241: Chapter 241 What is Art?

At this point in the performance, it was faintly audible that she seemed to have lowered the original key to maintain stability.

Although this ensured pitch accuracy, it greatly compromised the ethereal quality and tension the song should have had.

Furthermore, Lou Bingan's voice sounded somewhat thin in the low-to-mid range, lacking resonance.

[Bullet Chat] —

[Did she lower the key? It sounds a bit flat.]

[Her voice is a bit weak; it feels like she can't sustain her breath.]

[Compared to Tan Xinya's solid vocals earlier... the gap is quite obvious.]

The musical emotion built toward the first minor climax.

Lou Bingan attempted to inject more emotion, raising her voice, but a slight tremor caused by nervousness was clearly audible.

She struggled to hit the first high note; while she barely reached the pitch, her voice sounded airy, lacked power, and was devoid of penetration, as if it might break at any moment.

"I make a wish upon the starry sky, wishing the light would never fade..."

"Even if it's just a glimmer, it lights up my night..."

The chorus melody was supposed to be moving, but under her interpretation, it felt somewhat pale and weak.

Her emotional expression remained on the surface; it had the form of "singing" but lacked the soul of "storytelling."

[Bullet Chat] —

[Uh, this high note... it's so strained.]

[I feel like she's 'singing' rather than 'expressing.']

[It's over. After hearing Tan Xinya's god-tier live performance, I really can't listen to this...]

[Even though her voice didn't crack, it still doesn't sound good.]

During the second half of the performance, Lou Bingan seemed to realize the earlier blandness and tried to add some sobbing tones and vibrato to enrich the emotion.

However, because her technical control wasn't precise enough, it instead came across as forced and affected.

For the final trailing note, she used a decrescendo, managing a smooth landing, but the entire process sounded like walking on thin ice, making everyone break into a cold sweat for her.

As the performance ended, Lou Bingan's tense body finally relaxed slightly. She gave a relieved yet apprehensive smile and bowed deeply.

The applause from the audience was somewhat sparse and hesitant, nowhere near as enthusiastic as when the previous singers finished.

Many audience members merely clapped politely, their expressions complicated.

[Bullet Chat] —

[That's it... it's over?]

[It was too bland, even a bit boring.]

[All I can say is there were no train wrecks, but this won't do for a competitive stage.]

[The votes will probably be at the bottom.]

Judges' Comments:

Peng Anni's tone was relatively gentle but tinged with regret: "Lou Bingan, first of all, I acknowledge your attitude. You made adjustments and completed the performance in its entirety."

"But... this song requires very delicate emotional injection and solid breath support. Technically, your performance held steady, but emotionally, it was almost absent."

"It sounded very... cautious, and because of that, it lost the infectiousness that music should have."

Chi Yushi picked up the microphone and, without any pleasantries, cut straight to the point: "Lou Bingan, if the last round was a disastrous technical deformation, then what was this round? It was a successful 'technical risk-avoidance' exercise."

"You abandoned all risky expressions and chose the safest, most mediocre path."

"The result is that you safely finished a song, but it was merely finishing it."

He paused, his tone becoming heavier: "You said you've returned to your normal level? I'm sorry, but if your so-called normal level is like this—compensating for pitch by lowering the key, managing high notes by squeezing them out, and expressing emotion like a cup of lukewarm water—then I have to say, your normal level is having no level at all."

"On a stage of this level, not making mistakes is the minimum standard, not an achievement worthy of praise. Your performance was left more than a few lengths behind by any of the previous singers."

"If you are satisfied with this kind of safety, then your musical journey ends here."

Standing on stage, Lou Bingan listened to Chi Yushi's merciless criticism as the color drained from her face bit by bit.

She bit her lower lip hard, her eyes instantly turning red, and she struggled to keep her tears from falling.

It was him again!!!

She bowed mechanically, said "Thank you, Teacher," and then hurried off the stage almost as if she were fleeing.

Chen Yu, on the other hand, nodded slightly, expressing approval.

Don't misunderstand; it was approval for the judge's words.

Exactly right, not a single thing wrong!

...

The stage lights gradually dimmed, eventually leaving only a single cold, moonlight-like spotlight shining faintly on the center of the empty stage.

On the large background screen, an ink wash painting slowly spread out, depicting pavilions, small bridges over flowing water—a classical freehand artistic space.

In the air, ripples of Guqin harmonics faintly drifted, mixed with the distant sound of a Xiao flute.

At this moment, Yun Yi stepped slowly out from the depths of the light and shadow.

She wore a moon-white modified cheongsam made of jacquard silk with subtle patterns. The cut preserved the elegance of a cheongsam while incorporating the smooth lines of a modern evening gown.

She wore little jewelry, adorned only with a jade brooch; her bearing was graceful and her aura was like an orchid.

Song: "Dreaming of the Peony Pavilion"

The prelude was a duet of Guqin and Xiao, creating an ethereal and distant atmosphere.

Yun Yi did not start singing immediately. Instead, she slightly parted her vermilion lips, and a passage of Kunqu Opera's Shuimoqiang spoken-recitation, melodious and rich in flavor, flowed out like pearls falling onto a jade plate.

“So it is that the brilliant purples and bright reds have bloomed everywhere,

Only to be given over to broken wells and crumbling walls...”

With just two lines, the unique vocalization, articulation, and rhyming, along with that classical charm spanning hundreds of years, brought the scene to a complete hush!

This was a completely different aesthetic shock coming from the depths of traditional art.

[Bullet Chat] —

[Holy crap! As soon as she opens her mouth, it's the national essence!]

[This Kunqu spoken-recitation! The flavor is so authentic! I've got goosebumps!]

[Even though I don't understand the lyrics, it feels so high-class!]

Before the lingering sound of the recitation faded, modern orchestral music quietly blended in, neither abrupt nor intrusive, supporting the classical framework.

Yun Yi's singing style transitioned accordingly, moving naturally from opera vocals to an ethereal and lofty pop style, her voice clear and bright like a mountain spring.

“Passing through a six-hundred-year dream to meet you,

Buried beneath the Peony Pavilion, whose obsessive resentment lies?

Water sleeves cannot wave away time; a stroll in the garden cannot startle the dream,

Only a rendition of 'Zao Luo Pao' remains, scattering in the wind...”

Her pop singing style did not blindly pursue volume or technique but focused on the flow of breath and the creation of atmosphere, with clear articulation.

It skillfully stitched together the mood of classical poetry with modern people's obsessions with love, art, and dreams.

[Bullet Chat] —

[This transition is so natural! The combination of pop and opera is great!]

[The lyrics are beautifully written, with a lot of cultural depth.]

[But... to be honest, I don't quite understand it; it feels a bit distant.]

[It sounds good, but I might not add it to my playlist...]

“Ah... dreaming back to the Peony Pavilion,

Why does emotion reach such depths?

Ah... it is the spiritual light where the past and present meet,

Willing to be mad for the play, willing to be obsessed with love, to not fail this occasion!”

Yun Yi used solid mixed voice for the high notes, her tone pure yet powerful.

Yet she maintained an "artistic" restraint throughout, unlike Tan Xinya's explosive sense of power.

[Bullet Chat] —

[This singing skill, this depth—nothing to criticize!]

[It's definitely high-class, but it seems... not very 'satisfying'?]

[You need to calm your heart to appreciate it; isn't it a bit of a disadvantage to hear it at a competition venue?]

[My parents would definitely love this; this is a true artist!]