Chapter 77: The Gears of Fate
Tonight’s stage production is comparable to Mango TV’s New Year’s Eve concert, with nearly 150 people involved in the opening performance.
Among them were 99 elementary school students and over 30 community aunties.
Li Yuchun, Zhang Liangying, and Zhou Bichang walked out from behind the crowd and began singing the Super Girl theme song, Sing If You Want To.
Li Yuchun consistently stood in the Center Position.
The Corn fans and Biqin have long been unhappy about this, asking why Chun-ge always stood in the Center Position for over ten rounds of competition.
Mango TV is too biased!
But Chun-ge has something to say: If you signed a Slave Contract like mine, you could also stand in the Center Position, damn it. NND, it’s too late for me to regret it now.
…
When the opening performance ended, the hosts took the stage.
Tonight, Wang Han and Li Xiang were dressed quite formally, one in a black suit and white shirt, the other in a white evening gown.
“Thank you to the three contestants!”
“Thank you to all the dance partners!”
“This is the live broadcast of the 2005 Mengniu Yogurt Drink Super Girl National Finals Top 3 competition, I am host Li Xiang.”
“I’m really happy today. Tonight’s competition is being watched by so many people, and our live audience is also very enthusiastic.”
“Yes, before the competition begins, let’s first review the 2005 Super Girl competition.”
The live broadcast switched to a short video.
On February 24, 2005, the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the Guangzhou region began preliminary selection registration, and Super Girl officially started.
The gears of fate for the three contestants began to turn.
…
After the short film ended, the live broadcast returned to the stage, and the three, Zhang Liangying, were already standing between the two hosts.
Observant viewers would notice that Li Yuchun and Zhou Bichang were dressed almost identically, both in stylish tops and long pants, while Zhang Liangying wore a skirt.
The difference in style was evident from their attire.
Then, the three of them each spoke a few heartfelt words.
The fans in the audience cheered enthusiastically.
They were all shouting their idol’s name.
Li Xiang: “Next, please welcome Zhou Bichang to perform ‘Youth Dance Song’. Friends who like her, please vote quickly. Every vote you cast is crucial for the contestant’s ranking.”
Wang Han: “Yes, please welcome Zhou Bichang.”
Zhou Bichang walked to the front of the stage with a smile, and the fans in the audience continuously shouted her name.
At this moment!
Zhou Bichang felt incredibly exhilarated.
She had never imagined such a day would come. Now, a brand new path in life lay before her, making her happier than winning five million.
“After tonight, I can debut!”
“Bichang, you can do it!”
“You definitely can. This year, you must release an album that shocks everyone and become famous overnight.”
“Most importantly, defeat Li Yuchun and Zhang Liangying.”
“The honor I couldn’t obtain on the competition stage, I must win back with my album!”
She waved to her supporters, raised the microphone, and began to sing.
This “Youth Dance Song” was adapted from a Xinjiang folk song in 1941. The song is full of a joyful atmosphere, making people want to sway their heads.
Zhou Bichang chose this song with the aim of energizing the fans.
As for how many votes she could get, she no longer cared.
It was useless to care anyway.
The gap was too large to bridge.
It was all about having fun.
“The sun sets, but it will rise again tomorrow.”
“Flowers wither, but they will bloom again next year.”
“Beautiful little birds fly away without a trace.”
“My youth, like little birds, will not return.”
“…”
As soon as the song began, the audience, both live and in front of their screens, swayed their heads, and many clapped along to the beat.
The atmosphere was fantastic.
“Oh, that oh”
“Oh, that oh”
“My youth, like little birds, will not return.”
After the song ended, the audience applauded enthusiastically, and Zhou Bichang retreated from the stage with satisfaction.
“Haha, Bichang has a great attitude.”
“It’s easy to have a good attitude when you were 500,000 votes behind last week and had no chance of catching up to Liangying and Yuchun.”
“Third place is still very good, this is the third in the country.”
“Exactly! It’s said that Tianyu will produce an album for Zhou Bichang next month. Ah, I’m so envious. I also want to participate in next year’s Super Girl.”
“I’m looking forward to Super Boy!”
“Li Yuchun is coming up!”
“…”
As soon as she appeared, the cheers from the audience immediately intensified by a third.
Li Yuchun’s fans were too numerous and too loud.
Li Yuchun’s mother, sitting among the fans, waved her daughter’s photo, “Yuchun, keep going, Mom will always support you!”
The first song she sang tonight was the single “It’s Ok,” released in January in the United States, similar in style to her previous performances.
Perhaps Tianyu requested this? Otherwise, Li Yuchun wouldn’t have chosen these English dance songs.
Although she excels at stage performance, she is not good at singing in English.
Yet, Tianyu insisted she choose these!
Shen Qing speculated that Tianyu’s goal was to elevate Li Yuchun’s status, thereby creating a differentiated competition with Zhang Liangying.
Because if she followed the conventional path and sang Chinese songs, Li Yuchun would be no match for Zhang Liangying.
When the performance began, Li Yuchun’s dynamic performance indeed sent the Corn fans into a frenzy.
They weren’t really listening to Chun-ge sing.
Their attention was focused on her movements.
“Ahhh… Yuchun, you’re so cool!”
“Yuchun, Yuchun, champion, champion.”
“So cool!”
“…”
On stage, Li Yuchun was not as excited as her fans because she felt very awkward.
She originally wanted to sing some Chinese rock songs, but her manager insisted she sing in English, so she had to go through with it.
Zhou Bichang encountered the same predicament.
She had no autonomy in her singing.
This was also a major reason for her departure from Tianyu at the end of the year.
…
After the two of them finished singing, all eyes turned to Zhang Liangying, the contestant with the most buzz. What song would she bring tonight?
“Liangying, Mom~ Ahhh, you’re so beautiful!”
“This styling is amazing, give the stylist a chicken leg.”
“Liangying’s stylist really dotes on her like a daughter; every styling is beautiful.”
“If I were Li Yuchun or Zhou Bichang, seeing Zhang Liangying’s makeup, I’d be ashamed to death.”
“This is how a woman should look!”
At this moment.
Even the Corn fans and Biqin were looking forward to it; they also wanted to know what Original song Zhang Liangying would bring.
“Please don’t be too good, preferably a bit unpleasant to listen to.”
“I don’t believe Shen Qing can still write songs I like. Is anyone that talented?”
“As long as the song Zhang Liangying sings later is mediocre, then Li Yuchun will have a chance to make a comeback.”
“Right! Yuchun’s performance just now was amazing; many people must have liked it.”
“…”
At this moment, in a residential area in Guangzhou.
Li Lei’s family was all sitting in front of the TV watching the competition.
His wife and his sister were arguing fiercely about whether Li Yuchun or Zhou Bichang was stronger.
Li Lei said nothing.
He didn’t want to participate in the boring argument.
Earlier, contract worker Xiao Wang had sent him a Text Message saying that the Vote Count for Li Yuchun and Zhou Bichang via Text Message was rapidly increasing, surpassing Zhang Liangying’s growth rate. Li Lei felt very anxious.
Now, he just wanted to witness Zhang Liangying’s first Original song!
As long as she sang well, the audience would vote for her in large numbers, and she would continue to maintain her leading position.
Wife: “Li Lei, say something. Is Zhou Bichang more powerful or Li Yuchun?”
Sister: “Brother, speak, hurry!”
Li Lei: “Both of them step aside. Zhang Liangying is the most powerful! Ah… don’t pull my ear. No matter what, hitting me won’t change the fact that Liangying is the most powerful.”
…
Live Executive Director: “Please welcome Zhang Liangying to perform ‘Crazy for Love’.”
