Ye Cang tried to bargain, but Shen Huai remained impartial and refused him without hesitation.
In the end, Ye Cang could only accept it with a bitter face.
However, this will have to wait until he returns from the hospital.
What's even more worrying than that is the upcoming semi-finals.
If Ye Cang hadn't fallen ill, he wouldn't have taken a mere semi-final match to heart at all. But the illness came on suddenly and didn't heal quickly; on the day of the match, Ye Cang still had a low-grade fever.
When Shen Huai and he got out of the car and walked towards the studio, they found that the area outside the studio was almost entirely surrounded by green, and the colors of the other contestants had been squeezed out to only a few scattered patches.
Upon seeing him approach, the fans gathered outside immediately called out his name. They had all seen Ye Cang getting an injection in the previous trailer, which had even been thoughtfully captioned to emphasize the severity of Ye Cang's illness.
Fans were extremely worried, and many who didn't usually follow celebrities bought tickets to come just to see him in person.
Ye Cang paused, then waved to greet them.
The fans erupted in screams, but seeing his noticeably thinner face and the sickly look that couldn't be hidden even with a mask on, several fans couldn't help but shout from the crowd.
"Cangcang, take care of yourself! The competition is fine!"
"Yes, no matter how your grades are, we will always support you!"
"We like you and your songs. We know you've worked very hard!"
Ye Cang was somewhat helpless. These words made it sound like he was bound to lose, but despite this, he did not refute the fans' good intentions. He told them to take precautions against the heat before entering the studio.
Shen Huai glanced at the number of people outside, called them to order mung bean soup, and then accompanied Ye Cang into the rest room.
Because Ye Cang was ill, he only rehearsed once. The director was a little worried. In addition, Ye Cang did not seem to have recovered yet, and there was a live broadcast later. It was unknown whether he had the stamina to hold up.
Ye Cang didn't think too much about it. He went into the rest room, found a corner, wrapped himself in a blanket, and started to catch up on sleep. The staff coming and going around him seemed to have no effect on him at all.
Li Zihang originally wanted to come over and ask him if his cold was getting better, but seeing him like this, he couldn't bring himself to ask and could only leave quietly.
The time before the competition passed quickly, and staff rushed in: "All contestants, get ready, you'll be going on stage soon."
Shen Huai frowned slightly. Ye Cang was still asleep, but he looked very tired.
Shen Huai didn't want to wake him up, but the competition was about to start, so he had no choice. He nudged Ye Cang's shoulder and said, "Wake up, get ready to go on stage."
Ye Cang did not react at all.
Shen Huai's heart skipped a beat, worried that Ye Cang had a fever again. He reached out and placed his hand on Ye Cang's forehead, but before he could confirm whether he had a fever, a hand grasped his.
Ye Cang opened his eyes, his gaze seemingly devoid of any sleepiness: "Is it time to go on stage?"
Shen Huai nodded.
Ye Cang threw the blanket aside, stood up, and looked energetic.
Seeing this, Jiang Junyan muttered under his breath, "He's not sick at all, he's just faking it..."
Shen Huai didn't hear his words. He just frowned and looked at Ye Cang's back, then clenched his sweaty palm into a fist.
Chapter 27
Starting from the semi-finals, Zhongjing TV and T will broadcast the matches simultaneously.
"The Rising Star" was already very popular, and with Ye Cang frequently trending on social media recently, it has attracted many viewers who don't usually watch reality shows. In particular, the previous online feud between Uncle Squid and your dad even attracted Principal Fang, and many singers later reposted the Weibo post, sparking a discussion in society.
As a result, the number of viewers for this semi-final match reached a new high, and even the ratings of Zhongjing TV soared to number one.
The semi-finals were divided into two stages. In the first half, contestants performed their chosen songs, and the judges and the audience scored them together. The contestant with the higher score had the right to choose their opponent first in the second half. The winner advanced directly to the top three, while the losers competed to determine the third and fourth place winners.
This means that if the performance is not good enough, it may be necessary to sing three shows.
Ye Cang drew the first match in the last round, which wasn't a particularly good draw, but for him right now, it couldn't be more suitable. After all, after playing the first match, he would have plenty of time to rest and prepare for the next one.
Ye Cang walked onto the stage step by step, and a burst of screams erupted from below, with many fans shouting his name.
Ye Cang's attire for this match was very simple, just a white shirt and jeans. Upon closer inspection, it was quite similar to his first match, but the situation was completely different now.
Not only were the fans in the audience chanting his name, but viewers watching on TV and online were also eagerly anticipating the song he would sing.
The lights dimmed, and Ye Cang, holding the microphone, nodded to the side.
The director was on tenterhooks, watching the footage sent back by the camera along with all the staff.
Actually, this song isn't very difficult, but it's a new song after all, and the sheet music was written by Ye Cang on the spot. They only rehearsed it once, and Ye Cang was also sick. It's said that he had his temperature taken before the show started and had a low-grade fever. They were all worried that there would be problems with the live broadcast.
on site.
At Ye Cang's signal, the guitarist plucked the strings, and a series of smooth melodies flowed out.
The song was completely unfamiliar; the intro had a folk feel to it, faint yet somewhat melancholic.
"The Dying Traveler" was the last song Li Jun left in this world. He was not a person with extraordinary talent, and even his last song did not have a stunning melody, but it contained an intense emotion that could not be ignored.
Li Jun's life was like a journey. He was like a solitary traveler, out of place in this world, with only his zither as his companion.
Where is his destination? Perhaps he himself doesn't know, or perhaps his destination is too far away, and he may never reach it in his lifetime.
Loneliness, solitude, and despair.
This was his strongest feeling during the journey.
However, he never regretted it. Even when he finally reached the end of his road and gave up his life, he never regretted embarking on such a journey.