SGSHE83

Qu Liuguang was all too familiar with that round face.

After all, his adoptive mother had the exact same face. This person’s eyes bore a striking resemblance to hers and beyond mere physical features, there was an uncanny, intangible similarity. It was as if they had been cast from the very same mold.

As a child, Qu Liuguang had assumed he took after his father, especially since neither of his two older brothers resembled their mother.

It wasn’t until his biological mother sought him out that he learned he actually took after her, a beautiful woman who, however, lacked any real capability.

The most significant thing she had ever done in her life was to swap him with the Qu family’s youngest son, allowing Qu Liuguang to grow up in a wealthy, powerful household rather than suffering alongside her.

When Qu Liuguang first found out, he was terrified. He felt as though he had usurped someone else’s life.

Yet, he didn’t want to leave the Qu family, nor did he want to end up in the wretched, humiliating, and destitute state that woman lived in.

Fortunately, she had no intention of taking him away or revealing his true parentage, she simply wanted to see him.

Gradually, Qu Liuguang’s anxiety subsided. He stopped worrying about the matter he disliked recalling and eventually forgot the guilt he had initially felt.

But encountering that face again today sent his mind into turmoil, stirring up an ominous premonition.

On stage, Xu Kaiwen and Chu Chu had taken turns performing. Chu Chu, in particular, had the boys in the audience cheering wildly.

Her dance routine concluded with a striking pose, a backward glance. With her fiery red lips, exquisite eye makeup, and captivating, large eyes, she brought the atmosphere to a fever pitch.

Luan Xing’an’s eyes lit up, too. Brother Jing’s performance is next!

***

After Chu Chu left the stage, the lights suddenly dimmed.

A series of popping sounds rang out.

The atmosphere shifted instantly from intense heat to total darkness, causing the trainees to let out long breaths and fall into sudden silence.

Half a minute later. A ring of deep blue ripples lit up the stage, followed by the sound of dripping water.

A spotlight suddenly shone down.

Jing Heguang appeared in the center of the stage, dressed in wide-legged trousers and an ethereal hanfu top featuring a diagonal blue-and-white gradient.

He began to sing softly. His voice seemed to descend from the heavens, while ethereal blue lotus flowers bloomed right at his feet.

Several trainees in the front row sat with their mouths agape, staring in a daze.

Luan Xing’an gazed at the stage, feeling as though every cell in his body related to hearing was savoring the ultimate auditory delight!

It sounded absolutely incredible!

As the instrumental accompaniment kicked in, the trainees snapped out of their trance, fixing their eyes on Jing Heguang with a mix of reverence and longing. While Zhang Qi and Chu Chu were women and Xu Kaiwen was over thirty, Jing Heguang was the only one whose age was close to theirs.

Yet, among the four, Jing Heguang held the highest status!

His standing wasn’t built on mere online traffic or popularity like Chu Chu’s. It was backed by solid, acclaimed work, a rarity that spoke for itself.

What was truly staggering was that, witnessing the performance live, these young novices finally grasped the vast chasm separating them from a superstar.

While Jing Heguang sang, they all fell into a collective silence, not a single person made a sound.

When Jing Heguang finished the final line, thunderous applause erupted, shaking the entire studio.

“That sounded amazing!”

“A true professional. He really lives up to the title!”

“So steady, his breath control was flawless…a top-tier experience…”

Having held back their emotions for so long, their voices rang out loudly as they heaped praise upon him.

In the mentors’ seats…Zhang Qi’s eyes widened: “That was incredible! I enjoyed the entire song from start to finish, it’s the best performance I’ve seen all year!”

Xu Kaiwen straightened up and applauded quietly.

Regardless of his character, he had to respect Jing Heguang’s vocal prowess.

Chu Chu rested her chin on her hand, sweeping her gaze over the faces of the frenzied trainees, and remarked with a touch of genuine envy: “They were just saying they couldn’t shout anymore, yet look at them screaming their heads off now!”

Jing Heguang removed the microphone from its stand: “Hello everyone, I’m Jing Heguang. Welcome to the Voice of Heaven.”

“The Voice of Heaven is already right up there on stage!”

A young man with dyed-blonde hair shouted out.

“Yeah! The Voice of Heaven is already up there!”

“It sounded amazing! Sing another one!”

“The mentor is so good, I’m picking the mentor!”

Jing Heguang singled out the last speaker: “So, tell me, which mentor are you picking?”

“…”

A killer question, with it, Jing Heguang wrested control of the out-of-hand crowd back into his own hands.

“There are many kinds of beautiful voices, and everyone has different tastes. But any voice that sounds good and is truly moving will be loved by many.”

“As for the Voice of Heaven, who will be this year’s chosen one? I hope that in the coming stages, you can use your voices to move us, as well as every single viewer watching the show online!”

“Your preliminary audition performances…officially begin now.”

The trainees’ preliminary performances would begin in sequence.

Jing Heguang sat down and glanced over at the group of trainees.

Luan Xing’an looked back, and their eyes met.

Seeing the look of longing and admiration in Luan Xing’an’s eyes, Jing Heguang flashed a brilliant smile.

More than the thunderous applause, *this* was the moment Jing Heguang enjoyed the most! He successfully used himself as an example to spark the child’s interest, he really is a qualified…mature-type future boyfriend?

Jing Heguang did the math and realized that, whether in terms of mental age (twenty-five) or physical age (twenty-three), there wasn’t much of a gap between him and Luan Xing’an. So why did he feel so much more mature?

He took a look and attributed it to the fact that Luan Xing’an simply looked too youthful.

Luan Xing’an hadn’t gone out much over the past year or two, keeping his round face fair and unblemished, combined with his soft facial features and large, expressive eyes, he looked, in short, like a sweet, innocent younger brother.

Jing Heguang glanced from the trainees’ stage to that ‘sweet younger brother’, feeling that today’s work wasn’t that tedious, monotonous grind of previous days where the only joy came from the fleeting moment of getting paid.

After filming five sets of performances featuring seven trainees in a row, it was finally Luan Xing’an’s turn.

Luan Xing’an sat holding his guitar, looking a bit reserved.

However, because of his youthful appearance, the trainees below offered kind words of encouragement:

“You got this, kiddo!”

“Go for it! Just relax!”

“You can do it. Go, go, go!”

Once seated on stage, Luan Xing’an gave a shy smile into the microphone: “I’m not a kiddo, I’m twenty-one.” As far as he knew, many of the trainees were even younger than him.

As soon as he said that, several trainees wore expressions of utter disbelief, as if questioning reality itself.

He was twenty-one and looked so fresh-faced, whereas they…well, let’s not even talk about what they looked like before turning twenty-one.

“Luan Xing’an. I’ll be performing an original song of mine called Youth and You.”

Zhang Qi tilted her head slightly, nodding along as she listened to the upbeat, refreshing intro.

Among the four mentors, she was actually the one with the deepest expertise in music.

Yet, just hearing that intro made her straighten her back, the soreness that had built up after sitting for half an hour seemed to vanish instantly.

Luan Xing’an cast aside all distractions and immersed himself in his own world. Once his voice rang out, it was the only sound that filled his ears.

The moment that voice, possessing the pure vibrant quality of youth, resounded, everyone felt a sudden surge of renewed energy.

The trainees in the audience: …

Someone whispered, “I was such a fool. He’s the one who’s the ‘little brother’ figure.”

“I’m young, too.”

“Guys our age aren’t even fit to play the ‘little brother’ role. Get a grip.”

“I wish…”

A low voice cut off abruptly, though the expression on the speaker’s face likely conveyed exactly what he meant.

Qu Liuguang watched Luan Xing’an shining brightly on stage. He silently repeated the other man’s name to himself, a growing heaviness settling in his heart.

Given such an outstanding performance, the editors certainly wouldn’t pass up a chance to feature such a brilliant original song.

And once the show aired, the Qu family, busy as they were, would undoubtedly tune in to watch him.

For some reason, Qu Liuguang was convinced that the Luan Xing’an on stage had a connection to the Qu family.

Qu Liuguang lowered his head, masking the emotions swirling in his eyes.

There was a time lag between the recording and the actual broadcast. He had to use this window to investigate the other man thoroughly.

If his suspicions were confirmed, he would find a way to have the show kick Luan Xing’an out and cut all his footage.

And once Luan Xing’an was gone, he would ensure the man never had another chance to appear in the public eye.

Qu Liuguang shifted his gaze to one of the mentors, Jing Heguang.

Jing Heguang was undoubtedly the show’s head mentor, wielding significant power and control over the production.

Crucially, Qu Liuguang had met Jing Heguang at the birthday banquet of the heiress to Huaxing Entertainment. Although he found the man’s appearance appealing, he knew that beneath the glamorous exterior, the man was just like the rest of them.

The gaze directed at him was too intense. After watching Luan Xing’an step off stage, Jing Heguang’s eyes swept over and landed on Qu Liuguang, whose look held a distinct trace of malice. Although Jing Heguang was determined to ‘suffer the pains of love’, he hadn’t forgotten about Qu Liuguang.

He brought Luan Xing’an onto the show not only to help him gain fame but also to ensure the Qu family saw him.

Once Luan Xing’an had appeared on the show enough, Jing Heguang planned to send an anonymous letter to the Qu family, exposing the truth about the real and fake young masters of the wealthy family.

As for Qu Liuguang himself, provided he didn’t drag the Qu family into the mix, he was essentially a lackey whom Jing Heguang could boss around at will during filming. Besides, judging by the Qu family’s character, they weren’t the type to bully others.

Moreover, Jing Heguang knew that the show was secretly backed by the eldest of the Qu siblings.

The Qu family had implemented a fully transparent system specifically for Qu Liuguang’s sake, though Qu Liuguang himself was unaware of it.

If Qu Liuguang couldn’t resist stirring up trouble later, the presence of Luan Xing’an, who bore a resemblance to Qu Liuguang’s mother, would work in Jing Heguang’s favor. Any antics Qu Liuguang pulled would effectively expose his own flaws and ruin his reputation, making things even easier for Jing Heguang.

Jing Heguang glanced at Qu Liuguang, then turned his gaze toward his own well-behaved younger brother.

Luan Xing’an was looking at the stage.

His sweet brother must be reluctant to leave, he fell in love with the feeling of performing!

Jing Heguang thought to himself: I must protect Luan Xing’an and let him truly enjoy the stage.

Maybe…I should just move into the trainees’ dormitory! The thought crossed Jing Heguang’s mind.

Meanwhile, his sweet brother was gazing at the stage, where equipment was still being set up, but his mind had wandered far away.

After Jing Heguang finished his performance, Luan Xing’an had locked eyes with him for a few seconds.

Lately, Jing Heguang had praised him after every performance. Since this was his first official show, Luan Xing’an was eager for Jing Heguang’s approval.

He had assumed that after he finished his own performance and stepped off stage, he would receive the same encouraging eye contact.

But who would have guessed that brother Jing was actually looking at a handsome young man standing not far away?! When Jing Heguang looked over again, Luan Xing’an turned his gaze away, his cheeks slightly puffed out.

Qu Liuguang followed Jing Heguang’s line of sight and caught a glimpse of Luan Xing’an’s face.

Qu Liuguang was pleasantly surprised, thinking to himself: So these two have a connection? That makes things even more convenient!