0713: You who shine in the parallel world

With all the background music gone and the stage lights still off, the audience, unaware that the performance was over, remained holding their breath. The silence was like falling into the deep sea, where the endless waters blocked out all external sounds.

As they struggled to the surface and gasped for breath, cheers surged from all directions like a tsunami, engulfing the entire studio in the next moment.

The audience, who had been holding their breath and suppressing their urge to scream and gasp for fear of ruining this poignant spectacle, now seemed unable to contain their desires any longer.

All verbal praise at this moment becomes pale and powerless clichés; only instinctive shouts can express their madness for "Suspended" and for this incredible and stunningly perfect stage.

From the moment the melody was altered, everything on this stage seemed to be under a spell.

Let alone the vast majority of people who didn't have any hope or regard for Yu Yu, Guan Zhibin, and He Zhancheng at the beginning, even the few viewers who were interested in them or were their fans, even if they expected their performance to be amazing, even if they thought that the three of them were indeed talented but just had too few audiences and not a large number of casual viewers, they did not expect that they still underestimated their potential.

The performance of "Suspended" was unexpected by everyone. Perhaps apart from the brothers who unconditionally trusted Yu Yu's strength, no one would have believed that they were so strong before the performance, and almost no team would have placed "Suspended" on an equal footing.

Even apart from the "Countless" group, no one else would bother to watch their rehearsals when they didn't have much time to rehearse themselves.

So many of the brothers couldn't explain why, even though it was just a "viral internet song," it shone so brightly in their hands.

He Zhancheng's choreography skills are too strong. In the initial stage, his dance performance with Ma Xiaolong was only two people and the performance time was too short. It was not as shocking as "Suspended" which was danced from beginning to end and had a group of backup dancers joining in the group dance.

Moreover, Yu Yu and Guan Zhibin didn't slack off at all!

Although Guan Zhibin is not as famous as the other brothers from the Greater Bay Area, he has 20 years of stage experience and has never sung or danced before.

But Yu Yu is different. In the few stages he has performed since his debut in China, when has he ever sung or danced? During the Super Boy competition, those few half-hearted attempts at dancing were not even worthy of being called radio calisthenics, let alone singing or dancing.

But! Nobody ever said that Yu Yu, when he seriously sings and dances, is actually this handsome! This doesn't look like a 33-year-old middle-aged singer standing still; this is clearly a newly debuted foreign idol!

After just two weeks of intensive training and rehearsals, the three dancers displayed perfect synchronization in their synchronized dance, whether viewed from a distance or in close-up.

Furthermore, especially Yu Yu, who sang and danced simultaneously, was so breathless that not a sound could be heard, and his pitch was as steady as a CD just finished recording in a studio. If it weren't for the two people next to him who could be heard breathing or having slight pitch issues, the audience might have even thought they were using backing tracks.

What's even more terrifying is that, from beginning to end, Yu Yuquan's live singing and dancing was not only as stable as a CD, but his control over his timbre and his meticulous expression of every word in the lyrics were so delicate that professionals could write an entire analysis post about it.

But for non-professional audiences, what is more intuitive is that his mesmerizing, siren-like voice contains the expression of desire and despair as described in the lyrics. That kind of love makes people reckless yet powerless to struggle, like another parallel line that can always be seen but never touched.

He embodies the desire and love represented by Guan Zhibin. Their harmony is like a passionate fire that burns fiercely, but it slowly dies out when it encounters He Zhancheng. He switches between true and falsetto timbres with ease and fluency, intertwining with that hoarse and deep singing voice. It is an ethereal and desperate feeling that he cannot grasp.

Yu Yu, who seemed to have few lyrics and was mostly harmonizing, became the key figure on the stage at this moment. He connected his two teammates and propelled the entire performance forward.

“I know there’s a term in the entertainment industry to describe acting skills: ‘guided acting.’ I think Yu Yu’s performance on the stage of ‘Suspended’ was exactly ‘guided singing.’ He used his singing to guide Kenny and John to bring out 200% of their singing strength. He taught without teaching, which is incredible. The key is that he’s only thirty-three years old, right? That’s amazing!” Hu Yanbin praised with a beaming smile in the post-interview.

When asked by the production team about his thoughts on the "Suspended" stage and his brother Yu Yu, Chen Chusheng couldn't hide his smile, which even showed his shark-like wrinkles: "Yu has always been unique. He just rarely lets people see this side of him, but that may not be a bad thing. He has his own rhythm, and when needed, he will naturally stand up."

Wang Yuexin crossed her arms proudly and smugly: "My little Yu, hehe, sorry to the other brothers, but he's really something else, he's the best in my eyes! What? Comparing him to Brother Sheng? Cough cough, Big Brother is Big Brother, and Little Yu is Little Yu, we're all family, what's there to compare? Stop trying to sow discord..."

On the surface, Zhang Yuan seemed to be expressing his disdain and disappointment, but his upturned lips and crescent-shaped eyes betrayed him: "That lazy bum, Haiyu, let me tell you, he's just lazy. He always liked to lie low behind us brothers and hide his achievements. Look, now that he's started his own business, he can't lie low anymore, right? Hahahaha!"

At first glance, Yu Haoming's praise seemed very official, as he praised all three of them. In reality, he was a lucky guy who was good at talking and taking credit, and he revealed the behind-the-scenes achievements that Yu Yu hadn't mentioned:

"...I'm so glad John was able to realize his little wish to sing in the first performance. I heard him say that he hadn't sung much before because he felt his voice wasn't good and he couldn't find the right pitch, but Yu Yu immediately helped him find the most suitable vocal tone and way of producing sound. The same goes for Kenny. He helped him adjust the pronunciation of each word and expanded his vocal range in a more scientific way. In fact, Kenny was only able to sing what he hadn't discovered before. How can I put it? Yu Yu is really good at teaching."

In the post-show interviews with the other brothers, when asked about the most memorable stage performance, many chose "Suspended." Some, like Ma Boqian, were particularly talkative, spending over half an hour of their two-hour preparation interview rambling on.

Many audience members who posted their reports on social media after the performance included "Suspended" in their top three performances and praised Yu Yu to the skies. Some fans even went so far as to say that when they came back and were lying in bed, they couldn't get Yu Yu's siren chanting and harmonies out of their heads.

Of course, these are all things to be discussed later. No matter how wonderful the reports are, the public will only know after the show airs, and that is assuming the production team doesn't edit the footage haphazardly or reverse-edit the audio.

As the stage lights came on, Yu Yu, with a light sheen of sweat on her brow, hugged her teammates, smiled slightly at the cheering audience, and led them in a bow, which ignited their enthusiasm even more, with some so emotional that they couldn't help but shed tears.

Yu Yu saw the little girl standing closest to the stage crying her eyes out. He winked at her, pointed at her, and his deep blue eyes curved slightly. He clenched his fists and rolled them under his eyes, making a crying gesture to cheer her up, but his smile was gentle and comforting. For a moment, it was hard to tell whether the sunlight or he was more radiant.

As everyone knows, Yu Yu is good at flattering people, even if the other party is not her own fish fry, but Query would not do that to make the period happy.

Periods: Fine, fine, you're so high and mighty!

When he returned to the interview stage, the audience was still cheering. Qi Sijun had to calm them down several times before they finally composed themselves. But when he made his next teasing remark about Yu Yu, another burst of screams erupted from backstage.

"Brother Yu, you should really try singing and dancing more often in the future, you're really cool..."

Upon hearing this, Guan Zhibin immediately joined the audience in cheering: "Agreed! I agree! Don't be fooled by Cyrus's face, he's actually very powerful. Underneath those loose clothes, he's got real substance."

How could the audience possibly sit still? "Ahhh! Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!!!"

Yu Yu is not a shy kid. He calmly joked, "As a musician, it seems a bit backwards to let your talent be overshadowed by your good looks. So John can take his clothes off because he is a dancer and he has something underneath."

He Zhancheng, who was still watching the commotion and was caught off guard by being called out, asked: "Ah? Me?"

“Actually, on the other hand, Kenny, you are one too. People can’t just look at your baby face.” Yu Yu then looked at Guan Zhibin.

Xiao Qi never expected things to turn out this way. Seeing Yu Yu, who seemed innocent on the surface but was actually a wicked fish with a wicked sense of humor, looking at him with ill intent, Xiao Qi immediately steered the conversation back on track: "Brothers, stop, stop, stop! Be serious! This is a proper music stage!"

When it came to the voting, Yu Yu, Guan Zhibin, and He Zhancheng ran around the audience for a while before returning to the interview area to wait for the results.

Although from now on, specific scores will not be announced directly, only whether or not a winner is announced, it is not difficult to see that "Suspended" is better than "Drifting" by comparing the audience's reactions after the previous stage and this stage.

But what if the production team deliberately manipulates the situation?

Wang Yaoqing stared at the big screen, outwardly appearing calm and composed, but inwardly he still harbored some nervous anticipation, both for the production team and for the difference in how much he liked the two teams.

However, when the final results came out, and the three members of his group, whose popularity was significantly lower than his, happily embraced each other, his feigned magnanimous smile froze for a moment.

Faced with absolute strength, all the gimmicks and showmanship in the early stages, external popularity factors, the song's own fame, etc., become secondary factors. Even the show's unspoken rules and favors can become fluid.

After all, the production team, which can still generate buzz and create a comeback story in the less important last kilometer, doesn't mind letting Wang Yaoqing's team suffer a little loss first—or rather, it's not necessarily a loss, as the topic of the first performance's failure also benefits Wang Yaoqing's popularity.

Although there would be many benefits, Wang Yaoqing still disliked failure, especially being defeated by three "juniors" with lower reputations and status in the industry than himself, which made him lose face.

However, he still wore a generous fake smile on his face, as he liked to maintain his public image. He hugged the three members of the "Suspended" group who came to replace them in the audience seats, and then returned to the backstage without looking back, as if he was too busy to greet the audience members near the stage.

Yu Yu knew why he was unhappy, but he didn't care at all.

The spectator seats were located next to the audience seats. At this moment, the next stage, "Night Asks Day," was still being prepared. The attention of the audience was focused on the three of them. Those who were close by had already begun to chat with them boldly, while those who were standing aside secretly observed them.

Although He Zhancheng couldn't speak the language, he happily waved back to the enthusiastic audience.

As for the other two faces of "Suspended", up close, Yu Yu's beauty is more authoritative, and she is flawless even from an upward angle. Although Guan Zhibin is not as handsome as Yu Yu, he is still quite good-looking on his own. He also likes to get close to Yu Yu and whisper to her.

Two handsome men sitting together, coupled with their collaboration on stage that would make even a passing dog bark in amazement, have led many women to sit in the audience and watch them, unable to resist a moment of passionate adoration.

Sorry, raw/cat/mud/bird/bright/tiger/Hins (Kenny's true official pairing), I'll just sneak a bite over the wall, just a tiny bite.