novelraw Chapter 71 Advancement to the Second Round of the Peak Battle!
Chapter 71 Advancement to the Second Round of the Peak Battle!
"I hereby announce that the contestant who has advanced from the first round is—"
The host practically strained every last bit of strength as he screamed that name into the microphone:
"Lin! Zhi! Xing!"
"boom!!!"
The entire Yanjing Workers' Stadium erupted in an instant!
A huge cheer and applause erupted from the crowd!
"Lin Zhixing!!!"
"Lin Zhixing!!!"
"We won!!!"
"We've advanced!!!"
"Aaaaaah!!!"
A corner of the stands.
"We won! Xiaoya! Zhixing-ge won!" Chen Tingting clapped enthusiastically.
"I knew it! I knew he would win!" Zhou Xiaoya waved her light stick.
In the audience, countless people spontaneously stood up from their seats and applauded enthusiastically.
Even in Li Ziming's dedicated fan group, many girls holding blue light boards, though their eyes were red and they were shedding tears for their idol, applauded Lin Zhixing for his wonderful performance on stage.
Even the opponents' fans had to admit at this moment that Lin Zhixing was truly strong.
So powerful that it evokes no envy, only awe.
Four and a half million votes.
This number not only crushed Li Ziming, who was competing on the same stage.
It even broke the historical record for the highest number of votes in a single round since the show started!
And they've left the original record far behind!
......
The mentors' seats are directly in front of the stage.
The four mentors clapped enthusiastically.
Shen Ming clapped and shook his head in amazement, "This kid is making history."
Brother Li was even more generous with his praise, shouting "Bravo!"
Ye Lan stood there, looking at the tall figure on the stage, her smile as bright as a blooming rose, her whole being radiant and breathtaking.
Han Xuening clapped her hands loudly.
As a mentor, she is protective of her students; but as a musician, she knows how to respect talent.
She knew that Li Ziming's loss this time was not unjust.
Losing to a masterpiece like "East Wind Breaks" is a glorious defeat.
......
The Lin family of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
"We won! Uncle and Aunt! Four and a half million votes! My cousin broke the record!" Lin Wan'er jumped up from the sofa excitedly, almost dropping the three cell phones in her hands.
"This is amazing! My cousin is so awesome! I'm going to post this on WeChat Moments! I'm going to post this on Weibo! Our family has a superstar!"
Lin Jianguo suddenly stood up. This usually stern middle-aged man had tears in his eyes. He turned his back and pretended to rub his eyes: "This brat... made such a commotion, he even blew sand into my eyes."
......
on the stage.
Amidst a shower of confetti and cheers, the host walked between the two.
He first looked at Li Ziming standing on his left, and said sincerely, "Li Ziming, although it's a pity that you were eliminated in the first round and failed to enter the final championship competition, your performance of 'Drinking Alone Under the Moon' tonight was also an extremely excellent piece, and your performance was also very wonderful! Thank you for the wonderful moments you left on this stage!"
"Thanks."
Li Ziming held the microphone, maintaining his composure.
He bowed slightly to the audience and the judges.
His face was still somewhat pale.
He turned around, looked at Lin Zhixing beside him, and extended his right hand very frankly.
"Congratulations." Li Ziming's voice came through the microphone, with a hint of relief, "I accept defeat wholeheartedly in 'East Wind Breaks'."
Lin Zhixing didn't have the arrogance of a victor. He still admired Li Ziming's talent and thought there might be opportunities to cooperate in the future.
He extended his right hand and firmly grasped the other's hand, saying earnestly, "Thank you. You have a deep understanding of traditional Chinese culture, and you are very capable. If there is an opportunity, we can discuss traditional Chinese culture together."
"Okay, it's a deal."
The two smiled at each other and shook hands.
Then, Li Ziming turned around and said to Han Xuening, "Teacher Xuening, I'm sorry to have disappointed you."
Han Xuening wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her voice a little hoarse, "No, Zimo, you did very well, I'm proud of you."
Li Ziming bowed deeply to the audience before turning and walking backstage.
The audience spontaneously gave Li Ziming a warm round of applause to bid farewell to this respectable opponent.
After Li Ziming left, the host immediately turned to the main character in the center of the stage.
"Lin Zhixing!"
The host's voice rose again, "Congratulations! With an absolute advantage of 4.5 million votes, you've broken the historical record and powerfully advanced to the second round of the final showdown! Now, is there anything you'd like to say to the audience here and watching on screen?"
The crowd erupted in cheers once again, as everyone awaited Lin Zhixing's speech.
In the entertainment industry, it's standard procedure to cry your heart out after winning a competition, recount how difficult it was, and thank your ancestors for generations.
But Lin Zhixing did not.
He slowly raised the microphone, took a step back, and bowed deeply to the 60,000 audience members.
The entire room fell silent instantly, waiting for his voice.
Thank you everyone for your support.
His voice was calm, "Without your 4.5 million votes, 'Dong Feng Po' would just be an ordinary song. It was you who gave it life."
He raised his head.
"I will continue to work hard in the second round of the final showdown."
He paused.
"I will not let you down."
Just a few short sentences!
But it was like a fire, directly igniting the night sky above the entire Workers' Stadium!
"Lin Zhixing!"
"Lin Zhixing!"
"Lin Zhixing!"
The shouts of tens of thousands of people were deeply moving.
This is the power of idols: all you need is absolute strength and unparalleled confidence!
......
The chat room was completely in an uproar.
"Four and a half million votes!!! That's impressive!"
"Holy crap! This number is terrifying!"
"This is true strength! This is true public opinion!"
"Brother Lin is awesome! Brother Lin's speech was so damn cool! No pretense, just pure action!"
"Champion! Brother Lin is definitely going to be the champion! Anyone who dares to stop Brother Lin tonight, I'll beat them to a pulp!"
"Looking forward to the second round! Keep it up, Lin Ge! My phone is fully charged!"
On Weibo, the trending topics list has been completely dominated by "The Voice of China," and Lin Zhixing's name has occupied the top spots on the constantly updated list.
#Lin Zhixing advances with 4.5 million votes# Breaking!
#Lin Zhixing crushes Li Ziming# Hot!
#Highest number of votes in The Voice of China history# Boiling!
#DongfengPoFengshen# Recommended!
#RedefiningChineseStyle# New!
The number of discussions surrounding the topic is skyrocketing at an alarming rate of hundreds of thousands per minute.
This night was destined to belong to Lin Zhixing.
That night, netizens across the internet witnessed the birth of a legend.
Four and a half million votes—that's more than just a number.
It is also an affirmation of the new Chinese style in the Chinese music scene and a yearning for truly good music.
Lin Zhixing, with his song "Dong Feng Po", silenced all the doubters and proved himself.
It also redefined what true "Chinese style" really means!
......
on the stage.
The first group's matchup has concluded.
Lin Zhixing outmaneuvered Li Ziming and entered the second round of the Super PK competition with the air of a champion.
After the stage was cleaned up a bit, the host went back on stage.
"Thank you, Lin Zhixing! Please proceed to the backstage rest area to prepare for the final showdown in the second round!"
"Alright, viewers! The first group's epic battle was a feast for the ears, and Lin Zhixing, with his record-breaking performance, has secured his ticket to the grand final!"
"But there can only be one champion! Who will be his final opponent? The suspense continues!"
"Now, let's immediately move on to the second group of the first round!"
"Please welcome veteran rocker Wu Hao! And rising star Zhang Xianyu! Both contestants, get ready!"
As the host introduced the program, the atmosphere in the room was brought back to normal.
Although Lin Zhixing's performance was dazzling and raised everyone's expectations, Wu Hao is a veteran in the rock scene and his strength should not be underestimated.
Zhang Xianyu, as an idol heavily promoted by Xinghuang Entertainment, has a huge fan base.
This group's matchup is equally exciting.
Wu Hao was the first to appear.
This rock tough guy in his thirties, carrying a heavy metal electric guitar and dressed in a black leather jacket, brought his best rock cover, "Ghetto Justice."
"boom!"
The drum kit and electric guitar played a rock rhythm.
Wu Hao roared wildly on the stage, his veins bulging, and sweat streaming down his face.
The stage lights suddenly went berserk, with alternating red and blue laser beams sweeping across the entire area.
Full of enthusiasm and passion!
He uses the purest, most primal sound to strike the audience's eardrums.
"Burn! Burn! Burn in this endless night!"
That raw, visceral rock spirit abruptly pulled the audience, who had just been immersed in the charm of the Jiangnan water towns, back to reality, sparking a massive sing-along.
The atmosphere at the scene was extremely hot and exciting!
"Hao Ge is awesome! Rock and roll will never die!"
"That's real singing! Those high notes are amazing!"
"It got my blood pumping!"
"That's amazing!"
"Wu Hao's stage presence is absolutely captivating!"
"This is real rock and roll!"
After Wu Hao finished singing, he bowed and left the stage, panting. His real-time vote count on the big screen was frozen at 198 million votes.
Although far inferior to Lin Zhixing, and even less than Li Ziming.
But among all the seasons of The Voice of China, this is definitely an extremely high score.
Next, Zhang Xianyu appeared.
Xinghuang Entertainment has spared no expense for tonight's final.
The stage instantly transformed into an extremely luxurious space, with dozens of backup dancers creating a dreamlike atmosphere as petals rained down from the sky.
Zhang Xianyu walked out dressed in a white suit studded with rhinestones, looking like a prince on a white horse.
"Ahhh! Hyunwoo oppa is so handsome!"
"Honey, I love you!"
"So touching!"
Zhang Xianyu's fans at the scene let out ear-piercing screams.
Zhang Xianyu sang a rearranged love song called "The One I Missed," which he bought for a lot of money.
"I've been waiting for your tenderness..."
However, anyone with even a basic understanding of music would frown upon hearing it.
"What's this?" Zhou Xiaoya, playing with her phone in the stands, said, "It's so ordinary, isn't it?"
"Exactly." Chen Tingting also curled her lips. "The arrangement is too fancy, and the accompaniment is so loud, all to cover up the shortcomings of his vocals. He can't reach the high notes at all, he relies entirely on falsetto, and his breath control is terrible."
Since becoming a fan of Lin Zhixing, Chen Tingting has completely forgotten that she was once a fan of Zhang Xianyu!
What kind of Hyunwoo brother is he? Get the hell out of here!
Not only them, but most of the passersby in the audience also found the conversation rather dull.
I just listened to Lin Zhixing's amazing talent and Li Ziming's grand feast of traditional Chinese culture.
Having listened to Wu Hao's exhilarating songs, listening to Zhang Xianyu's soft, emotionless, and formulaic love songs that are all about technique is quite a contrast.
It's like having a Michelin-starred meal and then being forced to eat a mouthful of cheap, low-quality vegetable cream.
Greasy.
"This level of skill is enough to get into the finals?"
"It doesn't even sound as good as half of Li Ziming's."
"Wu Hao's singing skills completely outclassed this one."
On the mentor's panel, Shen Ming and Li Ge exchanged a glance and shook their heads imperceptibly.
however.
Just when everyone thought Zhang Xianyu was bound to lose and Wu Hao would advance to the second round, a strange thing happened.
When Zhang Xianyu sang the first line, the real-time vote count on the big screen didn't just rise by tens of thousands, but it was rising at an astonishing speed.
100 million!
200 million!
300 million!
After Zhang Xianyu finished singing, he struck what he thought was a cool pose.
The vote count on the big screen suddenly surged to 400 million!
400 million!
"Holy crap, that's awesome!"
"Hyunwoo oppa is amazing, champion!"
Cheers erupted from Zhang Xianyu's fan base.
However, most passersby were completely bewildered.
What the hell is going on?
The audience members looked at each other, each seeing a big question mark in the other's eyes.
Four million? Am I blind?
"He sang like that and got four million votes? Lin Zhixing was amazing just now and only got four and a half million!"
"This is definitely vote rigging! It's absolutely vote rigging!"
"Do they think the audience is stupid? The backstage data manipulation is so blatant!!"
The live stream chat exploded instantly.
"??????"
"Four million? The power of capital has arrived!"
"They've really lost all shame, trying to get away with this!"
"This is disgusting! I feel so sorry for Wu Hao, being utterly humiliated by capital!"
On stage, the host looked at the figure of four million, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face, but his high level of professionalism allowed him to force a smile and announce:
"Congratulations to Zhang Xianyu! With four million votes, he defeated Wu Hao and successfully advanced to the second round of the ultimate championship battle!"
Zhang Xianyu looked rather grim as he listened to the sparse applause, which was even mixed with a few boos, but he still forced a smile and waved at the camera.
Wu Hao stood on the stage, looked at the number four million, sneered, and without saying a word, took off his guitar, turned around, and left the stage.
However, Zhang Xianyu's fan section still erupted in huge cheers.
"I love Hyunwoo oppa!"
"Hyunwoo oppa is the best!"
"It sounds so good!"
"Prince of Love Songs!!!"
Zhang Xianyu flashed what he considered a charming smile at his fans.
It's normal to have different opinions, but it doesn't matter.
Because he knew that as long as he advanced and won the championship, the process didn't matter!
......
VIP area.
Looking at the 400 million figure on the big screen, Liu Yilong, the boss of Xinghuang Entertainment, finally showed his first relieved smile of the night.
He leaned back comfortably on the sofa, pulled out a thick Cuban cigar from his pocket, and his assistant immediately fawned over him to light it.
"Hiss~ Whoosh~"
Liu Yilong exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, obscuring his face from the swirling smoke.
"That's the proper way to do things."
"Talent?"
He scoffed, flicked his cigarette ash, and glanced disdainfully in the direction of Tianyue Entertainment. "In the face of capital, talent is nothing."
He turned to his assistant and ordered, "Notify the operations department and the online marketing company to increase investment in the next round of the Super PK competition!"
"Anti-vote manipulation on Weibo? Then just throw more money at it, hire real people to vote for you, and bribe the channels. As long as the money is right, even dead people can vote for you."
"I not only want Zhang Xianyu to win, I want him to crush Lin Zhixing with absolute statistics! I want that arrogant brat to know who's in charge in the entertainment industry!"
"Yes, Mr. Liu! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" The assistant nodded repeatedly, wiping his sweat.
In another corner of the VIP area.
A middle-aged man with a large belly and an oily face was staring intently at Zhang Xianyu on the stage.
This is Mr. Li, the CEO of Huaxing Entertainment, a well-known bigwig in the industry and a wealthy patron with unusual hobbies.
He waved and called over his assistant.
"Mr. Li, what are your instructions?" the assistant said, bowing his head.
Mr. Li licked his lips, his gaze still fixed on Zhang Xianyu, and said in a low voice, "Go, contact our channels on Weibo and in various groups. In the next round, invest all the resources we have."
"I'll vote for Zhang Xianyu."
Mr. Li leaned back in his chair, his fat fingers tapping his knees. Looking at Zhang Xianyu smiling on the stage, he also revealed a lecherous smile. He picked up the glass of red wine with ice next to him, took a sip, and suppressed the lust in his heart.
"This little guy served me quite well last time, so I have to give him a little treat. Smash him, smash him to death."
"Tonight's champion must be him."