Chapter 119: The Talented Creative Muse [Alliance Leader: Extra Update 1/2 for Ye Luantian]

On stage, Yu Zhile suddenly sat down, the microphone in his hand slipping beneath the chin piece of his headgear.

“In reality, with my longing for you,
I am willing to become a statue, waiting for you to appear...”

Another line of deeply emotional lyrics moved many in the audience. Backstage, Qin Haiyu found herself increasingly captivated by the song’s beauty. Yet, why was it that whenever “Patrick Star” sang this song, her mind was filled with thoughts of her husband? And suddenly, her husband’s image overlapped with that of this “Patrick Star” in her mind!

Qin Haiyu paused, bewildered by the strange similarity she sensed between “Patrick Star’s” singing voice and her husband’s. No, this was dangerous thinking!

Her husband was her husband; Patrick Star was Patrick Star. They must not be confused!

Calming herself, Qin Haiyu reminded herself that although this song “The Mermaid” was wonderful, with beautiful lyrics, she had a song prepared by her husband that could certainly hold its own.

“Keep going! No fear! My husband’s song will definitely be better!”

She mentally pumped herself up, though in truth, the two songs were quite different in style and hardly comparable.

Soon, the song “The Mermaid” came to an end.

Yu Zhile rose from the ground. He had sat down during the performance because his legs had suddenly gone numb while standing, though fortunately it did not affect his singing; otherwise, it would have been disastrous.

Host Ni Qiqin stepped onto the stage, while the four judges at the panel found themselves once again perplexed.

“Patrick Star, who exactly are you? I’m about to lose my mind guessing!” one female judge exclaimed, even bringing binoculars this time. Yet no matter how much they scrutinized, Yu Zhile did not reveal a single clue—not a single hair out of place.

Even under a microscope, no hints about his identity could be uncovered.

Yu Zhile teased, “Since you’re so sincerely asking, I’ll be magnanimous and tell you! Listen carefully—actually, I am Zhou Jian!”

“I don’t buy it for a second!” the female judge rolled her eyes so hard it seemed they might get stuck.

Director Zhang, overseeing the recording, nearly burst out laughing. “If you really were Zhou Jian, I’d do a handstand and have diarrhea!”

Backstage, “Lone Wolf” was also amused. He hadn’t expected “Patrick Star” to so brazenly fool everyone. He resolved to learn this trick himself, lest he be eliminated. In the last episode, he thought he had hidden his identity well, but after broadcast, many had already guessed who he was. That was embarrassing.

If his identity were exposed, the show would lose its appeal.

So this time, he decided to unveil his trump card.

After Yu Zhile finished teasing the judges, Ni Qiqin announced that voting would begin. It was uncertain if he could repeat his earlier success, but Yu Zhile felt the odds were good—after all, he had just presented another beautiful original song.

Next, “Polar Bear” took the stage.

Having failed to advance to the second round last time, he was determined to get serious this time.

Perhaps inspired by Qin Haiyu’s explosive rock performance last episode, he chose a classic rock song.

Yu Zhile thought he was a bit presumptuous. Not every rock song could ignite the crowd, and male singers could hardly be compared to female singers—especially those with a stunning figure!

Though Qin Haiyu was his wife, Yu Zhile admitted honestly that her first-round victory last time was not solely due to her rock vocals, but largely because her dazzling dance, black stockings, and sultry figure had won many votes.

As for “Polar Bear,” while his vocal skills were decent, his rock performance lacked visual appeal—he kept hitting high notes and flinging the microphone. Yu Zhile believed he would probably fail to advance to the second round again.

If he didn’t make it next time, he would be eliminated.

Soon after “Polar Bear” finished, “White Swan” took the stage.

As the only female singer in the opening lineup besides his wife, Yu Zhile had guessed from the last episode that “White Swan” was likely a young female singer, possibly the lead vocalist of a girl group.

Her talent was undeniable; her slightly husky voice was pleasant to hear.

However, her style and song choices were eccentric, so her votes were naturally low.

This time, she once again chose to take a risk—performing rap. Her flow was indeed smooth, but Yu Zhile was certain at least a third of the audience disliked rap, especially this kind of vulgar and disorganized lyricism.

Thus, Yu Zhile predicted that both “Polar Bear” and “White Swan” would likely be at the bottom of the first-round votes this time.

Then, his much-anticipated wife was about to appear!

When the judges and audience saw Qin Haiyu walk out holding a guitar, everyone was stunned.

“Is ‘Red Rose’ going to sing while playing the guitar, just like ‘Patrick Star’ did yesterday?”

“After last night’s broadcast, many viewers speculated that ‘Red Rose’ was Qin Haiyu. But as far as I remember, Qin Haiyu never played any instrument!”

“So she can’t be Qin Haiyu! Qin Haiyu came from the broadcasting department; she probably doesn’t play instruments. That’s why we’ve never seen her perform on one!”

Backstage, Yu Zhile smiled with anticipation.

Though others believed his wife had never played an instrument in public or on the show, that didn’t mean she couldn’t. She was just not very skilled and too shy to embarrass herself.

Now, carrying the guitar on stage, she intended to create the illusion of a talented singer-songwriter, misleading the judges and audience alike.

It was well known Qin Haiyu was not a songwriter, but with this performance, she would make everyone believe “Red Rose” was a creative muse.

In doing so, those who guessed “Red Rose” was Qin Haiyu would realize they were wrong—truly wrong.

Qin Haiyu herself was excited. Like “Patrick Star” last episode, she sat on a high stool, holding the guitar, nodded to the band, and then skillfully began to play.

At that moment, the big screen began displaying the information of the song she was about to perform.

Seeing the song details, Yu Zhile theatrically exclaimed in admiration, “Impressive! I didn’t expect ‘Red Rose’ had prepared an original song too!”