Chapter 1

"Walk into this joyous place, carrying all your dreams and aspirations..."

On the red stage, under the white spotlight, Yang Han stood in the middle, wearing a gray T-shirt and casual pants, holding a microphone. He opened his mouth and began to sing in a deep, magnetic voice, softly performing this "original" song, "Eliminating Sorrow."

"Faces of all colors, makeup of all kinds, no one remembers your appearance..." The camera panned over his calm face, quickly scanning the full but eerily quiet audience, then cut to the mentors behind the four large flags.

Just by singing two simple lines, the mentors had already taken an interest in the song. While Fan Ziyu still had his eyes closed, listening intently, Zhuo Xuan had already exchanged glances with the other two mentors.

Lu Yubo was the most exaggerated, placing his hand on the red button in front of him, his face struggling as if he wanted to press it but also wanted to wait, performing his conflicted feelings a bit overly dramatically.

"After the third round of drinks, you're in the corner, stubbornly singing a bitter song, listening to it being drowned out in the noise, you pick up the glass and say to yourself..."

The live piano accompaniment was masterful, the gentle notes like a whisper in the ear, not overshadowing the singer. If you didn't listen carefully, you might even overlook it.

But Yang Han's voice was also unassuming, unhurried, and unruffled, singing with the most composed tone, portraying the disheveled state of a soul lost in a bar!

His voice paused slightly, and under the sudden strumming of the guitar, Yang Han continued, "A toast to the sunrise, a toast to the moonlight, awakening me..."

Before Yang Han could finish the line, Zu Ning, who had been listening to the beginning of the chorus, put down his arms and pressed the red button first.

"Raising the flag" for you!

The large flag between Zu Ning and the singer was mechanically raised, as if stirred by the wind, high and proud. On the stage of "China's Good Voice," this not only represented Zu Ning's choice of the singer, helping him start a new journey, but also carried the beautiful meaning of "a good start"!

At this moment, even the most professional and quiet audience erupted in excitement, because they, like the mentors, really enjoyed the song, both the voice and the lyrics. How could they not be happy to see the singer chosen?

However, Zu Ning's "raising the flag" did not affect Yang Han. He just glanced at Zu Ning and continued singing calmly.

"Thus, you can fly against the wind without looking back, unafraid of rain in your heart, frost in your eyes..." His voice remained steady, showing no sign of being affected at all!

The mentors in front of him were already frantically exchanging glances. Lu Yubo, pointing at Zu Ning through Zhuo Xuan and Fan Ziyu, looked furious, as if accusing Zu Ning of stealing his first press, since he had his hand on the button all along.

Of course, Lu Yubo was responsible for livening up the atmosphere on stage, and overacting was not a one-time thing for him.

"A toast to my hometown, a toast to the distant places..." When the new round of the chorus began, Lu Yubo could no longer hold back. He also pressed the button, raising the flag in front of him.

Seeing Yang Han, Lu Yubo's eyes lit up.

If he had been just acting for the show's effect before, now he was genuinely excited!

The singer in front of him, performing his own original song, was definitely a good seedling!

Although the show was called "China's Good Voice," Lu Yubo knew that in the entertainment industry, talent might only account for a small part of success—unless your talent was extraordinary, it was hard to stand out. Most of the time, the first condition for fans to choose an artist was still their looks...

Isn't there a saying? "Liking someone starts with their looks, deepens with their talent, and is loyal to their character." But without looks, this liking wouldn't even begin!

Reality is indeed cruel!

Fortunately, the looks of the singer in front of him were not bad!

Yang Han had clear, well-defined features, a straight nose, and a face with a few sharp angles. Although his attire was a bit old-fashioned and simple, it couldn't change the fact that his appearance was quite "enduring"!

Moreover, he was tall and had a composed and refined presence, and Lu Yubo could see his unique confidence at a glance!

Lu Yubo didn't know about Yang Han's character or whether he could maintain his popularity, but with his current looks and the quality of this song, Lu Yubo believed that Yang Han would definitely become a big star!

The competition was secondary. Discovering an excellent singer and helping them debut was more interesting to Lu Yubo than winning the championship—he didn't think Yang Han could win the championship, as Yang Han was clearly good at mid-to-low notes, and the lowest note in this song was F1, but the highlights in competitions were often the high notes!

Of course, no matter what happened in the future, having such a student in the team would definitely be a powerful asset!

Lu Yubo began to regret not pressing the button earlier.

"A toast to tomorrow, a toast to the past, supporting my body, thickening my shoulders..." Yang Han continued singing on the stage, unaffected by the mentors' continuous "raising the flags," even with four flags already raised.

"He really enjoys the stage!" After raising the flag, Zhuo Xuan excitedly made a "I want you" gesture to Yang Han, but Yang Han ignored it. Zhuo Xuan didn't feel embarrassed; instead, she looked at Yang Han with even more admiration and turned to Lu Yubo to say.

Lu Yubo nodded in agreement. Apart from a few exchanges for the show's effect, they remained silent, giving Yang Han respect and enjoying his performance.

...

"Clear-headed people are the most absurd..."

At the end of the song, the camera focused on Lu Yubo, who pointed and asked Yang Han to introduce himself.

"Hello, everyone, hello to the four mentors!" Yang Han, unlike his "cool" singing style, smiled warmly and politely greeted everyone before continuing, "My name is Yang Han, I am forty years old, and I come from the beautiful city of Guangzhou!"

"Forty years old?" The audience was shocked, and even the viewers at home were surprised.

Who would have thought that the young-looking Yang Han was actually forty years old!

The mentors couldn't sit still. The youngest among them, Fan Ziyu, was only thirty-eight, but he looked his age due to his post-marriage weight gain. How could the man who was two years older than Fan Ziyu look only twenty-five or twenty-six?

In response to the mentors' questions, Yang Han smiled openly, "Yes, I am forty, and my daughter is sixteen! I came to this show because she signed me up, and I didn't even know at first..."

When talking about his daughter "tricking" him, Yang Han's smile on TV became even brighter, with a hint of pride in his eyes!

However, at the moment the show aired, in a building not far from the Wusu Town Grand Theater in Zhejiang Province, in a dark canteen on the second floor, a girl sitting in front of the TV lifted her hands to cover her tear-streaked face.

"Ahh! Dad, how could you say that!" The girl couldn't bear to look at the mentors' reactions on TV and called out, embarrassed.

The overwhelming wave of nostalgia for her father, triggered by watching the TV, was largely washed away by her current embarrassment, almost making her cry out in shame.

Unfortunately, there was no good friend by her side to comfort her!

But, speaking of whom, whom shall come!

Perhaps hearing her call, a timid voice came from the hallway, "Yiyi, are you on the second floor? It's so dark, I'm scared... Hmm, where did you go? We need to practice our dance together!"

"Fefei, I'm here, I'm coming!" Yang Ruoyi reluctantly glanced at the TV, where her father hadn't chosen a mentor yet, but she didn't need to worry because the "four flags" meant he wouldn't be eliminated. She quickly turned off the TV and ran to the hallway.

Tang Wenfei clung to the railing, nervously huddling in the lit area. Seeing Yang Ruoyi run over, she sighed in relief, but then she noticed her friend's red eyes and the tears that hadn't been wiped away, and she became worried, "Hey, why are you crying?"

"It's nothing, I just watched 'China's Good Voice' and saw my dad singing. I just missed him a bit, so I cried," Yang Ruoyi wiped her face and smiled at her.

But the girl in front of her was even more sensitive. As soon as she heard this, Tang Wenfei's eyes filled with tears, "Wah, don't say that, I, I miss my parents too, wah..."

The two girls tried to comfort each other, but in the end, they ended up hugging and crying together.