Chapter Ninety-six

  "Boom!"

  Suddenly, a drumbeat that made people's hearts beat came from the top-notch sound system abroad. At the same time, all the lights in the venue and the drumbeats flashed suddenly, and the eyes of the audience on the scene, including countless viewers watching the live broadcast in front of the TV, also flickered with it.

  "Rumble!"

  The drumbeat sounded twice in rapid succession, immediately followed by the stage lights flickering twice. The audience's eyes received two stimuli of light and darkness in a short period of time, and their pupils contracted unconsciously. But everyone knew that this was precisely a sign that the good show was about to begin, so no one turned their head, nor did anyone close their eyes, and everyone stared intently at the dark stage.

  "Rumble, rumble, rumble!"

  After the three loud drumbeats, the stage suddenly lit up brightly. On the stage, the three strong contestants were tightly bound by countless white bandages all over their bodies, each tied to one of the three pillars. Their eyes were closed and their faces contorted in pain, as if they were suffering from some extremely cruel torture. Around them, numerous dancers wrapped from head to toe in white cloth were twisting and turning in distorted postures, dancing wildly on the stage to the accompaniment of monotonous and increasingly urgent drumbeats.

  The audience was silent, the bizarre pose was a signature of Qin Yige, and everyone had long been accustomed to the unimaginable surprise after a series of inexplicable movements. So even though the dancer on stage had an unusual posture, the audience waited quietly for what came next. Sure enough, after a brief twist, the lights on the stage went out again.

  In the darkness, the audience seats simultaneously let out a cry of surprise.

  A beam of light shines alone in this cry, illuminating the center of the stage, where a person with their head bowed, as if making an offering, is bound.

  Luo Fei.

  "My dream, who can understand..."

  He slowly raised his head, and with those eyes that were always bright and spirited, he lightly swept over the audience. This glance was so distant, yet everyone knew in their hearts that he couldn't possibly see anyone clearly, but each person was convinced that they themselves were being gently brushed by his gaze. Without accompaniment, the soft yet powerful singing voice seemed to be a gentle whisper meant only for oneself, making one feel deeply moved and lost in thought.

  "Who dominates, who controls..."

  Another beam of light flashed by, illuminating Qi Yichen's figure. In the spotlight, he exuded an air of evil, his slight tilt of the head making it seem as if Satan himself was about to make a bloodthirsty prelude. Even the lyrics of the song made one's heart skip a beat.

  "Reality is a cage..."

  The third spotlight shone on Zheng Qi's head as the singing began. He slightly tilted his head, gazing up at the sky, as if his pain had reached its limit and an explosion was imminent.

  "Leap out of the bounds to be worthy of the seed!"

  Music suddenly rises, the stage suddenly brightens, and three people on the pillar simultaneously use a dagger hidden somewhere to cut open the restraints on their bodies, jumping onto the stage like a butterfly breaking out of its cocoon. From this moment on, the final round of the Chinese Star Voice Competition, the most grand and spectacular event in the Chinese music scene for the year, has officially begun!

  To welcome the final, Qin Yige specially asked Shidongning, a music industry godfather and one of the judges, to personally produce the theme song "Star Power". He also went to the US to invite the choreography team of "National Idol" to arrange the opening dance "Rebirth from Cocoon". For this brief moment of brilliance, Luo Fei, Qi Yichen and Zheng Qi have been rehearsing day and night for two days. In order to find the most suitable way to break free, Qi Yichen was even injured by a knife!

  But everything is worth it.

  The audience under the stage was thoroughly boiling, fans frantically shouting the name of their idols, ordinary audiences standing up and applauding, holding high the glow sticks in their hands and waving them vigorously to the beat of the music. On the stage, three students seemed to burn with all their might, the stimulation of the music, the wandering of the dance steps made them almost crazy, this madness was like a kind of infectious disease that spread rapidly throughout the venue.

  Just as everyone's emotions were stirred up to the highest point and the atmosphere was continuously bursting, suddenly, all the music stopped abruptly.

  The stage returned to darkness and silence once again.

  This silent pause lasted for a full three seconds before a figure with outstretched arms slowly descended from the center of the stage.

  "My dream, who can understand, who dominates, who controls..."

  A familiar voice, and then a slow descent, finally revealing a handsome face in front of everyone...

  Relax!

  It's actually Shu Mu!

  At the moment he appeared, even the lights became a foil to him, and he was more dazzling than light. He wore a Wei Ya, slowly falling down, even if it was late in the first half of the song, but no one would take him as a green leaf. He only needs to show his face on stage, enough to stir up everyone's emotions, even making all the women present crazy.

  "Break free from constraints..."

  His feet touched the ground, he untied Wei Ya, but his open-armed posture remained unchanged. He was like a true senior in the music industry, protecting the three juniors on stage with his arms. He repeated the songs they had sung, and danced the same dance steps as them, invisibly, yet seemingly guiding them along the way.

  This is the fifth judge, he is an idol, yet not an idol, he is a goal, but beyond the goal.

  He is Show Luo, in the Chinese music scene for ten years, from idol to strength singer, all in all, there's only one Show Luo!