Chapter 159 Slow Down, Time

Among the four mentors of the fourth season of The Voice, aside from Teacher Ah Jiu, the other three all had contestants advancing to the finals.

They were Su Tong and Liang Luoshi from Na Jie's team, Xu Yanwei from Ah Lin's team, and Qin Feng from Liu Fan's team.

Na Jie and Su Tong sang the first song together. Ah Jiu was in a somewhat awkward position with no opportunity to perform, so another superstar singer dueted with Liang Luoshi. The remaining two, Xu Yanwei and Qin Feng, naturally performed duets with their respective mentors.

After all four groups finished their performances, the program moved on to guest performances while the production crew nervously tallied the scoring results.

There were scores from the mentors, votes from netizens, and evaluations from the live judging panel.

Once the guest performances concluded, the score results for the first round were finally ready.

Amidst nationwide anticipation, many held their breath, crossing their fingers for their favorite contestants.

"Dear audience, the scoring results for the first round are out," Hua Shao said, holding a slip of paper. "I know many viewers are waiting for this moment, so I won't drag it out. I'll announce the scores and rankings directly."

"I will start with the first place," Hua Shao said with a serious expression. "First place... is a contestant from Na Jie's team."

A contestant from Na Jie's team?

That meant either Su Tong or Liang Luoshi.

Many fans rooting for Qin Feng or Xu Yanwei were deeply disappointed.

Meanwhile, viewers supporting Su Tong or Liang Luoshi kept their eyes locked firmly on Hua Shao.

"Gege, Gege..."

"Fairy, Fairy..."

Everyone chanted silently in their hearts.

"The first place is..." Hua Shao's voice suddenly rose. "It is Su Tong, with 91 points!"

Roar!

Su Tong's fans cheered ecstatically, and earth-shattering applause erupted throughout the venue.

"Second place, Xu Yanwei, 90 points."

"This time there are two second-place winners. The other one is Qin Feng, also with 90 points."

"Third place, naturally, is Liang Luoshi, with 89 points."

After announcing all the scores, Hua Shao reminded the audience: "There is one thing I need to tell everyone. Originally, the champions of the four respective teams were supposed to receive a 5-point bonus when the final scores were tallied. Coincidentally, among the final four, aside from Su Tong, the other three contestants were all champions of their respective groups."

"What the heck, what a bullshit rule!"

"Are you kidding me? They're still doing this in the grand finals? Has the production team gone mad? Doing it during the brawl stage was fine, but keeping it now? Are they deliberately trying to screw over Gege?"

"What the hell! I knew there was something fishy. This rule is totally targeted at Gege—out of all four contestants, only he wasn't a group champion."

"I'm speechless. Gege already dueted with Na Jie, and with Na Jie's backing, he only managed to lead the last-place contestant by 2 points. How is he supposed to pull ahead after this? If the production team arranges for some trashy contestant from last season to duet with him next, we can forget about him winning the championship."

"Boycott The Voice! It's rigged and targeted against Gege."

"..."

Su Tong's fans were furious, feeling a deep sense of injustice for him.

"Haha, what's the use of being handsome? Those brainless fans only care about looks and don't even listen to the music properly."

"So what if he's high-value? I hate pretty boys the most."

"Narcissist. Relying on his looks to spout nonsense without using his brain—I dislike people like that the most."

"He was purely hyped up. I don't even know why this guy became famous. Did he really write those songs? Who would believe that?"

"..."

There were also plenty of anti-fans taking joy in Su Tong's misfortune.

Su Tong had already returned to the backstage. Tonight, he didn't want to think about anything else; he just wanted to sing properly.

"Gege," Xiaoyu tightly grasped Su Tong's hand.

Su Tong gave her a gentle smile. "Xiaoyu, are you nervous?"

"Mm." Xiaoyu nodded shyly. She had spent a year singing in internet live streams, but this was different. During last night's rehearsal, apart from the staff, there was practically no one in the audience, which had already made her somewhat nervous. Now, with the audience seats packed with people, she felt even more nervous.

"This song is written for Dad. He's still lying in the hospital, and the television has already been turned on for him," Su Tong encouraged.

Xiaoxiao was also backstage, completely oblivious to what being nervous meant. She giggled and said, "Jiejie, let Xiaoxiao go sing! Xiaoxiao can sing too."

Xiaoyu took Xiaoxiao's tiny hand and looked at her older brother. "Gege, I'm not nervous anymore."

Soon, backstage staff notified Su Tong to prepare to go on stage.

Just as Su Tong and Xiaoyu were about to head out, Xiaoxiao eagerly piped up, "Kiss, kiss me."

Su Tong and Xiaoyu paused. Su Tong smiled and bent down.

Xiaoxiao planted a kiss on both her brother's and sister's cheeks. Then, Su Tong took Xiaoyu's little hand and walked onto the stage.

"And now, let us welcome the first-place winner of the first round, Su Tong, and his duet partner!" The moment Hua Shao's voice faded, Su Tong and Xiaoyu appeared on stage.

"Wow~"

"Oh~"

Exclamations of surprise rippled through the audience.

"Why isn't it a contestant from last season? It's just a little girl?"

"What's going on? The previous three contestants all dueted with performers from last season, so why did Su Tong bring out a little girl?"

"Did they make a mistake?"

"..."

Both the live audience and viewers at home were filled with confusion.

The veteran fans of Niannujiao felt tears welling up in their eyes. They recognized her—it was Da Qiao.

After a few months apart, Da Qiao had grown even prettier and taller.

"Da Qiao! Da Qiao!"

Some veteran fans in the audience shouted out excitedly.

Xiaoyu had been somewhat nervous initially, but hearing the calls of "Da Qiao" and feeling the warmth of her brother's hand instantly calmed her down, stopping her from looking out into the audience.

The sound of a piano began to play, immediately followed by the gentle melody of a violin.

Su Tong and Xiaoyu stood at the center of the stage.

On the stage's backdrop screen, a yellowish, vintage photograph appeared. It showed a young father holding a young child in his arms, his face overflowing with happiness.

Then, a second photograph slowly faded into view—still the same father, holding the hand of a child who had just learned to walk.

"Always taking things from you
Yet never once saying thank you
Only after growing up
Did I realize how hard you had it"

A bright gleam flickered in Su Tong's eyes as he began to sing with profound emotion. His voice, the accompaniment, and the giant screen behind him hit the audience like a basin of cold water, making everyone shudder involuntarily.

"Every time you left, you always
Put on a relaxed expression
Smiling as you said 'go on back,'
While turning away with tear-soaked eyes"

Xiaoyu started singing. Her angelic, childlike voice fell like a torrential downpour, soaking everyone to the bone.

"How I long to be like before
Holding your warm palm
Yet you are no longer by my side
I ask the gentle breeze to carry my wishes for your health"

Su Tong continued singing, the light in his eyes burning even brighter like twinkling stars, while the big screen displayed a photo of a child holding their father's hand.

"Oh time, please slow down
Don't let you grow old anymore
I am willing to trade all that I have
In exchange for your years to linger long"

Su Tong and Xiaoyu sang the duet hand in hand. On the big screen, a hospital ward appeared: a father lay on a bed, wearing an oxygen mask, unconscious, while his grown-up child held the father's large, calloused, and scarred hand.

In an instant, every single audience member broke into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

A father's love is like a mountain; as we slowly grow up, our fathers gradually grow old.

The lyric "Oh time, please slow down, don't let you grow old anymore" brought countless viewers to tears.

Even the staff of The Voice production team, despite listening to the song for a second or third time, were now weeping profusely.

Who doesn't have a father? No one's heart is made of iron. No matter how cold, ruthless, or merciless a person might be, they still shed tears; if they don't cry, it simply means their tear ducts haven't been touched yet.