Chapter 31: The Second Round Begins!

After Shen Xian returned to the room, Wang Tianqi had already showered and was lying in bed.

He checked the situation online.

As both the Postman and Wang Tianqi were becoming sensationally popular, differing voices started to appear on the internet.

“Has anyone noticed? The songs written by the Postman are basically just catchy tunes with no real depth.”

“Exactly, they might be popular for a while, but there’s no way they’ll become classics.”

“I feel the same. There’s a strong internet vibe to his music.”

“I think the Postman’s popularity is mostly due to luck. There aren’t any decent works in the current entertainment scene, so he’s had the opportunity to rise. Honestly, all his songs are pretty mediocre.”

With just a glance, Shen Xian could tell that the entertainment giants were manipulating public opinion.

Netizens rarely have much discernment and are easily swayed, led by the flow of online discourse.

The purpose of this manipulation was to suppress Wang Tianqi’s popularity.

If the Postman’s fame was allowed to grow, Wang Tianqi might very well place well in the upcoming competition.

With a little guidance from interested parties, the internet quickly split into two camps.

One camp insisted, “I just like listening to the Postman’s songs. They sound good—what’s the problem?”

The other camp believed, “The Postman only writes catchy tunes. They may be easy to sing along to, but they lack depth and belong to internet music, not worthy of the main stage.”

This latter group even formed the majority.

The two sides began to bicker online.

“Childish,” Shen Xian muttered as he turned off his phone. He looked over at Wang Tianqi. “Tomorrow is the most crucial battle. Get some rest and aim for a good result.”

Wang Tianqi murmured in agreement and prepared to sleep.

Since he couldn’t see, he naturally couldn’t play on his phone, at most listening to an audio novel or a storytelling program.

With Li Xiurong gone, his life had grown simple and dull.

Suddenly, Shen Xian asked, “When you and Li Xiurong… you know… how did you find your way?”

Wang Tianqi froze, then blushed furiously. “Boss Shen, do you think it’s appropriate to discuss this with me?”

“I’m just curious,” Shen Xian replied, tilting his head.

Wang Tianqi turned away, ignoring him.

Finding the conversation boring, Shen Xian began scrolling on his phone.

He soon discovered there was no one to chat with, so he simply went to sleep.

The next day, the second round of the “Singing Star” PK advancement matches began: fifteen contestants down to five!

This round would see ten contestants eliminated, leaving only five.

The third round would be five down to three, eliminating two more.

The fourth round would be the championship, with the remaining three vying for first, second, and third place.

In other words, the coming matches would grow more and more intense.

As soon as Wang Tianqi sat in the waiting area, he felt a wave of pressure.

The atmosphere today was also far more solemn than yesterday.

The host, Wang Ling, spoke up, “After yesterday’s thrilling first round, we have fifteen contestants. Now we will begin the second round of advancement. As before, we’ll draw lots.”

The many singers took turns drawing their lots.

This time, Wang Tianqi drew number thirteen, making him the third-to-last to perform.

The first to take the stage was none other than Wu Fan!

Wu Fan wore a hip-hop outfit today, standing center stage and striking his signature pose. “Hello, everyone! I’m Wu Fan. The song I’ll be performing is ‘You Need to Listen to Me.’ ”

Once again, it was a hip-hop rap, and once again, an old song—four years ago, Wu Fan had debuted in South Korea with this song, which had become wildly popular overnight, earning him millions of fans.

Wu Fan gave a stellar performance today, leveraging his fan base and massive popularity to score 46 points from the judges and an impressive 901 votes from the audience!

“Over 900!” Wu Fan was a little excited.

This was his first time surpassing 900 votes on a PK show.

Usually, even top-tier singers struggle to break 900.

Even someone like the near-superstar Zhang Cheng’an couldn’t guarantee over 900 votes every time.

As for Wang Tianqi’s previous 900-plus votes, that was due to the unique circumstances of his story, which inspired sympathy in the audience—a result of chance and luck.

Many people doubted Wang Tianqi today, believing that if he couldn’t produce a solid performance, he’d basically be eliminated.

So who were the fifteen contestants left today?

Top idol Wu Fan, first-tier singer Liu Ruyun, Golden Melody chart regulars Su Ying and Tan Jie, and several experts from the annual charts.

In comparison, Wang Tianqi had no obvious advantage.

Soon, it was Su Ying’s turn. As a perennial chart-topper, his stage presence was unwavering, his breath control excellent, and his voice powerful and penetrating. He scored 903 votes and 47 points from the judges.

Because ten people would be eliminated today, everyone was giving it their all.

Not only did Wang Tianqi feel the pressure—even Liu Ruyun was feeling it.

As a newly minted top-tier singer, she hadn’t had any truly standout works in recent years.

Very soon, it was Liu Ruyun’s turn.

On the big screen, the song information appeared.

Astonishingly, it was Liu Ruyun’s breakout song, lyrics and music by Shen Xian!

Back then, this song had made Liu Ruyun an overnight sensation.

It’s worth noting that before she started singing, Liu Ruyun glanced disdainfully in Shen Xian’s direction.

Her gaze seemed to say, “Look, I’m singing the song you wrote for me, but I own the rights. What can you do about it?”

Shen Xian didn’t take Liu Ruyun’s provocation to heart in the slightest.

Chen Feng also shot a mocking look at Shen Xian, silently raising a middle finger.

Ning Cai noticed this and thought to herself: what an idiot.

“This song is truly wonderful, the melody is brilliant. I’ve always loved this song by Shen Xian, so I give it ten points,” said the first judge.

Liu Ruyun immediately corrected him: “Judge Number One, perhaps you haven’t seen my and Mr. Chen Feng’s interview. This song wasn’t written by Shen Xian, but by Mr. Chen Feng. Shen Xian never had any creative ability—he intercepted the email Chen Feng sent me and claimed it as his own.”

The first judge was taken aback, having indeed not seen the interview. He apologized sincerely: “I’m sorry, I missed that interview. My apologies.”

Liu Ruyun smiled and waved it off.

With this old scandal brought up again, the livestream erupted once more with condemnation of Shen Xian.

“Shameless Shen Xian, get out of the entertainment industry!”

“This is worse than plagiarism—disgusting!”

“Let’s all boycott Shen Xian, starting with me!”

Judge Number Two, Wang Kang, a lackey for Red Queen Entertainment, promptly gave her a ten as well.

Judges Three and Four gave eights, while Judge Five also awarded a ten.

The scores quickly appeared on the screen.

Judges’ score: 46. Audience votes: 925!

This was the best result so far in the second round.

She was in—she’d advance to the third round!

Liu Ruyun was elated. No matter what, making the top five meant exposure.

A few more singers performed, but none broke 900 votes, each leaving the stage in disappointment.

Finally, it was Wang Tianqi’s turn.

Today, the production team had assigned a staff member to guide Wang Tianqi onto the stage.

On the big screen, the song information soon appeared.