Ye Qi was very busy. He couldn't fall behind in his first-year courses, and in his spare time, he had to prepare for the singing competition. He saw Shao Qingge much less often.
Perhaps because they were now officially in a relationship, Ye Qi couldn't help but miss Shao Qingge every night. Shao Qingge's face kept recurring in his dreams. Of course, he was too embarrassed to tell Shao Qingge any of this.
During the day, Ye Qi still focused on his studies and preparation for the singing competition.
He did well in the last singing competition, but his performance in the district competition wasn't good. This time, he started over, correcting some of his singing weaknesses, practicing repeatedly, and making thorough preparations.
As he expected, he easily passed the auditions, and in the district competition, he won first place!
The finals would be held on the Lantern Festival. Last time, Ye Qi had a car accident because he went to Jiangzhou to check out the venue beforehand. This time, he listened to Shao Qingge and stayed home during the Spring Festival, not leaving the house until the tenth day of the first lunar month.
Also staying home were Xiao Lou, Yu Hanjiang, Liu Qiao, and the Long Qu couple, who had experienced the accident during this period. They checked in on each other in the group chat until the time of the accident had passed and everyone was safe, at which point they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed their entire group had survived in reality.
Xiao Lou asked, "Is Ye Qi's final on the Lantern Festival? Han Jiang and I probably can't make it to the venue; the police force has something to do that day, and we have to go back to our unit."
Liu Qiao said, "I'm going to attend a research training course at the university this winter break, so I can't be there to cheer for Ye Qi either, but I'll watch the live stream on my phone and vote for you!"
Ye Qi sent a row of smiley faces: "Thank you everyone, you don't need to come all the way to cheer me on. If you can watch the live stream, just vote for me! After all, I'll be holding a concert in the future, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to see me live!"
Lu Jiuchuan couldn't help but complain, "You're really not humble at all!"
Ye Qi confidently said, "I'm aiming for the championship!"
He had a good chance of winning last time, and now, having been given a second chance, he understands the competition rules more thoroughly and is better prepared. In addition, Teacher Zhao Chen personally revised his arrangement for the final. If he still can't win the championship, wouldn't all his efforts over the past three years have been in vain?
Because he had prepared for a long time, Ye Qi didn't feel nervous or stage fright at all. He simply wanted to stand on that stage, to prove himself, and to prove to Shao Qingge—that he hadn't chosen the wrong path. With
the finals approaching, Shao Qingge personally picked Ye Qi up and brought him back to Jiangzhou on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year.
Having not seen each other for over ten days during the Spring Festival, they both missed each other
terribly. As soon as they entered the villa and closed the door, Ye Qi suddenly threw himself into Shao Qingge's arms. Shao Qingge, caught in his embrace, looked at the guy holding him tightly and his heart softened. He reached out and ruffled Ye Qi's hair, asking softly, "Missed me?"
Ye Qi nodded earnestly, "Yeah, you wouldn't let me go out. I've been cooped up at home for ten days, I'm almost going crazy."
Shao Qingge chuckled and lifted Ye Qi's chin, "Want a kiss to comfort me?"
He then gently kissed Ye Qi.
Ye Qi's heart pounded. He opened his mouth, and sensing his response, Shao Qingge tightened his arms, kissing him even deeper.
When they parted, Ye Qi's face was flushed, and he couldn't help but mutter softly, "Where did you learn all these skills? Have you had many boyfriends and girlfriends before...?"
Shao Qingge immediately clarified, "No. My heart is filled with you, how could I touch anyone else?"
Hearing this, Ye Qi felt a sweet warmth in his heart and coughed lightly, saying, "I was just joking, I didn't mean to doubt you."
Shao Qingge held his hand and said softly, "I know you're actually very insecure, thinking that our relationship won't last because I'm very rich, and there will definitely be many temptations around me, right?"
Ye Qi truly thought so. Shao Qingge was rich, handsome, and so young and promising; wouldn't there be a long line of people wanting to pursue him? Therefore, even after confirming their relationship, he was still uncertain, always feeling that their relationship wouldn't last, and that maybe in a few years Shao Qingge wouldn't like him anymore.
Shao Qingge saw through Ye Qi's thoughts, looked into his eyes, and said earnestly, "Little Ye, have you forgotten what we've been through together? In this world, there will never be another person besides you whom I would protect without hesitation, even with my life. Therefore, there will never be a third person by my side."
The man paused, deliberately emphasizing his tone, "No one can replace your place in my heart."
Ye Qi: "......"
In another world where survival was a constant crisis, they had gone through so much together. Did he not trust Shao Qingge's character? President Shao had even shielded him from the Zerg's attack with his own body. The real world might be peaceful, but the bond forged in times of crisis is far more precious!
Ye Qi took a deep breath, stood on tiptoe, and quickly planted a kiss on Shao Qingge's lips, saying earnestly, "I believe you. You're the only one in my heart, and no one can replace you."
Shao Qingge hugged him tightly.
***
On the day of the finals, not many of the other teammates were present because they were all busy with their own affairs.
Everyone tried to watch the live stream on their phones whenever they had a spare moment.
Ye Qi performed exceptionally well.
Compared to some singers who were so nervous during the finals that they sang off-key, Ye Qi remained stable from beginning to end. His high notes were flawless, and even the professional judges couldn't help but praise his pitch. There was nothing to criticize about his performance. From the solo performance in the first round to the duet in the second round, and the final showdown in the third round…
Ye Qi sang three songs in a row without even breaking a sweat, almost on par with professional singers!
The judges whispered among themselves: "Ye Qi's foundation is so solid, and his mental fortitude is amazing!" "And today's final was a live performance. Several contestants had cracked their voices, but Ye Qi performed perfectly, completely outshining them." "Some singers lip-sync, but for him to reach this level live is truly impressive!"
Thanks to President Chen's generous promotion, the competition was very popular online, and its viewership ratings were the highest among this week's variety shows. Before the finals, some contestants attracted a large number of fans through various hype and sob stories. Ye Qi didn't have a large fan base, and he wasn't considered the favorite to win online.
However, today, Ye Qi's performance was truly outstanding.
His live singing skills were almost at the level of a professional concert!
In the end, Ye Qi received the highest scores in all three categories: live voting, online voting, and judges' scores.
The host excitedly announced: "The winner of this singing competition is—number 7, Ye Qi!"
Amidst enthusiastic applause from the audience, Ye Qi walked onto the stage and accepted the gleaming golden championship trophy.
His eyes suddenly stung with tears. He had worked tirelessly every day for the past few years to win this championship. His hard work had finally paid off; he hadn't let President Shao down, Teacher Zhao down, or even himself down! He
was so close to his dream of becoming a singer! Ye Qi bowed deeply to the audience, choking back tears as he took the microphone, thanking everyone who had helped him.
In this situation, he most wanted to thank President Shao, but due to Shao Qingge's special status, he couldn't say it directly. He could only silently say in his heart: Thank you.
In the WeChat group, everyone sent their congratulations.
"Congratulations Ye Qi on winning the championship!" "Little Ye is truly the best!" "I just voted for you too, Little Ye, we all support you!"
Just then, Gui Yuanzhang suddenly appeared and said: "This group is amazing! Police officers, forensic doctors, soldiers, designers, AI researchers, sports school students, dance teachers, and now a star is about to emerge? [Surprised][Surprised]"
Everyone: "......"
Gui Lao, you don't know, this is the group that cleared that bizarre world of the Card Room game! You're amazing too!
Unaware of the situation, Gui Lao barged in and chimed in, saying, "I also watched the finals! @Ye Qi, she sang well!"
Ye Qi had just arrived backstage when he saw the message in the group chat. He smiled and replied, "Thank you everyone! I'll definitely invite you all to my concerts in the future!"
Meanwhile, backstage in the VIP lounge for the finals,
Chen Yu raised an eyebrow and said, "Shao Qingge, you've gone too far! I invested in this singing competition. The finalists have to sign with my company. I'll package them well and debut them as an idol group. You want Ye Qi to go solo, fine, but you actually want the champion to sign with some Seven Leaves Studio? What kind of studio is that? It sounds unreliable!"
Shao Qingge said calmly, "Seven Leaves, read backwards as Ye Qi, that's the artist studio I established."
Chen Yu was stunned: "You? You're going to get involved in the entertainment industry?"
Shao Qingge patted his friend's shoulder and said calmly, "I'll pay Ye Qi's breach of contract fee..." "I'll compensate you according to procedure. He won't sign with your company; I'll have a separate management team for him from now on. Although it's not very ethical, Ye Qi is special to me. You have so many artists under your management; you don't need him. But my management company will only have him."
Chen Yu remained silent for a long time before looking at Shao Qingge with a suspicious gaze: "Your relationship with Ye Qi..."
Shao Qingge nodded: "I like him; we're lovers."
Chen Yu cursed, almost slamming his fist on the table in anger. He should have seen through it sooner. What cousin? This bastard Shao Qingge was playing a game of grooming! Shao Qingge wanted to promote his lover, and as his childhood friend, he certainly couldn't trip him up. He should have known better than to let Ye Qi win the championship; this damn duck that was in his hands flew into Shao Qingge's bowl!
Chen Yu was incredibly frustrated when Shao Qingge said, "By the way, the fund you bought from me, I invested it in tech stocks last year, and it's already up 30%."
Chen Yu immediately beamed, "Great! Ye Qi, you can take it with you. I'll have my PR team find a suitable explanation."
Shao Qingge said, "Thanks."
Ye Qi came out from backstage and saw Shao Qingge and Chen Yu walking towards him side by side. Chen Yu gave Ye Qi a half-smile and said, "Regarding the contract termination, I'll have my lawyer contact you tomorrow. Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you."
Ye Qi was completely bewildered, "Contract termination?"
They had signed a contract when they entered the finals of this singing competition. If they achieved good results in the finals, they would be given priority to sign with Starlight Entertainment, the investor of this competition.
What did Chen Yu mean by contract termination?
Ye Qi turned to look at Shao Qingge.
Shao Qingge smiled slightly, "Let's talk about it when we get home."