Chapter 36: 036: See You Next Time at the National Competition!
Next up is the final showdown.
Because after this round, the Top 3 for the Hangzhou Division will be directly recommended by the judges, and one person will be eliminated.
Currently, the four people still on stage are: Zhang Liangying, Ji Minjia, Ye Yiqian, and Lin Shuang.
…
“So nervous!”
“Yeah, I’m nervous too. The competition will be even more exciting from now on.”
“Mm, after this round, the Top 3 will be decided, and the remaining person will be fourth place in our Hangzhou Division.”
“The rules for this round are very simple: each contestant needs to sing 30 seconds of a designated song acapella, giving our judges one last chance to truly hear your voices.”
“That’s right, after several rounds of competition, the judges are very familiar with you all and already have a clear idea. Having you sing acapella one more time is for them to make their final decision.”
Wang Han’s last statement was quite accurate.
Even Huang Zheng, who became a judge today, did his homework before coming; he was well aware of the skill levels of the four contestants on stage.
Not to mention Hei Nan and Ke Yimin, who knew the contestants’ abilities like the back of their hands.
The acapella singing began.
The song chosen by the production team was not difficult; it was Sandy Lam’s 《At Least I Still Have You》.
“I’m afraid there won’t be enough time”
“I want to hold you”
“Until I feel your wrinkles”
“Bearing the marks of time”
“…”
They all sang the initial verse part, and the verse used a narrow vocal range progression, creating an intimate, whispered feel.
However, singing in this manner severely tests a singer’s breath control.
For example, after singing the first line and taking a breath, if the control isn’t good, the second line could easily turn into a disaster.
All four contestants sang in turn, and there weren’t any major issues.
But the difference between strong and weak was evident to the audience and fans; Zhang Liangying had absolute dominance in this song.
She was not only skilled at high notes but also adept at singing in the lower register.
At this moment, the three judges huddled together to confer.
Wang Han asked, “Judges, please do not feel any pressure. Please determine, based on your professional standards, which contestant will go to the PK Stage.”
Ke Yimin said, “This is a difficult moment to make a decision… We unanimously agree that Lin Shuang needs to go to the PK Stage.”
Lin Shuang, whose name was called, gave a wry smile.
She seemed to have anticipated this outcome.
Among the four, she was neither the most attractive nor the most skilled; she had no outstanding strengths.
In Lin Shuang’s opinion, Ye Yiqian should have been the one to join her on the PK Stage, as Ye Yiqian’s skill level was similar to hers.
As she walked to the PK Stage and stood there, her fans below were extremely nervous, praying for her.
Meanwhile.
Wang Han and You Weiwei received the text message vote counts from the notary.
You Weiwei: “The top two contestants at this point will directly advance to the Top 3, and the other contestant will have a final PK with Lin Shuang.”
Wang Han: “At this moment, the contestant with the relatively lower text message vote count is…”
At this point, Wang Han paused again, further heightening the audience’s emotions.
On stage.
Ji Minjia, Ye Yiqian, and Zhang Liangying held hands, all incredibly nervous, none wanting to go to the PK Stage.
Zhang Liangying’s heart pounded.
She turned her head to look for Shen Qing’s figure, and seeing Shen Qing standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking relaxed, she muttered, “He’s not nervous at all…”
Shen Qing: “???”
What is nervousness?
After putting in so much effort in the previous rounds, now that it’s the mid-game consolidation phase, winning the division championship is a sure thing, so there’s no need to be nervous.
Just looking at the number of fans present, the fans of the other four contestants combined don’t even match the number of your Liangfen.
Not to mention the Liangfen watching on TV…
Shen Qing even felt like opening a beer to celebrate in advance.
Zhang Liangying seemed to be influenced by Shen Qing; she took a deep breath and straightened her body.
…
After building up the suspense, Wang Han and You Weiwei finally said, “Zhang Liangying…”
Huh?
Stunned!?
The audience in front of the TV was taken aback.
Wang Han quickly explained, “I haven’t finished speaking… Haha, Zhang Liangying… advances to the Top 3.”
Shen Qing, who had clenched his fist, relaxed it.
He almost wanted to rush up and hit someone.
Damn it, Wang Han really knows how to keep people in suspense. After the show tonight, I’ll make him drink until he pukes.
“Liangying, you’re amazing.”
“Well deserved.”
“See you in Changsha, Liangying, see you in Changsha.”
“…”
If there were bullet comments, the screen would probably be filled with ‘Well deserved’ right now~
Now only Ye Yiqian and Ji Minjia remain.
The palms of both were already sweating from nervousness.
Damn it!
Why is Wang Han still dragging this out? So annoying!
“The next one to advance to the Top 3 is… Ye Yiqian!”
“Congratulations, Ye Yiqian.”
Ji Minjia’s inner thought: What about me?
Helpless!
Judge Hei Nan also felt helpless about this outcome.
Logically, Ji Minjia’s skill level was far superior to Ye Yiqian’s, but this was a talent show; being strong in skill didn’t necessarily mean being more popular.
The entertainment circle is a place where looks matter. If you want people to overlook your appearance, your skill needs to be exceptionally strong, like Han Hong…
But Ji Minjia’s skill level was only above average, not among the very strong contenders.
At this moment.
On the PK Stage, Ji Minjia and Lin Shuang exchanged a smile.
Meanwhile, Ye Yiqian and Zhang Liangying had already happily walked to the rest area to sit down, their joy clearly visible on their faces.
As for their fans, they were also cheering ecstatically.
…
Sichuan.
Li Yuchun: “It’s really them. Dad, Mom, do you think I can beat Zhang Liangying?”
Dad Li: “You can beat her, but singing is another matter.”
Mom Li: “What are you saying, Old Li? Don’t talk nonsense in front of our daughter. Spit, spit, spit! Our daughter will definitely defeat Zhang Liangying.”
…
Guiyang.
He Jie’s parents were packing her luggage.
Seeing Zhang Liangying successfully advance to the Top 3, He Jie’s mother said, “Don’t be nervous, dear. We just need to make it into the Top 5, so set your goals a bit lower.”
…
Changsha.
Zhou Bichang sat in the living room eating potato chips. Seeing Zhang Liangying and Ye Yiqian advance, she clenched her fist and said, “Zhang Liangying, let’s have a showdown in the finals.”
…
It wasn’t just these few; all 12 contestants who advanced to the National Competition from the other four divisions were watching this match.
Now, only one spot for the Top 3 remained in the Hangzhou Division.
The attention was fully focused.
Live broadcast room.
Lin Shuang and Ji Minjia were singing to campaign for votes.
The 31 public judges cast their votes one by one for the final round.
In the end, Lin Shuang was defeated by Ji Minjia.
Seeing this result, Hei Nan let out a long sigh, “Ah, Ji Minjia’s path to advancement has been truly difficult. Her appearance is her disadvantage.”
Lin Shuang’s fans shed tears.
Just one step away, and Lin Shuang could have gone to Changsha.
…
Wang Han: “Now standing before me are the Top 3 of the Hangzhou Division.”
You Weiwei: “Congratulations!”
Wang Han: “Next, the three of you can go to Changsha to participate in the finals…”
You Weiwei: “Let’s see what blessings the Top 3 from other divisions have for the Hangzhou contestants! Please watch the VCR!”
After watching the VCR, Zhang Liangying’s adrenaline surged.
Excitement!
They were about to go to Changsha, which was the National Competition!
Who would lift the championship trophy?
Just thinking about it was exciting.
Wang Han: “Now, let’s play a little game. Please, three lovely girls, write down your predicted first, second, and third places to see if they differ from our final results.”
You Weiwei: “Haha, you can even write yourself as first place.”
Audience: ???
Playing it like this!
“Haha, this is going to be interesting.”
“Who do you think they’ll write as first place?”
“It has to be Zhang Liangying.”
“Maybe Ye Yiqian will write herself first~”
“…”
This little game quickly ignited the audience’s enthusiasm. They were discussing it with those around them, grandfathers pulling their grandsons into heated analysis, fathers secretly discussing with other people’s wives…
Soon after, Ye Yiqian and Ji Minjia finished writing. Zhang Liangying looked around, then wrote down her own ranking.
Wang Han: “First, let’s look at Ye Yiqian’s~”
You Weiwei: “You think Zhang Liangying is first, and Ji Minjia is second… Yiqian, you’re so humble…”
Ye Yiqian smiled, “In terms of skill, they are both very strong. I need to learn a lot from them and motivate myself to keep striving.”
Since she had already advanced to the National Competition, Ye Yiqian was in a great mood and didn’t mind speaking the truth.
Afterwards.
Ji Minjia’s ranking was also revealed: Zhang Liangying, Ye Yiqian, and herself.
Wang Han: “Oh, you two are quite humble, both placing yourselves third.”
Ji Minjia smiled with pursed lips, “Liangying’s skill is recognized as the strongest in our Hangzhou Division, and Yiqian is beautiful. I admit I’m not as good.”
You Weiwei: “Too humble! You’re beautiful too, right?”
Fans: “Yes, go Ji Minjia!”
Finally, Zhang Liangying revealed her card. First place was clearly herself.
Wang Han laughed, “Let’s see Liangying’s ranking. Oh wow, Zhang Liangying first, Ji Minjia second, Ye Yiqian third…”
You Weiwei: “Hahaha, Liangying must have peeked.”
Zhang Liangying took the microphone and said, “I saw they both wrote me as first, so I just copied them.”
“Hahaha, copied!”
“Liangying is so cute!”
“Liangying, you are the well-deserved number one, go for it!”
“…”
The Liangfen cheered and encouraged her.
Shen Qing also clapped with a smile, which delighted Zhang Liangying. She winked at Shen Qing, smiling happily.
…
The mini-game ended, and Wang Han introduced the rules for the final round.
This time, the three judges would sing duets with the three contestants to campaign for votes, and the text message vote counts would determine the Champion, Runner-up, and Third Place.
The broadcast entered a commercial break.
Zhang Liangying took advantage of this time to run to Shen Qing, tilting her head and looking at him with a smile, not saying a word.
Shen Qing patted her head, “Go get ready.”
Zhang Liangying asked, “How did I do tonight?”
Shen Qing: “Mm, not bad. Keep up the effort for the next song.”
At this moment~
The Liangfen standing nearby became restless.
“Wow, such a loving scene.”
“Liangying and Shen Qing are so compatible, they should be together.”
“Liangying is so happy.”
“…”
After high-fiving her fans, Zhang Liangying returned to the stage and began discussing with Hei Nan. Ji Minjia paired with Ke Yimin, and Huang Zheng would sing with Ye Yiqian.
When the commercials ended, the guest singer Zhang Hanyun, who had been waiting backstage, made her appearance.
Wang Han: “Wow, Hanyun, you look so beautiful today.”
You Weiwei: “Indeed, you look different from yesterday in Chengdu.”
Zhang Hanyun: “I have to thank the great makeup artist. He did a wonderful job on my makeup.”
Wang Han: “Haha, I know who it is.”
You certainly do.
Wang Han was present when Shen Qing was doing Zhang Hanyun’s makeup.
…
After singing 《Sweet and Sour is Me》, Zhang Liangying and Hei Nan were the first to take the stage.
Executive Director: “Next, please welcome Hei Nan and Zhang Liangying to sing 《Until the World’s End》.”
“Huh?”
“What a familiar name?”
“What song is this?”
“Could it be an adaptation of that song?”
“…”
As the first note sounded, countless people born in the 80s in front of their TVs were stunned—Phew, it looks like we’ll meet in the National Competition!
