Chapter 128: Recording Begins for Season Two of *The Voice*

“Mom, the school symphony orchestra has a performance the day after tomorrow; we’re going to Xiangjiang,” Lu Xianger informed her mother during dinner.

Mrs. Lu put down her chopsticks and asked, “Is this organized by the school?”

“Professor Li is leading the team. It’s the school’s first symphony orchestra. I originally didn’t have a chance to participate, but I got lucky this time,” Lu Xianger quickly explained.

“What kind of performance is it? Do you need me to accompany you? You haven’t traveled far alone before,” her mother expressed concern.

“No need, Mom. I’m old enough now. Besides, I’m going with the school orchestra, over twenty people, and the professor is leading us. Also, Xiao Yun promised to go with me, so don’t worry,” Lu Xianger reassured her.

Mrs. Lu felt her daughter was indeed growing up and would eventually become independent. Since the professor was in charge, there was truly no need to worry.

“Alright then. After you land, call to let me know you’re safe. Make sure to stay with the professor and your classmates, especially don’t go out alone at night. If you can do this, I’ll let you go,” her mother agreed but set two conditions.

“No problem, Mom, you’re the most understanding,” Lu Xianger brightened up immediately.

“Also, what kind of performance is it? You have to tell me so I know where you are,” her mother pressed.

“It’s the recording of ‘The Voice,’” Lu Xianger answered.

“The Voice? The show on Xiangjiang Satellite TV?” Mrs. Lu sounded uncertain.

“Yes! Your daughter’s going on TV, and it’s satellite TV,” Lu Xianger grinned broadly.

“Look at you, so excited. Maybe you’ll get only two seconds of screen time,” her mother said dismissively.

“I’m just accompanying on the violin. If I get two seconds of screen time, that’s already great. But the camera time isn’t important; what matters is that you’ll hear me play on TV,” Lu Xianger said proudly.

“Looks like winning third place in the violin competition was useful after all. Getting to perform on a satellite TV show so quickly is good,” Mrs. Lu was pleased.

She had thought her daughter got this opportunity because of the competition result.

Lu Xianger shrank her neck slightly and didn’t bother to explain.

She thought it best to let her mother misunderstand this—though the process was slightly different, the outcome was the same.

...

After two days of continuous rehearsals,

Fang Xing was very satisfied with the orchestral accompaniment. By Friday,

Professor Li Xiuqin led a group of over twenty to board the plane to Xiangjiang.

That evening, after settling into the hotel,

Guo Keda rented a hotel banquet hall at a reasonable price to make good use of the time for further rehearsals.

During rehearsal,

Shen Xiyin, staying at the same hotel, came to visit. “I’m here to watch Teacher Fang’s rehearsal.”

“You’re not performing tomorrow, right? Why come all the way to Xiangjiang?” Fang Xing was curious since, by the rules, she had already succeeded in the challenge and didn’t need to sing in the recording.

“Although I don’t need to sing, there are two challengers on the show, and I still have to accompany the other challenger for the battle footage,” Shen Xiyin replied.

“Oh, so you’re here to gather intel for him?” Fang Xing joked.

“Exactly. If I find your second song is too strong, I’ll quietly tell him,” Shen Xiyin joked back.

“Then you better advise him to pick a different target, or he’ll hit a brick wall,” Fang Xing said nonchalantly.

She wasn’t worried about Shen Xiyin leaking information—at most, it would just cause the challenger to pick a different opponent, without affecting her own competition outcome.

Shen Xiyin giggled, “No way, I won’t spill what I see. My first-round win was thanks to your song.”

She had indeed cleverly chosen the song “The Wind Rises” for her first challenge.

Fang Xing smiled and said, “Really? How will you thank me?”

“What do you want as thanks?” Shen Xiyin seemed ready to express gratitude.

“Hmm, how about revealing the identity of the challenger?” Fang Xing joked.

Shen Xiyin tapped her chin thoughtfully and said, “His name’s in that ‘Harsher’ Weibo post you made. How’s that? Pretty generous info?”

Fang Xing rolled her eyes. “That post tagged just about every notable young male pop singer.”

Shen Xiyin chuckled, “You don’t know how fun it was reading that Weibo since no one knew who the challenger was except me.”

“That feeling was amazing, a secret only I knew in the whole world.”

...

Elsewhere,

Lu Xianger was tuning her violin, preparing for rehearsal.

Ning Xiaoyun sat nearby, nudging toward Fang Xing. “Look, that guy’s chatting happily with Shen Xiyin—things don’t look good.”

Lu Xianger glanced over and went back to tuning, casually saying, “Shen Xiyin is a mentor on ‘Tomorrow’s Star’; they already know each other.”

Ning Xiaoyun rubbed her chin with a knowing look. “Don’t you feel it? Shen Xiyin’s gestures and microexpressions show she’s expressing fondness. That woman’s dangerous.”

Lu Xianger ignored the topic and said, “We’re here to perform. Can you focus?”

Ning Xiaoyun shrugged, “No way. You’re here to perform; I’m here for the drama.”

Lu Xianger rolled her eyes and ignored her.

...

Originally, the identities of the singers on ‘The Voice’ were kept secret before the competition.

However, after the first episode was filmed, all the singers knew each other’s identities.

So secrecy lost its meaning.

Shen Xiyin had watched Fang Xing and the Dongyin First Symphony Orchestra rehearse but didn’t leak information. That didn’t mean the news stayed completely quiet.

Now Shen Xiyin was the captain of the limited-time group under Chaoyin Culture, and most of her management team were from Chaoyin Culture.

So even if Shen Xiyin kept silent,

The other challenger, Li Siqi, still got some intel.

To hide Li Siqi’s identity, the show arranged for him to stay alone at a different star-rated hotel.

...

Li Siqi’s manager received the news and approached, saying, “Siqi, just got word that Fang Xing will be accompanied by the Dongyin First Symphony Orchestra for this round.

“They have quite a setup. We could change the challenger target. The company will talk to the producers to cut the previous footage.”

Li Siqi glared at the manager, “You think I can’t beat him? He’s just using a school symphony orchestra—students. How strong can they be? We have a pianist. I’ve put in so much effort; I must win.”

The manager gave up trying to persuade him.

He had come to understand Li Siqi well: this top star had coasted smoothly since debut, partly due to talent, and was well-regarded among the boy band members.

From the start, he had big-name endorsements, countless fans, and a steady stream of variety shows and dramas.

Having had it so easy, he was naturally unwilling to admit defeat now that a strong opponent appeared.

“Has that award-winning pianist arrived in Xiangjiang yet? I want to rehearse again—I have to win tomorrow,” Li Siqi asked.

“He just boarded the plane; likely won’t arrive until late,” the manager replied.

“Just some award abroad, not even a top international one. Acting all high and mighty,” Li Siqi was annoyed, stood up and said, “Find me a rehearsal room. I need to practice.”

...

The next day,

The ‘The Voice’ production team arranged a rehearsal for all singers.

Fang Xing’s rehearsal was at noon. She took the Dongyin First Symphony Orchestra to the ‘The Voice’ studio at Xiangjiang Satellite TV for a pre-recording rehearsal.

The rehearsal went smoothly.

With ample rehearsal time and professional musicians, the ensemble’s notes neared perfection.

After rehearsal, they rested three hours at the hotel.

Fang Xing took a nap during this time.

At four in the afternoon, the producers notified them to start filming the singers’ entrance footage.

Before departure,

The director showed a board and said, “Fang Xing, now predict tonight’s competition ranking. Then, according to your prediction, place photos of the seven opening singers on this board in order.”

Fang Xing looked at the board and asked, “What’s this for? Any reward for a correct prediction?”

The director didn’t answer but said, “Just predict as you think.”

Fang Xing looked at the director and guessed, “This must be related to the show’s rules, right? Something about the order of appearance?”

The director remained silent.

Fang Xing grinned, “If you won’t say, that means I’m right. Predicting before the competition must relate to who’s more famous or experienced and thus who goes on stage first.

“Let me think—this prediction probably isn’t just for me; all seven opening singers must predict.

“The one predicted first the most is surely Liu Hongsheng, the ‘King Liu.’

“If the entrance order is based on prediction, would the highest predicted singer go first?

“That’s unlikely. The producers wouldn’t let the king go first.

“Reverse order? Also unlikely, as then he’d be last.

“Probably, they choose their order themselves, with the highest predicted singer getting first pick.”

After analyzing, Fang Xing pointed at the camera, “Director Zheng Tao, tell me, am I right? Or should we change the rules now?”

The filming director tried not to laugh but didn’t respond.

Fang Xing continued talking to the cameraman, “I’m great at predicting. It doesn’t affect me what the result is.”

Then she flipped the board with the seven singers’ photos, shuffled them all, and, eyes closed, arranged the order effortlessly.

“Done. Completely random. No one can blame anyone.”

She handed the shuffled board back to the director and asked, “Is this okay?”

The director smiled, “Should be fine—it’s your arrangement.”

Fang Xing smiled, “Has no one done this before?”

The director replied dryly, “Probably never will again.”

Fang Xing glanced at the random order—the king, Liu Hongsheng, was last.

If the producers cut out the shuffle scene and only kept the final order, it could cause trouble.

...

After the ranking prediction, they headed to the recording site.

Since all singers knew each other’s identities, this opening order reveal was not secret.

The opening singers arrived at the lounge, warmly greeting each other.

“Hello, hello, long time no see.”

“Hello, hello, your last performance was stunning.”

“Thank you, thank you.”

Once all were present,

Chief Director Zheng Tao announced the order, “Before arriving, the producers had the seven singers predict tonight’s rankings.

“We collected seven prediction results.

“Based on these, we compiled a composite ranking.

“The order of tonight’s performances relates to this prediction.

“Singers choose their entrance order according to their predicted rankings.

“First, the singer with the highest composite predicted rank...

“Liu Hongsheng, please come to the board and place your photo on the position you want.

“Numbers 1 to 7 represent entrance order, 1 is first, 7 is last.”

Liu Hongsheng looked surprised, stood, and asked, “I’m first?”

“Yes, you were predicted first by most of the seven singers.”

Zheng Tao nodded affirmatively, then stirred things up, “However, one prediction was special; it placed you last.”

Liu Hongsheng laughed heartily, turning to others, “Who was so ruthless to predict I’d be last? If it comes true, I’ll buy that person a drink.”

Zheng Tao said, “This prediction is anonymous; the predictor’s name won’t be disclosed.”

Fang Xing didn’t need to explain, as the prediction tied to the entrance order.

A rational prediction would put oneself first and the biggest threat last to secure a good entrance slot.

Fang Xing didn’t care about entrance order, so she chose randomly with eyes closed.

The composite prediction placed her fourth, so she was fourth to pick.

The first three singers picked sixth, fifth, and fourth positions respectively.

Fang Xing went up and placed her photo in the seventh spot, opting to go last.

On ‘The Voice,’ the last to perform wasn’t the most coveted spot; sixth and fifth were the most sought after. Fourth and seventh were about equal.

After six singers chose,

Chen Lizhu came last.

She was unknown domestically and lacked experience, so unsurprisingly, she was predicted last and could only pick last.

Only position number one remained.

Chen Lizhu, holding her photo card, got teary-eyed.

“Sorry, I’m just too nervous. I wasn’t this nervous at the new talent contest.”

Her situation was tough.

Since Shen Xiyin had successfully challenged last round,

Chen Lizhu must reach the top three tonight to avoid elimination.

But performing first was a vulnerable position, easily forgotten by the audience.

Zheng Tao smiled reassuringly, “Don’t be nervous. Just perform at your normal level. Or, you can ask the other singers if anyone wants to swap.”

In previous seasons, the entrance order could be swapped.

Safe singers with good slots could trade with those in danger.

Chen Lizhu looked around but no one wanted to swap. She sighed, “Forget it. The opening singers are too strong. Even if I swap, I’d still be eliminated.”

Fang Xing spoke up, “If you want to swap, I’ll switch with you.”

Actually, Fang Xing didn’t think either of them had a chance to break the top three overall. Changing order wouldn’t help.

But since she lost to “The Wind Rises,” even if it couldn’t change elimination, she wanted to give Chen Lizhu a chance.

Chen Lizhu quickly asked, “Really?”

Zheng Tao said, “Fang Xing is willing to swap. Her order is seventh; do you want to swap?”

Chen Lizhu nodded, “Swap.”

Zheng Tao announced, “Alright, Fang Xing will perform first, Chen Lizhu last.”

After filming the entrance order, they rested for an hour.

At seven in the evening, recording officially began.

...

In another challenger’s lounge,

Shen Xiyin lounged comfortably on the sofa, watching the seven opening singers fight for their order on the screen.

She pointed at Fang Xing on screen and said to Li Siqi, “Still challenging him?”

Li Siqi maintained a cool, unsmiling expression and asked the director, “Where’s the challenger card? Hand it over.”

The director passed the card and explained again, “You can now select one of the seven opening singers as your next challenger.

“You can pick the same target as last time or someone else.

“However, Chen Lizhu has already been challenged and cannot be chosen tonight.”

Li Siqi’s temperament wasn’t as impulsive as it seemed.

On ‘The Voice’ stage, he was very cautious.

After hearing Fang Xing’s “Brightest Star in the Night Sky” last round, he decisively gave up challenging her then.

Holding the challenger card, he considered briefly, then quickly wrote down a name and held it up to the camera.

“I said I’d pick him, so I will. Another rising male singer, tonight’s song will prove I’m not weaker.”

Shen Xiyin saw the card read “Fang Xing” and said, “Picking Fang Xing again? This episode’s going to be good. Good luck!”

Li Siqi glanced at her sideways and asked, “Are you rooting for me or for him?”

Last episode, Shen Xiyin won the challenge by covering Fang Xing’s song.

Li Siqi’s question clearly put her on the opponent’s side.

Shen Xiyin laughed awkwardly, “You both need to do well so the show’s more exciting, right?”

She was still leader of the Sky Girls, with the limited group contract held by Chaoyin Culture.

But her original company wasn’t Chaoyin Culture.

After the limited contract ended, she would return to her original company.

So she didn’t fear Li Siqi much, only maintaining surface politeness.

On the contrary, Fang Xing was the real powerhouse from her perspective.

What benefit was there in cozying up to Li Siqi? A staged romantic pairing? That would only get her harassed by his fans.

Getting close to Fang Xing was different—maybe collaborating with Songshi Records and having Fang Xing produce a song could yield another chart-topper.