NCCnovel Chapter 16 Preliminary Selection for the Gala
Chapter 16 Preliminary Selection for the Gala
Inside the auditorium, the lights were focused on the center of the stage.
The air was filled with a mixture of excitement and tension, a product of youthful hormones and the pressure of competition.
A senior student wearing a student council uniform and a name tag around his neck walked onto the stage, holding a microphone. He clapped the microphone twice, producing a series of muffled popping sounds.
The entire room fell silent.
"Um, everyone, please be quiet for a moment. I'm going to explain the rules for the preliminary selection."
The senior's voice resounded through the speakers, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
"Because there are so many applicants, we've adopted an instant elimination system to save time."
"When I call out a student's name, they come up to perform on stage. At the same time, I call out the next student. The next student immediately goes to the backstage side door to wait for their turn."
"After each category of program is performed, the judges will score it on the spot. For example, after all the programs in the recitation category have been performed, we will announce the list of selected performers directly."
"Those who weren't selected can go home now. Don't linger backstage and cause traffic congestion."
Simple, direct, and efficient.
This is the style of the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
The first three rows below the stage were occupied by a group of serious-looking judges.
In addition to the student council executive committee members, there were also several middle-aged men and women with a strong presence.
These are the department heads and senior professors from various disciplines.
They held the rating sheets in their hands, their faces expressionless.
But that scrutinizing gaze made the legs of many freshmen who hadn't even gone on stage tremble.
"Then, the preliminary selection shall officially begin."
"The first category is recitation."
"First place, Broadcasting Department, Zhao Tiezhu, performance piece: 'Red Flower'."
As the host finished speaking, a burly young man rushed onto the stage, took a deep breath, and began to roar:
"On the vast green grassland, a red flower bloomed..."
The sound was deafening, and spittle flew everywhere!
Jiang Bai, sitting in the last row in the corner, shrank his neck and lowered his head even further.
Is this a recitation of "Red Flower"?
It sounds like a man-eating flower!
Jiang Bai took out his phone. At that moment, a QQ group called "Freshman Party - Singing Group" was flooded with messages.
The group admin posted a screenshot of an Excel spreadsheet.
[Final order of appearance]
Jiang Bai swiped his finger and quickly locked onto his own name.
Fourteenth place.
In front of him were several soloists, as well as several trios and quintets.
Behind him were two large choruses and three soloists.
The position is pretty good, in the middle range, so the judges haven't gotten tired of it yet and won't give it a low score just because it's the beginning.
only……
When Jiang Bai's gaze swept over the tenth name, his eyebrows twitched slightly.
10th: Lin Feng, third-year vocal music major (Class of 2024).
Performance piece: "Love You".
They've sung the same song.
In this parallel world, there is also a song called "Love You".
However, it was a typical sad ballad.
The lyrics roughly mean something like, "I love you, but you love him; I'm soaked to the bone in the rain, but you're holding my hand in the car."
The melody is mournful, and the rhythm is sluggish.
Although it's very popular, Jiang Bai thinks it's a bit of pointless whining.
"It's not scary to have the same song; it's embarrassing if someone's song is ugly."
Jiang Bai silently complained to himself.
Moreover, although the song titles are the same, the content is completely different.
One is as bitter as Chinese medicine, and the other is as sweet as a macaron.
There's absolutely no comparison!
Time passed by, second by second.
The performances on stage were like an assembly line, one after another.
The recitation group ended quickly.
The judges whispered among themselves and eliminated more than half of the candidates.
The brutal elimination rate instantly made the atmosphere on site heavy!
After all, who among those who can get into the Shanghai Theatre Academy to sign up for the preliminary selection of the freshman gala isn't a talented man and a beautiful woman?
Being eliminated not only means you're not as good as others, but it also means you won't get the bonus credits!
"Next category, singing."
"The first one..."
Finally, it's time for the singing category.
Jiang Bai put away his phone, sat up slightly, and observed his competitors through the dense forest of heads on the back of their heads.
It must be said that the Shanghai Theatre Academy is indeed a place where hidden talents abound.
Although some of the first few singers were nervous and sang off-key, most of them had very good voices!
Some of them are even professional vocal students, and they sing in the bel canto style as soon as they open their mouths, making the dust on the ceiling fall down.
But Jiang Bai kept yawning as he listened.
They're all old, outdated songs, nothing new.
Until the host read out the tenth name.
"Next up, Lin Feng, a third-year vocal music major."
"I'll be performing the song 'Love You'."
As soon as he finished speaking, a small cheer erupted from the front row of the audience.
"Wow! It's Senior Lin Feng!"
"I heard he has 500,000 followers on Douyin (TikTok), he's a popular online singer!"
"His voice is incredibly captivating, especially when he sings love songs!"
in the expectation of the people.
A boy wearing a white shirt, ripped jeans, and carrying a guitar walked onto the stage.
He's actually quite good-looking, kind of like a Korean pretty boy.
The only problem is that the bangs in front of her forehead are a bit too long, almost covering half of her eyes, and she has to shake her head every now and then.
Lin Feng sat on a high stool and plucked a string.
The prelude begins.
Sadness, melancholy.
"The rain outside the window, drip-drop..."
My heart is shattered, shattered...
Lin Feng closed his eyes, his face contorted in pain, as if he had just experienced heartbreak eight hundred times.
His singing skills are truly exceptional.
He has a steady breath, smooth transitions between notes, and can switch between true and falsetto voices with ease.
It perfectly captures the bitterness of being a backup option!
The song ended.
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.
Even the judges in the front row, who had been keeping a straight face, nodded slightly and made a few marks on the score sheet.
Clearly, that's a high score!
Lin Feng opened his eyes, stood up, and basked in the applause of the crowd.
A confident smile appeared on his lips.
Steady!
With his talent and this currently popular sad love song, his selection for the freshman gala is absolutely a sure thing.
Lin Feng walked off the stage carrying his guitar.
His gaze unconsciously swept across the audience, trying to see if any female students were moved to tears by his singing.
however.
With that sweep, his gaze was as if drawn by a powerful magnet.
It was frozen in the corner of the last row.
There sat a figure dressed in pure white.
Although the light was dim, and although we were far away.
But the girl's radiant beauty instantly pierced Lin Feng's heart!
"Holy crap..."
Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat.
Is this the legendary most beautiful freshman from the Shanghai Theatre Academy who went viral online?
I'm a million times more beautiful in person than in photos!
She sat quietly in the last row, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, her eyes cool and aloof.
Everything around her seemed to become a backdrop, solely to highlight her unparalleled independence!
Lin Feng realized he was in love.
This is a true goddess!
Compared to her, all the other internet celebrities I've dated before were just ordinary, unattractive women!
He stood dumbfounded at the bottom of the steps, holding his guitar, staring at Jiang Bai, his smile gradually turning into that of a madman.
in the corner.
Jiang Bai was idly playing with his fingers.
Suddenly I felt a burning gaze.
He looked up and met Lin Feng's affectionate eyes.
Jiang Bai: "?"
Is this person crazy?
Why aren't you leaving after you've finished singing? What are you staring at me for?
Did they find out I'm a man?
That's impossible! I have a charm aura boosted by the system, unless he has X-ray vision!
Jiang Bai calmly withdrew his gaze and mentally assessed the situation:
"Singing ability: 6/10"
"Song selection: 4 points"
"Their IQ doesn't seem very high, so we'll deduct 2 points."
Overall rating: Just another passerby.