188: Chapter 188 Inspiration is never about condescending preaching.

After returning backstage, staff members bustled back and forth, and the other seven contestants gathered in twos and threes.

They were either trying to find their groove or practicing, and the atmosphere was noticeably tenser than it had been in the afternoon.

As for someone like Shen Qingxue who could still go strolling through gardens during her free time, there really weren't many.

Soon, Shen Qingxue walked to the entrance of the dressing room and glanced sideways at Lu Li.

"Why don't you go sit in the lounge area for a while first? I'll come find you after I finish my makeup."

Lu Li nodded, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment.

"Don't be nervous. Just sing your heart out; you're our trump card, after all."

Shen Qingxue smiled slightly, didn't reply, and turned to push open the door into the dressing room.

The instant the door closed, Lu Li heard the makeup artist's voice from inside, carrying a hint of excitement.

"Teacher Shen, you're finally here! I've been waiting for you for so long..."

He smiled and turned to walk towards the lounge area at the end of the corridor.

Several contestants were already sitting in the lounge area. When someone saw him enter, "friendly" gazes turned over in unison.

Lu Li sat down at a window-side seat, took out his phone, and opened Douyin.

On the trending charts, the topic "Original Song Creator Competition" had surged to first place, even overshadowing the once-raging "orchid pavilion preface".

The comment section was also exceptionally lively.

[Family members! Tonight is the top eight to top four! Can the goddess continue to defend her title?]

[Of course she can! I've already listened to their new songs hundreds of times recently, looking forward to the new song!]

[By the way, tonight's theme is inspiration. What kind of divine song will Lu Li write this time?]

[I never worry about Lu Li writing songs; what I'm worried about is whether my tears will be enough.]

[Hahahahaha, the person above is right. This kid writes songs with no sense of proportion.]

[Here they come, pull back your feet, melon seeds, drinks, and mineral water, with complimentary tissue service~]

Lu Li scrolled through the comments one by one, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

Tonight would definitely be another important milestone for Shen Qingxue to break through again, and he was starting to look forward to it.

Lu Li didn't linger too long in the comment section. He put away his phone, leaned back against the chair, and closed his eyes.

Ever since he came in, the lounge area had been very quiet.

With his eyes closed, Lu Li was quite content. Then he ran through the melody and lyrics of "come on" in his mind once more.

No problem.

He was too familiar with this song; from lyrics to melody, every detail felt like it was carved into his bones.

Moreover, he had heard Shen Qingxue's version many times. Her voice and the song had an extremely high compatibility.

During the competition, as long as she sang it the way she practiced normally, there definitely wouldn't be any problems.

I don't know how much time passed, but a familiar set of footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.

Lu Li subconsciously opened his eyes, and sure enough, Shen Qingxue had finished her makeup and was walking towards him.

She wore a white shirt paired with light blue jeans, with a loose beige knitted cardigan layered outside.

Her hair was half-tied, with a few stray wisps hanging by her ears. Her makeup was very light, but it appropriately magnified the exquisite features of her face.

Today she even looked to carry a hint of casualness.

Lu Li was stunned for a moment, then stood up from the chair and looked her up and down.

"Today's outfit... feels a bit different."

Shen Qingxue stopped in front of him and slightly tilted her head.

"How is it different?"

Lu Li thought about it, finding it somewhat difficult to phrase.

"It's just... very relaxed, very natural, like..."

He paused.

"Like you're about to carry the whole audience."

The corners of Shen Qingxue's mouth curved up.

"Isn't that just it?"

Lu Li also smiled and didn't say anything more.

The two of them walked side by side towards the waiting area.

Several people were already sitting in the waiting area, most of whom were tonight's contestants.

"What number are you performing?"

Lu Li turned his head to ask.

Shen Qingxue lowered her head to look at the notification on her phone.

"Scheduled as fifth, neither too early nor too late."

Lu Li nodded, leaned back in his chair, and didn't speak again.

Time ticked away second by second.

On the television screen in the waiting area, the host had already walked onto the stage, and the applause and cheers from the audience filtered through the screen.

Meanwhile, in the related live broadcast room, the number of online viewers continuously climbed, and the bullet comments scrolled past extremely fast.

Soon, the opening remarks ended.

The first contestant took the stage.

This contestant sang an inspirational song about perseverance.

The melody was passionate and the lyrics straightforward. The live response was good, but the bullet comment reviews in the live broadcast room could only be considered mediocre.

Following that were the second contestant, the third contestant, the fourth contestant...

Every contestant was striving to interpret the theme of "inspiration"; some sang about dreams, while others sang about perseverance.

Even more, someone took a different path.

Singing about friendship.

Although this approach appeared quite novel, unfortunately, that contestant's lyrics and composition were average, so the effect could only be described as uneven.

And the bullet comments in the live broadcast room shifted from initial anticipation to discussion and commentary.

Lu Li's gaze fell on the television screen. His expression didn't change much, but his inner thoughts were extremely rich.

If everyone was at this level, then tonight's "come on" would definitely make people's eyes light up.

Not only could the melody of this song make people feel novel, but even the lyrics were particularly interesting, full of reverse thinking.

But the more it was like this, the more it could make people empathize, because inspiration is never a condescending lecture.

"Fifth contestant, get ready!"

At this moment, a staff member's voice came from the doorway.

Shen Qingxue put her phone into her bag and stood up from the chair.

She took a deep breath and glanced sideways at Lu Li.

Lu Li also stood up, didn't say any superfluous words, and simply pulled a piece of candy out of his pocket, handing it in front of her.

"Here, you're singing "come on" tonight, so you have to come on too."

Shen Qingxue naturally reached out to take it and smiled slightly.

"Let's come on together."

Afterwards, she walked towards the stage entrance.

Lu Li didn't say anything more, sat back down, and his gaze fell on the television screen.

On the screen, the host was doing the transition speech.

"...Next, let's welcome the fifth contestant, the heavy favorite to win this episode... Shen Qingxue!"

As soon as the voice fell, the waiting area quieted for a moment, and then sporadic discussions sounded.

The bullet comments in the live broadcast room also exploded in an instant.

[Here they come, here they come, here they come!!! Finally waited for the goddess!]

[Inspirational theme! What song will Shen Qingxue sing? So looking forward to it!]

[What song did Lu Li write this time? Is anyone going to spoil it?]

[The person in front is crazy, who dares to spoil it]

[In short, just look forward to it!]

Inside the screen, Shen Qingxue walked out from the side stage.

The spotlight fell on her, enveloping her entire person in a halo of light.

She walked to the center of the stage, bowed slightly, her movements poised and natural.

Applause thundered below the stage.

The host smiled and stepped forward, his tone enthusiastic.

"Teacher Shen, welcome to our big stage! Today's theme is inspiration; do you have anything you want to say to everyone?"

Shen Qingxue took the microphone, thought for a moment, and then slightly curved the corners of her mouth.

"The song I'm singing today is called "come on", which is very straightforward."

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

"This was also written by my partner Lu Li. He said this song is dedicated to me, and also to everyone who is feeling discouraged but still working hard to come on."

There was another wave of applause from the audience.

The bullet comments in the live broadcast room instantly flooded the screen.

["come on"? This song title is indeed very straightforward!]

[But then again, I feel like the more straightforward the song title, the more substance it has!]

[Wuuu wuu family members, I got scammed out of five yuan from online dating, I really don't know how to come on.]

...

On stage, the host smiled and retreated to the side wings.

Shen Qingxue stood in the center of the stage as the lights dimmed.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The prelude also slowly slowly sounded at this moment...