Chapter 61 : 060 The Place Where Dad's Dream Began
"Ladies and gentlemen in the audience, friends watching on your screens, and all the boys and girls out there, hello and welcome to the annual 'Supreme Cutie Talent Show,' our second round of the talent battle extravaganza! I'm your old friend, Uncle Da Dong!"
With 20 years of rich experience hosting children's variety shows, Teacher Da Dong had seen so many children that they could fill the entire stage of the 'Supreme Cutie Talent Show'!
As the leading host on Longdu Children's Satellite TV, Teacher Da Dong had a simple and honest look that gave a sense of security and possessed the golden qualities of "Emotional Stability" and "Master of Control": no matter how "special" the child was, he could always handle it with ease, turning a crisis into safety!
"Hello everyone, I'm your new friend, Goo Goo!"
Standing beside Teacher Da Dong was a girl co-host with orange side ponytails wearing a short skirt.
Her speech and actions exuded an incredibly energetic and lively vibe.
With the new mascot making her debut, all the friends in the audience gave her a warm round of applause.
"This is Teacher Goo Goo's first time co-hosting the 'Supreme Cutie Talent Show' with me. How about a self-introduction, so everyone can get to know you better?"
"Sure... As everyone can see, Teacher Goo Goo is a very cute big sister, but! Beneath Teacher Goo Goo's adorable exterior lies a heart that's cold and strict."
Goo Goo, with hands on her hips, said, "Teacher Goo Goo has always paid close attention to the progress of the 'Supreme Cutie Talent Show.' I hope every child can perform to their true ability on stage and ensure that every child receives a fair assessment. As for those children who think about exploiting connections or rigging votes, absolutely, absolutely no advancement will be allowed!"
"Ahaha... Our competition is, of course, absolutely fair and just, please rest assured," said Da Dong.
With a frown, Goo Goo continued, "Then, about the director's son from last year—"
"Ahahaha... Let's take a short commercial break, and after the ads, we will introduce this episode's jury and guest teachers to everyone. Thank you all!"
Today, Teacher Da Dong's ability to control the situation was indeed highly praised!
Meanwhile, in the waiting area beside the stage, the children were making final preparations for their performances, accompanied by their parents.
Today, the Fang You family and the Xia Nuo family arrived at the Hanhai Grand Theater in the provincial capital, Fuzhou. After several rounds of selection, a total of twenty children would perform in today's episode.
Although many of them had previous performance experience, for most of the children, it was their first time at such a large-scale event. Seeing the dense crowd of spectators below, some of the children had already started crying, clinging to their mothers' hands.
Fang Guanghui looked at the child next to them, who was twisting and turning, too scared to go on stage and being coaxed by a parent. He then glanced at his own child, Fang You, who was meditating with closed eyes, waiting to go on stage.
A sense of disparity suddenly rose in Fang Guanghui's heart.
Oh no, why do I feel a hint of envy...
At the same time, nearby, Xia Anyang was squatting beside Xia Nuo, full of concern as he fussed over his daughter.
"Nuo Nuo, are you nervous?"
"Nuo Nuo, do you want another sip of water? Dad will pour it for you."
"Nuo Nuo, have you drunk too much water? Should Mom take you to the restroom?"
"Nuo Nuo—"
Xia Nuo tilted her head somewhat helplessly as she looked at her dad.
"Dad, it's not you who's going on stage. No need to be so nervous..."
"Me, nervous? I'm not nervous at all!"
"Really?"
Xia Nuo eyed Xia Anyang's guilty and evasive gaze, and just then, Lin Yi explained with a smile, "Nuo Nuo, do you know? This stage is a very special place for your dad."
"How is it special? Nuo Nuo wants to know!" Xia Nuo was curious.
"This is where your dad—"
"Alright, let's not talk about it anymore!"
The always mature and composed Xia Anyang, at this moment, showed a rare sense of youthful awkwardness.
Xia Anyang had once led a team to participate in 'China's Best Bands,' and it was on the stage of the Hanhai Grand Theater that he had won the championship in the Fuzhou regional competition.
That was also where Xia Anyang's dream of a band began.
Back then, he was very confident and proud.
He believed he could make a name for himself on this land of China.
But then, on the stage of the finals—
"So Dad lost, didn't he?"
Xia Nuo hopped and skipped, "I've already heard about Dad's band experience so many times, I can recite it by heart!"
"Do I, do I talk about it that often to you?"
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"Hahaha, it's okay Dad."
Xia Nuo patted her father Xia Anyang's head with a confident smile, "I'm very well-prepared today, I won't lose like Dad did!"
Actually, it wasn't right there that he had lost.
Suddenly encouraged by his daughter, Xia Anyang felt somewhat sentimental.
He also patted Xia Nuo's head, then smiled and said, "Actually, winning or losing isn't important, what Mom and Dad care about is that Nuo Nuo has fun today."
"I'm super happy today!"
Xia Nuo nodded her head, then said to Xia Anyang, "Dad, You You is going on stage first in a little while, I'm going to cheer for You You."
"Remember not to kiss his cheek this time! That will get you pregnant!"
[Xia Anyang still harbors a grudge about that incident from last time, Emotional Energy +5]
"Eh! Can you really get pregnant from kissing the cheek?"
Xia Nuo showed a shocked expression, "Then this is terrible, Ayu and I are both going to have You You's babies!"
"Don't always teach your daughter strange knowledge!"
As mentioned before, the "Talent Competition" results were determined by a combination of judges, a professional jury, and audience votes.
Therefore, regardless of their performance, none of the children would know right away if they had advanced, which was a kind of protection for them. It also allowed everyone to focus more on the children's talent display rather than the issue of advancing to the next round.
After a few performances had concluded, it was finally time for Fang You's debut.
"Okay, the next performer to take the stage is a musical prodigy you may have already heard about. He became famous across the internet for singing 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' at just eight months old, and later amazed thousands of netizens with his incredible drumming skills. He is—Fang You! Let's give him a warm welcome!"
Fang You walked onto the stage amidst the applause, waving to the audience below.
"You You's walking posture is so imposing!"
"Welcome Emperor Youyou to the stage!"
Gugu clapped fiercely for Fang You at her side, her excitement level taking Teacher Dong by surprise.
"It seems Teacher Gugu is quite interested in our You You!"
"Yes, I've been a fan of Emperor Youyou since I was little, and I know his drumming is really impressive."
Teacher Gugu's gaze couldn't hide her fondness for Fang You, and although she had been harsh in her comments about the other children, now she displayed deep favoritism:
"From a professional standpoint, I think You You's drumming deserves 101 points. I'm giving that extra point because I'm afraid he'll be too modest!"
"Teacher Gugu has given You You a very high evaluation."
One of the judges, the popular singer Wang Mi, also said, "I also love the vigor with which You You plays the drums... It feels like he's playing with the music. This 'playing' is not derogatory, it's about control, something we singers can understand... being in tune with the notes and rhythms."
"I get it, I get it!" Teacher Gugu nodded her head, "Exactly that feeling!"
For some reason, Fang You always received special affection from the older girls.
Truly worthy of Emperor Youyou, such real charisma!
And facing so many gazes from the stage and the audience, Fang You was like a seasoned veteran, still maintaining a composed and cool facade.
He showed neither excessive excitement nor the slightest fear.
Meanwhile, the staff carefully brought up the performance props and equipment.
Seeing the items being carried up, everyone looked at each other in confusion.
"Isn't it... a drum kit?"
Today, You You's not playing the drums!
The only prop on stage was a table, with a dozen or so porcelain bowls of various sizes arrayed on top.
What performance could Emperor Youyou possibly have in store?
All present were filled with curiosity.