Chapter 127: Looking Better And Better
“Answer it, I won’t say anything.”
Yu Wei shrank back a bit, very consciously propping his chin with one hand and covering his mouth with his fingers; it’s common sense to stay quiet when others are on the phone.
At a time like this, not answering would make it seem like there’s something guilty going on, better to pick up and brush it off with a couple of casual sentences.
Qi Luo An thought the same; given her mom’s personality, if she didn’t answer, the other side would definitely keep calling, and in the middle of the night, she didn’t want her family to worry.
Should’ve just put it on flight mode, then it wouldn’t get through and there’d be no issue…
“Mom, what’s up?”
Qi Luo An got into character quickly; the moment she answered the call, it was time to unleash her acting skills.
“Nothing much, just missing you.”
Chen Jinyi didn’t ask too much, and there was no peeping involved, since she definitely wouldn’t imagine her daughter being at someone else’s house watching television at this hour.
“I just saw you on a variety show program; what are you doing running off to Hengdian when you’re free? Is it that you’re…”
She wanted to ask if she went with Yu Wei, but was afraid that asking too directly would make it seem like too much suspicion, as if she didn’t trust her daughter.
One could only say that parents have their own sense of judgment too, weighing what to ask and what not to ask.
“You saw me, huh.”
Qi Luo An wasn’t surprised by this; although her face flashed by briefly, people familiar enough with her should notice it watching the program, let alone her parents.
Yu Wei sat quietly beside her, his attention on something else.
Did their whole family watch his program?
“What nonsense are you saying? Could I not recognize my own daughter?” Chen Jinyi laughed grumpily and continued probing: “Why did you suddenly decide to go play in Hengdian?”
“Yutong called me over; it’s been a while since we met.”
Best friends are for taking the fall; Chen Jinyi was stunned for a moment, but this explanation actually made sense.
Whether she believed it or not was one thing, but the reason had been given, and asking more would make her seem like a nagging mom.
“Where’s Old Qi? What’s he doing?”
Feeling like her mom was still half-doubting, Qi Luo An quickly shifted to casual chit-chat; if it was Old Qi, a couple sentences and she’d hang up.
“He’s sitting beside watching television, not saying a word.”
Hearing this, Qi Luo An subconsciously glanced at Yu Wei sitting quietly next to her; wasn’t this exactly their current state…
So young and already like an old married couple?
“You’re watching the program too, huh.”
Chen Jinyi carefully heard the faint television sound from her daughter’s phone; no surprise, it was definitely the fourth episode of Music Blind Box.
“Watching it right now.”
There was nothing to hide about this; watching a program didn’t mean much, and Shen Yutong was in this episode too, so it was perfectly reasonable to watch.
Far from just watching— the people from the program were sitting right beside her; thinking of this, Qi Luo An felt a strange thrill bubble up inside.
But they’d been chatting for a few minutes now; wasn’t it about time to wrap up, or else Yu Wei holding back from speaking would feel so awkward?
“Then let’s watch it together for a bit.”
“Huh?”
How come her mom liked watching programs connected like this too? Normally it was fine, but wasn’t it a bit subtle at a time like this?
Qi Luo An subconsciously glanced at Yu Wei; if he found it troublesome, she’d find an excuse to hang up, since this was his house after all.
Yu Wei subconsciously checked the program progress bar; the performance segment was left, about half an hour, not too long.
Normally when he was home alone he didn’t talk anyway; staying silent wasn’t hard, plus he could gossip a bit.
This Aunt Chen was Old Senior Chen’s own daughter; it’d be fake to say he wasn’t curious at all…
He nodded, signaling to Qi Luo An to do as she pleased.
“The first one on stage is Yutong, huh; then I gotta watch closely.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Qi Luo An responded indifferently; based on her understanding of her mom, she’d definitely say “Look at her” after watching.
Ever since she left the industry, Shen Yutong had become “someone else’s child.”
Her mom used to say “Look at your brother” too, but after Qi Yuan got his Dao Heart shattered by Yu Wei, she never said it again.
So when would Yu Wei teach Shen Yutong a lesson too? This was important for her vacation life.
On the program, Shen Yutong, dressed in Song dynasty Hanfu, began singing; though the civilian contestant dragged her down, her singing was crisp and melodious, the entire performance like a poetic scroll slowly unfolding.
Listening to her mom’s endless praise over the phone, Qi Luo An agreed; it was indeed sung well, just a bit ruthless toward the civilian contestant.
Shen Yutong could crush professional Meng Lei with a casual a cappella, creating a staggering gap; now with her going full power on stage, one could imagine how miserable the civilian guest singing beside her was…
A few scattered bullet comments cried out about public execution; singing chorus with a solo-type singer like this was too torturous, with basically no cooperation possible, just serving as an experience pack.
“The second one up is Yu Wei, huh.”
Chen Jinyi’s tone still carried a bit of probing; she still wanted to hear her daughter talk positively about Yu Wei.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Qi Luo An was busy making eyes at Yu Wei; this kid was sly, deliberately teasing her just because she was on the phone.
She was really amused and got caught in the act, then he behaved.
Faced with her daughter’s obvious brush-off, Chen Jinyi had no other method, so she continued watching.
On the television screen, Yu Wei and Fang Ze stood side by side, a beam of cold light shining down, with the massive electronic screen in the background rendering the outline of inky mountains and rivers.
The prelude began, not a familiar popular melody, but a majestic sound wave fusing guzheng and electronic drums.
Another new song…
At first, the audience in front of the screen might still have their usual scrutiny, after all, it wasn’t the first or second time Yu Wei sang a new song on the program.
But when he opened his mouth to rap “Look at these mountains, thousands of valleys and rocks connecting one river after another,” many people’s expressions showed subtle changes, their bodies leaning forward unconsciously.
It was rap? Yu Wei could do this too, or was he just messing around again?
“What, he’s a rapper too?”
Chen Jinyi was instantly thrown into disarray; the yellow-haired troublemaker was one thing, but a rapper too? Fully stacked with elements, it was a miracle she didn’t faint.
“Mom, don’t badmouth him awkwardly; he went to university.”
Not all rap singers are called rappers, let alone Yu Wei who was self-taught and never properly studied it.
This amused the Yu Wei next to her; clearly Qi Luo An was the one badmouthing awkwardly…
“That’s good then.”
Chen Jinyi breathed a sigh of relief; though she was a bit startled earlier, she finally got something out of it—An An was eager to explain, so she must care about Yu Wei.
“Let this river of stars rush through rivers and wilds
Forming one bay after another.”
Yu Wei’s rap was extremely fast yet every word clear, rhythm precise like drumbeats, carrying an unprecedented sense of strength surging forth.
The originally noisy ambient sound gradually faded, leaving only the singing from the screen and the audience’s intermittent gasps.
He could do it, and his strength was strong; was this really Yu Wei’s first rap?
The lyrics unfolded like a grand scroll, stirring everyone’s hearts with surging emotions; compared to his previous artistic style, this song by Yu Wei was written on a grand scale.
“Wielding brush and ink to paint my mountains and rivers
Sword edge a thousand ren to paint this majestic.”
Fang Ze’s high note was obviously subpar, but Yu Wei’s rescue was timely; not only could he hit it but also provide support—that was Yu Wei’s versatility.
In solo combat he feared no other singer; in team coordination he was even stronger than others.
Because there was no suitable “Ling Hua,” Yu Wei’s song wasn’t a simple replication of the original, but infused with robust male voice strength and deep patriotic sentiment.
Apart from the civilian singer’s obvious shortcomings, Yu Wei’s rap part was like crashing waves, the chant sections like meandering mountains and rivers—very satisfying to listen to.
Especially in the final chorus, the two singers’ voices overlapped, momentum soaring to the clouds; even with notable flaws, it remained passionately surging.
“Highest point Mount Everest
Standing at the peak of the Himalayas
Farthest east heavy snow
Heavy snow drifting by the Mohe River.”
Yu Wei pushed the atmosphere to the extreme with a dense and powerful rap segment; Fang Ze’s high note was still a high note…
This seemingly discordant yet oddly harmonious pairing left the audience in front of the screen collectively shocked on another level.
Not because their technique was flawless, but because this unreserved sincerity and investment created a unique infectiousness.
The performance entered its final climax, the melody increasingly intense; though the two didn’t perfectly master this high-difficulty song, they gave it a brand-new quality.
Finally, the music cut off abruptly in a powerful ending note, the lights freezing on Yu Wei and Fang Ze, their expressions both showing a relieved “finally over.”
For Fang Ze, though he only had a few lines, the song was still too difficult for him…
Yu Wei did his best to carry, but still couldn’t bring him along.
Inside and outside the screen, there were one or two seconds of dead silence, then the massive shock turned into a surging internet wave.
Yu Wei lived up to being CCTV’s endorsed positive energy singer; though this song wasn’t inspirational, its abundant patriotic sentiment undoubtedly reached another dimension.
Qi Luo An secretly glanced at Yu Wei while holding the phone; she thought the song from the previous program was positive enough, but this was even more so.
This song, no need to think, the higher-ups would definitely like it.
“This song is really good.”
To be honest, Chen Jinyi had watched “Map of Mountains and Rivers” with a bit of a nitpicking mindset, but the more she listened, the more she liked it.
The lyrics of this song weren’t as elegant as Yu Wei’s previous works, but for someone her age, something a bit more down-to-earth was even more touching.
She quite liked this song; if there were more in this style, it would be great—this kid was indeed much stronger than Yuan Yuan.
What’s going on with liking Yu Wei more and more the more I watch him?
Yu Wei’s expression became a bit strange upon hearing this. If Aunt likes this kind of thing, then those square dance hit songs could all be served up one by one…
“It’s indeed pretty good.”
Qi Luo An still had more to praise, like the creation, singing, and providing support for civilians, but considering her mom’s mood, she decided not to say it.
If she said it, the Venerable Elder wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
With the words on the tip of her tongue but unable to praise, she could only go back later and search for some complimentary comments on the forums to read.
Qi Luo An had originally planned to leave after listening to Yu Wei’s song, but now with the call continuing, she really couldn’t leave, so she could only keep staying.
“Mom, the rest is boring.”
“We’ve watched this much, might as well finish it.”
Chen Jinyi was in a great mood after listening to Yu Wei’s “Map of Mountains and Rivers,” and even now the melody was still echoing in her ears.
Qi Luo An could no longer tell if her mom calling was to protect her or harm her. If this dragged on, something really would happen…
Chen Jinyi certainly didn’t know either that her protective behavior was instead accelerating this process.
“Alright, let An An rest early.”
In the end, it was Qi Yunming on the other end of the call who stopped this call. Qi Luo An gave Old Qi ten thumbs up upon hearing it—greatness, no need for words.
When hanging up, Qi Luo An’s palms were all sweaty, nearly thinking she was done for right there…
Time, place, and people were all fine, but this cause, process, and result were still too hasty.
“I’ll walk you.”
Yu Wei glanced at the time; just past ten, it was getting late, and a girl walking at night should be escorted.
The end of the program really wasn’t worth watching anymore. Su Xinnan’s singing had no novelty, and Su Jian’s sales hit song he never wanted to hear a second time in his life…
“You’re quite the gentleman.”
Qi Luo An looked at the night scene outside the window. The two neighborhoods weren’t actually far apart, but she did want to walk with Yu Wei.
“Mainly, I want to see where you live.”
It couldn’t be that only he gets checked out, right?
