Half an hour passed, and Lou Yuming grew impatient with the surrounding screams.
He frowned, "How much longer?"
Yao Yifan, covered in sweat, replied, "Two more groups."
"..."
The man silently pursed his thin lips.
"Little brother, who do you like? I haven't seen you speak all night."
A girl beside him tried to strike up a conversation. Lou Yuming ignored her.
But the other party was persistent. She had been observing him for a long time. He was tall, had good taste in clothes, and though his face was hidden by sunglasses, he was definitely handsome!
She hadn't expected to meet her ideal type while chasing stars! The girl was a little excited and proactively took out her phone, saying, "Can I add your WeChat?"
Lou Yuming coldly ignored her and turned to leave, "Let's go to the second floor."
Yao Yifan was immensely relieved.
The view from the second floor was significantly better than below.
Lou Yuming looked at Yao Yifan's panting appearance and said, "This year's year-end bonus will be double."
"!!!"
Yao Yifan's spirits instantly soared. He felt he could hold on for a few more hours!
At eleven o'clock, Song Xi's group finally began their performance.
The stage was full of ancient charm, exuding an ethereal aura.
Song Xi sat in the center of the stage. Her delicate jade fingers plucked the strings, and the moment she did, the surroundings fell silent. The only sound audible was the collective gasp of those stunned by her beauty.
Lou Yuming's eyes lit up. He took out his phone and took two pictures.
Yao Yifan asked, "Sir?"
He subtly put his phone back in his pocket, feigning composure as he said, "It's too far, I can't see."
Yao Yifan chuckled secretly.
After seeing many flashy and energetic stages, their group's elegant ink-wash style national aesthetic brought continuous surprise to everyone, and the response was even more fervent than the previous groups.
Just as everyone was immersed in the performance, a string on the zither suddenly snapped with a "bang."
Liu Dongdong let out a cold laugh, his scheme successful.
Just as everyone thought it was a performance accident, the background music abruptly stopped, replaced by Song Xi playing rapidly on the broken string, elevating the scene's desolate and mournful atmosphere to a higher level!
Ye Tian also joined in with a live vocal accompaniment.
Liu Dongdong's mind exploded.
What? This wasn't how it was supposed to be...
When the performance finally ended, Song Xi's group received the most enthusiastic applause.
That night, #The MasterstrokeOfTheBalladOfPiPa# trended on the hot search.
[You scared me to death! I thought it was a performance accident at first, but I didn't expect it to be deliberately designed. That's amazing!]
[Really! Especially when Song Xi played the damaged pipa at the end, and Ye Tian sang along beside her, I almost teared up. It felt like they truly conveyed the essence of "The Ballad of PiPa!"]
[This group is one of the legendary stages in Chinese entertainment in my opinion!!]
[My impression of Song Xi has changed. I didn't expect her professional ability to be so strong, and she's so beautiful. I was captivated by her looks from my seat!]
...
The results came out shortly after the public performance ended.
Song Xi's group ranked second, a surprising comeback as no one had anticipated it.
The entire venue erupted in cheers. Their stage was innovative, so this ranking was well-deserved!
Qin Feng's group performed ordinarily, and four members faced elimination.
Just as the votes were about to be announced, the director suddenly said, "Wait, let's pause for a moment."
Qin Feng noticed that Liu Dongdong, Song Xi, and Tao Qingyu were missing. He couldn't help but feel a sense of panic.
Office.
Facing Song Xi's accusation, Liu Dongdong refused to admit it, even starting to play the victim: "Director, don't believe her. How could I do something like that! I'm being framed!"
Tao Qingyu stated coldly from the side, "If Miss Song hadn't been clever and prepared in advance, our performance would have surely failed!"
Liu Dongdong argued unreasonably, "This is my stage too. What benefit would I get from ruining it!"
The director nodded hesitantly, "He has a point."
Tao Qingyu, usually calm, lost his composure for once: "Liu Dongdong, you're not a man if you don't admit your mistakes!"
"It wasn't me!" Liu Dongdong stubbornly retorted, "If you have the guts, show me the evidence. Otherwise, you're slandering me. Director, you must stand up for me!"
Tao Qingyu couldn't believe it. This Liu Dongdong was even more shameless than he had imagined. To think he had considered him a teammate!
"I saw you break Miss Song's pipa with my own eyes!"
Liu Dongdong's body stiffened: "...I didn't!"
Song Xi opened the video on her phone and placed it on the table, her eyes icy: "Then who is this?"