Perfect Superstar.

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June 20th, partly cloudy, air quality index: Good. 

At 9 a.m., the Capital City National Sports Stadium was bustling with activity, brightly decorated for the Xiangnan TV Network's second season of 'The Strongest Singer'. The auditions and registration for the Capital City regional contest were underway simultaneously. 

Inside the stadium, over a hundred tents were set up, each covered in Xiangnan TV's signature orange fabric, with the black-and-white 'The Strongest Singer' logo prominently displayed. 

Giant banners hung from the spectator stands, with bold characters proclaiming "MONEY." 

As a leader in domestic TV variety shows, Xiangnan TV's advertising revenue was on par with that of CCTV and boasted an even higher utilization rate, clearly demonstrating their financial strength and confidence in hosting a competition in the capital. 

When Lu Chen arrived at the stadium, there were already tens of thousands of people gathered. 

Concerned about potential traffic congestion, Lu Chen had taken the subway. His fellow passengers included many other hopeful contestants carrying guitars— some even younger than him. 

Upon arriving, he was met with a sea of people. Without the guidance of numerous staff members in yellow vests, Lu Chen would have struggled to find his way to the audition area. 

The on-site registration for 'The Strongest Singer' in the Capital City was limited to just one day, while online registration had begun much earlier. Having completed his online registration, Lu Chen was fortunate to be assigned to the first day of auditions. 

The auditions would span three days, culminating in the live-streamed qualifiers on June 25th. 

Lu Chen's contestant number was 17690, meaning over 10,000 participants had registered before him. Considering the remaining days and walk-in registrants, the total number of contestants could easily reach 30,000 to 50,000— a staggering figure for just the Capital City region. 

'The Strongest Singer' maintained high standards, requiring contestants to sing and compose, with a basic level of musical proficiency, lest they become a laughingstock. 

However, only in Capital City could such a grand spectacle occur. 

The city was a hub for aspiring singers, home to three prestigious music colleges and countless music training institutions, not to mention numerous entertainment and media companies. A large turnout was expected. 

Based on his number, Lu Chen was assigned to audition tent 19. 

These so-called audition tents were large structures where contestants performed in sequence. Successful contestants would advance to the live-streamed qualifiers on the 25th, while those who failed were immediately eliminated. 

Xiangnan TV had meticulously organized the event. Despite the large number of contestants waiting in line, everything was orderly. Shade canopies, plastic chairs, and free bottled water were provided for the contestants. 

Seated with Lu Chen were at least 100-200 other contestants. Some had brought their entire families for support. 

To Lu Chen's left sat a young girl, around 14 or 15 years old, dressed like a princess. She was surrounded by her parents and grandparents, who treated her like royalty. 

The girl, with a pink guitar in her arms, noticed Lu Chen's gaze. She immediately turned, gave him a dramatic eye-roll, and pouted as if she could hang a milk bottle from her lips. 

Lu Chen couldn't help but chuckle and stood up, addressing the elderly grandmother, "Ma'am, please take my seat. It's important to take care of your health." 

The seats in the waiting area were reserved for contestants, not their families. Seeing the elderly woman standing, Lu Chen offered her his seat. 

Surprised, the grandmother and the girl's parents thanked him profusely. Lu Chen smiled and moved to stand nearby. 

Unexpectedly, the young girl's eyes welled up with tears, and large drops began to fall, startling her family. 

Suddenly, she jumped up and tugged at her grandfather. "Grandpa, you sit!" 

Her grandfather waved his hands. "No, Grandpa is fine. You sit." 

The young girl immediately pouted. "If you don't sit, I'm going home! I'm done!" 

Helpless, her grandfather sat down. 

Satisfied, the girl glanced at Lu Chen with a triumphant look. 

Lu Chen smiled warmly and gave her a thumbs-up. 

She wasn't impressed, turning away with a huff. 

Time passed slowly. The sun broke through the clouds, and the temperature inside the open stadium began to rise. The air grew thick with impatience. 

Lu Chen, feeling drowsy from the wait, had already finished two bottles of water. 

"Contestant 17688, Contestant 17689, please come forward and prepare!" 

At that moment, a staff member emerged from Tent 19, holding a megaphone and announcing loudly, "Contestants 17688 and 17689, please come inside and prepare!" 

Immediately, two vagabond singers stood up and followed the staff member into the tent. 

Lu Chen straightened up, feeling a surge of energy. After sitting idle for over two hours, it was finally almost his turn! 

The organizers were quite efficient. Tent 19 had entrances on both sides—contestants entered from one and exited from the other, while new arrivals continuously filled the waiting area. 

A young girl in a white dress had just exited. She was sobbing uncontrollably, her makeup smudged beyond recognition. Without a second thought, she dashed out of the venue, likely eliminated in the first round. 

The contestants in the waiting area were unfazed by the scene—it was all too common. 

With tens of thousands of people auditioning, at least 90% would be eliminated in the first round. The competition in such mass-audience talent shows was brutal. No matter how much effort or praise one had received before, elimination could happen at any stage. 

Xiangnan TV's talent shows were often controversial, but their high ratings kept them going strong. Every contestant had to be mentally prepared for failure. 

In contrast, Lu Chen was much more relaxed—whether he succeeded or failed, he was fine either way. 

For him, this was more about warming up and getting a feel for the audition process and atmosphere. 

If Chen Jianhao's assessment was correct, things might get interesting later on. 

About five minutes later, two more contestants exited, followed by the staff member again. 

"Contestants 17690 and 17691, please come inside and prepare!" 

Lu Chen quickly grabbed his guitar and walked over. 

Coincidentally, the contestant behind him, number 17691, was the haughty young girl from earlier. 

Her family seemed eager to follow her in, but the staff member stopped them. "Family members are not allowed inside!" 

Seeing their anxious faces, Lu Chen turned and reassured them, "Don't worry, I'll look after her. We'll be out soon." 

Perhaps because of Lu Chen's earlier gesture of offering his seat, the girl's family was willing to trust him and reluctantly stepped back. 

The girl, however, huffed, "I don't need you to look after me! And I'm not your little sister!" 

Lu Chen ignored her and curiously observed the setup inside the audition tent. 

He was now in what could be called the "backstage" area, though it was quite small. Ahead of him, two other vagabond singers were waiting for their turn. From here, he could clearly hear the singing from the stage and the judges' evaluations. 

As he entered, a contestant had just finished their performance. 

One judge commented, "Two sections were well-written, and the singing was decent. You pass." 

Another judge nodded. "Agreed." 

The third judge simply said, "Pass." 

The decision was swift and straightforward. The initial audition had three judges, and a contestant needed at least two votes to advance. 

Contestants were given just over a minute on stage. Singing for longer was out of the question. If the judges were unimpressed, they might interrupt within the first few lines and eliminate the contestant. 

Both singers ahead of Lu Chen were eliminated. 

"Contestant 17690!" 

Hearing his number, Lu Chen calmly picked up his guitar and walked onto the stage. 

The setup inside was simple. Two male and one female judge sat behind a long table. In front of them was a folding chair, but no microphone. A small digital camera stood off to the side, recording the audition. 

As Lu Chen took his position, the female judge, sounding weary from repeating the same instructions, said, "Begin." 

She must have said those words countless times, her voice devoid of enthusiasm. 

Lu Chen gave a slight bow as a polite greeting, then expertly plucked the guitar strings and began to play. 

The song he chose was 'My Old Classmate'. 

'(End of Chapter)'