Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

The stage lights went out completely, leaving only a spotlight shining on Jiang Fan and the seven musicians behind him.

Hua Xingyu leaned back in his chair, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Folk music plus electronic music? He'd like to see how Jiang Fan handles this incongruous mix."

The guzheng player's right hand touches the strings.

Zheng—

The crisp, melodious notes lingered in the studio.

The whispers in the audience fell silent instantly upon hearing that one sound.

Immediately afterwards, the bamboo flute entered the scene.

The ethereal flute notes intertwined with the lingering sounds of the guzheng, creating a harmonious and evocative image of a misty, rainy Jiangnan region.

Xue Zhiheng, who had been sitting lazily, suddenly sat up straight.

Just as everyone was immersed in the pure atmosphere of folk music, the electronic drum beats and electric guitar sounds suddenly came crashing down!

It wasn't as jarring or out of place as I had imagined.

The transitional chords that Jiang Fan embedded in the arrangement are like a precise bridge, perfectly combining the coolness of folk music with the richness of electronic music.

This auditory contrast and fusion instantly sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

Jiang Fan gripped the microphone stand with both hands, displaying his masterful singing skills, and began.

"The blue and white porcelain is outlined on the unglazed porcelain, with the brushstrokes going from thick to thin."

"The peony depicted on the bottle is just like your first makeup."

"The gentle scent of sandalwood wafts through the window, and I understand your unspoken thoughts."

"The brushstrokes on the Xuan paper stop halfway here."

As soon as Jiang Fan's voice came out, the entire studio seemed to be muted.

It lacked Zhao Tianyu's deliberately affected operatic singing style, and Lu Ming's elaborate and showy vocal techniques.

It's the purest and cleanest way to sing pop songs.

But every word is incredibly evocative.

"The charm of the glazed portrait of a lady is kept privately."

"And your radiant smile is like a budding flower."

"A wisp of your beauty drifts away."

"Go to places I can't go."

Xu Qingya sat on the judges' panel, looking at Jiang Fan with tender eyes.

She had heard Jiang Fan sing the demo of this song, but the live version with the band was the real thing.

She then realized—

She seriously underestimated the song.

"The sky is the color of rain, and I am waiting for you."

"Smoke rises from chimneys thousands of miles across the river."

"Inscribing Han Dynasty clerical script on the bottom of the bottle, imitating the elegant style of the previous dynasty."

Consider this a foreshadowing of our meeting.

The moment the chorus exploded, there was a three-second silence in the live stream chat.

Eight million people seem to have forgotten how to type.

Then, the barrage of comments flooded the entire screen like an avalanche.

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!!!"

"This is what traditional Chinese style should be! This is what traditional Chinese style should be like!!"

"The sky is the color of rain after a storm, and I am waiting for you... Is this even a human being capable of writing such words?!"

"I take back what I just said, this arrangement is amazing! Lu Ming's symphony orchestra is nothing!"

On stage, Jiang Fan was completely immersed in the rhythm.

During the interlude, the bamboo flute player stood up.

A solo piece featuring a completely unconventional fingering technique, with its ethereal and penetrating sound, elevates the song's atmosphere to a sublime level.

The erhu lays the groundwork in the low register, while the electric guitar tears through the high register.

Three distinct emotions intertwined on stage, ultimately converging into a torrent that struck straight to the soul.

"Like a timeless blue-and-white porcelain piece, it is beautiful in its own right."

Your eyes are smiling.

The last note of the coda fades away.

The guzheng player pressed down on the strings with both hands, and the lingering sound stopped abruptly.

The entire room fell silent.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

boom!

Five hundred audience judges stood up at the same time, and the applause and screams almost lifted the roof off the studio.

Xue Zhiheng waved his scoreboard like a fanatical fan.

Teacher He walked onto the stage, picked up the microphone, and paused for two seconds before speaking.

"This is amazing! Jiang Fan, you've shown us what true Chinese pop culture is all about!"

Teacher He calmed his breathing and looked at the judges' panel.

"Now, let's have our three star judges give their scores!"

Xue Zhiheng was the first to pick up the microphone.

"Jiang Fan, you're not just a genius, you're a monster. Every line of this song's lyrics could be written into a textbook. The arrangement of this song has shattered the established perception of traditional Chinese music in the Chinese music scene. I give it 100 points because there's only 100 points out of 100."

The crowd cheered.

Xu Qingya picked up the microphone.

She looked at Jiang Fan, her pride impossible to hide.

"Top-notch lyrics and music, top-notch arrangement, top-notch vocals. I have no suggestions. 100 points."

All eyes in the room finally fell on Hua Xingyu.

Hua Xingyu's face turned ashen.

He had just been mocking Jiang Fan's arrangement as a complete mess, but Jiang Fan turned around and delivered a masterpiece worthy of being recorded in the history of Chinese music.

Hua Xingyu stared at the sign in her hand, her back drenched in cold sweat.

All eyes turned to Hua Xingyu.

He picked up the microphone.

"Jiang Fan's lyrics and music are indeed outstanding. But I want to offer some different perspectives from a professional standpoint."

"The fusion of traditional Chinese music and electronic sound is nothing new in the Chinese music scene. In the chorus of your song, the glissando of the guzheng and the distorted timbre of the electric guitar are layered together, creating a noticeable conflict in the soundstage—"

Which frequency band is conflicting?

Jiang Fan's voice came through the microphone on stage.

Hua Xingyu's words stuck in her throat.

The judges' panel was silent for two seconds.

Xue Zhiheng suddenly turned his head, his gaze passing over the stage and landing on the short-haired woman behind the guzheng.

"Wait a moment--"

His voice clearly betrayed surprise.

"Guzheng player, are you Lin Wei? The soloist at last year's National Centre for the Performing Arts' 'Chinese Melodies' concert?"

Someone in the studio gasped.

The National Centre for the Performing Arts' "Hua Yun" is a top-level folk music concert organized last year under the leadership of the Ministry of Culture.

There are fewer than ten people in the entire country who can perform a solo on that stage.

Lin Wei sat behind the guzheng and nodded slightly.

She turned her head and glanced at Hua Xingyu.

"There are no issues with the frequency band handling in this arrangement."

"The frequencies of the guzheng's glissando and the electric guitar's distortion are completely offset, and when they overlap, they create a sense of spatial envelopment, not conflict."

She looked away.

"If you can't tell, it's not a problem with the arrangement."

A burst of laughter erupted in the studio.

The live stream chat turned into pure celebration.

[Hahaha, Hua Xingyu: There's something wrong with the arrangement. Lin Wei: You have something wrong with your ears.]

[Are the musicians Xiaochou Ge hired of this caliber?]

Hua Xingyu's face instantly turned a deep liver color, and she clenched her teeth tightly.

He lowered his head and flipped open the scoreboard.

60 points.

Boos came from all directions.

But this time, even the angry voices were fewer.

Because everyone can see very clearly that this score has nothing to do with music.

Seeing this, Teacher He quickly stepped in to control the situation.

"The three judges have finished their scoring! Xue Zhiheng gets 100 points, Xu Qingya gets 100 points, and Hua Xingyu gets 60 points! The judges' total score is 260 points! Now, please let the audience vote!"

The numbers on the big screen started jumping wildly.

100. 300. 480.

The numbers finally settled.

498 votes!

Of the 500 audience members, only two did not press the button.

Teacher He's voice resonated throughout the entire venue.

"Public votes: 498! Judges' total score: 260! Jiang Fan's total score: 758!"

Because of Hua Xingyu's malicious score suppression, the total score did not exceed Lu Ming's 768 points, but the 498 audience votes have already said it all.

Jiang Fan didn't even glance at the big screen. He picked up his guitar, led the band, and walked off the stage.

When he reached the entrance of the passage, he stopped and turned back to give Hua Xingyu a cold look.