Chapter Fifty-Nine: Voluntarily Admitting Defeat

Astounding!

Inside the recording studio, Fu Zhuang’s singing soared from previously decent to a stunning level in an instant.

“Has his vocal technique broken through? Or is this an extraordinary performance?” Wang Mo’s heart rippled with emotion.

He knew that the most challenging part of “Heaven and Earth Dragon Scale” lay in the chorus, with its extended high notes and daunting pitch, making it exceptionally difficult to sing well.

Yet at this moment, not only did Fu Zhuang navigate it smoothly, he also infused the performance with deep emotion.

High notes, emotion, nuance, breath control… every aspect was executed brilliantly.

The recording studio.

Fu Zhuang’s outburst continued.

He maintained an intense, soaring state throughout.

Not until the test run of the song ended did Fu Zhuang remove his headphones, his eyes lit with fervor and excitement.

…

A few minutes later.

Conference room.

The production team of “Forbidden City” had gathered, with Yuan Xiong, Fu Zhuang, and Shi Qing present as well.

Everyone’s eyes were focused, listening attentively to the test recordings of both singers.

First up was Shi Qing’s performance.

Exquisite technique, solid foundation, and a clear, bright voice made many listeners’ eyes shine.

“What a great performance.”

“Yes, listening to him makes my blood surge.”

“Teacher Shi truly deserves the title of musical artist.”

Almost everyone nodded in agreement.

Even Yuan Xiong had to admit Shi Qing’s skill, and then he turned a worried gaze toward Fu Zhuang.

Fu Zhuang.

He’s in danger now…

Yet at this moment, Fu Zhuang himself was calm.

His mind had emptied, and he hadn’t even listened to Shi Qing’s test. He knew that he had just delivered his very best. If that wasn’t enough to surpass Shi Qing, then it simply meant his skills were lacking.

Next, Fu Zhuang’s test recording began to play.

Nearly everyone present believed Fu Zhuang was no match for Shi Qing.

Did they really think the national team was a joke?

At that moment, Shi Qing wore a faint smile. He had researched Fu Zhuang before coming, knew his strengths and weaknesses.

Shi Qing arrived brimming with confidence. As a member of the national team, he had no choice but to succeed in this audition. Losing to another national team member was understandable, but losing to a third-tier singer from an entertainment company—he couldn’t forgive himself.

Sure enough.

As soon as Fu Zhuang’s voice rang out at the start, Shi Qing felt assured: “It’s in the bag.”

Fu Zhuang’s performance was quite good, but compared to his own, it was still slightly lacking. Coupled with his own national team status, the outcome seemed all but certain.

But when the climax arrived—

Shi Qing’s expression froze, his mouth slightly agape.

He wasn’t alone.

Everyone in the conference room wore looks of shock and wonder.

“What…”

“Oh my.”

“My god!”

No one expected Fu Zhuang’s test performance to surge so dramatically, the powerful waves of sound striking deep into their hearts and shaking their very souls.

But the one most incredulous was Yuan Xiong, who looked as though he’d seen a ghost—glancing alternately between the speaker and Fu Zhuang.

As the top agent at Yunhai Media, he knew exactly where Fu Zhuang’s abilities lay.

At this moment, Fu Zhuang seemed like an entirely different person.

“No way…”

Yuan Xiong swallowed hard. His first thought wasn’t even about Fu Zhuang’s extraordinary performance, but about Wang Mo: “How is this possible? Why is it that every singer who collaborates with Wang Mo seems to transform completely?”

Hao Mingxing was like that.

So was Su Xueyao.

And now, even Fu Zhuang.

One after another, previously unremarkable people, after coming into contact with Wang Mo, all seemed to morph into monsters of talent.

Of course, the key question was: why was there no change in Yuan Xiong himself? He was still the same as ever.

By rights, he’d worked with Wang Mo the longest—shouldn’t he have turned into an old monster himself by now, maybe even transcended this world?

“What am I thinking?” Yuan Xiong gave himself a mental slap.

His thoughts returned.

Soon, Fu Zhuang’s test ended.

The room fell into an uncanny silence.

It wasn’t until a moment later that Shi Qing finally stood. He looked at Fu Zhuang with a complex expression and spoke earnestly, “I lost this audition. Mr. Fu, your performance humbled me.”

With these words, all eyes turned to them.

To have a national team member admit defeat—if that got out, it would surely make headlines.

But recalling Fu Zhuang’s earlier performance, it all seemed justified.

It wasn’t that Shi Qing wasn’t outstanding, it was that Fu Zhuang’s performance had simply been too dazzling.

Fu Zhuang hurriedly rose, replying respectfully, “Teacher Shi, you flatter me. You’ve always been my role model. I merely delivered an extraordinary performance this time.”

Shi Qing shook his head with a sigh, “Even to perform beyond your limits, you must first possess that potential. The fact that you could do it means you have what it takes. And I listened carefully to your singing—the truth is, even without that extraordinary effort, you are better suited to this song.

Because your temperament and your tone both harmonize perfectly with ‘Heaven and Earth Dragon Scale.’

Perhaps my technique is superior, perhaps my control of the details is better, but when you sing this song, you can truly convey the sense of history, the grandeur of a great nation, the soul of a people that the music demands.”

Faced with such a string of praise, Fu Zhuang was overwhelmed.

After a moment, Shi Qing suddenly asked, “Mr. Fu, I heard you were personally chosen by Teacher Wuyan?”

Fu Zhuang nodded, “Yes.”

Shi Qing was silent for a moment, then sighed, “Teacher Wuyan’s reputation is well deserved. Not only is he a genius composer, but his eye for talent is utterly sharp.”

In fact, before coming to audition, Shi Qing had already heard from Wu Yong that Wuyan himself had selected a singer from an entertainment company to compete with him in the audition.

And that the other was a third-tier singer.

When he first heard this, Shi Qing found it hard to accept.

Since when did the national team have to compete with third-tier singers from the entertainment industry for the right to perform a song?

It was only because “Heaven and Earth Dragon Scale” was composed by Wuyan, and because Shi Qing had fallen in love with the song upon seeing the score, that he agreed to audition against Fu Zhuang.

Originally, he thought it was a sure thing.

But events took an unexpected turn.

At this moment, he finally understood: Wuyan was the truly remarkable one.

Perhaps Wuyan never intended for the national team to perform “Heaven and Earth Dragon Scale” at all, and had already settled on Fu Zhuang. It was only due to the insistence of the “Forbidden City” production team that the national team was given a chance to audition.

Yet in the end, it was still Wuyan’s chosen singer who prevailed.

No wonder.

No wonder the man could discover Hao Mingxing and Su Xueyao, and create one musical miracle after another.

What a pity that Wuyan hadn’t come today—

Otherwise, he would have made a point to meet him.

Nevertheless,

Wuyan—this name was now deeply etched in Shi Qing’s heart.