Chapter 353: This... Isn't Quite Right, Is It? (Smile)

Chen Ling saw the man in the green robe walk off the stage, smiling wryly at him.

"Disappointed?" Chen Ling asked.

"...Sigh." Li Qingshan looked at the judges, opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately sighed, "Maybe... maybe my performance wasn't good enough. I'll just have to try harder next year..."

"Can't you tell? They weren't even listening to your performance."

"I know," Li Qingshan's voice was resolute, "That just means I need more practice. One day, I'll make them truly pay attention to me."

For a moment, Chen Ling couldn't tell if Li Qingshan was genuinely naive or just pretending. Such stubbornness was rare.

"Who sings opera in this day and age?" A sneer came from the side. A tall figure glanced dismissively at Li Qingshan. "You brainless, clueless bumpkin, you could sing for a hundred years and still never leave this wretched town!"

"You?!" A flush of indignation appeared on Li Qingshan's face.

"Number 23, Number 23 Wu Shaohua!"

Calls came from the front. The figure gave Li Qingshan a provocative look and strode towards the stage.

Wu Shaohua...

Chen Ling remembered that name. Earlier, in Supervisor Sun's metal cabinet, he had found a large transfer of money associated with it.

"Interesting... It seems I'll have to change the script," Chen Ling murmured, watching the figure stride onto the stage. A subtle glint flickered in his eyes, as if he were plotting something.

Li Qingshan sighed, his tightly clenched fists in his sleeves reluctantly loosening. His gaze dim, he said to Chen Ling:

"Brother Lin, let's go."

Li Qingshan had failed the preliminary audition once again, and there was no longer any reason for him to stay. Perhaps another cycle of seasons awaited him... The man in the green robe stood alone, apart from the crowd, feeling despondent and helpless.

"Why leave?" Chen Ling spoke lightly.

"Huh? Do you want to keep watching?"

"The good show hasn't even begun. It would be a shame to leave now," Chen Ling turned and looked at Li Qingshan. "Anyway, thank you for the meal yesterday. From now on... we've never met, and we don't know each other. Understand?"

With that, Chen Ling turned and walked towards the other side of the venue.

"Brother Lin?"

Li Qingshan stared blankly at the figure in red walking away, not understanding his meaning. Just as he was about to step forward and ask, a grating song erupted from the stage.

Wu Shaohua was standing center stage, holding a microphone in one hand and waving the other excitedly in the air, as if performing a ritual.

"When you see injustice, give a mighty roar, hey!""When it's time to act, then act, hey!!""Boldly traverse the nine provinces, oh!"

The wild sound echoed through the venue. Everyone instinctively frowned. The singing lacked any technique or breath control. No, to be precise, it could barely be called rapping, because even with such a simple melody, he was almost entirely off-key.

"Who is this guy?"

"Wu Shaohua, he's from the Wu family in Wutown, right? His father is apparently a relative of some singer in the main city of Hongchen..."

"Wu Dongxuan?? Is that the famous singer? He's Wu Dongxuan's relative??"

"No wonder... So he's trying to bring his junior relative into the main city?"

"But he sings so badly, they can't possibly let him pass, can they?"

The audience members whispered among themselves, while Wu Shaohua on stage was completely lost in his own world, singing even more wildly and recklessly. In the face of his unbridled voice, the murmurs of doubt seemed to vanish.

Meanwhile, the six judges also looked displeased. They exchanged glances, their eyes full of bitterness.

This money was really hard to earn...

"What's Old Sun doing? He's still not here??"

"Yeah, is he busy too?"

"After this person finishes performing, I'll go look for him."

The judges spoke while writing. Before Wu Shaohua had even finished singing, six uniform "8"s were already recorded on the score sheets.

"Tch..."

Just then, a snicker came from the side.

Amidst the quiet whispers of the crowd, this laugh was particularly abrupt, and it happened to land right at the moment Wu Shaohua was taking a breath, making the immersed, howling singer's face stiffen.

His singing abruptly stopped.

Everyone's gaze turned towards the source of the laughter. By the side of the stage, a figure in red leaned against the wall. A black veil obscured his face, but it couldn't hide his scornful, absurd smile. After the singing stopped, the laughter became even clearer.

Wu Shaohua glared at Chen Ling in the corner, wishing he could devour him whole. Gripping the microphone, he spoke menacingly:

"What are you laughing at?"

"My apologies, I haven't been feeling well lately," Chen Ling shrugged and said with a light chuckle, "Sometimes I can't help but laugh out loud... especially when I see something truly amusing."

"Is my singing funny???"

"Not funny at all, not the slightest bit," Chen Ling said earnestly.

As soon as he said this, the audience members couldn't help but whisper among themselves, mixed with suppressed laughter. They looked at the furious Wu Shaohua on stage, clearly ready for a good show. After all, many of them knew some inside information. While it might be acceptable if someone truly talented got a spot, they were extremely displeased with someone of Wu Shaohua's caliber.

Chen Ling's appearance seemed to help them vent their frustration, but they were also curious how young master Wu Shaohua, being so awkwardly put on the spot, would manage to save face.

"You!!!" Realizing Chen Ling's mockery, Wu Shaohua flew into a rage.

"Enough," a supervisor said, looking coldly at Chen Ling. "Disrupting a performance, what's your number? I'll immediately disqualify you from the preliminary audition and bar you from ever taking it again!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Shaohua's expression finally softened a little, and he looked at Chen Ling with a mocking gaze.

To his surprise, Chen Ling waved his hand dismissively.

"I didn't register. I'm just here to watch the show."

Not only the judges but Wu Shaohua too was stunned. Generally, disqualification and a lifetime ban from re-auditioning would be a devastating blow in their industry. But they had never expected that Chen Ling had no intention of competing at all... It was like throwing a full-force punch only to hit cotton; a feeling of utter frustration immediately surged in their hearts.

Seeing Chen Ling still staring at him with a mocking gaze, Wu Shaohua's chest heaved. He knew that the rules of the troupe couldn't bind Chen Ling, so he coldly stated:

"Judging by your attire, you must be a performer too, right? If you're so capable, come up and perform a piece, and let the judges score you. If your score is higher than mine, I, Wu Shaohua, will admit my singing was laughable and kowtow to you three times... But if your score is lower than mine, you'll kneel and kowtow to me thirty times. What do you say?"

Wu Shaohua deliberately provoked Chen Ling, hoping he would fall into the trap. After all, these six judges were all his people. If Chen Ling came up, he would definitely be the one to embarrass himself. Wu Shaohua wanted to make him kowtow to him; only then could he cleanse himself of this humiliation!

What he didn't expect was that this challenge was exactly what Chen Ling wanted.

Chen Ling smoothed his sleeve, narrowed his eyes, and said with a faint, enigmatic smile:

"Oh dear... This... isn't really appropriate, is it?"

Audience Expectation: 4