Chapter 512 I’ll Punish You Tonight
“Mentor, you’re so beautiful.”
The young man beside Zhang Han was still nervous after performing, and he couldn’t help staring at Zi Yan and flattering her.
“Thank you,” Zi Yan replied calmly.
“Will I pa.s.s the examination?” the young man asked since he hadn’t received Zi Yan’s golden chain.
Zi Yan shook her head slightly and walked toward Zhang Han.
Then she heard the young man asking, “Mentor, what was wrong with my singing?”
Zi Yan stopped, turned around, and answered, “Your voice is nice, and your recorded songs should be good. But you are not good at mastering rhythm without accompaniment, and the ending of your second, fourth, and fifth lines was low. Maybe you didn’t notice it. You’d better go back and practice more.”
Zi Yan nodded slightly and left, leaving the man in embarra.s.sment.
All this was recorded by the cameraman who followed Zi Yan all the way.
Zuo Dong, the rapper, was attracted by the young man’s voice and took a few looks at him from behind Zi Yan. Instead of asking for the young man immediately, Zuo Dong hesitated for a while and decided to give him the golden chain if Zi Yan didn’t change her mind after all the examinations.
Although each mentor had his or her own a.s.sessment area, they were promised to go to the other mentors’ area to select the performers who had been pa.s.sed over. However, this kind of situation was uncommon, unless the player was particularly favored by a mentor and rejected by his own mentor. At the same time, choosing another mentor meant that he would take the risk of offending the original mentor.
But it was impossible for a performer with real strength not to get the golden chain.
Hearing Zi Yan’s comment, Zuo Dong was more interested in the unlucky young man, so he stopped to watch Zi Yan’s a.s.sessment after finis.h.i.+ng examining the girl in front of him.
Zi Yan approached Zhang Han.
She was as calm as when she was a.s.sessing the other players. After looking Zhang Han up and down, she took out her notebook and said, “No. 188, start please.”
Although she looked very kind, she was actually growling in silence.
“Ah! I’ve been away for just a few minutes, how dare you talk and joke with another woman? Hmph! Wait and see!
“Hiss!”
Facing Zi Yan’s gaze, Zhang Han couldn’t control his twitching mouth.
“All right, she is jealous.”
However, he forgot that Tong Jiajia was still waiting beside him. Noticing that the handsome boy hadn’t said anything for two seconds, the girl made a gesture to encourage him. “Come on, handsome brother.”
“Poof…”
Zhang Han’s face darkened.
After giving Zi Yan a helpless smile, he cleared his throat and said, “I’ll sing a part of A Poem for You.”
Then he began singing unaccompanied while marking time silently.
“Romance.
“It’s strange, and I can’t control myself.
“Romance.
“It’s magic. I’m no longer myself… A poem for you, the silence for you, and I’ll do whatever impossible…”
A good singer can attract his audience with the very first words he sings. Thanks to Zi Yan’s lessons in recent days aiming at enhancing the details of Zhang Han’s singing skill, Zhang Han had made great improvements on the basis of his distinctive masculine voice. Therefore, his performance immediately attracted many people’s attention.
“He is also a professional singer.”
The crowd began to discuss the masked young man.
Even Zuo Dong narrowed his eyes in surprise. He had never expected a contestant to sing so well unaccompanied, which meant that the young man had devoted himself to music.
Zuo Dong even felt that this performer could be better than some famous singers.
Or at least the young man had made full preparation in singing this song.
Opportunity was for someone who was well-prepared like him!
However…
When Zhang Han finished singing…
Zi Yan looked at him indifferently for two seconds, and then announced, “Unqualified!”
“Swis.h.!.+”
The crowd was stunned and then began to discuss it in low voices.
“What?”
“If he is unqualified, shall we just go back home directly?”
“Oh, G.o.d, no. How could she be so strict?”
“So terrible. No one will pa.s.s the examination if the standard is like this!”
Both the compet.i.tors and Zuo Dong were stunned.
“Why didn’t he pa.s.s the examination?” They were in confusion. “Is Zi Yan looking for someone suitable for her own songs? But… that’s unreasonable.”
“Huh?”
Thinking about it, Zuo Dong realized that his chance was coming.
“Maybe I can communicate with the strong man and invite him to my own team. I’m sure he’ll be one of my best singers.”
A plan was soon made, and Zuo Dong was limbering up.
On the other side, Zhang Han was in a dilemma and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
He was the only one who knew that the beauty was not strict at all… She was just venting her spleen!
But Zhang Han also knew it clearly that after a.s.sessing all the performers in her area, she would give him a golden chain.
Imagining Zi Yan coming to give him the chain, Zhang Han couldn’t help smiling.
The onlookers were a little confused.
“Do my eyes deceive me, or is he still smiling?”
“Okay, it’s none of my business anyway.”
“Do whatever you like.”
Tong Jiajia gulped nervously when she saw what had happened.
“My gosh. He was refused though he sang so well. I’m finished. What can I do? I’m so nervous!”
Her heart stopped in her throat.
But along with the high tension came the extreme excitement, and she secretly made up her mind.
“I’ll pa.s.s the a.s.sessment and prove my strength!”
She took a deep breath, turned to look at Zi Yan beside her, and then took the lead to say, “h.e.l.lo, mentor, I’m Tong Jiajia, a junior at the Hongyang Conservatory of Music.”
“Nice to meet you. Start please.” Zi Yan nodded slightly.
Although Zi Yan was unhappy because Tong Jiajia had gotten close with Zhang Han, she listened to the girl carefully without selfishness.
“I’ll sing Spring Breeze.”
Tong Jiajia narrowed her eyes slightly and persuaded herself that she was now on the stage.
She began singing.
“It turns the peach blossom red, the willow green, whom you are going to comfort on the way.
“It awakens the frog, invites the swallow, who I’m missing so much in the city.”
When singing “blossom” and “swallow”, Tong Jiajia’s vibrato was very professional, which improved the quality of the whole song.
Zuo Dong had just finished the examination of a male singer, who had gained some fame in the circle and sang very well, so Zuo Dong gave him a golden chain without hesitation.
Then he turned his gaze in Zi Yan’s direction.
“Both the young man and the girl are good singers, will she give them a chance?”
Zuo Dong pondered.
At last…
Tong Jiajia finished her part of the song and looked at Zi Yan hesitantly.
The other performers who were going to be a.s.sessed also got nervous.
Thinking for a while, Zi Yan took a golden chain from a staff member’s hands and gave it to Tong Jiajia.
“Well done, you are good at controlling the rhythm. But you were half a beat quick from the beginning of the third line, so you need to practice more.”
“Thank you, mentor. Thank you so much.”
Tong Jiajia’s eyes lit up. While reaching out to take the golden chain, she thanked Zi Yan again and again.
The cameraman managed to capture Tong Jiajia’s excited expression and s.h.i.+ning eyes. The girl was in a good mood now and suitable for some screen time.
Seeing Zi Yan giving out the golden chain, the other compet.i.tors following Tong Jiajia all sighed with relief.
Zi Yan stepped toward the next player, getting ready to listen to his performance.
At this time, Zuo Dong walked directly up to Zhang Han.
“I can’t wait any longer.”
Zuo Dong had expected that Zi Yan would compare Zhang Han with the others and then change her mind, since the young man was really a good singer, and Zuo Dong couldn’t help asking about him.
Though after taking Zuo Dong’s golden chain, Zhang Han might not agree to join his team.
But Zhang Han would definitely give priority to Zuo Dong when choosing his new mentor. And Zuo Dong was confident that the young man would finally be his if he tried his best to persuade Zhang Han.
The ranking and victory of each team were not only related to the dignity of the corresponding mentors, but also to whether they could continue to serve as mentors in the next season.
The mentors were all interested in the potential of the show and wanted to stay.
“h.e.l.lo, nice to meet you.”
Zuo Dong approached Zhang Han and gave him a smile.
“Is Zuo Dong here to rob Zi Yan of her singer?”
The cameraman behind Zuo Dong had been shooting him and Zhang Han.
Even Zi Yan noticed the two men.
“What is Zuo Dong going to do?
“Is he here to rob me of my husband?”
She turned her gaze toward Zhang Han and Zuo Dong.
Facing Zuo Dong’s smiling face, Zhang Han nodded and replied, “Nice to meet you, Mentor Zuo.”
“Well, your Mandarin is very good. Where are you from?” Zuo Dong kept smiling.
He was trying to get close with Zhang Han.
Lots of people around them noticed it.
The other performers in Zuo Dong’s area who had been abandoned by their mentor could do nothing but force a smile. They had to admit that the young man favored by their mentor was really strong and professional.
“Zi Yan might regret it if she keeps refusing the young man.”
“I come from the north,” Zhang Han replied.
“I’ve listened to your A Poem for You just now, and you did a really good job with your skill and voice. Maybe we could cooperate to do something big. How much do you know about rap?” Zuo Dong asked with expectation in his eyes.
If Zhang Han could rap, Zuo Dong would really consider cooperating with him.
“Just a little.”
“Well… Have you heard the song Fate Is a Bridge? Could you please try to sing a line of that song?” Zuo Dong nodded.
Fate Is a Bridge was difficult, and he wanted to test the young man’s limit.
Zuo Dong planned to give the young man a golden chain no matter if he pa.s.sed Zi Yan’s examination or not.
The other compet.i.tors knew that Zuo Dong had settled on Zhang Han and decided to give him a golden chain.
Many of them began to look at Zhang Han with envy.
At the same time, they were all encouraged by Zhang Han’s experience.
Real talents would not be ignored!
But at this time, Zi Yan held her breath.
“I’ll punish you when we go back home if you dare to get another’s golden chain!”
Zhang Han seemed to sense the danger, so he smiled at Zuo Dong and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mentor Zuo, but I’m here for Mentor Zi and I’ll go home if she refuses me.”
“Clatter, clatter!”
The crowd was stunned once again.
“What did he say?”
“Is he here for Zi Yan?”
“Is he here to flirt with the mentor?”
They didn’t know what to say for the moment.
Even Zuo Dong was choked by Zhang Han’s words and lapsed into silence.
But Zhang Han was such good a singer that he wanted to try again.
“I understand why you want to join her team, but it’s an audition and each mentor’s golden chain has the same function, which is to let you advance to the next round of compet.i.tion. Though you may not choose me, I’ll keep this golden chain for you in case you change your mind.”
Zuo Dong picked up a golden chain and gave it to Zhang Han.
Zuo Dong’s words and att.i.tude won him a lot of favor from those present.
“Thank you, Mentor Zuo Dong. But I’ve made up my mind.” Zhang Han smiled and nodded.
Zuo Dong sadly took back the golden chain and sighed. “All right.”
He looked at the camera, smiled, and said, “It’s the first time that I failed to give out a golden chain. He’s very special.”
Then he took the lead to go back to his own area and continue the a.s.sessment.
Zi Yan smiled when she saw this.
Of course, only Zhang Han saw her smile.
“Well, how could you rob me of my husband?”
“Excuse me, Mentor, have I pa.s.sed the a.s.sessment or not?”
A young man’s voice awoke Zi Yan.
“Huh?”
Zi Yan was embarra.s.sed.
The young man in front of her shrugged and repeated his question. “Mentor, what do you feel about my song?”
“Umm….”
Zi Yan blinked her big eyes quickly and finally admitted, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t hear you clearly. Could you please sing your song again?”
“Sing again? No problem!”
The young man replied and then began singing.
“I’m eating fried chicken in People’s Square…”
Zi Yan was stunned when she heard the song.
“Is he here to be funny?”
Finally, Zi Yan pursed her lips and comforted the performer. “The song was changed a little and thus you failed to show your skill. You’d better practice the ABCs of music more.”
“Okay, do you mean that I can’t pa.s.s the examination? It doesn’t matter, I’m still a big fan of yours. You’re so beautiful.” It seemed that the young man didn’t care much about the result. On the contrary, he was so optimistic that he even threw Zi Yan a kiss before leaving the a.s.sessment area.
Being amused by the young man, Zi Yan smiled and then walked toward the next contestant.
Seeing Zi Yan go away, Tong Jiajia looked at Zhang Han and asked curiously, “Why didn’t you accept the golden chain? Is it true that you are here for Mentor Zi Yan? You’ll be eliminated if you failed to get Mentor Zi Yan’s golden chain.”
“Yes.” Zhang Han took a glance at her and smiled.
He didn’t want to talk too much with the girl, or Zi Yan would get angrier.
Now Zhang Han was under the curious gaze of the crowd.
Judging from his dressing style, the young man seemed to be wealthy, who should not care too much about the compet.i.tion result. Therefore, it might be true that he was here to pursue the beautiful mentor.
Meanwhile, the failure of this powerful performer brought them psychological balance.
Gradually, Zi Yan was about to finish her a.s.sessment, but there was no sign that she would go back.
The crowd began to look at Zhang Han with sympathy.
“Well, why didn’t you accept Zuo Dong’s golden chain? Now…”
“You’d better seek blessings for yourself.”
Finally, this round of a.s.sessments was all over.
Cheng Xu, the director, picked up the microphone and announced, “Next, from No. 191 to No. 290.”
Many of the eliminated players left the venue, and those who got a golden chain went to the back seats and sat down.
“What a pity.”
Tong Jiajia looked at Zhang Han, but she didn’t know how to comfort the young man.
When everyone felt sorry for Zhang Han…
“Wait.”
Zi Yan stopped Zhang Han, who turned around and looked at Zi Yan along with a lot of people.
Zuo Dong smiled. “Just as I said, Zi Yan wouldn’t give up such a good singer.”
Zi Yan hurried to walk toward Zhang Han with a golden chain in her hand, which she put around Zhang Han’s neck. Taking the opportunity, she grumbled coyly in Zhang Han’s ear, “I’ll punish you tonight, hmph.”
Zi Yan’s att.i.tude shocked lots of people.
“Dammit, it’s the first time for Zi Yan to do this personally!”
“Wow! Is it equal to a hug? I envy him so much!”
“…”
“Great!”
Tong Jiajia cheered in a low voice and made a gesture to congratulate Zhang Han.
Seeing this… the other three mentors were surprised.
“Why did she keep the young man waiting for such a long time? Why did she do this herself?” Gu Fan asked curiously.
“I know a little more than you, for I’ve heard the young man’s performance. Though he just sang half of the song, he did a good job and was even better than many professional singers. But I failed to give him my golden chain and invite him to join my team.” Zuo Dong smiled.
“Why didn’t Zi Yan gave him the golden chain as soon as he finished singing?” Da Hua asked in confusion.
“I don’t know,” Zuo Dong shook his head, “but he pa.s.sed the a.s.sessment and is now one of our strongest rivals. I think he should be one of the candidates for the champions.h.i.+p, and in terms of his performance so far, he will be in at least the top five.”
“It sounds like he is amazing.” Gu Fan became more interested in that young man.
However hard they tried to figure it out, they couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation for Zi Yan’s behavior.
Maybe she wanted to spend more time emphasizing the value of this chain?
They didn’t realize that it was just the jealousy of a woman in love.
Hearing Zi Yan’s words, Zhang Han smiled.
“Thank you for your golden chain, Mentor.”
Zhang Han thanked Zi Yan seriously, and then made a gesture of sending his heart to Zi Yan.
Zi Yan was amused by him and could barely keep the smile off of her face.
Pursing her lips, Zi Yan gave Zhang Han a meaningful look, and then walked over to the other three mentors.
Zhang Han thought for a while, and then found himself a seat in the waiting area.
There were just a dozen people in the area, and many of them seemed to know each other and chose to sit together. Now all of them were looking at Zhang Han curiously.
They had never seen Zhang Han before.
On the other side, the four mentors started the third round of auditions.
There were 10 auditions in total, each of which took nearly an hour, so it would take up to nine hours to finish all the a.s.sessments.
While Zhang Han was watching the performances of the other compet.i.tors, Zhao Feng and Zhou Fei were waiting in the staff area.
At three o’clock in the afternoon, Zhang Han texted Zi Yan.
“I’m going back to pick up Mengmeng. Take care of yourself and don’t work too hard. It’s hot so you’d better drink more water.”
“Okay. See you later.”
Zi Yan texted back after a.s.sessing a performer.
Then Zhang Han texted Zhao Feng and asked him to send someone here to wait for the result.
After driving back to the villa with Zhao Feng, Zhang Han boarded his helicopter, and it took him half an hour to arrive at his company in New Moon Bay.
It was 3:45 p.m., and Zhang Han went directly to Mengmeng’s kindergarten since he had nothing else to do.
He waited for about 10 minutes at the school gate.
Then he saw Mengmeng.
“PaPa, why isn’t MaMa here? Is she busy working?” Mengmeng asked as soon as she got in the car.
“Yes, MaMa is busy working, and she’ll come back at seven o’clock in the evening,” Zhang Han chuckled and replied.
“Well, PaPa, shall we go to have an ice cream since MaMa is not here?”
Mengmeng’s big eyes were s.h.i.+ning.
She had just eaten ice cream yesterday, and Zi Yan wouldn’t allow her to have another one in a few days if she were here. Therefore, Mengmeng took this opportunity and turned to her father.
Zhang Han fell silent and turned to look at Mengmeng.
The little girl was gazing at him without even blinking her eyes.
Zhang Han slowly gave her a smile.
“Of course, let’s go!”