Chapter 86: Admitting Defeat with Grace

After Su Chen bowed, he remained standing on stage, waiting for Liu Shao to join him. Yet, a minute passed and Liu Shao was nowhere to be seen; all Su Chen could observe were the audience members below still wiping tears from their eyes. Even among the mentors, Han Hong and Yan Mi kept pulling tissues from the same pack, unwilling to share any with Zhou Zhiqian.

Once the sobbing in the audience subsided, Su Chen finally saw Liu Shao arrive, hurried and apologetic. "Sorry, I'm late... Su Chen's performance was so moving, I couldn't help but shed tears..." His voice trembled, still thick with emotion.

"All right, with Su Chen's performance concluded, this marks the end of our mentors' teams' battle," Liu Shao continued. "But before the voting channel closes, I have a personal question for Su Chen." Holding the microphone, with reddened eyes and a nasal tone, it was clear he had been crying hard—at least sobbing uncontrollably.

Su Chen replied, "Please, go ahead."

"I want to ask, what is the name of the song you just performed?"

Without hesitation, Su Chen lifted the microphone and answered, "The song is called 'Guest.'"

Liu Shao repeated the title softly to himself, then said, "Thank you, Su Chen, for bringing us 'Guest.'" With that, he led the applause.

The audience, awakened by Liu Shao's clapping, wiped away their tears and began to cheer and applaud as well. Many were still crying even as they applauded Su Chen, creating a chorus of sobs and shouts.

Liu Shao looked at the bizarre crowd, clicking his tongue, but the feeling of loss he had felt moments ago had eased, so he seized the moment. "All right! The voting channel closes in three seconds. If you enjoyed Su Chen's performance, please pick up your voting device and cast your precious vote for him!"

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One! The voting channel is now closed!"

With that, Liu Shao turned his gaze to Zhou Zhiqian.

Zhou Zhiqian shook his head and smiled wryly, "Can I switch seats next episode? I didn't even finish my notes!"

His words made the audience laugh through their tears.

Zhou Zhiqian continued, "Frankly, my assessment of Su Chen is much like what I said about Meng Xiaotian earlier—I can't judge him."

Liu Shao raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Are you saying Su Chen's performance was as flawless as Meng Xiaotian's, beyond critique?"

Zhou Zhiqian shook his head. "No. What I mean is, Su Chen's mastery of sorrowful songs is already no less than mine—perhaps in some ways, I must concede defeat. For me to critique Su Chen's song would be presumptuous, and frankly, I don't have the face to do it."

His self-deprecating words stunned the whole audience—perhaps the first time in variety show history a mentor admitted a contestant surpassed him! The livestream's comments exploded:

"Oh my god! Old Zhou actually admits he's not as good?! Is this scripted or real?! If it's real, I can't imagine!"

"If it were any other contestant, I'd suspect a script, but this song 'Guest'... all I can say is, Su Chen is truly unbeatable in my heart!"

"Old Zhou's words are so sincere. Even with the show's bias against Su Chen, he still speaks his mind. He's really supportive of the younger generation!"

"Old Zhou went through his own storms, so now he shelters Su Chen!"

"Old Zhou rocks, Su Chen is eternal!"

...

Su Chen was dumbfounded by Zhou Zhiqian's words. Such an admission would certainly affect Zhou's popularity, yet he still said it. Su Chen bowed deeply to Zhou Zhiqian, whether for his status as a mentor or for his honesty—he deserved it.

Next, it was Han Hong's turn to comment. She seldom sang sorrowful songs, so wiping her tears, she adopted a professional tone to review 'Guest.'

"First, I want to say 'Guest' is a wonderful song. It stands at a point no other song has dared to explore, expressing the contradictions of adult love."

Han Hong seemed to be lost in memory as she spoke slowly, "Just like people in today's society, when in love, they don't seek forever—only cherish the moments they've had. But one day, when the person you once had slips a wedding ring onto someone else's finger, you can't let go of all the memories, can't bear to witness their love with another, unwilling to be just an ordinary guest at their wedding."

"Being together does not guarantee you won't part someday; and once parted, it doesn't mean the feelings were shallow, for perhaps they are far apart, but their hearts never truly drifted away."

"What was once thought to be a lifelong companion ultimately becomes two parallel lines, never intersecting again."

"These people may have regretted, suffered, panicked—but in the end, they return to calm. This song pours all those emotions into the melody, delicately telling the story to the listeners, bit by bit."

No one had ever seen Han Hong use so many words to review a song; everyone speculated whether 'Guest' had touched something in Han Hong's heart, bringing back memories of her own lost love.

She sighed and gave her final verdict. "My favorite line is the last: 'Since you've made your choice, all I can do is wish you happiness, hoping he loves you more than I do.' In short, 'Guest' is an excellent song, and as a singer, Su Chen's interpretation was even better."

"Thank you for bringing us this emotional resonance."

After Han Hong finished, Su Chen bowed in gratitude.

Yan Mi also gave her review, speaking from personal experience. "I think most people wouldn't attend their ex's wedding, but if they do, it means that relationship was truly special or important. It's a mutual letting go—your wedding is also a new beginning for me. Thank you, Su Chen, for giving us such a beautiful song."

With Yan Mi's comments done, only Zheng Huayu remained. Everyone was eager to see, as the most critical of Su Chen, how he would react to 'Guest.'

If Zheng Huayu gave a positive review, it would be a blow to his own pride. If he insisted on a negative review, with so many eyes watching—mentors and audience alike—he risked losing fans for his unfairness.