120: Chapter 120 Shen Qingxue takes the stage, the official performance begins!

...

At 7:30 the next morning, the alarm clock rang.

Lu Li rarely stayed in bed, getting up to wash and change clothes, moving twice as fast as usual.

When he walked out of the bedroom, Shen Qingxue was already in the living room.

Today, she wore a light blue dress with the hem just above her knees, revealing a section of fair calves.

Her hair was loose, a few stray strands tucked behind her ears, and her face wore a thin layer of light makeup, making her whole person look much softer than usual.

Lu Li leaned against the hallway wall, looked her up and down, then gave a thumbs-up, praising her unsparingly.

"Pretty."

Shen Qingxue turned her head to glance at him, her earlobes blushing slightly, but she quickly returned to normal.

"Such a smooth talker... Let's go, it's getting late."

Lu Li nodded and picked up the car keys.

Before long, the two of them went downstairs.

Lu Li opened the passenger door, let Shen Qingxue get in first, and then sat in the driver's seat, starting the car.

The car slowly drove out of the residential area and merged into the morning rush hour traffic.

Shen Qingxue sat in the passenger seat, looking down at her phone, the screen displaying the lyrics of "summer wind".

Although she had memorized it by heart long ago, she still couldn't help reading it over and over again.

Lu Li turned his head to glance at her without disturbing her.

The car drove through the city streets for about forty minutes, and when it arrived at the Modu Exhibition Center, it was not yet 8:30.

A long queue had already formed at the entrance of the exhibition center, mostly contestants, along with quite a few family and friends groups who came to come on and show support.

Lu Li parked the car, the two of them got out, and walked side by side toward the entrance.

Shen Qingxue wore a hat and a mask, wrapping herself tightly, but her eyes exposed outside still attracted the attention of quite a few people.

[That person... why does she look a bit like Shen Qingxue]

[Who is that next to her? I don't recognize him.]

[No way? Did Shen Qingxue really come to participate?]

[She already posted a video, it must be true.]

[Damn, why didn't you say so earlier! I thought that Rock Sugar Pear was a pirated account, following immediately.]

Whispers came from all directions, but Shen Qingxue turned a deaf ear, her pace remaining calm.

Lu Li walked beside her with his hands in his pockets and a casual expression, but his gaze constantly observed the surrounding situation.

The two walked to the entrance, and the staff checked Shen Qingxue's registration information and handed her a number tag.

"Number Eighty-seven, please go to the waiting area and wait to be called."

Shen Qingxue took the number tag, nodded slightly, and walked into the waiting area.

The waiting area was very large, furnished with hundreds of chairs, most of which were already filled with people, and various musical instruments and equipment were scattered all over the floor.

Shen Qingxue found a corner seat and sat down, with Lu Li sitting next to her.

As soon as the two sat down, someone approached them.

It was a boy in his early twenties, carrying a guitar on his back with a hint of nervousness on his face.

"Um... Excuse me, are you Teacher Shen Qingxue?"

Shen Qingxue raised her head to look at him, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded slightly.

The boy's eyes lit up instantly, and his voice pitched up a notch.

"It really is you! I am your fan! I especially like that song 'coral sea' you sang! It sounds so amazing!"

Shen Qingxue nodded slightly, her tone faint.

"Thank you for your support."

The boy still wanted to say something, but was pulled away by a girl next to him, turning back as they walked with a look of unfulfillment.

Lu Li turned his head to look at Shen Qingxue and lowered his voice.

"Your fans are quite enthusiastic."

Shen Qingxue didn't reply, lowering her head to continue looking at her phone.

Time passed minute by minute.

The people in the waiting area grew more and more numerous, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

Some people hugged their guitars and practiced repeatedly, some hummed into their phones, and others took deep breaths in the corners.

Lu Li leaned against the back of his chair, his gaze sweeping across these diverse contestants, and suddenly a nameless emotion arose in his heart.

Among these people, how many could keep going down this path? And how many would be defeated by reality and ultimately give up?

He didn't know.

But he knew that at least at this moment, everyone was working hard, because he used to be just like that.

"Number Eighty-seven! Shen Qingxue!"

The voice of the staff came from ahead.

Shen Qingxue stood up from her chair, took a deep breath, and turned her head to look at Lu Li.

Lu Li smiled at her and gave a thumbs-up.

"Go on, Pikachu."

Shen Qingxue tilted her head slightly, somewhat puzzled.

Pikachu? What kind of thing was that?

However, she didn't think much about it, because in her view, Lu Li had a really wild imagination, and she could accept it even if a few unfamiliar words popped out.

Before long, Lu Li watched her figure disappear into the entrance, then stood up from his chair and walked over to the television screen in the waiting area.

On the screen, the live broadcast of the scene on stage was being shown in real-time.

This original song creator competition was entirely contracted by Douyin officially, and the live broadcast room was directly recommended to the homepage of various pages.

The traffic volume reached millions, which was simply terrifying.

At this moment, in the live broadcast room, the host was announcing the program.

"Next, we invite contestant number eighty-seven... Shen Qingxue!"

As soon as the voice fell, the live broadcast room instantly became restless.

[Holy shit, it really is Shen Qingxue!]

[Did she really come? I thought people online were just joking.]

[The former national goddess, even though she terminated her contract, for someone of her stature to participate in this kind of competition is simply a dimensional reduction strike.]

[Throwing away the resources of an entertainment company to go down the route of an internet singer, I really don't understand.]

[Hehe, if you guys have ever actually signed with an entertainment company, you'll know why.]

[Indeed, those who don't understand should go sign up for group broadcasting first; they'll chew your bones to dust and give you nothing.]

In Lu Li's line of sight, Shen Qingxue walked out from the side wing.

The light blue dress's hem swayed gently with her pace, her long hair draped over her shoulders, and a few stray strands tucked behind her ears.

Everyone who saw this scene couldn't help but subconsciously lighten their breathing.

Before long, Shen Qingxue walked to the center of the stage and bowed slightly.

"Hello everyone, I am Shen Qingxue."

She paused, swept her gaze across the audience, and added another sentence.

"Today I will bring an original song, and its name is summer wind."

The applause from the audience became even more enthusiastic.

At the judges' panel, the three judges exchanged glances, all seeing a trace of surprise in each other's eyes.

One of the female judges picked up the microphone and asked.

"Shen Qingxue, we all know you just terminated your contract, but with your qualifications, you shouldn't need this kind of platform to prove yourself, right?"

Shen Qingxue tilted her head slightly, seeming to ponder how to answer.

After a silence of two seconds, she finally spoke, her tone still faint.

"First I am a singer, and only then am I anything else."

A simple sentence without excess explanation.

There was another round of applause from the audience.

Shen Qingxue's remarks won the favor of quite a few people.

The judge nodded and didn't press further.

"Alright, please begin your performance."