Chapter 37: The Third Round Begins!
What? She had to ask Shen Xian for help? That was more unbearable than death! Just thinking about his outrageous stroke of luck made her liver ache.
In Liu Ruyun’s eyes, anyone could strike it rich, anyone could get a lucky break—anyone except Shen Xian. Of course, if Shen Xian were to get hit by a “great fortune,” she’d be perfectly happy—so long as it was the kind of great fortune that came in the form of a 100-ton truck driven by a terminal cancer patient with no insurance. That would be even better.
“Mr. Postman, may I ask if I can schedule a song with you?” Liu Ruyun asked.
“No,” Shen Xian replied bluntly.
Liu Ruyun sent several more messages in quick succession, but Shen Xian did not respond again.
“That damned Postman, so infuriating!” Liu Ruyun was nearly beside herself with rage. “I don’t believe it—there’s no way you can keep up this level with every song! Talent fades!”
Some musicians have only one hit song in their whole life. The truly tenacious might have a dozen. Shen Xian had been incredible three years ago, but even his talent had faded, hadn’t it?
“Get some rest,” Chen Feng said. “If we lose this round, we’ll focus on dominating the charts. Popularity will still be high. And just in case, practice a few Cantonese songs. I’ve studied the Postman’s style; he focuses on Mandarin ballads. We can avoid him by competing in the Cantonese track.”
Liu Ruyun’s eyes lit up. That’s right—nowadays, the Cantonese songs people listen to are all from twenty years ago. There were hardly any good new ones. And Chen Feng, being from Guangdong, could write Cantonese songs!
“Alright!” Liu Ruyun perked up, her mood improving after being spoiled by the Postman’s indifference.
…
Time flew by, and soon it was the third round of the competition—the five-to-three elimination match! The contest had reached its fiercest stage—just two more eliminations and the top three would be decided. At that point, whether it was popularity, exposure, or even market value, everything would double.
So today, all five contestants would pull out all the stops.
If you asked whose pressure was greatest, it wasn’t Wang Tianqi, but rather Liu Ruyun and Wu Fan.
As things stood, the soon-to-be king Zhang Cheng’an was sure to advance. Tan Jie, who topped the chart of hits, was also a safe bet. Wang Tianqi should have been relaxed, sitting quietly in the waiting area, ready for the draw.
But then Li Xiurong arrived, taking Wang Tianqi’s hand. Happiness washed over him, but so did a wave of pressure.
“It’s alright. Just treat it calmly. I’m already quite happy and satisfied to have gotten this far,” Li Xiurong said.
Wang Tianqi nodded. “Alright.”
“The song I’ve prepared for today is a love confession. I’m singing it for you,” Wang Tianqi told her.
Li Xiurong smiled gently. “Okay.”
The show’s director was as sly as ever. Upon learning that the woman whispering with Wang Tianqi was his girlfriend, he quickly had the cameraman cut to them. Instantly, both the big screen and the livestream filled with Li Xiurong’s image.
“So that’s Wang Tianqi’s girlfriend?”
“She’s so gentle and lovely.”
“The two of them look so good together.”
Li Xiurong quickly realized she was on camera and blushed furiously. Wang Tianqi, oblivious, remained unaware.
Soon, she led Wang Tianqi to draw lots. Whether by luck or the producers’ machinations, Wang Tianqi drew number five—the last to perform.
First on stage was Zhang Cheng’an, the soon-to-be king. A true titan, his voice was powerful and steady, his breath smooth and unbroken. He sang a new song soon to be released. His performance sent the atmosphere soaring. The livestream’s viewership shot up.
“No wonder he’s about to claim the title of one of Asia’s Four Little Heavenly Kings—just one more step to go!”
“If he releases another album and wins three more awards, he’ll be a grand slam artist. He’ll be king then!”
“The last grand slam winner was Zhou Wan!”
Then came the scoring and voting.
The host announced, “Now for Zhang Cheng’an’s results: Judges’ score, 48 points; audience votes, 968!”
Everyone gasped. Even Zhou Wan, watching the stream, was stunned. After all, her highest ever was 970 votes. Was this the power of a would-be king?
Liu Ruyun and Chen Feng felt even more pressure.
Next up was Tan Jie. As a regular on the hit chart, he too was formidable, earning a terrifying 47 from the judges and 961 audience votes.
Liu Ruyun was shaking with nerves. What now? These two seasoned singers were so strong—there was no way to surpass them!
Wu Fan and Liu Ruyun both looked at Wang Tianqi, then exchanged glances. All they needed now was to beat Wang Tianqi!
A surge of anger rose in Wu Fan’s chest. If Ning Cai hadn’t let Wang Tianqi on stage, would he be feeling this pressure now?
Wu Fan’s turn came.
At this moment, Wu Fan’s handsome face was devoid of any smile. He too had chosen a love song from one of his albums. That album had sold two million copies a few years ago. In these times, such sales were a miracle.
Maybe it was nerves, or maybe his own limitations, but his final score was just 47 points and 868 votes, even worse than the previous round—he’d at least broken 900 votes before.
Seeing these results, his face turned pale. What now? Standing center stage, he looked at the audience, then at Shen Xian, and felt as though many were mocking him. It was like a thousand needles at his back. Utter humiliation!
“You voting audience must be blind!” Wu Fan shouted. “This song of mine sold two million copies back in the day! Do you have something against me?” He then turned to the host. “Host, I demand a re-vote!”
The host was dumbfounded.
On other TV stations, Wu Fan had pulled this before—making a scene and demanding a re-vote. The other networks didn’t dare offend him, so they complied. Not only was he not criticized afterward, but his fans praised him for being unique, a singer with character who dared to stand up to rigged results.
“Mr. Wu Fan, there’s no such precedent,” the host, Wang Ling, replied with a smile.
The directors couldn’t care less about Wu Fan—they simply turned off the lights.
Wu Fan exploded, slamming the microphone to the floor. “If Wang Tianqi advances today, this show is rigged! His singing is absolute garbage!”
Immediately, the livestream audience split into two camps.
One side: “What the heck, what kind of attitude is this from Wu Fan?”
“Is this how a public figure should behave? So LOW!”
“He can’t beat others, so he cries foul? Doesn’t he know this is the fairest show on TV?”
The other side: “Ahhh, Wu Fan smashing the mic is so cool, I’m nosebleeding from how handsome he is!”
“We’ll always support Wu Fan. His talent and looks are obvious to all. There’s no way he couldn’t break nine hundred votes—there must be a fix!”
“Wu Fan, we’ll always back you!”
Shen Xian looked at Wu Fan, and two words floated through his mind—fool’s luck.
Liu Sheng gave a bitter smile. “I really can’t understand the fanbase these days.”
After Wu Fan left the stage, it was Liu Ruyun’s turn. She stepped forward, took a deep breath, then nodded, “I’m ready. Music, please.”