Chapter 112 

Tu Zhu was frozen in place.

He didn’t dare to expect anything, but hope was right in front of him.

Next, he looked at the judges sitting on either side of Shengquan.

It turned out to be the well-known Zi Tian and He Ri Zhao in the industry. For a preliminary audition, they already had such influential judges.

Opportunity… This was an unimaginable opportunity…

Tu Zhu’s thoughts were chaotic, only hearing the reminder from the staff:

“Tu Zhu, you can start now.”

When the music played, those seemingly overflowing voices from all directions seemed to fade away in an instant. In this moment, the scattered thoughts vanished. Tu Zhu took a deep breath and bowed towards the front.

Before this, his gaze seemed to always be lowered. At this moment, he raised his eyes, and those beautiful, slightly upturned, and slightly drooping peach blossom eyes looked over.

With the starting notes of the song, he slowly raised his hand. In an instant, he captured the attention of everyone in the room.

Shengquan’s eyes brightened, looking at Tu Zhu, who appeared completely different from the quiet and silent young man before. Her heart jumped with anticipation.

With just one raised hand, he displayed a completely different image.

Of course, some people had different thoughts, such as two of the judges who, after a brief amazement, slightly furrowed their brows in regret.

Tu Zhu was too surprising, but his song choice was not in harmony.

The song was called “Stop the War,” a well-known composition by Mao Hai. With various versions of the lyrics, the song carried a majestic and poignant meaning. However, the problem was that “Stop the War” spoke of patriotism and the sadness of war, and Tu Zhu was too good-looking and too young.

This exceptionally handsome appearance could bring camera and audience favor, but placed under this extremely heavy piece, it easily felt abrupt and mismatched.

The judging teachers, of course, wouldn’t express their opinions while someone was still performing, but sitting beside Shengquan, they unconsciously shook their heads.

Too bad; perhaps it had been too long since he last stepped on stage?

However, Shengquan didn’t think so. Tu Zhu might have had moments of self-doubt or attempted to give up, but on the stage, she believed he wouldn’t make the wrong choices.

Indeed, with the rhythm, the movements of his seemingly frail body were powerful and full of killing intent. The rosy peach blossom eyes, which were usually labeled as enchanting, momentarily settled into a melancholy sharpness as if on a battlefield.

“The general stains his armor with blood, yet the child looks back for a glimpse.”

Tu Zhu was no longer a quiet and reserved artist.

Sharpness revealed—intense hatred—sadness and disappointment—suppressed darkness—gazing back into emptiness—

Every movement seemed like a sword strike, yet it carried the softness of dance. Standing up, turning around, seemingly not very sophisticated movements, but the rhythm was just right, or even considered excellent.

Shengquan didn’t use to watch dance performances much. She preferred to appreciate singing over dancing. However, at this moment, she changed her mind.

In Tu Zhu’s performance, she seemed to witness intense charges, shattered city walls, and civilians crying and searching for their loved ones under collapsed houses.

So, excellent performances could immerse people in emotion.

With each melody and each dance, it was the life of each warrior.

—Clang! Clang!

As the final clang sound landed, Tu Zhu finished the dance, half-kneeling on the ground, breathing slightly irregularly, beads of sweat slowly falling from his hair.

When he looked up, Shengquan even felt like she wasn’t making eye contact with Tu Zhu but with a young general, sharp and full of edge, who had experienced battles.

A visual feast!

Absolutely a visual feast!

Watching a video and watching it live were indeed very different. At least she was now stunned to a much greater extent than in the video. Although it might not be appropriate to compare it to the “Dance of the Beautiful Lady,” Shengquan truly felt a sense of joy that could be compared to it.

So, the fans who chased idols were so happy.

“Overall, it’s pretty good.”

“But the turning movement just now could be faster. It’s evident that more practice is needed, and the transition is a bit stiff.”

“Emotional expression is good, but the movements need more practice. Clearly, the proficiency is still not enough.”

The low-key evaluations from the judging teachers came through, exchanging their opinions quietly while writing down scores on their evaluation sheets.

Shengquan: “???”

Shengdong suddenly woke up and took a deep sip of her milk tea to calm herself down.

This explosive and amazing performance, and these judging teachers just said “pretty good”?

Shengquan had known that the entertainment industry in Hua Xia was somewhat decadent, and artists still rose to the top, just as the idol industry did. But she didn’t expect it to be this extreme.

Not exaggerating, if this performance were in the world she was in during her previous life, even if the idol industry was in decline, Tu Zhu would definitely skyrocket to fame overnight, surpassing contestants from various countries on stage.

And in this world, he only received a mild acknowledgment from the judging teachers, and more importantly, they pointed out some areas where Tu Zhu’s movements were lacking.

Tu Zhu himself seemed to agree, displaying a face of being open to learning.

Shengquan took another deep sip of her milk tea, feeling deeply envious and jealous of the fans in this world who chased idols. How fortunate they were.

Wait, no, she could also chase idols now.

Shengdong quickly adjusted her mindset and became content again.

Tu Zhu’s mood was indeed uneasy.

Since signing with Shenhua, he had been pushed to run schedules continuously, not to mention practicing dance; even sleep was scarce.

Later, after terminating the contract with Shenhua, he was exhausted from the matter and could barely find time to practice dance by squeezing out half of his sleep time.

He indeed didn’t do well. The youthful face showed all the edges under the critique of the judging teachers, and his expression grew more and more anxious.

He was worried about being eliminated.

Seeing his thoughts, Shengquan says, “…”

Even after dancing so well, he’s worried about being eliminated. How obsessed are the idols in this world?

Shengdong felt that she could reconsider the phrase “Hua Xia idols are in decline.”

Shengdong expressed an understanding of Tu Zhu’s somewhat self-deprecating nature from the original text and his past news, which was a bit off-topic in her thoughts. If she danced like this, she could soar into the sky.

Despite discussing it, none of the teachers suggested, “Should he be eliminated?” Instead, they were focused on writing down where Tu Zhu could improve. This alone indicates everything.

In Shengquan’s heart, there were various thoughts buzzing, but Tu Zhu was naturally unaware of them. From his perspective, he only saw Shengquan expressing unabashed love for his performance.

Tu Zhu was a bit dumbfounded, and then the eyes that had just regained a touch of melancholy gradually lit up again.

【Ding! Tu Zhu’s Favorability Rating has exceeded 80!】

Even 006 was surprised: 【So fast? This is only the first positive meeting between the host and the sponsored person.】

Shengquan, on the other hand, seemed rather unsurprised. She had noticed from the moment Tu Zhu entered: 【He definitely paid attention to me before.】

【These favorability points have been accumulating since before.】

From the moment he entered the room, Tu Zhu’s gaze had been fixed on Shengquan until the performance began.

Add to that the fact that he didn’t terminate his contract with the company early or late, but precisely when the Starlight holographic stage appeared, Tu Zhu almost forcefully terminated the contract after two years of suppression. After terminating the contract, the first thing he did was to participate in the auditions.

He was basically blocking his entire future career on this holographic stage.

【The domestic stage environment is complex. If any mistakes occur, for example, if he has a bad reputation, the production team may decide not to let him participate, or if he does participate, someone with connections may replace him. Any slight mistake, and Tu Zhu, who has lost everything for the sake of termination, will be irreparable.】

Shengquan had anticipated that Tu Zhu would participate, but she never expected, not even as someone who usually seized opportunities, that Tu Zhu would give up everything for the sake of termination.

He didn’t leave himself any room for retreat.

Tu Zhu was indeed young, but Shengquan didn’t think he was so young that he would act recklessly. Unless he was certain… that the holographic stage would not have any issues.

It would be as fair and just as it was promoted, from start to finish.

Before, Shengquan was puzzled about why Tu Zhu was so sure.

But after hearing 006’s reminder, everything became clear to her.

Looking at the young man with peach blossom eyes, whose eyes were almost glowing with cautious brightness as he looked at her, Shengquan suddenly remembered that when she first arrived, she had set “change” as her goal—whether it was artists, directors, or the overall entertainment environment in Hua Xia, or even the ending where everyone failed.

And at this moment, she realized for the first time that she had achieved it.

The Tu Zhu from the original work, who fought alone until death, chose to believe in her promise before even meeting her, and believed in the fairness and justice she created.

This world has changed.

Moreover, it would become even better under her influence in the future.

At this moment, Shengquan couldn’t quite articulate her feelings. She only knew that she was very happy.

Tu Zhu, holding the card that represented approval, couldn’t suppress his joy and excitement. He almost floated out of the room.

Lawyer Ma immediately came up and asked, “How was it? How was it?”

A rarely-seen touch of youthfulness appeared on Tu Zhu’s perfect face. “I… I passed.”

“That’s fantastic!”

Lawyer Ma was almost ecstatic. He had witnessed Tu Zhu being almost stripped to the bone for the sake of termination. If he couldn’t seize this opportunity, Tu Zhu would have no choice but to become a cleaning boy at a law firm.

“Let’s go! I’ll treat you to a meal! Let’s celebrate today!”

Listening to his friend’s words, Tu Zhu’s mind, which was usually perfect, revealed a bit of the youthful shyness appropriate for his age. “I got it.”

“Great!”

Lawyer Ma was almost about to howl in excitement. He had seen Tu Zhu almost lose everything for the sake of termination, and if they couldn’t seize this opportunity, Tu Zhu would have to follow him to become a cleaning boy in a law firm.

“Go! I’ll treat you to a meal! Let’s celebrate today!”

Listening to his friend’s words, Tu Zhu’s usually flawless face showed a touch of youthful shyness. “I got it.”

“Great!”

Lawyer Ma was almost about to howl in excitement. He had seen Tu Zhu almost lose everything for the sake of termination, and if they couldn’t seize this opportunity, Tu Zhu would have to follow him to become a cleaning boy in a law firm.

Amidst Shengquan’s thoughts of celebration, enjoying the stunning performances of adored idols and fans, she now fully understood.

Hahaha! This was the joy of fans, right? The enjoyment of facing the explosive stage of idols you love!

Now, it was Shengquan’s turn to discover a new world.