Volume 1, Chapter 31: Heavenly King Ji’s Voice Completely Cracked

Lin Xiaolu’s heart felt like it was on a roller coaster, rising and falling in dizzying jolts. At this moment, she felt a profound sense of depression.

She shared the same sentiment as Li Huang’ge had during the previous session: it seemed that while she was away from home, many things she had assumed were harmonious and smooth were actually deeply flawed. She began to doubt: was everything truly as wonderful as Ji Ming always claimed? Even with the live stream ongoing, there were still bland bowls of water-thin noodles, atrocious handwriting and math problems, and discordant piano playing. If there hadn't been a live stream... Lin Xiaolu dared not think further. The subtle disgust and repulsion Ji Taotao expressed toward various things were entirely different from the image Lin Xiaolu had always held in her mind.

Indeed, the tedious vocal lesson dragged on for over an hour.

[Heavenly King Ji really just wants to show off; he doesn't seem to be teaching with much sincerity or responsibility.]

[Hello everyone, I’m a graduate student in the Vocal Music Department at the China Conservatory of Music. I feel like some of the things Heavenly King Ji is teaching contradict the textbooks I’ve studied...]

[Heavenly King Ji is all technique and no emotion!]

[Bullshit! Who are you to question Heavenly King Ji?]

Li Huang’ge quietly stifled a yawn, a trace of moisture welling up in her eyes, making her large, expressive eyes look even more captivating. Zhuo Yiyi finally couldn't hold back and whispered the question that had been puzzling her the most: "Sister Huang’ge, did you go back and 'beat the monkey' last night?"

"Um... I did!"

Zhuo Yiyi’s eyes lit up. "Ah? You really did? So, did you learn it?"

"Well..." Li Huang’ge seemed to recall something and couldn't help but let out a giggle.

At that exact moment on the screen, Ji Ming was attempting to demonstrate a high note, only to have his voice crack.

"Taotao, what Dad just showed you is what it sounds like when your voice cracks. Did you remember that?"

Ji Taotao paused, confused. "But my voice didn't crack today."

"..."

Lin Xiaolu, seemingly finding a target for her frustrations, frowned and turned toward Li Huang’ge.

"Diva Huang’ge, isn't that quite rude of you? When your family was streaming yesterday, I watched the whole thing very attentively."

"My husband is currently teaching Taotao vocal music, and your laughter feels like a form of mockery!"

Bai Qinghe said nothing, but gave a slight nod in agreement.

Zhuo Yiyi began to worry. This kind of accusation was difficult to refute; it might be a tough situation for Sister Huang’ge to handle.

However, Li Huang’ge just smiled faintly. "Oh? Did you two laugh any less yesterday? Whenever Shen Qi did something well, you would pick it apart and mock him. Does me laughing once count as being impolite?"

Zhuo Yiyi was incredibly nervous. Sister Huang’ge was truly bold—did she really just choose to confront her head-on?

Lin Xiaolu was stunned; she hadn't expected Li Huang’ge to be so blunt. The chat was in chaos, with fans from both sides arguing fiercely. The number of viewers in the live stream suddenly surged again.

[Diva Huang’ge is still the same Diva Huang’ge; back when she first debuted, she dared to stand up to a veteran singer who was throwing their weight around.]

[Diva Huang’ge has always had a strong sense of justice. I doubt that laugh was meant to be mocking.]

[How could it not be? Isn't it obvious enough?]

[Ji Ming is a Heavenly King, too. Li Huang’ge laughed when his voice cracked; isn't that disrespectful?]

Lin Xiaolu hesitated over whether to completely burn the bridges between them, but Li Huang’ge didn't back down at all, continuing:

"When Shen Qi prepared a delicious meal, you claimed that stir-frying bean sprouts with minced meat was nothing special."

"When Shen Qi guided Xiao Kun with piano and guitar, you mocked a househusband for pretending to be an expert."

"Before Shen Qi wrote 'Diva,' you mocked him for not being able to compose."

"Regarding Shen Qi’s unique educational methods, you said they were wrong, yet..."

Li Huang’ge stood up imposingly, pointing at Ji Ming and Ji Taotao, who were still practicing on the big screen.

"Yet, when Heavenly King Ji makes water-thin noodles to save effort, he turns around and calls it 'learning to appreciate sweetness after bitterness' for the child."

"Heavenly King Ji pretends not to see the errors in Taotao’s homework, and intentionally fails to understand the issues with Taotao’s piano playing..."

"Why aren't you questioning that?"

The atmosphere in the room turned icy, and the audience was shocked. Zhuo Yiyi covered her mouth, staring blankly at Li Huang’ge, her eyes filled with admiration. She had been wondering why Sister Huang’ge’s temper had suddenly become so mild; it turned out she had been saving up for a big blow!

Lin Xiaolu and Bai Qinghe had never imagined that Li Huang’ge would dare to do this—and that she would be so bold about it!

But what was the truth of the matter? The chat had already provided the answer.

[I thought Li Huang’ge was rude a moment ago, but now that I think about it, Lin Xiaolu was the one who was rude first, and she was far worse.]

[Ask yourself, who would be happy with their family being talked about like that? Diva Huang’ge has shown great restraint until now; these words are truly satisfying.]

[I’ve long been annoyed by Lin Xiaolu and Bai Qinghe. They obsessively cast doubt on others’ strengths while frantically making excuses for their own family’s shortcomings.]

[Diva Huang’ge and Yiyi were chatting just now; they weren't even paying attention to what Ji Ming was doing, so where was the mockery? Lin Xiaolu is just looking for trouble to make things difficult for Diva Huang’ge.]

[Feeling satisfied now? To think you, Lin Xiaolu, would finally learn that fortunes can change in an instant!]

Li Huang’ge smiled again, delivering an even more explosive remark.

"Movie Queen Lin, you seemed to be singing the praises of your own family earlier. Now that the morning has passed, I just want to ask one thing..."

"What exactly has been showcased that is good? What kind of positive energy has been spread to the vast number of netizens?"

"And furthermore..."

Li Huang’ge dropped another bombshell.

"Just now, when Heavenly King Ji was teaching Taotao to sing high notes, that key wasn't high at all within a male vocal range..."

"So, Heavenly King Ji just now..."

"His voice definitely cracked!"