Chapter 85: Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm~

At that moment, the host, Qian Jin, was utterly bewildered. What kind of move was this? If you called it a duet, he only uttered a single line; if you said it wasn’t, well, he did have a line. Seeing Qian Jin freeze, the director hurriedly shouted through the headset, “Don’t just stand there! He’s within the rules, go host!”

Snapping back to reality, Qian Jin quickly squeezed out a couple of tears and stepped forward, saying, “It’s truly moving…”

Regardless, Huiyuan had brought out his father as a special guest performer, pairing him with a classic, well-known song honoring fathers. The tear-jerking effect was indeed powerful, earning him an impressive 337 points.

Even Zhou Miao had to applaud Huiyuan. “Old sow wearing XZ, you’ve got one trick after another! Just one word—brilliant!”

Just when Zhou Miao thought Huiyuan was the most eccentric contestant of the evening, his opponent, Huang Chengxi, took the stage alone.

Zhou Miao frowned, “Where’s his guest singer?”

Not only Zhou Miao, but the entire audience was puzzled. Wasn’t tonight supposed to be a duet competition? Why weren’t there any proper duets?

But in the next moment, everyone’s eyes widened and a collective gasp erupted.

Beside Huang Chengxi, a flicker appeared, and then a somewhat ethereal figure materialized—an explosive hairstyle, huge sunglasses, bell-bottoms, pointed shoes.

It was none other than Old Cat, the original Mandopop king who had passed away over twenty years ago!

Huang Chengxi had ingeniously used holographic 3D virtual imaging to bring the legendary star back to the stage!

Then, the pair launched into a disco-style duet, instantly electrifying the venue.

The performance was so creative that Zhou Miao couldn’t help but rise to his feet and applaud them. Full marks for originality! He realized he’d underestimated his competitors.

But the more extraordinary the performances, the more excited Zhou Miao became. He craved worthy challengers.

Huiyuan, however, felt entirely different. He slumped into the sofa, utterly despondent. “You brought back a dead man—what’s the point of competing now?”

From the audience’s response, Huiyuan knew he was doomed. Two rounds without scoring points; the third round would be his farewell performance.

And so it was. Huang Chengxi’s act earned thunderous applause and a final score of 348, just two points short of perfect!

Even worse off was Ningxia, who performed next. With Huang Chengxi’s dazzling act preceding him, his own seemed lackluster.

Nevertheless, he had to press on, singing a classic duet love song with a female vocalist. As Zhou Miao had predicted, the audience’s expectations for the show were sky-high, and such conventional performances hardly moved them.

In the end, Ningxia scored 310. Against most others, that might have offered a glimmer of hope, but his opponent was Zhou Miao, nicknamed “the monster.” 310 points meant he was essentially eliminated.

During Ningxia’s interview, some observant viewers noticed a band quietly entering the stage, sparking speculation about what song Zhou Miao had prepared—such a grand setup!

In the corridor leading to the stage, Zhou Miao said, “Don’t be nervous. Just relax.”

Zhao Li exhaled deeply, nodding resolutely. At this crucial moment, she couldn’t drag anyone down.

After nearly two months away from the stage, standing in the spotlight once more, the person at her side had changed.

Zhao Li collected herself, nodded to Zhou Miao, who made a gesture—the performance was about to begin!

The beautiful senior, dressed in a fitted suit, closed her eyes, and the violin in her hands sounded the first note of the musical feast.

The melodious violin was like a gentle breeze caressing the audience, awakening every instrument in its path.

A haunting piccolo joined in, weaving with the violin’s beauty, transporting everyone to open fields, savoring the freshness and freedom of the wind.

As the audience basked in the soothing prelude, Zhao Li raised the microphone and sang softly:

“Beneath the distant blue sky,
Golden waves of wheat are rolling,
It was there, where you and I
Once loved,
When the breeze, carrying the scent of harvest,
Touches my face,
I recall your gentle words
That once brought tears to my eyes,
Mmm… la… mmm… la…”

Her soft, refreshing voice instantly drew listeners into the golden wheat fields, evoking the tranquility and vastness of wind-blown grain.

As Zhao Li hummed, gentle smiles appeared on the audience’s faces.

When Zhao Li finished her verse, Zhou Miao slowly lifted his microphone and sang softly:

“We once sang in the fields,
Longing through the winter,
But never saw, beneath this sunlight,
The autumn scene,
Let the promises of the past flutter,
Drifting on the western wind,
Like your soft, flowing hair,
That once perfumed my dreams,

Mmm… la… mmm… la…”

If Huang Chengxi’s act was the epitome of visual creativity, then Zhou Miao and Zhao Li’s “Winds Across the Wheat Fields” was the ultimate musical feast.

In his arrangement, Zhou Miao didn’t just chase trendy instruments or sounds. He added timeless orchestration, perfectly highlighting the song’s ethereal and poetic nature.

There were no dazzling techniques or soaring high notes, no explosive stage effects—only emotion that touched the soul.

Especially in the final section, as both hummed softly together, the audience melted, unconsciously joining in: “Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm~”

In the Ningxia lounge, he listened spellbound, only returning to himself long after the song ended, applauding vigorously.

To lose to such opponents was no shame at all.

Tonight’s “Battle at the Forbidden Summit” was truly a clash of titans. Whenever the audience thought a performance was the pinnacle, another dazzling act would immediately raise the bar.

Zhou Miao and Zhao Li’s performance drew sustained applause, and during scoring, their points soared, finally settling at 348—tying with Huang Chengxi and crushing their opponent Ningxia.

With victory secured, Zhou Miao and Zhao Li relaxed completely, returning to the lounge to watch the rest.

The next four performances were also impressive, especially Li Qin and Lin Zekai, who staged a “Beauty and the Spy” scenario, full of novelty, earning 338 points and winning their match.

When all acts concluded, the results were revealed: Huang Chengxi, Zhou Miao, Lin Zekai, and An Qi advanced.

Interestingly, these four were also the top scorers from the first round; the other four lost both rounds and would only need to perform a farewell song in the third round.

The remaining four would continue group competition in the third round, and Zhou Miao finally got his wish to face Lin Zekai.

In the third round, the theme would be drawn at random, and the contestant with the higher score would draw the topic for their duel.

Zhou Miao drew, opened the slip, paused, then smiled.

As curiosity mounted among viewers, Zhou Miao held the paper up to the camera. It read: “You in My Eyes.”

In other words, Zhou Miao and Lin Zekai would each perform a song describing the other’s image in their own eyes.

The audience instantly grew excited—this would be a spectacle! What kind of impression would they have of each other?

Was a showdown brewing?