Chapter 137: Accents of North and South (Double Feature)

Zuo Qiu, who was dancing happily in her own little world, did not notice Zhou Miao's arrival. She had been in a fantastic mood lately, and whenever joy struck, she would just rock out by herself right there in the office.

Twirling and leaping, she kept her eyes closed, but Zhou Miao simply could not bear to watch any longer and gave a knock on the door.

Startled by the sound, Zuo Qiu stumbled and almost fell to the ground. Turning around, she saw it was none other than Zhou Miao.

"Why are you drinking again? Take care of your liver, my dear," Zhou Miao said with a helpless sigh.

God knows when it had started, but this elder sister had developed a fierce obsession with alcohol. She drank when she was happy, and drank even more when she was upset. Her face was flushed with a slight alcoholic glow all day long; anyone unaware of the truth might have thought she had just finished a very intense romantic session.

Zuo Qiu giggled, "Because I'm happy, baby."

Zhou Miao rolled his eyes. "What baby? I said take care of your alcoholic liver!"

Unbothered, Zuo Qiu spun around to the music. "An alcoholic liver is an alcoholic liver. I'll deal with it when the time comes. As long as I'm comfortable right now, that's all that matters."

"What on earth has you in such high spirits?"

Hearing this, Zuo Qiu smiled mysteriously. "Guess!"

Unfortunately, Zhou Miao refused to play along. *I only ask once; whether you want to tell me is entirely up to you.*

Since Zhou Miao didn't ask again, Zuo Qiu didn't volunteer, continuing to dance by herself in the office.

Must admit, approaching thirty as she was, Zuo Qiu actually looked quite alluring when she danced.

Moving lightly and swaying slowly, her posture was graceful and enchanting. The form-fitting black dress perfectly outlined her breathtaking curves.

Any young man would find it impossible to keep his composure at the sight. Zhou Miao quietly averted his gaze; he was feeling slightly dizzy.

"You're quite a good dancer. Did you take lessons before?" Zhou Miao asked.

"That was over a dozen years ago. Back then, I was just like those trainees downstairs, dreaming every day of becoming a superstar. After all, my old man is the boss of an entertainment company. Not becoming a star would feel like a complete waste of resources."

After finishing her dance, Zuo Qiu's chest rose and fell slightly. She gulped down her drink with its melted ice cubes and let out a refreshing sigh of relief.

"It's just a pity that I'm tone-deaf and couldn't get the hang of it no matter how much I practiced. And since I didn't want to be an actress, I had no choice but to honestly study in school and wait to inherit the family business."

Sensing the regret lingering in her tone, Zhou Miao rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. "Care to come along and play on the stage of *Southern Tunes and Northern Melodies*?"

Zuo Qiu looked somewhat surprised. "Me? No, no, no. I am genuinely tone-deaf."

"I'm not asking you to sing. Be my backup dancer. I think your figure is quite suitable—it has exactly the vibe I have in mind."

Puffed up by the compliment, Zuo Qiu felt herself floating a little as she tossed her hair. "What vibe?"

For a second, Zhou Miao didn't know how to describe it. "You know... the vibe of a fully ripened mature woman?"

"Get lost!"

***

Before *Southern Tunes and Northern Melodies* had even officially begun recording, a massive wave of male netizens on the internet was already arguing endlessly over whether southern women or northern women were superior.

At first, female netizens on both sides had been quite touched, thinking that blood was thicker than water and that their men were fighting tooth and nail online just to defend the reputation of their local women.

However, after looking into the matter more closely, they discovered to their dismay that the men from both the north and the south unanimously agreed that the women from the *other* side were better. Moreover, those same men grew deeply displeased when the opposing side praised *their* local women, adopting an attitude that implied, *What the hell would you southerners/northerners know about it?*

Well, now things got interesting. Both the north and the south plunged into a civil war, with men and women hurling abuses at each other online and dominating the Weibo trending searches for days on end.

Amidst this fiery atmosphere, Zhou Miao arrived at the recording site. By then, the other five singer-songwriters had already arrived, sitting together, smoking, shooting the breeze, and chatting animatedly.

Tan Yue, sporting a slicked-back hairstyle, waved at Zhou Miao upon seeing him. "Hey handsome, over here."

Zhou Miao walked over, greeted the seniors, and pulled up a chair to sit down.

Tan Yue, displaying a rather familiar demeanor, threw an arm around Zhou Miao's shoulders and said, "We were just talking about the performance order for later. The northerners have already settled theirs: Gu Xi goes first, Lu Jinping second, and Zhang Tuo last.

"Over on our side, Zhao Tianxiang insisted on going first, saying the earlier you sing, the easier it is. What about you? Are you going second or third?"

Zhou Miao smiled faintly. "Either is fine with me."

Tan Yue pondered for a moment. "Then I suppose I'll go second. It's a best-of-three format, so you two rookies better not drag me down to a loss."

The tone of Tan Yue's speech revealed just how confident he was—confident to the point of arrogance.

Yet, Tan Yue had the capital to be confident. He debuted at the tail end of the golden age of the music industry and had authored numerous catchy classic hits. At his absolute peak, he held the record for highest album sales for three consecutive years. Although he wasn't crowned a Heavenly King, he earned the prestigious reputation of "Heavenly King Killer."

"You really ought to be placed further back. The creative theme for this first round is very unfavorable for youngsters like him; how many women has he even laid eyes on yet?" chimed in Zhang Tuo, who wore long hair.

Clearly, the veteran seniors present didn't take Zhou Miao seriously at all. Zhou Miao didn't bother to retort, merely maintaining a faint smile.

*Once I get up on that stage, I'll show you what ruthlessness really is!*

***

Half an hour later, the audience filed into the venue one after another. Qian Jin, Tencent's lead female host, gracefully stepped up to the front of the stage, and the veteran old fellows instantly fell silent, gazing lustfully at Qian Jin's long, slender legs. Zhang Tuo even made a point of putting on his glasses.

Zhou Miao curled his lips in contempt. A bunch of incorrigible old men, old enough to be her father yet still shamelessly staring at her like that.

*Well, Sister Qian's legs do seem whiter than before, though.*

"Welcome everyone to the brand-new music variety show *Southern Tunes and Northern Melodies*, exclusively sponsored by Hengshui Xiaobaigan. I am your host, Qian Jin."

Little Sister Qian Jin smiled sweetly and bowed slightly. A swarm of male fans holding support boards bearing her face frantically shouted her name.

Glancing at her cue card, Qian Jin continued, "First, let me briefly introduce the rules of the show."

"The first season of *Southern Tunes and Northern Melodies* consists of five competition rounds. Each round will feature a different creative theme, and the six singer-songwriters must compose their pieces based on that theme, incorporating the cultural characteristics of their represented regions into the songs.

"The six singer-songwriters will battle in pairs. After each song performance, ten professional judges will score them. The higher score wins, and the side that wins two individual duels will secure the overall victory for the first round.

"The creative theme for this first round was chosen through online voting by tens of millions of netizens: Women.

"Now, let's welcome our first singer-songwriter, Gu Xi."

Amidst the cheers of the audience, strumming an electric guitar and clad in leather jacket and sunglasses, Gu Xi made a flamboyantly swaggering entrance.

The big screen in the waiting room displayed the song's title: *The Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain*.

"Judging by that outfit, old Gu is going to play rock," Tan Yue remarked.

Sure enough, Gu Xi raised a single finger, and the venue instantly filled with an intense, fiery drumbeat rhythm.

Gu Xi bobbed his head in rhythm, appearing to thoroughly enjoy the current atmosphere.

"Spur of the moment, I went climbing a mountain,
Head-on I crashed into a tiger,
Two eyes like bronze bells,
Paws thicker than my thighs,
Accidentally our gazes met,
And my little life is as good as done!"
...

Gu Xi hadn't released a new album in nearly a decade, but it was clear his skills hadn't rusted at all.

It was a deeply humorous and entertaining song. Although not a single word related to women appeared throughout the entire piece—instead detailing the whole story of matching wits and courage with a tiger—everyone understood the underlying meaning. The northern women present listened while smiling and playfully cursing Gu Xi for the rascal he was.

As the song reached its climax, all the instruments abruptly stopped, and a vigorous female voice rang out:

"What are you staring at? Standing here rooted to the spot for ages, are you leaving or not? If you're not going, step aside!"

Gu Xi, fully embracing his inner actor, nodded and bowed scraping. "Going, leaving right now."

With the performance concluded, the panel of ten professional judges began scoring. Comprising music critics, mass media representatives, musicians, and audience delegates, they only gave scores without offering verbal critiques.

Once all ten finished scoring, Gu Xi ultimately secured a score of 90.5 points. He looked quite satisfied with this result, beaming happily.

However, Zhao Tianxiang, the first representative from the South to perform, couldn't quite share the joy. Gu Xi's strong performance placed him under immense pressure.

Tan Yue patted his shoulder in encouragement. "Hang in there, Old Zhao. Take him down!"

Zhao Tianxiang remained silent, walking onto the stage with a solemn expression. Judging by his look, Zhou Miao had a bad premonition—it felt like the South was going to lose this first round.

Indeed, Zhao Tianxiang hadn't prepared seriously at all. After listening to his song, the audience's reaction was utterly lukewarm. Although the melody was decent, the lyrics felt forced and rigid in their attempt to connect with southern women.

In the end, Zhao Tianxiang managed only 82 points. In the first clash between the two sides, the South suffered a miserable defeat!

Witnessing this outcome, Tan Yue slapped his knee. "Looks like today's going to be touch and go."

With that, Tan Yue shook his head and strode toward the stage, seemingly deeply disappointed with Zhao Tianxiang.

For the second duel, the southern singer-songwriter took the lead.

Tan Yue thoroughly demonstrated the prowess of a Heavenly King Killer in this match. A song inspired by his own real-life experience, *The Woman Waiting for Me by the Bridge*, moved quite a few audience members to tears and ultimately clinched a stellar score of 92.5 points.

Meanwhile, Lu Jinping, the second representative from the North, was no pushover either. A deeply down-to-earth track titled *There Are Family Members in the North* vividly captured the bold, capable, and fiercely loyal yet virtuous nature of northern lasses.

However, because his angle of approach was somewhat conventional and conservative, he only scored 90 points, falling short against Tan Yue and tasting defeat.

Next up was the pairing of Zhou Miao and Zhang Tuo, which also happened to be the match commanding the highest public attention.

***

Although nearly fifty years old, Zhang Tuo had always been an evergreen tree in the music industry, while Zhou Miao, needless to say, was the reigning top-tier traffic star.

Zhang Tuo took the stage first. He, too, came fully prepared tonight, with a track titled *The One Thousand and First Time*.

When Zhang Tuo officially began singing, Zhou Miao almost spat out his drink. This turned out to be a sultry, suggestive little tune.

It narrated how Zhang Tuo had encountered a fiery northern babe at a nightclub, and the two engaged in intimacy in all sorts of places, over and over again.

It made the female audience members in the auditorium blush furiously, yet compelled them to keep listening.

Zhou Miao had to admire him. Of all the songs heard tonight, Zhang Tuo's was the most dead-center on the theme: when instructed to write about women, he wrote strictly about women! Purely chasing sensual heat without any flowery distractions!

Zhang Tuo's performance concluded, smashing out a fantastic score of 93 points!

Tan Yue patted Zhou Miao on the shoulder. "It's all on you now, little handsome. Good luck!"

***

Back in the waiting room, the five performers who had already finished their acts chatted leisurely.

"How do you guys think he's going to approach this?" Tan Yue asked.

"How else? At his age, it's eight-to-ten likely a campus first-love trope," Zhang Tuo speculated.

"The title is out—*Rosemary*?" Zhao Tianxiang pointed at the television screen and said.

The moment the song title appeared, the stage lights flooded down. But standing before the audience wasn't Zhou Miao, but rather a tall beauty clad in a long, black sheer dress.

Simultaneously, a string arrangement overflowing with vintage charm chimed in. Accented by African conga drums, the rhythm felt exceptionally lazy and sexy, instantly evoking the image of a lamp-lit, swaying dance hall in old Shanghai from the previous century.

A songstress with scarlet lips and a veiled face swayed her waist slightly on the stage, elegant and bewitching.

Zhou Miao stepped out from the darkness dressed in a Republic-era Western suit, wearing a black fedora. He reached out a hand to gently lift the woman's sharply pointed chin.

A clear, lazy, and gentle male vocal effortlessly drifted into the listeners' ears.

"Your lips, slightly upturned,
Sexy beyond all saving,
Unimaginable, such a heartbeat,
I want everything about you~"

The instant the singing began, all five men in the lounge were startled. It was jazz! There were truly very few people in the domestic scene who could pull off this style successfully!

Moreover, Zhou Miao cleverly localized the foreign jazz style within the prelude using string arrangements reminiscent of an old Shanghai dance hall, endowing the song with a uniquely captivating charm.

"Soft drinks, rising bubbles,
I will drink down your bubbles, all in one bottle,
What this place lacks least is excitement,
You turn on the sentiment, offering an embrace~
Candlelight burning, setting a certain mood,
Gaze unfocused for a few seconds, about your dance,
You lazily sway your waist, I can't take it~"

With every gesture embodying casual ease, exuding an effortless elegance and flirtatious swagger, this song felt like an ambiguous sparring match between a playboy and a dance-hall singer.

Somewhat similar to Zhang Tuo's *The One Thousand and First Time*, this *Rosemary* was likewise a song saturated with erotic tension. Yet, by comparison, *Rosemary* felt infinitely more upscale.

It offered a hazy, sensual aesthetic without feeling vulgar—like a woman who wasn't actively teasing or seducing, but simply offering a self-contained smile that granted you an exquisite, sublime enjoyment.

On stage, Zuo Qiu danced an elegant and mesmerizing tango, while Zhou Miao pressed close behind her without retreating an inch. The audience below could almost visibly see the thick air of ambiguity fermenting between them.

Even listeners who disliked Zhou Miao had to admit that this retro-flavored jazz song was irresistibly seductive. Although the lyrics never once mentioned the word "South,"

the pictorially evocative lyricism and sexy arrangement made you feel as though, with your eyes closed, you could see a woman wearing berry-colored lipstick and a black silk dance dress, displaying graceful postures on a swaying Broadway stage under dazzling lights.

Wasn't this the classic image of the dancing girls of Shanghai灘 during the old Republic era? If this didn't count as capturing southern women, what possibly could?

Though the official score had yet to be announced, Zhang Tuo knew he had lost this round.

What a formidable Zhou Miao, and what a magnificent *Rosemary*.