Volume One: Debuting at the Pinnacle Chapter Sixty-Two: The Champion’s Speech

Imperial Capital of Huaxia, headquarters of the Dynasty.

“Yay, yay, yay! My brother is the champion! Ah~ My brother is so handsome!” Xie Yuanshan shouted excitedly as she watched Chen Jing thanking the audience on television.

Li Zijie, the fifth in the group, couldn't help but yell as well, “Boss is just awesome!”

“I never thought the boss would actually win the championship,” Ji Hao, the fourth, said with a smile, shaking his head.

“What do you mean you never thought so? My brother winning the championship was a given, okay? From the moment he entered Voice of Huaxia, I knew the trophy was his.” Xie Yuanshan boasted proudly.

Ji Hao rolled his eyes, unwilling to argue with Xie Yuanshan and her brother complex.

Tan Xu, the eighth, sighed. “No wonder he’s the boss—even singing, he’s so incredible. When he used to say how amazing he was at singing, I thought he was just bragging. Turns out it was us who were shortsighted.”

“When have you ever seen the boss boast?” Liu Zexuan, the third, replied blandly.

Tan Xu gave an awkward laugh, “Um, that’s true.”

Everyone was full of emotion, except for Sun Ruoqing, who remained silent. She was certainly happy, but expressing it wasn’t her strength. Alone with the mirror, she might say a few words, but usually she kept a cool and aloof demeanor.

“Oh, everyone’s here?” Suddenly, a mature woman’s voice came from the doorway, making everyone’s heart skip a beat. They quickly turned to look.

A tall woman entered, dressed in a tank top and shorts. Though she looked like she was in her twenties, she carried the poise and charm of a woman in her forties. With long, graceful legs and a light, confident step, she walked toward the television.

Everyone stood at once and called out, “Teacher!”

The woman paid no particular mind, tilting her head to glance at the television and smiling, “What are you all watching?”

Xie Yuanshan hurried over to block the screen, forcing a smile. “Ah? Nothing, just watching whatever’s on. By the way, Teacher, why are you back? Weren’t you on a mission?” She tried to turn off the television as she spoke.

“Hm?” The woman immediately noticed Xie Yuanshan’s suspicious behavior and stopped her. “Little Nine, what are you doing? Don’t turn off the TV. Let me see what you’re watching.” She reached out and gently flicked her finger; Xie Yuanshan, who had been about to turn off the TV, found herself unable to move.

Frozen in place, Xie Yuanshan put on a long face. “It’s really nothing, just a variety show. Teacher, you never liked variety shows, so why not skip it?”

“Yes, yes, really nothing much. Just something Little Nine wanted to watch. Teacher, you don’t have to see it.” The others chimed in, trying to help.

The woman arched an eyebrow slightly. “Oh? Are you all looking for extra training?”

At once, everyone stiffened and obediently stood aside, not daring to speak further.

Sun Ruoqing hesitated but ultimately chose not to stop their teacher. It wasn’t that she was afraid—she just thought it unnecessary. Besides, if the teacher wanted to watch, there was no stopping her.

The tall woman walked over to Xie Yuanshan and gently pulled her aside. She already knew what they were trying to hide, and precisely because she knew, she was determined to see for herself.

The television was showing a close-up of Chen Jing receiving his award.

Seeing that all-too-familiar face on screen, the woman’s gaze grew distant and she murmured, “Little Jingzi…”

The camera shifted back to the live stage of Voice of Huaxia. After rounds of fierce competition, the final champion was crowned.

The four finalists stood together on stage. When the host announced Chen Jing as the ultimate champion, the other three all applauded him generously.

Had anyone else won, they might have been dissatisfied, but with Chen Jing, they were convinced, both in heart and speech.

Next came the award ceremony.

Upon learning that Ling Ruohan would be Chen Jing’s duet partner for the finale, the production team decided to invite her as the guest presenter for the awards as well—after all, her status was more than fitting.

Ling Ruohan gladly accepted, certain that Chen Jing would win. Since she’d be presenting the award to him, of course she agreed.

Host Cai Lun announced loudly, “Alright, everyone, the first season of Voice of Huaxia has come to a perfect close. Now, it’s time for our awards. Please welcome our guest presenter, Ms. Ling Ruohan, to the stage!”

“Whoa!!” The audience erupted in applause upon hearing Ling Ruohan’s name.

Dressed in an elegant off-shoulder evening gown, Ling Ruohan walked up to the stage, her smile radiant as she approached the four finalists. Chen Jing, standing on stage, met her gaze and the two exchanged a smile.

A beautiful woman in a cheongsam entered holding a tray, upon which sat a trophy and three different medals.

“The fourth place winner of the first season of Voice of Huaxia is Yang Xingli. Congratulations, Yang Xingli!”

The first award, naturally, went to fourth place. Ling Ruohan accepted the medal from the cheongsam-clad beauty and placed it around Yang Xingli’s neck. Though he was a bit regretful, Yang Xingli accepted it with a smile.

“The third place winner is Guo Feng. Congratulations, Guo Feng!”

Receiving the medal from Ling Ruohan, Guo Feng was thrilled. As she put the medal on him, he said excitedly, “Senior Ling Ruohan, I’m your fan! Could you autograph something for me later?”

Ling Ruohan smiled politely. “Is that so? Thank you for your support. I’ll sign for you after the ceremony.”

Guo Feng nodded eagerly.

“The runner-up is Xie Weiyu. Congratulations, Xie Weiyu!”

Though Ling Ruohan wasn’t fond of Xie Weiyu, she maintained her composure and handed over the medal with a smile.

“Thank you!” Xie Weiyu said, somewhat excited. Though disappointed not to have won, at least she was second.

“You’re welcome. I hope you’ll keep working hard.” Ling Ruohan replied with a gentle smile.

“Alright, everyone. Now, the champion of the first season of Voice of Huaxia is—Chen Jing! Congratulations to Chen Jing! He is truly deserving of the title.”

The announcement of the winner was, of course, more ceremonious.

Cheers erupted.

Clapping rang out, filling the air with excitement.

Ling Ruohan’s smile blossomed as she accepted the champion’s trophy from the cheongsam beauty and approached Chen Jing.

“Ajing, congratulations! I knew this trophy belonged to you.” She handed him the award, her eyes shining.

Chen Jing accepted it with both hands, his smile bright as the sun. “Thank you, Sister Ruohan.”

He examined the trophy, his smile growing ever brighter. His heart surged with emotion—it would be a lie to say he wasn’t excited. This was the first trophy he had ever won in this life, his first music award. For him, it carried immense significance. At last, he hadn’t let down the works of his past life, and his dream of music, spanning two lifetimes, was fulfilled.

With one hand, Chen Jing raised the trophy toward the audience. “Thank you, everyone!” he shouted.

The crowd answered with thunderous excitement.

Host Cai Lun smiled, “Now, Chen Jing, since you’re the champion, how about a victory speech? Tell us how you’re feeling and what you think.”

In other words, it was time for his acceptance speech.

Chen Jing was unruffled. Taking the microphone, he began, “First of all, I want to thank all the audience members here tonight, and our three judges. Without your support, I couldn’t have won this trophy. So this victory belongs to me, but to you as well. Secondly…” He looked over at Ling Ruohan. “I want to thank Sister Ruohan for being my duet partner. Without her, I wouldn’t be standing here as champion.”

Ling Ruohan laughed and teased, “No, no, no need to thank me. If you really want to thank me, just write a few more songs for me.”

Chen Jing, rarely playful in public, replied, “Of course! Just because I’m so happy to have won today, Sister Ruohan, whatever you want—just name it. Anything but myself, and I’ll agree.”

Ling Ruohan’s cheeks flushed as she playfully tapped his arm, choosing not to reply.

The audience burst out laughing at their lighthearted banter.

“Just kidding, just kidding—don’t take it seriously.” Chen Jing chuckled, steering back to the topic. “Lastly, I want to thank the competition itself—Voice of Huaxia. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful stage to showcase myself; thank you for letting me meet so many talented singers and make friends who share my love of music. Through this intense competition, we grew and even surpassed ourselves. All these lessons are what Voice of Huaxia has given us. No matter where I go in the future, no matter how high I climb, I’ll always proudly admit that I, Chen Jing, am a singer who started on the stage of Voice of Huaxia.”

With that, he bowed deeply to the stage.

The applause was endless. Chen Jing continued, “Now that I’m champion, I promise that as a singer, I’ll keep working hard and strive to bring everyone more classic songs to enjoy. I hope you’ll continue to support me.”

His speech finished, Chen Jing held his champion’s trophy, waving and smiling as the camera froze on this final moment.

From this moment on, everyone knew—a newcomer had taken root in the music world with the force of a champion.

Everyone thought this was Chen Jing’s moment of glory, but what they couldn’t foresee was that this was only the beginning of his legendary journey in music.