Chapter 156: The Voice of an Angel

However, in front of Su Zhitong, Lin Qihua certainly could not lavish such praise on another beauty. He could only comfort her, "Perhaps this is just a matter of aura. Confidence makes a woman more beautiful. You must have faith in yourself, set that as your goal, and simply be the best version of yourself."

"Rest assured, I know," Su Zhitong smiled sweetly. "One must not become arrogant and complacent, nor should one belittle oneself. Everyone has their own path to walk; just walk your own path. Some people are born favorites of fortune, simply out of reach. In truth, I feel no jealousy or any such sentiment—only admiration and appreciation."

Both Lin Qihua and Su Jianhao gave her a thumbs-up. This was who she was: a girl soft on the outside yet strong on the inside, resilient and confident.

On the stage, Le Kai continued hosting, "Next, please allow me to introduce the format of our grand finale. The finale will be divided into two rounds. The first round is the guest-assisted singing segment, where the competing singers and their guest partners jointly perform a song. Every audience member here has a voting device in hand. Once all performances in the first round are completed, press the buttons for the names of your three favorite singers. That will determine the singers' scores for the first round. This score will be accumulated and added to their individual scores from the second round to form the final total score of the competition, crowning the champion."

"So, without further ado, I believe all audience members are eager to see our singers take the stage as soon as possible and can't wait to enjoy this purest musical feast. Below, let us invite the first competing singer and their guest partner to the stage to present their collaborative piece."

"It's starting." The singers who were preparing felt their hearts tighten. The grand finale had finally arrived.

Drawn to perform first was the original substitute singer Huang Weidan. Her partner was her fellow senior apprentice from the same company, He Yufeng. The two had known each other for a long time, so collaborating came naturally and effortlessly to them. Their rendition of "Time" perfectly portrayed various scenes between lovers.

"Choosing a partner you're familiar with is the most convenient approach, as it saves the trouble of building chemistry," Su Jianhao praised.

"But it also lacks major surprises. If there were some cross-genre collaborations, it would definitely be a lot of fun," Lin Qihua laughed. "However, on an occasion like this, attempting a cross-genre performance is probably a bit difficult. Sticking to combinations that surprise everyone will be a bit more interesting."

"Since ancient times, finals lack bold upsets—this saying is popular in the sports world, and it applies to our kind of competition too, right? Safety and stability come first."

"Haha, then our combination can hardly be described as 'stable'," Lin Qihua raised an eyebrow, smiling as he said to Su Zhitong, "We are determined to take the unusual path. If we're going to play, we might as well play brilliantly."

Su Zhitong offered a strained smile. She knew Lin Qihua was comforting her and trying to keep her from being so nervous. But heaven is her witness—at most, she had participated in stage performances like *Music Bank* as part of a group; she had no experience with a stage of this magnitude. A live broadcast, no less! How could she possibly not be nervous?

"Shall we practice a bit more?" Knowing that mere words might not help much, Lin Qihua could only offer this suggestion.

Su Zhitong nodded, stood up to clear her throat, and focused her mind entirely on singing. This would give her a sense of fulfillment and prevent her from feeling overly anxious.

Watching Lin Qihua accompany Su Zhitong through her practice, Su Jianhao felt a bit perplexed. Why would Lin Qihua invite a girl like Su Zhitong, who lacked significant stage experience, to be his partner? Naturally, he understood the history between them, held a great deal of respect for Su Zhitong, and could understand and admire Lin Qihua's decision. Still, he did not agree with it. At a time like this, a nervous partner would severely impact the performance; once a mistake was made, the consequences would be disastrous, completely ruining any chance at the championship.

If he had known what Su Jianhao was thinking, Lin Qihua would certainly have told him that, aside from Qin Lulu, it was genuinely difficult for him to find anyone else to partner with. Among the artists at Galaxy Entertainment, aside from Xiao Xiao, no one else could match him. Most importantly, this particular song was one that only Su Zhitong could truly bring to life. Her stage experience was lacking and she was prone to nervousness, but if her strengths were fully unleashed, the result would be nothing short of breathtaking.

The second singer to take the stage was Lu Zhixuan. This time, the partner he chose was a longtime friend and an A-list superstar. Together, they performed "Brothers," each strumming a guitar. Their burning passion and deep camaraderie set the entire venue ablaze.

"Old hand playing it smart," many singers sighed. Lu Zhixuan's move was brilliantly executed.

The third was Yuan Xiaolai. He and his partner performed a classic romantic duet that brought tears to the audience's eyes, making the moment deeply moving.

"It's our turn. Let's go," Lin Qihua looked at Su Zhitong and smiled. "It's fine. Once you get on stage, you'll forget everything else. Just follow my voice."

"Mm," Su Zhitong nodded firmly.

"Now for our fourth singer—this is going to be impressive," Tian Leyou managed the stage with effortless mastery. "He has chosen a song without lyrics. What kind of song could it be? Let us invite Lin Qihua and his partner Su Zhitong to bring us *Concerto pour deux voix*."

Lin Qihua and Su Zhitong walked out hand in hand. Su Zhitong wore a blue and white long dress with a small white hat perched on her head, strands of hair framing her face. Wearing a gentle, shallow smile, she appeared before the crowd like an elf. Lin Qihua wore a white shirt and a blue vest, forming a flawless match with Su Zhitong's attire.

"That styling is absolute perfection," the audience members perked up. They had already grown accustomed to the surprises Lin Qihua brought them, and *Concerto pour deux voix* sounded profoundly sophisticated.

The two smiled and greeted the audience, then stood quietly on stage, waiting for the music to begin.

The sounds of the guitar and bass drifted in, slowly growing softer.

Blue lighting shone upon the stage, casting a layer of azure radiance over the entire area.

Lin Qihua raised his microphone and gently hummed, "Ah, ah, ah..."

"There really are no lyrics," a ripple of commotion stirred through the audience.

From the very beginning, he used falsetto. His brilliant vocal timbre blended seamlessly into the guitar and bass accompaniment, constantly shifting rhythms. He executed vocal runs flawlessly—ethereal and pure. Closing one's eyes and taking a deep breath felt like being inside a cathedral, purifying every spectator's soul, leaving one feeling unburdened, as light and sacred as standing among blue skies and white clouds.

At some point, bubbles began drifting out onto the stage. Enhanced by the blue lighting, they slowly filled the entire broadcast hall along with the singing.

"Ah, ah, ah..." Su Zhitong entered the state as well, catching Lin Qihua's melody. The moment she sang out, it struck a chord in countless hearts; her voice was even sharper and purer than Lin Qihua's.

Cello and other string instruments joined the performance, full of youthful vigor and vibrant life. It possessed the solemnity of an epic, displaying utmost nobility and elegance, paired with the refreshing sensation of bathing in a spring breeze. It offered the heart-capturing joy of freeing one's body and mind amidst natural beauty, its rise and fall seemingly capturing all the blooming spring scenery of the world.

Against such background music, the two sang to their hearts' content. A mere syllable like "ah" was played with countless variations. Without a single lyric, just two graceful, heavenly voices drifted and wove through the musical backdrop like a spring chanson—any lyric ornamentation would have been entirely redundant.

Lin Qihua's supreme control over falsetto and Su Zhitong's astounding whistle register blended together at that moment with absolute perfection. Their divine singing, highlighted by the blue bubbles, washed over the soul of every audience member, purifying the spirit and rendering everything ethereal.

They looked like a golden boy and jade girl of fairy tales, framed by a dreamy, illusory stage and singing with voices of the heavens.

"Truly breathtaking," sentimental audience members sighed. They were people accustomed to appreciating music and were no strangers to wordless songs; whistle registers of this kind were hardly rare worldwide, and even domestically, many singers could perform them. Yet the collaboration between Lin Qihua and Su Zhitong—two voices blending without a single flaw—combined with flawless arrangement and stage art, gave everyone the ultimate dual enjoyment of ears and soul.

The song lasted only a few minutes, but when the music ended, everyone felt as though a significant stretch of time had flown by, with those heavenly notes echoing endlessly in their minds.

"Clap, clap, clap." No one spared their applause, offering the most enthusiastic congratulations to the two vocalists on stage.

"Thank you," the two smiled and bowed.

Su Zhitong's eyes were even shimmering with tears; she had finally put down her racing, anxious heart.

"Phew, I didn't drag him down," she thought, silently letting out a breath of relief.

As the two left the stage, the audience remained immersed in the lingering shock, continuously discussing their thoughts.

"From start to finish, they used falsetto and vocal runs. That is truly formidable."

"Lin Qihua has the strength, so that's understandable. But that girl was entirely unexpected. Comparing their voices, hers was even more pleasant to listen to than Lin Qihua's. The female part she was responsible for was pitched even higher, yet she made it look effortlessly easy."

"Yeah, that talent is terrifying. Does it feel like a future superstar is rising right here?"

"Rainbow Records must be crying right now. They had a priceless treasure yet threw her away to Galaxy Entertainment like she was a weed."

"Asking for trouble. If not for that incident, how could this have happened? Who knows, maybe her talent would have been buried forever."

"Galaxy Entertainment is truly formidable. Anyone who goes there manages to have their potential mined."

"It's mostly thanks to Lin Qihua. He's a talented songwriter himself and can tailor songs precisely to a singer's characteristics. Wasn't this song written specifically for Su Zhitong? He's really good to her."

"Gratitude plays a part. Back then, Su Zhitong took a huge risk to provide crucial evidence that helped him make a comeback, so Lin Qihua is fulfilling the sentiment of 'You toss me a papaya, I return a precious jade.' Suddenly, I feel like the world is still quite wonderful."

"Haha, I feel the same way. I find I like Lin Qihua even more now. Good-looking, talented, loyal, and responsible—how could anyone not like an artist like that?"

"Will there be a spot for him among the future superstars?"

"Let's wait and see."