Chapter 71: Lofty Aspirations, Crushing the Competition

The audience sat quietly before their screens, listening to the song. Fang Xing and the children's choir sang together, reaching the final verse:
"Strive with determination to become the backbone, never failing youth..."
As the last note faded, the barrage of comments erupted.
Especially due to the “heroic act” incident, many viewers who normally ignored talent shows were drawn in, unable to resist adding their own comments:
[Profound theme, lyrics and melody almost flawless.]
[Instant win!]
[This obliterates the competition.]
[What’s the point of comparing? There’s nothing to compare here.]
[The competitors should just kneel.]
[This song doesn’t suit the show; putting it here is simply bullying.]
[This is a dimensional reduction attack.]
[No wonder Liu Yichen wanted to cry—what’s the point of competing? Just admit defeat, it’s more dignified.]
[As always, the two songs belong to different worlds, yet they have to be pitted against each other. I pity the opponent for a second.]
[Profound theme, beautiful, and bursting with positive energy.]
[Like a young tiger roaring in the valley, startling all beasts. This is what youth is about.]
[Why sing “We’re Here”? Perhaps you shouldn’t come at all.]
[Alright, it’s time for the exciting PK round. “The Wind Rises” versus “The Speech of Young China,” please vote.]
The comments began to clash.
But now it was no longer a battle between “We’re Here” and “The Speech of Young China,” but “The Wind Rises” versus “The Speech of Young China.”
[This is outrageous! Stripped them even of the right to compete, can you not be so excessive? Hmm... I vote for “The Wind Rises.”]
[Too much, really. Be human, please. I vote for “The Speech of Young China.”]
[It has to be “The Speech of Young China” as the number one of the night; theme, lyrics, melody—all on a higher level.]
[It’s as if the wind blurred my eyes; who knew a song could make me cry.]
[Me too. This century, our homeland has endured so much hardship.]
[If the sages could hear this song, see the country’s prosperity today, they would surely be at peace.]
...
After the song ended, the show aired Fang Xing’s backstage interview: “If you dare not vote after hearing this song, you’re a hero.”
Comments flooded the screen:
[Though it sounds cheeky, honestly, there’s no way to refute it.]
[Anyone who dares not vote for this song? Are you out of your mind?]
[Ruthless—Fang Xing is truly ruthless.]
[Absolutely ruthless; he’s burying Wu Junchen and Liu Yichen so deep they’ll never recover.]
[Too heavy-handed, really excessive.]
[Too heavy-handed +1]
[Too heavy-handed +2]
[No need to watch further. If the show lets “The Speech of Young China” lose after this, I’ll report them.]
[Liu Yichen is definitely eliminated; fans, stop commenting and start crowdfunding for the revival ranking.]
Before “The Speech of Young China” appeared, Wu Junchen and Liu Yichen’s fans were lively.
Once the song finished, their comments vanished in an instant.
It was as if the world had quieted.
[Finally, no more CP fans or brainless fans spamming.]
[Fang Xing is the real deal, managed to silence the opponent’s fans.]
The show continued.
Professional judges began voting, and without suspense, nearly all votes went to “The Speech of Young China.”
Only a few judges abstained.
When the host asked, those judges solemnly replied, “I am not qualified! The theme of this song is too great; I cannot judge it.”
Comments interacted:
[True, not qualified—but you’re self-aware, so I’ll follow you on Weibo.]
[This vote, I permit you to abstain.]
[Permit abstention +1]
...
In Tianlan Literary Court.
Lu Xiang’er and Ning Xiaoyun listened to “The Speech of Young China” with serious expressions.
A while after the music ended, Lu Xiang’er exhaled slowly and said, “This song is incredible.”
Ning Xiaoyun’s eyes lit up. “How about we try playing this piece later? Come on, let’s listen two more times.”
“Sure,” Lu Xiang’er agreed immediately.
As music students, they couldn’t help but want to play this beautiful song with their own instruments.
They started looping “The Speech of Young China.” After a few rounds, they memorized the melody and began trying it on their violins.
After a while, there was a knock at the door.
“Xiang, Mom’s coming in.”
Lu’s mother entered, carrying a plate of sliced fruit.
Lu Xiang’er stopped playing and said, “I already practiced my etudes today.”
“This piece is nice, has a righteous air. What is it?” Lu’s mother was open-minded and asked casually.
Ning Xiaoyun replied boldly, “The Speech of Young China. The lyrics are even better. It’s from ‘Tomorrow’s Star.’ Auntie, have you watched the show?”
“Not really, you two carry on, and eat more fruit.” Lu’s mother left after delivering the fruit, closing the door behind her.
Lu Xiang’er and Ning Xiaoyun exchanged smiles, then continued playing “The Speech of Young China” on their violins.
...
At the end of the show, the host announced Liu Yichen’s elimination.
Many fans at the venue cried bitterly, protesting Liu Yichen’s fate.
Once his elimination was confirmed, Weibo exploded.
Related topics quickly shot onto the trending list.
Top trending:
[Liu Yichen’s shocking elimination.]
Second trending:
[Wu Junchen and Liu Yichen join forces, suffer two consecutive defeats.]
Yet these trends didn’t last long before two new ones surpassed them:
[“The Speech of Young China”—the backbone youth should have.]
[Anyone who dares not vote is a hero.]
These two topics swiftly claimed the top spots, pushing Wu Junchen and Liu Yichen’s trends below, with the gap only widening.
Liu Yichen’s elimination sent his fans into an uproar.
In the final professional vote, “We’re Here” sung by Wu Junchen and Liu Yichen didn’t receive a single vote.
Fans rushed to the official “Tomorrow’s Star” Weibo to flood the comments, impeaching the judges:
[The professional judges are not professional!]
[The show is rigged!]
[The scoring is unfair!]
[Even if they lost, why not a single vote?]
[If the scoring rules aren’t changed next time, I’ll boycott the show, absolutely won’t watch.]
The official “Tomorrow’s Star” Weibo didn’t respond to these accusations, but posted a revival rule announcement, urging fans to vote for Liu Yichen’s revival.
On Penguin Video’s “Tomorrow’s Star” section, the revival page now featured Liu Yichen’s name.
His fans began crowdfunding for revival votes, even reaching out to Wu Junchen’s fan groups to mobilize them.
[Yichen’s elimination—Junchen bears some responsibility, you ought to vote.]
Though their fandoms usually competed, now faced with a common enemy, they united.
Thus, Wu Junchen’s fans started voting to revive Liu Yichen.
As soon as Liu Yichen’s name appeared on the revival board, it surged to a million votes in less than half an hour.
The second place trainee on the revival board had nowhere near as many votes.
This situation was entirely expected.
Under normal circumstances, it was unlikely for the second most popular trainee to be eliminated.
This was purely an accident, so Liu Yichen quickly topped the revival board, his return inevitable.