The song Alex Stone performed, originally titled "When Will I Return," was created by an unknown indie Americana artist. Wind-Whisper Studio discovered the song, bought the rights for a million dollars, and gave the Americana artist two hundred thousand as a confidentiality fee. That's how the song ended up attributed to Alex Stone. To mislead the public, Wind-Whisper Studio even renamed the song "The Homecoming."
Amelia Quinn and Liam Reed then added a grand and powerful country gospel riff to "The Homecoming," perfectly aligning it with the "Grand Principle" theme. They had high hopes for Alex Stone; this song needed to secure at least a top-two spot to fit the "New-Generation Lead Songwriter" persona they had crafted for him. Little did they expect, Alex Stone hit the very first note wrong when he started playing, and his voice cracked on the first line.
Amelia Quinn's face instantly darkened, and Liam Reed's composure almost broke. As for Cecilia Rhodes and Arthur Zheng beside them, they looked utterly astonished, their faces screaming, "What in the world is this nonsense?"
Fortunately, Alex Stone stabilized himself in time, and his pitch and tone returned to normal by the second line. Amelia Quinn and Liam Reed breathed a sigh of relief. Many seasoned singers tend to have shaky starts in live performances; this was at most a minor slip-up.
However, Alex Stone quickly made a second, third, and fourth "minor slip-up." He either hit the wrong chords or went off-key. The untrained audience just thought the song sounded a bit odd, but the mentors all knew these were mistakes. Amelia Quinn clenched her fist under the table, feeling a deep sense of frustration.
Luckily, Alex Stone adjusted in time, and the latter half of the verse was flawless. Just as Amelia Quinn and Liam Reed relaxed, the song reached its chorus. This section was meticulously rearranged by them; Liam had rewritten the lyrics, and Amelia had composed the music, crafting a passionate and stirring country gospel riff. If sung well, it would perfectly fit the "Grand Principle" theme.
"Ahhhhhh~"
On stage, Alex Stone plucked the piano strings, opened his mouth, and then the image of Frank Castle's stunning vocal performance flashed through his mind, causing his throat to tremble. This particular country gospel riff was meant to soar, but it found no footing, ending in a sharp, grating caterwaul that ultimately crashed and burned.
"Ahhhhhh~ Achoo!"
It sounded like he'd sneezed.
Pfft!
Cecilia Rhodes couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing, then quickly clapped a hand over her mouth. After all, no matter how terribly someone sang, they deserved basic respect. The audience, however, didn't have such high standards, and laughter erupted throughout the hall.
"What was that?"
"Did Alex Stone just sneeze?"
"Alex is performing a high-level vocal riff, don't talk nonsense if you don't understand!"
"Since when did cracking a note and sneezing count as a vocal riff?"
Thanks to Alex Stone's fans diligently explaining, the audience finally understood that he was attempting a country gospel riff. But if it was a vocal riff, why was it so different from Frank Castle's?
Amelia Quinn and Liam Reed's faces were so dark they could drip water. Watching Alex Stone, pale-faced and off-key, on stage, they wanted to go up there and strangle him. What in God's name are you singing?!
Alex Stone naturally knew he had bombed. His composure completely shattered, and the rest of his performance was a chaotic mess. One moment he was wailing like a banshee, the next he'd find his pitch again, only to collapse once more. Everyone else was pulled along on his bizarre ride, their ears aching.
In the recording hall, Alex Stone's face was distorted as he sang on stage, while the audience listened with grimaces. Backstage in the contestants' lounge, Frank Castle sighed:
"What a top-tier torture feast!"
A few minutes later, this top-tier "feast" finally ended. As the last crooked note landed, all the audience members breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, they didn't have to be dragged through it anymore. Alex Stone stood up shakily, his face ashen, forgetting even to bow in thanks. Sparse applause echoed from the audience, coming only from Alex Stone's loyal female fans. However, even though others weren't applauding, their faces were filled with anticipation.
Typically, if there's a train wreck performance in a music reality show, the mentors' critiques become incredibly entertaining.
First up was Amelia Quinn. Under countless eager gazes, Amelia bit her lip, trying to keep her voice calm.
"Contestant Alex Stone, your talent is quite good, but your composure still needs more refining. In this song, I heard a grand principle, and your piano playing was full of classical spirit. I give you 90 points."
The whole hall erupted in an uproar!
"He can get 90 points for that?!"
"Is my taste just not mainstream anymore?"
"Off-key, cracked notes, and a terrible vocal riff. How did that get 90 points?"
"Where does Alex not deserve 90 points? Teacher Quinn is professional!"
"Does Amelia Quinn just like this effeminate type of man?"
The recording hall devolved into a clamor. Amelia Quinn felt countless strange glances on her, maintaining a calm facade, but boiling with frustration inside. What could she do? Alex Stone was the rising star her studio was heavily promoting. After all, she and Liam Reed had already agreed that no matter how Alex Stone sang, they would give him a high score. At least, she wouldn't be the only one criticized.
As Amelia Quinn was thinking this, Liam Reed began his critique:
"The artistic conception of this song truly fits the 'Grand Principle' theme. Unfortunately, Contestant Alex Stone seemed a bit nervous and didn't sing it perfectly. I give... 70 points."
As his words fell, applause erupted, and many audience members praised Liam Reed:
"Now that's professional!"
"Liam Reed's scoring is exactly what I thought!"
"Even though Amelia Quinn and Liam Reed are a couple, Liam's standards are still higher!"
Amelia Quinn turned her head to look at Liam Reed in disbelief. Hadn't they agreed to give Alex Stone a high score no matter what? How could Liam turn around and sell her out like that?
Liam Reed gave Amelia Quinn an innocent look, filled with grievance and pleading. Amelia, I'm sorry, I didn't want to do this. It's all Alex Stone's fault. He sang so terribly, I couldn't just lie with a straight face!
Amelia Quinn almost choked. If they weren't on live recording, she would have confronted Liam Reed right there and then. On stage, Alex Stone's face was even paler. He couldn't believe he had been abandoned by his idol!
Next was Cecilia Rhodes's critique. The petite and adorable UK Pop Princess was much more direct:
"After listening to this song, I only have one question: What in the world was that?!"
Laughter echoed through the audience.
"Hahaha, the Little Pop Princess spoke my mind!"
"As expected of Sweet Ceci, speaks her mind, calls out the nonsense!"
"Thanks, Ceci, for comforting my injured ears with just one sentence!"
Cecilia Rhodes ultimately gave 60 points, which was largely what everyone expected.
Next was Arthur Zheng. The rock king, true to form, never strayed from his craft: "Actually, everyone can treat this song as death metal. It'll sound much more natural that way."
"Holy cow! What an angle!"
"As expected of a veteran, insulting someone without using curse words!"
Arthur Zheng was a bit more diplomatic than Cecilia Rhodes, giving 65 points.
Finally, it was Celeste Monroe. The entire hall immediately fell silent. Alex Stone, meanwhile, was trembling from head to toe. Could he endure the Untouchable Diva's critique?
Celeste Monroe actually gave him a lot of face; she didn't critique him at all.
"That wasn't singing. There's no need for a critique... 20 points."