Chapter 44: No Tricks, Only Emotion

Because Su Chen joined "Tomorrow's Star" halfway through and had no company backing him, he was the only contestant among the hundred without a VCR introduction.

On stage, Su Chen carried a tall stool from backstage himself, sat down with his guitar, and quietly gazed at everyone before him. The dim lighting failed to reveal the curious faces of Yan Mi and others, but it allowed those who disliked Su Chen, or simply couldn't bear to see him succeed, to display their contempt and schadenfreude openly.

At this moment, Su Chen almost wished he could sell rotten eggs and wilted lettuce to the front rows—he'd surely make a fortune in just the time it takes to sing one song!

"Loser! Get off the stage!" a girl in the audience shouted, and soon the dam broke, unleashing a torrent of jeers and insults.

Yet Su Chen only smiled. He had no accompaniment, just his guitar, standing alone like a solitary warrior facing an army.

The strings sounded, not with agitation, but with a quiet sadness woven through their ordinary notes. The insults became an unintended soundtrack, and as faces twisted in derision, Su Chen began to sing slowly.

"Someone as outstanding as me,
Should have lived a brilliant life,
How is it, after twenty-some years,
That I'm still drifting in the crowd?

Someone as clever as me,
Long since bid farewell to innocence,
How is it I still spent a period of love,
Only to exchange it for scars?"

As the song continued and the story unfolded, the audience gradually fell silent. In the streaming chat, some persisted, but the once frenzied barrage of comments thinned.

On the mentor's dais, Zhou Zhiqian was taken aback—not because Su Chen sang with exceptional skill, but because he used no ornate technique at all. Zhou had heard Su Chen's previous songs and knew his vocal ability was excellent, good enough to kindle expectation. Yet now, Su Chen sang not as a storyteller, but as a man reflecting on life, quietly sharing himself with the listeners.

This surprised Zhou and moved him deeply.

"Someone as lost as me,
Someone as searching as me,
Someone as mediocre as me,
How many have you seen?"

Hearing this, Zhou could no longer contain himself and uttered a word he, as a public figure, should not have spoken on stage.

"Damn…!"

It was because of these lyrics, this return to simplicity, this thought of Su Chen bearing such pressure yet patiently singing his heart to everyone.

Facing misunderstanding and scorn, he gave no explanation, but this song was more eloquent than any justification.

Now, whether in the studio or the live stream, not a single voice remained. Even the once lively stream had fallen into a vacuum of silence.

Han Jiangxue watched, her eyes already red with tears.

"Someone as vulgar as me,
Never liked to pretend to be profound,
How is it, when I hear old songs sometimes,
I suddenly lose myself?

Someone as timid as me,
Always keeps something in reserve,
How is it that I once, for someone,
Thought about diving in headlong?"

The song continued, and beside Zhou, Han Hong furrowed his brow, his eyes reddening, breath heavy. Yan Mi was even more overwhelmed, covering her mouth as tears flowed, lost in the melody, forgetting to wipe them away.

Only Zheng Huayu lounged indifferently, a hint of disdain on his face. The song was good, but what was Su Chen doing? His delivery was plain, like speaking, with no dynamics at all! If I sang this my way, the atmosphere would be thousands of times more powerful!

As Zheng Huayu mused, Su Chen's song neared its end.

"Someone as lonely as me,
Someone as foolish as me,
Someone as unwilling to be ordinary as me,
How many are there in the world?

Someone as inexplicably troubled as me,
Will anyone feel sympathy?"

When the song finished, the sound of sobbing came from the audience—men and women alike unable to calm their hearts. Those who once believed firmly in Meng Xiaotian now began to doubt themselves. Could someone who wrote such a song truly be a scoundrel?

On the mentors' dais, Zhou Zhiqian was first to speak: "Su Chen, your song makes me want to kneel in respect! May I ask its title?"

Su Chen picked up the microphone. "It's called 'Someone Like Me.'"

Compared to Zhou's enthusiastic comment, Han Hong was succinct. "Anyone who can write 'Someone Like Me,' I can't believe is as disgraceful as they say. If you join my team, no matter what you need to confide, no matter what, I promise you a world of fairness!"

Yan Mi said nothing, still crying, trapped in Su Chen's song, unable to break free. Yet her silence spoke for itself—she too believed in Su Chen!

But just then, Zheng Huayu spoke up.

"Do you really think he sang well? I think the song is fine, but he has no vocal skill at all. The whole performance bored me to sleep."

He continued, pointing at the other three mentors. "And just now contestant Wang Qi said Su Chen's songs aren't written by him. Can we even be sure this one is his?"

Hearing Zheng's words, the wavering audience quickly found their anchor. That's right—how can we be sure Su Chen wrote this song himself?

But Yan Mi, having recovered a bit, voiced her own thoughts. "I believe in Su Chen. He didn't use any fancy techniques, but precisely because his singing was so simple, it moved me. That's why I choose to trust him!"

"I do too," Zhou Zhiqian added. "Su Chen's song wasn't about technique, but pure emotion, and that's the highest realm for any singer, isn't it?"

Now Zheng Huayu was flabbergasted; he hadn't anticipated such a turn.

He quickly improvised, saying, "You make good points, but your teams are already full. Adding someone means you'd have to swap out a current member—each carefully chosen. Would you really be willing to let one go?"

Hearing this, the others frowned—Zheng's moral maneuver was quite clever.

"I think, if mentors keep changing their teams like this, it's disrespectful to the contestants. So, I propose we modify the rules," Zheng declared confidently.

"Modify the rules?"

Everyone paused as Zheng continued, "Yes. Survival of the fittest is fine, but if it's just mentors making arbitrary decisions, that's dictatorial.

So, since you believe Su Chen is so talented, why not let him challenge one of your team members head-to-head? We'll judge, and only the winner stays!

But the song's topic will be chosen by us."