Chapter 58: First Stage Performance "Diamonds"

The next day was Saturday—Christmas.
It was also the preliminary round of the very first Star-Moon Cup Singing Competition. At six o’clock sharp in the evening, the opera stage was ablaze with the excitement of a live broadcast.

Qin Yichi stood at the very front of the second floor, half leaning against the railing, his body slightly bent in a posture of casual defiance. Dressed in a black windbreaker, the sharp lines of his jaw were faintly visible, exuding an air of wild rebellion. He lowered his head a little, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the contestants below, betraying no emotion.

This competition was being held with great formality; the stage was bright and spacious, lights dazzling. The contestants were all amateurs; faced with such a grand stage, and under the scrutinizing, dispassionate eyes of the judges, with open microphones, it was only natural that nerves would get the better of them, making it difficult to perform at their best.

At eight o’clock, the event was halfway through.

Both judges and audience were beginning to show signs of aesthetic fatigue.

In the next moment, a beam of light illuminated the center of the stage, scattering a sliver of silver into Qin Yichi’s eyes.

His previously distracted gaze finally focused in that instant, his heart thundering wildly.

He had found her.

His princess.

Below, the host calmly announced, “Contestant number ninety-nine, Qiao Zhen, will be singing Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds.’”

On the live broadcast, a young girl appeared in a black strapless dress, Audrey Hepburn style, the hem sprinkled with tiny crystals like countless stars in the night sky.

She was like a daughter of the stars, stepping out from the depths of a midnight sky.

Her hair was pinned up, a rhinestone crown perched on her head, yet she carried herself with a quiet restraint, as if she hardly dared meet the camera’s gaze.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, the hundreds of thousands in the livestream exploded with frantic screenshots:

[Oh my god, is she really bare-faced? How can she look so good under that harsh lighting?!]

[She’s so beautiful! (＞_＜) Why do I suddenly feel this overwhelming maternal urge, ahhh~]

[Wow, wow, are we allowed to comment on how big her “eyes” are?! *drools*]

[Kiss, kiss, kiss! An angel’s face with a devil’s figure! Little sister, I just want to snuggle you~]

“Shine bright like a diamond.”

As the first note of music sounded, Qiao Zhen slowly raised the microphone, eyes closed, and began to sing in the vast expanse of the stage.

In that instant, the world fell utterly silent, leaving only the girl’s voice, pure and crystalline, washing through the air, cleansing the soul.

“Shine bright like a diamond.”

The moment she sang, every eye and spotlight fixed upon her.

Qiao Zhen was undoubtedly nervous—otherwise, she wouldn’t have kept her eyes closed, her other hand’s fingertips curling slightly, a faint sheen of sweat upon them.

But in that darkness behind her closed lids, Qin Yichi’s figure kept appearing in her mind: the steady strength of his hands, those deep, obsidian eyes.

Thinking of him, Qiao Zhen suddenly felt her nerves loosen.

“You and I, you and I.”

“We’re like diamonds in the sky.”

Her clear, powerful voice blended with the accompaniment, enveloping the softest parts of every heart, as if traversing the romantic snowscapes of winter and the flowery dreams of spring, arriving at a boundless, star-strewn sky.

The chat erupted with shrill, gopher-like shrieks:

[Ahh, she’s just too adorable, and her voice is so pure, with none of that artificial affectation—help! I’m in love!]

[Help, this is my absolute favorite song! For this alone, little sister, I’m voting hard for you!]

[Fly bravely, Zhenzhen! Lulu, Xiangxiang, and Yueyue will always be with you!!! *rose* *heart*]

“Diamonds” was a song Qiao Zhen had listened to for years, perhaps ten thousand times.
It encouraged people to recognize their own worth, to affirm and cherish themselves, to believe they could shine and burn bright, to move forward bravely and no longer fear the long night.

She’d practiced countless times, dissecting every detail, yet something always seemed missing.

Her mentor said it was because she hadn’t truly understood the song, that she lacked that final spark of soul, and thus could never quite capture the original’s sense of freedom and abandon.

For a while, she’d felt discouraged.

Until—

Last night, the grand and breathtaking meteor shower.

Maybe her wish had come true, for her heart had undergone a profound transformation…

“Palms rise to the universe,”

“As we moonshine and molly.”

“Feel the warmth, we’ll never die.”

Bathed in shimmering stage lights, at this moment, Qiao Zhen finally understood what it meant to enjoy being on stage.

She lifted her head, slowly opened her eyes, and saw the expressionless judges, the sea of phone-wielding audience members, the countless cameras from every direction—all transformed into shooting stars, streaking through the night sky.

The world seemed to freeze in that instant, time standing still.

But there was one person who remained.

Qiao Zhen accidentally met Qin Yichi’s burning gaze, and her confidence soared:

“You’re a shooting star I see.”

“A vision of ecstasy.”

“When you hold me I’m alive.”

The girl’s sweet, clear voice hovered in every ear, piercing the very soul.

Countless people in the audience stared intently at the stage, barely daring to breathe, their bodies suffused with a sense of release.

It was a voice that soothed, as if every pore in one’s body was suddenly unblocked.

But what was most astonishing was that, though she looked lovely and sweet, the girl on stage radiated a sense of strength.

A gentle, pure, yet persistent strength.

Graceful, yet unwavering.

“Eye to eye, so alive.”

“So shine bright tonight, you and I.”

The camera zoomed in close on her face.

Only then did the hundreds of thousands watching the stream notice the tiny crystal teardrops beneath her eyes, catching the light like delicate tears.

She was like a princess in a music box, glowing all over.

Qiao Zhen became more and more immersed in the song, lost in the stage, her emotions swelling, her presence infectious.

The official livestream’s viewership kept climbing, the barrage of comments pouring in:

[Oh my god, this is the most beautiful voice I’ve heard tonight!!! *crying*]

[O(≧v≦)O So cute and so pretty, I’ve got my rainbow sack ready—I’m going to steal her away, hehe…]

[All lights on! All lights on! She’s the girl of my dreams! Smells like first love!]

[She seemed nervous at first, but the more she sang, the more amazing she got—who gets it? I feel like someone who’s found a pearl by the sea!]

[Omg, she’s got that “idol in the making” vibe, and she’s got so much star quality. I bet—bet she’ll make the finals, win a prize, and become a huge star!!]

On the second floor of the theater,

Qin Yichi’s gaze was branded deeply onto Qiao Zhen, his dark eyes shimmering with tiny sparks of light.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, a faint curve appearing at the corner of his lips.

Perhaps the little bunny didn’t realize it yet, but at this moment, she had truly done it.

Just as she sang—brilliant, dazzling, radiant as a diamond.