"Mu Zi'ang?" Chen Hang exclaimed in surprise.
Liu Xinqi, showing great默契, chimed in with the question: "Is this the Mu Zi'ang who wrote 'Better Not to Meet' and 'Long Time No See' for Teacher Chen Yijie?"
True to form for a host from Guangdong TV station, she placed the Cantonese song "Better Not to Meet" first.
"Yeah, that's right." Murphy's answer drew gasps of astonishment from the entire audience.
"I came to your city..." Li Manman hid the shock, envy, and jealousy in her eyes as she sang a few lines from Chen Yijie's song, pulling the attention back to herself. "Ah, I really love Teacher Mu Zi'ang's song. Actually, a female voice would bring out a lot of flavor too!"
Unfortunately, her attempt to steal the spotlight didn't succeed this time, because the bombshell that Mu Zi'ang had written twelve songs for Murphy carried far more weight.
Liu Xinqi skillfully steered the conversation back to Murphy: "Here's a bit of a gossipy question—Mu Zi'ang wrote twelve songs for you, and I'm sure many of them are great. Your relationship must be something special, right?"
Murphy frowned, a bit annoyed by the question, and replied bluntly: "No."
"No? Does that mean there's nothing special between you, or it hasn't started yet?" Chen Hang started stirring the pot, grinning slyly.
"The former. Teacher Mu Zi'ang is an excellent creator. He picks suitable singers for his songs, and he thought my voice and singing skills fit, so he chose to work with me." Murphy straightforwardly repeated the spiel Yang Yi had once used to fend her off.
"Oh! So Teacher Mu Zi'ang is such a unique musician!" Liu Xinqi marveled.
"Hey, I hope through this show, Teacher Mu Zi'ang can get to know me too. Li Manman's voice is sweet and cute!" Li Manman jumped in again, putting on a cute act for the camera. "Teacher Mu Zi'ang, we share the same surname Li—we're practically family! If I could win his favor and have him tailor a song for me, I'd be so grateful!"
"How about we give Manman a chance to sing 'Long Time No See' in full and see if she can impress Teacher Mu Zi'ang?" Chen Hang, already charmed by Li Manman, worked hard to create an opportunity for her.
And so, the segment meant for further conversation with Murphy was cut short again.
What's more, Li Manman sang a male vocal song. Performing it from start to finish, she did a poor job—her breath was uneven. Luckily, her stage experience helped her cover it up with cute antics and dance moves.
Under Li Manman's strong stage control, these minor flaws turned into moments of interaction with her fans, sparking waves of cheers that rose and fell with fervor.
After Li Manman finished singing, Liu Xinqi steered the topic back on track. After asking both guests some questions about music and life, she said: "We're really lucky on today's show because Murphy not only came to the studio but also brought a new song written by Teacher Mu Zi'ang!"
"Really? A song by Teacher Mu Zi'ang—I have to listen with rapt attention today!" Chen Hang said. "This should be the first female vocal song Mu Zi'ang has written!"
"Let's give a round of applause and welcome Murphy to perform 'Across the Ocean to See You'!" Liu Xinqi gestured with a smile, pointing the camera at Murphy, who had stepped to the center of the stage. She led Chen Hang and Li Manman offstage, leaving the spotlight to Murphy.
"Here it comes! Go, sis!" Mo Xiaojuan clenched her fists excitedly from the audience.
The piano accompaniment began softly, its clean melody quieting the audience.
Murphy stood in the middle of the stage, still and serene as always. The dry ice machine on stage spewed white mist, and Murphy in her plain white dress looked like a fairy drifting through the clouds—breathtakingly beautiful!
As if waiting for something, the audience, even Li Manman's fans, couldn't help but hold their breath.
It was a stage atmosphere completely different from Li Manman's lively performance earlier, yet it felt no less impressive!
When the prelude reached a certain point, Murphy raised the microphone. Like a being in a celestial realm, her ethereal voice drifted out softly through the mic.
"For you, I spent half a year's savings, crossing the ocean to see you."
What does it feel like to be stunned from the first note?
Right now, the audience felt as if a tiny hand had reached out from the plaintive melody and gripped their hearts, making them want to kneel and listen.
"For this reunion, I even practiced my breathing for the moment we meet..."
On that final "practice," Murphy's voice, honed from childhood, shone through. It echoed like a valley's resonance, lingering softly in everyone's ears.
In the audience, an envious gaze was hard to hide. Li Manman understood all the singing techniques, but she couldn't match Murphy's God-given voice. Even if she knew too much, even if she sang this song herself, she couldn't capture that flavor.
What's more, Murphy sang with such deep emotion.
No one else knew—not even Mo Xiaojuan—only Murphy herself understood that she was pouring her true feelings into it, her mind full of Yang Yi's image.
"I even practiced my breathing for the moment we meet"—wasn't that line describing exactly how she felt now?
In the throes of a passionate romance, every time she prepared to meet Yang Yi, she meticulously chose her clothes, did her makeup, and even started to be careful with her words, afraid of repeating past misunderstandings over something like education that had hurt them both.
And it wasn't just that line...
"陌生的城市啊..." That "啊" was like a plaintive sigh, instantly shattering the hearts of the audience.
Who knew that this "啊" held so much of Murphy's bitterness?
It was all the tears she had swallowed while living alone with her child in Jiangcheng, a "strange" city without family or friends, turned into sorrow!
But her resilience had ultimately brought her the joy of happiness now. So, from the slightly lighter rhythm of the next verse—"也曾彼此安慰，也曾相拥叹息"—you could clearly hear the shift in Murphy's mood.
"在漫天风沙里望着你远去，我竟悲伤得不能自已..." Li Manman watched Murphy calmly sing the sorrowful melody, the fire of jealousy blazing in her eyes.
This song was of high quality!
Though it didn't suit Li Manman's sweet voice, she couldn't help but fantasize: if this song had been included in her previous album, it would easily be a lead single, and it might have pushed her to platinum status!
Murphy was about to blow up!
Li Manman could see it—regardless of the other songs, with this one alone, Murphy was poised for a major comeback!
So, despite the sourness in her heart, her rational mind told her this wasn't the time to compete with Murphy.