Chapter 37: 037: Judges’ Chorus
“Dai yi tuo ka yi ni”
“Mo ku wa mo ni duo li dai”
“Na gai si dai la lai ta”
“A gu ka mu nuo you o da”
“……”
The first few lines were sung in Japanese by Hei Nan.
Moreover, his voice was low and hoarse, with a grainy texture. With a ‘chest voice + low larynx’ singing technique, he actually managed to capture a bit of the essence of Uesugi Sho.
Zhang Liangying looked at him in surprise, not expecting that a behind-the-scenes producer would have such talent.
Hei Nan remained immersed in his own music.
These few lines had truly satisfied his desire to sing.
Hei Nan wished he could immediately participate in Mango TV’s 《Super Male Voice》 competition, which would be held next year or the year after – Sing If You Want To, to sing to his heart’s content.
At this moment, even a song that was only three-quarters complete had already caused some fans of 《Slam Dunk》 in the audience to panic.
In front of their televisions, countless young people were extremely excited.
Ten years.
Had the Shohoku basketball team, including Mitsui Hisashi, gone to the National Competition?
The young boys who originally had no intention of voting were now frantically searching for their phones to cast a precious vote for Zhang Liangying.
What?
No phones!?
Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, older brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, uncles and cousins… they had them!
Many passionate youths were calling their relatives and friends one by one, urging them to quickly vote for Zhang Liangying.
As for the girls, although they didn’t understand what 《Slam Dunk》 was, they were still affected by the faint sense of regret conveyed by the song.
Even if you haven’t watched the anime, you’d likely enjoy listening to this song.
“That muddy hillside”
“Can end this loneliness”
“Then let’s go far away”
“Soar towards the distant sky”
“……”
Zhang Liangying was singing the Chinese version.
She also used her chest for resonance, but sang with a mid-larynx position. Her tone gradually rose, creating a different kind of flavor.
Next, the chorus was about to begin.
Zhang Liangying and Hei Nan would sing a duet.
On stage, in the audience, and in front of the television, everyone became excited.
“Head held high until the world’s end”
“A heart full of longing needs no reason”
“Shining years of youth”
“Holding warm hands tightly”
“……”
The tall young man standing next to Shen Qing, clearly a university student who loved sports, had an expression of enjoyment, emotion, and surprise, with goosebumps rising on his arms.
He, too, was thoroughly enjoying himself.
……
Throughout the entire performance.
Fans in the venue were waving their support items, and staff members like Wang Han and You Weiwei were also moving to the music.
The atmosphere was great.
As the song neared its end, Zhang Liangying and Hei Nan exchanged glances, reaching a tacit understanding, and together they began singing the Japanese version.
The atmosphere at the venue and in front of the television reached a new climax.
“Mōdora nai tō”
“Kaidai ka ga”
“Na sekai ya ya i ta wa”
“Yatsura re ki ta”
“Kokoro made mo kowasu”
“Hana na ki o mo i”
“Kono zeiji nai”
After the song concluded, they bowed to the audience.
Hei Nan: “Thank you, thank you everyone for supporting Zhang Liangying. Please vote quickly!”
Zhang Liangying: “Thank you everyone, thank you Teacher Hei Nan.”
……
The next pair to perform was Ji Minjia and Ke Yimin.
Ke Yimin immediately launched into a series of overly dramatic moves.
To be honest.
Shen Qing didn’t really want to listen to Ke Yimin sing anymore.
It wasn’t that her singing skills were poor; her singing skills were actually very good, but her current demeanor felt somewhat affected.
At this moment.
Her singing, her movements, and her expressions all exuded the confidence of a successful middle-aged woman, along with the somewhat over-the-top style of older generation singers.
She could be compared to the greasy Yang Kun and the showy David Tao.
It was like the layer of yellow oil floating on top of a pot of rich old hen soup.
Seeing the lyrics, you knew she was singing 《The Moon Represents My Heart》; if you didn’t see the lyrics, you’d think she was singing 《My Fate is Oily, Not the Sky》.
For example, if we mention a deceased acquaintance, everyone will have a more direct feeling about Ke Yimin’s performance – Tian Yiming, who sang 《You Who Love 105°》 at Baolong Plaza.
As soon as she opened her mouth, Ji Minjia was clearly stunned for a moment.
She was probably thinking, “What are you doing, oh my! （Chicken）”
Zhang Liangying and Ye Yiqian gasped, “Can’t you older generation singers just sing properly? Do you have to show off…”
It was as if they couldn’t display their skill unless they sang a song with ‘a hundred twists and turns, winding and looping.’
It was actually quite unpleasant to listen to.
Shen Qing couldn’t stand Ke Yimin’s overly dramatic performance halfway through and quietly left the studio to get some fresh air.
After all, the next step was to reveal the text message rankings, and there were unlikely to be any surprises.
……
The third group appeared.
Ye Yiqian and Huang Zheng performed 《You Are My Most Precious》, a song originally sung by Jacky Cheung and Kao Hui-chun, with a lyric that everyone was very familiar with.
Jacky Cheung: “I will give you red roses.”
Huang Zheng’s singing skills were beyond question. He was essentially carrying Ye Yiqian throughout the performance, and their coordination was quite good.
……
Wang Han: “Thank you!”
You Weiwei: “Thank you, thank you to the three judges. Now all three judges have finished their performances.”
Wang Han: “However… the first place among the three contestants will directly enter the Top Ten of the National Competition. You can now use the commercial break to quickly vote for your favorite contestant…”
You Weiwei: “Yes, the first place in each division will automatically advance to the Top Ten, and will be exempt from participating in two elimination rounds. Please send your text messages quickly.”
The fans had already finished voting.
At this moment.
They were all finding ways to mobilize their relatives and friends to vote for their favorite contestants, their anxious feelings no less than those of the contestants.
As for the three contestants, although they held hands and encouraged each other, they must have all wanted to defeat the other two internally.
Zhang Liangying tiptoed, searching for Shen Qing in the audience, but couldn’t see where he was. She wondered, “Where did he go…”
The commercial break ended, and Shen Qing still hadn’t returned.
Zhang Liangying was getting a little anxious.
After this period, she had become accustomed to Shen Qing’s presence by her side during competitions. His sudden disappearance now made her feel very uncomfortable.
She eagerly awaited the man’s return.
But Shen Qing still hadn’t returned by the time Wang Han started speaking.
Wang Han: “Next, we have placed the vote counts for the three contestants in front of them. All they need to do is reveal the covers to see…”
You Weiwei: “Let’s start with Ye Yiqian. Let’s reveal the tens digit and the units digit… it’s 35…”
Wang Han: “Let’s look at Ji Minjia’s tens and units digits. Wow, it’s 85. Now let’s look at the most popular Zhang Liangying… 77…”
Soon, the vote counts for two contestants were revealed: Ye Yiqian had 36,735 votes, and Ji Minjia had 37,885 votes.
Wang Han approached Zhang Liangying and exclaimed, “Liangying, you seem very nervous right now. Your eyes keep looking at the audience.”
The live broadcast zoomed in on Zhang Liangying.
Indeed, she appeared distracted.
You Weiwei asked with a smile, “Are you too excited about revealing the last digit?”
Wang Han: “Haha, that must be it. If I were in your shoes, I’d be even more excited.”
Zhang Liangying was still looking at the audience and said, “Actually, I’m happy no matter what the number is. I’m already very grateful to my friends who have supported me to reach this point.”
“Liangying, go for it, we’ll always support you!”
“Liangying, don’t be nervous.”
“Ahhh, go, you’re the champion.”
“……”
The Liangfen fans shouted excitedly.
Wang Han, who loved to joke around while hosting, asked with a laugh, “Oh, I know. You must be looking for someone?”
“Yes, someone very important to me, but he… doesn’t seem to be here.” Zhang Liangying’s voice grew softer, her eyes reddened, and she said pitifully, “I can’t find him…”
