Lin Mo could not understand it. Ever since the car accident three years ago, Su Qianqian had never appeared at crowded public events like this. So why had she come today?
Hearing his question, Su Qianqian merely cast him a faint glance and said nothing, as if she did not want the people present to know about the relationship between them. She was then pushed by the staff straight to a separate seat on the right side of the judges’ panel.
Seeing this, Ye Qingqing, who was seated among the judges, looked somewhat surprised. However, she did not say anything. She simply shot Su Qianqian a look of disgust before withdrawing her gaze. With so many people around, it was inconvenient for Ye Qingqing to argue with her. If this had been somewhere more private, Ye Qingqing would definitely have confronted her properly.
“Alright, now that everyone is here, Lin Mo, please begin your performance,” the host said once Su Qianqian had settled into her seat.
Lin Mo took a deep breath. After glancing at Su Qianqian, he suppressed the doubts in his heart and began his introduction.
“Hello everyone, I am today’s contestant, Lin Mo. The song I will be performing next is my original composition, ‘The Ordinary Road.’”
He had written this song during his university years, and it had been created for Shen Youchu.
After Lin Mo finished speaking, however, the entire venue fell silent. Only after a long moment did a few people begin whispering among themselves.
“Seriously? He’s using his own original song in a competition like this?”
“Exactly. Original songs have no popularity and no recognition. The audience won’t connect with it at all.”
“That’s what I think too. He could’ve just done a cover. Why insist on performing an original song? Will that even work?”
“Sigh… hard to say. Not everyone can write a good original song. Some become classics, others are a complete mess. He might just stumble and get eliminated in the first round.”
Almost no one present had confidence in Lin Mo. Even several of the mentors were quietly discussing among themselves.
Su Qianqian, seated nearby, frowned slightly. She had never known that Lin Mo could write songs. Could it be that he was trying to attract her attention this way? The thought made her expression grow complicated.
For a moment, an odd atmosphere hung over the venue. Of all the people present, only Ye Qingqing seemed to have faith in Lin Mo’s original song. She stared at him without blinking, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Faced with the doubts and ridicule, Lin Mo remained unaffected. He slowly picked up his guitar, closed his eyes, and began strumming the strings.
“Wandering on the road, where are you heading…
Fragile, yet proud… are you really listening to the story…”
As Lin Mo began the opening verse, a low, unadorned sincerity washed over the audience. Apart from Ye Qingqing’s expectant expression, the rest of the crowd shook their heads and sighed. No one believed in this song.
The introduction had not immediately drawn the listeners in. The song did not explode with intensity or passion. As soon as Lin Mo started singing, many in the audience had already decided it would be eliminated.
Even Su Qianqian’s expression softened slightly. If this was the kind of original song Lin Mo had brought, then she would not even need to intervene to have him eliminated.
Onstage, however, Lin Mo continued steadily, completely unaffected. Soon, the song reached its climax.
“I once crossed mountains and seas, and passed through crowds of people,
Everything I once had vanished like smoke in an instant,
Until I saw that being ordinary was the only answer…”
When the song ended, those who had doubted Lin Mo were left staring, mouths wide enough to fit an egg. In the next instant, the previously quiet venue erupted. The entire audience rose to their feet, applauding and cheering.
The song had struck directly at their hearts, especially for those who were lost in life. After hearing Lin Mo’s performance, they felt as if they had suddenly found direction.
Even the judges could not help applauding in admiration. Yet when they caught sight of Su Qianqian beside them, they quickly composed their expressions.
Backstage, Xiao Jibo was grinding his teeth in fury. But when he remembered that he would ultimately be crowned champion, he sneered.
“Lin Mo, so what if you can write a song this good? You still won’t beat me.”
At the same time, Ye Qingqing gazed at Lin Mo without restraint. Shock filled her eyes, mixed with admiration, like that of an infatuated fan.
“Senior Lin is just as dazzling as he was three years ago. Just as outstanding as ever,” Ye Qingqing thought to herself, her cheeks flushing visibly red.
Seeing this, Su Qianqian’s expression turned instantly cold. She glanced at Lin Mo, her eyes carrying a trace of complexity.
“Lin Mo, is this the song you wrote for me?”
Once, when Lin Mo had been at his most helpless, he had crossed mountains and seas to come to her side. He had believed he possessed the entire world. But after Xiao Jibo returned, he realized it had all been fleeting like smoke.
He had fallen into despair and lost direction in life. Only after truly facing his heart did he realize he could not leave Su Qianqian. He wanted to win her back and live an ordinary yet meaningful life with her. That was why he had come to this competition, hoping to convey his feelings through song.
As these thoughts swirled in her mind, Su Qianqian’s expression shifted. But when she thought of Xiao Jibo, her face turned cold again.
“Lin Mo, even if you do this, I will never like you. The only person in my heart is Xiao Jibo,” she thought, and resolved firmly to have Lin Mo eliminated.
The look Ye Qingqing had given Lin Mo just now had been far too wrong. It was as if she wanted to devour him. The sight made Su Qianqian’s chest tighten uncomfortably.
Lin Mo had to be eliminated. If he continued spending time with that fox-like woman every day, sooner or later something would happen.
“Thank you, everyone. That concludes my performance,” Lin Mo said calmly, bowing deeply to the audience.
The crowd gradually came back to their senses and once again burst into applause and cheers, still reluctant to let the moment end.
Lin Mo allowed himself a small, relieved smile and glanced at Ye Qingqing. Though her cheeks were flushed, she feigned composure and winked at him.
Su Qianqian saw the entire exchange. She said nothing, but her face grew terrifyingly dark, her heart boiling with agitation. Their intimate interaction felt like a blade stabbing painfully into her eyes.
In the next moment, Lin Mo looked at her as well. But this time, the ease in his gaze was gone, replaced by confusion and doubt.
He had many questions he wanted to ask her, but he knew this was not the place. After hesitating briefly, he turned and walked off the stage amid the thunderous applause.
One by one, the remaining contestants took the stage. Lin Mo had already brought the atmosphere to its peak in the first round. Compared to him, the performances that followed felt dull. The audience listened with visible disinterest. This story is hosted at novelping dot com.
Lin Mo’s starting point had been too high, his brilliance too overwhelming. Unless the others had exceptional works of their own, it was impossible to outshine him.
But most of them were performing covers, not original songs. As a result, the later performances became painfully awkward. From the moment they stepped onstage to the moment they left, they received almost no applause. Their heads hung low in shame, hearts heavy with disappointment. They knew they would never reach the finals. Being crushed by Lin Mo in the first round meant the remaining rounds would be even more hopeless.
Soon, all performances concluded, and it was Xiao Jibo’s turn.
As before, the atmosphere remained cold. However, Xiao Jibo was undeniably handsome. When he stepped onto the stage, a few audience members’ eyes lit up slightly. But beyond that, there was little reaction.
The song Xiao Jibo brought was an English song. The moment he announced the title, many in the audience frowned.
In recent years, domestic audiences had been resisting foreign songs. Yet Xiao Jibo had boldly chosen one. On that point alone, he had already been eliminated in many people’s hearts.
As the music began, Xiao Jibo started singing. The audience’s frowns deepened. It was not that they were unfamiliar with English songs. Precisely because they were familiar, they could tell his pronunciation was inaccurate and he was severely off-key.
Was this really someone who had studied abroad? His performance did not even meet professional standards domestically.
With every note, Xiao Jibo’s score dropped further in the audience’s minds.
When he finished, he stood onstage, looking down at everyone with confident arrogance, as if proclaiming himself the champion.
Meanwhile, the audience below finally lowered their hands from their ears, staring at him with undisguised disdain. Even the judges and Su Qianqian frowned slightly. Xiao Jibo, however, remained oblivious.
“Now… please invite all contestants back onto the stage to await comments from our judges and audience friends,” the host said awkwardly after a long pause.
Lin Mo was the first to react, walking back onto the stage. The others followed.
“Next, please cast your valuable votes for the contestants,” the host announced.
As his voice fell, the large screen displayed the vote counts.
In the end, Lin Mo received 18,000 votes, the highest score of the night. It was also the highest score in the program’s history. There were exactly 18,000 audience members present, meaning he had received every single vote.
The others received only a handful of votes, lowering their heads in humiliation.
Most tragic of all was Xiao Jibo, who received not a single vote. Yet he still stood there looking energetic, as if none of it concerned him.
“Next, we invite our judges to decide which contestants will advance,” the host said after tallying the votes.
There were five judges in total, including Ye Qingqing and Su Qianqian, along with three others, two men and one woman, all respected figures in music.
Ye Qingqing’s vote naturally went to Lin Mo.
The other judges glanced at Su Qianqian before announcing their decisions. Although they admired Lin Mo, Su Qianqian was a powerful investor. They did not dare defy her.
In the end, under their verdict, Lin Mo was mercilessly eliminated.
“What? How can this be?” Lin Mo’s face turned pale, his voice trembling with disbelief.