“Since you want to follow in your father’s footsteps, can I hear you sing one more song?”
“‘Compendium of Materia Medica’ showcases your songwriting and rapping abilities.”
“Your cover of ‘Love Transfer’ from ‘Beneath Mount Fuji’ also reflects your songwriting skills and singing, but, to be honest, I’d really like to hear one more original song from you. Is that possible?”
Cheng Xiao, as a dance teacher, genuinely wanted to hear Cao Gong's singing voice.
Furthermore, she couldn't shake the feeling that Cao Gong looked at her with an odd expression.
Surprised? Amazed? Curious? Incredulous? Strange?
She couldn't put a finger on it, but she felt like there was something in the way Cao Gong looked at her.
“Sure.” Cao Gong didn’t refuse Cheng Xiao's request.
“Then I’ll sing... This song is a bit special, but I don’t know if it's suitable for a performance on this stage.”
“It’s fine, sing it.” Di Li Reba gestured, signaling him to just go ahead and sing.
Cao Gong turned to the sound engineer: “Teacher, the last song on the USB drive, please.”
The sound engineer, as instructed by Cao Gong, played the third song on the USB drive.
The song’s melody started off unremarkable, but something changed when the melody reached the 10-second mark.
From the 10-second mark onward, the melody became quite stirring, with an atmosphere of grief and grandeur.
The trainees present all fell silent, listening intently to Cao Gong’s performance of his third song.
“Smoke rises, looking north at the empire”
“Dragon flags unfurl, horses neigh, swordsmanship like frost”
“Heart like the Yellow River, vast and boundless~~”
…
“Horses hooves gallop south, people gaze north~”
“People gaze north, grass turns yellow, dust flies”
“I’d give my life to defend this land and expand our borders, a glorious, loyal empire, for the whole world to come and~~~~~~~ celebrate~~~~”
…
Cao Gong’s voice resonated with power, fully showcasing the magnificent and majestic essence of this song.
This righteous voice, this deep and powerful singing, rendered Teacher Tu's ‘Patriotic Loyalty’ in its purest form, causing many viewers watching the program to feel their patriotic spirit and love for their country surging within them.
Numerous viewers watching the program were stunned as they looked at Cao Gong on their computer screens.
‘Patriotic Loyalty’ extols Yue Fei’s entire life of military service and his ardent patriotic spirit.
And Cao Gong’s singing, soaring yet tinged with sadness, powerful and inspiring, was truly moving.
“Holy crap! This song is incredible!!!”
“Damn, Cao Zei, you’re amazing. You actually sang about Yue Fei’s patriotism.”
“This song is amazing. It feels like I’m seeing our country’s territory restored.”
“Amazing! You sang with the domineering aura of a Chinese hero!”
“This song is grand and magnificent. It makes you feel so passionate.”
When the program aired, countless viewers gave the song a thumbs-up.
Even people from CCTV, upon hearing the song, immediately contacted Cao Gong.
Then they told Cao Gong that the country had acquired the rights to the song, and that he couldn’t just sing it randomly from now on.
But that’s a story for another time.
At this point, of the teachers present, Di Li Reba was the first to stand up.
“Clap, clap~” Upon hearing the first verse of the song, Di Li Reba stood up and applauded Cao Gong.
Just because of the lyrics “A glorious, loyal empire, for the whole world to come and celebrate,” she couldn’t sit still and listen anymore.
The other mentors also rose to their feet one after another, applauding Cao Gong as he performed on the stage.
Zhang Yi Xing, Wang Jia Er, Ou Yang Jing, and Li Rong Hao were all captivated by the song.
A young man, capable of composing such a song that instilled a sense of national pride, deserves admiration.
Cao Gong was also pleased with his own performance.
How could this song praising the Chinese people be buried? Of course, he had to use it.
Without this song in this world, that would truly be a loss.
Thus, without hesitation, he chose this song.
Originally, he hadn’t planned to perform it here. He was going to release it when he put out his album.
But since there was a request, he wasn’t being rude, so he sang it.
“Well, well, well, got anything else? We want to hear more, what do we do?” Di Li Reba looked at him with a smile.
“No more. If I sang any more, it’d turn into my solo concert.”
“Heh~” Cao Gong was right. Everyone chuckled in agreement.
It was true. The song was so good, everyone wanted to hear more.
Di Li Reba looked at Cao Gong with a smile, and the more she looked at him, the more she liked him.
Noticing Di Li Reba's gaze, Cao Gong looked away to avoid meeting her eyes.
This was a she-devil, you know. You look at her for even a moment and she’ll have you wrapped around her finger.
No, I’m an idol. I can’t be in a relationship.
Women only affect physical health. Live long, stay away from women.
“Scores?” Di Li Reba asked them.
“Well, we don't really need to assess his musical skills anymore.”
“Vocals and rap are both no problem. While his rap in ‘Compendium of Materia Medica’ wasn’t exactly peak, at least as a male group’s rap leader, it’s more than enough.”
Wang Jia Er’s assessment resonated with Zhang Yi Xing and Cheng Xiao. They thought it was accurate.
“Regarding vocals, I think it’s fine as well. You could even say it’s...”
“My singing isn’t necessarily better than his.” Li Rong Hao chimed in with his evaluation.
“It's true. ‘Love Transfer’ was very beautiful and emotional.
“In Liu De Hua’s version of ‘Beneath Mount Fuji,’ it expresses that when you like someone, it’s like you’re in love with Mount Fuji, and you can’t just carry it away, so you can only approach it, and love isn’t about possession, it’s about pursuing, it’s about a willing self-transformation.”
“Cao Zei’s rendition of ‘Love Transfer’ expresses that love can be given to one person, or to many people. You can also transfer it to another person. Love won’t last forever with just one person.”
“‘Patriotic Loyalty,’ that song, it really expresses national pride.”
“I think Cao Zei’s singing is truly excellent. As a male group’s vocalist, it’s more than enough.”
“But we still don’t know how he is with dancing.” Zhang Yi Xing was eager to test him.
“Let’s see. Just based on these two songs, and his songwriting ability, he definitely deserves an A.”
“We can assess his dancing later. There's no need to take up the time from other trainees’ initial stage evaluations.” Cheng Xiao offered her opinion. “Besides, if he’s good at dancing too, it might be a huge blow to other trainees.”
“Heh~” Cheng Xiao’s words echoed Reba’s own thoughts.
In the end, Di Li Reba, with a satisfied expression as she looked at Cao Gong on the stage, said: “Individual trainee, Cao Gong.”
“Your score for the initial stage is… B.” Di Li Reba announced the result.
“Wow, wow, wow!!!!” This outcome shocked everyone.