HDIEUMDBTSB Chapter 9: Astonishing Contestants

 Volume One: The Road to Fame

"It feels like my ears just got a massage."

"Thank you for listening quietly to my singing. I don't know why, but when I heard him say this, I felt a twinge of heartache. Why is that? I clearly despise this scumbag."

"Yeah, I was one of them. I even left a dozen nasty comments, but his voice is just too gentle, isn't it? Can someone this gentle really be as bad as they say online? Cheating, being kept by others, and throwing tantrums all over the place."

"Sis, don't be fooled. There's solid evidence online."

"Although that's true, his humming is too soothing, the whole song is so pleasant. I'm going to secretly add this song to my playlist when I get home."

And so on, discussions filled the air quietly, silently.

Silence is golden, silver, copper, iron, and tin.

There was a sense of silence in the gathering hall. Lin Xia, Zheng Yingying, Gu Nanxi, and others were puzzled. Why did the singing suddenly become so good? And not just good, it was original too. It was not an exaggeration, it was simply outrageous.

"Did humanity suddenly evolve without me?" Zheng Yingying had heard a few of Chu Zhi's songs before, and hmm—she felt he was pretty good without opening his mouth.

He used to be just a pretty face, wasn't he?

This is not scientific, nor reasonable!

Today, "Wind Blows Through the Wheat Fields" shocked her for the entire year.

"His singing is melodious and exquisite." Hou Yubin sighed, "The lingering echoes, the lingering echoes. Chu Zhi's voice is too beautiful."

"But the emotional expression and technique in the lyrics part were a bit lacking." Hou Yubin frowned, feeling regretful, "There's a lot of room for improvement. The abrupt stops weren't clean enough, and there was a bit of a sticking point in the softening of tones. The technique could be strengthened."

Hou Yubin was usually a "good parent" in the program, mainly focusing on encouragement. The reason he subconsciously "picked faults" this time was that the humming was indeed too good. In his over thirty years in the music industry, it was one of the best hummings he had ever heard.

One of them, or rather, the best he had heard since he was young, with the nostalgia filter.

"This should be the 'Beautiful Voice on the Shinkansen,' oh no, it's disrespectful to the voice. 'Beautiful Voice in the Tenshu Tower' is more appropriate." Heng Kouyi finished speaking, feeling a bit puzzled. Isn't there a saying that when God closes a door, he opens a window?

For example, he himself has considerable talent in music, but his appearance is just ordinary, even a bit balding in middle age. Why is the man in front of him so beautiful in both appearance and voice?

"Zhang Jiang, how do you write the Chinese name of this singer-teacher?" Heng Kouyi asked his music partner, Zhang Yue.

"Chu Zhi." Zhang Yue slowly pronounced the name. "Chu Zhi."

Heng Kouyi repeated the awkward Chinese name twice in his mouth, muttering again, "Chu Zhi's fame, why haven't I heard of it in Tokyo?"

Tokyo is roughly equivalent to the island country. Lin Xia didn't directly answer the question about the island country singer. It's very rare for young fresh meat to break through national boundaries. Most of the fame achieved abroad is by local Chinese providing data.

Lin Xia's special praise: "A good voice, like a good voice."

Shortly after, Chu Zhi also arrived at the gathering hall. The singers stood up conventionally and applauded, and Hou Yubin also stood up. He admired talented young people.

"Teachers, I am Chu Zhi," Chu Zhi introduced himself.

Lin Xia said, "This is our second meeting, right? It seems like the last time we met was the last time."

Gu Nanxi said, "There's a rumor that you don't look good in person. I didn't believe it, but the photos online are definitely three or four times more beautiful than reality, and it turns out the rumor is true."

"I am Zheng Yingying."

"There are too many outstanding singers in the country, I didn't know there was someone like you."

...

Greetings were exchanged, and Heng Kouyi bowed as soon as he arrived, expressing his love for the song he had just heard.

"I'm sorry I haven't heard of Chu Sang's songs before this." Heng Kouyi said, and his music partner Zhang Yue translated it into Japanese for Chu Zhi.

Chu Zhi couldn't quite understand the thought process of the island country people, but he probably understood that the island country singer in front of him was praising him.

"I'm glad to hear that now," Chu Zhi responded.

"If you have the chance, Chu Sang, please come to Tokyo for a concert," Heng Kouyi said.

Forget about going to Tokyo for a concert. If he continued like this, he wouldn't even have money for the plane ticket to Tokyo. Those little devils would exploit him wherever they could. Chu Zhi wasn't very kind-hearted, empathetic, or compassionate, but he was cunning. He exchanged pleasantries with Heng Kouyi politely.

Then Chu Zhi greeted the most respected seniors present. He said, "I often take out Teacher Hou's songs for study."

"It's good for young singers to be eager to learn. The sea of learning is boundless, and you can always improve. You have a lot of talent in your voice. If you can improve your techniques as well, you will become a great singer," Hou Yubin said.

Among the singers present, only Heng Kouyi and Hou Yubin had conversations with Chu Zhi. After Lin Xia, Gu Nanxi, and others greeted him, they didn't initiate further conversation, all being cautious not to provoke any trouble.

In no time, the program director Meng Fan came over to announce the votes for the surprise guest, Chu Zhi. First, he announced the current votes for the seven contestants:

Hou Yubin: 716 votes.

Heng Kouyi: 699 votes.

Lin Xia: 679 votes.

Gu Nanxi: 647 votes.

Zheng Yingying: 635 votes.

Yang Guiyun: 611 votes.

Wu Xi: 594 votes.

For Chu Zhi to challenge successfully, he needed to have more than 679 votes. With eight hundred audience members, it would be extremely difficult to get more than 650 votes under various tastes, especially considering that the surprise guest was still overshadowed by a wave of negativity.

"Why don't you choose a contestant to challenge, Chu Zhi?" director Meng Fan asked.

"Because all the contestants are very strong, and I don't know who to choose," Chu Zhi replied. This was his decision after weighing the pros and cons. Being in the closing spot, he wanted to leave more emotional impact on the audience with his songs.

"Do you think you can succeed in the challenge yourself?" director Meng Fan asked.

Apart from the characteristic of having contestants as hosts, "I Am a Singer" also had directors who liked to tease the contestants and kept them in suspense. They wouldn't announce anything straightforwardly, making people anxious.

"I drank two boxes of pure Sheng organic milk, so I have double confidence," Chu Zhi replied.

"Well, let's announce the vote count for the surprise guest Chu Zhi. He received—" Director Meng Fan suddenly changed the subject, "If you fail to challenge successfully, will you regret your choice?"

"Director, has anyone ever told you that repeatedly teasing people is unethical?" Chu Zhi felt like he was being tossed around.

He did use his trump card, but nobody knew how bad the original's popularity was. If it was so bad that "whatever he did was wrong," then it would be difficult.

Also feeling nervous was the singer Wu Xi. He was a member of a rock band and was a relatively unknown veteran. He received the lowest number of votes in this round. If the surprise guest succeeded in the challenge, it would mean he would be eliminated.

"Now you tell me, we can discuss ethics later," Meng Fan said. "So, will you regret it?"

Chu Zhi realized that the director in front of him liked to tease the contestants. He quickly thought about it and came up with a suitable answer. "I don't like to regret my choices because it's like questioning my past self."

Meng Fan nodded. "I like your answer. So, your vote count is—"

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