Chinese Entertainment King: Starting as a Fat Boy and Becoming a Singing King

Xu Yao stood on one side of the stage, and Chen Yongxin stood on the other side.

The two people were separated by the entire width of the stage, with the lights shining on them, one on the left and one on the right.

Chen Yongxin sang first.

The song she chose was Leslie Cheung's "I".

The stage went dark, with only a white spotlight shining on her.

The piano began to play, with simple chords.

Chen Yongxin stood in the light, wearing a white dress, her hair loose over her shoulders, and she was so quiet that she didn't seem like she was in a competition.

"I am what I am..."

She spoke.

The voice is clean and clear, and the verses are very low, as if the speaker is talking to themselves.

She enunciated each word very softly, and the phrase "I am what I am" sounded almost broken as she sang it, the final note trembling and dissipating in the air.

"I am who I am, a firework of a different color..."

In the chorus, Chen Yongxin's voice rose higher.

It wasn't a high-pitched, explosive sound, but a warm, breathy lift.

That kind of approach isn't about technique, but rather about releasing emotions by singing to yourself in the mirror.

Yang Kun nodded, his face full of admiration.

"The sky is vast and the sea is wide; I will be the strongest bubble..."

As she slowly sang the last line, Chen Yongxin's voice gradually subsided, like the last glimmer of light before a fire went out.

As the last note faded, she stood on the stage, looking down at the ground, and remained silent for two seconds.

The entire room fell silent.

Then applause broke out.

Qi Qin whispered, "I'm so moved, the song really touched my heart."

Na Ying said, "Perfect, flawless."

Wang Feng said something that caused a moment of silence in the audience: "This is art."

It was Xu Yao's turn.

The stage lights dimmed and were relit.

Xu Yao walked to the center of the stage and gripped the microphone tightly.

The music started.

The piano intro flows out slowly, low and subdued, like someone sitting alone in an empty room late at night.

David Huang's "You Got Me Drunk" is an old song from 1990.

Xu Yao didn't rush to speak.

He stood there, head down, letting the prelude fill the entire stadium.

The piano, bass, and drums advance layer by layer, like the rising tide.

He raised his head.

"open……"

The moment the first word was uttered, Xu Yao's mid-to-low range was as deep and resonant as the sea at night, each word sounding as if it had been soaked in tears and sweat, falling heavily into the listener's eardrums.

"Drive towards the edge of the city..."

The voice rose slightly on the word "open," and the chest resonance was like distant rumbling thunder, carrying a kind of tremor that gave one goosebumps.

"You got me drunk, you made me cry..."

During the chorus, his voice exploded.

It wasn't a roaring outburst, but rather like magma that had been suppressed for too long finally finding a crack and gushing out from the ground.

While it erupts, it also carries a sense of outpouring; the power and vulnerability in the voice coexist, fiercely piercing everyone's ears, yet gently flowing into everyone's heart.

"I took all the blame, I desperately tried to salvage the situation... you got me drunk..."

In the second chorus, Xu Yao's voice rose another level.

His body swayed slightly to the rhythm of the music.

He sang "redemption" with a sense of heartbreaking compassion.

The song has ended.

Yang Kun slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair and couldn't help but exclaim, "Not bad, right!"

"That was amazing!"

Hua Shao returned to the stage, walked to Xu Yao's side, and turned to face the audience.

"Now, let's invite Chen Yongxin back to the stage."

Chen Yongxin walked out of the waiting area.

One on the left and one on the right, one white and one black.

Hua Shao stood between the two men, holding a script in his hand, and first turned to the mentor's seat.

"Ms. Qi Qin, who is your candidate for the championship?"

Qi Qin leaned back in his chair, picked up the microphone, looked at Chen Yongxin, then at Xu Yao, and remained silent for two seconds.

"Yongxin, your song today really touched my heart." Qi Qin's voice wasn't loud, but it was very sincere. "The song 'I' is not easy to sing, not in terms of technique, but in terms of emotion. I can see that you stood on the stage and laid yourself bare for everyone to see, which is very brave."

He paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to Xu Yao.

"Xu Yao, your performance today reminded me of a saying, 'Singing to express one's aspirations.' What you are singing is not just a song, but your life's beliefs."

He smiled, his tone becoming more relaxed: "To be honest, it's too difficult to choose. I recommend—Chen Yongxin."

Applause erupted from the audience.

Hua Shao nodded: "Thank you, Teacher Qi Qin. Thank you, Teacher Wang Feng."

Wang Feng sat up straight and picked up the microphone.

"Xu Yao." He called Xu Yao's name first, "Your performance today made me think about something: what is your dream?"

The whole audience laughed.

Hua Shao added from the side, "Teacher Wang Feng is here again."

Wang Feng laughed, waved his hand, and continued, "I'm not joking. I really want to know what the dream is of someone who can sing 'You Got Me Drunk' to this extent. I've heard many versions of this song. Huang Dawei's original version is very emotional, it's that feeling of helplessness of 'I'm drunk, so you can do anything to me.' What you sang was—'I'm drunk, but I won't give up.' Your version made me hear something new."

He paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to Chen Yongxin: "Chen Yongxin, your performance today was perfect. I rarely use those two words to describe a student, because you were flawless. From pitch to breath control to emotion, every step was exactly where it should be."

He took a deep breath: "Speaking solely from my personal musical perspective, I recommend Xu Yao."

The audience erupted in applause.

Na Ying shouted from the side, "Wang Feng, why are you talking so much today!"

Wang Feng smiled but didn't reply.

Hua Shao nodded: "Thank you, Teacher Wang Feng. Thank you, Teacher Na Ying."

Na Ying leaned back in her chair, holding the microphone, tilting her head to look at Xu Yao, then at Chen Yongxin.

"Let me start with Yongxin," Na Ying began. "When you sang 'I' today, I kept thinking about one thing from the audience—how old are you? Twenty-three? How could you sing a song about 'who I am' so clearly? Many people live their whole lives and don't know who they are. You know at twenty-three. I admire you for that."

She paused, then turned to Xu Yao: "Xu Yao, can I ask you a question?"

Xu Yao, holding the microphone, said, "Please ask."

"The breakup must have hurt you a lot, right?"

The room fell silent for a second, then erupted in laughter and jeers.

Hua Shao covered his mouth and laughed, while Yang Kun shook his head from the mentor's seat.

Xu Yao paused for a moment, then smiled: "Teacher Na-young, this song is about letting go."

"Hahaha……"

Na Ying's tone carried the directness of a big sister.

"From the blind auditions until now, every song you've sung has been about one thing: 'What have I lost?' When you sang 'I'm Ugly But I'm Gentle,' you were saying, 'I can live without love, but I have music.' When you sang 'All of Me,' you were saying, 'In the end, I still lost you.' When you sang 'You Got Me Drunk,' what were you saying? You were saying, 'I've taken all the blame, but I can bear it.'"

The entire room fell silent.

Na Ying's voice softened, and her tone became serious: "Can you see it? You've been changing. From 'I can live without love' to 'I lost you' to 'I can handle it.' You're not singing someone else's song; you're singing about your own growth journey."

She looked at Xu Yao: "I recommend—Xu Yao, lose weight. You have unlimited potential in the Chinese music scene."

The audience erupted in applause.

Hua Shao nodded and turned to the center: "Thank you, Teacher Na Ying. Thank you, Teacher Yang Kun."

Yang Kun sat in the middle of the mentors' panel, holding a microphone in his hand.

"Chen Yongxin," he finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse, "You came from Malaysia alone, right?"

Chen Yongxin nodded, her eyes slightly red.

"You've never given us any trouble on stage. You're always so steady and composed, every note is right where it should be, every emotion is perfectly timed. You're a perfect singer."

He paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to Xu Yao.

"Xu Yao," he called out, "you've made me worry for an entire season."

The entire room fell silent.

"When you first came, I was thinking—can this person make it to the next round? Can his body handle it? Will his voice have problems? But you made it through every single round."

His voice was a little strained: "Two trainees, one I never worry about, and the other I always worry about."

He took a deep breath: "I recommend Xu Yao. Let him win the championship for me and for the Yang family."

The entire venue erupted in cheers once again.

Hua Shao stood in the center of the stage and announced to the audience, "Of the four mentors, three have chosen Xu Yao! Xu Yao will enter the final showdown, where the 101 public media judges and mentor Yang Kun will vote to determine the final team champion!"