As Shen Qingfeng stepped off the stage, the host returned.
“Haha, I didn’t expect even an idol star to participate in our event. With classmate Shen joining, the pressure on the other contestants has instantly increased.” The host made a joke.
The couples participating on the side immediately wore bitter expressions. At most, they had five hundred votes, while Shen Qingfeng had over eight hundred. What was the point of playing?
“What kind of competition is this when a professional comes to compete with us…”
“I want to report this! A professional player is fishing in our pond!”
“Don’t call it fishing, he sings not much better than us. His advantage is his idol aura.”
“The problem is, his idol aura alone allows him to get first place just by humming a couple of lines. Isn’t that infuriating?”
“Seeing his smug look makes me angry.”
“Forget it, I’m not competing anymore.”
“…”
Originally, there was some suspense to these people participating in the competition. But after Shen Qingfeng went up, he completely made the competition unplayable. Some people directly gave up. The host called out names consecutively, but there were no responses.
“Heh, since no one else is here, let’s announce the results,” Shen Qingfeng said with a smile. With his leading number of votes, there was no suspense in the competition. His words were arrogant, showing no regard for the others. This was even after he had deliberately restrained himself. If he hadn’t been concerned about maintaining his image, he would have gone on stage to claim the prize directly.
“‘Tsundere Qingfeng’ lives up to his name.”
“But, I think he’s a bit rude.”
“Hmph, what do you know? If you have the skill, what’s wrong with being a little arrogant?”
“That’s right, our Qingfeng brother is just like that.”
“If you don’t like it, go up and compete instead of talking bad about others here.”
The fans of traffic idols were indeed extraordinary. As long as their idol achieved even a little success, they would praise him to the skies. Furthermore, they wouldn’t allow outsiders to criticize him.
“Is contestant number 77 here? Please welcome contestant number 77 to the stage.” The host’s voice grew increasingly awkward. Those whose numbers were called didn’t respond. How could this be hosted?
Originally, there were still over a dozen people before Su Yu. In a short while, it was their turn.
“Su Yu, do you have confidence?” Lin Yanyu felt that if she wore a mask, it might not necessarily be a match for Shen Qingfeng.
“Should be fine. If not, we don’t lose anything.” Su Yu was low-key by nature. He was only singing today because Lin Yanyu wanted the prize. He wasn’t trying to show off. It would be great to win, but there was no loss if he didn’t.
Holding hands, they walked onto the stage. The host finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Haha, please introduce yourselves.” After saying that, he looked at Su Yu and his companion. Lin Yanyu stepped forward, and the host quickly handed her the microphone.
“Hello everyone, we are the Yan Yu combination. We came on stage mainly to hear my boyfriend sing. If you think he sings well, please vote for him.” As a singer, Lin Yanyu’s ability to canvass for votes was an innate skill. Her words immediately drew a cheer from the audience.
“If you’re ready, let’s begin.” The host gestured to Su Yu with a smile. The latter nodded and sat down in his seat. Lin Yanyu sat beside him. Although her expression couldn’t be seen behind the mask, the excitement and anticipation in her eyes were clear.
“Su Yu, do your best!” she gave Su Yu a thumbs-up.
“If it’s embarrassing, we’ll just scurry away,” Su Yu leaned in and joked.
“Alright, you run first, I’ll cover your retreat,” Lin Yanyu whispered, then giggled. The host’s reminder interrupted their little moment. Su Yu then picked up his guitar. He gently strummed the strings a couple of times, the notes perfectly in tune. Holding his guitar, he sat up straight. He began to play.
The song “Lovely Woman” is an R&B style song. It has a lively rhythm and is very melodic. Su Yu’s professional-level guitar skills perfectly rendered the lively introduction. The audience couldn't help but nod their heads to the rhythm. This intro is quite interesting.
“Want… cough cough.” The first word Su Yu sang, he felt an itch in his throat and couldn’t help but cough. The venue instantly fell silent, and everyone looked at him in shock.
“Sorry, my throat isn’t warmed up. Let’s try again.” Damn, this was truly embarrassing. Su Yu glanced at Lin Yanyu. She was covering her mouth and chuckling, which made him give her a look. He was making a fool of himself, and it was also embarrassing her, yet she was still in the mood to laugh.
“Haha, is this guy really capable?”
“Did he come up here to be funny? He fell apart before he even started singing.”
“Haha, I thought he was an expert when I saw his guitar playing so nimbly.”
“It’s normal not to sing well without warming up. Don’t jump to conclusions yet.” The audience below was amused by Su Yu. Shen Qingfeng also shook his head in disdain. This? And he wants to compete with me? He felt that Su Yu was just wasting his time on stage.
At this moment, Su Yu on stage was starting the second introduction. His left-hand chord changes were smooth, and his right-hand rhythm was steady as a rock.
“Want to have a helicopter, want to fly to space with you.” The first line was finally sung. His voice was a bit weak. The audience below shook their heads in disappointment. This singing skill is amateur level.
However, Su Yu found the key issue and increased his breath control.
“Want to melt into you, melt into the Milky Way.” The second line, his breath suddenly stabilized, but the rhythm was slightly off. He tapped his toes on the ground, mentally counting the beats.
“Every, every, every day I think and think and think of you,
This sweetness makes me start to believe in destiny,
Thank you, gravity, for letting me meet you.”
The third line, his breath and rhythm were fine, and he even added a bit of emotion. He looked up at Lin Yanyu beside him, his eyes full of affection.
“The lovely woman who makes me blush,
The lovely woman who makes my heart ache with tenderness,
The lovely woman who touches me with her intelligence,
The lovely woman who drives me crazy with her mischief.”
At this moment, Lin Yanyu was stunned. Unlike the amateurs, she could discern Su Yu’s issues. In just a few lines from Su Yu, she felt as if she witnessed the singer’s entire life stages. From the initial opening mistake, then to insufficient breath, then to inaccurate rhythm, and finally, a lack of emotion. With every line Su Yu sang, he perfectly resolved the shortcomings of the previous line. By the final section, there were no flaws at all.
Did he know how to sing, or not? He improved in every line from the beginning? This thought struck her as absurd. It must be that he hadn’t sung in a long time and was rusty. Only this explanation made sense.
Meanwhile, Su Yu was already playing the interlude. A complex guitar solo.
“Holy crap, that barre chord!”
“Holy crap, those slides and chord changes! Awesome!”
“Damn, was this kid putting on a show earlier?”
“This guitar skill is truly amazing!”
“He sings well too. This song is so sweet.”
“Mmm, this song is really good. Why haven’t I heard it before?”
“…”
The lyrics of “Lovely Woman” are simple, but they are filled with sweet confessions. Most of the lyrics are repetitive, but that doesn’t mean the quality is low. On the contrary, these repetitive romantic lyrics make the sweetness of the song even more explosive.