Chapter 89: Addicted to Fawning?

But anyone with discerning eyes knew it was nothing more than sleight of hand. Still, with judges of such renown, the audience both in the theater and watching the livestream couldn’t help but join in the singing. The atmosphere instantly ignited; when the song ended, the judges returned to their seats.

The beautiful host, Liu Qianqian, smiled radiantly as always, turning sweetly to the camera. "Thank you to our judges for their wonderful performance! Now, let’s welcome our contestants to the stage!"

The center of the stage descended and rose again, revealing twelve dazzling guests.

"This competition features twelve contestants in total," she announced. "From left to right, first is our familiar face, the powerhouse vocalist, Lin Guang! Next to him, the prince of love songs, Wang Fei! The leading rap sensation, Si Shaozhe, the world’s number one explosive bass! Singer-songwriter Lin Weizhi! And folk singer Sun Zhi'ao!"

The male host introduced those on the right, "First on the right is our dancing princess, Xu Mengbai! The versatile superstar Bai Yichu! Followed by Han Yunxi, Yuan Jinxia, Qu Chan’er, and the newcomer, the peerless Lu Bu of our time, Lin Yu!"

The audience erupted in frenzied cheers. Seeing their idols on stage, fans didn’t care if they lost their voices—they shouted their names at the top of their lungs, determined to let their idols’ names fill the venue.

"Hilarious, Dog Yu really has the most unique introduction, huh? Can’t help but think of that saying: a broomstick with mud, the peerless Lu Bu! Ha ha ha!"

"No one can survive a showdown with A-Yu! That's right!"

"What even is Lin Yu? Just a street punk, right? All he knows is fighting!"

"Huh? You say he’s a street punk? You must have gotten your head stuck in a door—your brain’s shriveled, hasn’t it?"

"Someone write a book, teach me how to roast like that!"

"Heh, if an internet-hyped punk can debut, then I could do it too!"

"As expected, the brainless are out in force again, showing how low they can go. If you're going to lie, at least draft your story and bring proof, or be prepared for a lawyer’s letter!"

"A bunch of brainless trolls, how much did you get paid? Nine ninety-nine? Shut up already!!"

"…"

After introducing the contestants, the hosts bantered lightly with them, the guests playing along within the set boundaries, and well-timed jokes elevated the atmosphere to new heights.

Then, before the official start, it was time for the draw to determine the matchups.

Lin Yu drew Si Shaozhe as his first opponent—a true clash of titans.

The rest of the contestants were paired off in turn. The production crew raised the prepared chairs onto the stage: a semicircular white bench. Each chose a seat; before their match, this would serve as the viewing gallery.

Once everyone was seated, the two hosts announced, "In this round, six contestants will be eliminated. Of course, after the eliminations, there’s a revival round. The two with the lowest combined scores from the live and online votes will be immediately eliminated."

"Contestants may also choose to forfeit. Anyone who forfeits is eliminated on the spot."

"The online voting window will open after the two contestants finish their songs and the judges have commented. The online vote will be revealed first, followed by the judges’ scores."

"Those entering the revival round will compete in the next stage. Two will be eliminated, and the remaining four will advance to the second round."

"And now, let’s welcome our first matchup: Lin Weizhi versus Lin Guang!"

Lin Weizhi's face turned instantly pale. She’d been nervous since drawing Lin Guang—there was a vast gap in their abilities.

She felt the draw was unfair. She was a newly debuted singer, while Lin Guang was a king of viral video hits, with several smash songs to his name.

From the very moment of the draw, the contest was already tilted against her.

But her agency had told her before she entered the competition that winning wasn’t important—they wanted her to boost her visibility and gain some traffic, nothing more.

She was well aware that, as a newcomer on a show like this, her chances of winning were slim. She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and reached out to shake Lin Guang’s hand.

The cheers for Lin Guang from the audience easily drowned out those for Lin Weizhi.

Lin Weizhi was up first. The staff brought her violin, but nerves got the better of her—she even played a few wrong notes. The song that had gone viral online sounded very different live, and many fans expressed disappointment.

Of course, a few diehard fans in the comments blamed the microphone and sound system for her underperformance, but an internet celebrity is still an internet celebrity. When Lin Guang took the same stage with the same equipment, he delivered a professional, overwhelming performance.

There was little suspense to this contest.

The judges commented, pointing out that while Lin Weizhi was beautiful, she might consider a different path—perhaps acting. It was a gentle suggestion, but as an influencer-turned-singer, Lin Weizhi couldn’t help but break down in tears on stage. Even so, it didn’t earn her much sympathy.

The results soon came in: Lin Weizhi garnered only a few votes, while Lin Guang’s overwhelming tally secured him the first spot in the next round. Lin Weizhi moved temporarily into the revival round, awaiting the conclusion of other performances to determine whether she’d be eliminated or given another chance.

Lin Yu sat upright in his seat. With a singer in front blocking the view of his lower half, he quietly pulled out his phone to play games. As a contestant who was fully prepared, he felt no nerves at all.

Especially after hearing Lin Weizhi’s shaky voice and unsteady pitch—Lin Yu couldn’t help but frown. It was obvious: she was there to make the others look better.

Just as Lin Yu launched into a ranked match, Wang Fei glanced over, grabbed his hand, and demanded jealously, "What do you use for hand care?! How come I’m still at Bronze while you’re already King with thirty stars in the same game?!"

The prince of love songs’ outburst drew the attention of the other contestants in the front row, who all turned to look.

Lin Yu hid his phone, but the camera overhead still caught the game screen. He wasn’t the only one sneaking in a game—Wang Fei had already pulled out his own phone, planning to hitch a ride, but just then the host called his name.

"Next up, Prince of Love Songs Wang Fei versus the dance-pop queen, Bai Yichu!"

"Tch! Playing games can’t compare to the allure of the goddess! See you, Yu, I'm off to sing!"

Without a backward glance, Wang Fei headed onstage, eyes locked on Bai Yichu as she approached.

He knew it—he and Bai Yichu were fated! How else could they have drawn the same team on that dating show, and now, even as rivals, drawn the same number? Yes! It had to be destiny!