Volume One: Peak at Debut Chapter Sixty-One: Damn, He Pulled It Off

At the judges’ table, Wei Guoqiang smiled wryly. “If I’m speaking as a composer, I don’t think I’m qualified to judge this song. And as a singer… well, there’s not much I can say about it either. If I have to point out a flaw, it’s only this: why isn’t this song mine?” Wei Guoqiang, rarely making jokes, chuckled.

Huang Wenhao shook his head and laughed as well. “What’s left to say? Let’s just get to the point. If I had this song to sing, I might be contending for the King of Pop title this year. So…” He deliberately paused, keeping everyone in suspense, before continuing, “So, Chen Jing, let’s see when you have time to write a song for me. Nothing too fancy, something about on par with this ‘Nocturne’ will do.”

Laughter broke out across the audience at the banter between Huang Wenhao and Wei Guoqiang.

Speaking of asking Chen Jing for a song, Wei Guoqiang was also excited inside. Pretending to joke, he turned to Huang Wenhao. “Come on now, everyone knows you and Chen Jing are in the same company. It’s well known in the industry that Chen Jing hands in a few songs to the company every week. If you want one, just go and ask at the office. If anyone’s going to ask him for a song, it should be me. Right, Chen Jing? When will you write one for me?”

Huang Wenhao muttered under his breath, “Who could ever have too many of Chen Jing’s songs?”

Laughter filled the hall, the show’s effect reaching a crescendo.

Chen Jing saw through their playful requests—he knew it was their way of showing goodwill—so he smiled and nodded. “Absolutely. After the show wraps up, just let me know what kind of song you’d like, and I’ll write it for you myself.”

Huang Wenhao and Wei Guoqiang were overjoyed at Chen Jing’s promise. They both understood just how sought-after his songs were now—almost impossible to come by. As someone in the same company, Huang Wenhao knew better than anyone: he hadn’t gotten a single one of the songs Chen Jing had given to the company, proof enough of their popularity. With tonight’s broadcast of “Nocturne” on Voice of Huaxia, Chen Jing’s songs would only become even more coveted. At least now, with this promise, they each had a chance at one.

Sitting quietly beside them, Su Tingting was also surprised by Chen Jing’s offer. When he said “the three judges,” that included her as well—she, too, could ask for a song. This thought left Su Tingting deep in contemplation.

Although she didn’t quite know what to say to Chen Jing, it didn’t seem right to remain silent. After some hesitation, Su Tingting finally asked, “Did you write this song yourself?” She regretted it the moment the words left her lips, feeling the question was unnecessary, so she hurried to clarify, “I mean, how did you come up with it? What was your creative process? Maybe share it with everyone as a learning experience.” It was rare for her to speak to Chen Jing in this tone.

Though a little surprised, Chen Jing nodded decisively. “I wrote the song. The arrangement was done together with a senior colleague, whose identity I can’t disclose for certain reasons. As for my creative process…” He paused thoughtfully. “It’s usually just inspiration. I’ll think of a scene, and then the whole piece appears in my mind. All I have to do is reproduce it exactly as I imagine it.”

Chen Jing was telling the truth, but the audience thought he was just showing off.

“Wow, that’s quite a statement!”

“So basically, whenever he wants, Chen Jing can just whip out a new song. That’s insane!”

“Haha, that’s just like our musical genius—even his bravado is creative.”

“Nonsense! It’s only showing off if you don’t have the talent—if you do, it’s called brilliance.”

“Chen Jing: Sorry, all my works are plagiarized—from myself!”

On the internet, viewers began teasing him with scrolling comments.

Su Tingting fell silent at Chen Jing’s answer. Damn, he really pulled it off.

Sensing the awkwardness, Cai Lun quickly interjected, “Chen Jing, now that your performance is over, how about you estimate your own score? See if the final result matches your expectations.”

Chen Jing thought for a moment, hesitated, then answered firmly, “I think it deserves a perfect score. I believe everyone here has felt its charm, and I believe you’ll all come to love it.” Others might think this was arrogance, but Chen Jing truly believed in the song—it embodied his passion for and pursuit of music from another life.

He knew full well it was unlikely to get a perfect score, but to him, the song was flawless.

“Full marks! Ambitious! All right, let’s move on to the voting. Let’s see if the results are as Chen Jing believes.” Cai Lun assumed Chen Jing was just putting on a show for effect—after all, a perfect score is something rarely seen.

The judges and audience voted together, everyone’s eyes glued to the scoreboard as the numbers changed. The screen showed the audience’s scores; the judges’ scores would be announced separately in a moment.

The numbers on the screen shot up—400 in the blink of an eye, and that was just the start. The score kept climbing, slowing only slightly after passing 450, but it wasn’t over yet.

460, 470, 480, 490—nearly reaching the maximum of 500. Could it really hit 500?

The numbers ticked up, each increase tugging at the hearts of countless viewers.

Wang Youxuan squeezed Wang Menglan’s hand as the two watched the score anxiously. “Brother (Ah Jing), you have to get a perfect score.”

497…498…499…

Chen Jing, too, couldn’t help but tense up—just one point away. Could it happen?

The score paused at 499, then changed again.

500! It finally reached the maximum.

“Whoa!”

“Chen Jing!”

“Chen Jing!”

“Chen Jing!”

The crowd once again erupted, chanting his name.

At the judges’ table, all three exchanged wry smiles—Chen Jing had truly “won the people’s hearts.”

Su Tingting felt a wave of relief—thank goodness she’d forced herself to give a high score earlier. If her score were revealed now, she’d surely lose a wave of fans. Now that scores were in, there was no changing them.

Seeing his final score, Chen Jing finally relaxed. As long as he had the audience’s perfect score, he was satisfied. He didn’t care as much about the judges’ numbers.

“Tsk tsk tsk, Ah Jing actually got a perfect score,” Ling Ruohan said, full of emotion.

“Of course! Ah Jing is the best,” Lin Zitan replied cheerfully, simply happy for him.

Lin Xi, on the other hand, remained calm and said nothing.

On stage, Cai Lun exclaimed in surprise, “Oh my god! What am I seeing? The first contestant ever to receive a perfect audience score on Voice of Huaxia!”

“Actually, if you think about it, maybe this result isn’t so hard to accept after all, right?” Wen Wan said with a gentle smile.

“True. I can’t wait to see the judges’ scores. Wen Wan, do you think they’ll be perfect as well?” Cai Lun kept the suspense going.

“If you ask me…” Wen Wan paused, then smiled, “I think it’s entirely possible!”

“Now, let’s reveal the judges’ scores. Everyone, please look at the scoring devices.”

Everyone turned to the score displays in front of the judges, where their scores for the contestants would appear.

The production team drew out the suspense, revealing each score one by one.

Cai Lun looked at Wei Guoqiang’s panel and announced loudly, “First, Mr. Wei Guoqiang’s score: 100 points! Perfect score!”

“Whoa!!”

Wen Wan followed, “Next, Mr. Huang Wenhao’s score: 100 points! Perfect score!”

“Ahhhh!”

With every 100 displayed, the audience cheered. Only one judge remained. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see if a miracle would occur.

This time, there were no more theatrics. Cai Lun looked at the final score display, his voice trembling with excitement: “Lastly, Ms. Su Tingting’s score: 100 points. Perfect score.”

“Yes!!!”

The crowd went wild—they had witnessed a miracle. And the best part was, it was a miracle they had helped create. How could they not be thrilled?

Chen Jing looked at Su Tingting’s score in astonishment. He truly hadn’t expected her to award him a perfect score—perhaps it was because he’d promised to write each judge a song. Whatever the reason, a perfect score was all he could hope for.

Wen Wan applauded warmly. “Congratulations to contestant Chen Jing, who received a perfect score of 800 points in the final round. Added to his previous duet score, his total is 1,119 points.”

Cai Lun read from the cue cards, “In the Voice of Huaxia finals, the four contestants—Guo Feng, Yang Xingli, Xie Weiyu, and Chen Jing—finished with the following totals: 754, 714, 873, and 1,119 points.”

Wen Wan and Cai Lun spoke in unison, “The overall champion of Voice of Huaxia is—Chen Jing! Let’s congratulate Chen Jing!”

Applause thundered through the venue as Chen Jing’s name was read as the champion.

All the viewers watching the live broadcast cheered wildly.

“Boss Jing is awesome!”

“Told you Chen Jing was sure to win.”

“Truly deserving—no arguments here!”

“If Chen Jing can’t win, this show must be rigged!”

“Chen Jing wins, and I’m convinced! Watching him climb step by step, relying on his own strength.”

Everyone was singing Chen Jing’s praises. Even if someone wanted to criticize him at this moment, it would make no difference. For now, this was Chen Jing’s moment in the spotlight, and only honor awaited him.