Don't call me a singing god, I just want to go back to doing scientific research.

"My name is Feng Yuxi, number 18." The boy smiled brightly.

"Number 18, what good luck!" Gu Yang clicked his tongue. "I drew the last one, number 30."

Generally speaking, the opening contestants face the most pressure, and the judges tend to be very strict in their scoring. Contestants who perform last are often overwhelmed by the fatigue of the judges and audience, resulting in mediocre scores. Only the middle range represents the truly prime spots.

Feng Yuxi scratched his head and chuckled, "I've always been lucky since I was a child."

Gu Yang opened his mouth, but silently swallowed back the words, "I've been a lump of coal since I was a child, the pure black kind without any impurities."

Seeing that the two were having a good chat, Manager Li nodded in satisfaction. The entertainment industry is a society built on personal connections; making more friends is never a bad thing.

"Alright, it's about to start. I'll go out now. Call me if you need anything."

"Okay." Gu Yang nodded, then suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, Brother Li, if my phone rings, remember to answer it for me."

"Okay, I'll let you know as soon as Ling Luo contacts you."

Gu Yang's ears turned red for no apparent reason, and no one knew why he was so shy.

As they were talking, several more contestants entered, each politely greeting the camera. The people from the large companies displayed excellent composure, while the amateur contestants appeared somewhat reserved.

The countdown begins on site.

"Dear viewers! Good evening! Welcome to the first division of the 'Sing, Youth!' music competition! I'm your host, Dong Xuelan!"

"Today's first round is the 30-to-20 elimination. Now, I will announce the competition rules..."

The rules for the first round were very simple: there were no rules. However, each subsequent round had different rules, which has been the norm in the past.

After announcing the rules, Dong Xuelan's smile was somewhat malicious.

"First of all, let's give a warm round of applause to our judges who will be the first to open the show! Who will be the first to speak?"

The host deliberately dragged out his words, building up the anticipation.

The competition schedule was announced a long time ago, but it didn't mention that there would be an opening performance by the judges.

The scene immediately erupted in uproar.

"Who is it? The official Weibo account didn't say!"

"Just announce it already! Stop keeping us in suspense!"

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The live stream chat was instantly flooded with comments.

[Holy crap! There's an opening guest? The production team really kept this a secret!]

[Playing this big right from the start? Aren't they worried about the players who come later not being able to keep up?]

Now that you mention it, I'm starting to worry about contestant number one.

The contestants backstage weren't surprised at all; when a new show starts, they always have to create some hype to boost ratings.

The host stopped teasing: "Thank you to Tomato Novel Network, Fruit TV... and Junshan Mineral Water for their generous support of this program! Now, please welcome our first judge, Mr. Zhuo Tongyu! He will be performing his original song, 'Starlight and Voice'!"

The moment he finished speaking, the entire venue erupted in cheers!

[Ahhhh! It's Teacher Zhuo! The real Teacher Zhuo!]

[No way? Zhuo Tongyu is actually on this kind of show? He was last year's singing champion!]

[Since winning the singing competition, hasn't he been on any TV shows for a year? He's practically disappeared from the public eye.]

This show's production team is something else; they even got the King of Singers to come!

Gu Yang was also stunned.

Zhuo Tongyu, 35 years old, just won the most prestigious singing king award in the Chinese music scene last year. He is also a top original musician, just one step away from the title of gold medal songwriter.

This person, who disappeared for a year, actually appeared in a little-known online variety show with low investment.

Gu Yang's nonchalant expression vanished instantly, replaced by a serious look.

It seems that this year's "Sing! Youth" will be a tough battle.

The camera zoomed in on the audience, and seat number 56 remained empty.

He looked away and forced himself to focus on the stage.

Neon lights shattered into stardust in my pupils.

The vibrating strings whispered the unspoken words of the butterfly.

A galaxy lies hidden in my throat, waiting for a ray of light to unravel it.

At this moment, the stage is the only anchor.

...]

As soon as Zhuo Tongyu started singing, the venue immediately fell silent.

The song "Starlight and Voice" is more lyrical, but the chorus is extremely powerful, with high notes building up layer by layer and full of strength.

Feng Yuxi, standing next to him, was already in shock: "My God, thank goodness Teacher Zhuo is a judge. If he were a contestant, what would we be competing for?"

Gu Yang didn't speak, but his gaze grew increasingly deep.

The judges' level directly determines the ceiling of the competition.

Zhuo Tongyu's appearance meant that the professional level of this competition was far higher than he had imagined.

On stage, as the song ended, thunderous applause erupted.

Gu Yang's gaze, however, once again drifted uncontrollably towards that empty seat.

Ling Luo, where did you go?

Gu Yang nodded, but in his heart he wondered if Ling Luo could match him in terms of creative ability.

However, the song he brought today is a completely different story, so it's hard to categorize them together.

After the four judges finished their performances, the atmosphere at the scene had reached its peak. Next, the contestants took turns to perform in the order drawn by lot.

The first contestant to go on stage chose a popular song from a short video platform, hoping to capitalize on its popularity.

Unfortunately, with Zhuo Tongyu looming ahead, his little hill seemed rather insignificant. No matter how hard he sang, he only received some polite applause, and his score was neither high nor low, failing to make a splash at all.

At this moment, in an office 100 kilometers away from the studio.

The lights were blindingly white, and there was a serious smell in the air, a mixture of paper and ink.

Across from Ling Luo sat two men in uniforms; one was taking shorthand notes, while the other's gaze was fixed on him.

"Researcher Ling, please read the terms carefully. From now on, no matter what field you are in, all your experiences at Base 303 will be classified and must not be disclosed to any unrelated personnel."

After a long while, Ling Luo finished signing the last document and stood up.

"Have you reached an agreement?" Old Zhou greeted him from outside the door.

Ling Luo nodded: "The consent form will be issued in a couple of days. Today's questioning is just a routine inquiry."

"Alright." Old Zhou's eyes reddened, and he raised his hand to pat Ling Luo's shoulder heavily, as if he wanted to pat in all his lifelong advice. "From now on, no matter where you are, being safe and sound is more important than anything else."

The old man turned around, raised his hand and waved, as if trying to drive away some emotion.

"Alright, go on, don't delay your work."

"Teacher, I will do it as soon as possible."

Ling Luo responded softly, unsure if Old Zhou had heard her. He turned and quickly left, hailing a taxi.

"Master, to the film sound field studio, please hurry."

Backstage in the studio, time was ticking away. Gu Yang yawned several times in a row, his eyelids feeling as heavy as if they were weighed down by weights.

He nudged Feng Yuxi, who was intently watching the performance.

"Hey bro, are you a newbie?"