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墨書 Inktalez
As the song slowly came to an end, not a single person clapped, though one voice cheered. The entire space was eerily quiet. Chen Rui was taken aback; had he really messed up? He thought it had gone well enough, or at least it shouldn't have ended like this!
Suddenly, the system score lit up, the large golden numbers drawing Chen Rui's attention. Two Arabic numerals appeared on the screen.
No way, only eighty-two points???
Chen Rui shook his head with a wry smile. It seemed he really had failed; in karaoke venues outside, scores usually hovered around eighty or ninety, with plenty hitting a hundred. It looked like he would definitely have to sing again.
"That was... really good." Back at the sofa, Li Xue leaned against Chen Rui, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
It dawned on Chen Rui that this song was indeed perfect for her. After all, it had been five years since they last met! Moreover, she was still so devotedly searching for him; singing this song for her must have been incredibly touching.
Applause finally erupted, though only seven people were clapping. Yet the intensity of their applause was undeniable; they were genuinely cheering him on, likely having turned their palms red from the effort.
Li Xue wiped her tears away in Chen Rui's embrace and smiled. "It's my turn now. I won't let you down."
Chen Rui chuckled softly. Even if he felt disappointed, what had he really expected? It seemed like nothing...
Li Xue cheerfully walked over to the microphone and flashed a smile at Chen Rui, her delicate fingers dancing quickly across the screen.
Chen Rui turned to Qin Xin on another sofa and asked, "Qin Da, I just scored eighty-one points. Why does it feel like you all are treating me as if I scored eight hundred and one? What's going on?"
Qin Xin looked at Chen Rui and explained with a smile, "You don't know? The score is automatically assessed by the computer based on your voice. Even the original artist can't hit a perfect score of one hundred. Generally speaking, if someone scores above ninety, it sounds just like the original to ordinary listeners. Scores above eighty are quite rare and can be compared to the original artist's performance. Most of us usually score in the seventies at best; it's tough to even break fifty if you sing poorly. For someone like you to get eighty-two points right off the bat is truly exceptional."
Chen Rui awkwardly smiled. Given that context, it seemed he wouldn't escape another round of singing after all; he would just be taking on a different role.
The melody of the music played, and Chen Rui stopped talking to Qin Xin, focusing his gaze on Li Xue ahead of him, where a giant screen behind her continued to play her video.
Li Xue slowly opened her mouth and gently sang, "Hey, I really miss you. It's starting to rain outside the window again."
The video clearly showed Li Xue alone on a balcony of a house, quietly gazing at the rain outside. It was easy to tell that it was filmed by Li Li.
"My eyes are dry, but I feel like crying. I don't know where you are right now." The camera flashed to Li Xue sitting on a bed, hugging a pillow, her eyes slightly red, holding a photo of someone.
"Hey, I really miss you. So many emotions without the right expressions."
"The words I want to say, where should I start? Do you think of me like I think of you?" The camera flashed again, showing her in various places like restaurants, cafes, and libraries. No matter when or where, Li Xue's face always appeared cold and lifeless, embodying the image of an Ice Queen, completely different from the playful girl in front of him.
"If Not for You, without the past, I wouldn't be sad." The screen displayed a scene of the two embracing; it was definitely a candid shot! Who took it and how they got their hands on it remained a mystery.
"But even with 'if,' I still have to love you!" A pencil sketch appeared on the screen, showing Chen Rui or Chen Zijing in a suit, with a rose on his chest indicating it was his big day. The door of a long Lincoln car swung open, and a playful head covered in white veil peeked out, grinning at Chen Zijing.
"If Not for You, where would I be? What would I regret?" In a conference room, the Ice Queen in a suit pointed at the red lines on the screen and yelled at several middle-aged men. The reason was probably just that the red lines weren't steep enough...
"Anyway, it's too late; anyway, I've lost myself." Inside a cabin, Li Xue stared blankly out the window with an indifferent expression.
"Hey, I really miss you. I don't know where you are right now..." A photo appeared on the screen showing a boy smiling brightly against the backdrop of a sunset that made him shine.
There was almost no pause; this song flowed seamlessly like Chen Rui's "Missing You Tonight," where any break lasted only an instant—unlike today's new music that often features lengthy instrumental interludes.
Li Xue cast a heartfelt glance at Chen Rui before continuing to sing:
"Hey, I really miss you. It's starting to rain outside the window again."
"My eyes are dry, filled with a longing to cry. I wonder where you are right now."
"Hey, I really miss you. So many emotions without the right expressions."
"If I were to say what I miss the most, where should I start? Do you think of me like I think of you?"
"If Not for You, without the past, I wouldn't feel this sadness."
"But even with 'what ifs', I still want to love you!!!"
"If Not for You, where would I be, and what would I regret?"
"Anyway, it's too late for everything; I've lost myself."
"Hey, I really miss you. I don't know where you are right now... Do you think of me like I think of you..."
As the song ended, Li Xue didn't wait for the system's score; instead, she playfully returned to the sand, continuing to lie in Chen Rui's embrace.
"Are you satisfied?" Li Xue's eyes were red, clearly on the verge of tears while singing that song.
Chen Rui shook his head slightly. Li Xue's eyes reddened even more. Chen Rui smiled and said, "As long as it's you singing, I'm satisfied. Besides, you sang so well."
The enormous screen flickered again with golden light, and two familiar Arabic numerals appeared once more on the screen.
Eighty-two!!!
"Are you kidding me! Can't I get just one more point???" Chen Rui wailed inwardly.
"You two really... make a perfect match," Qin Xin said, casting a meaningful glance at Chen Rui, her smile barely concealed.
Another round of enthusiastic applause erupted. If Chen Rui's performance of "Missing You Tonight" was merely casual, then Li Xue's rendition of "If Not for You" was filled with genuine affection for either Chen Rui or Chen Zijing. Such heartfelt investment deserved the golden score it received.
Qin Xin did well, with scores mostly ranging from the fifties to the seventies. It wasn't that they weren't singing earnestly; there were many factors at play. The main issue with the lower scores was still the vocal quality. If the voice differed too much from the original singer's, no matter how well one sang, it wouldn't surpass sixty-five points, as it simply wouldn't sound right.
In the end, Chen Rui's hopes were dashed; after all, an eighty-two was indeed a tough score to break. This meant there were three winners: Chen Rui, Li Xue, and Li Li.
Li Li wasn't singing half-heartedly either; he likely chose a trendy song on purpose. The original singer had a delicate, androgynous voice that was completely different from his deep tone. Even though he nailed the rhythm and pitch perfectly, his vocal quality dragged his score down to fifty points, allowing him to try again.
Chen Rui observed that their highest score so far was Zhou Yan's seventy-four points, while the lowest was Qin Xin's fifty-seven. He decided to pick an old song he wasn't very good at to avoid any further mishaps...
After enduring seven songs, Chen Rui finally realized that maintaining mediocrity wasn't an easy task. Fortunately, he had entered the second phase, and the audience's enthusiasm had noticeably waned since the beginning. Moreover, he wouldn't be performing in the next round; he could finally take a break.
When it was Chen Rui's turn to sing second, he hadn't sung in so long that he even got some lyrics wrong due to unfamiliarity. It was clear he would end up in last place again before continuing on...
After Qin Xin finished her love song dedicated to Wang Xinzhuo, applause rang out once more. After clapping for her, Chen Rui quickly grabbed the tablet beside him and swiftly entered two numbers before hitting confirm.
The feeling of scoring others was exhilarating; their fates were in his hands. This sense of control felt quite satisfying.
Eight scores appeared on the screen. The system eliminated one highest and one lowest score, leaving six scores to calculate an average. After dropping the decimal point, they arrived at a high score of seventy-five.
Although he knew someone was sabotaging behind the scenes, Qin Xin's recent performance truly warranted that score. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible to achieve seventy-five points after removing one high score for adjustment.
There was no other reason; Qin Xin was about to go on stage again.
As night fell, everyone finally had their fill of fun. After reaching a unanimous agreement, they left the screening room and returned to their respective rooms.
Chen Rui accompanied Li Xue to her door. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his, saying, "Come in for a bit, let’s chat."
Chen Rui shook his head with a wry smile. "I'm afraid if I go in, I won't be able to leave tonight. I'm exhausted; it's best to get some sleep for your skin!"
Li Xue huffed playfully and pretended to be angry as she entered her room and slammed the door. A moment later, she quietly opened it again and, seeing Chen Rui still standing outside, exclaimed in surprise, "You just can't bear to leave, can you? Let's chat; I promise we won't do anything else!"
Chen Rui smiled bitterly. What else does this girl want to do? But then he suddenly remembered that despite her appearance as a college freshman, she didn’t seem much younger than him.
"I'm just thinking about some things. You should go to bed early; be good and listen!" Chen Rui said as he gently ran his fingers through Li Xue's bangs.
"Alright! I knew you were just trying to coax me," Li Xue replied slowly as she began to close the door. From inside the room, she called out, "Make sure you get some rest too; don’t stay up late. We have to get up early tomorrow!"
"Okay, okay!" Chen Rui responded as he walked back to his own room, feeling a whirlwind of emotions in his heart.
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