Entertainment: A song that brought his deceased wife back to life.

The studio lights suddenly changed.

It's no longer those dazzling stage spotlights.

No warm colors were used either.

A vast expanse of pale light shone down from above, illuminating the stage as if it were a bloodless face.

Followed by.

Two beams of pale red light shone upwards from below.

Red and white intertwined.

The eerie visual impact sent a chill down the spines of the audience in the front row.

This is hardly a talent show stage.

This is clearly a funeral parlor in the dead of night in the middle of nowhere.

A static hum came from the speakers.

Sizzle.

It sounded like an old radio with a bad signal, or like something unclean trying to speak.

Li Ergou made a move.

He sat in the chair, his thick-rimmed glasses reflecting a stark white light.

He pulled the bow sharply in his hand.

The erhu's unique timbre instantly cuts in.

Desolate and fierce.

sharp.

Without any gentle transition, there was a heart-wrenching sob.

That sound sent chills down your spine.

The smiles on the faces of the audience who were expecting a laugh vanished.

The light sign they were holding was slowly lowered.

No one dared to laugh.

In this atmosphere, it takes a lot of courage to laugh out loud.

Xu Qing sat in the interplay of red and white light and shadow.

He held the red paper veil in his hand, his fingertips gently stroking the rough paper surface.

His eyes were vacant.

No focal length.

It was as if I had pierced through the camera, through layers of crowds, and looked into another world.

In that world, someone is waiting for him.

"The eighteenth day of the first lunar month..."

Xu Qing spoke up.

The voice was kept extremely low.

It's not the kind of strained vocal technique used to show off low-pitched voice.

Rather, it's a muttering that's like holding your breath in your throat.

It sounded like a sorceress whispering in the dead of night.

"An auspicious day..."

"Sorghum stalks..."

Every word he uttered carried a chilling aura.

As he recited his lines, Zhang Tiedan struck the drum once more.

thump.

Dull.

Repressed.

This drumbeat didn't feel like it was hitting the drumhead; it felt more like a hammer slamming into everyone's hearts.

Even my breath hitched.

"Bring on the red dress..."

"Every foot of land evokes a deep resentment..."

"A hasty cut..."

Xu Qing's voice grew softer and softer, yet clearer and clearer.

That elusive feeling made it seem like he wasn't even in the studio.

The chat in the live stream went crazy.

One second the haters were mocking "country bands," the next they were practically smashing their keyboards.

[Holy crap! Protect yourself with bullet comments! Protect yourself with bullet comments!]

[Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony... I'm reciting the core socialist values, don't scare me!]

Is this some kind of eerie music? Why do I feel like the room temperature has dropped five degrees?

[Does anyone understand? I'm watching the live stream alone at home, and now I'm too scared to go to the bathroom!]

Is this still the same Xu Qing who sang rock? The contrast is too great!

Stop talking, my dog ​​was barking like crazy at the screen, now he's crawling under the bed.

Backstage lounge.

Zhang Ye was holding the bottle of Evian water in his hand; the bottle was already deformed from being squeezed.

His expression was very unpleasant.

It wasn't the kind of jealousy that comes from being overshadowed.

It was fear.

A fear that stems from instinct.

He grew up abroad and received a Western music education.

He always felt that folk music was unsophisticated and not respectable.

But now.

This "rustic" thing transformed into an invisible pressure, gripping his throat tightly.

"What...what is this thing?"

Zhang Ye's voice trembled as he asked his agent beside him.

The agent looked unwell and rubbed the goosebumps on his arms.

"It seems... is called 'Double Happiness'."

"This isn't celebration, it's a funeral!"

Zhang Ye cursed, but he found his voice was weak.

He looked at Xu Qing on the screen.

The man sat there like a judge who held the power of life and death.

Even with three country bumpkins in floral shirts sitting next to him, he couldn't hide his menacing aura.

on the stage.

Li Ergou's erhu playing became increasingly urgent.

It sounded like someone was chasing after you, or like someone was crying out in front of you.

Xu Qing suddenly stood up.

The movements were very stiff.

His knees didn't bend; he stood up straight.

It was like a paper doll that had just been made up being forcibly pulled up by the strings.

He turned around.

Looking at the empty space around me.

The emptiness in his eyes disappeared.

Instead, there is an extreme gentleness.

That gentleness seemed particularly eerie under the stark white light.

He bent down slightly and extended his hand.

He was barely holding onto a wisp of air.

It was as if an unseen bride was standing there.

"Sever the good man..."

"Why can't I return..."

"Pretending to be happy..."

As Xu Qing sang this part, the corners of her mouth suddenly twitched upwards.

He is laughing.

But the smile only remained on the surface, not in the eyes.

His forced smile, combined with his stiff body movements, perfectly heightened the atmosphere of terror.

A female audience member in the front row was so frightened that she covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.

She wanted to run away.

But his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and he couldn't move them at all.

All I could do was stare intently at that "madman" on stage.

On the judges' panel.

The three judges who had accepted money from Zhao Tai were now extremely uneasy.

The overweight judge's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

He wiped it with a tissue, and another one popped up.

"How...how should I comment on this?"

The chubby judge whispered to the long-haired man next to him.

"This is too artistic; if we try to criticize it directly, we'll be torn to shreds."

The long-haired man swallowed.

"Stay calm, don't panic."

"This style is too niche; the general public may not accept it."

"We'll tell him later that he's a charlatan and not up to par."

That being said...

But his own legs, which were under the table, were shaking.

That's really weird.

This song is like magic; it captivates your soul.

At this moment.

Sitting in the far corner is "Teacher Luo," also known as Luo Qianyu.

She was not afraid.

Behind the sunglasses, her eyes were filled with tears.

She understood.

What others see is fear, gloom, and ghost marriage.

What she saw was Xu Qing's obsession.

He was telling everyone, including her, in this way.

Even if it means crossing the line between life and death.

Even if they are separated by life and death.

He was determined to make the wedding ceremony happen.

Xu Qing helped the unseen bride and slowly took two steps forward.

The steps were heavy.

Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge.

Zhang Tiedan's large gong rang out at just the right moment.

chap——

A sharp metallic scraping sound rang out, as if it were tearing through the air.

Xu Qing stopped in her tracks.

He faced the void.

He slowly adjusted the non-existent long robe and mandarin jacket.

That gesture was so solemn it brought tears to my eyes.

"I bow to Heaven and Earth!"

Xu Qing suddenly raised her voice.

This shout was no longer a low, monologue.

Instead, it was a sobbing cry.

He clasped his hands together and raised them high above his head.

then.

He bent over heavily.

He bowed deeply to the pitch-black void.

My waist was bent at a 90-degree angle.

He didn't get up for a long time.

The entire room fell silent.

I couldn't even hear him breathing.

All the noise, all the ridicule, all the prejudice.

Before this bow, everything vanished like smoke.

All that remained was a tremor that came from the depths of one's soul.

At this moment.

No one thought that Wang Dazhu, Li Ergou, and Zhang Tiedan on stage were clowns.

Li Ergou had his eyes closed, and the bowstring on his erhu was about to break.

He was pulling the world's joys and sorrows together.

Wang Dazhu puffed out his cheeks and gripped the suona tightly in his hand.

He is waiting.

Waiting for that moment of explosion.

Waiting for that moment when we can tear the sky apart.

Xu Qing slowly straightened up.

His face was expressionless.

But a tear slid down the corner of her eye.

The tear shone brightly under the stark white light.

He turned in another direction.

Facing that unseen "elderly hall".

"Bowing to our parents again!"

Boom!

Zhang Tiedan slammed his drum down hard.

That sound was so loud it made my heart ache.

Xu Qing bent down again.

The movement was even more forceful than before.

It's as if they want to bury all the respect they have for this lifetime into the earth.

In the audience seats.

The phone in "Skinning King's" hand had long since fallen to the ground.

He opened his mouth wide, making a hoarse sound from his throat.

He wanted to swear.

I think this is all feudal superstition.

But he discovered that he couldn't make a sound at all.

The sense of oppression was too strong.

It was so powerful that he felt his earlier remarks criticizing Xu Qing were blasphemous.

"This is... this is fucking terrifying..."

The skin-peeling king's henchman tugged at his boss's sleeve, trembling.

"Boss, shall we retreat?"

"I...I'm a little cold..."

Peeling King glared at him, his legs trembling, but he still forced himself to maintain his composure.

"Withdraw what?!"

"This is...this is visual kei!"

"It's just a charade! Don't...don't be afraid!"