The song "The Actor" at the beginning stunned me with its portrayal of the aloof school be

Jiang Che's singing suddenly rose in pitch—

I was once overwhelmed by the vastness of the world.

"Also indulging in sleep-talking."

"Unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, I will not struggle, nor fear ridicule."

"I once poured my youth into her."

"I once played out the height of summer with my fingertips."

"Let your heart guide you, and let things take their course."

"Walking against the light, braving the wind and rain."

The chorus exploded.

Jiang Che's voice suddenly expanded out.

The moment that most touching melody was uttered, the air in the entire recording studio seemed to freeze for a moment.

The wind picked up.

All the restraint I had built up in the first half finally crumbled at this moment.

Jiang Che's voice had an indescribable vastness, as if it suddenly pulled a person from a quiet room to a high wilderness, with the wind filling their ears and a long road stretching out to the horizon.

Goosebumps rose on the back of everyone's neck.

The contestants in the front row who had been whispering to each other immediately fell silent.

Someone in the back row suddenly sat up straight.

The audience member who had been looking down at their phone suddenly slammed it onto their lap, their eyes glued back to the stage.

That power that suddenly bursts forth from calm is ten times more ferocious than any high-pitched scream that comes out of the mouth.

Because it has a foundation, it has accumulated experience, and it has a quiet first few minutes as a base.

This explosion caught everyone off guard and sent shivers down their spines.

Several girls sitting in the front row suddenly had tears in their eyes.

Not just the front row.

Throughout the entire venue, from the center area to the side areas, everyone was glued to their seats by that one chorus.

Someone forgot to breathe.

Some people forgot the teacup they were still holding.

All that pessimism and impatience from before was completely washed away by this melody, leaving not a trace.

……

Judges' panel.

That sharp-tongued producer.

The hand that was always hovering above the elimination button.

froze.

Then, slowly, inch by inch, it was withdrawn.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word for a long time.

Having worked in music for twenty years, he knew better than anyone what he had almost pressed the button on.

He almost became the first fool to eliminate this song, and tomorrow he would be nailed to the pillar of shame by the entire internet.

A layer of cold sweat broke out on his back, and he subconsciously hid his hands behind his back, afraid of being caught on camera.

……

C position area.

The smile that had just appeared on Lin Wei's face.

Inch by inch, it froze at the corner of his mouth.

She understood better than any ordinary audience member what a truly good song meant.

And this one.

She had never heard of it.

She searched through the entire Chinese music scene in her mind, but couldn't find a single song that matched it, nor could she find the slightest trace of imitation.

Completely original.

An original song worthy of making the charts.

Just now, she was so proud of that team piece that she even used to publicly belittle Jiang Che.

Compared to this song, it suddenly seems like a joke.

The finished product, which cost a fortune and involved an entire team, paled in comparison to the piece Jiang Che casually played while sitting down.

Lin Wei's smile froze completely.

The female contestant next to her, who had just been agreeing with her, quietly moved to the side, as if sitting next to her was something shameful.

Lin Wei's face gradually turned pale.

She suddenly realized that the people sitting around her, in front of her and behind her, were all her colleagues when she made those disparaging remarks about Jiang Che.

Her face was burning hot.

……

In the guest seats, Lin Xi'er slowly exhaled.

From the very first note to this chorus, she didn't blink once.

She confirmed it.

This song, "The Wind Rises," is 100% original.

She used her entire music library, accumulated over more than a decade, as collateral; there's no other song like it in the entire Chinese music scene.

What alarmed her even more was Jiang Che's effortless ease.

He sang the extremely difficult, restrained narrative as naturally as breathing.

It's as if this level of work is something he can just casually produce.

Lin Xi'er's breathing became rapid involuntarily.

Just how deep is the secret of this person who was relegated to a corner?

She suddenly felt a little fortunate.

She was glad she hadn't missed him, and glad she had stopped on the night of the school anniversary.

Such people should not be buried in a corner.

……

In the dormitory live-streaming room.

The winds have completely reversed.

Wang Haoran yelled at the screen, so excited that he jumped up from his chair, his 180-pound frame causing the chair to tip backward.

"What did I say again!"

"What did I say again?! This is my brother!"

"See that?! The chorus! I told you guys to wait for the chorus!"

Meanwhile, those who were just posting comments like "this is nothing special" were now just leaving comments like "this is nothing special".

At this moment, it was completely drowned out by another voice.

"Holy crap???"

"I'm getting goosebumps!"

"I must have been blind. I'm so sorry."

"Who can resist this chorus!"

"Wait, this is original?? This is really original?"

"Brothers in the corner area, I was wrong. I was the one who yelled 'fast forward' just now. I'm listening to this on my knees now."

"One second I'm urging for more updates, the next I'm really enjoying it. Am I crazy?"

"I've put this chorus on repeat, and nobody's going to stop me."

"I need the full version! I need the audio! I could listen to this song for a year!"

The number of viewers in the live stream was visibly soaring, with the numbers jumping one after another.

The live stream room, which was quiet just minutes ago, was suddenly packed with people.

The hype that had been cut short was reignited by this chorus, burning brighter than any previous center position contestant.

……

on the stage.

The last note flowed from Jiang Che's fingertips and lingered for a long time under the dome of the venue.

Then it dissipated.

The entire room fell into a deathly silence.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

Those three seconds were so quiet you could hear everyone breathing.

No one dared to speak first.

Everyone was still reeling from the chorus, unable to recover.

It was as if they were afraid that if they opened their mouths, they would shatter the lingering aftertaste of the song.

Then, with a loud bang.

The entire audience stood up.

Applause and screams erupted from all directions, more intense than any of the previous performances in the center area.

The first person to stand up and applaud was the sharp-tongued producer on the judging panel.

This guy, who hadn't praised many people in the past twenty years, was now standing ramrod straight, his hands red from clapping.

Next up were the veteran judges.

Then comes the prime area, the scrap area, row after row, like waves of wheat stirred up by the same wind.

The huge hall was now empty.

The host strode onto the stage, held the microphone to his mouth, and asked the question that everyone wanted to ask.

"Jiang Che, could you please tell me whose poem 'The Wind Rises' is?"

Jiang Che sat down at the piano and looked up at the dark mass of people who had stood up below the stage.

He calmly uttered two words.

"Original content".

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

The C-position area was collectively breached.

The group of high-scoring contestants who had been so calm and collected just moments before now stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

They sat in the center, singing a piece that the team had polished.

The student at the bottom of the class in the corner casually pulls out an original song and turns them all into background figures.

Some people's faces turned bright red, while others lowered their heads, no longer daring to look at the camera pointed at them.

The sense of superiority I felt from sitting in the center position just now has been completely shattered.

Lin Wei's face turned deathly pale, and she remained frozen in her seat, unable to utter a single word.

A student who was assigned to the worst seat in the entire venue.

With an original song, he completely crushed her, the one who sat in the center position and had publicly belittled him, leaving her and the song utterly humiliated.

……

at the same time.

In the live stream chat, some sharp-eyed netizens have already uncovered other inside stories.

"Wait a minute, isn't this Jiang Che the one from the school anniversary celebration a while ago?"

"Yes, yes, yes! It's him! The one who sang 'The Actor'! The one who got dumped by his girlfriend but still went on stage to sing a love song!"

"I'll go find the video!"

Soon, the video of the performance of "The Actor" at the school anniversary celebration was dug up and posted in the bullet comments and comment section.

He can still write a hit song even after being dumped by his ex-girlfriend.

This devoted lover persona instantly went viral.

"My God, this guy is so pitiful. He sang a hit song on the day he broke up with his girlfriend, and now he's back in the corner on a variety show to make a comeback."

"I wrote a song for love but got dumped, and I cried."

"I feel sorry for the guy in this corner. Anyone who dumps him is blind."

"With songs like 'The Actor' and 'The Wind Rises,' how could his ex-girlfriend bear to let him go?"