Chapter 1040: Chapter 1040: The Nerve to Show Off Chapter 1040: Chapter 1040: The Nerve to Show Off “OK.” Estelle efficiently went off to prepare.

As soon as Estelle left, Qi Yue’s shoulders slumped, and she anxiously called out to her, “Rong Yan, what if I can’t do well?”

There was a calming power in Rong Yan’s clear black and white eyes, as she gently said to her, “Don’t be afraid. If thieves aren’t scared, what do we have to fear? What’s stolen will always be stolen, and it can never become their own. We sing our own songs; the audience can tell the difference between good and bad.”

“On stage, no one cares who you are or what you’re singing; they only care if it’s pleasant to listen to, if the stage effect is stunning. With me here, we’ll do as we discussed before. Just express yourself with confidence–that’s all.”

Qi Yue’s thumping heart calmed down a bit. She took a deep breath, nodded firmly at Rong Yan and said, “I understand, Rong Yan.”

…
Yan Qingqing and Xia Xue’s performance won a tsunami of applause from the audience, especially Yan Qingqing’s fans, who nearly broke their light signs from waving them so vigorously.

The judges participating in the review also gave Yan Qingqing’s unpublished ‘new song’ very high ratings, with Yan Hong not sparing any praise, stating outright that Yan Qingqing could be her successor, with unbounded potential ahead.

As the heaviest-hitting guest for this final, Hanks Dina’s reaction seemed rather thought-provoking. She didn’t pick up on the cue from the host and absentmindedly remarked that she wanted to see the following performances before commenting.

Being a world-renowned director with an unrivaled status in the country, even the host and Yan Qingqing felt a bit awkward, yet they managed to regain composure and smoothly moved the event along.

After Yan Qingqing and Xia Xue left the stage, their faces were still flush with excitement.

“Qingqing, I did well, didn’t I?” Xia Xue asked in a soft voice, holding Yan Qingqing’s hand and seeking approval with endearing charm.

Yan Qingqing, too, was performing for such a large audience of fans for the first time and couldn’t contain the thrill in her heart. However, upon hearing Xia Xue cozy up to her for praise, she rolled her eyes and warned, “Who cares about your performance, you’ve already been eliminated. Be clear, you’re just my guest singer, don’t act as if you’re the star. The spotlight is on me!”

As she spoke with such dominance, Xia Xue merely bit her lip and with a sheepish smile, responded, “I know you’re the star today. I was just afraid that I might not perform well enough and drag you down.”

“You did alright,” Yan Qingqing thought of the audience’s roaring enthusiasm and the barely concealed astonishment and compliments from the senior judges, and she felt quite pleased, “I didn’t give you the opportunity for nothing.”

She hadn’t expected Rong Yan’s songwriting skills to be so remarkable, the song was indeed popular. Unfortunately, she couldn’t take care of her own property and deserved to have it stolen.

As she mused, she unexpectedly bumped into Rong Yan and Qi Yue, who were preparing to take the stage.

Today was also the first time Yan Qingqing had seen Rong Yan. When she saw that high-end custom-made dress on Rong Yan that she had dreamt about but could never wear, her face suddenly turned a shade of green. Perhaps having recently basked in the limelight on stage, she had forgotten that she was a thief and stood still, sneered at Rong Yan, “I thought you weren’t going to show up at all, but here you want to perform on stage. What will you sing, ‘When the Forest is Deep, I See Deer’? Not to tell you what to do, but no matter how nice the song is, the audience gets tired of hearing it again and again. They want something fresh and exhilarating, not watching someone rehashing the same old thing.”