Chapter 93: Megastar, Control Yourself

No matter what, he was still a top-tier idol. Film him like this, and the program team would be accused by frenzied fans of deliberately smearing him.

The response at the venue was clearly even more heated than after Si Shaozhe finished singing, yet Si Shaozhe remained immersed in the livestream comments he had just seen, which were practically all praise for him. He was convinced he could not possibly lose.

Then came the judges’ comments.

As a singer-songwriter, Jiejielun sympathized with the hardships of others of the same kind. Although Lin Yu had said this song was also written by himself, setting aside his actual ability for the moment, the very word newcomer was enough to make people doubt him.

“Both are very hard to choose between, so I choose Si Shaozhe’s song to advance. His song conveyed a longing for love and for being cherished, as well as the despair that follows losing love. The lyrics were exceptionally well written. By using the word snow, he expressed his yearning for his ex-girlfriend.”

“Songs nowadays all pursue metaphor, to make the lyrics seem more elevated, and Si Shaozhe employed that very well. As for Lin Yu, his lyrics are far too blunt, like a meaningless pop ditty, so my vote goes to Si Shaozhe.”

After hearing just one judge’s remarks, Si Shaozhe already carried himself like the champion. He stepped forward, widening the distance between himself and Lin Yu. With his hands clasped behind his back and his body leaning forward ever so slightly, he all but announced it—

the confidence of a man who believed he was the champion.

This Jiejielun did have a bit of discernment after all. Anyone who approved of him clearly possessed taste and strength on roughly the same level as his own.

“Thank you for your comments.”

That was what he said aloud, though inwardly he sneered: all that talk of being an extraordinary top singer-songwriter belonged to the past. Now you’re nothing at all. Still, at least you know how to behave. You knew to choose me.

Lin Yu merely smiled faintly. On the surface, he appeared to accept the judge’s comments calmly, but in truth his attention had already wandered to the game he had started ten minutes earlier.

He had climbed this far on a winning streak. Every hero he used still had a perfect win rate, and he was just one more victory away from officially pushing that little mouse to the top rank on the national server.

The competition? The competition hardly mattered. It was only a game of capital. With Ji Fei backing him behind the scenes, even if he did not take first place, second would do.

The second judge did not hesitate much. After taking a careful look at Lin Yu, he directly picked up the support card bearing Lin Yu’s name.

“For the chance to advance, I choose Lin Yu.”

The host gave a light smile. “Could you tell us your reason?”

The female judge thought for a moment, held the microphone to her lips, and said, “I won’t say much. Just one thing: the more straightforward a song is, as long as what it expresses has meaning, it cannot be dismissed as a meaningless pop tune. If we’re talking about meaningless fluff, then something like Let’s Learn to Meow Together would qualify—that is a truly pointless song.”

“Besides, Lin Yu has tremendous explosive power. With plainspoken lyrics and a forceful, ringing style of singing, he perfectly sang out the bitter journey of a dream-chaser. So in my opinion, he is the better one.”

Art comes from life, and life itself ought to be reflected through art that is all the more direct.

The second judge gave her vote to Lin Yu. The third shared the same opinion as Jiejielun and chose Si Shaozhe. The last judge was silent for a moment before finally speaking.

“As a singer of the new generation, Si Shaozhe wrote rap lyrics like those in Snow, full of metaphor, paired with a sorrowful background track. His talent is indeed extraordinary.”

“However, I believe contestant Lin Yu’s straightforward lyrics strike deeper into the heart. They make it easier for the audience to understand what he is singing and the emotion he has poured into it. Therefore, I think Lin Yu performed better in this match.”

At the final moment, after praising both contestants, the judge put on a solemn air. This was one of the program team’s favorite suspense devices.

Its purpose was nothing more than to stir up tension in the venue and the livestream, making people even more eager for the result because of the judges’ indecision, drawing in more and more viewers.

Some people might not care to follow the earlier rounds, but the very end, when the outcome is about to be revealed, is often the moment that grips the heart most tightly.

After all, who is not curious by nature?

On top of that, the director deliberately aimed the cameras at the guests in the back rows who had all risen to their feet, waiting tensely for the result. True or false, their emotions did not matter. As long as it created the desired effect and drew more attention to the show, the director’s goal was achieved.

The deciding judge was Lin Tingting. As a newly crowned Best Actress, she had so many resources that nearly every newly released drama had a place for her. Opportunities bloomed for her everywhere, so much so that many suspected she had attached herself to some powerful patron behind the scenes.

Placing her in the final deciding seat now was also meant to give her more screen time and more room to perform, no doubt. Such terrifying resources...

With her pretty face, Lin Tingting put on an expression of distress, though her wooden acting had long since become common knowledge. To the audience, the effortful expression she forced out looked a little awkward.

Yet she was beautiful, and that beauty had been hyped by her company and worshipped by her fans as a once-in-a-century face.

She opened her mouth, resting a hand beneath her chin, exaggerating her indecision. “Oh dear, I’m only a newcomer who has just received a little recognition myself. I never expected to be placed in the deciding moment.”

“In truth, compared with the newcomer Lin Yu, I still like top idol Si Shaozhe’s song a little more~”

Her somewhat exaggerated and awkward acting left the audience in silence. But the livestream presented a different picture. The on-site director had specially arranged for post-production to overlay all sorts of cute reaction stickers in a short span of time, to make Lin Tingting seem adorably airheaded rather than simply bad at acting.

Even an awkward scene could be rescued by cute stickers. That was what it meant to take the money and do the job properly.

Si Shaozhe’s confidence only dragged him deeper in. Lin Tingting’s approval made his triumphant delight at winning all the more obvious. He believed these three votes were surely his. As for the audience support rate? Heh. He was a top-tier idol. Did he really need to fear being outmatched in fan numbers by a newcomer?

Si Shaozhe tilted his head proudly, already looking as though he were prepared to accept the award.

Lin Tingting was still posturing before the camera.

“Oh dear, it’s really so hard to choose. Both teachers are so amazing. They’ve both reached heights I’ve never attained. I’m so envious of your strength~”

“Actually, I’m also someone with dreams of rap. It’s just a pity my tone isn’t as fierce as Teacher Lin’s, and my creative ability isn’t as formidable as Teacher Lin’s.”

“And most importantly, my singing isn’t as full of feeling as Teacher Lin’s. Oh, yes, that’s exactly what I mean to say—Teacher Lin doesn’t sing by relying on shouting alone! The songs he sings create a strong resonance. It’s so easy to become immersed in them~”

“If I have the chance, I’d like to learn singing from Teacher Lin~”

The male host seized the moment and added, “Then let’s invite Tingting onto the stage, and have Teacher Lin teach her a short passage on the spot!”

The audience instantly erupted, screaming Lin Tingting’s and Lin Yu’s names. The host truly knew his craft—he knew exactly what the audience most wanted to see.