Chapter 84 Asleep
On stage, as the accompaniment began, Meng Xiaotian slowly sang “White Wedding.”
This song carried a pronounced sense of age, having been a huge hit some twenty years ago. It could be considered one of the foundational tracks of pop music in the Chinese entertainment industry. The song tells the story of a young couple about to be wed, but as the girl falls gravely ill, the boy marries her before she dies. After the wedding, the two of them depart together...
How should one put it? It’s a classic melodrama, but audiences never seem to tire of it. The melody itself is quite beautiful, so the song was all the rage in its day. Even now, the tune hasn’t lost its charm; instead, its vintage quality has only added to its appeal, making it one of those songs that becomes richer with age.
As the song ended, Meng Xiaotian bowed deeply, drawing a long round of applause from both the audience and the judges.
Liu Shao took the stage with his signature smile and said, “It looks like everyone really enjoyed Meng Xiaotian’s ‘White Wedding’!”
“So now, let’s proceed to the scoring for Meng Xiaotian!”
“The voting channel is about to close. Counting down from three!”
“Three…”
“Two…”
“One! Voting is now closed!”
Following the routine, Liu Shao invited the four judges to give their comments on Meng Xiaotian’s performance.
As usual, Zhou Zhiqian was the first to speak. “Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything to critique here. Both the vocal performance and the song choice were perfect in my view. ‘White Wedding’ is, I believe, the textbook answer to this challenging double-theme round.”
When Zhou Zhiqian finished, Meng Xiaotian bowed slightly in gratitude, and then it was Han Hong’s turn.
Although Han Hong didn’t care for Meng Xiaotian personally, “Tomorrow’s Star” was, after all, a music competition. Putting personal feelings aside, she had to admit the song was well done.
Yan Mi’s comments were along similar lines. No matter how little she liked Meng Xiaotian, as a public figure she could not openly express such sentiments.
But Zheng Huayu was different—after all, Meng Xiaotian was a member of his own team!
“Excellent, truly excellent! Xiaotian, your performance tonight far exceeded my expectations! I am genuinely delighted by your success with this song!”
“In my eyes, you’re already ready to debut!”
Zheng Huayu’s words brought a look of joy to Meng Xiaotian’s face. The meaning was clear: Zheng Huayu was now fully backing Meng Xiaotian, and from this point forward, the two were bound together. Meng Xiaotian, in the context of this program, could now be seen as Zheng Huayu’s representative.
After all his efforts and humility, he was finally reaping the rewards!
“It’s clear that Judge Zheng Huayu has high hopes for Meng Xiaotian. Now, let’s see what scores Meng Xiaotian has received!”
Liu Shao spoke, and the screen on stage changed to display the results.
“Judge Zhou Zhiqian has given... 95 points!”
“Judge Han Hong has given... 92 points!”
“Judge Yan Mi has given... 90 points!”
“And finally, Judge Zheng Huayu has awarded... 100 points!”
“My god! The first perfect score of the night—and it comes from Zheng Huayu!”
Liu Shao’s voice rose with excitement, and the audience’s anticipation soared with him.
“Now, let’s look at Meng Xiaotian’s audience score... It’s... 563 points!”
“So, Meng Xiaotian’s total score is 940 points!”
“Incredible! Out of a possible 1,000, Meng Xiaotian has scored 940—currently the highest mark of the evening!”
Liu Shao practically shouted, igniting the emotions of everyone present; the entire venue erupted in cheers.
“So far tonight, all eight contestants from Team Zheng Huayu have performed, and their scores occupy the top eight spots!”
“Meanwhile, the seven contestants from Team Yan Mi are at the very bottom. If the upcoming performance from Su Chen doesn’t turn things around, Team Yan Mi may be completely eliminated in the round of thirty-two to sixteen!”
Liu Shao’s words drew a collective gasp from the audience.
If not a single member of Yan Mi’s team made it into the top sixteen, it would be a devastating blow to her reputation!
“I think Su Chen’s in trouble... With such a tough double-theme, there’s no way he could have written something decent in so little time.”
“Even if he did, how could it possibly top ‘White Wedding’?”
“Maybe he’ll just perform ‘White Wedding’ himself?”
“Tsk tsk... Serves him right for insisting on only singing originals! Every action has its consequence, ha ha ha!”
“Go Huayu! Zero for Yan Mi!”
...
On stage, Liu Shao continued, “Let’s not waste any time... Please welcome Su Chen to the stage!”
All eyes turned to focus on Su Chen.
Then they saw—Su Chen was sleeping?!
Liu Shao: ???
Liu Shao, staring at Su Chen with his head tilted and eyes closed, called out uncertainly, “Su... Su Chen?”
Su Chen didn’t move, remaining in his seat.
Well, that confirmed it—Su Chen was genuinely asleep!
Liu Shao: “......”
Taking a deep breath, Liu Shao shouted, “Su Chen!!!”
Su Chen jolted awake, nearly falling from his chair. He looked around in confusion, realized everyone was watching him, rubbed his eyes, and muttered, “Finally my turn, huh...”
Su Chen hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but the other contestants had been chattering incessantly, so he’d tried to tune everything out and relax. In doing so... he’d nodded off.
At that moment, the audience collectively felt at a loss for words, and even those watching the livestream couldn’t help but laugh.
“What the hell? Who can sleep on stage during a live show?!”
“Ha ha ha, maybe he gave up when he couldn’t write anything.”
“To be fair, I also get sleepy when I can’t solve math problems during exams.”
“Looks like Yan Mi’s really out of luck this time!”
...
In the livestream chat, the critics were drowning out the supporters.
Even the judges and audience members at the venue seemed convinced Su Chen was bound to lose.
Under these complicated gazes, Su Chen gathered up the sheets of paper that had fallen to the floor and walked onto the stage.
As before, Su Chen handed the sheets out to the band members, then stood in the center of the stage, closed his eyes, and waited.
The others, watching him stand there with closed eyes, worried he might fall asleep right on stage!
Meanwhile, the band members began to look over the music on the sheets.
Thirty seconds... one minute... two minutes...
After three full minutes, the band members suddenly looked up, exchanging glances.
They all saw the shock—and even awe—in each other’s eyes.
Their actions were exactly the same as the last episode, when Su Chen had first handed them his lyrics and music!
They hadn’t expected Su Chen could actually write a song under these circumstances!
What’s more... not only did this song fit the challenge, it looked... as if it might be truly remarkable...