They're already in university, and the primary school system is only just starting out?

Chen Lin looked at Song Cheng, who had returned, with a puzzled expression, wondering what he was up to now.

Song Cheng walked up to him, a complex apology on his face, and said solemnly, "Just now, my attitude was bad, and I apologize to you. I admit, you are a great singer."

Chen Lin was stunned for a moment, not expecting the other party to be so direct.

After apologizing, Song Cheng's fighting spirit reignited. He looked at Chen Lin and said, word by word, "I want to have another match with you. Just the two of us, each singing one song, and seeing who receives more tips."

These words reignited the already heated atmosphere.

Chen Lin raised an eyebrow, instinctively wanting to refuse.

Are you kidding me? He could have sung his heart out by himself tonight, and now someone suddenly jumps out and tries to snatch his microphone. What kind of nonsense is this?

However, the patrons in the bar didn't see it that way. Who wouldn't love watching a showdown between masters?

"Let's have a competition! Let's have a competition!"

"Don't be a coward, handsome! One more song!"

The shouts rose and fell, one wave higher than the next.

Brother Wang's eyes lit up; he saw perfect material for promoting the bar.

He rushed over, grabbed Chen Lin's arm, and grinned from ear to ear, giving Chen Lin no chance to refuse. He cheerfully agreed for him: "Compete! Of course we'll compete! We at the Backstreet Bar love this kind of fiery musical exchange!"

After saying that, he leaned close to Chen Lin's ear and whispered quickly, "Little Chen, all the tips tonight are yours! I won't take a single penny!"

What else could Chen Lin say?

"If you accept a gift, you're bound to be obligated. Brother Wang has already put it this way, so refusing would be too disrespectful."

Let's compete then.

However, since the competition was set out, Chen Lin was quite aware of the rules. Song Cheng sang first, and he sang afterward, so he actually had a slight advantage.

So Chen Lin volunteered, "I'll sing first this time."

Upon hearing this, Song Cheng glanced at him with some surprise: "You just sang such a difficult song, don't you need to rest?"

"I didn't feel anything," Chen Lin said honestly.

Song Cheng said no more, nodded, and stepped aside.

Chen Lin returned to the stage, and the lights shone on him once again.

He picked up the microphone, and what flashed through his mind was another song he had long wanted to sing, but had never dared to try it while working part-time as a resident singer because it was too difficult.

Hu Yanbin's "Moonlight".

He gestured to the staff playing the accompaniment, and a melodious yet slightly desolate tune slowly began to play.

"The color of moonlight, the fragrance of a woman,"

"Tears break the sword, how long does love last?"

"How painful it is, words cannot describe."

"I've forgotten you, oh~~"

……

"Who dares to cross the threshold of love?"

Gazing at the bright moon, my heart is filled with sorrow.

"A regret that lasts a thousand years, to be tasted in reincarnation."

"With eyes closed, who's the most arrogant?"

"The unpredictability of this world."

Those who are destined to love will be hurt throughout their lives.

As soon as the song started, the atmosphere in the large booth instantly became heavy again.

He Xi sat up almost reflexively, his eyes behind his glasses fixed on Chen Lin on the stage, and he began his synchronized commentary without thinking:

"The density of high-frequency transitions is too high, and he can seamlessly switch between weak mix, balanced mix, and strong mix..."

"This song is in C-sharp minor, and the chorus requires strong enunciation in the high register, which places extremely high demands on vocal cord function."

"And then there's the rhythm. Listen to lyrics like 'moonlight color' and 'woman's fragrance,' which often correspond to multi-note rhythms. This is a hellish test of breath support and coordination of the tongue and teeth..."

"The verses are still in a free-flowing, unstructured rhythm, which really tests the singer's musicality. They have to maintain a basic sense of rhythm while improvising sustains, otherwise everything will fall apart as soon as the band comes in..."

He Xi spoke quickly and urgently, as if reciting a menu, but every word struck Yun Qing's heart precisely.

She understood all the technical difficulties, of course. It was precisely because she understood them that she became increasingly alarmed as she listened.

She had secretly practiced this song, "Moonlight," and could only sing it completely without major mishaps once or twice when she was in top form.

Even so, it still doesn't quite match the ease and confidence Chen Lin displayed on stage at that moment.

What kind of monster is this guy? What's with his singing skills?

On stage, Chen Lin was completely immersed in the joy of singing.

When he sang his first song, he still needed to adapt to the physical changes that came with being called a "little singer".

But in this song, he had completely let go.

He no longer consciously thought about those complex technical details, but simply relied on his senses and let his body functions be passively mobilized to complete those incredible vocal transitions and rhythms.

The animated series "Qin's Moon" began to appear in his mind.

Gai Nie's forbearance, Wei Zhuang's domineering nature, Tian Ming's growth, Shao Yu's destiny, the rise and fall of a dynasty, and the chivalry and tenderness of a generation of martial arts heroes—all these were transformed into emotions and incorporated into his singing.

A lonely soul, drifting with the wind.

"Who would have thought of that lovesick man?"

"This battlefield of the mortal world,"

"Among a vast army, who can claim the title of king?"

……

"Who dares to cross the threshold of love?"

Gazing at the bright moon, my heart is filled with sorrow.

"A regret that lasts a thousand years, to be tasted in reincarnation."

"Close your eyes, who's the most arrogant!"

"The unpredictability of this world."

Those destined to love fiercely will be wounded throughout their lives!

The last word "injury" lingered in the air.

The entire venue fell into a brief silence once again, followed by an eruption of applause and cheers even more intense than before, like a volcano!

Many customers stood up excitedly, clapping loudly and frantically scanning the QR code with their phones.

The DJ at the bar was so excited his voice trembled. He pressed the microphone hard and almost shouted, "Thank you all for your generous donations to Chen Lin—1163 yuan!"

Chen Lin was overjoyed.

Adding to the 896 from earlier, he's already made a whopping 2059 yuan tonight! This is definitely the most he's earned and the most satisfying he's had in the past six months of performing!

He stepped off the stage and handed the still-warm microphone to Song Cheng.

Song Cheng seemed to still be in shock, absentmindedly taking the microphone and silently walking onto the stage.

The moment he stepped into the spotlight, Song Cheng felt his heart pounding wildly.

An unprecedented sense of tension gripped his heart.

Even when he participated in the finals of the campus's top ten singers competition, facing thousands of audience members and several professional judges, he had never been this nervous.

Because Chen Lin is simply too strong.

Most customers in the audience might just be there for the fun, but he's different; he's a professional.

He could clearly hear that Chen Lin's rendition of "Moonlight" had technically far surpassed his own.

Although Chen Lin is still somewhat inexperienced in expressing his emotions, one can sense that he is trying hard to blend his emotions into his performance, but it has not yet become a natural expression.

But the difficulty of this song "Moonlight" is just too high! So high that even just performing it technically and creating a stage effect is enough to amaze all the audience!

Song Cheng could not accept it.

He couldn't accept that he would be defeated by an unknown guy who was a part-time singer in such an obscure little bar, using pure skill.

He took a deep breath, trying to relax, but it didn't seem to help.

Just then, a figure he knew best stood up from the direction of the booth.

The girl with the high ponytail, Qi Wanwan.

Qi Wanwan's face flushed slightly, her eyes filled with nervousness, but she still raised her fist forcefully and shouted with all her might, "Song Cheng, don't be nervous! Go for it! You can definitely sing well!"

The crisp cheer of encouragement seemed to silence the entire bar.

Song Cheng smiled.

Just like when he first sang a love song for Qi Wanwan and saw her shy yet sweet expression, he smiled.

My heart settled down instantly.

He nodded to the staff, indicating that the accompaniment could be played.

A prelude, interwoven with the sounds of the guzheng and xiao, carrying a sense of desolation and vicissitude, began to play.

Song Cheng spoke up.

"Red beans grow in the south, which is a very distant memory."

"What is longing? No one cares anymore."

"Drunk and asleep in the city that never sleeps, surrounded by neon lights."

"A scene of unbridled charm unfolds in the wine glass."

"They are most likely to forget the poems of the ancients, and most disdainful of the theme of unrequited love."

"Holding onto love, I fear being laughed at, and I fear being seen through."

Spring has come again to see the red beans bloom, but no lovers are to be seen picking them.

"Fireworks embrace romance, but true feelings are gone."

In the booth, He Fei listened with some doubt. She whispered to Yun Qing next to her, "I feel that Song Cheng sang very well, but the melody of this song seems very simple. Can it compare to Chen Lin's?"

He Xi was about to speak when Yun Qing spoke first.

Yun Qing's gaze was fixed on the stage as she softly explained, "This song cannot be understood by just listening to the melody. On the surface, it's about love between a man and a woman, but the original singer, Mao Amin, sang it with a universal love for all living beings."

She paused, then continued, "Song Cheng is also pursuing this feeling of seeing the big picture in the small details. What he wants to sing is the ruthlessness of time, where no one can judge right from wrong, and the feeling of a long life journey where one seems to have gained everything while simultaneously losing everything."

He Xi, standing beside him, nodded in agreement and added, "That's right. Song Cheng is very smart. He realized that Chen Lin's singing skills were far superior to his own, so he decisively gave up on the technical competition and instead chose to find a breakthrough in the emotional expression and humanistic care of the song."

As Qi Wanwan listened to their analysis, her heart was in her throat. Her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, her nails digging deep into her flesh.

"They are most likely to forget the poems of the ancients, and most disdainful of the theme of unrequited love."

"Holding onto love, I fear being laughed at, and I fear being seen through."

Spring has come again to see the red beans bloom, but no lovers are to be seen picking them.

"Fireworks embrace romance, but true feelings are gone."

……

"Fireworks embrace romance, but true feelings are gone..."

The last note dissipated into the air.

This time, Chen Lin was the first to lead the applause.

He had to admit that this senior, Song Cheng, did have some talent for singing.

After he blew up the audience with his technically brilliant rendition of "Moonlight," he didn't break down. Instead, he quickly adjusted his strategy and responded with "Longing," a song full of humanistic care.

Chen Lin, after all, is a student majoring in Chinese Language and Literature, so he does have the ability to appreciate literary works.

He could hear the story and depth in Song Cheng's voice. This kind of thing couldn't be sung with just technique; it required life experience or a profound knowledge base.

It seems that this senior Song has quite a story to tell.

Inside the bar, applause and cheers erupted once more. Chen Lin observed that several girls at the front tables were moved to tears by the singing and were secretly wiping away their tears.

A few customers in the front row were whispering among themselves: "I thought the first guy's singing was amazing. But this second guy's song really resonated with me... even though it doesn't sound that complicated..."

"Yeah, yeah, I feel the same way. It reminds me of so many people and things from the past... Listening to it while drinking is definitely getting me a bit tipsy..."

The DJ at the bar pressed the microphone at just the right moment and announced the final result in his magnetic voice:

"Thank you all, bosses, for the 1279 yuan tip for this handsome guy!"

Chen Lin didn't care about winning or losing at all. He was already more than satisfied with making over two thousand yuan in one night.

Moreover, he understands the feelings of customers very well; pitch and rhythm are far from the whole story of a song.

When a singer performs a song, their awareness of the performance, their emotional expression, and even the context of the performance may be more important than their singing technique.

From this perspective, it actually confirms what Yun Qing said today: Song Cheng has indeed taught Chen Lin a lot this time.

Song Cheng stepped off the stage and went straight to Chen Lin, asking earnestly, "Have you ever considered becoming a singer? With your talent, you should have a bright future."

Chen Lin smiled and shook his head.

Seeing this, Song Cheng didn't say anything more, but just gave him a deep look before turning back to his booth.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Lin saw Yun Qing walking towards him.

"Senior," Chen Lin said with a grin, "See? I told you, you'd be completely shut up as soon as you heard that."

This time, Yun Qing ignored his teasing and looked at him with an unprecedented seriousness, saying, "Chen Lin, think about it and join our school band. I'll give you the lead singer position."

Chen Lin was taken aback, then realized what he meant and shook his head again without thinking: "I sing part-time just to earn money. If I have more important things to do later, I might stop singing at any time."

This is not a perfunctory response. If the subsequent paid consultation business stabilizes, or if Chen Lin finds something else that earns him more money, he will indeed give up the part-time job of singing at the bar without hesitation.

He looked at Yun Qing and said frankly, "I don't really have any artistic pursuits, unlike the professionals in your art academy. So, senior, you should probably find someone else."

Yun Qing stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly smiled, a complex expression Chen Lin had never seen on her face before: "Okay. But, if I need your help in the future, you can't refuse me, okay?"

Chen Lin: "No problem."