lyrics and music perfectly capture the allure that's inherent in Su Yuyan."

"+1, I'm begging for Master Fan Yu to come out of retirement."

He exited the app and threw his phone back onto the counter.

The phone vibrated at that moment.

Su Yuyan's voice came through the receiver, tinged with amusement: "Have you listened to the song? What do you think?"

"good."

"Tch." She laughed and cursed, then paused for two seconds. "By the way, I watched Shen Nian's semi-final live. That song 'Double Happiness'... Where did you find it? My back is still getting chills after listening to it."

"Are you scared?"

"Hmm." Su Yuyan was unusually honest. "When I'm lying alone in a hotel now, I always feel like there's a pair of eyes watching me from the ceiling. What should I do?"

Jiang Fan curled the corner of his lips slightly: "Then why don't you check under the bed?"

A soft "Ah!" came from the other end of the phone, followed by rustling sounds. A few seconds later, the voice returned, sounding somewhat annoyed: "Jiang Fan!"

He chuckled softly and hung up the phone.

I tossed the phone back onto the counter.

He was just about to go to sleep.

Knock, knock, knock.

Three taps, very lightly, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Jiang Fan glanced at the direction of the door.

He walked to the door, but instead of opening it directly, he looked through the peephole.

The corridor was empty; there was no one there.

He turned the lock and opened the door a crack.

A fresh scent of shower gel wafted in first.

Shen Nian was outside the door.

She pulled up the hood of her hoodie and wore a mask, covering herself up completely except for her eyes.

He was still clutching the room key in his hand.

What are you doing?

Shen Nian didn't answer, but squeezed in sideways through the gap he had opened.

She walked quickly to the bed in her disposable hotel slippers and sat on the edge of it.

I took off my hat, and my hair was a little messy.

The mask was still hanging on one ear.

"My room's air conditioner is broken."

"Find the receptionist."

"It's too late, no one is answering the phone."

"..."

Shen Nian had already lifted a corner of the blanket and tucked herself in, leaving only her face showing. She blinked twice and said matter-of-factly, "I'm scared. Just now, when I closed my eyes, all I could see in my mind was the image of that song, the red wedding dress, the memorial tablet... I just couldn't fall asleep."

Jiang Fan stood by the bed, looking down at her.

Shen Nian immediately moved to the other side of the bed, making room for herself next to him.

Then she patted the mattress and lowered her voice, "I promise I won't disturb you."

Jiang Fan stared at her for a few seconds, then walked over, pulled back the covers, and lay down.

Shen Nian immediately moved closer, turned to the side, and gently pressed her face against his shoulder.

She smelled of hotel shower gel, mixed with a hint of her own body fragrance.

She added softly, "I'm really scared."

Jiang Fan didn't say anything, but reached out and turned off the bedside lamp.

In the darkness, Shen Nian's rapid breathing could soon be heard.