Three days passed quickly. During that time, aside from writing one song for Xia Xiyao, Gu Xingyi was completely immersed in creating Under One Person. He felt like he must’ve owed Chen Feng a debt in his past life—how else could working on an anime script be more exhausting than writing songs for Xia Xiyao?

Still, the good news was, the more Gu Xingyi wrote, the smoother it got. By now, he didn’t even have to focus too much on formatting—it all came out clean and correct on its own.

Truly, that saying was spot on: Where there’s a will, there’s a way. There’s no problem that hard work can’t solve!

At 8 p.m. sharp, Gu Xingyi sat on the sofa with Xiao Nainai. He cast the phone screen to the TV and began watching the livestream.

Today was the third episode of StarSong Gathering—the Top 4 competing for the Final 2. He was already eager to hear how the song he wrote would sound coming from Xia Xiyao’s voice—just how stunning would it be?

Modu Sports Arena.

Xia Xiyao was already on stage, and it was time for the drawing lots segment.

Only this time, before the draw, the show had unexpectedly added a contestant interaction segment.

The host was still the elegantly dressed Chen Xue’er. It was as if she had cracked the code of going viral—she opened straight away by initiating conversation with Xia Xiyao.

“Contestant Xia Xiyao, may I ask if this time’s song was also written and composed by Gu Xingyi?”

Xia Xiyao smiled and nodded lightly, giving a clear answer.

“Yes.”

Chen Xue’er smiled knowingly, as if she expected that response, and immediately followed up with another question: “Could you tell us the title of the song? And also—who do you hope to draw for your opponent today?”

A loaded question! Gu Xingyi almost blurted out, This woman’s clearly up to no good!

No matter how Xia Xiyao answered, someone was bound to feel slighted.

At that moment, the livestream’s comment section was already buzzing with criticism.  

    “Damn! The host’s trying to stir the pot!”
    “So what? If you’ve got the skills, you don’t need to fear drama! I believe in Gu Xingyi’s songs—every one of them is a classic!”
    “Yeah! I’ve listened to all of them. Amazing melodies, amazing lyrics—so good! No matter who Xia Xiyao goes up against, she’s got nothing to worry about!”
    “Sigh! The songs are great, I just wish they were available already! I’ve been looping the crappy low-quality recordings again and again. It’s torture!”
    “Didn’t they say the songs would go live on Huayin after the competition? First album release, I’m 100% buying it!”
    “Enough talk! Let’s see how Xia Xiyao handles this.”

On stage, Xia Xiyao still wore a calm smile. She only paused for a brief moment before answering directly.

“I’ll keep the song title a secret for now—you’ll hear it soon.”

“As for who I’d most like to draw, I haven’t thought about it! I think they’re all really strong, and no matter who I face, I’ll give it my all!”

In front of the TV, Gu Xingyi chuckled when he heard her answer. Xia Xiyao’s reply was subtle and clever—she didn’t offend anyone and still made it clear she would do her best.

Chen Xue’er, unable to draw out anything juicy, looked a little disappointed. But she quickly recovered and moved on with a few smaller questions, which Xia Xiyao answered one by one.

After chatting with a few of the other contestants, the real drawing began.

Backstage, Ren Chao was thrilled as he watched the real-time viewer metrics online. For shows like this, viewership typically dipped after a few episodes. Every round was more or less the same, relying solely on the contestants’ performances. Without innovation, audiences naturally dropped off.

But StarSong Gathering had reached its third episode—and the traffic was still climbing! That was all thanks to the buzz brought by Gu Xingyi and Xia Xiyao. A hit song every episode? Even immortals couldn’t beat that kind of hype!

At that moment on stage, the drawing of lots had ended, and Xia Xiyao’s opponent for today’s competition was confirmed.

It was Cheng Di.

Cheng Di looked at Xia Xiyao’s stunning profile with a mix of nervousness and excitement. She didn’t know what kind of song Gu Xingyi had written for Xia Xiyao this time, but she could guess that any song written by her idol had to be better than the one she had.

Still, she was determined to give it her all. Being able to compete on the same stage as Xia Xiyao—even if she lost—would make her happy.

To lose to a song by Gu Xingyi? Totally worth it! Plus, she’d get to hear another amazing song. That alone was a win!

Next up, Gao Yu, Ran Xiaoxiao, Xue Xiaoqian, and Wang Bing—four mentors—each performed one another’s most well-known songs, taking turns stepping onto the stage under the gaze of a captivated audience.

The atmosphere in the venue ignited. After all, these veteran singers each had countless fans backing them up.

For this episode, the match between Xia Xiyao and Cheng Di was set as the second round.

The first round was between Miao Anyun and Wang Chen.

Miao Anyun performed a passionate love song, singing and dancing with fiery energy from the very start. As a top new-generation idol, her skill was undeniable—even Gu Xingyi couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.

These four who made it through to the top—none of them were just pretty faces!

Although Miao Anyun sang really well, Gu Xingyi still felt that his Xia Xiyao was an eternal goddess!

Then came Wang Chen, who performed a rock song. The gut-wrenching music, paired with his raspy and unique voice, made him a fierce competitor. Even the audience couldn’t help but get up and sway along.

At the end of the first round, Gao Yu and Wang Bing both cast their votes for Wang Chen, while Ran Xiaoxiao and Xue Xiaoqian voted for Miao Anyun.

Both performances were excellent, and both were well executed. It was simply a matter of personal preference and musical taste, which led to a tie among the mentors.

The deciding vote came down to the audience. In the end, Miao Anyun narrowly edged out her opponent and secured the final vote.

Part of it was due to Miao Anyun’s larger fan base, and the other part was that rock music doesn’t appeal to as wide an audience. For the average viewer, love songs tend to hit closer to the heart.

Miao Anyun and Wang Chen slowly exited the stage.

Host Chen Xue’er returned with the microphone.

“Next up, we have our final group of the night—and also the most popular contestant in this season of StarSong Gathering. Let’s welcome Xia Xiyao!”

Chen Xue’er announced with enthusiasm as Xia Xiyao slowly walked out from backstage. Today, she wore something very simple—just a white T-shirt and blue jeans, like an ordinary office worker who had just gotten off work, with light makeup on her face.

And yet, that simple outfit made her feel even more real than before. To the audience, it was like she had stepped straight into the everyday world. The ordinary look made her all the more approachable.

Xia Xiyao would be the first to perform in this round.

The host stepped down as the stage dimmed, leaving a single spotlight shining on Xia Xiyao.

The music began, and on the big screen behind her, the title of the song slowly appeared.

“Sea of Flowers”
Lyrics and Composition: Gu Xingyi
Performance: Xia Xiyao

Before the audience could even clearly read the title, they were already swept away by the intro.

In front of the TV, Gu Xingyi wore a blissful smile. That intro—absolutely unbeatable!

After all, this was originally a song by Lao Zhou!

And everyone knew—when it came to Lao Zhou’s songs, the intros were always god-tier.

The moment the music started, it had the power to completely pull listeners into its world.