Chapter 4: Wanting to Kneel Before You

After Xu Ze finished singing, all eyes in the director’s booth were fixed on him. The chief director, Yang Yin, stared intently at the screen, her expression alight with excitement. She had helmed countless music programs, and was considered the foremost director in the field. Yang Yin possessed an uncanny ability to capture a program’s explosive moments, boosting ratings with her keen intuition. Today, she had found her highlight: Xu Ze’s rendition of “East Wind Breaks.”

As soon as Xu Ze finished his performance, she promptly issued instructions through her headset, directing the judges to extend their questioning time, and to ask Xu Ze as many questions as possible. After giving her orders, she watched the screen with a satisfied smile.

“Good boy, you’ve pleased Auntie—don’t worry, you won’t be neglected.”

…

The four mentors had heard the director’s cue and quickly understood her intention: Xu Ze was to be given more camera time. In truth, it wasn’t only the director who was intrigued; the mentors themselves were deeply interested in Xu Ze.

Mentor Wei Ping was the first to speak. “Xu Ze, the lyrics to your song are exceptional,” he said, exaggerating his expression, “I’ve studied lyrics for decades, but yours makes me want to get down on my knees.”

The other three mentors stared at Wei Ping in surprise—such high praise was rare. Wei Ping had been in the industry nearly thirty years, rising step by step through sheer talent. Many of his hit songs were both composed and written by himself. For someone of his stature to say he wanted to kneel was astonishing.

Xu Ze, standing on stage, wasn’t particularly surprised. He knew well how outstanding his song was. Nonetheless, he responded humbly, “Thank you for your praise, Teacher. I’m also a big fan of your songs—hope I have the chance to learn from you.”

At this moment, Mentor Jiang Yiyan from the Girl Generation group asked, “Xu Ze, how did you come up with adding the pipa to the accompaniment? And it fits so well!”

She was still immersed in the segment of the song featuring the pipa. It was truly breathtaking—she’d never heard such celestial sounds before.

“My song’s style leans toward traditional Eastern music, so I wanted to incorporate some traditional instruments. The pipa is very representative, so I included it,” Xu Ze explained.

Wang Yihan interjected abruptly, “Don’t you think traditional styles are outdated?”

He had just returned from performances abroad, where the trend was not ancient melodies, but rap and rock.

“Outdated?”

Xu Ze glanced at Wang Yihan and replied directly, “There are no outdated songs—only outdated people.”

Wang Yihan hadn’t expected Xu Ze to retort so boldly. Was this contestant really speaking to a mentor like that? The look in Xu Ze’s eyes suggested he didn’t regard him at all.

But he didn’t immediately lose his temper—the show was being recorded, and the cameras captured every expression. He needed to maintain his image on screen.

Internally, he seethed, “Just wait, kid! When you advance, there’ll be plenty of ways to deal with you!”

Finally, Mentor Zhang Yingjing, representing the others, spoke up. “Xu Ze, your song differs from traditional ancient-style pieces. I’m curious about your creative journey.”

Zhang Yingjing’s voice was melodious and distinctive, reminiscent of Faye Wong in another life.

Xu Ze replied, “Recently I’ve been researching a topic—how traditional culture is inherited and developed in modern society. My thoughts were unclear until a couple of days ago during a music appreciation class. Suddenly, I realized that integrating traditional culture into modern songs could be a great direction.”

“So I proposed a new genre to my professor: Chinese-style pop. ‘East Wind Breaks’ was created on this foundation.”

Wei Ping caught the implication, asking incredulously, “You said you came up with this Chinese-style pop only a couple days ago, so you mean… you wrote this song in just two days?”

“Strictly speaking, in half a day,” Xu Ze corrected.

Everyone: “……”

“A genius—a true genius!” In the director’s booth, Yang Yin, who had weathered countless storms, exclaimed in awe. Her anticipation for the next rounds grew; she wondered just how many surprises Xu Ze could bring. At the same time, an idea formed in her mind—perhaps this young man could help her realize it.

Meanwhile, the assistant director began prompting the mentors to prepare their score cards.

Zhang Yingjing signaled to the other three and announced, “Let’s begin scoring.”

Twenty seconds later, the four had finished scoring. The countdown began: five, four, three, two, one…

The mentors raised their cards.

“A,” “A,” “B,” “A.”

Three A ratings! Only Wang Yihan gave a B; the others awarded A. This was the first contestant to receive an A, and he got three at once!

“Congratulations, Xu Ze, you’ve advanced,” Wei Ping smiled.

Jiang Yiyan’s eyes curved like crescent moons, her voice playful. “Looking forward to your next performance~”

Wang Yihan frowned. He hadn’t expected all three others would give A; he’d thought at most there might be one. Wasn’t this leaving him out to dry? He quickly explained, “Xu Ze, your song is decent—worthy of an A. I gave you a B because there are some areas that need refinement. Hope you keep practicing, since you haven’t had formal musical training.”

Zhang Yingjing gazed intently at Xu Ze, saying, “I hope I’ll hear more of your Chinese-style songs in the next rounds.”

If this young man could compose a few more pieces in his unique style, he might well establish a whole new genre.

…

After leaving the studio, Xu Ze was handed a letter confirming his advancement by the assistant director, who also informed him that the first episode would air in two days, followed by the second round. At that moment, a system prompt sounded in Xu Ze’s mind.

“Congratulations, host, for completing the task. Reward: master-level guitar skills. Reward: five A-grade voice fruit.”

“New task: advance to the next round within a week.”

Seeing the rewards, Xu Ze grinned—these were exactly what he needed. The voice fruit was his most urgent need, and the master-level guitar skill was an added bonus. From the look of it, the further he progressed in this competition, the richer the rewards would be.

Evening.

Xu Ze sat at his dorm desk, deep in thought. His best friend, the chubby guy, sat behind him, pretending to read a novel, but kept sneaking glances, his face worried.

Xu Ze had discovered a troubling issue: he was out of money to record songs. Last time, recording had cost half his living expenses; after the past couple days, he had only three hundred left. Recording a song required at least five hundred—not enough.

His novel was still far from earning any money.

But with the show starting in a week, he had to find a way to make some cash quickly.

After pondering, he turned to the chubby guy. “Hey, are there any bars near campus with live singers?”

The chubby guy was startled by the sudden question. Hearing Xu Ze mention bars, he sighed inwardly—so Xu Ze was looking to drown his sorrows in drink.

Earlier that afternoon, he’d seen a classmate, Zhao Xiaofei, post a photo in her social feed, holding hands with a rather plain-looking boy, accompanied by a heart emoji.

He knew Xu Ze had always liked Zhao Xiaofei, and had even confessed to her—but was rejected.

Now, seeing her public declaration, Xu Ze must be hurting.

Sure enough, he’d come back tonight and sat motionless at his desk, looking heartbroken.

“There are, most bars have resident singers—you can hear them every time you walk by,” the chubby guy replied, waving his hand. “Want to drink? Let’s go! My treat!”

Xu Ze looked puzzled—when had his friend become so generous?

He wasn’t actually planning to drink; he just wanted to see if he could get a gig singing at a bar and earn some quick money for recording.