Chapter 151: The Strongest Stage, Those Regrets
Backstage at the production crew, in a small rest area.
"Sister Zhou Zhou, don't be nervous," Qi Ting stood by, persuasively encouraging, "You are the last one to perform today, and this competition format is actually to our advantage."
"The challengers from the last episode, Zhang Yuqi and Wang Yu, were both veteran powerhouses. It's okay if you can't beat them. After their successful challenge, they entered the ceasefire zone and won't perform today."
"You are facing the same seven people as before. As long as you, Sister Zhou Zhou, make it into the top six, it's tantamount to successfully challenging. Then, you will also enter the ceasefire zone and be safe for tomorrow."
Because "I Am the King of Songs" suddenly changed the rules, the production team invited two reigning champions to challenge simultaneously. It was indeed unfair to the original guests, so the recording was split into two days.
A special inaugural revival round was deliberately set up, applicable only to this episode, giving the last chance to the contestants who were crushed by the two reigning champions in the previous episode.
Namely, Xu Ou who came in seventh and the folk singer Yu Zhongyi who came in sixth. If these two manage to climb to the top six this time, they can continue to stay on stage.
In other words, in today's recorded live show, the last two out of eight people will be inevitably eliminated.
If Lin Wanzhou successfully challenges, she will enter the ceasefire zone as a victor and watch the recording of tomorrow's program from the sidelines.
At the same time, tomorrow will see new challengers.
From the ceasefire zone, Zhang Yuqi and Wang Yu, who were successful in the last episode's challenge, will step onto the competitive stage, with two out of eight being eliminated again to decide the final six.
The content for the next episode will be a fierce wheel battle with seven participants, including Lin Wanzhou in the mix, going from seven to four.
Then, the episode after next is the semi-final from four to two. Until the last episode, the night of the final championship battle.
The rest area for the challenging guests is a certain distance from the studio, and upon entering, they were all secretly brought in. Qi Ting was excited and increasingly enthusiastic as she spoke.
"Ting Ting, I understand, can you be quiet for a while?"
Qi Ting was momentarily choked up: "...Uh."
At this moment, the show had already begun.
The first up was the rock singer Guan Fengcheng, who brought another rock song, and had a professional rock band for vocal support.
His powerful voice instantly ignited the audience's passion, with his metal-style vocals earning unanimous praise. However, despite a show-stopping performance, his final vote count wasn't very high.
With a total of 800 votes available, Guan Fengcheng received 634 votes.
Compared to the 547 votes he got in his last performance, this was already a comeback. This score, if nothing goes awry, should secure a safe spot in the top five.
Rock, after all, is a niche genre among the many types of music. There are many who enjoy listening to rock, but ultimately, it doesn't have as broad an audience as pop music.
Guan Fengcheng had a worried expression before going on stage, but when he returned backstage, he had a relieved smile on his face.
"Guan Ge! That's a great start! Impressive!" Jiang Jingsheng stood up to greet him, ensuring the atmosphere was never dull, "Let's share in your good fortune, share in your good fortune."
"You were in the top three last time, being modest now, don't overpraise this poor student of yours," Guan Fengcheng said a little embarrassedly.
"What's past is past, yesteryear's shabbiness isn't worth boasting about. Now, with a carefree heart, my thoughts are boundless," Hou Xueheng said laughing, "You're now like a triumphant steed galloping swiftly, enjoying the full view of Chang'an's blossoms in a single day."
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"Thank you for the compliments, Hou Teacher, I am sincerely apprehensive."
Second to perform was Wen Shuanghua, who at that moment was passing through the backstage corridor, gracefully walking towards the bright spotlight from the darkened side of the stage, holding up her blue dress.
She had an oval face, with a blue gown exposing her fair shoulders and collarbone, her chest rising high, making the lower part of the blue dress seem somewhat empty.
Perhaps it was just after her postnatal recovery period, she appeared especially voluptuous. A thin belt cinched her waist, revealing that slender midsection and drawing out extremely exaggerated curves at her hips.
A woman of this age seemed to have a fatal attraction for the younger audience. Wen Shuanghua simply stood in the center of the stage, and a restless stir arose from the darkened audience seats.
She was born in Singapore, with liberal views; she didn't consider having a good figure as something shameful. Her everyday attire was never concealing, showcasing with pride the figure she was proud of.
The song she brought this time was an English song, "Eternal Love."
During her performance, the transition between her high and low notes was perfect, and she was in good form on stage; she unexpectedly snatched a high score of 650 votes, temporarily ranking first.
Jiang Jingsheng performed steadily, delivering a noteworthy performance. Thanks to a high popularity bonus, he ended up with a high score of 665 votes, which is also a kind of display of strength.
Then, one by one, the contestants went on stage.
Xu Ou sang a cover of a love song with a subpar performance, garnering only 584 votes. She was nearly crying as she finished singing, and kept wiping away tears backstage after coming down.
Everyone knew that Xu Ou's score had almost certainly sealed her elimination. The scores of the previous three contestants were all better than Xu Ou's. Only a catastrophic failure on the part of Qi Yingying or Yu Zhongyi.
Or one could hope that the guest challenger performed poorly, falling behind everyone present.
Seeing her crying nonstop, other than looping consolations, there was nothing much to be said.
Qi Yingying performed next, bringing an original song, with a lukewarm reception from the audience. When the final voting result came in, she had 589 votes, narrowly beating Xu Ou.
At this point, Xu Ou turned even paler, as the camera captured her sitting alone on a sofa backstage. Her head bowed, lips pursed, her hands crossed and tightly clenched, knuckles slightly white.
Yu Zhongyi stepped on stage, making a bold choice with a guitar solo.
In the middle of the stage, there was just one person, one guitar, one spotlight, and darkness all around. His raspy voice singing folk songs painted the image of a defiant young figure.