HDIEUMDBTSB #### Chapter 32: Chu Zhi’s Turn
### Volume 1: The Road to Comeback
#### Chapter 32: Chu Zhi’s Turn
"The rules for 'Peak Night' are quite simple. The 800 audience members and 50 professional judges will cast their votes. The audience votes account for 80% of the Peak Value, while the judges’ votes make up 20% of the Peak Value. The contestant closest to the peak will have the opportunity to participate in the Bird’s Nest Peak Night Carnival, sponsored by Pure Victory Organic Milk," Gu Nanxi explained the rules. The Bird’s Nest concert format somewhat borrowed from another music show, "The Voice of China."
Despite the seemingly complex Peak Value concept, it essentially meant a total score out of 1000 votes, with each professional judge's vote carrying the weight of four audience votes.
"Whether you are our dear friends in the audience or esteemed members of the judging panel, the votes in your hands are extremely important for the eight contestants," Gu Nanxi shifted her tone. "But feel free to give me a vote. Hosting the show, I’ve put in a lot of effort. Even if it wasn’t much effort, at least it’s been tiring."
The audience responded with light laughter. Being the host had its perks—frequent appearances on stage made it easier to garner some votes. However, the downside was the need to speak a lot before singing, which could affect the state of one’s voice.
The contestants—Zheng Yingying, Lin Xia, Yang Guiyun, Heng Kouyi, Hou Yubin, Gu Nanxi, Li Xingwei, and Chu Zhi—took the stage in order.
Don’t assume that the judging panel was just a formality or a filler. Judges like Fang Sheng, Zhang Mingyi, and Er Li offered substantial and useful critiques.
After Zheng Yingying finished her performance, Fang Sheng immediately raised his hand to signal the host to cue him.
"If it were Gu Nanxi singing just now, I wouldn’t be surprised, but it was you. The technique you used is the traditional Hong Kong singing style, reducing nasal resonance in the high range and minimizing throat support in the midrange," Fang Sheng began with an explanation, friendly to those with little musical knowledge. "This makes the midrange sound more mellow and emotive, which is why we feel that Hong Kong singers from the 80s and 90s have a rounded, gentle pronunciation in the midrange, making their love songs very emotional. This technique is due to rigorous training in professional skills."
"But it also limits your natural abilities, narrowing your vocal range. You are still young, so you should pay attention to this habit. This song is your signature piece, and you’ve sung it many times, delivering a stable performance with genuine emotion. The live impact of the song is high quality, but emotional investment requires a good state. Mastering singing techniques sets a lower limit for your performance level, but I hope you adjust your methods and continue to refine your skills. I still voted for you on this stage. Please keep it up," Fang Sheng concluded with encouragement.
"Thank you for your advice, Teacher Fang. I will seriously consider it," Zheng Yingying responded with a slight bow of gratitude.
Lu Xun once said that criticism without suggestions for improvement is baseless criticism. Fang Sheng’s critiques were direct and constructive. Zhang Mingyi also offered similar advice, but his feedback, filled with technical terms, often left the audience impressed but confused.
"Lin Xia, do you know? I've always been envious of you. From the early days, you've had a stereophonic voice, and you could have achieved better sphenoidal resonance," Zhang Mingyi remarked. "But listening to your performance today, you haven’t developed it, which is a pity and a waste of talent. This song should have been a better showcase for you, so I didn’t vote for you. The song clearly exposed your lack of overtones, and if I’m not mistaken, your physical condition isn’t supporting sustained high notes well."
Sphenoidal resonance is a high vocal technique involving the vibration of the sphenoid sinuses at the upper front of the head, triggered by nasal resonance. Located in the sphenoid bone, these small spaces are hard to locate, making the technique challenging to master. However, once achieved, it gives the voice a misty quality, like a cloud entering a flat sound, giving it fullness and a 3D effect for the audience. It’s worth noting that stereophonic sound isn’t only achieved through sphenoidal resonance; it's just one method, with A-Mei being a notable expert in this technique.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Teacher Zhang," Lin Xia replied. "I had a serious illness last year, so I’ve been a bit negligent in my singing."
"I don’t want my singing to fool the audience. I will make up for it with all my effort," Lin Xia’s words showed his tension.
As Lin Xia finished speaking, the audience erupted in shouts of support: "We always support you, Fei Fei!" and "We’re with you, no matter what!"
Fans held up support signs in the audience. If the number of supporters for Zheng Yingying and Yang Guiyun was like a pond, with more fans waving signs like "Ying Feng Zhao Zhan" and "Ying Ying is the best," and for Heng Kouyi and Gu Nanxi it was like a small lake, then for Lin Xia and Li Xingwei, it was like a river. Especially during performances, the sea of glowing sticks created a magnificent atmosphere.
"I will repay you with even more spectacular performances, I promise!" Lin Xia declared to the audience.
"Physical ability is a natural gift, which we cannot change, but you can improve your technique and put more emotion into your singing," Zhang Mingyi commented. "For example, in this song, imagine singing to a friend you cannot be with romantically."
The professional judges lived up to their title. Given that it was the semifinals, Mango TV didn’t want judges making controversial remarks or sparking confrontations with singers that would trend online, hence maintaining a good atmosphere.
"I will surprise you with my next performance, Teacher Zhang," Lin Xia said, showing respect not only for Zhang Mingyi’s seniority but also for his stature in the industry. While he might be unknown to the general public, within the circle, he held significant weight.
Meanwhile, backstage, the order of performances had been drawn, and Chu Zhi was slated to perform last.
Using an imperfect analogy from Earth, people who don't pay attention to literature might not know who Wang Shuo is, but look at Feng Xiaogang and Jiang Wen—would they dare say anything against Wang Shuo? The power within the circle is substantial.
"Brother Lin, I’m not used to seeing you so serious," host Gu Nanxi said. "If Lin Feifei doesn’t speak nonsense, it’s as if he hasn’t spoken at all."
How to put it, Gu Nanxi, after all, is not a professional host. Interrupting with jokes during a serious conversation between Lin Xia and Zhang Mingyi was somewhat inappropriate.
Among the fifty-member judging panel, only a few are frequently cued by the host. The rest, though famous, were mainly there to fill out the lineup.
Er Li, wanting to say a few words, was never cued by Gu Nanxi. As a sound performance artist, many people don’t know what that entails. It’s roughly about inventing sound instruments and collaborating with dancers to create some kind of music. It's quite esoteric and has a high appreciation threshold. On Earth, but not in this parallel world, those interested could look up Akio Suzuki.
Zheng Yingying: "Love Eternal"
Lin Xia: "Hanging River"
Yang Guiyun: "7:30 AM"
Heng Kouyi: "Fall of the Empire: Action Plan"
Hou Yubin: "King’s Court"
Gu Nanxi: "Hypothetical Without If"
Li Xingwei: "Love"
Chu Zhi: "Against the Light"
"The quality of the semifinals is very high; everyone is presenting their signature works. 'King’s Court' is the theme song of 'Iron-Blooded Tang Dynasty,' right?" Er Li commented, looking at the contestants’ setlists, seeing all famous works.
Even the niche soul song "7:30 AM" is hailed as the number one soul music track in China. Yang Guiyun became a legend in Chinese soul music with this song. The Japanese song "Fall of the Empire: Action Plan" is the theme of a famous anime in this world, hailed as one of the five great nuclear bomb songs on Bilibili. It’s very passionate and blood-boiling, especially when paired with the anime’s edited scenes.
In contrast, Chu Zhi’s original song "Against the Light" stood out awkwardly, with little fame. Using it in the semifinals was quite bold.
"Even if I’m just here to fill space and not speak, I still get a paycheck. Thinking about it, I’m making more than Zhang Mingyi and Fang Sheng," Er Li comforted himself, feeling a bit better, though there was still a thorn in his side. He had hoped to promote sound performance art through the show.
Unexpectedly, for Mango TV, having Er Li represent sound performance art was enough. No need for him to speak. The show’s producers didn’t want to promote this art form because the audience wasn’t interested in it.
As the show progressed, it was around 8 PM. The moon waxes and wanes, and people experience joy and sorrow. Not all contestants were respectful towards the judging panel's critiques. Hou Yubin and Yang Guiyun’s attitudes were quite indifferent. The former had seniority and reputation, while the latter was somewhat rebellious.
Professional judge Li Yu had just said, "‘7:30 AM’ is a great song, but the arrangement might be too esoteric. Should we make it more accessible..."
Before he finished, Yang Guiyun interrupted abruptly, "Teacher Li Yu, what do you think of soul music?"
"It’s a popular music genre abroad. I don’t know much about it," Li Yu replied honestly.
"Soul isn’t just a genre; it’s a feeling, a deep feeling from within. If it becomes popular, it won’t be soul music anymore," Yang Guiyun said bluntly. "Teacher Li Yu is a dancer and doesn’t understand the music field. I think you shouldn’t comment recklessly."
This retort made the atmosphere extremely awkward. Fortunately, Fang Sheng and Gu Nanxi smoothed things over, and the incident passed.
"Li Xingwei, your talent is excellent. You can sing true notes up to A4, and your breath control is superb. This song fully showcases your talent. I really liked it." Li Xingwei also received widespread praise.
Now, it was Chu Zhi’s turn to take the stage.
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