Backstage!
"Pfft!"
Yang Mi had just taken a sip of white fungus and lotus seed babao porridge when she spat the whole mouthful right into Ye Zhen's face, instantly throwing the room into chaos.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Reba secretly grabbed a portion of spicy mixed vegetables and scurried off to a corner. Turning her head, she cast a covert glance at Yang Mi and Zeng Hong. Seeing that neither of them was paying her any attention, she beamed with joy.
Heaven is helping me!
She quickly snapped open a pair of disposable chopsticks, picked up a fish ball coated in rich broth, and popped it into her mouth. With a gentle bite, a savory aroma flooded her entire palate.
It's insanely delicious! ! ! !
It had been four months, five days, six hours, and forty-two minutes since she last tasted spicy mixed vegetables.
Everyone!
Does anyone know what it feels like to live on plain water every single day?
For the past few nights, she had been sneaking into the company cafeteria to eat steamed buns dipped in honey and white sugar! ! !
Even her two steamed buns had malnourished and shrunk! ! !
"An original song?"
Paying no attention to the commotion, Yang Mi stared wide-eyed and asked in disbelief, "Director Ye, how can my little brother suddenly sing an original? Isn't—doesn't he sing that song 'Most Beautiful Love Song'?"
She had heard Luo Mu sing a few lines of "Most Beautiful Love Song" and had assumed he was going to cover it, just like Jiang Bin!
Ye Zhen pulled out a tissue and carefully wiped the stains off his face, snapping irritably, "Your brother said that as the top dog of the New Oriental Culinary College, how could he possibly cover someone else's song? He'd lose too much face to do that!"
"It's just some lousy show, what's wrong with a cover? What's so shameful about that?"
Yang Mi pouted her rosy lips, put her hands on her hips, and protested in deep displeasure. But before she could finish, she caught sight of Ye Zhen's darkened face and his murderous eyes sweeping the surroundings, apparently searching for a heavy object to hurl.
"Gulp!"
"Director Ye, don't be impulsive. Impulsiveness is the devil! I said it's a *record-breaking* show—'breaking' show for short!"
Her scalp tingling and her face turning pale, Yang Mi hurriedly took a few steps back. Then she grabbed Reba, who was happily gorging herself, pulled her forward as a human shield, and offered a sheepish smile.
Her little hubby's golden rule: whenever you run into trouble, always make Reba take the hit.
"Whash wrong?"
Reba lifted her innocent, wide eyes, clutching her spicy mixed vegetables for dear life as she swallowed a crab stick and asked with a guilty conscience.
She was just sneaking a portion of spicy mixed vegetables—how did she get caught red-handed?
She was totally doomed!
Sister Mimi was going to butcher her!
With a dark expression, Ye Zhen pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand and muttered in a muffled voice, "Boss Yang, for your brother's sake, I won't argue with you this time."
"Right, right, right, for my brother's sake!"
Yang Mi let out a deep sigh of relief, her delicate face bursting into smiles. "Director Ye, what do you think of my brother's new song?"
"Well, about that!"
Ye Zhen lowered his head to ponder for a dozen seconds before looking back up at them with a solemn expression. "If he had entered the fourth round of competition last time, Mu Xueyao wouldn't have stood a chance at first place!"
"What?"
The others turned pale and cried out in shock.
...
Meanwhile, the four judges on set looked at each other in dismay, wondering if their ears were playing tricks on them.
You, a newcomer to the entertainment industry, are going to sing an original song?
Are you sure you didn't walk onto the wrong set?
Han Lei slapped his thigh hard and let out a hearty laugh. "Luo Mu, do you know that since the auditions for *I Am a Singer* began, we've seen at least a hundred contestants, but you're the only one brave enough to sing an original!"
"Putting everything else aside, just for this courage alone, I'm going to give you my full support!"
A happy smile spread across Han Hong's face as well. "That's right! After listening to so many covers, hearing an original for a change isn't a bad idea at all."
"Luo Mu, if you sing terribly, you'll have to follow the strategy guide and say that word thirty times in a row, oh?"
Sun Nan teased with a wink.
"Luo Mu, you can set your mind completely at ease. Even if your singing is atrocious, could it possibly be worse than mine?"
Da Zhangwei thumped his chest to encourage him.
Though the four of them had only known Luo Mu for a mere few minutes, they had already taken a liking to this enthusiastic and witty young man.
Even without Yang Mi's connection, they would still have been willing to look out for him!
"Thank you all four teachers for your support!"
Luo Mu bowed deeply to the four of them, then reached out with his right hand and strummed the guitar a few times to test it out.
Neither Luo Mu in his past life nor the original owner of the body had ever touched a guitar. What he was relying on now was the amateur-level guitar-playing skill rewarded by the system.
Yet, amateur-level though it was, it was more than enough to crush 70% of the pretty-boy idols in the entertainment industry.
After all, a system reward was worth a good four or five years of someone else's hard work!
At first, Luo Mu's playing was a bit rusty, but after a few strums, the muscle memory gradually kicked in.
Clearly, the original owner's hands were meant for tossing food in a wok, but holding this guitar now, he felt not the slightest bit of unfamiliarity—as if he were born to do this!
As the beautiful melody swelled, Luo Mu's gaze grew melancholic and tender, as though laden with countless stories.
"Squandering love without a single restraint!"
"With a shattered heart, what is left to argue about?"
"Whatever it is you desire, take it all away with you!"
"If you believe that freedom equals happiness?"
"Love is a mistake born of weakness!"
"Why bother caring what others think?"
"How they see it, what they say?"
...
"Too Much" was Luo Mu's favorite song from his past life, one that had gone on to become the theme song for countless television dramas and swept through the streets overnight. On his way to Magic City, he had already registered the song on his phone, so copyright-wise there was zero issue.
"Boom!"
Though Luo Mu's vocal technique and guitar-playing skills had only reached a competent level, the tales of unrequited love flooding his mind flushed his eyes slightly red, infusing the song with intense emotion that easily struck a chord with everyone.
Just a few lines in, the entire venue erupted instantly.
Han Hong, Han Lei, Sun Nan, and Da Zhangwei all stood up in unison, eyes wide, hands clenched into tight fists, their bodies trembling involuntarily as they fought the urge to roar out loud and vent their emotions.
They had served as judges for *I Am a Singer* for five episodes now. To be honest, aside from a few standout singers, most contestants could at best be described as "not too terrible."
Yet who could have imagined!
In a hastily added round of competition, a regular atomic bomb of a talent would pop up!
A single thought flashed through all four of their minds simultaneously: second-rate vocals, second-rate guitar playing, but top-tier lyrics, top-tier arrangement, and top-tier emotion. Even among the four of them, very few songs ever reached such a standard!
This Luo Mu was going to be a star!