Chapter 83 Mentor Deliberation (Fourth Update—Votes Requested)

Hearing the uproar from the live audience, Lin Feng and Qin Ruolin were both at a loss for words. The two finally understood: as soon as they spoke, the crowd would immediately start making a fuss. There was no help for it—after all, their relationship was rather special.

“Lin Feng, may I ask how much Ruolin paid you?” Liu Hua pressed on.

Lin Feng frowned, hesitating whether to answer, but at that moment Qin Ruolin took up the conversation.

“Hua, what’s gotten into you today? You’re so gossipy, you never used to be like this!” Qin Ruolin glared at Liu Hua with mock annoyance.

Liu Hua shrugged and smiled, “I’m just looking out for the audience. I’m asking what they’d like to know.”

“Isn’t that right?” Liu Hua stood and addressed the audience behind him.

“Yes!” they responded in unison.

Qin Ruolin was speechless, and so was Lin Feng. What sort of audience was this, really? Were they here to listen to music, or just to serve as public judges?

Fortunately, Yang Fan stepped in at that moment.

“Although I’m also curious about how much Lin Feng was paid, that’s personal information, and it’s not suitable to reveal it on the show…” Yang Fan looked at Liu Hua and said, “Mentor Liu Hua, please give us your comments on Sun Hao and Lin Feng’s performances.”

Liu Hua nodded, then spoke seriously: “Let’s start with Sun Hao’s ‘Wings’. Using metaphor to reflect dreams, the song is overall quite good. If I were to score it, I’d give it 65 points. Originally, it would have been 60, but since Sun Hao composed it within 48 hours, I added 5 points.”

“As for Lin Feng’s ‘Old Boy’, I’ve thought of eight words to sum it up: Youth never dies, dreams are eternal! If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I would never imagine that the author of such a song was a young man just over twenty! When Lin Feng sang ‘Smiling Eyes’ during the preliminary round, it already gave us a huge surprise. Then, I thought perhaps it was just a fluke. Now, I realize I owe an apology for my narrow-mindedness at the time…”

At this point, Liu Hua stood and nodded slightly to Lin Feng on stage.

Immediately, thunderous applause erupted!

Who was Liu Hua? He was one of the five kings of the music industry! Now, he was publicly apologizing to a junior, simply because of a momentary underestimation. You could say he was putting on a show, but more than that, it revealed his respect and acknowledgment for his younger peer.

Liu Hua continued, “While listening to Lin Feng's song, I was reflecting on why this song is so ‘moving’. The melody isn’t particularly beautiful, nor is the singing technique dazzling, but it’s just so moving! Suddenly, I understood: it resonates with people's hearts. No matter how pleasant a melody, it only enters the ear; but Lin Feng's song goes straight to the heart. That’s where its success lies. I realized that after so many years of making music, we’ve forgotten what truly makes good music. Is it just about sounding nice? No! Good music should be like ‘Old Boy’—it should touch the heart!”

“My vote goes to ‘Old Boy’!”

As Liu Hua finished speaking, the applause rose again like a tidal wave. Clearly, he had spoken the audience’s mind.

“Thank you, Mentor Liu Hua, for your comments. Now both mentors have cast their votes for Lin Feng. Next, let’s invite Mentor Qin Ruolin to comment on the two performances.”

Oh…

Ha ha ha…

Yang Fan named Qin Ruolin, and the audience erupted once more, eagerly awaiting the moment they had all been looking forward to.

Qin Ruolin was about to critique Lin Feng’s work—how would she put it?

“Can you please stop? If you keep this up, I won’t record anymore…” Qin Ruolin stood from her seat and shouted at the audience with mock anger.

This only stirred up even more excitement.

“All right, all right, do as you please!” Qin Ruolin shrugged helplessly and sat back down, saying, “Sun Hao’s song is decent. As for Lin Feng’s…”

She drew out her words, then looked at Lin Feng and asked, “Before I comment, I want to know—who is the person you yearn for day and night?”

Shhhh…

Ohhh…

The audience instantly grew wild at this question.

“It’s obviously Qin Ruolin!” someone shouted.

Qin Ruolin! Qin Ruolin! Qin Ruolin! The audience chanted in chorus.

Lin Feng was speechless on stage, thinking, Sister, we’re already under the spotlight, and you’re asking this question? Unbelievable!

Liu Hua at the mentors’ table chuckled and said to Qin Ruolin, “Ruolin, you stopped me from gossiping earlier, but now you’ve dug yourself into a hole…”

“I was just curious, that’s all,” Qin Ruolin pouted, then said to Lin Feng, “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“All right, then I won’t answer,” Lin Feng replied.

“You…” Qin Ruolin glared fiercely at Lin Feng, thinking, I told you not to answer, but you really don’t answer? Don’t you know women often mean the opposite?

“Mentor Ruolin, can you make your choice now?” Yang Fan asked.

Qin Ruolin bit her lip, almost wanting to cast her vote for Sun Hao out of spite for Lin Feng’s stubbornness. But after careful thought, she refrained.

“Compared to the two, Lin Feng’s ‘Old Boy’ is still slightly better.” Qin Ruolin reluctantly gave her vote to Lin Feng, and the crowd cheered once again.

“All three mentors have cast their votes, and Lin Feng leads 3:0. Of course, this only represents the mentors’ opinions. Next, let’s invite Mentors Chen Fan and Hu Jiangquan to comment on their team members’ performances.”

“I’ll go first,” Chen Fan said, taking the floor with a solemn expression. “First of all, both Sun Hao and Lin Feng are the strongest contestants in our team. If they hadn’t been placed together, both would likely have made it into the top six. But now, one of them has to leave the stage. Lin Feng’s performance is plain for all to see. In fact, when Lin Feng submitted his work yesterday, both Quan and I were already stunned. So today, we’re somewhat immune, but hearing it live is far more moving than listening to the recording. Just now, both Quan and I were nearly brought to tears by his singing. His voice seems to have a magical power to evoke tears, or perhaps, as Hua said, the song goes straight to the heart, touching the most vulnerable places within. If I were to describe Lin Feng’s ‘Old Boy’, I would only use one word: classic.”

“As for Sun Hao, he’s very talented, and his song is good, but unfortunately his opponent today is Lin Feng! So, I’m sorry, Sun Hao, my vote goes to Lin Feng.”

Chen Fan cast an apologetic glance at Sun Hao.

“Mentor Hu Jiangquan, what’s your choice?” Yang Fan asked.

“My choice is the same as Fan’s—I’m voting for Lin Feng. It’s not that Sun Hao isn’t good, it’s just that Lin Feng is too outstanding!” Hu Jiangquan said earnestly.

…