Ji Fanxing laughed at her, saying she was merely preparing a wedding dress for someone else.

Hearing Song Qing’s name, Ji Fanxing finally lifted her eyelids. She arched her brows slightly and shifted her sitting posture, as if settling in comfortably to await Song Qing’s performance.

Standing on the stage, Song Qing could hardly conceal her excitement. After graduation, battered by reality, she had been forced to abandon music. She’d thought her life would remain stagnant, but through a twist of fate, she now had the chance to realize her dreams.

Clutching the microphone in both hands, she tried hard to steady her nerves. As the music she composed herself began to play, memories of her relentless, sleepless nights surged within her. Tears glistened in her eyes as she sang with deep emotion:

“I—oh—”
“I’m holding this letter, not knowing what to do—”

At the very first line, Ji Fanxing caught something immediately. She narrowed her eyes, then let out a soft laugh, inwardly awarding four words: “Mistake, points deducted.”

The viewers in the live broadcast, however, did not notice anything amiss.

【What’s Ji Fanxing laughing at?】
【So rude, I actually thought she was taking things more seriously for once】
Song Qing was oblivious to these reactions, immersed in her own singing.

As a former outstanding graduate of the Conservatory of Music, Song Qing possessed genuine talent. Her voice was steady and skillful; as she progressed, every syllable landed perfectly in place.

“My love you do not know, my heart you do not need—”
……
“Thank you for being here, witnessing my confession—”
“I constantly remind myself, you do not belong to me—”
“Yet I do not regret loving you.”

When the song ended, a single tear slid from Song Qing’s eye. This song, too, was about herself—about the person she had always bitterly loved in secret, never daring to confess. But in the song, she gave the protagonist a beautiful ending, a courageous declaration of love.

【I actually feel like crying】
【Such a painful secret love, who knew Qingzi was so talented】
【The melody flows well, the singing is decent】
【Um... am I the only one who finds the lyrics a bit odd?】
【Where did this killjoy come from? Do you even know what it means to love and not be loved? Do you know how much courage it takes to confess? You don’t understand!】

Song Qing, after finishing her song, bowed deeply to the audience and judges, earning a round of applause. She then stood on stage, awaiting the judges’ comments.

Among the two permanent mentors invited for “The Ultimate Singer Season One”, one was Ren Feichang, a male singer who rose to fame through love songs and has been in the industry for ten years. He’s a veteran, though lately he’s been living off old glories—and he tends to flaunt his seniority. The other was Xie Huai, a songwriter who’s been in the industry for five years, with impressive achievements. Last year and this year, he composed the theme songs for several hit TV dramas.

Ren Feichang found Song Qing’s performance moving, reminding him of the silhouette of his first love who drifted away. Her singing style clearly spoke of formal training, and he was very optimistic about her. Out of ten points, he gave her eight—a relatively high score so far.

Xie Huai, however, did not agree. Serious and straightforward, he picked up the microphone and commented, “Your singing excels in technique. You rushed the beat at the beginning, though you disguised it well by drawing out the ‘oh’—but I trust my ears. Two points deducted for the mistake, two for stage presence, two more for emotion. My score is four. Keep working hard.”

Xie Huai’s words made Ji Fanxing look at him with newfound respect. If all industry seniors maintained such standards, there was hope yet!

She glanced sidelong at Ren Feichang, thinking to herself that this rotten apple was better left unmentioned.

【So Song Qing rushed the beat at the start? I didn’t notice it at all. Xie Huai does have skills】
【If that’s true, maybe Ji Fanxing’s earlier laugh was because she noticed it too】
【No need to dwell on the past】

Song Qing, thrilled by Ren Feichang’s eight points, kept a modest face, but when she heard Xie Huai give only four, dissatisfaction bubbled within. She had thought Xie Huai was handsome, but now restrained herself from frowning, biting her lip and looking at him with plaintive expectation, “Teacher Xie, don’t original songs earn extra points?”

Ren Feichang also picked up his mic, “Xiao Xie, I wanted to tell you earlier, Song Qing’s performance was full of emotion. You shouldn’t have deducted points for that.”

Xie Huai wasn’t swayed. He turned to Song Qing and retorted, “Do you think your original song deserves extra points? Just because it relies on those formulaic chords? The song sounds pleasant enough, but do you know how many chord progressions appeared among last year’s and this year’s top twenty new songs? Only three. Your so-called original song uses the same old chords, offering no innovation or surprise—another generic pop tune, no doubt.”

He turned to Ren Feichang, “As for the ‘emotion’ you praised, I can say without reservation—I felt no resonance. The lyrics are meaningless. What I heard and understood was nothing but self-indulgence.”

His merciless critique left Ren Feichang fuming. He felt Xie Huai was being utterly disrespectful—did the young man really think that just because he’d written a few hit songs, he could ignore his elders? If he let this go today, how could he maintain his standing in the industry?

Song Qing stood there, face ashen, gritting her teeth in secret.

Ji Fanxing nearly applauded Xie Huai—sharp-tongued, and full of talent.

If the show stayed this exciting, she wouldn’t be bored at all.

Song Qing, catching Ji Fanxing’s look of amusement from afar, made a mental note to remember it!

The two permanent mentors continued to argue at the judges’ table, while the two guest mentors, after a few attempts to mediate, simply muted their microphones. The atmosphere grew chaotic. The producer signaled the host to regain control and instructed the cameraman to capture everything.

Hot topics! Everywhere!

The comment barrage was a battlefield.

Fans of the contestants, fans of others present, and onlookers—everyone had something to say, supporting one side or another.

Even now, Ji Fanxing’s detractors couldn’t be silenced.

【Song Qing’s singing, no matter how bad, is a hundred times better than Ji Fanxing’s!】

Such hatred was persistent, such love, intense.

Song Qing’s composure was admirable. Her expression quickly returned to normal, and seeing the mentors arguing for her sake, she felt proud. Indeed, all she lacked compared to those favored by fate was a single opportunity—now, that chance had come!

Once things settled, and after hearing the scores from the remaining guest mentors, plus the audience and online votes displayed on the big screen, she received a satisfactory total score, thanked the audience with a smile, and returned to the contestants’ seats with poise, casting a sly glance at Ji Fanxing as she sat.

After she sat down, Ji Shengxue patted her knee in comfort. Ji Shengxue herself watched the proceedings calmly, a trace of inscrutable light flickering in her eyes, as if waiting for something…

At the same time, with a similar sense of expectation and anticipation, Ji Fanxing glanced at Ji Shengxue, then swept her gaze over the live broadcast camera before withdrawing her eyes. In her heart, she murmured: “The live room… soon…”

At last, after the competition had progressed a while longer.

By now, most of the program was complete. A male contestant was singing on stage, and the next performer scheduled was Ji Shengxue.

After the scoring for the male contestant, the host took the stage to announce:

“Next, please welcome contestant number 66, Ji Shengxue, performing a brand new song—‘Unescapable Wind and Moon’!”

——

At this moment, ahead of the audience’s enthusiastic cheers at the venue, the live broadcast room was already ablaze with excitement!

【Finally, you’re here, my Xue… wait, why are so many people joining the live stream?!】
【The production team is so cruel! Deliberately keeping Xue for last to make us wait—yeah, why are so many people suddenly here? The comments are flying past】
【This is the place! Brothers, hurry up!】
【I’m here~ I want to see what kind of fairy girl got praised by Li Jian’an】
【Just finished following the drama, now rushing over. Is Ji Shengxue about to perform? Perfect timing】

The number of active users online suddenly soared to four million!

“Good heavens! What’s going on?!” The server nearly crashed, and the tech team scrambled.

The director was shocked, handing his duties to his deputy and rushing to the producer, asking, “Is Ji Shengxue already so popular? I heard all these new users are here for her?”

The producer, staring at the data on the control board, was bewildered. This was the number of active simultaneous viewers, not cumulative views—and the number kept rising. This level was approaching the effect of many top singers’ live concert streams.

“We’ve got it, we’ve got it! They’re all coming from Weibo!” The assistant reported after investigating.

Producer: “What Weibo?”

“It’s film director Li Jian’an—he posted a status on Weibo!” The assistant handed over his phone, and the group gathered around.

On the phone’s brightly lit Weibo screen, one of the top three trending topics was “‘Dancing Sky’ director Li Jian’an mentions a certain Ji surname amateur,” followed by a “hot” tag.

Clicking the trending topic, Li Jian’an’s verified account read: “I cast the role myself, and you cannot slander such a young and talented innocent actor just because you didn’t get the part. Here, @Midsummer Star, your conduct angers me and is shameful! Sadly, ‘Dancing Sky’ can no longer continue working with Xiao Xue, but I heard you’re participating in the singing competition ‘Ultimate King Singer.’ Take care and recover, hope to see you in my next film. Wishing you a bright future [flowers][flowers] @Ji Shengxue”

The comments section was full of “Wishing the young lady a bright future!” @Ji Shengxue from the creative team of “Dancing Sky” and others.

Li Jian’an was a prominent film director, his works widely known. His public statement on Weibo, combined with the influence of other actors involved or eager to be involved in his films, drew in a massive audience to the live broadcast.

The producer’s eyes lit up as he put down the phone. “Doesn’t matter why—traffic is king. Quick! Maximize the camera coverage, focus on Ji Shengxue’s stage—and Ji Fanxing’s side, too! Film them hard, this wave of ratings is secure!”

…

In front of the camera, Ji Shengxue lowered her eyes with a calm understanding, smiled faintly, and stepped onto the stage. As the accompaniment began, she stood at the center, and when the prelude ended, she lifted the microphone and her gaze, looking forward.

High above, Ji Fanxing took in the backstage commotion, her ruby lips curving.

Across the distance, the two sisters—one soaring, one earthbound—seemed to share a fleeting glance before each averted her gaze.

Ji Shengxue began to sing.

Ji Fanxing smiled, knowing she would be the one to pave the way for others.