Chapter Eighty-One: The Third Episode of "The Voice" Airs

Early the next morning, Jiang Yun rose before dawn. Li Mengya asked him to spend the entire day with her. The recording of “The Voice” wouldn’t begin until seven in the evening, so Jiang Yun decided to keep her company throughout the day.

They didn’t go out; instead, the two of them lounged on the sofa in the living room, absentmindedly watching soap operas.

By afternoon, Jiang Yun began to prepare to leave.

“Are you leaving already?” Li Mengya looked at him with longing eyes.

This girl was really quite clingy. Jiang Yun said, “I have to go to work. I’ll come back and keep you company tomorrow.”

“Alright.” There was a hint of grievance in her expression.

On impulse, Jiang Yun reached out and ruffled her hair. “Be good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Li Mengya froze for a second; then, a faint blush crept across her cheeks. She nodded gently. “Okay.”

Jiang Yun went downstairs and hailed a taxi. The moment he got in, his phone buzzed with a message from Li Mengya.

“Where are you?”

“Just got into a taxi,” he replied.

“Alright.”

The driver started the engine and pulled away slowly. Jiang Yun leaned back and closed his eyes, feigning sleep.

He had just arrived at the company when another message lit up his phone.

“Where are you now?”

“Just got to the office!”

“Okay.”

Jiang Yun couldn’t help but smile wryly. She really was persistent. And yet, beneath that clinginess was a gentle warmth.

As soon as he entered the company, Li Lulu cornered him in his office.

“Boss, you’re finally here! Where have you been these past few days?”

“Why, is there something going on at the company?”

“No big emergencies, but there are endless little things—paying the utility bills, handling the staff payroll. You don’t take care of anything, always handing things off, and it’s a lot of pressure for me!”

Jiang Yun laughed. “Those who are capable do more.”

Li Lulu rolled her eyes.

“By the way, what’s Mao Yi up to?” he asked.

“I booked him for a few variety shows.”

“Good.” Jiang Yun nodded.

Li Lulu grumbled a bit more before leaving the office.

Magic City Broadcasting Hall.

Jiang Yun arrived early at the venue. There were still thirty minutes before the broadcast, so he decided to pass the time with a game.

“Games in this world are awfully crude,” he mused. “And still, the system’s quest to help Xiao Li hasn’t been completed?!”

He called out to the system, “Why haven’t I received the completion prompt yet?”

“Host, your assistance hasn’t taken effect yet,” the system replied.

Jiang Yun frowned. “What’s going on?”

“The system doesn’t know either!”

It seemed that after tonight’s recording of “The Voice,” he would need to visit Ding Li and her brother.

“Welcome to ‘The Voice of China,’ proudly sponsored by Kidney Treasure Tablets!” Yang Yang announced, microphone in hand, reading the advertisement.

Jiang Yun and the other three judges sat in their red chairs, backs to the stage. The thousand-member audience buzzed with excitement.

“We’ve waited a whole week—at last, episode three of ‘The Voice’ is starting!”

“Every Friday at this hour—can’t wait!”

“I’m itching to get going!”

“Can’t wait +1!”

“Can’t wait +10086!”

“The competition is about to get even more intense!”

A female contestant took the stage. The music struck up a fervent rhythm as she sang with deep emotion: “Never have I blamed fate for its mistakes, nor feared the hardships of the journey. I go toward the place of my dreams, and even if I’m wrong, I will not regret.”

“Wow, her voice is so distinctive!” Wang Feng exclaimed. “It has a vibe straight out of the eighties.”

“Life already has enough troubles;
What’s one more?
If you’ve never felt the pain of parting,
How could you ever cherish me?”

Click! Wang Feng was the first to turn his chair.

Click! Tian Zhen followed suit.

Only Jiang Yun and Zhou Lun remained unmoved.

The contestant finished her performance.

Then, Jiang Yun and Zhou Lun’s chairs slowly turned to face the stage.

“Please introduce yourself,” someone asked.

“My name is Hu Hua. I’m twenty-six and I’m a nurse.”

“Wow,” Wang Feng said in surprise, “a nurse!”

“What made you decide to come on ‘The Voice’?” Tian Zhen asked.

Hu Hua gripped the microphone, a little nervous. “In my free time, I love singing and dancing. I enjoy playing music on my own. I happened to see the show’s advertisement, so here I am!”

“Alright, Hu Hua, please choose your coach!” prompted Yang Yang.

“I choose Mentor Wang Feng’s team!”

Wang Feng got to his feet, walked onto the stage, and hugged Hu Hua.

“Congratulations to Mentor Wang Feng on gaining a new team member!” Yang Yang announced.

The audience erupted in applause.

“Hu Hua’s performance was amazing, and that song is catchy as anything.”

“Wang Feng now has two team members!”

“Both Wang Feng and Zhou Lun have two contestants. Jiang Yun and Tian Zhen each have three now!”

The audience murmured among themselves.

“Let’s welcome our next contestant!” Yang Yang called.

A boy with a buzz cut and a lively air strode onto the stage, guitar in hand.

Gentle guitar chords filled the air.

“When night falls, loneliness is always by my side.”

The crowd let out a collective gasp.

“This rock cover is incredible!”

“He’s made the song completely his own.”

“What’s his name? How could someone like him not be famous?”

“I know him—his name is Xu Wei. He writes songs for celebrities for a living.”

The camera panned to the judges’ table.

Tian Zhen looked at the camera. “Xu Wei, is that you?”

“Xu Wei? The same Xu Wei who writes songs for you?” Zhou Lun asked.

Tian Zhen nodded.

Whenever I face you,
I dare not meet your gaze.
...
No matter how time and space may shift,
No matter how the world changes,
Your love is always in my heart—
Do you understand?

Click! Without hesitation, Jiang Yun turned his chair.

Click, click, click! Zhou Lun, Tian Zhen, and Wang Feng all turned in quick succession.

The young man on stage finished his song.

“My goodness, Xu Wei! It really is you!” Tian Zhen exclaimed. “What brings you to ‘The Voice’?”

Xu Wei smiled. “Hello, Teacher Tian Zhen!”

Wang Feng took the microphone. “Xu Wei, would you tell us what made you join ‘The Voice’?”

“I write songs, but I’ve never sung on stage myself. Honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing. People know my songs, but not that I wrote them. That’s always been a regret of mine. I came to ‘The Voice’ to prove myself.”

“Are you planning to debut as a singer?” Tian Zhen asked.

Xu Wei nodded. “That’s the idea.”

“Well then, Xu Wei, join my team. Sign with my studio and I’ll launch your career!” Wang Feng said. “Besides, we’re both rock musicians. I believe we’ll have plenty in common.”

“Don’t listen to him, Xu Wei!” Tian Zhen interjected. “You can sign with my studio too.”

Zhou Lun and Jiang Yun barely had a chance to get a word in.

When it was Zhou Lun’s turn to speak, he could only smile wryly. “Xu Wei, I know inviting you to perform at my concert probably isn’t enough to tempt you anymore. Still, I’d like to try. I have a studio too, but since they’ve already offered you a contract, there’s nothing new I can say. And honestly, you don’t look like signing with a studio is what really moves you. But I do have one advantage no one else has…”