Chapter 41: Invisible Wings Takes Flight

Xiao Yang had already pre-ordered the show when its preview aired, and the moment it updated, she eagerly grabbed her tablet to watch. Heaven knew how many times she’d rewatched the trailer in the interim.

The hot search for ‘Celebrity Week’ had been trending on Weibo since the afternoon, a testament to just how captivating the preview had been.

Of course, some viewers had discovered the show through the stage video of ‘Most Dazzling Ethnic Style’.

The moment Xiao Yang entered the program, countless bullet comments streamed across her screen.

“Don’t you dare fast-forward, it’s peak entertainment all the way!”

“TL;DR: No stage performances in the video, but don’t leave—the end of the show is even better!”

“Hehehe, let’s ship them!”

She automatically ignored the last comment about shipping, as she personally disliked forcibly pairing two unrelated individuals.

As the show’s progress bar advanced, Xiao Yang finally learned what Feng Qiqi had said to Lin Ziyao in the preview.

On screen, Feng Qiqi patted Lin Ziyao’s shoulder and declared, “Your skill level is too low; you need more practice.”

It turned out Lin Ziyao had been mistaken for a ‘green tea b*tch’ by Feng Qiqi. Realizing this, Xiao Yang broke into a knowing smile.

‘How could such a sweet girl be a green tea b*tch?’

Had she not seen this adorable girl on stage before, her innocent appearance might indeed have led Xiao Yang to subconsciously label her as such.

Soon, however, Xiao Yang’s smile vanished. On the video, she watched Lin Ziyao actually lean onto Qin Yu’s lap.

“???”

“I’m shipping this so hard!”

“Beauties sticking together—it’s too sweet!”

A flurry of question marks drifted across the bullet comments, interspersed with a few peculiar remarks.

“Qin Yu didn’t even refuse!” It was evident that Qin Yu, despite having Lin Ziyao’s head on her lap, remained expressionless. Instead, it was Lin Ziyao who, blushing, quickly struggled to sit up from her lap.

This made Xiao Yang breathe a sigh of relief. ‘It must have just been a coincidence!’

Yet, the image of the two girls resting peacefully together kept replaying in her mind. Suddenly, it was as if a new world had opened up, and she barely paid attention to the program anymore.

When she finally snapped back to reality, she saw Qin Yu walk onto the stage, guitar in hand. She composed herself, remembering that Qin Yu’s new song was to be released on this very show.

“So good, I need to listen again.”

“Already on my Nth rewatch.”

“Release it quickly! I can’t wait to see this song dominate the new song charts.”

The bullet comments floating by filled her with immense anticipation for Qin Yu’s new song.

However, what Qin Yu said next utterly astonished Xiao Yang.

“I haven’t decided what to perform yet. How about I play a tune my roommate just strummed for me in the room?”

“This song isn’t Qin Yu’s? Qin Yu’s roommate, isn’t that…” Before Xiao Yang could finish her thought, she saw Lin Ziyao stand up and walk onto the stage.

She looked at the information displayed on the program schedule.

Song: ‘Invisible Wings’

Lyrics & Composition: Lin Ziyao

Vocalist: Lin Ziyao

Accompaniment: Qin Yu

“Lin Ziyao, this song is actually hers!” Countless first-time viewers, like Xiao Yang, had the same thought flash through their minds.

If even Qin Yu was willing to provide accompaniment for her, just how talented was Lin Ziyao?

Driven by this thought, she began to listen intently to the original song.

The moment Lin Ziyao began to sing, Xiao Yang’s heart trembled, as if the pure sound alone could stir her soul.

“She has a beautiful voice.” Xiao Yang noted that Lin Ziyao’s singing style now was completely different from when she’d heard her live previously.

She handled two vastly different song styles with effortless mastery. To think such a person was merely an individual trainee; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her a renowned singer.

Moreover, the crucial point was that this song was entirely original!

Original!

By the song’s concluding notes, Xiao Yang felt a surge of strength within her—the power to confront difficulties.

“Invisible wings let dreams soar higher than the sky,

Leaving a wish for oneself to imagine.”

How long had it been since the word ‘wish’ appeared in her vocabulary? Perhaps it was the day she graduated from university, or the first day she became a corporate drone; she had stopped harboring hope for that word.

But today, Lin Ziyao’s song brought the word ‘wish’ back into her sight.

‘Should I pick up painting again, something I abandoned?’

Perhaps, just as the lyrics suggested, there would be invisible wings to carry her over difficulties. Perhaps time was not an excuse for her. The seeds she had once sown began to sprout anew in Xiao Yang’s heart.

When she rewound the progress bar to where the two began singing the song, the number of bullet comments had, imperceptibly, increased again.

“I don’t know why, but my nose tingled after listening to this song.”

“I feel like I just watched a true angel descend to earth!”

“I never expected to hear such an amazing song on a variety show.”

Watching Lin Ziyao earnestly singing on screen and Qin Yu sitting, playing the guitar, she realized there truly seemed to be a silent understanding between them.

She set her tablet aside and picked up her phone to open Weibo. The entire Weibo hot search caught her attention, pulling her away from the show’s ending.

There were ten trending topics related to ‘Celebrity Week,’ occupying nearly a fifth of the entire list.

The hottest topics were “Lin Ziyao” and “Invisible Wings,” which virtually monopolized the first and second spots on the hot search. These two entries were generated by countless viewers searching on Weibo after watching the show, with no artificial inflation whatsoever.

Under the “Invisible Wings” hot search, many people urged for the song’s immediate release. Since Qin Yu had accompanied the song on the show, numerous users flocked to Qin Yu’s Weibo, demanding updates.

Meanwhile, the name “Lin Ziyao” directly claimed the top spot on the hot search, prompting many who didn’t follow variety shows to start asking, “Who is Lin Ziyao?”

Coincidentally, the evening the show aired, a variety show featuring a competition between Chinese and international singers also premiered. The director of that show was Director Feng Wang, whom netizens jokingly called a ‘hot search insulator’. Once again, Lin Ziyao had stolen the top hot search spot from his program.

The hot search propelled the show’s viewership, and the increased viewership, in turn, fueled the Weibo hot search. In a self-reinforcing cycle, the show’s popularity began to climb steadily.

However, besides the first episode’s broadcast, the production team quietly updated the preview for the next episode.

Many viewers who had previously heard ‘Most Dazzling Ethnic Style’ on Weibo finally found the source of the stage video. The familiar melody and infectious rhythm made many bullet comments wish for time to fast-forward to next week, so the show would air sooner.

“Why isn’t there an advance screening option? I’ll pay to get the next episode now!”

“I’m dying without new songs to listen to!”

“Director, where’s your home address? I’ll send you something if you can update the next episode right now!”