Chapter 179: Lovers Not Yet

The prelude of the song began to play, and Sun Yi's slightly languid voice spread throughout the entire venue.

"【I look at a kiwi,

and my tears are suddenly triggered.】"

The professional judges sitting on the other side of the audience area looked at the song title, then listened to the lyrics, and had already roughly guessed what it was about.

It's singing about a Comedy Actor, right?

After all, for an Actor, crying scenes are a very important part; many actors specifically practice crying scenes.

After all, some people look like pear blossoms in the rain when they cry, making one feel pity. Others have their facial features twisted together when they cry, looking exceptionally ugly.

Judging from the opening lyrics, it should be singing about a very impressive Actor; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to trigger their tear glands just by looking at a kiwi.

Wearing a suit and a clown mask, Sun Yi continued to sing.

"【I am naturally not one to show off,

yet I have too many artistic cells.

The loves I've talked about and the dates I've been on are perhaps few,

but the bullets I've taken, the knives I've endured, and the suffering I've borne,

are too magnificent to be low-key.】"

In reality, when Huang Weiwen wrote this song, it was also, to a certain extent, a tribute to Zhou Xingchi.

Many people are very clear that Zhou Xingchi has a past, which is that when he was once an extra, he had to play a corpse.

He took the initiative to discuss with the assistant director: "Can I use my hand to block it, and then die on the second palm?"

The assistant director glared: "Wasting time!"

During the performance, he had no choice but to make an "ah" expression, and then become a corpse.

But if you slow it down to watch, to observe his expression, you can see that in that instant, what he performed was vivid and dedicated.

"Although it's small, it's still a performance," he said.

At this moment, the song entered the chorus section.

Of the entire song's chorus climax, the first line is Sun Yi's own favorite.

"【Why must I lose at love,

all over the world, every single time.

Acting as a special guest actor for all the tragedies.

I am heartbroken, I cry so exaggeratedly,

like a Hong Kong-produced film.

......】"

He was singing on stage, his entire body language performed in a way that was both comical and exaggerated.

This, paired with his clown mask, made the audience find it very engaging, feeling that the content of the song and the Singer's performance formed a sharp contrast.

Intuition told them that such a stage presentation was most likely designed by Luo Mo!

When the song entered the B-section and finished singing the first chorus of the B-section, Sun Yi lowered his head and then suddenly tore off the mask on his face.

The content he was singing at this moment was exactly:

"【This world is originally a reality show performance,

it's truly hard to avoid,

the curtain rises—】"

He raised his right hand to the highest point, holding the clown mask, and then comically threw it backward.

The mask was removed, the curtain was raised.

When singing to this point, he raised his head and placed his right thumb at the corner of his mouth.

Only then did everyone realize that after taking off the clown mask, his face was still painted with faint clown makeup!

It wasn't as exaggerated as the clown on stage, but there was makeup around his eyes, the powder on his face was wiped very white, and his lips were painted bright red with lipstick!

Wear a mask for too long, and it becomes imprinted on the face.

The King of Comedy is a comical and amusing clown in front of the camera, and it is the same in life!

He was seen forcefully wiping his right thumb across the left corner of his mouth.

As the corner of his mouth lifted, the bright red lipstick was smeared directly by his finger, and the red mark streaked across half of his left face.

With just one movement, the image of the clown instantly became vivid.

When he repeated the climax of the chorus at this moment, the entire meaning suddenly became different.

What was sung before was the story in front of the camera, the story inside the movie.

And now? In life?

"【The curtain rises—

I lose at love all over the world every single time,

acting as a special guest actor for all the tragedies.】"

——It is the same at this moment!!!

The bullet comments suddenly increased at this time.

"Holy crap, so cool! But it also feels a bit pathetic!"

"This stage design is great! I just saw it on the big screen; it said stage design: Luo Mo."

"Amazing, I don't know why I suddenly got goosebumps!"

"Clown! Clown!"

"Damn! This is shooting a bullet into the bottom of one's heart!"

The stage presence was instantly unleashed; it could be said that the entire stage of the *King of Love Songs*, starting from *Comedy King*, had been heated up.

Sun Yi had already sung to the final line at this moment.

"【I am heartbroken to the point of rupture,

I cry with such exaggeration,

Just for...

——being popular for a few years.】"

Clearly, the content of the lyrics was a deep self-analysis, yet the accompaniment remained light and upbeat, full of rhythm.

It was as if the pain in the clown's heart was of no concern to anyone.

Perhaps that was precisely why that fake mask was imprinted on his face.

As the accompaniment ended, Sun Yi looked at the audience, placed his left hand behind his back, put his left foot behind his right, flipped his right wrist a few times in front of his chest, and then placed his hand over his heart; the clown bowed elegantly toward the stage.

The more elegant his movements were, and the more they resembled a curtain call on stage, the more heart-wrenching it felt.

The lights dimmed at this moment, and even the spotlight began to shift away.

Sun Yi remained in his bowing posture, but his left cheek was illuminated by light, making it possible to clearly see the bright red that kept spreading upward from the corner of his left mouth.

His right cheek, however, was pitch black, and one could not tell what it looked like or what expression it held.

The four large characters for *Comedy King* appeared once again, allowing the audience to feel the charm of the stage and the intense Reversal.

"Powerful! Too powerful!"

"Amazing! So satisfying!"

"Why do I feel so heartbroken?"

"Ah! Luo Mo is truly damnable; it was already very uncomfortable in *Walking and Singing* back then, and now it's even worse!"

The live audience began to applaud and cheer, and many people were shouting Sun Yi's name.

Among the professional judges, several also stood up to applaud.

The main theme of the entire song was self-pity, which is also a type of love, fitting the Requirement of the *King of Love Songs* stage, yet it was 【No Love Involved】.

The professional jury showered the lyrics and music with praise, repeatedly muttering the word "Reversal."

Lv Yi, sitting in the first row, held the microphone and said: "This song reminds me of *Fukua*, but the feeling is completely different; it doesn't have that heart-tearing sensation, yet it still stings."

"Taking off the mask while the clown makeup remains on the face—I think that design is particularly good."

"The content of the earlier lyrics was actually all about being in the play; it is only when the mask is removed that we are outside the play."

"But this just happens to make me think of a saying—life is like a play, and a play is like life!"

"Perhaps, this is the true *Comedy King*?"

In the end, the score given by the professional jury was 88.7 points; it was not as high as the previous *Young and Promising*, but to be the first to perform and warm up the stage, having this score was already very strong.

If one were to be more conspiratorial, there might even be professional judges deliberately suppressing the score.

But music is inherently a very subjective thing; there is no such thing as a song that everyone likes in this world, and every song has people who criticize it.

So there was nothing to say.

In the lounge, Luo Mo watched Sun Yi finish his performance and nodded slightly.

In fact, ever since he transmigrated, many stage designs were either semi-original or completely original to him.

You won't find an identical one on Earth.

This time, the stage for *Comedy King* was the same.

From the feedback of the live audience, it could be seen that such a design with extremely strong visual impact was very effective.

In fact, the three songs he prepared for the fifth episode had completely different angles and stage designs.

Next, it would be Chen Shanqi's turn to take the stage.

"A polar reversal!" he said with a smile.

After the self-pity, are you ready to welcome a sweet assault?

What he wanted was to give the audience the feeling of riding a roller coaster with their emotions!

Tao Jie, wearing a white dress, walked to the stage entrance, took a deep breath, and prepared to go on stage.

……..

……..

Tonight's Live Broadcast was being watched by both Huang Xishan and Yuan Hewen.

It was just that these two were not watching it together.

Without Heavenly King Zhao to act as a buffer between them, they still would not meet up.

Having been at odds for so many years, there was still some lingering awkwardness in their hearts.

After watching the performance of *Comedy King*, they both frowned simultaneously.

They were skilled at writing lyrics and music, but they were truly not good at handling the many designs on stage.

They didn't understand how to do special effects, how to set up lighting, how to handle screen backgrounds...

This was not their job to begin with; they were behind-the-scenes personnel in terms of creation, not all-around behind-the-scenes staff.

Huang Xishan and Yuan Hewen couldn't help but feel a bit fortunate that Zhao Xueqin had good luck when drawing lots and ended up before Luo Mo.

Otherwise, if he were allowed to perform these three songs in a row, wouldn't the chain reaction be sky-high?

"It's a good thing we can interrupt his rhythm," similar thoughts emerged in both their minds.

On the stage of the *King of Love Songs*, the female host began to go through the motions, paving the way for Tao Jie's entrance.

"The next Singer to take the stage is the replacement Singer from the previous episode."

As soon as these words were spoken, there were screams throughout the venue.

The audience could see the performance order on the Live Broadcast, but the live audience did not know it.

The female host continued: "She successfully challenged the stage and has remained on it."

"At the same time, the song she brought last episode has also been extremely popular during this period; I myself have often had it on Loop, and the more I listen, the better it sounds—I never get tired of it."

"Let us welcome the Singer—Chen Shanqi!"

The stage passage opened, and Chen Shanqi walked out, wearing a white dress and having specifically cut her hair short.

Last episode, she was dressed very exquisitely, with her makeup and attire carefully curated to create the effect of saying one thing while meaning another, as in the song "I Am Not Sad."

This time, she was dressed very simply and elegantly, and her whole person looked much sweeter.

"Girlishness" is a very mysterious thing; it has nothing to do with age.

After all, a girl is a girl; why is it necessary to use "Girlishness" to specifically describe it?

This term describes those women who are no longer at the age of a girl, but happen to possess this feeling.

Like when Lala Hsu participated in "I Am a Singer," she was no longer young, but many netizens felt she carried a sense of girlishness.

Chen Shanqi also has quite an advantage in this regard; her overall complexion and skin are both very good, and at the same time, she has a bit of a baby face.

When she walked to the center of the stage, she didn't start Singing right away, but first gave the audience a slight smile.

The accompaniment started at this moment, and the song title appeared—"Friend Above Lover Below."

The Singing echoed on the stage, and many people looked at the song title, a bit confused about what it meant.

Lovers are lovers, so what does "not yet full" mean?

"【Why can I only chat with you for a whole night,

Why do I want to see you again as soon as we say goodbye.

Among my friends,

You are the most special,

You always make me feel so close and intimate.】"

Hearing this, many people suddenly understood.

"Among friends, you are the most special... So it's friends, not yet lovers, but already having feelings!" the audience thought.

Are there many people in the world with this kind of relationship?

Quite a few, actually!

Many people stay by the side of the person they like in the capacity of a friend.

Some lack the courage, and some know well that if they don't do this, they can't even be friends.

Some might just be one step away from breaking that layer of window paper.

The subsequent content of the song made many men and women feel as if their inner thoughts had been exposed, creating a strong sense of immersion.

"【Why do you care who goes shopping with me?

Why do you worry about who is flirting with me?

You say that towards me,

You are a bit more than towards others,

Yet you don't say how much more.】"

When some listeners heard this part, that person had already appeared in their minds.

Some female audience members felt their heartbeats quicken at this moment, while also feeling a bit angry.

Both sweet and vexed.

You have already been obvious enough, I already know in my heart, why can't you be a little bolder!

I am a girl, I have to be reserved.

Chen Shanqi, wearing a white dress, seemed to be making a confession.

"【Friend Above Lover Below.

Sweet and vexing, joyful and chaotic.

What will we become in the future,

I can't wait to know the answer.】"

By the time the song reached this point, it was already very clear: although everyone was still friends, they were actually already moved by each other.

——Only one last step remained.

In the barrage, some people had already started typing the names of the friends they liked.

The sour smell of romance began to permeate, and the sky was filled with "dog food."

At this time, just before the chorus climax, a girl's coquettish huff was added to the accompaniment: 【Hmph—!】

This sound must be integrated into the accompaniment; it is best not for the Singer to huff it live, as the effect will be more natural that way.

This was also Luo Mo's design.

Immediately after, Chen Shanqi began to sing the chorus, like the final reserve and final feigned arrogance of a girl who has fallen in love.

"【Get a little closer and I'll let you hold my hand,

Be a little braver and I'll go with you,

What are you still waiting for, there isn't much time left,

If we go on like this, we can only be friends.

Move a little further forward, and I will nod.

Be a little more impulsive, and I won't dodge.

It's only three words, don't hesitate for so long,

As long as you say it, you can have me.】"

Once this chorus climax part came out, the barrage went crazy again.

"Ahhhhh! Just sweeten me to death!"

"Stop feeding me, stop feeding me, I really can't eat any more of this dog food!"

"My little thoughts have been completely captured by this song; can't you just be a little more proactive?"

"Brothers, I'm going to confess my love, wait for my news!"

"Luo Mo, why do you understand a girl's heart so well!? Men, hurry up and come out to learn!"

The song had clearly only finished the A-section, but the sweet critical hit had already been dealt.

The wonderful taste of ambiguity is just too intoxicating!

——Fire a shot hard into my heart.

Bang——!

This old man's maiden heart....... has been struck!

(PS: Third update, 4200 words! In accordance with the tipping order, an extra update for Alliance Leader "v Nimabi".)

Also, every time I write about stage design with actual content, the stage design for every song is basically my own original or semi-original work; it is actually very tiring, not the so-called filler and ease that everyone thinks.

Our results, which are among the best in this genre of novels, are naturally written with great care.

Throwing out a hit song and having everyone be shocked is the most effortless way, but it's meaningless; that kind of lyric is indeed filler. But if it is used to combine with the situation, then, actually looking at it in context, the effect is the best; it is recommended not to glance over the lyrics content at a glance.

Three updates totaling ten thousand words, begging for monthly tickets! We are only a hundred or so votes away from ninth place!)

(End of this chapter)