"Heh, not even knowing what your own student is going to perform, what kind of mentor are you?" Park Guk-chang taunted, seeing his surprise.
"Perhaps she feels she can't win, so she's given up entirely, preparing to throw a rock at a broken jar."
"Haha, I think that's possible, after all, there's a rather large jar on stage."
The other two mentors chimed in with sarcastic remarks.
Zhou Ning's face flushed red, at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Qin Xu sighed.
It wasn't that he didn't want to help Zhou Ning, but if he went up, he feared he'd be mocked along with him.
Just then.
Lin Yanyu nodded at the accompanist.
The performance began!
"Clack!" The crisp sound of the castanets, combined with a synthesizer, formed a light, cheerful rhythm.
Then, before anyone could react, the guqin melody quietly commenced.
Following that, a melodious flute accompanied the lively rhythm.
On stage, the large screen behind Lin Yanyu displayed a vibrant landscape painting.
Finally, the mountains and rivers converged, transforming into three powerful calligraphy characters.
[Qing Hua Ci]
Vocals: Lin Yanyu
Lyrics: Ting Yu
Music: Ting Yu
Arrangement: Ting Yu
"What a beautiful melody! This song is called Qing Hua Ci?"
"This intro, what instrument is that..."
At the mentor's seat, Qin Xu's expression froze.
The intro alone had stunned him.
"It's a harp! Amazing! Truly amazing!"
He finally realized.
The guqin and qudi, with the harp as the foundation, such a combination, yet it produced such a wonderful feeling!
"Hmph, such a perfunctory name," Park Guk-chang scoffed next to him, his expression slightly uneasy.
"The blank porcelain sketch outlines the blue and white, the brush strokes from dark to light.
The peonies painted on the vase, just like your initial makeup.
Lingering sandalwood scent through the window, I understand your heart's desire.
The brush stops midway on the rice paper..."
On stage, Lin Yanyu was alone.
She had no backup dancers, her paper fan dancing in her hand, drawing graceful movements.
"Such beautiful lyrics!"
Qin Xu shot up from his seat.
Zhou Ning, beside him, was still recovering from his shock.
He was Lin Yanyu's mentor, but as far as he knew, Lin Yanyu's final song wasn't this "Qing Hua Ci."
It was another ancient-style song, and he had been worried that the quality of Lin Yanyu's song would be inferior to Zhang Tingting's.
Even with her superior singing, she might not be able to win the championship.
And this song now, where did it come from?
"The glaze renders the painting of a lady, her charm kept private.
And your gentle smile, like a bud about to bloom.
Your beauty drifts away, to places I cannot reach..."
Lin Yanyu took light, measured steps, a faint smile on her face.
She had dance training, and had practiced since childhood.
The paper fan in her hand, combined with her supple waist, danced with captivating grace.
Unlike Zhang Tingting's performance earlier, the audience below was exceptionally quiet, without a hint of noise, as they were drawn into the song and Lin Yanyu's dance, as if transported to a realm where history, culture, and exquisite beauty converged.
The contrast, from describing the glaze of porcelain to the beauty of a woman, was undoubtedly remarkable!
"The sky-blue waits for the misty rain, and I am waiting for you.
The cooking smoke rises, a thousand miles across the river.
On the vase's bottom, cursive script imitating the elegance of a bygone era,
Consider it my prelude to meeting you.
The sky-blue waits for the misty rain, and I am waiting for you.
The moonlight is fished up, blurring the ending.
Like a legendary blue and white porcelain, beautiful on its own,
Your eyes hold a smile..."
Wow!
When Lin Yanyu sang the chorus, the audience could no longer hold back.
The sky-blue waits for the misty rain, and I am waiting for you!
Beautiful!
Such beautiful lyrics!
The entire chorus was like a breathtaking landscape painting.
A woman creating porcelain by the mountains and rivers, cooking smoke drifting in the distance, she looks up expectantly, waiting for her lover's return.
Her waiting for her lover is like the sky-blue waiting for the misty rain.
What a beautiful artistic conception, what deep affection!
The word "waiting," placed elsewhere, might evoke sadness and helplessness, but here, it felt so beautiful.
"This song is incredible!"
"Holy crap! It's incredible!"
"Combining blue and white porcelain with a person, it seems to describe the person, yet it's also about the blue and white porcelain; it seems to describe the blue and white porcelain, yet it's about this person. These lyrics are ridiculously powerful!"
"Not only are the lyrics powerful, but the music is also full of charm, complementing these exquisite lyrics!"
"The sky-blue waits for the misty rain, and I am waiting for you... I'm getting goosebumps."
"Didn't you notice, the misty rain in the lyrics is Lin Yanyu's name?"
"Hiss... Holy crap, it really is!"
"I didn't pay attention before, who wrote this song?"
"If I'm not mistaken, both lyrics and music are by Ting Yu..."
"Ting Yu? The Ting Yu who wrote 'Chi Ling'?"
"..."
...
"Colorless and blue koi, leap onto the bowl's bottom.
While imitating the Song dynasty script for the inscription, I think of you.
You are hidden within the kiln firing, a secret of a thousand years.
Exquisitely detailed, like a needle landing in embroidery.
The banana leaves outside the curtain invite the sudden rain, the door knocker invites the verdigris.
And I, passing through that Jiangnan town, provoked you.
In the ink wash landscape painting, you were hidden deep within the ink..."
In the second verse, Lin Yanyu was completely in her element.
Her singing, honed since childhood, now possessed a quality comparable to her mother, Chen Rong. Coupled with countless practices of this "Qing Hua Ci," her portrayal of details was almost perfect.
The five mentors on stage displayed various expressions.
Park Guk-chang and the others looked flustered, but trying to appear calm to avoid the cameras, forcing a neutral expression.
Zhou Ning's eyes were wide, his jaw almost dropping.
He never expected Lin Yanyu to produce such a game-changing song in the finals.
Hearing this song, even in his current capacity, he felt a pang of envy.
As singers, the desire for good songs is endless, especially for songs with such breathtaking lyrics and melodies. No singer could resist the allure of a great song.
He felt that if Lin Yanyu gave this song to him, he'd be willing to call her "mentor"!
"Marvelous! Marvelous! These three instances of 'provoke' are exquisite!"
Beside him, Qin Xu closed his eyes slightly, carefully savoring the artistic conception conveyed by the lyrics and music.
The banana leaves outside the curtain invite the sudden rain, the door knocker invites the verdigris.
And I, passing through that Jiangnan town, provoked you.
These three uses of "provoke" made him clap his hands in applause!
Goosebumps prickled all over his body involuntarily.
However, he paid them no mind, as his thoughts were already drifting through the song, immersed in the beautiful landscape and artistic imagery.
...
"The sky-blue waits for the misty rain, and I am waiting for you.
The moonlight is fished up, blurring the ending.
Like a legendary blue and white porcelain, beautiful on its own,
Your eyes hold a smile..."
The song was nearing its end.
Lin Yanyu, holding her folding fan, sang as she walked towards the guqin at the side of the stage.
As she sang the last words, "smile," she had already sat down.
Her hands caressed the guqin, her slender fingers lightly strumming, and a string of clear, melodious notes brought the song to a close.
After she stood up and bowed.
The audience remained silent.
About ten seconds later, thunderous applause erupted!