Chapter Seven: The Astonishment of the Two Great Bosses!

At the same time.

Liu Xiaoyu, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing her staff badge, jeans, and a T-shirt tucked in, came running over at full speed! Several female colleagues trailed behind her.

"Has that boy named Jiang Yi really arrived?" Liu Xiaoyu asked a staff member at the door.

"Yes, he just went in," the staff member replied.

"Ah, may we go in to listen as well?" Liu Xiaoyu asked. "We'd like to hear it too..."

"Huh? This..." The staff member was momentarily stunned. She wasn’t in charge of screening contestants and had no idea why Liu Xiaoyu and the others were so eager.

"We’ve all heard this contestant’s song before," Liu Xiaoyu explained hurriedly, "but his video wasn’t complete, so we wanted to come hear it ourselves..."

It was their break time; they didn’t need to be here for the preliminary audition. But now that they wanted to come, there was no real reason to stop them.

Originally, none of them had planned to attend, but a colleague had just said she’d seen the boy who sang that notorious tearjerker, 'Those Years', had arrived.

Thinking back to not hearing the whole song before, they couldn’t help but come for a look.

"Alright, go on in. But try not to make a disturbance," the staff member said, nodding.

She opened the door quietly and let Liu Xiaoyu and the others slip inside.

"So that’s Jiang Yi?"

"He looks even better in person!"

"His looks are out of this world—he could win any beauty contest!"

Liu Xiaoyu gazed at the handsome young man surrounded by cameras and staff, with Long Dandan and Ma Xiaohan, the two chief producers, at the helm.

The group crept to the edge of the staff, careful not to make a sound. They were, after all, in the entertainment industry—meeting celebrities was nothing new.

Let alone Jiang Yi, who hadn’t even debuted.

It was just that Liu Xiaoyu and her friends were fresh graduates, inexperienced, and having heard only part of Jiang Yi’s talent video, they were curious to hear more.

...

Meanwhile, in the audition room.

"Oh? Alright then, let’s begin. We’d like to hear it," Long Dandan and Ma Xiaohan said after Jiang Yi finished speaking.

They exchanged a glance and nodded.

Just then, Liu Xiaoyu and her group slipped in.

"Hmm?" Long Dandan was mildly puzzled. Though Liu Xiaoyu and the others said nothing, their excitement was a little unusual.

Ma Xiaohan also noticed. Both were seasoned veterans and could spot small anomalies. Liu Xiaoyu and her group were supposed to be on break, but if they wanted to join the fun, that was fine.

Neither dwelled on it further.

However, Zhang Xiaoli, standing beside Long Dandan, noticed Liu Xiaoyu’s group and couldn’t help but explain, "This contestant, Jiang Yi, isn’t professionally trained and doesn’t have many talents, but he’s good-looking. Also, his original song is quite good... and his talent video last time, he didn’t finish singing..."

"Is that so?" Long Dandan and Ma Xiaohan were both surprised.

In fact, during the preliminary auditions, the two chief producers had already glanced at the profiles of the selected contestants. But Jiang Yi’s file hadn’t caught their eye—on paper, he seemed unremarkable, especially compared to the other candidates from professional academies.

"So, what’s the name of the song you’ll perform? 'Those Years'?" Long Dandan asked, glancing at the profile in her hand.

"Yes, this is my original song, called 'Those Years.'"

Jiang Yi, unaware of Liu Xiaoyu and the others, replied, "It’s the theme song for a script I wrote myself..."

He’d wanted to say more, maybe pitch his script in hopes the chief producers might take an interest. But on second thought, he decided against it—they probably wouldn’t pay much attention to his words now.

"Then I’ll begin."

With nothing more to add, Jiang Yi placed his fingers on the guitar strings and began to play the prelude.

The gentle introduction of 'Those Years' flowed through the small music classroom where the program’s first audition was being held.

"Hmm?" Long Dandan’s eyebrow quirked up.

Ma Xiaohan nodded. "This intro isn’t bad..."

Both had organized countless successful talent shows during their years at the TV station and had developed a keen musical sense.

"He’s starting!" Liu Xiaoyu and her group whispered.

Hearing a song live, watching the singer perform right in front of you—it was a completely different experience from watching a video.

...

Jiang Yi did his best to stay calm. After all, before his rebirth, he’d been an ordinary person, never faced with a situation like this.

As his fingers strummed the guitar, Jiang Yi began to sing:

"Back again to where it all began,
In memory, your youthful face,
At last, we’ve come to this day..."

He was grateful for his three days of diligent practice. Though a bit nervous, he made no mistakes; muscle memory had taken over.

"Beneath the desk mat, old photographs,
Countless memories entwined,
Today, the boy keeps his final promise to the girl..."

Jiang Yi’s youthful voice, paired with a beautiful melody and lyrics both simple and refined, instantly changed the expressions of the two chief producers.

From the very start, he was singing about keeping a final promise!

But it was only the verse. Though impressive, the essence of a song lies in the chorus.

The two listened in silence.

Around them, Zhang Xiaoli, the other staff, and Liu Xiaoyu’s group listened quietly as well.

Apart from the guitar, only Jiang Yi’s voice filled the room. Finally, he reached the climax—the chorus:

"Those years, the rain we missed,
Those years, the love we lost,
How I wish I had the courage to hold you..."

At last, Long Dandan and Ma Xiaohan’s expressions changed. The chorus was captivating!

"Once I thought I’d conquer the whole world,
But looking back now I see,
Every drop, every detail was always you..."

When he finished the chorus, the two couldn’t help but exchange a glance. The chorus was heartbreakingly beautiful! It brimmed with the regret of a man who’d missed the girl he loved most in his youth. Earlier, the verse had described the boy attending the girl’s wedding...

In that moment, the lyrics of the verse and chorus connected, and a sense of heartbreak welled up unbidden.

"This song is something special..." the two chief producers exchanged another knowing look. They didn’t need words—the tacit understanding built over years of working together told them everything.

Zhang Xiaoli, seeing their expressions, nodded to herself. She knew she’d made the right choice with this contestant.

Who could say whether he’d become popular or make it to the top ten—the uncertainties of competition were too many. But at least for her part, she’d done her job well.

Glancing aside, Zhang Xiaoli saw Liu Xiaoyu and the other newly hired young staff already lost in Jiang Yi’s song.