Chapter 87: The Third Duel

After much consideration, Zhou Miao still couldn’t find a song that he could directly adapt, but he did remember a piece he’d written for his ex-girlfriend—some of its lyrics were quite fitting to describe Lin Zekai. Of course, certain parts needed to be revised; after all, the original was written for someone he once loved and still carried traces of affection. If he sang it unchanged, the audience would definitely assume he was romantically interested in Lin Zekai. The arrangement also needed to be redone. The original was too soft and mournful, but Zhou Miao was preparing to go on the offensive; the music couldn’t sound like a lament.

Once he’d settled on a direction, Zhou Miao began working through the night. A week wasn’t exactly a long time, but not short either—finishing early would give him time to tweak anything that didn’t feel right.

Meanwhile, at Tide, every producer in the company had gathered. Lin Zekai raised a single finger: “I have only one demand: I must win!”

He simply couldn’t believe it—how could all of Tide’s award-winning producers be bested by Zhou Miao alone?

The showdown between Zhou Miao and Lin Zekai drew countless viewers. A simple competition might not hold much interest, but everyone loved a duel with a story behind it.

Over the week, the resourceful netizens had already dug up every detail of the grudge between Tide and Rainbow. Even the fact that Zhou Miao had once refused to sign with Tide before his debut was uncovered. Anonymous insiders from Penguin Studios revealed that they only managed to invite Zhou Miao because Lin Zekai was involved.

The two companies had been at odds for years—this battle wasn’t just about personal honor, but Rainbow’s chance at revenge after years of endurance!

On Sunday, as the live broadcast began, tens of millions of viewers flooded in at once. Even after several rounds of server expansion, the platform struggled to keep up, forcing the organizers to urgently add more servers.

Zhou Miao took a sip of grapefruit tea to soothe his throat. His turn was sixth in the lineup. The evening opened with four singers who had already been eliminated, giving their farewell performances.

Since their elimination was already decided, these four relaxed and began to truly enjoy the stage. Though they hadn’t made it to the end, the past three episodes had brought them plenty of attention and exposure. If there was a second season, they’d even be happy to take part again.

They all performed admirably in Zhou Miao’s eyes, but the audience’s attention was elsewhere. The live comments impatiently urged them to hurry up and let Zhou Miao and Lin Zekai take the stage.

Still, every meal must be eaten one bite at a time. No matter how restless the viewers grew, the four performers lingered on stage for nearly half an hour before reluctantly saying goodbye to “Ultimate Showdown.”

Backstage, Lin Zekai took several deep breaths to compose himself, then strode confidently onto the stage. On the right side, Zhou Miao rose up from below on a lift.

For this round, Zhou Miao would remain throughout at Lin Zekai’s left, to give his opponent more of a sense of presence as he sang. When it was Zhou Miao’s turn, Lin Zekai would also stay onstage.

Facing Zhou Miao, Lin Zekai gestured that he was ready.

A cello-led prelude began to play. Staring at Zhou Miao, Lin Zekai sang:

“Youth is something one regrets deeply,
Every recollection is tinged with remorse,
Who can forget,
Who is willing to forget,
Looking back, all you can say is ‘too young,’
Too young, you’re far too young,
When spirits soar, all you see are smiling faces,

Yet you don’t realize those are all pitiful wretches, sucking the marrow from your bones,
Too young, you’re far too young,
No one fears you, you think you rule the world,
But to us, you’re still just a child,
Too young, you’re far too young,
Mistaking willfulness for character, thinking it’s so bold,
In a few years, look back and see how foolish you were!”

...

The atmosphere in the venue grew charged. Lin Zekai was clearly well-prepared, and the audience nodded in agreement—he had something to show indeed.

His song, “Too Young,” was like a seasoned elder lecturing a reckless youth, brimming with meaning. This was the angle Tide’s producers had racked their brains to find. After all, Zhou Miao’s audacious personality was well known—plenty of people disliked him, and this approach was sure to resonate with many.

The only flaw was that, by singing this, Lin Zekai was essentially admitting that all his praise for Zhou Miao in the previous round was empty talk, which risked making him seem hypocritical.

But Lin Zekai didn’t care. He’d already torn off the mask with Zhou Miao—why bother worrying now?

As he sang, the camera lingered on Zhou Miao, seemingly waiting for his reaction. Yet Zhou Miao showed no sign of anger; instead, he listened with interest, nodding occasionally as if to say the song wasn’t bad.

This left Lin Zekai doubting himself—weren’t the lyrics sharp enough? Why wasn’t Zhou Miao reacting?

When the performance ended, Lin Zekai scored 336 points. Zhou Miao thought this was fair—the lyrics were decent, but the melody lacked punch, sacrificing impact for a sense of maturity.

Now it was Zhou Miao’s turn. The spotlight shifted from Lin Zekai to him.

But Zhou Miao didn’t stay put; instead, he stepped forward until he was less than a meter from Lin Zekai.

The audience clenched their fists in excitement—this was going to be a head-on confrontation, just what they wanted to see!

On the screen, two large words appeared: “The Actor.”

As the intro played, Zhou Miao looked at Lin Zekai with a provocative glint and sang softly:

“Keep it simple,
Let’s keep the words simple,
No need for escalating emotions,
You’re no actor,
Don’t craft those scenes,
No objections,

I just want to see how you’ll talk your way out,
Your disguise is too shallow,
Like an actor with no talent,
The audience sees right through you.”

The moment he finished the verse, the venue exploded in chaos—this was a merciless blow straight to the heart!

But the cruelty was only beginning. Ignoring Lin Zekai’s murderous glare, Zhou Miao continued:

“I play my part, pretending not to see,
Forcing someone who doesn’t care to improvise,
When did we start lowering our standards,
Going along with the times to put on such awkward shows,
You were once so jealous—why not act with more nuance?
How should I perform to save your dignity?
Turns out, learning to pull my punches
Is the real test for me.”

...

Too cruel! That was the singular thought of everyone watching the live broadcast.

Zhou Miao had actually turned the interview incident from the previous round into a song, publicly humiliating Lin Zekai! The lyrics struck right at his heart—even the audience began to feel sorry for him.

From now on, Lin Zekai’s name would forever be linked to “The Actor”!

Both were diss tracks, but compared to Lin Zekai’s “Too Young,” Zhou Miao’s “The Actor” was on another level in lyrical sharpness and melodic catchiness. There was simply no comparison.

All that could be said was: Zhou Miao was truly unmatched!

At that moment, many recalled the famous words of music critic Ada Jin: “If all the talent in the world were a single stone, Zhou Miao would possess nine-tenths, and the rest of us would share the remainder.”

Once, people thought this was an exaggeration and wondered if Ada Jin had been paid. Now…

They found themselves agreeing wholeheartedly.