Chapter 17: 017: The Most Romantic Thing
“10, 9, 8, 7… 3, 2, 1…”
“Let’s go!”
The director was counting down on his stopwatch.
As soon as it hit eight-thirty, the commercial break cut precisely to the Super Girl stage, and hosts Wang Han and You Weiwei quickly walked to the center of the stage.
The live broadcast of the Top 10 to Top 7 competition had begun…
You Weiwei: “Hello everyone, this is the live broadcast of the 2005 Mengniu Yogurt Drink Super Girl Top 10 to Top 7 competition.”
Wang Han: “That’s right, Top 10 to Top 7. As the name suggests, only seven out of today’s ten contestants will advance.”
You Weiwei: “Yes, the competition is very fierce… Look, there are so many fans here today. All the contestants’ fans, let me see where you are!?”
The sound of fans cheering erupted from the venue.
“Ahhh…”
“Go, Liangying!”
“Ji Minjia, you’re the best~”
“Ye Yiqian, go, go!”
“Shen Pinpin, go for it!”
“…”
In the audience, some held cheering sticks, some held cheering boards, some unfurled banners, and some had small whistles…
Among them,
The fans of Zhang Liangying, Ye Yiqian, and Shen Pinpin were all wearing T-shirts printed with their photos. They were clearly true fans.
Over the past month, each contestant had gained their own fans, and this feeling of being loved left them mesmerized.
Every contestant did not want to leave this stage.
But reality was cruel!
Three people had to leave tonight.
Wang Han: “Wow! There are so many fans for Zhang Liangying, a vast sea of people. Are there about two hundred?”
You Weiwei: “Haha, I think it’s about that many.”
Wang Han: “Come on, director, please give us a shot. Let the viewers in front of their TVs see how enthusiastic Zhang Liangying’s fans are…”
The director switched the camera to the audience.
On the screen, a huge number of ‘Liangfen’ appeared, occupying almost half of the audience seats, and the majority were male.
“Wuwuwu~”
“Ahhh…”
“Go, Liangying!”
“Zhejiang University Music Society supports Zhang Liangying!”
“Liangying, Liangying, beautiful voice, beautiful Liangying.”
“…”
When the Liangfen shouted in unison, the sound was deafening.
Shen Qing, sitting at the very front of the Liangfen, covered his ears and laughed heartily. His handsome smile was incredibly captivating.
The director, being quick-witted, even gave Shen Qing a big close-up, instantly exciting the female Liangfen watching on TV.
As everyone knows,
Female fans love shipping couples the most. Half a month ago, they were already shipping the romance between Shen Qing and Zhang Liangying all over the forums…
Seeing Shen Qing’s smile now, they let out auntie smiles.
“Son, come into Mom’s arms!”
“Ahhh… I want a baby like Shen Qing so much!”
“I want to date Shen Qing!”
“Liangying and Shen Qing together are just too sweet!”
“Mommy loves you!”
“…”
As for the male fans watching on TV, they were much more rational. They were more concerned about Zhang Liangying’s styling and song choice for the night.
Generally speaking, male fans are divided into two groups.
One group are visual fans, who are attracted by her looks;
The other group are strength fans, who love listening to her sing;
Zhang Liangying could satisfy almost any type of fan’s needs, whether it was her looks, figure, or talent, she had it all.
Especially her singing talent, it was incredibly strong.
You Weiwei: “Haha, Liangying’s fans are so enthusiastic!”
Wang Han: “Of course, our other contestants’ fans are not bad either. Let’s hear your cheers, shall we…”
“…”
“Now that we’ve witnessed everyone’s enthusiasm, you can pick up your phones and, according to the numbers displayed on the screen, edit your favorite contestant’s number and send it to support them…”
“Next, we will still introduce our judges first. They are our old friends Hei Nan, Zhang Lu, and music program host Zhang Man…”
“These three teachers will comment on the contestants with their professional eyes and then send the contestants who performed relatively weakly on stage to the waiting area.”
“Next, we will introduce the 31 public judges. They were selected from hundreds of enthusiastic viewers who called and texted us. Tonight, they will directly decide who gets eliminated…”
The public judge segment was actually a bit of a gimmick.
Because the two weaker contestants sent to the PK stage by the judges and text messages would ultimately be eliminated by a vote from the 31 public judges.
To a large extent, it depended on the personal preferences of these 31 individuals.
This rendered the professional judges somewhat ineffective.
But this is a variety show, so it’s understandable… It can give the audience a greater sense of participation, which is another form of compensation.
Soon, the relay singing began.
The 10 contestants would sing for 30 seconds in order of their numbers, and two weaker contestants would be selected by the judges and text messages for a PK.
Zhang Liangying was the third to perform.
The first contestant to perform was No. 10 – Ding Ding.
The pianist hit the first note, and Ding Ding began to sing.
She sang Lin Junjie’s “Jiangnan.” This song was first broadcast on radio across Asia on May 19th last year and received countless accolades.
“We who don’t understand the agony of love and hate”
“Used to think falling in love was as fickle as the wind and clouds…”
“Believing that one day of love is worth an eternity”
“Freezing time at this moment”
“…”
Ding Ding sang the wrong lyric on her second line.
The original lyric should have been ‘Used to think falling in love was as fickle as the wind and clouds,’ but she sang ‘used to’ instead of ‘used to.’ She was probably too nervous.
Not only that, but her 30-second performance was very bland, with nothing memorable.
How to put it~
It was just very ordinary, KTV level.
The second performer was No. 09, He Zuoyan.
She sang “The Love You Want.” This song is a work by Taiwanese singer Dai Penny and also the ending theme song for the idol drama “Meteor Garden.”
Shen Qing’s evaluation was: KTV level.
The third performer was No. 08, Lu Jieyun.
She performed S.H.E’s “Tropical Rainforest.” This song requires a higher vocal quality, and the singer needs strong weak mix, chest resonance, and preferably a slightly textured voice…
Lu Jieyun’s vocal tone was extremely monotonous and not round enough. She sounded like a student randomly pulled from a high school classroom, not even reaching KTV standard.
Shen Qing thought her chances were slim.
Even if her text message votes weren’t the lowest, she would likely be sent to the PK stage by the judges.
After she finished singing, it was the turn of No. 07, Zhang Liangying.
The cheers from the audience instantly rose several degrees.
The director also gave a close-up of the Liangfen in the audience.
This kind of treatment was unique tonight.
Being a fan of Zhang Liangying meant more screen time than other fans!
Similarly, the Liangfen watching on TV were also cheering in anticipation.
Even the ordinary viewers who didn’t support any particular contestant wanted to hear what Zhang Liangying would sing – because the first three performers were too ordinary.
“Will it be an original song?”
“Ah, I’m so excited!”
“It’s only thirty seconds, so it might not be an original.”
“No matter what, Liangying sings beautifully.”
“Wow, Liangying is coming up. I didn’t get a good look earlier. She’s really beautiful tonight, her dress is so cute, and her face is so pretty!”
“…”
The announcer’s special effect flashed by, and a voice-over announced: “Contestant No. 07, Zhang Liangying, will perform the song ‘The Most Romantic Thing.’”
This song was the breakthrough hit of Malaysian singer Zhao Yonghua in 1994, making her famous across the country overnight.
“I can imagine the most romantic thing”
“Is to grow old slowly with you”
“Collecting bits and pieces of laughter along the way”
“To talk about them later~ while sitting in a rocking chair~”
“…”
The moment she opened her mouth, the entire venue erupted.
