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

"Is this what they call a 'death draw'?"

In the backstage control room, Zhou Yan crossed his legs, watching the figure slowly walk onto the stage on the monitor, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

He was fiddling with the pen in his hand, spinning it rapidly.

A technician standing nearby nodded meekly.

"According to big data analysis, the first contestant to appear usually faces a triple disadvantage: the equipment is not warmed up, the audience is not engaged, and the judges' scores are conservative."

"And then there's that C5 tweeter red wire you set up..."

The technician glanced at the prominent red warning line at the bottom of the screen and swallowed hard.

"As long as his pitch doesn't reach that standard, the big screen will display 'Not up to standard' in real time, which is a devastating blow to the singer's mentality."

Zhou Yan gave a satisfied hum.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.

What talent, what deep affection?

In the face of absolute rules, everything else is nonsense.

"Turn up the microphone," Zhou Yan coldly ordered. "I want the entire audience to hear every single detail of his voice cracking."

at the same time.

on the stage.

The previously noisy discussion became eerily quiet the moment Xu Qing stood still.

It's not because of expectations.

It was out of curiosity, not curiosity.

Everyone wanted to see what kind of antics this madman with his "red and white wedding team" could pull off on this semi-final stage where professional singers were battling it out.

Xu Qing was wearing that white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing her smooth forearms.

Clean and neat.

The previous sense of dejection, as if he had just crawled out of a graveyard, was completely gone.

Wang Dazhu, Li Ergou, and Zhang Tiedan, who were standing behind him, had also changed into formal attire.

Although Wang Dazhu's face looked like that of a construction foreman who had just arrived in the city, when he sat behind that expensive drum set, he exuded a strange murderous aura.

Zhang Tiedan was holding a bass, while Li Ergou was holding an electric guitar instead of an erhu.

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

"Holy crap? Am I seeing things?"

"This isn't right. What happened to the suona playing to send the whole audience off?"

"Why did you change it to a rock band?"

"These people can play Western musical instruments? Is this just a staged photo shoot?"

Whether it was the audience at the scene or the tens of millions of netizens in the live broadcast room, they were all taken aback by this sudden change in style.

On the judges' panel.

Ke Min frowned and turned her head to look at "Teacher Luo" next to her.

"Is he going to play rock music?"

Luo Qianyu didn't say anything.

The eyes behind the sunglasses were fixed on the man in the center of the stage.

Although they were several tens of meters apart.

But she could sense that Xu Qing's aura had changed.

The Xu Qing of the past was like a stagnant pool, unfathomable and chillingly cold.

But today's Xu Qing.

It's like a ball of fire.

A mass of magma, suppressed beneath the ice, is about to erupt.

Xu Qing reached out and held the microphone.

He didn't look at the audience, the camera, or even Zhou Yan, who was waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

His gaze pierced through the layers of light and shadow, landing precisely on the far right of the judges' panel.

That's the direction Luo Qianyu is heading.

Xu Qing's lips curled up slightly, revealing a long-lost, warm smile.

next second.

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

"Smack."

The previously dim stage lights suddenly turned on.

But this time, it wasn't that pale, cold light, nor that eerie, deep blue.

Instead, it's orange.

A warm orange hue that blankets everything.

Countless lights converged together, like the rising sun, illuminating the entire stage.

Xu Qing's figure was stretched long by the light, but she no longer looked lonely.

Followed by.

A burst of rousing piano prelude, like a rushing river, instantly broke the dullness in the venue.

The music was followed by a powerful and majestic string section that struck the heart.

There is no prelude, no pointless narration.

Xu Qing's words were thunderous.

My world is beautiful because of you!

"My sky will never be dark because of you!"

The moment the sound was uttered, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, as if they had seen a ghost.

This...this is Xu Qing?

Xu Qing, the one who only sings funeral songs and whose voice is so hoarse it sounds like he swallowed a razor blade.

At this moment.

His voice still had that signature hoarse, grainy quality, but the weakness and despair were completely gone.

Instead, it possesses an unprecedented penetrating power.

It was like a heavy hammer that slammed down on everyone's skull.

That sense of power needs no embellishment; it's pure emotional expression.

"Give me happiness, and shed tears for my sorrow."

"Give me tolerance, so that I may spread my wings and fly!"

As these lyrics were sung, Zhou Yan, backstage, suddenly jumped up from his chair.

"How is this possible?!"

He stared intently at the audio analyzer in front of him.

That red line representing pitch was originally a trap he set for Xu Qing.

But now.

The green waveform is soaring with unstoppable momentum.

C3……C4……D4……

It's frighteningly stable.

There wasn't a trace of trembling or strain.

"Your words, your tears, your laughter, your beauty."

"More beautiful than the most beautiful rose in my eyes!"

Xu Qing held the microphone, leaning back slightly.

He used to think it was an abyss of suffering.

But now he knows.

That's not an abyss.

That was the darkness before dawn.

Because his sun has always been there.

He was sitting right there in the audience, awkwardly wearing sunglasses, thinking he was hiding himself well.

"Fly forward with your dreams in your heart, without running away or retreating."

"You are the fortress on my road to success!"

As the lyrics were sung, Wang Dazhu slammed his drumstick down.

"Thump—!"

The heavy drumbeats, like the violent beating of a heart, instantly ignited the entire venue.

Zhang Tiedan's bass roared, and Li Ergou's electric guitar whistled.

These three rural men, who originally only played music and sang at weddings and funerals, suddenly unleashed astonishing energy.

They don't understand what rock and roll spirit is.

All they knew was that Xu Qing said the rooster crows to wake the sun.

Now that the sun is out, we have to roar, we have to shout, we have to show these city folks what vitality is.

Give me wings, so I can fly!

The chorus is coming.

Xu Qing's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

It broke through A4 and headed straight for the so-called C5 red line.

On the judges' panel.

Luo Qianyu clenched her fist tightly under the table, her neatly trimmed nails digging deeply into her palm.

pain.

But the pain confirmed to her that it was all real.

My world is beautiful because of you...

Tears instantly blurred my vision.

This song is for her.

Every word, every note, was Xu Qing telling her—

I don't hate you.

Even if I was deceived for three years, even if I almost lost my life.

As long as you are here, my world is bright.

"You give me strength; you make me strong!"

"I'm not afraid of getting hurt, because you're by my side!"