Chapter 132: Who Is the Real Pushover?

"This song is truly beautiful. No flashy techniques, no impressive high notes, yet it just sounds wonderful."

"It reminds me of my first love—my long-lost youth."

"?"

"Shouldn't everyone's youth just be about shooting into their hands, on the wall, or onto tissues?"

"Get this lonely loser out of here!"

"I didn't have a first love, but I had a crush in college. Sadly, I never dared to confess, and in a blink, five or six years have passed."

"I spent three years chasing my first love and didn't even get to hold her hand."

"Get this 'nice guy' out of here too!"

...

The social environment in Hua Country is much like the one on Earth; "nice guys" always rank behind the lonely losers.

Taking advantage of the transition between the first chorus and the rhythm, the live stream chat flooded with comments.

Nostalgia for that heart-pounding youth!

After all.

There is no turning back in youth.

When you look back after growing older, your youth is like a long private message written by your first love—a confession of your youth, and an explanation of it as well.

At the judges' table.

The four judges looked on with appreciation.

From a professional standpoint, this song, "Big City, Small Love," could only be considered above average.

In fact.

Every song Chen Fang sings is filled with emotion.

Some are about romantic love.

Some are about familial affection.

And among Chen Fang's original works, "Big City, Small Love" is so straightforward that anyone can tell exactly what it wants to say at a glance.

But Chen Fang's delivery was flawless.

Clearly.

Chen Fang had practiced this song many times.

Only by chewing over and practicing a song repeatedly can one infuse the mood and emotion of its creation into the performance techniques. Judging by Chen Fang's state during the performance, he must have practiced it at least a hundred times.

"Very good."

"Indeed, very good. While the melody isn't particularly memorable and it isn't one of those 'instant hit' songs with a killer intro, overall, it strikes a chord with the audience."

"It's good, but it's hard to give it a high score."

"I expect around 95 points."

The four judges whispered among themselves.

There was nothing wrong with Chen Fang's performance, but perhaps the straightforward lyrics and the ubiquity of love songs made it difficult for the judges to award a top-tier score.

To be honest.

Singing love songs is inherently at a disadvantage.

Dong Fen was smart.

He didn't choose to write a love song, but instead opted for a grand, majestic piece in a folk style.

Logically speaking.

Chen Fang should have understood this principle too.

But Chen Fang still chose to sing this song. The most likely reason is that he had no other original songs and didn't want to cover "Father," so he brought out this piece he had already composed.

Of course.

The judges guessed as much.

Chen Fang probably wasn't prepared for a challenge today. After all, the stage was set for Wang Situ, and Chen Fang was merely there to act as a foil. No one expected Dong Fen to pull a surprise move and catch Chen Fang off guard.

Under the circumstances, Chen Fang's performance was already excellent.

"I think it could be higher," the siren-like diva whispered.

As soon as she said this, the other three judges turned to look at her.

The diva eyed Chen Fang’s handsome face. A touch of uninhibited, carefree charm crept into the corners of her mouth. A confident man is the most handsome, and besides, Chen Fang was already very attractive to begin with.

"When evaluating a song, one must consider a very important criterion."

"Popularity and singability!"

"Take 'Lady Shexiang' for example; the melody might be simple and repetitive, but it is precisely because of this that the audience's brain can quickly memorize the melody and even the lyrics."

"'Big City, Small Love' has a plain melody and straightforward lyrics. At first glance, it doesn't seem like an outstanding song, but its greatest strength is that the music is quiet, without complex or noisy accompaniment. It’s simple, clean, smooth, and catchy. It possesses all the characteristics of a highly singable hit."

Once she put it that way, the other three understood.

To put it bluntly.

Singing is a service industry.

Serving whom?

Serving everyone who listens to the music.

When a song can be etched into the public's DNA in a very short time, it is a good song.

As judges, they should also think from the audience's perspective. Would the audience rather listen to a simple, catchy love song, or a grand masterpiece like the one Dong Fen created?

From the audience's point of view.

Dong Fen's song, while brilliant, is a mouthful and hard to learn.

Chen Fang's is the exact opposite.

"Can this 'Big City, Small Love' compare to 'Lady Shexiang'?" the hip-hop king asked, feeling a bit skeptical.

He preferred "Lady Shexiang" more.

After all.

That song had a rap section.

The diva smiled: "It certainly can't compare to that. The 'earworm' effect of 'Lady Shexiang' is too strong; it will probably be playing on every street corner. But 'Big City, Small Love' is more like a go-to anthem for campus confessions and a staple in karaoke bars."

The accompaniment for "Big City, Small Love" is very simple.

A guitar is enough.

For students on campus, this is perfect.

There's no need to spend a lot of time learning the song, nor does it require a lot of time to learn the instruments.

If nothing goes wrong, this "Big City, Small Love" should become the new generation's ultimate campus confession anthem.

The judges fell into silent contemplation.

Indeed!

From the perspective of popularity and singability, Chen Fang crushed Dong Fen.

As for the final score, the four judges each had their own decision in mind.

The song slowly reached its finale.

[Dark hair curled into a ring

Entwined with all my lingering affection

That feeling of never leaving your side

I know this is called forever]

The final note fell.

Clear and resonant!

Still echoing.

The guitar chords faded away with it.

The closing lyrics were a repetition of the opening of the first section, only the last two lines were replaced with "That feeling of never leaving your side, I know this is called forever," using "forever" to conclude the entire song, putting a perfect full stop to this romantic and sweet ballad.

This time, it was Chen Fang's name echoing through the venue.

They weren't just cheering and applauding for the song, but for Chen Fang's terrifying creative talent.

To date.

Not a single song Chen Fang has performed on stage has been a repeat.

Terrifying!

Exaggerating!

The youngest "Master of Music" in the history of Hua Country is about to be born.

Chen Fang stood up and bowed deeply to the audience. This feeling of freely showing himself on stage was truly wonderful!

In the lounge.

Dong Fen’s expression was complex.

Honestly.

He knew very well that he had lost.

Even if the four judges gave Chen Fang a lower score than his in the end, he had lost in essence.

He had held a massive advantage.

On one hand.

His decision to choose Chen Fang as his challenger was impulsive, and Chen Fang had no prior preparation.

On the other hand.

Chen Fang had chosen the most cliché love song, which was not at all favorable in terms of song genre.

Despite these double disadvantages, Chen Fang relied on his perfect performance to push the atmosphere to a climax, even making the entire audience shout his name in unison.

"I lost."

"I lost, and I'm convinced."

Dong Fen smiled in relief.

Chen Fang and Wang Situ were neither of them pushovers.

He couldn't crush either of them.