FWTS ### Chapter 114: The Music Summoner
Today, after finishing his work, Hou Shixiong was dragged to Hou Shijin's house. Not long after dinner, the living room was filled with neighbors, all waiting to watch Hou Muyun on TV tonight. While waiting, Hou Yunrong searched the internet for various videos of his little cousin, Xiao Yun, and showed them to everyone.
Class monitor Xiaohua had been hosting gatherings with her high school friends every weekend lately, and Hou Muyun being on TV was the perfect excuse for another get-together. Today, there were even more people than usual.
At Yijia Board Game Bar, it was the same scene. Every weekend, groups gathered to play Werewolf, Three Kingdoms Kill, and Magic: The Gathering. The lounge area was always packed, with people huddled around the TV, snacking and chatting while watching previous episodes or live streams, waiting for the live broadcast of the concert.
"Ah Ning, did Xiao Pang really get pulled away by the Monkey as an assistant?"
"This poaching is too slick, totally fits that rascal's style!"
"Ning boss, is the Monkey really writing songs? I heard you went to Shanghai and met Shi Shiwai, is that true?"
"Ah Ning, there were reports online that eight domestic live-streaming platforms went to Ruicheng to sign a contract with the Monkey, and they met at the board game bar, is that true?"
"Yeah, yeah! I heard my husband went too. Did you see him? How is he in person?"
"Actually, I'm more curious about the offers those platforms made to the Monkey. Is it true he's getting a million-yuan annual salary as rumored online?"
"Damn, where are you all getting this info from? How come I don't know? The Monkey's annual salary is already in the millions, a true high-flyer! Damn, why didn't I insist a bit more to turn him around back then!"
"No need to worry, Shi Shiwai is already working hard on that!"
"Regret it! Why didn't I use more tricks back then to win over the Monkey's heart! There was such a good opportunity in the KTV once, but he ran away!"
"Hahahaha! It's not too late now. When the Monkey comes back, let's invite him out, get him drunk or drugged, and snap some photos, done deal!"
"Great idea! Ah Ning, let us know when the Monkey is coming back next time, we'll ambush him together!"
Everyone laughed and joked without any restraint. Having a friend suddenly become a celebrity was exciting for everyone, especially someone fun like Hou Muyun. They were genuinely happy for him.
"It's starting, it's starting!"
...
"Good evening to our live and television audience!"
Host Huashao walked onto the stage, striking a handsome pose at the center: "Dear friends, welcome to the ultimate stage of XX (sponsor) XX 'The War of Music' grand finale concert. We've been waiting a long time for this stage where amateurs can fulfill their dream of performing in front of ten thousand people!"
"Tonight is our final grand concert... At the same time, your favorite groups of celebrity mentors will perform live to support the amateur contestants' dreams! Let's welcome the first group of mentors, the Zhang and Zhang Duo!"
After Huashao's invitation, the Zhang and Zhang Duo appeared at the entrance of the stage, with the live band already prepared.
This final concert, or the grand finale concert, is divided into two rounds. In the first round, the five groups of mentors plus one guest mentor perform. In the second round, the mentors support the amateurs in a final PK to determine the ultimate honor.
Regular viewers of "The War of Music" know that this time the roles between mentors and contestants are somewhat reversed. In previous episodes, the contestants performed two rounds, but this time, the celebrity mentors perform two rounds. In other words, the focus of this grand finale concert is on the celebrity mentors.
This makes sense. After all, with so many people buying tickets to attend, most are there to see the celebrity mentors. The mentors naturally need to perform more to justify the ticket price, or rather, to attract ticket sales in the first place.
The five groups of mentors took turns performing songs selected by other mentors.
The Zhang and Zhang Duo performed Ami's "Three Days and Three Nights," a high-energy song with perfect coordination.
Ami performed Xiao Yu's "Princess," showcasing a different style with a queenly aura.
Xiao Yu performed Xian Xian's "Soulmate," his signature love song, gentle and soothing.
Xian Xian performed Shi Shiwai's "When You," transforming into a fresh and pure style.
Shi Shiwai performed the Zhang and Zhang Duo's "The Kite Runner," a challenging song showcasing his vocal prowess.
After the five groups of mentors finished their performances, they all took the stage with Huashao, reminiscing about the season of "The War of Music," interacting with the audience, expressing their gratitude and reluctance, and then took their seats at the mentor table.
The camera cut to the mentor table.
Huashao: "As you can see, there's an extra seat next to Teacher Shi Shiwai. Tonight, there's another mentor joining us!"
Then—
A commercial break!
"Damn, it's this routine again!"
"Hahaha, my goddess Zhang Jian is about to come on!"
"I came here just for Goddess Zhang Jian!"
"Among the new generation of singers, I admire Shi Shiwai and Zhang Jian the most for their singing skills!"
"Big love, big love!"
"The live venue should be the same as the one for the Double Eleven Gala, right? Same venue, different performers, totally different audio-visual experience! Last time, half of the invited singers were so-called fresh meat with weak singing skills. In the recording studio, they might sound okay after some tuning, but live, it was a disaster!"
"This time, the five groups of mentors invited by 'The War of Music' are all strong in singing skills! Oh, suddenly thought of another similar show, where the mentors are strong too, but not as strong as these five! As for the amateur contestants, hahaha, ever since Hou Muyun appeared, it seems no one talks about that show anymore!"
"Everyone shut up, let me just ask, when is my Monkey coming on? Hurry up and let him come out and sing, so he can come home early and make babies with me!"
"Same here, looking forward to Hou Muyun!"
"Started watching this show because of Hou Muyun! Yeah, the other contestants are pretty good too, but they can't compare to Hou Muyun, hahaha!"
"Damn, the commercial is finally over!"
The camera returned, and after a series of sponsorship mentions by Huashao, he invited the already well-known mystery mentor, Zhang Jian, to the stage.
Zhang Jian, in a white dress, stepped out of the spotlight, her voice preceding her appearance, followed by her long legs, exuding full goddess vibes, causing the audience to scream continuously.
Zhang Jian performed the song "My Dream," adapted from a work by a foreign musician, with Zhang Jian personally contributing to the lyrics. This song happened to be the theme song for the consumer business brand of the show's title sponsor.
This naturally explained the main reason why Zhang Jian was invited as an additional guest mentor for the grand finale concert.
After Zhang Jian's performance, Huashao came on stage for a brief "interview," exchanged greetings with the audience, and then she took her seat at the mentor table.
"Now all the mentors are in place. There are ten amateur contestants here tonight to fulfill their dream of performing in front of ten thousand people. First, we have to thank the five groups of mentors for their efforts in the previous episodes... And tonight, the amateur contestants will be divided into six groups, paired with the mentors for a final PK to compete for the ultimate honor! Now, let's have my assistant bring up the ballots for the mentors to draw and select the contestants they will support."
After all the mentors had made their selections, Huashao said, "Before the mentors announce their chosen contestants, let's first invite this season's only honorary contestant to the stage! He will not participate in the final competition for honor but will perform as an honorary contestant. He will return next season as the Music Summoner, directly appearing in the first episode of the next season's opening battle! He is here tonight to support all the contestants with his performance! Tell me, who is he?"
Huashao's impassioned speech left the audience both excited and puzzled. But even in their confusion, they were quick to respond to Huashao's final question.
Only, it wasn't uniform.
"Hou Muyun!"
"Yun Hou!"
"Monkey!"
"Monkey King!"
"Host Hou!"
"Rascal!"
"..."
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