Chapter 6: 006: The Elimination Round Begins
June 5th.
Qianjiang Academy of Hangzhou Normal University.
The 2005 Super Girl Hangzhou Division’s 50-to-20 elimination round officially kicked off.
The 50 contestants, selected from the preliminary rounds, waited nervously and expectantly backstage. The auditorium was packed with teachers and students from Qianjiang Academy.
“Beautiful West Lake, melodious female voices.”
“We selected 50 contestants from over 35,000 applicants. Today, they will engage in a vocal showdown on stage, and only 20 contestants can advance to the next round.”
“Their fate will be decided by the 5 judges on stage. They are…”
“Mr. Zhang Lu, Executive Vice General Manager of Taihe Rye Music.”
“Renowned singer, everyone’s favorite Minmin, Miss Ke Yimin, welcome!”
“Renowned music critic and producer, Teacher Hei Nan.”
“And finally, Ms. Xu Cong from the Public Relations department of Fashion Group.”
“And the last one, our good friend, the multi-talented star in film, television, and music – Mr. Zhong Hanliang!!!”
Host Wang Han, wearing a flashy white suit and a green T-shirt, stood center stage introducing today’s judges.
The judges mentioned above were not major celebrities.
Only Zhong Hanliang had some fame.
Last year, Zhong Hanliang played ‘Zhui Ming’ in the popular drama *The Four Great Constables*, and this year, he played the main villain Gu Xichao in *The Tale of the Wandering Earth*.
These two popular roles made him briefly famous and garnered him a fanbase.
Additionally, Zhang Lu from Taihe Rye Music is also worth mentioning.
This person had impure motives.
Why would a vice president of a Beijing Circle music company travel so far, offer gifts and invitations, and pull strings to become a judge for Super Girl?
It wasn’t just for a brief appearance.
In his previous life, at the end of 2005, he poached Li Yuchun, who was signed with Tianyu, directly cutting off Tianyu’s most valuable asset.
This infuriated Tianyu’s CEO to no end.
At this moment.
He eyed the 50 contestants like a hungry wolf, ready to pounce and swallow any promising talent he found.
“Alright, now, our competition is about to begin.”
“We will divide the 50 contestants into 10 groups of 5. Each contestant will have one minute to sing.”
“Then, our judges will select one relatively weaker contestant from each group of five… for initial elimination.”
“After that, during the show, we will eliminate another 20 people through other means, leaving only the Top Twenty.”
“During the competition, viewers outside the venue can send text messages to the contact information displayed at the bottom of the screen to offer their valuable opinions and suggestions.”
“Alright, we will now hand the stage over to the contestants. Please welcome the first group, contestants No. 1 to 5!”
From Wang Han’s introduction, it’s clear that in the 50-to-20 round, the judges had significant power and could directly decide eliminations.
However, as the competition progressed to the 20-to-10 round, the judges’ power began to gradually decrease.
This is because the subsequent rounds would be broadcast live, and the number of votes from viewers outside the venue would directly determine each contestant’s fate.
Clever Mango TV~
During the Super Girl competition, millions of text messages were sent by viewers nationwide, generating substantial revenue from telecommunication fees alone…
…
Soon.
The first group of contestants took the stage.
Contestant No. 1, Han Zhenzhen.
This girl held a guitar and sang while accompanying herself.
This was quite rare during the Super Girl competition.
She chose Norah Jones’s *Don’t Know Why* and made some adaptations to it.
Her performance was average.
Contestant No. 2, Wang Yinxiao.
Her song was also an English song, *I Will Be Fine*. Her performance was even worse than Han Zhenzhen’s.
Shen Qing sat in the audience, feeling speechless.
These contestants all liked to choose English songs!!
Ultimately, it was cultural invasion.
After the Millennium, China joined the WTO and began importing Hollywood blockbusters in large quantities. Foreign record companies also established branches in China to promote various music albums…
People of this era considered “foreign things” to be superior.
Therefore, many contestants took a gamble, choosing English songs they weren’t proficient in, hoping to leave a good impression on the judges.
However, sometimes, it backfired.
Contestant No. 3, Shen Pinpin, sang A-Mei’s *Hold Hands*. This girl sang with passion, and her stage presence was mature, possessing the aura of a seasoned singer.
…
Ultimately, the weakest of the five contestants, No. 5 Chen Yi, was eliminated.
This girl sang completely off-key~
Next was the second group, consisting of No. 6 Ji Minjia, No. 7 Lu Yixin, No. 8 Ding Ding, No. 9 GYY Group, and No. 10 Xiong Qi.
This group had two relatively strong contestants, No. 6 and No. 8.
The one eliminated was No. 7.
All five contestants in the third group were quite weak. From Shen Qing’s perspective, they could all be eliminated directly.
Their singing was truly not good…
At this moment, Zhang Liangying, who was queuing backstage, was chatting with Ye Yiqian.
Ye Yiqian: “It’s our turn soon, are you nervous?”
Zhang Liangying: “Not really, not too nervous.”
Ye Yiqian: “I really envy your mindset…”
Actually, Ye Yiqian had talent but wasn’t among the strongest contenders. However, her luck was exceptionally good.
Soon, she would meet the retired diving athlete Tian Liang.
From then on, under Tian Liang’s guidance, she obtained considerable resources.
For example, in Zhang Jizhong’s *The Return of the Condor Heroes* in 2006, Ye Yiqian appeared as a beautiful ghost among the ghosts of Xishan.
Such a resource was unique for the 2005 Super Girl competition.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t destined for stardom.
Her subsequent career could only be described as lukewarm.
But regardless, she had achieved a life transformation through the platform of *Super Girl* and experienced the thrill of being a star.
Today, she sang A-Mei’s *Cut Love*…
Speaking of which, A-Mei’s and Li Wen’s songs appeared too frequently; they could be heard in almost every competition.
Ye Yiqian advanced without a doubt.
Next was Zhang Liangying.
As soon as she appeared, she was met with cheers from male university students in the audience.
Indeed, a seductive woman captivates men.
Zhang Liangying’s styling today was completely different from the prevailing trends. This was an image crafted by Shen Qing with a vision 20 years ahead of his time!
Xu Cong from Fashion Group felt a spark of inspiration. As someone at the forefront of fashion, she had never witnessed such makeup and styling before…
Under the gaze of the judges and audience, Zhang Liangying bowed calmly and confidently. Looking towards the audience, she saw Shen Qing wave, and her confidence soared.
Shen Qing chose Liang Jingru’s *Courage* for her.
Although the melody of this song is simple, it demands a high level of emotional expression and breath control, making it a typical “easy to sing, hard to master” piece.
One wrong move could lead to a disastrous performance.
The chorus of this song repeatedly hits the A4 vocal range. For example, “Love truly needs courage” – most amateur singers would strain their vocal cords here, resulting in a shouting, strained sound.
Furthermore, many singers find themselves running out of breath as they sing, leading to increased breathing sounds that severely affect the listening experience.
The judges, being relatively professional musicians, had some understanding of this song and were eagerly anticipating Zhang Liangying’s performance.
Since the time limit was only one minute, they had to jump straight into the chorus.
“Love truly needs courage.”
“To face the gossip.”
“As long as you give me a look of affirmation.”
“My love will have meaning.”
“…”
After the song concluded, all five judges applauded.
This was the first time they had cheered for a contestant since the show began. Hei Nan openly praised her, “You’ve surprised me again. You sang exceptionally well.”
Ke Yimin smiled, “The distinction between high, middle, and low notes is excellent, comparable to a professional singer. I hope you go far.”
Zhang Lu commented, “Your vocal technique and stage presence are not like a rookie’s at all. You are truly excellent. I hope to see you in the finals.”
Xu Cong: “Your song is great, and your makeup and styling today are even better. After the show, can we chat about fashion and styling?”
Zhang Liangying was quite honest. As soon as Xu Cong finished speaking, she revealed Shen Qing, “Thank you, Teacher. My makeup and styling were all designed by my friend…”
Oh?
A dedicated makeup and styling artist?
Xu Cong became even more interested and said with a smile, “Then I’d really like to meet this stylist friend later.”
Zhong Hanliang: “Haha, Teacher Xu is very appreciative of talent.”
Xu Cong: “It’s evident that this stylist has skill, otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to design such a perfectly fitting image…”
Indeed.
If the skill is lacking, it’s easy to turn ‘pure and alluring’ into ‘flirtatious and vulgar,’ which would be no different from a nightclub dancer.
But Zhang Liangying’s current appearance and temperament were perfectly balanced, evoking desire while retaining a sense of purity.
…
Two hours later.
All 50 contestants had finished singing. Zhang Liangying, Ji Minjia, Ye Yiqian, and others successfully advanced to the Top Twenty.
Although there was no ranking.
In the hearts of the five judges, the first place undoubtedly belonged to Zhang Liangying.
However, this was just the beginning.
Next week’s 20-to-10 competition would be even more intense because it would be broadcast live, and viewers outside the venue could also vote.
Shen Qing: “It’s time for me to make my move!”
Competitions where fan support determines advancement require publicity and momentum. Only then can success be guaranteed.
In her previous life, Li Yuchun won the Super Girl championship precisely because of her large female fanbase, which helped her overcome all obstacles.
Shen Qing intended to defeat this tomboy!!
Let Li Yuchun witness the power of male fans!
“Shen Qing, Shen Qing…” At this moment, Zhang Liangying waved from the stage and called out, “Come here for a moment, the judges want to see you.”
