217: Chapter 217 Li Fang's Brilliant Performance: What is Skill?

Su Ruiqi and her dance crew were already frozen in place at the center of the stage, their styling avant-garde and sharp, like female warriors from a future battlefield.

A pair of long, straight legs made people exclaim—a "legs for days" series!

[Dancers really do have great bodies. It's a pity those honey-thighs can't be mine!]

The music was a powerful electronic dance track, its rhythm as swift as a sudden rainstorm.

Su Ruiqi began to sing; despite the intense dancing, her breath was incredibly stable, her voice highly piercing, and every word hit the beat precisely:

"Rules are broken by me"

"Boundaries are reset by me"

"Watch me now"

"I ignite this stage with a fire that never goes out!"

The movements of Su Ruiqi and the dance crew were terrifyingly synchronized; every beat hit, every formation change, and even every gaze was as perfectly aligned as a replica.

The combination of power and beauty was seamless.

[So fierce! The shaking has me unable to look away!]

High-difficulty moves followed one after another—floor work, rapid formation changes.

Yet, holding her microphone, her singing remained as steady as a CD recording, without the slightest gasp or off-key note, demonstrating terrifying physical stamina and vocal prowess.

The camera angle switched.

A close-up of her cold, glamorous, and confident face; the sliding beads of sweat only added to her charm.

A wide shot captured the shocking synchronized dance of the crew, moving like a precision machine.

Under an overhead shot, the formation shifted into stunning geometric patterns.

The atmosphere on site was completely ignited!

The audience had long since stood up, waving their arms to the rhythm; waves of screams and cheers rose higher and higher, turning the venue into a massive concert.

As the final segment of music ended, Su Ruiqi suddenly froze in place after an extremely powerful hip thrust.

Her gaze pierced toward the main camera as she breathed slightly, the corners of her lips curling into a smile of absolute confidence, even tinged with a hint of arrogance.

The moment the performance ended, the frantic cheers and screams nearly blew the roof off the studio!

"Su Ruiqi! Su Ruiqi! Su Ruiqi!"

"That was explosive! Oh my god!"

"This is the standard for a top-tier girl group! Absolute Center!"

The judges' table was also filled with amazement; some nodded and swayed to the rhythm, while others couldn't help but applaud her.

As a fellow woman, Han Liangying excitedly picked up the microphone: "This was a textbook-level singing and dancing performance! Powerful vocal pressure, terrifying stability, and impeccable dance expression!"

"I've been conquered by you! You aren't just performing; you are completely dominating this stage!"

...

The stage lights transitioned to a soft pure white.

Li Fang stood quietly in the center of a beam of light, wearing a simple, even somewhat loose suit, looking like a child who had stolen an adult's clothes.

It formed a sharp contrast with the explosive stage from moments ago.

He seemed completely unaffected by the pressure from the previous performer, appearing composed and even carrying a bit of academic ease.

The intro was a clean guitar pluck, fresh and pleasant to the ear.

"Catching a glimpse of your silhouette in the crowd"

"In an instant, my heartstrings are plucked..."

He began to sing, and his voice was indeed as rumored—an extremely clear, thin, and translucent "minty voice."

The timbre was so pure it was almost devoid of impurities, like transparent crystal washed by a mountain stream.

It was too thin, so thin it let light through!

"What should I do about this heart-fluttering moment"

"My gaze is entangled and can no longer move..."

His technique was impeccable, his pitch precise, and his breath steady; every vibrato and trailing note was handled very thinly.

The level of completion was very high!

This extreme "purity," especially after a performance as impactful and infectious as Su Ruiqi's...

...felt exceptionally bland!

During the chorus, he even added a small tiptoeing movement, coordinating with the rise and fall of the lyrics, as if using his whole body to interpret the meaning of "intoxicated."

[??? Is this a kindergarten talent show? This is what follows the Queen?]

[I can't tell if it sounds good or bad, but... it's so boring, help!]

[This minty voice is way too thin; it feels like a single breath could blow it away. No depth or emotion at all.]

[This performance... so much effort... so pretentious... my toes have curled so hard I've dug out a three-bedroom apartment! Brother, can we be a bit more natural?]

[An academic honor student's homework presentation—perfect, but soulless!]

[It sounds so good! Are you guys deaf!]

[Fans, stop overhyping. Isn't this just high-level KTV? This is a competition!]

[The vibe is refreshing, the singing is standard, but my heart is completely unmoved.]

[Just a passerby, but I think it sounds pretty good, very comfortable (running away while holding a pot lid for protection).]

[Bet fifty cents that the judges will definitely praise him for being 'pure' and having 'good technique,' but his votes won't be high, believe it or not?]

After the performance, Li Fang bowed slightly to the mentors and the audience, revealing a somewhat shy but sufficiently confident smile.

Polite and enthusiastic applause rang out (requested by the Production Team), but the atmosphere had clearly cooled down quite a bit.

Chen Yu's head throbbed as he listened.

His evaluation was that it wasn't even as good as Lou Bingan.

At least she dared to go for it!

Li Fang...

Is Berklee a fake?

Chi Yushi pushed up his glasses and said with a sharp gaze, "Your pitch is very good, and your head voice technique is decent, but it lacks a human touch."

"Music isn't a math problem; you don't get full marks just for solving it correctly. It needs flaws, it needs emotion, it needs that little bit of reckless impulse."

"You know too well how to make yourself sound good; all your attention is on control rather than expression."

The camera cut to Li Fang; the confidence on his face faded slightly, but he still maintained a proper smile, though the corners of his mouth were a bit stiff.

Next was the judge Cui Ziqi, a singer known for her emotional explosiveness.

"I agree with Teacher Chi Yushi's view," she said more directly.

"Your voice is very beautiful, like a delicate piece of glass art that needs to be placed in a glass cabinet and admired from a distance. But a stage performance isn't an exhibition; we need something that can burst out and grab the audience's heart!"

"Li Fang, you are very excellent; your training and foundation are clearly very solid."

"But perhaps... it's exactly that systematic training from Berklee that has, in a way, restrained you?" someone said gently. "You've handed in a 'standard answer' where every step of the solution follows the rules. But art, especially pop music, is sometimes most moving exactly because of those surprises and flaws outside the standard answer."

"In your performance, I didn't hear 'Li Fang'; I only heard 'Li Fang, the outstanding Berklee graduate'."

Li Fang really wanted to say: I haven't actually graduated.

"It's a pity. I hope you can temporarily forget those rules. Even if you mess up the next performance, I want to hear a voice that belongs only to you—even if it's imperfect, as long as it's real."

The smile on Li Fang's face completely vanished.

He gripped the microphone, his fingers tightening slightly, and bowed to the judges' table again.

"Thank you, teachers."

However, his back molars were nearly crushed from grinding.

You guys are just looking through colored glasses!

Isn't it just because I'm Li Fang?