Chapter 130: Issuing the Challenge, Results Announced

In the guest lounge, the bands and guests invited by the performing artists gathered to watch the competition. Among them was a young man in a suit and bowtie: Zhou Mingqiao, a young pianist invited by Chao Yin Culture to provide accompaniment for Li Siqi.

Zhou Mingqiao was only there to accompany Li Siqi. He didn’t know much about boy bands, but he had accepted the invitation for three reasons: a friend had bridged the connection, the song choice was decent, and the stage of "The Voice" was considered the gold standard for music programs in the country. Considering these, he had come. He knew that the mysterious challenger mentioned by the host was Li Siqi, but he didn't care who Li Siqi was challenging. After all, he was only there for this one performance; the subsequent competition had nothing to do with him. He just needed to perform at his best for this round. Therefore, he did not participate in the decision-making of Li Siqi's team.

When the host announced the target of the challenge, Zhou Mingqiao hadn't paid much attention. While chatting with other guests, he learned that this singer named Fang Xing was very talented. However, having never followed Fang Xing before, he had no intuitive impression of him. But when he heard the intro to "Qilixiang," he immediately raised his eyebrows, sensing the high level of the song’s arrangement. The melody sounded gentle, yet it perfectly captured the poetic atmosphere of summer. Moreover, he was certain that the more musically literate one was, the higher they would rate this song.

After listening to the verses and the chorus, Zhou Mingqiao felt that the song was already on par with the one Li Siqi was going to perform. Yet, it didn't end there. When the modulation in the interlude appeared and the strings joined in, the magnificent orchestral arrangement pushed the song to even greater heights. Having finished listening to the interlude, Zhou Mingqiao already knew in his heart that Li Siqi could not win.

In fact, the song Li Siqi was singing, "Eventually to Depart," was a hit that had won numerous awards on Blue Star and was of a very high standard. But after the interlude of "Qilixiang" played, the lyrics and composition of "Eventually to Depart" seemed to drop a tier. This was already fatal, but it wasn't the most fatal part. Zhou Mingqiao’s musical expertise allowed him to clearly distinguish every instrument and the singer's timbre. Thus, he was certain that this singer named Fang Xing far exceeded Li Siqi in vocal ability.

Consequently, before even stepping onto the stage, Zhou Mingqiao already knew this was a performance destined to lose. However, he was just there to play the piano, and playing it well was enough. As for the outcome, it didn't matter to him.

...

On stage, Fang Xing finished his performance and took a moment to adjust his emotions. He Hao returned to the stage and asked, "Before the competition, the challenger's target was announced. Do you think he will initiate the challenge?"

Fang Xing asked curiously, "What happens if he doesn't?"

He Hao replied solemnly, "If the challenger fails to initiate a challenge twice, they lose the opportunity to challenge."

"Doesn't that mean I won't have to sing?" Fang Xing asked again.

"Correct, you wouldn't have the chance to perform," He Hao nodded.

"That sounds too comfortable, doesn't it? Getting paid without having to sing," Fang Xing said with an envious expression.

He Hao stumbled in his step. "How did you end up thinking about that?"

After the joke, the variety show effect was achieved. He Hao moved on to the main topic: "So, has this challenger initiated the challenge? Let's take a look."

*Beep... beep... beep...*

As soon as he finished speaking, the challenge alarm sounded, and the entire venue was flashing with red lights. He Hao put on an expectant expression and said, "Alright, hearing this alarm means the challenger has initiated the challenge. Fang Xing, are you nervous? You’ve really been challenged this time. And according to reliable information from the director's team, the challenger has invited a famous pianist to accompany him."

Fang Xing said calmly, "I'm not nervous. Actually, I'm wondering if the challenger regrets not initiating the challenge in the first episode."

Li Siqi, sitting in the challenger's lounge, heard this and his expression stiffened. He realized that if he had initiated the challenge in the first round, the situation might not have been worse than it was now. Regarding the song itself, "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky" had a melody better suited for a live performance and held a competitive advantage. However, the first round wasn't a themed competition, giving Li Siqi more freedom in his song choice. Because the second round was theme-based, the scope for selection was much narrower, making the challenge significantly more difficult.

He Hao raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you think the challenger would have had a better chance if he had initiated the challenge in the first round?"

Fang Xing smiled and countered, "That's not it. Actually, the result would probably be the same."

He Hao suddenly realized. Fang Xing had won first place in the first round. If the challenger wanted to win, he would have to surpass the first place, and that level of difficulty... But looking back at "Qilixiang," it was hard to say which was more difficult; both were hell-level challenges. As the host, He Hao began to feel helpless for the challenger. Both challenges were at hell-level difficulty; before even competing, the result was already predetermined. Unless a miracle happened.

Although he felt this way, He Hao didn't say it out loud. Instead, he continued with an excited tone: "Thank you for the wonderful performance, Fang Xing. Please return to the lounge to watch the competition. Now, it's time for tonight's challenger to take the stage. Who is this challenger? He is a superstar with 30 million followers on Weibo. He is a trending topic who stays on the hot search for 366 days out of 365. He is not fighting alone. They swept multiple group awards at the three major Chinese music awards upon their debut. Tonight, he will use the microphone in his hand to prove that his music can also stand on its own."

He Hao did not say the name, but turned to look behind the stage. Light shot out from the back of the stage, and a singer with a model's physique walked toward the light. Because of He Hao's grandiose introduction, the audience was very curious about the challenger's identity. Everyone stretched their necks to look, but the challenger walked against the light, making his face impossible to see. Fang Xing was also curious about who was so stubborn as to choose him twice in a row.

When the challenger walked to the center of the stage, the backlight disappeared and the spotlight shone down from above. The audience finally saw the challenger's face, and some young fans immediately shouted out.

"Li Siqi! It's actually Li Siqi!"

"Li Siqi? Isn't he the leader of SPK? Why is he on 'The Voice'?"

In the minds of most ordinary audience members, Li Siqi was the leader of the idol boy band SPK. SPK was indeed very popular in the country, arguably the top of the domestic boy band scene. However, most of the audience remained rational. In their impression, SPK had high popularity, and Li Siqi even more so, but he couldn't shake the label of being a "boy band member." Ordinary viewers felt that boy band members should do boy band things—sing and dance in groups, film variety shows, or act in idol dramas. But a singing competition like "The Voice," which was full of intense rivalry, was not a place to join in the fun.

The artists who came to "The Voice" were either superstars, talented singers who hadn't caught their big break, or national-level powerhouses delivering a "dimensionality reduction strike." A boy band member coming here felt out of place.

Before the competition started, He Hao needed to have an interaction. However, he wisely didn't mention the challenge target, as Li Siqi's expression was already very grim.

"This is Siqi's first time on the stage of 'The Voice.' I heard you brought a heavyweight partner this time. Can you introduce them to me?" He Hao began to guide the topic.

"It's a pianist who recently won an international award, Mr. Zhou Mingqiao. It was fate that brought us together, so I invited him to accompany my performance song tonight," Li Siqi answered according to the script.

"What is the name of the song you're singing tonight?" After a brief interaction, He Hao accelerated to the point.

"The song is titled 'Eventually to Depart.' It tells the story of an innocent love during the era of educated youth, and how they had to part ways due to the circumstances of the time." Li Siqi briefly introduced the backstory.

In fact, "Eventually to Depart" was the theme song for a TV drama about the lives of educated youth. The show had aired on CCTV twenty years ago and had created a ratings myth. The song had become one of the most familiar tunes for the generations of the 60s and 70s. This song choice was a strategic decision made by Li Siqi’s team. From a decision-making standpoint, it was very clever. Chao Yin Culture had done research showing that Li Siqi was very popular among those born in the 90s and 00s, and had decent recognition among those born in the 80s. The only thing missing was recognition from the 60s and 70s generations. Therefore, the team cleverly chose this song to awaken the nostalgia of those generations. This way, Li Siqi's performance could potentially appeal to all five generations: 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s.

The interaction ended, and the lights dimmed. Zhou Mingqiao sat at the piano and pressed the first key. A melancholic melody flowed out. Li Siqi picked up the microphone and began to sing in a deep voice:

"Your silhouette, eventually to depart. Searching along the railway tracks, the distant distance. Places I can never reach, forever circled within the map..."

Hearing Li Siqi's singing, the original singers in the venue felt it was a pity. With Li Siqi's popularity and the performance of this song, if he had chosen a different target, he would have had a good chance of winning the challenge. It was just a pity he chose such a terrifying target. Moreover, when Li Siqi was in the boy band, the group songs he sang were all dance tracks. So, it was obvious that his deep-voiced rendition of this song wasn't quite seasoned. Furthermore, given his life experience, he couldn't quite convey the emotions of that era. Thus, to those from the 60s and 70s, the song didn't sound quite "authentic." In terms of vocal technique, although he was one of the best in his boy band, he wasn't outstanding when placed in "The Voice." The piano accompaniment was high-level, but even strong accompaniment couldn't add many points.

After Li Siqi finished singing, there was somewhat enthusiastic applause from the audience. Some were applauding for the song, while others were applauding for Li Siqi's courage. However, the straightforward song, while capable of awakening nostalgia, could not mask the brilliance of "Qilixiang." Many viewers were still immersed in the cool breeze of summer from earlier.

After Li Siqi finished his performance, the remaining original singers took the stage one after another. Until the last singer, Chen Lizhu, finished her performance, the 500 listeners in the venue began to vote. The production team tallied the votes on-site.

Meanwhile, the follow-up director began to interview the singers. The director asked, "Fang Xing, before the challenger appeared, did you guess his identity?"

Fang Xing shook his head: "No, I didn't know who it was."

Director: "When you saw it was Li Siqi, were you worried?"

Fang Xing: "Worried about what?"

Director: "Worried about losing the challenge. If you lose, you could be eliminated directly."

Fang Xing: "How low would my second-round ranking have to be for my combined ranking to drop out of the top three?"

Since "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky" had already taken first place in the first round, to drop out of the top three in the combined ranking, he would have to come in last in the second round. Last place with "Qilixiang"? How blind would the audience have to be to cast such votes? Besides, after hearing the performances of the other six original singers, there was no reason why "Qilixiang" wouldn't take first place.

Director: "Then were you surprised when you saw it was Li Siqi?"

Fang Xing: "It was alright."

Director: "Do you know why he chose you as the challenge target twice?"

Fang Xing: "Not really, I don't know him. Maybe we clashed on the music charts?"

Director: "What do you think of Li Siqi's performance tonight?"

Fang Xing: "It was okay, top-tier for a boy band."

This answer was realistic, but the scope had to be defined—"top-tier for a boy band" meant it didn't need to be evaluated in the wider music industry.

Director: "Do you think Li Siqi will succeed in his challenge tonight?"

Fang Xing: "It's a bit difficult."

...

After the interviews, the production team arranged for the singers to go to the results announcement hall. The seven original singers sat down in the order of their performances. Li Siqi, as the challenger, sat on the far right. Fang Xing, being the first to perform, sat on the far left. After the first round, the original singers were already quite familiar with each other. After sitting down, they began to chat and engage in mutual flattery:

"You sang so well tonight, especially the first line of the chorus—it was fantastic."

"You too, you sang so well, I was so mesmerized that my makeup almost smeared."

After waiting for about half an hour, Zheng Tao walked into the hall with the final results and stood before the singers.

"The final voting results have been tallied. Out of the 500 listeners, 495 valid votes were cast, totaling 1492 votes. Also, the first-place winner tonight received more votes than the first-place winner of the last round—eight votes higher."

Everyone turned their eyes to Fang Xing, as he had taken first place in the last round with "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky."

Zheng Tao added, "However, the first place tonight and the first place of the last round might not necessarily be the same person."

Xie Yuwen quipped, "Not necessarily the same person means it could be the same person, right?"

Everyone present was a talented singer; they knew who sang well and who was average. Perhaps the rankings weren't 100% accurate, but the margin of error wouldn't be large. Therefore, in Xie Yuwen's opinion, tonight's "Qilixiang," even if it didn't take first, was definitely in the top three. The specific ranking depended on the audience's receptiveness. After all, with 500 listeners covering all age groups, it was impossible to guarantee 100% accuracy. Especially since older listeners might have a significant generation gap in musical aesthetics compared to the young ones.

Zheng Tao didn't respond to Xie Yuwen and continued to smile, asking, "Does everyone want to hear the challenge result first, or the ranking result?"

Xie Yuwen replied, "Do you even care what we want to hear?"

Zheng Tao laughed, "I won't keep you in suspense tonight; I'll announce whatever you want to hear."

"You said that, so I want to hear the challenge result first." Xie Yuwen didn't believe this devious director wouldn't pull a trick.

"Alright, we'll announce the challenge result first," Zheng Tao agreed immediately.

"Hey... Director Zheng, this isn't your style." Xie Yuwen had been tortured enough to develop a stress response.

Zheng Tao looked at Fang Xing and asked, "Fang Xing, what do you think the result of tonight's challenge is?"

Fang Xing waved his hands with a look of disdain and said, "I don't know, don't ask me."

This question was too hard to answer. If he said, "The challenger had no chance and can go home," he would be criticized for being too arrogant when it aired. If he said, "The challenger was strong and had a great chance," he would be criticized for being hypocritical. Fang Xing simply didn't take the bait and told Zheng Tao to ask the other party involved. Although he didn't answer directly, his facial expressions and actions, along with his disdainful reply, were perfect for creating internet memes. The variety show effect was achieved.

Zheng Tao was satisfied and turned to Li Siqi, asking, "Li Siqi, are you satisfied with your challenge performance tonight?"

Li Siqi replied expressionlessly, "The performance tonight was okay; I performed at the level I reached during rehearsals."

Zheng Tao continued, "Then do you think you can win the challenge tonight?"

Li Siqi thought for a moment and gave a very official answer: "The opponent is very strong, a very respectable opponent. As for the result, it depends on which song the audience prefers. I can't guess the outcome."

He still held a glimmer of hope. Because "Qilixiang" might not be as popular with the 60s and 70s age groups, while his song, "Eventually to Depart," could harvest the nostalgia of those two generations. If the listeners from those generations didn't like "Qilixiang," he still had a small chance of winning. After all, in the eyes of the audience, vocal ability wasn't the standard for scoring; whether the song sounded good was.

Zheng Tao scanned the room and officially announced the result: "How did the challenge go tonight? Success or failure? Let's first announce the challenger's votes. Li Siqi, your final vote count tonight is 175 votes, ranking fifth. So, unfortunately, Li Siqi, you did not succeed in your challenge tonight. Thank you for coming to the stage of 'The Voice.' Thank you."

Li Siqi's expression was stiff; he was barely holding it together. He stood up, pressed his hands together, and bade farewell to the singers: "The result is out, so I won't stay long. I have a flight to catch. Goodbye, everyone."

He turned and walked away quickly, remaining expressionless from start to finish.