Chapter 53: That Actually Doesn't Seem Half Bad!

Seeing Su Chen pick up the guitar that had been placed aside earlier, the viewers in the live streaming room were completely dumbfounded upon hearing that he was going to perform his new song right on the spot.

Having already witnessed Su Chen create a track as utterly bizarre as "Old Driver, Give Me a Lift", they truly had zero expectations whatsoever for any new song from him!

More importantly, if another similar abomination were to emerge right then and there, wouldn't it ultimately be their own ears and souls that suffered the torture?

[Well, host, why don't we just admit defeat? Can't we obediently be handsome guys who don't sing from now on?]

[Alright, alright, is it finally time for the exciting segment of talking nonsense with our eyes wide open? Never mind, bring it on, I've already muted the sound anyway.]

[Su Chen, to be honest, can I just say that I personally think comedy streamers are much more popular than talent streamers? How about we stop being so stubborn and banging our heads against a brick wall?]

[Brother Su Chen, please don't do anything rash! If you're facing difficulties, we can figure it out together. Please don't give up on yourself!]

……

Seeing Su Chen's fans continuously urging him to concede defeat, Mumu grew more and more convinced that his opponent had simply been putting on an act earlier.

Thinking about it, that made total sense. If the self-proclaimed "Deepest Lover Su Chen" actually possessed genuine songwriting talent, he wouldn't have had to wait until now to gain widespread fame purely through a donation event; he would have already stood out long ago based on his extraordinary gifts.

Moreover, that track of his, "Old Driver, Give Me a Lift", was utterly vulgar and unlistenable. To think that someone with his half-baked standard could harbor delusions of writing a good song—what sheer arrogance and ignorance!

Mumu's anxious state of mind gradually calmed down as these thoughts drifted through his head. He adjusted his expression to prepare for attentive listening, having fully readied himself to tear the song apart and dismiss it as utterly worthless.

And right at this moment, Su Chen slowly calmed his mind... my foot!

I'm so furious! By the way, to that viewer who told me not to do anything rash, I have thoroughly memorized your username in my heart. You'd better pray that I never catch you during a live connection!

Taking a gentle breath to steady himself, amidst the rapt attention of the entire live streaming room, Su Chen finally began to strum and sing.

[A person as brilliant as I should have lived through a dazzling and glorious lifetime, so why, after more than twenty years, am I still floating up and down in the sea of humanity...]

Right from the very first line, Su Chen instantly slipped into the zone. He sang in a low, gentle voice, his head slightly lowered, and a faint smile consistently resting on his lips, making him appear entirely natural and effortless.

There was no deliberate showing off of vocal techniques, nor was there any use of high-end singing skills.

Yet that uniquely clear and warm voice seemed to possess a quality that struck straight at the listener's soul, bringing with it a sudden, overwhelming sense of someone whispering confidences right beside your ear.

It felt incredibly intimate, wonderfully comfortable to listen to, and possessed a powerful infectious quality that easily drew people in before they even realized it.

Just the opening two lines of lyrics were enough to leave the previously terrified and trembling viewers in Su Chen's live streaming room utterly frozen.

This seems... wait for it... actually pretty good?

On the other side, the moment Mumu heard these two lines sung by Su Chen, his expression shifted drastically.

Unlike ordinary netizens who understood little of the deeper nuances of music, he, as a musician himself, was far more capable of accurately judging the quality of a song.

Even though only two short lines had been sung, this style belonged to a completely different universe from "Old Driver, Give Me a Lift"!

Furthermore, it was blatantly obvious that the quality of this song surpassed "Old Driver, Give Me a Lift" by countless times.

More importantly, he harbored a deeply ominous premonition... could he really capsize in a gutter this time?

Clenching his fists tightly in secret, Mumu could only hope that this song would turn out to be a damp squib with a strong beginning and a weak ending; otherwise, he simply wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.

[A person as thoroughly disillusioned as I am had long since bid farewell to the innocence of childhood. Yet how could I still use a period of affection just to trade for a body full of scars...]

It was still that same understated melody, but Su Chen's vocals imperceptibly crept into the hearts of the audience, compelling them to quiet their minds and listen attentively.

Especially the low-register parts of his live acoustic performance, which sounded exceptionally steady and mellow, much like a jar of long-sealed vintage wine that left people utterly intoxicated in body and soul.

This... what the hell? Is this really the new song from the "Deepest Lover Su Chen"? It shouldn't be possible—the contrast is simply way too massive!

Actually, the audience couldn't really be blamed for wearing such incredulous expressions. The span between "Old Driver, Give Me a Lift" and "Someone Like Me" was simply too vast, so unimaginably huge that it was impossible to believe they were written by the same person!

The feeling was akin to someone who could barely walk without tripping over their own feet suddenly stepping onto the NBA court to play professional basketball—truly beyond imagination.

[Um, I have a feeling that we... might actually win. The host's song sounds pretty good!]

[Holy crap, what do you mean "pretty good"? That's downright phenomenal, alright!]

[I have to admit, this song is genuinely amazing. Especially the host's live performance—it's seriously super incredible!]

[This... the plot twist came a bit too hard and fast. Has the "Deepest Lover Su Chen" transformed from a comedy streamer into a bona fide talented musician?]

Meanwhile, in the room right next to Su Chen's.

Zhou Yujie gazed with utter fascination at the screen displaying Su Chen in the middle of his performance.

The way he casually sat before his chair, intently strumming the guitar while lowering his head to sing softly, exuded a charm capable of capturing a person's heart in a single instant.

Although this wasn't the first time she had heard him sing this song, Zhou Yujie still couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of awe and shock.

As an internet celebrity who had originally aspired to become a professional singer, Zhou Yujie had always maintained a healthy amount of confidence in her own songwriting abilities.

Yet upon listening to Su Chen's "Someone Like Me", she finally understood clearly that talent was not created equal.

The musical works she had previously composed looked like nothing more than a tiny shrimp in a pond compared to the vast ocean when placed before Su Chen—they bore absolutely no basis for comparison whatsoever.

Meanwhile, back in the office.

Ai Wei was likewise staring in utter astonishment at the screen where Su Chen performed with unrestrained passion, feeling her heart suddenly leap into a frantic, pounding rhythm.

Though she had previously suspected that the "Deepest Lover Su Chen" must have other tricks up his sleeve to win this wager and leave Mumu utterly humiliated, she genuinely never expected his new song to resonate so deeply with the human heart and sound this breathtakingly good.

It was glaringly obvious that this was not the kind of track that exploded with high energy right from the opening note; yet once a person quieted their mind to listen carefully, an indescribable wave of melancholy would quietly well up and spread from the depths of their soul.

The helplessness born from having weathered the storms of the world, hidden within his voice, alongside the reluctance to remain ordinary coupled with the powerlessness of being unable to escape the shackles of mortal society, continuously permeated the listener's heart.

With simple and unpretentious lyrics, the song directly articulated the deepest longings and resonance buried within every single person's heart.

At that exact moment, Ai Wei couldn't help but feel immensely delighted and fortunate regarding her decision from a short while ago.

She could already vividly imagine the massive shockwaves that would ripple across the internet once the "Deepest Lover Su Chen" officially released this track.

His future path would undoubtedly be a smooth, sunlit highway to success, extending far beyond the realm of Douyin influencers, perhaps reaching even greater heights.

And because she had established a friendly relationship with him ahead of time, the dividends it might bring her in the future would vastly exceed her wildest expectations.

[How many people in this world are like me, unwilling to live a life of mediocrity?]

[Will anyone take pity on someone so inexplicably strange like me...]

Su Chen did not deliberately embellish the emotions within the song, nor did he build up to a fiercely orchestrated climax in the earlier sections, yet without warning, it flowed directly into the innermost sanctuaries of the listeners' souls.

Virtually every single viewer listening to this track could find a reflection of themselves within its melody.

Perhaps one possessed a bit of petty cleverness; perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, everything seemed quite successful; perhaps one was somewhat worldly, or perhaps filled with confusion regarding the future...

Yet all of it would ultimately fade into absolute ordinariness, swallowed by the dust of the world. We are merely one among billions, entirely unremarkable.

When Su Chen finished singing the song with total immersion and devotion, the crowd in the live streaming room instantly erupted with excitement.

[Damn it, host, you are truly incredible! It turns out you actually know how to write songs? And you kept it a secret from us all along!]

[To be honest, I was quite worried for the host at first, but looking at it now, I was just borrowing trouble for nothing.]

[Whoa... this song is seriously fantastic! It completely exceeded my imagination!]

[I wonder if anyone noticed that the host's vocal technique is ridiculously strong? Even purely based on singing ability alone, it's far more shocking than the song itself!]

[Wait a minute, did you guys get so lost in the music that you forgot one important thing? The result of our bet hasn't been announced yet—it's not over!]

……

Unlike the cheerful laughter and lively, relaxed atmosphere echoing through Su Chen's live streaming room, Mumu's live streaming room was exceptionally quiet, with barely a trickle of comments scrolling past on the screen.

Strictly speaking, Mumu was, after all, a professional musician, which meant his fans naturally possessed a higher level of musical literacy and knowledge than Su Chen's audience.

Their minds simply refused to accept that a person capable of churning out a track like "Old Driver, Give Me a Lift" could simultaneously pen a high-caliber masterpiece like "Someone Like Me".

Though they desperately wished to deny that Mumu had lost this round, the song was sitting right there for everyone to hear. Anyone with functioning ears and a normal aesthetic baseline knew the track was phenomenal. Any attempts on their part to argue otherwise would merely serve as a public joke.

Yet right now, an even more critical question loomed before them: what were they supposed to do about this wager? This was entirely too humiliating! They had marched in full of righteous confidence to pick a fight, only to have their faces slapped viciously in return!