Chapter 138 What Is the True Story After All

Zhang Yuxun chose the classic "A Little Happiness," which was arguably the most fitting song for her. It was brimming with tenderness, resembling a young girl whispering softly, pouring out deep and intricate emotions.

Guan Shengjie chose "Li Bai," which was infused with his unique, unrestrained style.

Wang Yalin chose to challenge the high-difficulty track "Love Is a Bullet of Happiness," and her voice struck like a bullet, piercing straight into everyone's heart.

Watching everyone sing his songs one after another, silently showing their support for him in a different way, Lin Qihua felt his eye sockets burn and tears slip down. He had not cried when Tang Zhijie accused him; he had not cried when the entire media was criticizing him; he had not cried when his career as an artist was very likely coming to an end. Instead, he had held his ground with resilience. Yet at this very moment, he broke down in bitter tears.

Thank you all for your support, thank you for your care. Knowing you is the luckiest thing in my life.

"It was Brother Lu's suggestion," Su Jianhao said, sighing deeply as he saw Lin Qihua struggling to control his emotions, empathizing completely with what he was feeling. "When you made that bet with the teachers, he contacted several contestants and suggested that each of you choose one of your songs to cover, using this method to cheer you on from another angle. After submitting the idea to the production team, it received enthusiastic support. Since people couldn't give you explicit support regarding your situation, they could only use this method. I'm so glad you could participate in this competition and bring everyone so many wonderful songs and brilliant moments. Thank you."

"Thank you!" Lin Qihua said, his voice choked with emotion. Bearing all the pressure alone and fighting almost the entire entertainment industry—to say he felt nothing would be a lie. But Lin Qihua had always firmly believed that he could persevere to the end, and this support from the production team and his friends made him feel even more warmth and comfort. With their backing, his resolve grew even stronger.

As for the results of that night's competition, Wang Yalin claimed first place, while Xu Yichen unfortunately finished at the bottom and left. Yet no one felt any real regrets; a competition was merely a competition. To have come and experienced it was already satisfying, and moreover, they had reaped something far more important.

The reports the following night did not dwell on the rankings. The performances of Wang Yalin and the others were spectacular, but the sheer topicality of their unanimous choice to sing Lin Qihua's songs completely overshadowed it, not to mention the sensational impact of Lin Qihua returning to the stage to perform two consecutive classic tracks. Furthermore, there was the decisive outcome once the dust settled.

"During that night's competition, *The Vocalist* ushered in a very bizarre scene: all the contestants coincidentally chose the songs of the exact same artist. And that artist happened to be none other than tonight's returning guest, Lin Qihua. I believe they must have coordinated this in advance—perhaps as a way to express their personal support for Lin Qihua, and their admiration for such a talented singer. This choice transformed that night's competition into a dedicated showcase for Lin Qihua, allowing everyone to appreciate the brilliance of every single song he wrote. That alone is enough to etch this episode into the history books of *The Vocalist*. The final results no longer mattered; what mattered was the deeply human sentiment embodied within it. I am truly glad to have witnessed this scene."

"The return performance, which was originally optional, became the most anticipated and closely watched act of the night. Lin Qihua can be said to have made history, and he certainly did not let anyone down, performing two songs in a row. The first song, 'I', exhausted his attitude of self-persistence and refusal to compromise with worldly conventions. Combined with the storms he has faced all this time, it was heartfelt and deeply emotional. The second song, also titled 'I', approached the matter from the perspective of a female artist, laying bare certain truths of the entertainment industry and capturing the innermost thoughts of female performers. One cannot help but admire his talent. As everyone knows, this theme was announced by Teacher Cheng on short notice. Within twelve hours, he wrote the first song, and subsequently penned the second. Given Teacher Cheng's prestige, it is clear that there was no possibility of a leak. Therefore, can we not finally confirm that Lin Qihua is truly a creative genius and a prodigy? The conventional laws we hold onto simply do not apply to him. He is a brilliantly talented artist, and we eagerly look forward to seeing how his future unfolds. As for the various online rumors that circulated previously, they can finally be put to rest."

"The two-week storm has finally settled. Lin Qihua used his voice and talent to shatter all doubts, prove himself, and burst the soap bubble of public opinion that had hung over the entertainment industry for so long. So, the question arises: what is the actual truth? Who has been lying? Why were all the entertainment media pushing this narrative? It was fraught with bizarre, conspiratorial overtones, containing countless details worthy of investigation. Peeling back the layers, one could see that doubts were everywhere. Yet the media slapped such heavy accusations upon Lin Qihua—and not just one, swearing not to drive him out of the entertainment industry until they succeeded. At the core of this lay one fatal problem: evidence. Not a single accusation possessed sufficient proof to substantiate the claims against Lin Qihua. I ask you, what does this indicate?"

Entertainment media outlets led by Red Bean Entertainment could have chosen to remain silent and utter not a single word about the competition. However, other neutral media outlets no longer stayed quiet at this juncture. They understood that even if Yu Wenhao personally intervened, he could not erase Lin Qihua's stunning performance in the competition. The live broadcast allowed viewers nationwide to witness Lin Qihua's twelve-hour creative output and his brilliant renditions of two stylistically distinct songs on stage. To remain silent any longer would simply be wrong.

Moreover, numerous mainstream media outlets also stepped in to report on the matter. As industry insiders, they naturally understood the dirty tricks at play, looking down upon the tactics of their entertainment counterparts, and despising even more the practice of passing judgment without concrete evidence.

Red Bean Entertainment and their allies were grievance-stricken. In the past, whenever they made a move, victory was guaranteed. Furthermore, this time they had the influence of two superstars like Yu Wenhao, combined with the joint forces of Huayi, Xinghui, Tang Zhijie, and major entertainment outlets. Their collective strength was so formidable that people felt a single finger could crush Lin Qihua to death. Never did they expect the situation to evolve into the current predicament where they were riding a tiger and could neither dismount nor advance.

At this moment, *Entertainment Night* released its latest preview, announcing that the next day's live broadcast would unveil the absolute truth behind the entire incident, instantly capturing the nation's attention. The controversy had been triggered by *Entertainment Night* in the first place, and now it claimed it would end right here—truly an irony. Yet *Entertainment Night* had successfully achieved its objective; countless eyes were locked onto their program, waiting for the broadcast. It was foreseeable that viewership ratings this time would undoubtedly break new records.

Consequently, when *Entertainment Night* aired, countless people put aside whatever they were doing. While Lin Qihua's songs during his encore had delivered a definitive verdict and cleared his name, the exact truth remained shrouded in heavy fog. Many people still harbored doubts about whether Lin Qihua had truly done something improper, and thus they were filled with anticipation for tonight's broadcast. It was much like reaching the grand finale of a television series; even if it were a soap opera, one simply had to see it through to the end.

As the program's opening credits faded, Lin Zhao's face appeared before the audience, wearing his trademark punchable expression and a wretched smile. "Hello everyone, and welcome to *Entertainment Night*. If the previous episode of *Entertainment Night* was the beginning of a hot entertainment topic, and the last episode was its climax, then this episode, we believe, will be the grand finale of this hot topic. What will the ultimate outcome be? Let us wait and see. And now, please welcome another protagonist of this incident: Su Zitong. Let's welcome her."

"It's her?" Lin Qihua was momentarily stunned when he heard the name.

"She's only coming out now. What could she possibly want to do?" He Li asked, bewildered.

"Could she have been persuaded by those people to frame Qihua?" Yu Fengqin's face turned pale.

Recalling the young woman's actions that night, Lin Qihua shook his head. He refused to believe that a girl of such fierce integrity would do such a thing at this juncture. But then again, who could say for sure? In this world, ideals are not always something you can uphold simply because you want to.

"Hello everyone, I am Su Zitong." Wearing a white dress, Su Zitong stepped onto the stage and greeted the audience, her expression faint and devoid of a smile.

"Welcome, Zitong," Lin Zhao said with a smile. "I didn't expect you to accept our invitation to do an exclusive interview on the program, especially since the events of the past caused you such severe harm."

"Since the incident originated from me, I have the responsibility to bring it to a close right here and return the truth to the public," Su Zitong said coldly.

"Thank you for your sense of responsibility. Otherwise, everything would have remained buried in the fog, becoming an unsolved mystery."

"Heh," Su Zitong shook his head. "Yes, I struggled for a long time over whether I should stand up and speak the truth, and I never had the right opportunity. Thank you to the production team for giving me this chance, under the glare of a live broadcast, to bring this truth to light."

"I suppose that artist surnamed Lin should step forward and offer you a solemn apology for causing you such immense harm," Lin Zhao said with a smile.

"No," Su Zitong shook her head, looking straight into the camera. "Lin Qihua, thank you. Thank you for your help that night. If it weren't for you, I don't know if I would have actually jumped from the balcony or let the sharp glass shards slice my throat. Thank you for helping me preserve both my life and my innocence. For the longest time, I didn't dare to step forward and tell everyone the truth. I am truly sorry."

"Huh?" Realizing something was amiss—this did not match the script rehearsed backstage—Lin Zhao panicked. "Zitong, what do you mean by that?"

He secretly signaled the backstage crew: had something gone wrong? Should they cut the live broadcast?

Su Zitong shook her head. "No, I lied to all of you. You wanted me to stand up and frame Lin Qihua. But I wasn't even afraid of death—would I agree to something like this? I was simply waiting for an opportunity, the chance to sit in front of a live camera and tell the truth to everyone. Now, I have waited for it, and what I just said is the truth. There is no mistake, and there never was."