The next day, school was on holiday, and Lin Muci resigned from her role at the television station to record the first episode of the show, the contestants' premiere.
She walked into the massive television studio stage.
Almost instantly, everyone's attention was on her.
The most infamous contestant. It had to be her.
Lin Muci's eyes were calm.
She looked up at the seats in front of her.
Names were pasted on them.
Her name, pasted in the first position. Everyone looked at her maliciously, pointing and whispering.
Clearly mocking her for not having the courage to walk to the highest position. They wanted to see her make a fool of herself.
But Lin Muci walked over, tore off the name tag, and stuck it to her chest.
The crowd was stunned.
Lin Muci curved her lips.
If they thought she would be intimidated by this, they underestimated her too much.
Then, the mentors entered.
Most people were there for Ling Qianhe, eagerly anticipating his appearance at the door.
However, they waited and waited, but Ling Qianhe didn't come, leaving everyone very perplexed.
Meanwhile, in the corridor.
Ling Qianhe silently watched the man in the suit facing him. The man said,
"You think..."
Ling Qianhe paused, then continued.
"I've hidden her?"
Feng Yuting walked up to him.
The young man was slender but extremely tall. Combined with his aura as a superstar, it seemed to suppress his presence.
He gritted his teeth, staring into Ling Qianhe's eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife!
"Hand over my fiancée!"
Ling Qianhe's expression was as cold as frost.
"She is not your fiancée."
"She has already broken off her engagement with you."
Feng Yuting inhaled sharply in anger, almost going mad.
For the past month, he hadn't slept, searching tirelessly for Lin Muci, but couldn't find her!
Nowhere!
"What have you done? How can a living person suddenly disappear without a trace?"
"Ling Qianhe, I'll call the police to search for you. Don't think that just because you've returned to the Ling family and dealt with your crazy stepmother, you can act with impunity!"
Feng Yuting was furious.
Ling Qianhe, however, said,
"This is no reason for you to cause trouble with me. I'm about to go on stage, get out of the way."
"And how do you know she's just a living person without any issues?"
Feng Yuting looked at Ling Qianhe, the two of them at a tense standoff.
But the outer doors had already opened. Feng Yuting was also an investor in this show and didn't want to ruin it.
With a furious expression, he moved aside, but he hissed into Ling Qianhe's ear,
"I will absolutely not let this go. Ling Qianhe, just you wait, I will find Lin Muci!"
The lights outside illuminated the lonely passage. The young man, dressed in a perfectly tailored white shirt, walked out.
He didn't even glance at Feng Yuting.
The lights followed his every step. The lights on the sides of the stage were like smoke, and the girls outside screamed desperately.
All ninety-eight girls stood up, but only Lin Muci remained seated firmly on the high platform.
She watched Ling Qianhe walk out. He gripped the microphone and began his opening mentor performance, his eyes defiant.
"With my flesh and soul, can I paint the texture of your skin?"
"See my obsession, see my surging waves, see my life of wandering and hardship."
"Day and night, like flickering lights, I will forever be immersed in you in this world."
"Slaughtered by your tenderness countless times."
"Drowning, madness, mutation, destruction."
"Wait for me to find you."
"I will love you for ten million years."
Although it was a dark-themed song, Ling Qianhe sang it with ease. His eyes sparkled with starlight. He said,
"This ‘Gorgeous Doll’ is dedicated to the most important sister in my life."
"This is the song I wrote for her."
The young man, who debuted in his teens, sang with heartbreaking intensity and desperation.
Now, his tears were hidden deep in his heart, like stars twinkling eternally in the deep sea.
He paused, then said,
"I heard a contestant also chose this song today. Who is it?"
Everyone looked at Lin Muci, who stood in the first position.
"Wait a minute."
The mentor was performing publicly.
How dare she sit?
Lin Muci felt a headache under everyone's intense gaze. She stood up. Everyone was looking at her. She raised her hand, adopting a 'might as well' attitude.
"It's me."
Ling Qianhe looked at her from across the vast recording studio, a gentle smile slowly blooming in his eyes.
"Oh?"
"Then I'm very much looking forward to it."
This song was originally the last song left to be chosen.
Because it was too difficult.
When Ling Qianhe wrote this song, it spanned three octaves, and he used very complex arrangements, making it incredibly difficult. Only he could interpret it perfectly. Even cover versions were disastrous.
Everyone actually wanted to see Lin Muci embarrassed.
After the previous ninety-eight girls performed,
It was her turn, and it was already close to midnight.
The mentors were also tired. The female mentor beside Ling Qianhe glanced at him and said softly,
"Qianhe, why don't we let this contestant sing tomorrow?"
This female mentor was named Lu Anqi, twenty-eight years old, and was the dance mentor.
She was one of the few current singers who excelled at both singing and dancing, a rising star. Before returning to China, she had debuted in a famous foreign group and was their lead dancer, possessing exceptional professional skills.
Because of her talent and seniority,
And the significant age difference between her and Ling Qianhe, eliminating concerns about manufactured "CP" dynamics, she was paired with Ling Qianhe to record the show together.
She also noticed the late hour and everyone's fatigued expressions.
And the fact that the last song was Ling Qianhe's, which required a live vocal performance.
Fearing that the young girl might have a terrible on-stage disaster, she suggested continuing tomorrow.
But Ling Qianhe shook his head.
He said,
"I want to hear her sing."
When Lin Muci went on stage, everyone suddenly became alert.
The contestants, mentors, and staff all uniformly looked at the young girl who had been the center of attention these past few days. She lowered her head, held the microphone, stared at the spotlight in the center of the stage, and suddenly asked,
"Is there a drum?"
The staff member was taken aback and immediately arranged for a drum kit to be brought to her.
Whispers erupted on stage, some rolling their eyes at her.
"A bad student with too much equipment! This is Qianhe's breakout hit, and Qianhe performed it at the beginning. No comparison, no harm. She's just waiting to embarrass herself!"
Lin Muci ignored these taunts, waiting until the drum kit was brought over. She adjusted it a few times and nodded.
She said,
"'Gorgeous Doll,' for everyone."
The drumbeat.
The clamor.
She raised her head, and people could finally see her clear yet stubborn face, a faint smile creeping up the corner of her lips, delicate and unique. She brought the microphone to her lips and said,
"I've made some adjustments. Do the mentors mind?"
She looked at Ling Qianhe, calling him "mentor" with apparent respect, but her gaze was intense and full of provocation. Ling Qianhe met her gaze and said,
"Not at all."
"Unless you ruin this song. I've emphasized on different occasions that this song is very important to me."
"It is precisely because of this that no contestant has dared to choose this song."
Lin Muci smiled and said,
"Don't worry. I won't ruin this song."
"This song was written for her."
"No one understands it better or has more right to adapt it than she does!"