Chapter 40: The National Competition Begins
Hunan University, campus coffee shop.
Shen Qing and Zhang Liangying sat until dark, finally figuring out a sliver of a path forward.
First step, establish a studio.
Second step, find distribution channels.
Third step, release an album.
One and three are not difficult.
Shen Qing had countless original songs in his mind.
The most difficult part was the second step, finding distribution channels, which would inevitably involve cooperation with major companies.
Currently.
After much thought, Taihe Rye Music was still the most suitable.
At least Zhang Lu was a good person, more reliable than the two brothers from the Wang Family.
Moreover, the operation of the thing and the ambitious person and red high heels by Taihe Rye Music for the past month or two had yielded excellent results, bringing in nearly a million in revenue for Shen Qing and his companion.
“Heh heh, Qing, are we really releasing our first album in October?”
“Of course! Release an album, make big money.”
“Ahhh… so happy…”
“Compiling the original songs sung during the competition into an album is very convenient; you just need to focus on singing.”
“Mhm, I’ll listen to you~”
“By the way, let’s go to the Hunan University cafeteria for a meal first, and then discuss the competition this Friday.”
“Okay… Shen Qing, I also really want to go to university. Do you think we’ll have a chance to attend a university like this in the future?”
“Attend a Project 985 university?”
“Yes~”
“That’s a bit difficult… but if they offer adult undergraduate programs, perhaps we can pay some money to get in…”
…
Friday, the 15-to-12 elimination round began.
Although Zhang Liangying did not need to compete, she was scheduled to perform as a champion singer.
From Wednesday to Friday, she was rehearsing at Mango TV.
Tonight, she was to sing two songs.
For the first song, she and four other champions would take turns performing.
For the second song, the champion from each division would sing a song with a contestant from their division who was on standby, to campaign for votes for that contestant.
Ji Minjia and Ye Yiqian had been getting along very well with Zhang Liangying these past few days, both trying to secure their future.
From the competition format, the first song allowed for free expression, while the second song depended on what the standby contestant sang.
Shen Qing had originally wanted her to sing Farewell.
However, the production team notified Zhang Liangying that she could only sing acapella for 2 minutes, and it would be a shame to sing Farewell.
There wasn’t enough time; Farewell was 2 minutes and 48 seconds long.
Therefore, such a powerful song should be saved for a crucial moment. If Zhang Liangying sang it then, she might achieve fame overnight again.
In view of this.
Shen Qing chose Xu Huaiyu’s song “Flying Apart” for Liangying.
This song was also a very classic piece.
The singer Xu Huaiyu herself was also a beauty.
In 2000, she participated in “The Legend of Mermaid,” playing the mermaid Xiao Lian, capturing the hearts of many viewers.
…
Mango TV Building.
The area downstairs was crowded with fans from all over the country, gathered in groups, waiting for their favorite singers to pass by.
At a glance, the fans of Li Yuchun and Zhang Liangying made up half of the crowd.
The corn fans and liangfen fans were clearly divided, each disliking the other.
They even argued a few times.
Three o’clock in the afternoon.
The contestants participating in the elimination round entered the building.
The security guards at the entrance were overwhelmed, using all their strength to keep the frenzied fans outside the main gate.
This was the busiest day for the security guards this year.
The last time Hu Yanbin and others came to participate in Happy Camp, they didn’t receive such treatment.
Speaking of Happy Camp, one must mention Li Yuchun, because just last month, singer Guang Liang and Li Yuchun participated in the recording of Happy Camp together.
At that time, Zhang Liangying was still participating in the elimination round of the Hangzhou division…
This shows the importance Mango TV and Tianyu placed on Li Yuchun.
…
Not long after.
Zhang Liangying, Li Yuchun, Zhou Bichang, Zhao Jingyi, and Zhu Yan, the champions from the five divisions, appeared downstairs at the Mango Building.
The fans at the entrance began to stir.
Cheers spread to every corner, growing from a few people to hundreds.
They not only cheered but also broke through the security guards’ blockade, surrounding the five of them, including Zhang Liangying.
They were unable to move…
Zhang Liangying and Li Yuchun, among others, had never experienced such a scene and had never expected such a reception.
Before, they had only seen it on television.
Now, they were finally experiencing it.
At first, they were secretly thrilled, but after being surrounded for a long time, they started to feel annoyed and wanted to push through the crowd to enter the building.
“Chun, ahhh…”
“Go, Yuchun, you’re the champion.”
“Liangying, Liangying, beautiful voice, beautiful Liangying.”
“Bichang, believe in yourself, you are the best.”
“Ah, Mom…”
Huh?
What kind of thing got mixed in?
…
Meanwhile.
Shen Qing had just arrived from the hotel.
As soon as he got out of the car, he saw a spectacular scene.
Seeing Zhang Liangying surrounded by the crowd and unable to move, Shen Qing sighed, “These fans are too damn enthusiastic.”
He put his phone in his jeans pocket and prepared to push his way in.
But…
He couldn’t push through.
It was blocked.
Shen Qing sighed and thought of a plan.
He stood a short distance away and shouted, “Damn, Nicholas Tse is here, sisters, look quickly, Nicholas Tse!”
“Ah? Where?”
“Nicholas Tse!?”
“Nicholas Tse is so handsome…”
“…”
Shen Qing: “Yes, so handsome, he’s at the east gate, just came out.”
Then.
At least half of the fans ran over.
These were all fickle fans!!!
Zhang Liangying and the others didn’t care if they were fickle or not; they quickly took advantage of the chaos to run inside, and the remaining male fans dared not stop them.
The name Nicholas Tse really worked…
In the years before the Millennium, Nicholas Tse was probably the hottest idol star, excelling in both music and film, with countless female fans.
His name was definitely more effective than Jay Chou’s now.
…
Eight-thirty in the evening.
The live broadcast officially began.
This time, the number of people watching the finals on television was more than ten times that of the Hangzhou division competition.
Mango TV’s ratings tonight reached their highest for the year.
After a 1 minute and 15-second video, the live broadcast switched to the studio, with 15 contestants ready to go.
Opening performance…
This was a dance and singing performance, with the music being Sing If You Want To, but it had been re-arranged by Hei Nan.
As the music started.
The champions from the five major divisions walked to the front, appearing one by one.
When it was Zhou Bichang’s turn, her unique smile made Shen Qing laugh heartily; the upward curve of her mouth was comparable to Nike’s.
After the opening performance, hosts Wang Han and Li Xiang appeared.
Nowadays, Li Xiang was considered the absolute queen of Mango TV; Wang Han didn’t dare to steal her lines.
Li Xiang: “Welcome to… Super Girl!”
Wang Han echoed: “Super Girl!”
Li Xiang: “Hello everyone, I am host Li Xiang.”
Wang Han: “Hello everyone, I am host Wang Han.”
Li Xiang: “Welcome everyone to the 2005 Super Girl Finals. This is the first round of the Top Ten qualifiers.”
Wang Han: “Next, we will introduce five contestants. They are all champions of their respective divisions and can directly advance to the Top Ten.”
The first to appear was Zhou Bichang from the Guangzhou division.
She sang Wang Leehom’s song “Forever love” acapella. As a graduate of a professional institution, her skills were indeed impressive.
Next was Zhao Jingyi from the Changsha division, Zhu Yan from the Zhengzhou division, and Li Yuchun from the Chengdu division.
After the first four sang, Li Yuchun was probably the weakest.
It couldn’t be said that she had no singing skills, only that she was slightly better than an average person. If judged purely by singing skills, she probably wouldn’t have made it into the top three of her division.
Finally, Zhang Liangying appeared.
With her song “Flying Apart,” she stunned everyone in the audience and on stage. Her natural good voice was like a heavenly sound.
“Rain falls apart”
“My tears fly in the sky”
“Tears fall”
“Your lingering scent falls into my palm”
“Who understands”
“Sincere devotion is exchanged for separation”
“…”
At this moment, listening to the original soundtrack, Li Yuchun was greatly shocked. She remembered what she had asked her parents before – could she beat Zhang Liangying?
It seemed that relying on singing wouldn’t work.
What could she use to sing better than her?
Li Yuchun: “It seems I can only cling to Tianyu to advance!”
…
Soon.
The elimination round officially began.
Ten contestants appeared one by one to perform.
After the first round, contestant number 2, She Manna, and contestant number 3, Song Lin, entered the standby area for a PK. After voting by the public judges, She Manna received 26 votes, and Song Lin received 9 votes.
Song Lin was the first to be eliminated.
And then, two more people would leave this stage.
