Chapter 153 Successful Advancement

The sound returned to a low silence, accompanied by the gentle strains of the cello, leaving all the viewers with a trailing, soft sigh.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap." The entire audience stood up eagerly and began to applaud. Many were in tears, shouting meaningless words, clapping with all their might. They did not know why they were acting this way, nor did they know what they wanted to say. There was simply an overwhelming urge surging within their hearts, demanding release, which could only be expressed through applause, conveying their deepest emotions.

Thank you, Lin Qihua. Thank you for the song you brought, thank you for the moving experience, thank you for the encouragement. I will hold on to my dreams just like you, even if I am covered in scars, even if I am surrounded by cold gazes, I will keep going. Because after the wind and rain, the boundless sky and calm seas await.

"Honestly, I don't even know what to say anymore," Lu Zhixuan said, shaking his head while continuing to applaud.

"As brilliant as ever, full of surprises as always. Qihua is truly still Qihua," Wang Yalian murmured, her eyes glistening like water as she recalled every single surprise Lin Qihua had delivered to everyone over the past four episodes.

"He's secured this time for sure," Zhang Yuxuan said, raising her fist in excitement. "I get to compete with him on the same stage again. I love that feeling of being pumped with energy all over."

"Haha." Lu Zhixuan and Wang Yalian exchanged a smile. "Hearing you say that, it really does seem that way. That eager feeling with your blood boiling all over—how long has it been since we last felt this?"

Han Jiaqi was dancing around and squealing, shouting, "I told you so! Lin Qihua wouldn't let everyone down, he wouldn't let the fans who support him down. Brilliant, truly brilliant."

"Alright, it was brilliant, okay?" her roommate said with an amused smile. "You're how old now, and you're still acting like this? In just a few months, we'll be graduating and officially starting our acting careers. By then, we'll all be people in the entertainment industry, bumping into each other all the time. Is this fan-girl act of yours really a good idea?"

"What's wrong with it?" Han Jiaqi retorted. "Celebrities are human too. I like his songs; that's a perfectly normal thing. Maybe I'll have the chance to collaborate with him in the future—I'll act, and he'll sing the theme song. Oh, just thinking about it makes me so excited!"

"Collaborate with him? Heh, the chances are practically zero. Yuhan has a better shot," her roommate teased with a smile. "The two of them are hailed as the peerless duo, the ones with the highest chance of working together."

Han Jiaqi immediately threw her arm around Gu Yuhan and said coaxingly, "Huhan, if you really do collaborate with him, you have to take me along to visit the set so I can meet him and get an autograph!"

"Alright," Gu Yuhan said with a bright smile. "If there's a chance."

Han Jiaqi looked at her delicate and beautiful face and sighed, "Our Huhan is as beautiful as a fairy. I wonder who will win your heart in the future? Just thinking about it makes even me a little jealous. No, I need to make the first move!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Gu Yuhan laughed, dodging her sudden attack.

"Giggle."

Tian Le waited until Lin Qihua had finally finished taking his bows and left the stage before resuming her hosting duties. "I used to hear that you had to prepare yourself to be left in tears before listening to Lin Qihua live, and I didn't believe it. But now, I do. To the cold ones, thank you for looking down on me in the past; to those who understand me best, thank you for walking silently by my side all the way. Two different moods, two different attitudes, yet the same realm of life. In the face of adversity, please believe in yourself; in the face of hardship, please keep pressing forward, because once you walk through it, a vast sky and calm sea await. Thank you, Lin Qihua, for the wonderful performance you brought us. And now, our ninth competing singer, he possesses a flawless voice..."

"Yeah!" Su Jianhao couldn't wait to high-five Lin Qihua. "That was amazing, so steady."

"Not bad, basically performed at my normal level," Lin Qihua said with a smile. "I got a little emotional myself."

"That's the magic of music—moving yourself and then conveying that emotion to everyone else."

"I hope so."

Back in the lounge, everyone else stood up and offered enthusiastic applause.

"Welcome back," Yuan Xiaolai said, his words carrying a deeper meaning.

"Thank you."

"Good thing I went before you this time and wasn't scheduled right after you," Wen Weizhe said, as composed as ever, though he made a light joke. "Though following right after you probably wouldn't feel very good either."

"You flatter me."

"An exceptionally brilliant performance; I admit I fall short."

"Not at all. Your performance was wonderful too; everyone was amazing."

After chatting for a little while, everyone sat back down to continue watching the show. They were all professional singers, so even if they felt anxious in their hearts, they wouldn't let it show. They could only wait for the final outcome, prepared to accept it with a smile whether they stayed or left.

Han Qian, Guan Shengjie, Xu Yichen, and Cai Yuting were the final four to take the stage, each delivering their own splendid performances. Guan Shengjie, who was familiar to Lin Qihua, returned to the most authentic musical mode, presenting an a cappella performance with strong ethnic characteristics; Cai Yuting, on the other hand, brought a fiery dance track infused with tango elements that set the entire stage ablaze.

With this, all twelve singers had finished their performances, and the results were about to be revealed.

"Let's do like we did before and go up on stage together," Yuan Xiaolai said as the elder brother, stepping into Lu Zhixuan's usual role and making the suggestion. "Please remember, this is just an ordinary competition. As long as we are satisfied with our own performances, we shouldn't dwell on whether we can break through, because every single one of us is a winner. It's just that the rules of the competition require us to select only the best four. By participating in this show, interpreting classics, finding breakthroughs, and gaining popularity, we have already received so much. I hope everyone can face the end with equanimity—those who stay, keep working hard; those who leave, depart with grace."

"Agreed," everyone answered in unison.

It was already past eleven o'clock, but the atmosphere at the venue remained as fervent as ever. When the 12 singers walked onto the stage together, the audience offered their warmest applause, thanking them for delivering such a wonderful and unforgettable musical feast that evening, while also offering their most sincere blessings. After all, out of the twelve people, only four could successfully break through—a thirty-three percent success rate, which was quite cruel. They were all famous singers who were willing to set aside their status and pride to stand on this stage and subject themselves to the judgment of the national audience, which in itself required a certain amount of courage. Regardless of the outcome, they all deserved everyone's applause.

Wei Hongzhang's gaze swept across the twelve people, filled with deep emotion. "Most of us twelve singers are celebrities with our own careers and achievements. Being able to accept our invitation, stand on this stage, fight with pure music, and deliver classic after classic to our national audience is truly precious and rare. On behalf of the production team, I express my heartfelt thanks to you all."

With that, he bowed deeply.

Everyone quickly stood up and applauded in return. Towards this director, they felt a complex mix of love and hate, along with a profound respect for his philosophy and persistence regarding music.

"Tonight is one of the most exciting competitions on 'The Vocalist'. All twelve of you performed at your absolute best and delivered stunning performances. To be honest, I love every single one of you and don't want any of you to leave. However, as the saying goes, no rules, no standards. A competition must have winners and losers, those who stay and those who go. That is the rule of the game, and we can only accept this regret.

"Now, I will announce the names of those who have successfully broken through. The names I call mean you have successfully broken through into the grand finals. The remaining people mean your journey on 'The Vocalist' ends here."

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Although everyone had some guesses and their own thoughts about the outcome, at this very moment on the spot, they still harbored expectations—hoping to be one of the fortunate ones to break through.

"The first person to successfully break through is..." Wei Hongzhang deliberately drew out his voice.

Quite a few singers clenched their fists.

The audience in the hall and in front of the television screens also anxiously awaited the name about to pass his lips.

"Lin Qihua."

"Yeah!" Su Jianhao leaped up and cheered in celebration. The others also applauded to congratulate him, and the audience erupted into cheers.

Lin Qihua let out a gentle sigh of relief, stood up, and bowed to thank everyone.

"The achievement Qihua has attained this time has left me extremely astonished—it was practically a unanimous recommendation, which is extremely rare in the history of 'The Vocalist'. Of course, in my mind, your performance entirely deserves this accolade."

"Thank you." Lin Qihua bowed to the audience once more in gratitude.

One spot was gone. To whom would the remaining three fall?

The atmosphere grew even heavier.

In the end, Yuan Xiaolai broke through with overwhelming strength, while the other two successful breakthrough contestants were Huang Weidan and Luo Ying. Guan Shengjie, Cai Yuting, and Wen Weizhe regrettably missed out on the grand finals.

Lu Zhixuan raised an eyebrow, as if he had anticipated such an outcome. In truth, apart from Yuan Xiaolai and Lin Qihua, the remaining ten individuals possessed comparable strengths, and anyone entering the grand finals would have been normal. It was simply human nature: the tendency to grow tired of the old and yearn for the new exists in everyone. Deep down, people were reluctant to see only original lineup singers appear in the grand finals, as that would be far too uninteresting. Therefore, subconsciously, they would choose replacement singers who matched them in strength yet offered a sense of freshness. It was entirely within reason.

Once the results were announced, the successful breakthrough contenders breathed a sigh of relief, while those who failed accepted the outcome with quiet resignation. Having spent so much time in this circle, they still possessed that much composure. They quickly shifted their mentalities and congratulated the four who had successfully advanced. No matter what, there were always gains to be made.

As soon as the competition ended, Cai Yuting wrapped her fiery performance outfit in a long coat. Pulling Lin Qihua aside, she said earnestly, "Put on a good show for me in the grand finals."

"Got it, don't worry."

"Don't go thinking about rankings or anything like that. The key is for the performance to be brilliant, you understand?"

"You bet."

"Also, you promised to write a good song for me—don't you dare forget. I'm waiting."

"Alright, I'll keep it in mind. The moment I get some inspiration, I'll write it down and send it straight to you."

"That's more like it." Cai Yuting patted his shoulder and said with a trace of lingering melancholy, "You used to be my little junior, and I could still boss you around. Now your status has surpassed mine, and you'll definitely step into the first tier ahead of me. Don't forget you still have me as your older sister, though."

"Rest assured, Sister Ting. No matter when, you'll always be my sister." Lin Qihua returned her radiant smile.