Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

At 8 PM London time, the "Eternal Voice" global live broadcast studio.

Outside the studio tonight, the rain had long since stopped, but the air still smelled of gunpowder more intense than during the torrential rains of the past few days.

The venue was packed with 2,000 audience members, their glow sticks creating a sea of ​​stars. Meanwhile, on major global streaming platforms, the number of online viewers surpassed a staggering 80 million within the first five minutes of the broadcast.

"Here it comes! The Atlantic storm versus the mysterious Eastern demon king!"

"Gabriel has been swaggering on Twitter all week; it would be hilarious if he messed up tonight!"

"I heard Lin Yuan has been eating fish and chips and going to bars every day in London this week, and hasn't been rehearsing much at all. Is that true?"

"Waiting for the gods to fight!"

The live chat was flooded with comments, but the atmosphere in the backstage lottery lounge was rather subtle... eerie.

In front of the large screen in the lounge, big names from the European and American music scene gathered.

Gabriel, dressed in a studded leather jacket, sat on a leather sofa with his legs crossed, chewing bubble gum, his blond hair sticking up, exuding an arrogant and domineering aura of "I am the best in the world".

His eyes kept drifting towards the other side every now and then.

Across from him, Lin Yuan was wearing a simple dark gray casual suit, holding a thermos cup, and intently soaking goji berries in it.

Gabriel frowned.

Does this kid even know what psychological warfare is? I stared at him for a full three minutes, and he didn't even lift his head once. Instead, he was still studying whether that goji berry sank to the bottom!

"Alright, everyone, top musicians!" The host walked in amiably, carrying a transparent lottery box. "The rules for tonight's challenge match remain unchanged. Gabriel, as the challenger, will determine his performance order. If he draws 'first,' he will sing first; if he draws 'second,' the challenged Lin Yuan will sing first."

Gabriel sneered, stood up, and strode to the lottery box.

As he reached in, he glanced at Lin Yuan with an extremely arrogant look: "Lin, I hope you're ready. If I draw the second card, you might not even have the courage to go on stage after I finish singing."

Lin Yuan took a sip of goji berry water and smiled gently: "It's alright, as long as you're happy. But a friendly reminder, the right side of that box is a bit sharp, be careful with your manicure."

Gabriel's lips twitched slightly: "These are calluses from a death metal rock musician! Not manicures!"

He forcefully pulled out a billiard ball.

The number above is crystal clear – "Number 1 (First Move)".

Gabriel was stunned.

According to the conventional logic of music competitions, singers who perform later have a significant advantage in terms of emotional progression and audience memorability. While performing first can give a head start, if the later performers are too strong, the earlier performers can easily be overshadowed.

A few soft laughs came from the lounge.

Gabriel's face flushed slightly, and he squeezed the ball so hard it made a cracking sound, stubbornly insisting, "First strike it is! I'll let you experience what a real rock 'n' roll tsunami is like backstage!"

Lin Yuan put down his thermos and even clapped his hands affectionately: "Keep it up, I believe in you!"

Gabriel: "..."

It felt like punching an extremely soft cotton ball; not only did it not hurt the other party, but it also bounced off the surface of the cotton.

The competition officially began at 8:30.

As one of the absolute stars of the evening, Gabriel was the first to appear!

When the stage lights suddenly went out and then burst into an extremely dazzling blood-red beam of light, the two thousand audience members instantly went wild!

"Boom!"

The incredibly penetrating double bass drum sound pounded into everyone's chest like a heavy hammer!

Gabriel, microphone in hand, stood on stage like a wild beast that had finally broken free of its chains. Tonight, he was performing his classic heavy metal rock hit, "Iron Empire."

The extremely high-pitched, gritty vocals, the exaggeratedly sharp high notes, and the incredibly powerful electric guitar playing backstage instantly transformed the entire studio into a frenzied rock nightclub!

"roar--!!"

The European and American audience members below the stage were so excited that their faces turned red, and they waved their hands wildly. Even the two veteran rock singers on the judges' panel couldn't help but stand up and sway along.

"Gabe! Gabe! Gabe!"

The cheers from the crowd were so loud they seemed to tear the roof off.

Backstage at the studio, the manager, watching Gabriel's frenzied performance on the monitor, finally breathed a sigh of relief: "It's a sure thing! Gabriel's performance tonight is phenomenal! This kind of nuclear-level vocal output puts immense pressure on the singers who come on stage later!"

Meanwhile, in the backstage lounge...

Lin Yuan sat on the sofa, listening to the heavy bass that even the soundproof walls couldn't block out, while taking out a bag of English tea butter biscuits he had bought at a supermarket in London from his pocket.

"Crunch." He took a bite.

British pop diva Adèle, who was also a contestant next to him, was stunned: "Lin...aren't you nervous? Gabriel's high notes tonight have already reached over E5, the sound waves almost lifted the stage off its feet."

Lin Yuan swallowed the biscuit, then took a sip of goji berry water, his face deep in thought:

"I'm not nervous, I'm just thinking that these British biscuits are really good, just a little dry. Would you like one? It's a British specialty."

Adela: "...Thank you, I don't want any."

Viewers who saw this scene through behind-the-scenes footage were in stitches, and the comments section erupted in laughter:

"Hahahaha! The Great Demon King is backstage eating cookies and listening to rock music!"

Gabriel: I'm going to tear you apart with rock and roll! Lin Yuan: Hmm, these cookies are really crunchy.

"The emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is; Gabu is working his butt off on stage, while Lin Yuan is enjoying afternoon tea backstage!"

"Imagine the psychological trauma Gabriel suffered after being ousted!"

On stage, Gabriel finished his last incredibly powerful high note and ended the performance with a powerful kneeling slide!

"Boom!" The entire audience erupted in applause!

Gabriel stood breathlessly in the center of the stage, basking in the thunderous cheers of the audience. He glanced defiantly towards the backstage aisle, his eyes filled with arrogance.

Your turn, Oriental!

"Thank you, Gabriel, for such a powerful and energetic performance!" The host walked onto the stage, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Now, please welcome our second contestant tonight—Lin Yuan!"

The applause gradually subsided, transforming into an extremely eerie sense of anticipation.

Gabriel had just brought the atmosphere on stage to a volcanic eruption-like peak, and the entire studio still retained the heat and ferocity of heavy metal rock.

In this situation, any singer who follows and tries to compete with high notes and hype will be completely overwhelmed by Gabriel's lingering power!

Lin Yuan slowly walked onto the stage.

At the center of the stage, there was only an extremely exquisite black Steinway grand piano and an extremely minimalist string section.

Lin Yuan sat down at the piano.

He straightened his suit jacket, smiled very gently into the microphone, and said, "Gabriel's voice just now was so powerful that my ears were ringing."

A burst of good-natured laughter erupted from the audience, instantly easing the tense atmosphere that had been on the verge of conflict.

Gabriel sneered backstage: "Sweet talk."

However, the stage lights suddenly went out the next second.

A soft blue spotlight shone on Lin Yuan, enveloping him and the black piano.

There was no expected furious prelude, nor any flashy, explosive sound effects.

"Thump..."

Lin Yuan's fingers gently landed on the piano keys.

A series of extremely clean, even slightly melancholic and ethereal piano chords flowed slowly through the quiet studio.

Immediately following was a soft, rhythmic vocal sample interwoven with the low hum of the cello.

That's a perfect combination of Timbaland's forward-thinking pop rhythm design and OneRepublic's extremely beautiful and heartfelt melody!

— "Apologize"

In Lin Yuan's previous life, the song "Apologize" was written by Ryan Tedder, lead singer of OneRepublic, and later remixed with a divine arrangement by the gold-medal producer Timbaland. It not only broke the record for the most radio airplay in North America at the time, but also topped the charts in dozens of countries around the world, and is hailed as one of the most elegant and catchy "breakup ballads" and a divine song in the history of pop music!

Lin Yuan lowered his head slightly and moved closer to the microphone.

Instead of the heart-wrenching roar of Gabriel, he sang softly in a captivating falsetto, with a slightly husky tone and an exquisitely enveloping quality:

"I'm holding on your rope got me ten feet off the ground..."

(My glimmer of hope plunged me into the abyss once again...)

"And I'm hearin' what you say, but I just can't make a sound..."

(I understand everything you're saying, but all I can do is remain silent in despair...)

Just open your mouth!

The two thousand audience members, who were still in the afterglow of the rock 'n' roll frenzy, suddenly felt a chill run down their spines!

The feeling is like being in a sweltering summer desert when someone suddenly brings you an ice-cold blackcurrant premixed cocktail. Cool, pure, with a slightly intoxicating bitterness, it instantly permeates every pore of your body!

On the judging panel, three top producers from the Western music scene suddenly widened their eyes!

"This melody... oh my god!"

"What's with the rhythm mixing in this accompaniment? How can the combination of piano and R&B rhythms create such a sense of layering?!"

On stage, Lin Yuan's voice gradually intensified with the introduction of strings, his emotions unfolding slowly and restrainedly:

"You tell me that you need me, then you go and cut me down..."

(You told me you needed me, but now I'm leaving you heartbroken...)

"But wait..."

(All I can do is wait in vain...)

"You tell me that you'll be sorry, didn't think I'd turn around..."

(Your apology was so pale and powerless, I could only turn away helplessly...)

Now for the chorus!

Lin Yuan's left hand slammed down an extremely full chord on the piano, while his right hand leaped, and his voice seamlessly switched from an ethereal falsetto to a powerful and metallic alternation between true and falsetto!

"It's too late to apologize, it's too late..."

(I'm saying it's too late now, really too late...)

"I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late..."

(As I said, it's too late to apologize now...)

Backstage lounge.

Gabriel stood up.

His arrogant smile froze on his face. Halfway through blowing the bubble gum, it popped on his lips with a "pop," and he didn't even bother to wipe it off.

"This...this arrangement..." Gabriel muttered to himself.

He's a rock musician, and he knows best what the "power" of sound is.

But he hadn't expected that power didn't just come from screaming at the top of his lungs. Lin Yuan's mastery of perfectly blending R&B rhythms, epic strings, pop piano, and extremely restrained high notes was a higher-dimensional form of "vocal domination"!

Compared to Lin Yuan's piano playing and singing, Gabriel's earlier frenzied rock music seemed like an over-energetic child banging on a wall, while Lin Yuan was like an elegant king sitting in a castle, smiling as he decided your fate!

Inside the studio, the song reached its final climax.

The cello and violin ensemble weaves a web of sorrow, while Lin Yuan's piano playing grows faster and faster, his high notes rising again and again in the chanting of "It's too late to apologize"!

Each ascent was accompanied by unconscious gasps and trembling from the audience!

"It's too late to apologize..."

The last chord slowly faded away.

Lin Yuan's fingers stopped on the piano keys.

Inside the studio, you could hear a pin drop.

next moment--

The applause and screams, even more exaggerated and enthusiastic than when Gabriel's performance ended, completely engulfed the entire studio like a tsunami!

"Oh my God!!!"

"This is legendary!"

"My God! This song totally hit me!"

The three producers on the judging panel even stood up and applauded wildly!

The comments in the live stream:

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! This is amazing! The arrangement is incredible!"

"Apologize! It's too late, the apology is too late!"

"Just now Gabriel was clamoring to tear everything apart, but Lin Yuan's song 'Too Late, Don't Apologize' completely turned the tables and deterred him, hahaha!"

"Amazing! This is a complete game-changer! No matter how energetic rock music is, it can't withstand the arrival of this divine song!"

Amidst thunderous applause and cheers, Lin Yuan gracefully rose from the piano and bowed slightly to the audience.

He glanced towards the backstage corridor, a playful smile curving his lips.

At this moment, Gabriel was standing there blankly at the backstage entrance, looking at Lin Yuan, who was shining brightly on the stage, and then at his own studded leather jacket.

For some reason, Gabriel suddenly felt that the phrase kept echoing in his mind:

"It's too late to apologize..."

(Apologizing now... is too late.)

Gabriel shuddered:

Damn... Is this kid hinting at me with the lyrics?!