Chapter Ninety-Four: A Gift

“Impressive,” Guan Shengjie said, giving a thumbs-up. Although Lu Zhixuan was generous, forthright, and fond of making friends, that did not mean he could get along with just anyone. No matter how one looked at it, this was Lu Zhixuan showing favor to Lin Qihua. But Lin Qihua had to be worthy of that favor in the first place, and there was no doubt that he was.

“Seems I’ll have to get closer to you too,” Wang Yalin said playfully. “If there’s a chance, write me a song.”

“Sister Yalin, you flatter me far too much,” Lin Qihua said, pressing his palms together in mock surrender. “If there’s a chance, I’d be honored to collaborate with Sister Yalin.”

“Fine, then I’ll take that as a promise,” Wang Yalin said with a graceful smile. “I’ll be waiting for your work.”

“As for me, there’s even less to say,” Lu Zhixuan said, draping an arm around Lin Qihua’s shoulder with a laugh. “We’re in the same group, you know what I mean.”

Lin Qihua could only smile wryly.

“Oh, right, I brought gifts for everyone,” Zhang Yuqian said with a smile, lifting one box after another from beside her manager. “Come on, everybody has one. It’s just a little something from my homeland, a small token, hardly worthy of mention.”

“How thoughtful, thank you,” Lin Qihua said as he accepted the item from her. Though it was only a local specialty from her side of the island, the fact that she had gone to such lengths to bring it all this way touched everyone deeply.

Polite children naturally won people’s affection, and with Zhang Yuqian’s cute, lovely appearance, she quickly captured everyone’s goodwill. Perhaps that had been part of her intention as well; after all, she wanted to fit into the group and did not wish to stand apart from it.

So far, she had succeeded.

“Speaking of gifts, I brought some too,” Lu Zhixuan said. He had prepared for this as well, and hurriedly began handing them out.

His gifts were more carefully chosen, selected according to each person’s tastes. For Wang Yalin, for example, he had a finely crafted miniature figure of her stage look from the first episode. For Lin Qihua, it was a tiny guitar that could actually make sound.

“Big brother really is big brother,” everyone said with thumbs raised after receiving their gifts. “You thought of everything.”

Then everyone took out the little tokens they had prepared. This was one of the show’s distinctive traditions. In the first episode, no one had met yet, and there had been no chance to talk much; by the second episode, everyone had become familiar, and somehow this custom of exchanging gifts had naturally come into being. It was also a way for the singers to get to know one another and build friendships, gently easing the pressure brought by the show’s harsh elimination system.

Guan Shengjie brought small ornaments distinctive to his hometown. As a member of an ethnic minority, the jewelry he brought was very interesting, and the girls especially loved it.

Wen Weizhe came from Hong Kong, so his gift naturally had its own flavor: each person received an old-fashioned record, one from his collection of albums by several superstars of the twentieth century. They represented the golden age of Hong Kong music, and indeed the golden age of Chinese-language music as a whole. It was deeply meaningful, and for anyone who loved music, its value was beyond measure. It showed how thoughtfully he had prepared.

Cai Yuting was equally considerate, bringing sketches of each person, drawn by her own hand. They were inventive and full of warmth.

Wang Yalin was generous as ever, giving everyone a jade carving engraved with their name. It was quite valuable.

When it was Lin Qihua’s turn, he took a pile of bottles from his bag and handed one to each person.

“A cup?” Lu Zhixuan said first. “I know the phrase ‘a lifetime together’ is very touching, but this probably isn’t what you meant to give, is it?”

“You’re the one who understands me best, big brother,” Lin Qihua said with a grin and a thumbs-up. “This cup contains tea for protecting the voice. I’ve been drinking it all along. When I was singing in bars, I had to perform one or two hours every night, but my throat was always well preserved. That’s one of the reasons. I’m giving this to everyone today in the hope that it’ll help. If you think it works, I’ll pass along the recipe. If not, then at least it’ll count as a little token from me.”

Wang Yalin was the first to pick up the cup. She opened it and inhaled the aroma, then smiled. “Such a thoughtful gift. For singers like us, the voice is everything. If it can preserve the throat so well, that’s wonderful. The scent is very familiar too; it should work very well.”

“Yes,” Lin Qihua said with a smile. “It’s a recipe passed down among some veteran artists. My mother went out of her way to ask for it when I started singing professionally. You know, senior artists place great importance on protecting the voice. This recipe should be a pretty good one.”

“Then it’s truly something valuable,” Lu Zhixuan said, lifting his cup with a laugh. “I’ve never really known much about protecting my voice. Now that you’ve given me something this good, hand over the recipe quickly afterward.”

“Yes, sir,” Lin Qihua replied with a cupped fist salute.

“Thank you,” the others said as they put away their gifts. Even if they did not personally need them, the thoughtfulness behind them was enough to warm their hearts.

After this exchange, the atmosphere between them became even more harmonious. Zhang Yuqian and Wen Weizhe, who had been burdened with the pressure of possible elimination, also rarely showed smiles. Perhaps they would be eliminated tonight, but being able to make a group of such good friends was not necessarily a misfortune.

After chatting for a while, everyone dispersed to the lounge to prepare for rehearsal.

When rehearsal time came and Lin Qihua stepped onto the stage with Lian Yuling, he could clearly sense an unusual tension in her.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine,” Lin Qihua said softly.

“It’s nothing. I’m just a little emotional,” Lian Yuling said calmly, though her body could not stop trembling. She had not stood on a stage for many years and had thought she no longer felt anything for it. Yet the moment she stepped here, a familiar sensation rose up from within her. Every cell in her body seemed to be cheering, quivering, as if welcoming her back.

“So I really never could let go of the stage,” she thought. Her face remained composed, but inside, waves were crashing. The familiar stage, the familiar atmosphere—everything was so familiar.

“Huh?” Gao Rui, who had come over to speak with Lin Qihua, happened to glance at Lian Yuling and exclaimed in surprise, “It’s you?”

When Lian Yuling saw Gao Rui, she broke into a radiant smile. It was the first time Lin Qihua had ever seen her smile like that, so dazzling and beautiful. “So it’s Teacher Gao. It’s been a long time.”

“A very long time indeed,” Gao Rui said with feeling. “I haven’t heard much about you all these years, and I never expected to run into you here.”

“What can you do? He’s the pillar of our company,” Lian Yuling said, spreading her hands. “I got drafted, so I came with a brave face. Luckily, there isn’t much for me to do.”

“Then I’ll look forward to it,” Gao Rui said, his eyes brightening. “I want to see the present-day brilliance of the once-famous Beauty of Purgatory.”

“There are plenty of artists who burst onto the scene in a blaze of light,” he continued, “but I’ve never seen anyone as dazzling as you. You were a certainty to become the next diva, yet you fell like a meteor. Even now, thinking of it brings nothing but regret.”

“Beauty of Purgatory?” Lin Qihua seemed to have heard something extraordinary.