Chapter Seventy-Six: The Music Agent

In the morning, the vehicle arranged by the production team arrived downstairs, accompanied by a familiar face. Lin Qihua recognized him—Su Jianhao, a young host from Xiangzhou TV.

“Hello,” Su Jianhao greeted Lin Qihua, who was fully disguised. His curiosity was piqued; even the hosts had no idea who the contestants were, and the partner assignments were decided by random draw. “I’m your music agent. During the competition, we’ll be partners.”

“Hello, partner.” Lin Qihua, with his oversized lion head and an odd voice, shook hands with Su Jianhao. This was the show’s signature—pairing well-known hosts with contestants for more interaction, boosting both entertainment value and their own station’s talent. It was a win-win.

They climbed into the car. In the front sat a cameraman, filming everything. According to the show’s plan, the live broadcast on the internet had already begun, which was precisely why Lin Qihua wore the lion head—if his real face were revealed to viewers now, all secrecy would be lost.

“Let me try to guess—who are you, exactly?” Su Jianhao, clearly comfortable in front of the camera, led the conversation.

“Who do you think I am?” Lin Qihua flashed a V sign at the camera.

“First off, you’re definitely a man.”

“How mean, wrong guess! I’m a girl!” Lin Qihua, feeling playful, adopted a feminine gesture and tone, with the voice changer working perfectly.

“Uh…” Su Jianhao was momentarily speechless. If there were post-production, the editor would surely add a flock of crows flying by. “At least, in my experience, I’ve never seen a female singer over six feet tall.”

Lin Qihua glanced suggestively at his height.

“I know I’m not very tall,” Su Jianhao pretended to be annoyed, but he was actually thrilled—his worst fear was a taciturn partner who would ruin the show’s effect. Now, even if he was being teased, the lively banter would certainly attract attention during the broadcast.

Sure enough, viewers watching the live stream online were in stitches. “Who on earth is this? Too funny!”

“Exactly, Su Jianhao is speechless, and this guy even jokes about his height—really quick to get into character. Must be a lively singer.”

“My guess is Xu Mingjie. He’s a real joker, fits the style.”

“If it were Xu Mingjie, he’d clam up. You think he’d show his true colors so easily? Come on.”

Inside the car, Su Jianhao tried again. “You must be a young singer.”

Lin Qihua nodded, looking as though he appreciated Su Jianhao’s insight, which drove him a bit mad.

“Tell me, who’s your idol? If you tell me, I can guess who you are!” Su Jianhao racked his brain, thinking of tall singers in the music scene.

“Really?” Lin Qihua eyed him skeptically, then, seeing his confidence, smiled, “My idol is… Teacher Zhao Mingyan.”

“Ahhh!” Su Jianhao looked exasperated. Who was Zhao Mingyan? A national treasure, a superstar, the queen of music—every singer idolized her!

Watching Lin Qihua flaunt his lion head with a “see if you can handle me” attitude, the internet erupted again.

“Su Jianhao walked right into it. Sure, many stars publicly declare their idols, and with other clues like height, you might guess—but Teacher Zhao Mingyan? She’s the idol of nearly every singer! Saying that is like saying nothing at all.”

“It’s all tricks! Tricks everywhere!”

The car soon pulled up at the TV station. Su Jianhao led Lin Qihua straight to the lounge. For the first episode, they weren’t allowed to wander; most of the time would be spent in the lounge.

Inside, the camera finally didn’t follow, giving the contestant a moment to rest. From here on, everything the contestants said and did would be recorded for later highlights, but not broadcast live anymore—until the evening’s official launch.

Prompted by staff, Lin Qihua removed the lion head, smiling as he greeted Su Jianhao, “Hello, I’m Lin Qihua. Sorry if I offended you just now.”

“It’s you!” Su Jianhao was utterly stunned. He knew Lin Qihua by name, though not well, but had certainly heard of him. “Honestly, this is a huge surprise.”

“Is it? That means our secrecy measures were effective.”

“No matter what, welcome!” Su Jianhao quickly composed himself and hugged Lin Qihua. “Do your best—if you go far, I’ll get more airtime too.”

“Of course,” Lin Qihua replied, a touch self-deprecating. “Though you lack confidence in me, I have quite a bit in myself.”

“I believe in you too,” Su Jianhao said, punching Lin Qihua’s shoulder. “I don’t know why you’re competing, but Director Wei’s judgment has never been wrong. If he thinks you can do it, you surely can. Maybe I lucked out and drew a real dark horse.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

The morning and afternoon passed in the lounge. When it was time for rehearsal, Su Jianhao led Lin Qihua to the stage.

Standing on stage, before rows of empty seats soon to be filled with lucky audience members, Lin Qihua knew they awaited a musical feast. The singers would perform for the entire nation, showing off their best, delivering the hottest acts.

“This is the stage of ‘The Voice,’” Lin Qihua said, standing with arms outstretched, head tilted back, taking a deep breath as if inhaling the tension and a hint of gunpowder in the air. The battle was about to begin, and after tonight, his name would surely resound across the land.

Gao Rui watched Lin Qihua on stage, lost in thought, as if seeing the shadow of another person in him.

“Tonight, will you become famous in a single song or fall flat?” Gao Rui murmured. “I’ll be watching closely to see if you really can become Gao Jun!”

After rehearsal, they returned to the lounge. Dinner had been prepared. After eating, it was time for wardrobe and makeup.

Lin Qihua’s team arrived at the TV station in the afternoon, heading straight to the lounge. After a brief rest, they got busy. Their work would determine whether their artist appeared before the nation in the most dazzling form. The weight of responsibility was heavy upon their shoulders.