Chapter 339: You Touched My Thigh, So You Owe Me

"Finally, I know love has wings~"

"How can I hold it, yet it must fly away~"

"Even this hollow darkness wants to be freed!"

"Yet longing is stronger than hate~"

When the song reached the first chorus, Yuan Wanqing's voice, though released, still carried a thread of restraint, instantly elevating the emotional depth of the song.

The final lyric, filled with resigned sorrow, struck straight into the heart.

Shao Heqi was at home, originally just glancing at his father watching this show, so he paid slight attention.

When he heard this part, images of Li Luo and Ying Chanxi standing shoulder to shoulder instantly flashed in his mind; his mouth immediately filled with sourness and bitterness, as if the song had moved him at once.

But even this far, it was still far from enough.

When Yuan Wanqing transitioned into the second verse, building the emotion gradually, and re-entered the chorus climax, her voice fully shed its earlier restraint.

The heavy sorrow seemed to transform into a vast ocean of ink—dark and profound—like towering waves crashing head-on, jolting the listeners in front of the TV awake.

But just as everyone thought the chorus climax was the end, Yuan Wanqing's voice rose another key.

"If you can't let go, don't fear sorrow!"

"I even hate how hot my love for you is~"

"Deep love is like a disease!"

"No method can stop it~"

The dense, ocean-like sorrow seemed split open by a single sword cleaving sea and sky—hysterical yet retaining a final, rational despair, like a blade piercing through time and space, mercilessly tearing open a wound and brutally exposing the bloody grief.

Yuan Wanqing's extreme high note, steady yet trembling slightly, was neither as vast and open as Han Hong's, nor as clear and crystalline as Zhang Liangying's dolphin tone; it was hoarse and choked, held back in endurance, making listeners' minds ring with the high pitch while their hearts tightened, inducing a suffocating sense of breathlessness.

When Shao Heqi heard this, his head buzzed; the voice kept circling in his mind, making him feel it deeply, filling his heart with a quiet sorrow.

Yes.

He, like the person in the song, could only watch helplessly as the girl he loved walked away with another man, powerless to stop it.

Thinking of this, Shao Heqi couldn't help but feel overwhelming grief, nearly on the verge of tears.

As one of the few in class who hadn't joined the class-trip and didn't know Li Luo secretly wrote novels, Shao Heqi was deeply moved by Yuan Wanqing's song.

After Yuan Wanqing finished, he immediately asked his father: "Dad, what's this song called?"

"Something like 'Hollow'? A new song." Shao Heqi's father stared at Yuan Wanqing on screen, feeling her face strangely familiar, yet unable to recall where he'd seen her; finally he shook his head, dismissing it as an illusion.

Shao Heqi, curious, pulled out his phone and searched for "Hollow" on QQ Music—and surprisingly, he found it.

But this song "Hollow" was included in Yuan Wanqing's new album titled "The Sky Has No Limits."

The digital album cost nine yuan—fairly cheap for Shao Heqi.

Moved by what he'd just heard, Shao Heqi paid to buy the digital album, only to discover the album currently contained only this one song.

The remaining eight songs were all labeled "Stay Tuned," each with a specific release date—roughly one per week, with the last two released together, not fully available until October 9th.

Damn, this pre-sale method was something Shao Heqi had never seen before.

But after checking the comments section, Shao Heqi roughly understood the intent.

Was she planning to release one new song per episode after joining "I Am a Singer"?

Using a variety show to drive traffic to her new album was indeed a clever move.

Based purely on the listening experience, if Shao Heqi were sitting in the audience, he would absolutely vote for Yuan Wanqing's "Hollow."

Shortly after Shao Heqi purchased Yuan Wanqing's new album, sales of "The Sky Has No Limits" successfully surpassed ten thousand copies.

And as time passed, the number continued to rise.

Clearly, Yuan Wanqing's "Hollow" had moved far more people than just Shao Heqi.

Sometimes, a song's power is simply this miraculous.

The song itself may not truly move the heart, but it plucks at the strings of memory, then uses those memories to infect you.

So often, crying while listening to a song isn't because the song moved you—it's because your own past experiences once again pierced through your tear ducts.

Therefore, those without heartbreak or unrequited love experiences felt far less deeply, merely thinking Yuan Wanqing sang beautifully.

But even so, it was enough.

When the eighth contestant, Zhang Liangying, stepped on stage, Weibo had already exploded.

The topic about Yuan Wanqing's interview, which had already fallen out of the top twenty earlier that day, surged back into the top ten trending searches.

Right behind it, the term "Yuan Wanqing 'Hollow'" rapidly climbed.

【So powerful! Yuan Wanqing's song is truly amazing! Go listen right now!】

【Where can I listen?】

【You can buy the album on QQ Music, but you can also watch the replay on Mango TV—I think the live version is even more explosive!】

【I can only say everyone seriously underestimated Yuan Wanqing; even just on vocal skill alone, she's flawless, let alone how perfectly this song suits her.】

【Everyone else's song choices today were average, but Yuan Wanqing's absolutely blew the stage—I call it tonight's best!】

【Um… haven't you guys heard yet? This song is tied to a novel—the characters in the book also sing it.】

【What?】

【"I Am Really Not a Star"—go read the latest three chapters! I listened while reading, and it totally blew me away! Holy crap! Reading a 2D novel gave me a 3D surround-sound experience!】

The buzz on Weibo had nothing to do with Li Luo for now.

In the living room of Bihai Lanting 1502, everyone was still savoring the feeling after Yuan Wanqing's performance.

Xu Rongsheng couldn't help clapping along with the TV audience, and others followed suit.

"That's really impressive—so beautiful," Xu Rongsheng remarked. "By the way, I remember this song was composed by Li Luo, right?"

"Mm." Yan Zhusheng nodded from the desk, answering for Li Luo. "All nine songs on my mother's new album were written by Li Luo."

"Truly impressive," Xu Rongsheng couldn't help saying. "I thought you were just talented at writing novels—now I realize your abilities go far beyond that."

"Dad, stop praising him." Xu Youyu leaned back on the sofa, legs crossed, addressing Xu Rongsheng. "Once you leave, he'll be so full of himself his tail'll stick straight up to the sky."

"But this song really is well-written," Cui Suling tapped Xu Youyu's arm. "If it's good, you praise it. If you're so talented, write one yourself—we'll praise you until your tail sticks up too."

"Ahem." At that moment, Li Luo spoke humbly. "The main credit goes to Aunt Yuan for performing the song so perfectly. Without her singing, the song itself isn't actually that extraordinary."

In truth, Yuan Wanqing had surprised him more than he'd expected.

Li Luo had barely participated in the album's actual production—he wasn't a professional, after all.

Let professionals handle professional matters. He had no interest in meddling or adding unnecessary flourishes.

So this was his first time hearing Yuan Wanqing sing "Empty Heart."

After listening, Li Luo's conclusion was simple: perfect.

Performed with flawless precision.

Whether the restrained high notes in the first chorus, the full release in the second, or the later hysterical vocal surge—all perfectly captured the song's essence.

Clearly, after months of refinement, Yuan Wanqing's mastery and understanding of the song had reached an extremely high level.

Every nuance—pronunciation, phrasing, emotional control in each section—was exquisitely precise.

To be honest, in Li Luo's memory palace, in his past life, he'd heard many female covers of "Empty Heart," and very few had used pure voice to hit the climax after the second chorus—most relied on falsetto.

But once switched to falsetto, that fragility directly weakened the emotional impact of the passage.

Though it might evoke a sense of shattering and vulnerability, offering its own charm, on a competitive stage like "I Am a Singer," Yuan Wanqing's approach was clearly superior.

The lingering resonance of her extreme high notes left most listeners still savoring Yuan Wanqing's "Empty Heart" even after Zhang Liangying finished her performance—many wouldn't mind hearing it again.

On the other hand, in Li Luo's view, Yuan Wanqing held a distinct advantage: most contestants on this episode had chosen either slow songs like Han Hong's, or songs like Li Jian's that lacked explosive high notes.

As a result, while their performances were excellent, they lacked memorable hooks for the audience.

And since Yuan Wanqing performed second-to-last, the audience's minds had already been fully saturated by her high notes—by voting time, she held a massive advantage.

Thus, naturally, after the host had spent seven or eight minutes stoking the audience's curiosity with repeated teasing, he finally announced the final rankings of this competition.

"Let's congratulate Yuan Wanqing for taking first place in this competition!"

"We also congratulate her—she has successfully completed her challenge!"

"And sadly, our eighth-place contestant must now say goodbye and temporarily leave our stage."

After the final results were announced, Li Guohong clenched his fist and roared: "Good! Excellent! Excellent! She's number one already!"

Seeing this, Li Luo smiled knowingly, then glanced at his author backend and published tonight's third chapter.

The content was simple: it announced that Mo Qinghan had won first place in the competition.

Three consecutive chapters, each matching real-life events exactly. Now that this task was completed, only time would tell the actual effect.

"Li Luo," Yan Zhusheng glanced at him, then looked at her phone. "You're being praised in the group."

"Huh? What?"

"Everyone in the group is raving about you."

"What?"

Hearing this, Li Luo was startled, immediately leaning over to check Yan Zhusheng's phone.

At that moment, Class 1-8's QQ group was already buzzing with activity.

【Ren Zheng】: AAAAAHHHH! "Empty Heart" is so amazing!!!

【Fang Chen】: Agree +1

【Chen Zhongqi】: The class monitor wrote this song too? So impressive.

【Zhu Yufei】: Boss, you're insane! I listened to this while reading your novel—so awesome!

【Zhang Guohuang】: Brother, can you write more chapters? Please! You made me cry! @Li Luo

【Lin Yuan】: Are you kidding? It's good, sure, but not that tear-jerking.

【Hua Xiuxiu】: It really is beautiful—I almost cried too. Yuan Wanqing sang it so well.

【Lin Yuan】: Honestly, I almost cried too.

【Fang Chen】: Idiot Lin Yuan.

【Lin Yuan】: Idiot Fang Chen!

【Xu Yinghuan】: QUICK!! UPDATE!! @Li Luo

"Update my ass," Li Luo, seeing the group's chatter, rolled his eyes. "Next song won't come until next Friday—way too early."

【Yan Zhusheng】: Li Luo says update my ass—the next song won't come until next Friday. Still too early.

【Xu Yinghuan】: Thief! I know you've got hundreds of thousands of drafts saved! Next time I visit, show me!

【Zhu Yufei】: Holy shit! Hundreds of thousands of drafts? Is that real?

【Zhang Guohuang】: Xu Yinghuan is Yan Zhusheng's top minister—this isn't fake. General Zhu! Give the order—we'll storm the monitor's lair, seize his wealth, and redistribute it! Open the granaries, feed the poor!

【Xu Guangtao】: Open the granaries, feed the poor!

【Lin Yuan】: Open the granaries, feed the poor!

【Fang Chen】: Open the granaries, feed the poor!

【Zhang Guohuang was muted by group owner for 10 minutes】

【Li Luo】: Continue?

【Lin Yuan】: The thief has seized power—the world is in chaos!

【Lin Yuan was muted by group owner for 10 minutes】

【Chen Zhongqi】: Um… may I ask softly… isn't the monitor still with Yan Zhusheng at this late hour?

【Yan Zhusheng】: I live with him.

【Hua Xiuxiu】:?

【Ren Zheng】:??

【Jin Yuting】：???

【Li Luo】：Don't listen to her nonsense—I just have a house near the school and rented her an empty room.

【Fang Chen】：What the hell's the difference? Aren't you still living together???

【Fang Chen was muted by the group owner for 10 minutes】

【Zhu Yufei】: Your Majesty, you're being foolish! We can't be a tyrant king! Living together is nothing!

【Ren Zheng】：Yeah, didn't you two share a room during the class trip?

【Li Luo】：?

【Li Luo】：Who told you we shared a room? Nonsense!

【Ren Zheng】：Huh? Fang Chen told me.

【Li Luo】：???

【Li Luo】：Fang Chen! Speak!

【Zhu Yufei】：He's been muted by you…

【Fang Chen's mute has been lifted by the group owner】

【Fang Chen】: Cough… maybe mute me again for a bit?

【Zhu Yufei】: I told you not to tell anyone about this, and you just had to spread it around, didn't you?

【Fang Chen】: Lin Yuan must've said it too! I'm not the only one! Ask the vice monitor—she definitely knows.

【Li Luo】: Stop making things up. It never happened. What are you all talking about?

【Hua Xiuxiu】: Right, don't spread rumors. The monitor said it didn't happen, so it didn't.

【Ren Zheng】: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it didn't happen.

【Yan Zhusheng】: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it didn't happen.

【Li Luo】: Shut up.

【Yan Zhusheng】: Oh.

The class group was buzzing.

Shao Heqi had only been idly scrolling, but the more he read, the more alert he became, his eyes widening until he couldn't understand what kind of world this was.

But with Li Luo in the group, Shao Heqi didn't feel like speaking much.

After careful thought, Shao Heqi found Jin Yuting's QQ and sent her a direct message.

【Shao Heqi】: What does all this in the group mean?

【Shao Heqi】: Did Li Luo write the song "Empty Heart" that Yuan Wanqing sang?

【Shao Heqi】: From what they're saying, is Li Luo writing something else too?

【Shao Heqi】: How much do you know about Yan Zhusheng living with Li Luo?

Jin Yuting was somewhat surprised when she received Shao Heqi's message.

She had assumed Shao Heqi, like the other boys in class, already knew.

Apparently, he'd been completely in the dark.

After thinking it over, since the class group was already talking about it, Li Luo probably wouldn't mind.

So Jin Yuting replied:

【Jin Yuting】: Li Luo wrote a novel called I Am Really Not a Star, which did extremely well. You also know he writes songs—Chongran is his pen name, and Yuan Wanqing's songs are all written by him.

【Jin Yuting】: As for living with Yan Zhusheng, I just found out today.

After confirming the news with Jin Yuting, Shao Heqi suddenly felt energized again.

He suddenly thought: if Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng live together, and given how clingy they are at school every day, haven't they already confirmed their relationship privately?

If so, then Ying Chanxi could never be with Li Luo.

Thinking of this, Shao Heqi felt as if he'd been reborn—his earlier sorrow from listening to "Empty Heart" vanished instantly.

But Shao Heqi didn't know that at this very moment, Ying Chanxi was sitting on the same sofa in the living room where Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng were, sitting beside Li Luo's mother, hugging a Pikachu and mercilessly squeezing it.

At that moment, Li Luo also checked his comment section.

【Incredible! Absolutely incredible!】

【After reading the latest three chapters paired with Yuan Wanqing's "Empty Heart," I call this the number one masterpiece in the entertainment genre!】

【If the remaining eight songs are all at this level, it's going to explode!】

【Whether all eight songs will match this level is uncertain, but the album title is likely the name of the lead single—meaning at least one more song will be better than "Empty Heart."】

【I've privately listened to "The Sky Has No Limits"—just wait, the impact will be explosive.】

【What's your source? How did you hear the lead single ahead of time?】

【I've heard the whole album—who can't brag?】

【Anyway, this plot is going to be legendary.】

【True—who could've imagined this direct link to reality, and with such impact? Yuan Wanqing's "Empty Heart" made me cry.】

【I cried at midnight, man—this is too painful to listen to.】

【Bro, you got a story?】

【Damn it, I spent ten monthly votes and got nine "thank you for participating" replies, only winning a 10-coin coupon—useless!】

【Haha, I hit the jackpot—I won a physical album.】

【Wait—if the plot's tied to reality, won't the next song be delayed until next Friday?】

【Obviously.】

【Damn! I calculated it—if Yuan Wanqing makes it to the finals, we won't hear all nine songs until October 9th!】

【He's stretching the climax for a month and a half? That's insane!】

I'm gonna die if you don't update again!

You're still setting up for filming, right? You'll probably run off to hang out with Dongdong and Sister Jiang for a few days in between.

That's not bad either—so will there be real physical contact? In other novels, the male lead turns into a pile driver, but here he's still doing pure romance with three female leads—I'm gonna burst from holding it in!

Ran Ge's style is just like this; once you get used to it, it's uniquely refreshing, quite light and clean.

Logically, with his plot pacing this tight, I bet he's got a ton of saved drafts. I really want to hack his computer and release all his drafts for him.

Good good good! Support justice!

Watching the comment section buzz with excitement, Li Luo glanced again at his monthly vote ranking.

Honestly, his current performance is already top ten on the entire site, usually ranking within the top five for monthly votes.

But in just this short while, he had already climbed to third place.

And with the event bonus, his monthly vote count kept rising.

At the same time, his sales figures began surging; his average subscription, previously stuck at 26,000–27,000, finally started to rise, heading toward 30,000.

Everything was moving in an excellent direction.

Yuan Wanqing's song "Hollow" directly shattered doubts with its strength and brought Li Luo a flood of traffic.

Meanwhile, Li Luo's massive reader base also provided Yuan Wanqing's new album with a huge pool of potential listeners.

The online digital album, which had already rapidly surpassed ten thousand sales, saw another surge after the sixth episode of "I Am a Singer" ended.

By midnight, within just four hours, the sales of "The Sky Has No Limits" had broken the fifty-thousand mark.

This was already an outstanding achievement for an online digital album.

Keep in mind, this was only pre-sales—only one song, "Hollow," was currently playable, clearly showing how much listeners loved this track.

In the living room, after watching the show, Li Guohong, Lin Xiuhong, Xu Rongsheng, and Cui Suling—the two couples—stood up and took their leave.

The four little ones, told to go to bed early, each went to their own bathroom to shower and prepare to return to their rooms.

But after Li Luo finished his shower, he saw Yan Zhusheng sitting on his bed.

"What else do you want?" Li Luo walked up to Yan Zhusheng and asked, puzzled.

Yan Zhusheng blinked, said nothing, just took Li Luo's hand and pressed it onto her thigh.

"Holy shit! What are you doing?" Li Luo felt the smoothness and softness of her skin, his heart skipped a beat, but he immediately pulled his hand back.

"It was a deal," Yan Zhusheng said seriously. "You touched my thigh—now give me your drafts."