Chapter 135: The Early Premiere of "The Singing Voice"

After hearing Qiao Yinghong’s explanation, Fang Xing finally understood the intent behind Pu Xiang Records’ approach.

"So, Pu Xiang Records is acting as a lobbyist for Liu Hongsheng?"

"Not entirely. Actually, Liu Hongsheng’s songs for the first two episodes were also produced by Pu Xiang, and they spent quite a lot of money..."

Qiao Yinghong, having gathered some inside information, explained, "According to the initial plan between Liu and Pu Xiang, they intended to take first place in the premiere to get off to a flying start and cement his status as a Heavenly King. However, you were an unexpected variable in the first episode, so Liu demanded that Pu Xiang re-arrange a song to ensure he took first in the second episode. Unfortunately, you took first again, which meant that despite the massive investment in both songs, Liu only managed second place both times."

"Because of this, Liu Hongsheng threw quite a tantrum at Pu Xiang’s headquarters. As one of the 'Big Three' record labels, Pu Xiang has significant resources, and failing twice in a row is a blow to their reputation. They’re planning to pour more money into a song for the third episode, but they’re worried about another 'extraordinary' performance from our side, so they came to sound us out. From what they hinted, if you’re willing to step back on 'The Voice,' they’re willing to concede the Baoboli endorsement to us."

Fang Xing smiled. "I didn't give an 'extraordinary' performance; that was just my standard level. As for the Baoboli endorsement, that’s worth tens of millions. Is Liu Hongsheng really just going to hand it over so easily?"

Qiao Yinghong chuckled. "Of course not. Liu is currently negotiating another endorsement. Since both are major menswear brands, he can only take one. The Baoboli deal is relatively more prestigious, but if used as a bargaining chip, he’s willing to sacrifice it to secure the other one."

After listening, Fang Xing understood the situation and stated his stance clearly: "I’ve already prepared the song for the next round. I will sing it exactly as I intend. As for whether I take first place, I don’t know. Whoever wants the top spot can go get it; it has nothing to do with me."

Qiao Yinghong nodded. "If that’s your decision, I’ll relay it to Pu Xiang. As for the endorsement, we’ll continue to pursue it, and whether we land it depends on Baoboli’s final decision."

"Let's do that."

Fang Xing would not throw a performance on *The Voice* just for an endorsement. Besides, the song he planned for the next round used simple, grounded lyrics to tell a story; it wasn't the type of high-energy track typically suited for the stage, so winning first place was far from guaranteed. He had already taken the top spot twice; the ranking for this episode wasn't nearly as important as singing a song that truly meant something to him. If the song could touch the hearts of the audience, that would be powerful enough.

...

After the meal, Qiao Yinghong called Xu Liren at Pu Xiang Records, tactfully expressing that the song for the next episode was already finalized and could not be changed. She also complimented Liu Hongsheng’s prowess, expressing her belief that he would certainly win the championship. She handled the art of conversation perfectly.

However, everyone in the entertainment industry was an old fox. Xu Liren understood the meaning behind her polite words: on the stage of *The Voice*, it would be a battle of merit.

The next day, Liu Hongsheng stormed into Pu Xiang’s headquarters. "Xu Liren, what is the meaning of this? Who told you to talk to Songshi? Do you think I, Liu Hongsheng, am not worthy of beating a newcomer on stage?"

Xu Liren was stunned; this hadn't been his own initiative. He looked toward Hu Changqing, Liu’s manager, who had followed him in.

Hu Changqing quickly stepped in. "Boss, you can't blame Director Xu. It was actually my idea to talk to Songshi Records about the Baoboli endorsement. The *The Voice* matter was just mentioned in passing."

Upon hearing it was his manager's idea, Liu snorted. "Pu Xiang is one of the top three labels in the industry. If we can't beat a label like Songshi, we resort to these kinds of tactics? Do you think I'm finished?"

In reality, Pu Xiang had done its best to create tracks for the Heavenly King, hiring industry heavyweights for the arrangements. But whether a song becomes a hit, and to what degree, is impossible to predict. Even famous producers can only ensure a song doesn't flop. A minor hit relies on promotion, but a massive hit relies on destiny. No one knows how successful a song will be before it is released.

Liu Hongsheng ranted and raved, berating Xu Liren and his staff. Xu had to swallow his anger; Liu’s company only maintained a partnership with Pu Xiang and could walk away at any time. If Liu left because of him, the company's shareholders would string him up. Xu felt quite aggrieved; he had simply acted as an intermediary, following the manager's wishes to have a meal with Fang Xing’s studio to pass a message. In normal circumstances, when a Heavenly King reaches out to a newcomer via an intermediary, shouldn't the newcomer be grateful and submissive? But Fang Xing was an exception—he had no intention of letting anyone influence his art.

...

While Fang Xing was practicing for the third episode of *The Voice*, trouble was brewing at Xiangjiang Satellite TV.

The station had a long-standing tradition of scheduling its top-tier variety shows on Friday nights. Every year, they produced four to five flagship seasonal shows to dominate the Friday ratings. Aside from the national broadcaster, Xiangjiang TV had held the Friday night ratings crown for years. However, the show originally slated to take over the slot in November hit a snag. One of its regular guests, a top-tier idol, was hit with severe negative press and was even publicly criticized by state media. This led to the show being suspended for rectification, and because the guest was a permanent fixture with too much screen time, the show might not even be salvageable.

This left a void in the Friday night schedule. The station had no choice but to adjust, moving the premiere of *The Voice*—which was originally intended to be recorded in full before airing—to Fridays immediately.

The change was so abrupt that many promotional resources couldn't be deployed in time. The station had to pour money into emergency marketing. At the same time, they leveraged the scandal of the disgraced idol to generate buzz for *The Voice* stepping in to fill the gap.

Suddenly, news that *The Voice* would air early appeared across Weibo and other platforms. That day, the disgraced idol topped the trending list, with *The Voice* following right behind in second place.

While fans of the disgraced idol wailed on social media, sarcastic netizens and thrill-seekers were delighted. Not only was there drama to consume, but they could also watch *The Voice* earlier than expected.

[This drama is tasty, I’m stuffed. And I get to watch 'The Voice' on Friday? Happiness came too suddenly!]
[Thanks for the warmth on a Friday, now I have songs to listen to.]
[Thanks +1]

Trolls began leaving comments under Fang Xing’s Weibo:
['The Voice' is airing soon. Does that mean we’ll see you get eliminated immediately?]

Some vengeful fans even began posting celebrations in advance:
[Giving away three fruit phones for the episode where Fang Xing gets eliminated. Participate in the comments to enter.]
[Who does this guy think he is? Trying to challenge a Heavenly King on 'The Voice'—isn't it obvious he'll be eliminated?]

...

The change to the schedule was chaotic. The recording of *Happy Weekend*—originally planned for next month—was moved up to next week, leading to a very tight schedule. It was a tradition at Xiangjiang TV for actors, singers, and production teams to appear on *Happy Weekend* while their shows were airing to boost ratings. Since *The Voice* was airing early, the recording for *Happy Weekend* had to be moved up as well. Both Fang Xing and Shen Xiyin were scheduled to appear. The recording for *Happy Weekend* and the third episode of *The Voice* were on back-to-back days, so they just had to stay in Xiangjiang for an extra day.

On Friday afternoon, Fang Xing caught a flight to Xiangjiang. Meanwhile, *The Voice* was about to premiere. At 7:00 PM, he received a WeChat message from Lu Xiang'er.

Lu Xiang'er: Have you eaten?
Fang Xing: No. Are you treating me to dinner?
Lu Xiang'er: No, I already ate. *The Voice* is starting soon.
Fang Xing: So?
Lu Xiang'er: Ning Xiaoyun told me to ask if you want to watch it together.
Fang Xing: Come over. Let's watch it together.

After sending the message, he shared his location. Lu Xiang'er tapped on it and sent a speechless emoji.

Lu Xiang'er: You’re in Xiangjiang? Are you recording the third episode of *The Voice*?
Fang Xing: Tomorrow.
Lu Xiang'er: Alright.
Fang Xing: We can still watch the show together even if we’re miles apart. Don't be sad.
Lu Xiang'er: I’m not sad! (GIF: beating chest in frustration)
Fang Xing: Don't be so irritable. We can watch together next time.
Lu Xiang'er: It was Ning Xiaoyun's idea! I’m going to check out the netizen comments; you have no idea how crazy it is online.

The two chatted idly until 8:00 PM. *The Voice* premiered on time. Fang Xing turned on the hotel television, lay on the bed, and started a voice call with Lu Xiang'er.

After it connected, Fang Xing said, "See, we can watch it together like this."

Ning Xiaoyun chimed in, "That's one way to do it. But we have skewers to eat! They're so fragrant—this pickled pepper beef is my favorite." She chewed loudly near the phone.

Fang Xing picked up the bedside phone and called room service: "I’d like to order dinner. One small lobster, a mushroom and oyster soup, and a serving of jellyfish in spicy sauce."

On the other end, Ning Xiaoyun’s eyes widened. "That’s low."

Fang Xing laughed. "Suddenly feel like those skewers aren't so tasty anymore?"

Ning Xiaoyun huffed. "I’m going to a restaurant to eat oysters tomorrow too!"

Lu Xiang'er interrupted, "The show is starting, don't just talk about food!"

On the TV screen, *The Voice* began. A male singer and a female singer appeared alternately in long shots, both wearing sunglasses, hats, and masks to keep their identities hidden. The staff led them into a room, and the camera panned over the sign on the door: "Challenger Waiting Room."

Once inside, the female singer took off her mask and greeted the camera: "I’m a challenger. I heard we have special privileges tonight."

The camera cut to the male challenger, but the editors had placed a cartoon graphic over his face, making it impossible to tell who he was.

Immediately, the comments on the Xiangguo video platform began to flood in:
[Who is this male singer?]
[Wait, this physique looks familiar.]
[Shen Xiyin is a challenger, but who is the one who 'kicked' Fang Xing? Could it be her?]
[Unlikely. She’s a mentor on 'Star of Tomorrow.' Mentors challenging trainees? Even if it’s scripted, it wouldn't be arranged like this.]
[If it’s not Shen Xiyin, then the one who challenged Fang Xing must be this guy?]
[Wow! Now I really want to know who he is.]
[The show is so annoying for blocking his face.]

Although his face was covered, sharp-eyed netizens noticed clues.
[The guy is wearing the fall collection from Baoboli. I saw Li Siqi wearing the same jacket at the airport.]
[Holy crap! Li Siqi is a challenger? And he’s challenging Fang Xing?]
[This is huge. Is this a showdown between Chaoyin Culture and Fang Xing?]
[The show blocking his face is definitely a tactic to reveal him in the second episode to boost ratings. So devious.]

Ning Xiaoyun watched the show and asked through Lu Xiang'er's phone, "The internet is guessing it’s Li Siqi. These netizens are sharp—they recognized him just from a jacket."

Even though the show hadn't revealed him, Li Siqi’s popularity was high. The topic of him participating in *The Voice* quickly hit the trending list. Fans swarmed the Weibo page of Li Siqi’s studio, asking if he was the challenger. The studio remained silent. Xiangjiang TV tacitly allowed the topic to ferment; the show needed the popularity of a top-tier idol to boost its momentum. Since the studio didn't deny it, netizens treated it as fact.

[If it’s Li Siqi, the show is going to be good.]
[I remember Fang Xing saying someone was coming to challenge him. Was it really Li Siqi?]
[Fang Xing plays so rough. If he breaks Li Siqi’s leg, will Weibo explode?]
[Not necessarily. Fang Xing hasn't posted on Weibo for a week. Maybe he was eliminated and is depressed?]

As the topic trended, fans of SPK (Li Siqi's group) entered the fray, dominating the comment sections. They liked comments favorable to Li Siqi to push them to the top and reported or downvoted any unfavorable ones.

[If Siqi participates in 'The Voice,' he will definitely win.]
[Fang Xing isn't even fit to tie Siqi’s shoes.]
[Forget Fang Xing; 'The Voice' isn't even worthy of Siqi.]

Sarcastic netizens fought back:
[Sounds like Li Siqi has ever won anything. He was double-killed by Fang Xing at the Music Awards, and Fang Xing didn't even have to do it personally.]
[Let's be real, in terms of pure vocal talent, Li Siqi shouldn't try to challenge Fang Xing, right?]

SPK fans retorted:
[We don't even know if Fang Xing is qualified to be on 'The Voice.' He just posted two tweets hinting at it—it would be hilarious if he was just riding the coattails of the hype.]
[Exactly. Does someone of Fang Xing's status even deserve to be on 'The Voice'?]

The fans' insults had barely landed when, on screen, a singer entered the initial singer waiting area and asked the camera: "Am I the first one here?"

The camera showed his face clearly. It was Fang Xing.

The fans' arguments fell flat. Sarcastic netizens flooded the comments:
[So he *is* on 'The Voice,' and as an original contestant. Not bad.]
[Wait, if that’s the case, Fang Xing’s tweet about being 'a bit rougher' to the challenger means...]
[Either way, one of them is going to get hurt. Either way, it’s going to be entertaining!]
[If the challenger really is Li Siqi, the show is going to be explosive.]

The show continued. Shen Xiyin and the other challenger could watch the arrival of every original contestant. Once all seven were introduced, the producers asked the challengers to pick their targets. Shen Xiyin chose the Malaysian singer Chen Lizhu. The male challenger wrote down "Fang Xing," held the board up to the camera, and said, "The show wants me to pick him, right? Fine. What was meant to be mine, I will take back with my own hands."

When this aired, the comments exploded:
[What does he mean? What was 'meant to be his'?]
[He must mean the original contestant spot.]
[So, Fang Xing stole his spot?]
[Fight! Let them fight!]
[The production value is top-tier; they really know how to stir the pot.]

This segment reflected poorly on Fang Xing. If fans truly believed he had stolen Li Siqi’s spot, public opinion would turn one-sided. Songshi Records had anticipated this. Shortly after the segment aired, a major influencer collaborating with Songshi posted:

[Now that the show has aired, I can finally say it. Li Siqi was indeed in talks with 'The Voice,' but they kept haggling over the contract, wanting more and more. The production team got fed up and turned to Fang Xing, who signed a standard contract.]

The post quickly trended. Netizens and SPK fans began a heated battle in the comments section, arguing incessantly.