Chapter 107: Total Domination

"The Village" went viral.

It swept across the internet with such unstoppable momentum that the moment Lin Feng finished singing, "The Village" soared to the top of Weibo’s real-time trending topics.

On the live broadcast stage:

As the melody of "The Village" faded, Lin Feng took a brief breath and launched straight into his next rural-themed piece, "Home in Jiangning."

This song was adapted from Pang Long's "Home in the Northeast" from Earth. In truth, the creative space for rural themes was quite limited; international country music didn't quite fit the context, and domestic songs on the subject were rare and rarely exceptional.

While Pang Long's "Home in the Northeast" wasn't exactly a classic, its melody was bold and its style distinct. Most importantly, the lyrics were down-to-earth and rich with rural flavor, making it a perfect fit for the show’s theme.

Of course, more importantly, the song had a crisp, fast-paced rhythm and a high pitch, making it incredibly high-energy. In the atmosphere created by "The Village," only a song like this could keep the momentum going.

"Hey... Hey... Hey..."

The song opened with rhythmic shouts. As Lin Feng’s high-pitched voice soared, the audience's excitement was instantly ignited.

"My home is in Jiangning,
By the Yulan River.
Where soybeans and sorghum cover the mountains and fields.
By the green hills and clear waters,
Two large white poplars stand before the door.
A neat little fence,
And a small thatched cottage.
Hey...
My grandfather likes to have a drink whenever he can,
Even without a side dish, he’d down two ounces.
Large bowls of tea, large bowls of wine,
Neighbors gather on both sides.
Playing finger-guessing games,
Laughter fills the room.
Hey..."

Lin Feng had always considered this song "rural heavy metal." With its simple, direct lyrics and brisk, high-pitched rhythm, the singer is energized, and the audience is hooked.

At that moment, Lin Feng treated the live broadcast like a concert. By the end of the song, the audience was electrified, their bodies swaying involuntarily to the infectious rhythm. Never before had anyone imagined that a rural-themed song could be this "lit."

"Lin Feng!"
"Lin Feng!"
"Lin Feng!"

As the song ended, Lin Feng bowed deeply, and the audience chanted his name in unison.

"Absolutely spectacular! It’s unbelievable! Today, I’ve learned that rural-themed songs can be performed like this. Whether it’s 'The Village' or 'Home in Jiangning,' these are rare, wonderful works. Let’s give another round of applause to Lin Feng!" said host Wu Chuan, stepping onto the stage with a beaming smile.

The audience erupted into enthusiastic applause once more.

"It seems everyone really loves these two songs of yours," Wu Chuan said, looking at Lin Feng. "I’m genuinely curious: how did you come up with the idea to perform 'The Village' in Cantonese? It’s truly magical; I can’t get the melody out of my head."

"I just thought it would be fun," Lin Feng replied with a smile. "Because whenever people hear 'rural,' they think of it as 'uncool.' So, after writing the song, I wondered if I could perform it in a more stylish way, and that’s how the Cantonese version of 'The Village' came to be. It seems everyone likes it."

"Like it? The director just told me through my earpiece that 'The Village' has already climbed to the top of Weibo's real-time trending topics. That means in the mere three minutes you were performing, the song had already gone viral," said Wu Chuan.

"Is that so? Well, I’d like to thank everyone. Honestly, I’m just happy as long as people aren't roasting me," Lin Feng chuckled.

Wu Chuan smiled and said, "Now that Lin Feng has finished his performance, let’s welcome Zhou Ziqian to present his live-themed work."

After the introduction, Wu Chuan and Lin Feng retreated to the edge of the stage. Zhou Ziqian walked onto the stage with a dark expression. In truth, after watching Lin Feng’s performance, he had lost the heart to sing. He knew he had already lost; his own work was mediocre at best, with no chance of victory. But the situation had reached this point, and he had no choice but to bite the bullet.

Zhou Ziqian’s piece was titled "Nostalgia." The title sounded decent, but that was where the appeal ended. The entire song was devoid of highlights and was drearily dull. As the song ended, only sparse, scattered applause sounded from the audience.

Lin Feng and Wu Chuan returned to the center of the stage.

"Now that both creators have finished their performances, please begin voting. Note that this is a one-out-of-two selection. If you accidentally press the buttons for both, your vote will be voided."

Following Wu Chuan's instructions, the audience began to vote, and the show cut to a commercial break.

Three minutes later, the live broadcast resumed. The contestants returned to the center of the stage, and the final results of the night’s showdown were about to be revealed.

"Welcome back to the live broadcast. The five hundred judges have finished voting. The results for the third round—the live-themed showdown—are about to be unveiled. If Lin Feng wins, today’s showdown will have no more suspense. If Zhou Ziqian wins, the previously announced results of the second round will become crucial."

Wu Chuan cleared his throat and pointed to the large screen behind the stage. "Now, please look at the results of the audience vote for the third round..."

Zhou Ziqian: 0 votes!
Lin Feng: 500 votes!

"Whoa! Zhou Ziqian didn't even get a single vote!"
"What a satisfying slap in the face!"
"And he calls himself a musical talent? He should be ashamed, getting crushed into dust by Lin Feng!"
"A true reflection of skill. It's expected; those songs of his were garbage!"

Once the numbers were announced, the audience, both in the studio and at home, erupted. Although the zero votes for Zhou Ziqian were somewhat unexpected, when compared to the works presented, Lin Feng had absolutely annihilated him. The zero-vote result wasn't exactly unfair.

"My goodness! Lin Feng received a perfect score! Congratulations to Lin Feng for winning this round, and at the same time, he has secured his victory in this musical showdown without any suspense! Congratulations again, Lin Feng!" Wu Chuan announced loudly.

The audience responded with thunderous applause; in their eyes, Lin Feng’s victory was well-deserved. Hearing the cheers, Zhou Ziqian stood with a look of embarrassment and resentment. He deeply regretted agreeing to such an "absurd" challenge.

"Although the outcome of the musical showdown has been decided, the final results of the second round have yet to be announced. Due to Zhou Ziqian’s accusations that Lin Feng’s votes were faked, the production team conducted a thorough investigation. Now, please welcome our producer, Zhao Tong, to the stage to announce the final vote counts for both contestants in the second round."

As Wu Chuan finished speaking, Zhao Tong walked onto the stage with firm strides. Without pleasantries, she picked up the statistical report and declared in a clear voice, "What I hold in my hand are the final results for the second round of this competition. Holding this report, I feel deeply pained, because some people were truly shameless enough to engage in vote-stuffing!"

"Now, I will announce the off-site voting results for the second round!"

"Lin Feng, assisted by Qin Han: 1.18 million votes."
"Zhou Ziqian, assisted by Sun Hao: 210,000 votes."

"I announce that the winner of the second round is... Team Lin Feng!"