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

The black Maybach came to a steady stop at the back door of the "Rising Star" recording studio.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the air was damp and chilly.

Old Zhang glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror.

Xu Qing leaned back in her chair, her eyes closed, mechanically chewing two tasteless pieces of gum. The colorful little tin box was more than half empty, and the carpet at her feet was covered with spit-out white clumps.

It looks like a camel that only ruminates.

"Mr. Xu, we've arrived," Old Zhang said softly.

Xu Qing opened her eyes.

For a moment, his gaze was unfocused, as if he were looking into the distance, or as if he hadn't fully woken up from the nightmare about the orphanage.

Two seconds later, the focus returned to normal.

He reverted to being the lazy, nonchalant Xu Qing.

Thanks.

Xu Qing got out of the car, spat the chewing gum in her mouth into the trash can next to her, and then put two more pieces into her mouth.

"Mr. Xu," Old Zhang rolled down the car window, somewhat worried, "Master said that if anyone gives you a hard time here, don't hold back, just take action. The medical expenses will be covered by the Luo family."

Xu Qing waved his hand and walked inside without turning his head.

Hands-on?

Is he the kind of rude person?

He's a cultured man.

……

The atmosphere in the rehearsal hall was very strange.

At this time of day, Wang Gang, with his loud voice, would have already started yelling through a megaphone, complaining that the lights weren't bright enough or that the props team was moving too slowly.

But today, it's eerily quiet.

The staff in the corridor avoided Xu Qing's gaze, as if they had seen some kind of plague god who was about to suffer a great misfortune.

Xu Qing chewed gum, put his hands in his pockets, and walked straight to the rehearsal room for Class F.

As soon as I arrived at the door, I heard a noisy argument coming from inside.

"Why are you throwing our things out? These are our livelihoods!" It was Wang Dazhu's voice, sounding both anxious and angry, with a heavy local accent.

"A guy who eats rice? I think he's a beggar."

A strange male voice rang out, high-pitched, sarcastic, and exuding a sense of superiority.

"This is the stage for 'Rising Stars,' a place to create stars, not a place for your country bumpkin troupe to mourn."

"Get out of here with this junk, don't make my floor dirty."

Immediately following was a piercing metallic clang.

It looked like some kind of musical instrument had been slammed to the ground.

Xu Qing paused for a moment.

He reached out and pushed the door open.

The previously chaotic rehearsal room instantly fell silent.

The situation inside the room was immediately apparent.

Wang Dazhu, Li Ergou, and Zhang Tiedan huddled in the corner, their faces flushed and their eyes filled with tears, yet they dared not speak out in their anger.

Wang Dazhu clutched the red cloth strip tightly in his hand, while his suona lay a few meters away next to a trash can, its bell dented.

Several people were standing in the middle of the room.

The leader was a middle-aged man in a dark blue suit, with slicked-back hair and gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He was holding a handkerchief and disgustedly wiping his fingers that had just touched the suona.

Behind him stood a young man.

Wearing a white haute couture performance outfit and a silver cross necklace around her neck, she held her chin high and looked at the trio in the corner with a look of utter contempt.

Xu Qing knew this young man.

Ye Zhi Qiu.

The champion of the previous season of "Super Singer" is known as the "High Note Demon King". It is said that he can sing High C without cracking. He is a powerful singer that Xinghuang Entertainment has been promoting for the past two years.

As for the one in the suit...

Xu Qing had never seen it before.

"Oh, the main character has arrived."

The man in the suit wasn't surprised at all when he saw Xu Qing come in. Instead, he casually tossed his handkerchief aside and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"Let me introduce myself, my name is Zhou Yan."

"The newly appointed director by the investors."

"As for Wang Gang, he has been dismissed due to his poor work performance."

Zhou Yan pushed up his glasses, and a glint of light flashed behind the lenses.

"Xu Qing, right? I heard you're quite opinionated, and you don't even give face to the investors."

"But you'd better put away those bad habits of yours when you're with me."

"Now that you're here, I'll announce the new rules for this round."

Zhou Yan pulled a document from his pocket and slammed it on the table next to him.

"In the upcoming semi-finals, all contestants will have their 'original content privileges' revoked."

"In other words, you can no longer sing your random original songs."

"The theme of this round is—peak high notes."

"All contestants must choose a highly difficult piece within this vocal range for the competition."

"To ensure the 'fairness' and 'professionalism' of the competition, the program team specially invited Mr. Ye Zhi Qiu as a challenger to directly join the battle."

After Zhou Yan finished speaking, he crossed his arms and looked at Xu Qing with a leisurely air.

This is a conspiracy.

Everyone on the internet knows that Xu Qing's voice is "damaged".

His songs are mostly heartfelt, narrative, and softly sung; although they are full of emotion, their vocal range is not wide.

Let him compete with Ye Zhi Qiu, who is known as a "human voice machine," in high notes?

Isn't this like making a cripple compete with Bolt in a 100-meter sprint?

Furthermore, the ban on original works directly cut off Xu Qing's biggest advantage.

This is the means of capital.

Simple, brutal, and unreasonable.

Ye Zhi Qiu, who was standing next to him, took a step forward, looked Xu Qing up and down, and let out a sneer.

"Xu Qing, I've watched your matches."

"Your story is indeed very touching, and you've been very successful at playing the victim."

"But ultimately, music speaks through sound."

"On this stage, height determines everything."

"And you..."