Chapter 31: "Lovers in the World" Tops the Charts—A Tapestry of Envy, Admiration, and Resentment

Liang Yusong continued to critique the next contestant: “And then there’s Lu Ming. Although your fifth-octave falsetto is very pleasant, as Coach Chen mentioned, it still lacks substance.

“Also, the song you performed during the initial showcase only went up to C5.

“My guess is that you rarely sing in the fifth octave, which is why there’s a certain rawness to your sound.

“Perhaps you’re still undecided about whether to focus on the fifth-octave high notes or to strengthen your voice in the golden range of the fourth octave for male singers.

“To be honest, I really like the tone of your fifth-octave high notes.

“But your fourth-octave tone can’t compare in richness to Fang Xing and Shao Yu.

“If you choose to focus on the fourth octave, you’ll have far too many competitors—the entire music industry’s male singers are battling it out in that range.

“Frankly, you don’t have an advantage in the fourth octave.

“To say nothing of others, just on this stage alone, you can’t outshine Fang Xing and Shao Yu in the golden range of the fourth octave.

“Speaking as an old hand with more than thirty years in music, I’d advise you to focus on the fifth-octave high notes.

“In that territory, you’ll find few rivals, and with time, you might even carve out a unique place for yourself in the world of fifth-octave high notes.”

Lu Ming pondered deeply, torn between two impulses, unable to make up his mind.

After hearing the advice, he bowed in gratitude. “Thank you, Teacher Yusong, for your comments.”

The mentors’ critiques concluded.

Host He Hao continued to steer the proceedings: “Both performances have ended, and the combined energy scores from the live audience and professional judges have already been tallied.

“Next, let’s see which of the two stages has won more support from the audience and the professional panel.

“Let’s look at the big screen. First up is Hashim’s team with ‘Tears Shed for Beauty.’ What is their energy score?”

Data for ‘Tears Shed for Beauty’ began appearing on the screen, starting at zero and climbing upwards.

“One hundred, two hundred… six hundred, seven hundred—it’s still going—eight hundred. It’s already at eight hundred. Will it break the nine-hundred mark?”

He Hao’s excited commentary whipped up the crowd: “So far, with five themes and ten teams, not a single performance has broken nine hundred. Will ‘Tears Shed for Beauty’ be the first?”

The audience erupted in a noisy chorus. Some wished for the record to be broken, others did not.

Up to this point, the evening’s highest energy score belonged to Wu Junchen’s team, with 853.

Wu Junchen’s fans were dissatisfied with that number, but because the professional judges’ votes account for 30%, popularity alone can’t guarantee first place.

Since Wu Junchen’s team was in the lead with 853 points, his supporters began to chant, “Stop! Stop! Stop…”

In the end, Hashim’s team’s ‘Tears Shed for Beauty’ stopped at 847.

A wave of cheers swept through the venue.

He Hao, wearing a look of regret, announced, “It didn’t break tonight’s record—just five points short. That’s a real pity.

“But 847 is still the second-highest score tonight, and that’s an impressive achievement.

“Now, only the final performance remains—the results for Fang Xing’s team and ‘Lovers in This World.’

“To be honest, when I saw Wang Huajun descend from above in his flowing robe during rehearsal, I was already amazed by the choreography. But during the actual performance, that aerial dance stunned me even more.

“I wonder if Fang Xing’s team and their ‘Lovers in This World’ can move the audience. Let’s see the final energy score.”

The name ‘Lovers in This World’ appeared on the screen, with the energy score rising from zero.

In reality, most of the audience knew that the voting had already closed—the final tally was set. Watching the score climb was just for show.

Still, before the answer was revealed, those steadily rising numbers held the audience in suspense.

That was exactly the atmosphere the producers wanted.

“Seven hundred, eight hundred—the energy is still climbing! This is the fourth stage tonight to reach eight hundred. Will it break the record? Will it?” He Hao’s voice grew more animated.

After passing eight hundred, the numbers slowed, but kept rising.

Three seconds later, the score surpassed 847, moving into second place.

Cheers and shouts burst forth from the crowd.

Then, just a second later, the score overtook 853, seizing first place.

Before the last round of cheers had faded, the new wave was even louder.

As Wu Junchen lost his top spot, a chorus of boos erupted from the audience.

Yet the score kept climbing, passing 900, and finally stopping at 912.

“Whew!”

Host He Hao exhaled and declared, excitement in his voice, “We have a new record tonight—912 points! Undoubtedly the number one!

“The ‘Lovers in This World’ stage has won unanimous recognition from both the audience and the professional panel. Congratulations to Fang Xing, and to these five young talents.”

Below, the fans of Wu Junchen, Liu Yichen, and other popular contestants wore looks of discontent.

Some fans began to mutter, “How did their score get so high? I didn’t vote for them—did you?”

“No. The group admin told everyone to vote only for Junchen. Other than Junchen’s teammates, I didn’t give any votes to anyone else.”

“So why did this Fang Xing get such a high score?”

“Maybe the professional judges gave them a lot of points. They account for 30%, which is too much.”

“This isn’t fair! Why do the professional judges get to vote? We’re the real audience. This is unfair to Junchen.”

“I’m going to protest on social media. The professional panel’s votes are unfair—it must be a backstage fix.”

“Exactly. The producers clearly want to promote this Fang Xing. But why? He’s not as handsome as Junchen, doesn’t work as hard, and doesn’t sing as well.”

“Just wait and see. No matter how much they try to push someone without real talent, they’ll never become a star.”

At that moment,

A message appeared in Wu Junchen’s fan group from the admin:

[Is there a traitor in the group who voted for Fang Xing’s team? Identify them and report it—there’s a reward for catching them. Anyone found will be expelled from the fandom.]

…

In the contestants’ lounge,

The trainees from other teams gazed at Fang Xing’s team’s overwhelming energy score, brimming with envy and resentment.

Just a week ago, during team selection,

Fang Xing had been uncompromising, insisting that all vocal decisions would be his alone.

At the time, a trainee challenged him: “If we have to do everything your way, what if you split the lyrics unfairly, or even give me no lines to sing?”

Fang Xing’s response was, “If I don’t assign you any lines, it means you’re not suited to sing them.”

That answer was downright tyrannical.

Many trainees decided then and there that they didn’t want to join his team.

Yet now, ‘Lovers in This World’ had stormed to the top, crushing all competition.

Many trainees began to regret their choice, thinking to themselves:

Some of the people in his team can barely sing—if I’d been in their place, I would have done so much better.

If I were on that team, I’d be number one too.

Many muttered inwardly, feeling both envy and jealousy toward Guo Keda and the others.

Especially toward Guo Keda—some even whispered,

“He just borrowed a guitar, and somehow got taken along to the top spot.”

“I have a guitar too. Why wasn’t it me?”

…