Chapter 167: Without a Shadow of Doubt, He...

Lin Yu’s performance continued.

"If leaving me is an act of destiny."
"I am truly happy for you."
"I finally understand what it means to cherish now."
"But you are no longer standing where you were."

As he entered the chorus once more, Lin Yu closed his eyes, singing with profound emotion.

"Lingering in a dream."
"Waiting for you all this time."
"I feel as if."
"I lost everything in an instant."
"In the end."
"Woo~~~"
"Woo~~~"

He immediately transitioned back into the rap segment. He had been singing for so long with only the briefest of pauses. The rapid-fire pace of the rap and the deep, soulful sentiment of the chorus switched back and forth with seamless transitions; there wasn't a single flaw to be found.

As the rap section concluded, the final notes returned:

"Lingering in a dream."
"Waiting for you all this time."
"I feel as if."
"I lost everything in an instant."
"In the end."
"Woo~~~"
"Woo~~~"

With that final "woo," the demo ended. He held the long, trailing note as if putting a period to a story he was reluctant to finish. The performance was over; he bowed low.

The venue fell into a deep silence; the audience had yet to recover from their emotions.

Until... the host walked onto the stage.
Before the host could even finish thanking Lin Yu, the entire arena erupted in chants:
"Lin Yu!"
"Lin Yu!"
"Lin Yu!"

It was fortunate this wasn't an encore. Otherwise, the following contestants wouldn't even need to take the stage—it would have turned into Lin Yu’s solo concert. Unable to withstand the relentless, enthusiastic cheering, the host had no choice but to call Lin Yu's name once more to acknowledge the mood.

The spotlight hit Lin Yu, who had already taken his seat. He stood up and bowed deeply to everyone present!

"Thank you all for your love. I will have 'Rashomon' up on music platforms as soon as possible."

The live stream chat exploded!

"Holy cow! Another sleepless night!"
"The smart ones already recorded it; I’m going to spend the night in my feels!"
"In love, 'Rashomon' represents a situation where both parties explain things from their own perspectives, each sticking to their own side, making the truth impossible to discern. People can never truly know the heart of another; even in intimate relationships, there is selfishness and deceit. For the sake of self-preservation, people psychologically deceive themselves, firmly believing that what they perceive is correct. Each speaks their own piece, sounding noble and righteous—that is the reason why 'Rashomon' love exists."
"Professor, write a book, I’ll buy it!"
"Met, knew each other, talked, caught feelings, liked, fell in love, confessed, agreed, started dating, met up, went on dates, happy, showed off, went home, joy, neglected, quarreled, separated, deleted, became strangers, ended, sad, missed her, let go, found peace—is this what they call love?"
"You liked me at first because when you met me, I was funny, humorous, and knew how to make you laugh. After being together for a long time, you realized that I am not only sensitive but also suspicious. I mind your coldness, I blame you for not paying attention to details. That funny, humorous boy is gone. You, who used to say I was clingy, now only find me annoying. I blame myself too; I blame myself for exposing my true side, I blame myself for not being able to control my temper, but I also blame you for not taking our relationship seriously. Tell me, has the person changed, or has your heart changed?"
"You guys, can your comments be shorter? You’re blocking my view of A-Yu’s god-like face!!"

...

Lin Yu walked off the stage having achieved success, while Wang Fei, who was about to go on next, was left in a state of disarray. His hands couldn't stop trembling—this was immense pressure!

If you don't know, let me ask: is it too late to withdraw from the competition now?! That would be far better than getting on stage and being chased off by the audience for being inferior!

"Brother, want to go out and have fun tonight?" Lin Yu asked with a raised eyebrow. Ever since his first visit to the lounge bar, it felt like his senses had been unlocked. He wanted to go again! Or rather, he wanted to go countless more times!

"Forget it. You won't get scolded, but Si Shaozhe and I have already been sanctioned by the company," Wang Fei said, casting a sympathetic look at Si Shaozhe. The most miserable of them all was Si Shaozhe; his agent had chewed him out so badly last night that Wang Fei, staying in the next room, was forced to listen to the "lion's roar" all night long.

Lin Yu glanced sideways at Si Shaozhe. Oh? Even that thick layer of foundation couldn't cover those dark circles? Si Shaozhe noticed his gaze and scooted his chair away. Don't mess with me... boo-hoo!

When it was Wang Fei's turn to perform, he didn't sing a love song but covered an old classic. As expected of a professional singer, he lowered his voice to evoke a sense of nostalgia.

Lin Yu blinked. Sure enough, the contestants who had made it this far were no slouches. One by one, they had been hiding their true talents, waiting for the final countdown rounds to stun the audience!

That was what made a competition interesting. Lin Yu’s fighting spirit was ignited. Next, he would plug in his keyboard, use all four fingers, and show them what he was made of!

Xu Mengbai heard the "timi" sound and leaned over, seeing that Lin Yu had already dived into a high-level ranked match. His character, the "Electric Rat," charged straight into the enemy's red zone to ambush them. In the time it took her to blink, Lin Yu had already secured First Blood.

Xu Mengbai: "?? Huh? I didn't even spend that long blinking!!" And what was up with that grandmaster badge next to the character's health bar?!

...

After clearing eight games with ease, seeing the Electric Rat's combat power rise to the top of the national leaderboard, Lin Yu closed the game, feeling satisfied. Xu Mengbai, watching from the side, was completely dumbfounded.

"It's a 2400-point peak match, and you can decide the winner in six minutes!?" And you’re the MVP in every game?

Hearing her exclamation, Lin Yu chuckled. "Six minutes isn't my limit; it's the minimum time limit before the opponents are allowed to surrender."

Xu Mengbai: "..." You really know how to show off!!

Back at the competition, things were nearing the end. Si Shaozhe returned to his seat looking half-dead, glaring at Lin Yu with resentment. If it weren't for you dragging me out to drink yesterday, I wouldn't have had a hangover, which almost caused me to miss the high notes! Those judges on stage are all professionals; if they heard the flaws, they would have eliminated me.

"Careful, or my big sister will show up in your room in the middle of the night..." No one was immune to the terror of his sister's "lion's roar."

The host took the stage and announced that the competition was over, and it was time for the judges' scoring. The audience held their breath. This round didn't give them or the off-site viewers a vote; the contestants' fate rested entirely on the judges. Who would be sent home this time?

Following the usual routine, just as things got tense, the show cut to a few commercials. The viewers outside the arena were cursing the ads on their screens, while the judges inside were whispering to each other, discussing the final results.

The commercials ended, and the screen showed a close-up of the first contestant, Xu Mengbai! Looking at her face, there were no flaws—exquisite makeup and sharp, defined features!