Chapter 324: Qin Yun

"Teacher Li Jian!"

Li Jian wore simple casual attire, his demeanor warm and refined; hearing the voice, he instinctively responded and turned his head.

Then his eyes instantly brightened, and he blurted out.

"Mr. Qin!"

Qin Yun stepped forward and shook Li Jian's hand, smiling: "Teacher Li Jian watches live streams too? I thought you didn't even own a smartphone?"

Li Jian laughed heartily: "That's ancient history now. Mr. Qin, are you here to watch the performance?"

"Yes, Teacher Li Jian, this is my wife, Su Huan."

Su Huan smiled: "Hello, Teacher Li Jian, I'm your fan, Su Huan."

"Hello, hello."

The four exchanged a few brief words; since they weren't close, there wasn't much more to say, and they parted ways.

After walking away, Li Jian asked the assistant assigned by the TV station: "You invited Mr. Qin? Who has that much influence?"

He knew online that countless TV stations had tried to invite Qin Yun onto variety shows, but so far, Qin Yun had never appeared in any.

The assistant shook his head, knowing nothing.

Guo Ying led Qin Yun and Su Huan through the corridor and pushed open the door; their vision instantly widened.

A clamor of voices surged toward them; the audience seats were already full, filled with murmurs and chatter. Ahead, the main stage of the program glowed with brilliant stage lighting, ready for recording to begin.

"Mr. Qin, Ms. Su, follow me—your seats are up front."

Following Guo Ying, the two quickly descended the steps row by row, arriving at the front of the stage. Qin Yun glanced back; the audience seating formed a circular layout, with the stage at the center, and in the front row of the audience sat a special row of seats.

"These are the seats for our expert consultants, Mr. Qin, Ms. Su—your seats are right here."

Guo Ying pointed to two empty seats behind the first row; these seats were elevated one level higher than the consultants' seats, offering an excellent view—clearly the prime VIP position.

Qin Yun rubbed his nose: "Isn't this a bit too conspicuous? Just give us any two seats."

Guo Ying said: "Mr. Qin, this seat offers the best audio-visual experience—it was arranged personally by Director Jiang."

Seeing this, Qin Yun couldn't ask them to rearrange.

"Alright then, thanks for your trouble. Go ahead and work—you don't need to attend to us."

Guo Ying nodded: "Then I'll leave you to it, Mr. Qin."

After Guo Ying left, the two entered the audience seating; nearby viewers noticed them but paid no mind—the lighting wasn't especially bright, so Qin Yun's face was impossible to make out clearly.

Besides, he wore sunglasses and a hat—who would bother scrutinizing them?

They assumed the two were some kind of special guests, given these were the best seats in the house.

No sooner had they sat down than Qin Yuwén sent a message.

"Mr. Qin, have you arrived?"

"Yes, I'm here—already in the audience. Don't worry about me, focus on your preparation."

Although Qin Yun had come at Qin Yuwén's invitation, he had never met her in person.

"Understood, Mr. Qin—if you need anything, let me know."

"Alright, good."

After replying to Qin Yuwén, Qin Yun smiled at Su Huan: "For the first time in my life, I'm watching a live program recording."

"Do you have a favorite singer?"

Qin Yun thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Not really. I probably prefer older Hong Kong and Taiwan singers, but I'm not obsessed—just like their songs."

As they chatted casually, Qin Yun removed his sunglasses; wearing them indoors made viewing uncomfortable.

Backstage!

Guo Ying reported to Jiang Tao, who immediately excitedly rushed upstairs.

This was where the director's control, audio control, and lighting control were located.

Through the camera feed, Jiang Tao immediately ordered: "Camera One, focus on the VIP audience seats—project the image onto the screen."

At this point, the large screen occasionally displayed audience shots; everyone was used to it. Occasionally, commercials would be inserted.

When Qin Yun and Su Huan's images first appeared on screen, no one noticed anything unusual.

Only a few people suddenly exclaimed.

"Wow, so beautiful."

"Whoa… such a gorgeous woman—who is she? Could she be a celebrity too?"

"Wait, she looks familiar."

Once someone recognized Su Huan as slightly familiar, her identification was inevitable.

"Holy shit, that's Su Huan—Mr. Qin's girlfriend!"

"Then who's beside her?"

Instantly, someone shouted loudly: "Mr. Qin! Mr. Qin, is that you?"

Qin Yun and Su Huan were chatting when they suddenly heard the voice—they both inwardly groaned. Looking up, they saw their own images displayed on the large screen.

"..."

He immediately realized he couldn't hide anymore; he lifted his hat brim and removed it, revealing his face—unmatched by Yan Zu, surpassing Cheng Wu, outshining Tom Cruise.

Seeing that face on screen, the entire studio erupted in a wave of gasps.

"Holy shit, is that really Mr. Qin?"

"Mr. Qin! Mr. Qin!"

Qin Yun stood up and waved to the audience, instantly drawing a storm of cheers.

Flashbulbs exploded everywhere—people took photos, recorded videos.

Fortunately, everyone remained restrained, not rushing over—just cheering from their seats, which eased his breath.

Then, not long after, news of Qin Yun appearing at the recording site of "You Are a Singer" surfaced online.

Jiang Tao watched this scene and nodded in satisfaction.

Others couldn't easily approach, but the audience seated near Qin Yun had no such reservations—they rushed over one after another to request photos with Qin Yun, and not just that, they also wanted photos with Su Huan.

As a semi-public figure, Qin Yun naturally did not refuse.

Only when the director's voice echoed through the studio, announcing that recording was about to begin, did everyone finally stop.

Soon after, all eight seats in front of Qin Yun, reserved for the advisory judges, were filled one by one.

Qin Yun didn't recognize any of these people, but each of their name tags identified them as professors from major music schools.

They all warmly greeted Qin Yun and Su Huan.

It left Qin Yun's face numb—he couldn't stop smiling, not when he couldn't afford to look expressionless.

Soon, host Liang Nan stepped onto the stage; he first led everyone in recording some sound effects, then turned his gaze to Qin Yun.

"It seems everyone knows—today, two special audience members have joined us. Let's welcome Qin Yun and Su Huan with the most enthusiastic applause!"

Instantly, applause thundered, and cheers filled the entire venue.

This revealed Qin Yun's popularity.

If measured by fan count, Qin Yun alone could match all the competing singers combined—he simply didn't operate in the entertainment circle. Yet even so, at his current scale of fans and popularity, no one regarded him as an ordinary person anymore.

He was a three-no person—neither a singer, nor an actor, nor a variety show artist—yet he ranked first in fan count nationwide and even internationally.

To call him merely an ordinary internet celebrity would carry no credibility whatsoever.

His status as an internet celebrity surpassed far too many stars; he simply lacked traditional entertainment industry works.

Fortunately, he didn't mix in this circle, so he didn't need to endure the scrutiny that came with it.

When Qin Yun and Su Huan heard host Liang Nan's voice, they stood up and formally greeted the audience again; he knew this moment would definitely appear in the official broadcast.

"Good evening, everyone! Welcome to the musical competition stage—'You Are a Singer'—spearheaded by Zhejiang Television!"

"Music is never a solitary cry of courage, but a resonance between the era and the heart. Tonight, we continue to witness seven online singers defending their ground with their works; we will also welcome a challenger singer, descending upon the stage with sharp brilliance, issuing a challenge."

"... Now, welcome the first competing singer—Professor Li Jian!"

Qin Yun had once been nothing more than an ordinary person, an ordinary music appreciator who could only tell whether a song sounded good or not, without understanding why.

But since acquiring several instrument skills and later the songwriting skill, his ability in this area had become professional—professional enough to directly put many people out of work.

He could even hear a piece of music and immediately deliver a highly professional critique.

Yet Qin Yun truly hadn't expected that director Jiang Tao had actually sent him a request via Qin Yuwén's WeChat.

"Qin Ye, uh, could you please give a brief evaluation after each competing singer's performance? We'd follow…"

Qin Yun didn't bother reading the rest and replied with just two words: "No!"

Fuck, he'd come here just to watch a show and relax—not to work. This much exposure was enough; making him "do business" was ridiculous.

Seeing Qin Yun's reply, Jiang Tao, though prepared, still felt a hint of disappointment—but this was merely a test; he'd expected the refusal.

"Yuwén, do your best!"

"Thank you, Director Jiang. I will."

Qin Yuwén hadn't expected the director to come specially to her preparation room; though his purpose was Qin Ye, it gave her hope for advancement.

Yet looking at the list of competing singers, that hope felt faint again.

…

Transitioning now—tomorrow we begin intensive training and prepare for departure.

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