Chapter 163: Daybreak

The accompaniment began, tinged with a slight melancholy. Haunted by the story the host had just shared, the audience felt a heavy suppression in their hearts.

"That was an autumn,
The wind so lingering,
Reminding me of them."

Xiao Yu's singing, gentle and sorrowful like an angel's, sounded like the lament of a clipped wing. Only three lines in, it already made the audience's noses sting.

"Those helpless eyes,
Right there where the beautiful scenery lay companion,
I heard a loud crash,
Shaking through the valley."

Few people knew about this accident, but since the host had just recounted it, the audience at the scene, in front of their televisions, and watching the live stream online now understood the context. Imagining that scene, sorrow filled their hearts.

"It was that autumn,
I could no longer see my father's face.
With his own hands,
He lifted me to the starting point of my rebirth."

Having received Su Tong's true teachings, Xiao Yu's vocal skills were growing increasingly superb, delivering every emotion straight from the heart. Not a single spectator remained unmoved.

The greatest affection in this world is never friendship or romance, but familial love.

Only family bonds are truly selfless; friendship is merely a dispensable embellishment in life, while romance is selfish and entirely replaceable.

Family ties are destined by heaven; from the moment an infant draws its first breath, they can never be erased for a lifetime.

"Tears in the darkness,
Soaking my eyes.
Please don't leave,
Please don't hurt."

This was the innocent wish of a child, a helpless plea that shattered hearts.

"I watched my parents walk away just like that,
Leaving me alone in this unfamiliar mortal world.
Unaware of what risks still lay ahead in the future,
I wanted to tightly grasp his hand.
Mother told me there would still be hope.
When I saw the sun rise,
Mother smiled,
Day has broken."

The angel's tearful plea and prayer moved everyone who heard them to tears. Xiao Yu seemed like that forsaken child left behind in the world, evoking boundless grief and sympathy that overflowed like a flood.

Tender emotions were stirred, as if the softest part of the soul, brimming with water, had been instantly punctured. Many people wept uncontrollably.

"Does Lady Jiange have a grudge against us?"

Many viewers complained while crying, having lost count of how many tears these two songs had cost them.

At the same time, everyone gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of parental love tonight.

How profound and boundless is the love of parents everywhere.

Even viewers who came from single-parent households or had lost their parents at a young age found it extremely difficult to bear at this moment.

The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease; the child wishes to repay, but the parents are no more. Such a realization was even more agonizing.

Those whose parents were still alive had a chance to make amends, but they no longer had that opportunity.

"This is a night,
The stars in the sky are twinkling.
In my dreams, I see
My mother.
Living alone in this world,
You must learn to be strong.
Please don't leave,
Please don't hurt.
I watched my parents walk away just like that,
Leaving me alone in this unfamiliar mortal world.
Who is willing to build a beautiful garden for me?
I wanted to tightly grasp his hand.
Mother told me there would still be hope.
When I saw the sun rise,
Day has broken."

Originally, the lyric went, "I am willing to build a beautiful garden for him," but Su Tong had changed it to, "Who is willing to build a beautiful garden for me?" This was because Han Hong later adopted that orphaned child, and she was willing to build a beautiful garden for him.

Su Tong was only eighteen years old; naturally, it was impossible for him to adopt that child himself.

He had merely asked Zhang Xin to send some money to the child's current legal guardian, and Su Tong knew that after this song was released, that poor child would never lack love and care from society.

Xiao Yu gave a soulful performance, channeling her song deep into the hearts of every audience member, triggering a tremor and resonance in their souls.

For a moment, everyone regarded Xiao Yu as that very child, their sympathy overflowing to the point where they desperately wanted to hold her, to tell her not to be afraid, that she still had them, and that they were all her family.

"Big sister is so pretty." Sitting backstage and watching the large screen displaying the live scene, perhaps only she and a few busy staff members remained unaffected.

Gao Litong's eyes were red once more. Xiao Yu, who had spent nearly two days with her, sang with such heart-wrenching emotion.

Even if it meant enduring her mother's scolding later, she felt it was completely worth it.

Today was Friday, and Gao Litong had already asked for leave yesterday to bring Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao to Yandu.

Of course, she hadn't been able to go home tonight. Xu Jing had called before dinner to interrogate her: why wasn't she coming home for the weekend, and had she found a boyfriend?

Gao Litong lied, saying she simply didn't feel like returning and hadn't found a boyfriend either.

Xu Jing had come very close to driving over to Gao Litong's university to find her.

Gao Litong's campus was right in the development zone, very close by.

Li Wen's school was also in the development zone.

In Seaside City, many universities originally located in the urban center had built their new campuses in the development zone.

Right then, while simultaneously worrying about her daughter and watching the grand finals of *The Voice* with great relish, Xu Jing had no idea her daughter was right there in the backstage area.

"Such a heartbreaking little girl." Xu Jing wiped her tears and said to her younger daughter, Gao Lidan: "Do you think it's easy for your dad and me to take care of you girls? You make me angry all day long, especially your sister—living at school without coming home is one thing, but she doesn't even come home for the weekend..."

"Mom, my heart aches for you." Gao Lidan hugged Xu Jing and acted spoiled.

"If your heart aches for me, why aren't you obedient? Look at you, how old are you, not even in junior high yet and you're already learning how to put on makeup," Xu Jing said with a huff.

Gao Lidan immediately dragged her older sister Gao Litong into it: "My sister learns makeup too. I learned it from her. Why aren't you yelling at her?"

"Your sister is twenty. Can you compare yourself to her?" Xu Jing tapped Gao Lidan's small head with her finger: "Your sister can learn makeup, but you cannot."

With that, Xu Jing muttered to herself: "This Litong, she claimed she didn't have a boyfriend, yet she's even starting to wear makeup. Lying to her old mom, she's going to drive me crazy."

As soon as "Day Has Broken" ended, Xiao Yu wanted to head back backstage, but the host hurriedly stepped forward to stop her.

"Da Qiao." The host took off his glasses and used a handkerchief to wipe his eyes again: "Hold on. Are you and your brother sent by the Buddha to punish me? I thought 'Father' was the only song in this world that could make me cry, but I never expected there would be another one."

Without her older brother by her side, Xiao Yu naturally wouldn't interact with the host. She just stood there blankly, at a loss for what to do.

"I think if Da Qiao had also participated in *The Voice*, tonight's champion would undoubtedly be her. Tell me, everyone, am I right?" The host shouted to the live audience.

"Da Qiao! Champion! Da Qiao! Champion..."

The entire arena erupted in cheers. Da Qiao's solo performance was indeed vastly superior to those of Su Tong and the other four contestants.

In this final round, compared to Xiao Yu, the final four contestants were completely overshadowed.

Everyone was also baffled as to why the final four contestants had all collectively malfunctioned in the final round, looking completely out of the zone.

Naturally, the audience both on-site and in front of their TVs knew nothing about Liang Luoshi's nervousness or the conflict that had occurred backstage.

The moment Da Qiao finished her performance, the final four contestants took the stage together.

Seeing Su Tong walk up, Xiao Yu hurried over to him, completely ignoring the host.

"Brother and sister share such deep affection; I guess I'm just extra baggage." Amidst the teasing roars of the audience, the host laughed self-deprecatingly and walked forward dejectedly.

Su Tong took Xiao Yu's hand and poured salt into the host's wounds: "Why didn't you stick to the script? Do you think you're me? I'm like a dead pig that's not afraid of boiling water—if the stage goes cold, it goes cold. My skin is thick enough anyway."

The host wore a look of utter helplessness: "If I'd known, I would have told the production team to let you host tonight instead. I'm afraid that after tonight, Star Hang TV is going to fire me."

"Without a partner, Host still managed to hold down the fort all by himself. That skill is top-notch in the hosting world," Qin Feng chimed in as well.

"Alright, let's invite our staff to bring up the scoring results. I am about to announce the champion of the fourth season of *The Voice* tonight!" the host announced loudly. (To be continued...)