228: Chapter 228 The Champion: Well-Deserved

Zhou Yichen paused for a few seconds, as if enjoying the moment.

The audience below the stage quieted down, and even the bullet comments in the livestream broadcast visibly thinned out, as if everyone was waiting for him to speak.

"My question is..."

Zhou Yichen leaned forward slightly, his gaze falling on Shen Qingxue. His tone remained gentle, and every word sounded as though it had been prepared in advance.

"After terminating your contract with Starlight Entertainment, you chose to collaborate with Lu Li and take the path of an internet singer. This is completely different from your previous development trajectory."

"I want to know, when you made this choice, did you hesitate? Or rather, have you ever thought about what you plan to do if this path doesn't work out?"

The moment the question dropped, a low murmur of discussion arose from the audience.

From one angle, this question wasn't considered too tricky.

But placed on the stage of the Grand Finals and asked in front of millions of viewers in the livestream, its weight was completely different.

Pan Zhoudan beside him frowned slightly, but did not interfere verbally.

The bullet comments in the livestream, however, exploded first.

[Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes! I just knew he would definitely sneak in his own agenda!]

[This question... on the surface it asks about career planning, but in reality, it's implying that Shen Qingxue's choice is unwise.]

[The analysis upstairs is spot on. Zhou Yichen's move this time is truly brilliant. Politely courteous on the surface, but actually concealing a blade.]

[Why do I feel like he's just asking this question on behalf of Starlight Entertainment?]

[Can you guys not think so much? Brother is simply curious.]

[Curious my ass. Did you see him beating around the bush like this when he asked Xu Hang?]

Shen Qingxue stood in the center of the stage holding the microphone, her expression unchanged.

She did not answer immediately, remaining quiet for a second or two as if seriously pondering the question.

Then she raised the microphone, her gaze falling calmly on Zhou Yichen's face.

"Teacher Zhou asked this question very well."

Shen Qingxue's tone was unhurried.

"Of course there was hesitation. After all, jumping out of a mature corporate system and choosing a path that no one has walked before—anyone would hesitate."

She paused, continuing steadily with her voice.

"But what I want to say is that hesitation does not mean regret. On the contrary, it is precisely because I have thought about it carefully that I know what I truly want."

"As for whether this path will work out or not..."

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping across the audience and finally landing on an unseen location in the direction of the wings.

"This question should perhaps be answered by time."

"But what I can be certain of is that the path I am walking now is one I chose myself, and it is also the most comfortable path in my opinion."

She spoke very calmly, completely without deliberate emotional manipulation.

But it was precisely this calmness that made Zhou Yichen's question appear much less weighty.

Applause rang out from the audience, slightly more enthusiastic than before.

The bullet comments in the livestream also changed direction.

[The Goddess's reply is too steady, neither humble nor pushy, airtight and watertight.]

[To put it bluntly, it's actually: None of your fucking business.]

[Hahaha, the summary upstairs is spot-on.]

[Zhou Yichen obviously didn't have any good intentions, but the Goddess directly and lightly bypassed it.]

[This wave clearly shows who is superior, family members.]

Zhou Yichen sat in the judges' seat, his expression still gentle, but the fingers holding the microphone tightened slightly.

He smiled, his tone still polite.

"A very good answer, thank you Teacher Shen."

Shen Qingxue nodded slightly, not saying anything more.

The host timely took over the conversation, pulling the scene back on track.

"Alright, thank you to all the judge teachers for your questions, and thank you Teacher Shen for your wonderful answer!"

He paused, took a deep breath, and raised his voice a few notches.

"Next, please let all the judge teachers score Teacher Shen's performance!"

On the big screen, the scores of the four judges lit up one by one.

Pan Zhoudan gave a score of 9.9 points.

The second judge similarly gave a high score of 9.9 points.

The third judge was also 9.9 points.

All eyes focused on Zhou Yichen's column.

Zhou Yichen sat in the judges' seat, lowered his head to press the scoring device in front of him, and then raised his head, a smile still on his face.

The numbers on the big screen jumped once and finally settled.

9.9 points.

This score still surprised many people. They originally thought Zhou Yichen might throw some stumbling blocks in the way...

As a result, unexpectedly, he ended up giving the upper limit of the score without any hesitation.

This really doesn't look like his style...

[9.9 points? I thought he would resort to underhanded tricks. Are you sure he didn't type the wrong score?]

[Hiss, why does this feel a bit different from the Zhou Yichen in my impression?]

[I'm dying of laughter, what are you guys all disappointed about?]

[Actually, it's very simple. He didn't dare give it too low for fear of being cursed. In this kind of commercial event, there's no need to bet his career on it.]

[What do you guys know? My brother has always been this good, okay?]

[Great, great, brother is the best! It's just that I'm a bit short on money recently to buy support merchandise...]

[Remember to add this account of mine, I lost the password to the previous one.]

On stage.

Shen Qingxue withdrew her gaze from the big screen, her facial expression showing no change.

Because no matter whether the score given by Zhou Yichen was high or low, it could not affect her mood.

Afterwards, she bowed slightly, her tone calm.

"Thank you, all judge teachers."

The host quickly walked forward, his smile still enthusiastic.

"Congratulations to Teacher Shen Qingxue! With an exceptional score of 9.9 points, she has overwhelmingly claimed the grand championship of this Original Songwriters Competition!"

The applause from the audience instantly thundered, rising one after another.

The bullet comment section in the livestream was also completely flooded with various celebrations and congratulations.

The lights on both sides of the stage all lit up at this moment, and golden ribbons appropriately drifted down from above.

Shen Qingxue stood in the center of the stage, tilting her head up slightly to glance at those falling ribbons before the corners of her mouth curved up slightly.

She subconsciously turned her head, her gaze once again falling towards the wings.

This time, she saw Lu Li.

Lu Li was standing in the shadows of the wings, arms crossed, leaning against the wall with a smile on his face, giving her a thumbs-up.

Shen Qingxue withdrew her gaze, the arc at the corners of her mouth growing a bit wider.

"Next, we invite the award presenter to present the trophy and prize money to the grand champion of this competition!"

Over on the side of the wings, Liu Fang had already been prepared.

He looked at Lu Li beside him.

"Teacher Lu, together?"

Lu Li originally wanted to refuse, but seeing Shen Qingxue's faint smile on the stage, he subconsciously nodded.

At this time, she should want him to accompany her by her side, right?

Soon, Liu Fang walked out from the wings first.

Lu Li followed closely behind, walked out onto the stage, and stood still beside Shen Qingxue.

This scene did give quite a few people a small surprise, but very quickly no one took it to heart.

After all, the song was sung by Shen Qingxue, and the melody was written by Lu Li. If Lu Li went on stage, it was quite reasonable and appropriate.