novellhall Chapter 131 Tears on Stage
Chapter 131 Tears on Stage
Behind the monitor, Zhao Zhong stared blankly at the screen.
Wang Bo put down his guitar, bowed to the empty audience seats, and turned to walk off the stage.
In the passageway, several staff members looked at him with red eyes. Some gave him a thumbs up, while others whispered, "Teacher Wang Bo, you sang so well."
Back in the lounge, Wang Bo sat on the sofa, remaining motionless for a long time.
The emotions I had suppressed while singing were now slowly surging up.
At 7 p.m., the recording of the fifth episode of "The Voice of China" officially began.
Host Lin Ling, dressed in a smart suit, appeared on stage, her voice still passionate: "Dear viewers, welcome to the fifth episode of 'The Voice of China'—the 'Family' themed competition! Tonight, seven contestants will use their voices to interpret the most precious emotions in the world. Meanwhile, we also have two challengers joining the battle!"
After the competition format was explained, the two challengers took the stage.
The first one is a female singer in her early thirties named Liu Fang. She came from a talent show and has solid singing skills.
The second person is a young man in his twenties named Zhang Hao, an independent musician who specializes in folk music.
This season's rules have changed. The challenger can choose any online singer to challenge, but if they fail, they will be eliminated immediately and will not have a chance to enter the loser's bracket.
If both teams fail, the losers of the other two PK groups will advance directly.
If one person succeeds, the losers' bracket continues to compete, but only one person will be eliminated.
Liu Fang chose first.
She stood on the stage, her gaze sweeping over the seven online singers. Her eyes lingered on Qin Xiao's face for three seconds, then on Qin Xiao and Li Xuan's faces for five seconds, before she said without hesitation, "I choose to challenge Teacher Li Xuan."
"Pfft—" Lin Xiaoya, who was drinking water in the backstage dressing room, sprayed it out.
Xia Lizhi shook her head and looked at Li Xuan with pity.
Li Xuan himself stood on the players' bench, his face turning green.
The host, a little embarrassed, quickly tried to smooth things over: "Liu Fang has chosen to challenge Li Xuan! It seems that Li Xuan's abilities have been recognized by the challenger, who considers you a worthy opponent!"
Li Xuan forced a smile, inwardly cursing Liu Fang a hundred times: Approval my ass! You just think I'm easy to beat!
The second challenger, Zhang Hao, took the stage.
The young man was a bit shy, and he said softly into the microphone, "I...I want to challenge Teacher Qin Xiao."
The audience gasped in surprise.
Qin Xiao remained calm and nodded to Zhang Hao.
From the moment she appeared on stage, Lin Xiaoya took a heartwarming approach, wearing a light pink dress and singing a song she wrote for her mother called "Mom's Wrinkles".
The melody was beautiful and the emotions were sincere. Although there was no breakthrough in technique, the sincerity of the performance earned it good applause.
Xia Lizhi ingeniously used a lighthearted song, "Dad's Broken Guitar," to tell the story of her father's musical dreams when he was young.
The stage design was very interesting. She actually brought a broken guitar onto the stage, playing and singing at the same time, exuding youthful energy and creating a great live effect.
Then it was Wang Bo's turn.
When he walked onto the stage with his guitar, the entire audience fell silent instantly.
The experience from previous episodes tells the audience that Wang Bo's performance requires careful listening.
The lights dimmed, and a spotlight shone on Wang Bo.
He sat on a high stool, adjusted the microphone, and then softly said to the audience, "This song is called 'Father,' and it's dedicated to all fathers in the world, and also to my own father."
Without much introduction, the sound of a guitar began.
Simple arpeggios, clear and clean, like a mountain stream.
As soon as the first sentence was uttered, some people in the audience covered their mouths.
That's so true.
Which child hasn't had moments like this? Taking their parents' love for granted, but rarely saying thank you.
Wang Bo's singing lacked any flashy techniques; it was simply a straightforward narration. But it was precisely this simplicity that struck a chord with people.
The camera panned across the audience, where a middle-aged man took off his glasses and wiped his eyes.
A young girl leaned on her boyfriend's shoulder, tears streaming down her face.
On stage, Wang Bo was completely immersed in the song.
He closed his eyes, recalling his father's dark face, deep wrinkles, calloused hands, and the saying, "We, the Wang family, must have a straight spine."
His voice began to tremble, not from technique, but from uncontrollable genuine emotion.
Sobbing filled the audience.
An elderly man in his sixties held his wife's hand tightly, tears streaming down his face.
A man in his thirties buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking violently.
Wang Bo's tears slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the guitar.
However, he controlled his singing well and there was no car accident on site.
After the performance, Wang Bo put down his guitar, wiped his face with the back of his hand, and bowed deeply to the audience.
A silence that lasted for ten seconds.
Then, thunderous applause erupted, and many audience members clapped vigorously while wiping away tears.
When the host, Lin Ling, walked onto the stage, her eyes were red: "Wang Bo...it's another original song. Could you tell us about the background of this song's creation?"
Wang Bo picked up the microphone and calmed himself down: "I went back to my hometown a couple of days ago and saw my dad picking peanuts in the yard even though his leg wasn't fully healed. I asked him why he wasn't resting, and he said he was just idling around anyway."
"At that moment, I suddenly realized that my dad is getting old, and I've been busy traveling all the time, rarely spending time with him. This song is both my way of expressing my guilt and my gratitude."
As soon as he finished speaking, applause rang out again.
In the backstage contestants' lounge, Qin Xiao stood against the wall, clapping softly.
Li Xuan's expression was complex, a mixture of envy and jealousy.
Lin Xiaoya was already crying her eyes out.
Xia Lizhi stared intently at Wang Bo on the screen.
The recording of the show ended at 11 p.m.
Wang Bo had just stepped out of the studio when he was cornered by the Su sisters.
Su Xiaoxiao crossed her arms and looked him up and down: "Wow, Wang Bo, you've made everyone cry again."
Su Yiyi handed over a thermos: "Drink some honey water to soothe your throat."
Wang Bo took the thermos and smiled, "Thank you, Teacher Su."
"What are you thanking me for?" Su Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. "You're the company's cash cow now, protecting your voice is your top priority."
Su Yiyi said gently, "Wang Bo, your father will be very moved if he watches the show."
Wang Bo nodded: "I hope so."
The three walked out side by side and encountered Qin Xiao in the parking lot.
The other person was about to get into the car when they saw Wang Bo, stopped, and walked over.
"Wang Bo," Qin Xiao looked at him and said very seriously, "I lost this song today."
Wang Bo was taken aback for a moment: "Teacher Qin is too modest. Your arrangement of 'Father and Son' is amazing."
"No matter how good the arrangement is, it can't compare to a moving heart." Qin Xiao gave a sincere smile. "Your song truly flows from your heart. I've learned something from it."
After saying that, he nodded, turned around, got into his car, and left.
Su Xiaoxiao looked at Qin Xiao's taillights thoughtfully: "Qin Xiao... is actually not a bad person."
Su Yiyi said softly, "Talented people always appreciate each other."