After offending capital, my songs became more and more popular.

Chapter 172 Never Compromise Until We Grow Old!
Keep running!!!

"With the pride of a child!"

How can you see the brilliance of life if you don't persevere to the end!

"Rather than lingering on in misery, let's burn brightly!"

"It will sprout again one day!"

……

Without accompaniment, without stage design, and without any glamorous lighting, even though they were on the same stage, Shen Ming'en, holding a microphone all by himself, seemed to form a strong and stark contrast with Zhao Yuan, the "gear enthusiast" next door.

Even though he had nothing there, and even though Zhao Yuan's side could easily overshadow him in terms of "noise," he still managed to attract everyone's attention with his superb singing skills and metallic voice.

That moment...

In front of him!

Zhao Yuan, who was hailed as a god by his fans, could only be described as "pale in comparison".

The funniest thing is that when Shen Mingen sang the chorus, his voice was there, but many people couldn't hear Zhao Yuan's voice.

Why?

Is it because Shen Mingen's voice is loud?

No no no...

It's purely because that young heartthrob's voice is soft!

These days, I wonder if all those young heartthrobs were taught by the same teacher (which caused them to miss out on their studies). They all sing in the same key. Their verses are meaningless, and their choruses lack a climax. Who can enjoy listening to them?

Zhao Yuan's voice is already muffled, and Shen Mingen's singing style was already quite explosive today. When Zhao Yuan was belting out the high notes in the chorus, he didn't even try to hit those high notes. Wasn't he just asking Shen Mingen to relieve his stress?
Take a look at the scene...

"Oh!!!"

"Ahhhh!!!"

"Shen Ming'en! Shen Ming'en!"

Many people were cheering, and most were shouting Shen Ming'en's name, especially those who had supported Shen Ming'en from the beginning. It can be said that the situation, which was originally "one-sided" in favor of Zhao Yuan, is now rapidly reversing!
Do you think it's just the offline audience?

The online live stream was even more explosive!

【Whoa whoa!】

Check out the poll! Check out the poll now!

The vote is in!

……

The surprise attack segment of "The Ultimate Singer Challenge" is actually similar to the "public" voting segment that Shen Mingen participated in "Chinese Music Center" last week.

While singers compete on stage, audience support rates and voting results are tallied in real time both online and offline.

The main focus is on "fairness".

Originally, the production team was very clear that even if Shen Mingen had nothing, even if he sang terribly, as long as he stood on this stage, his supporters would definitely cast his votes to an exaggerated degree.

How do you say that?

He overcame all obstacles to become king, and accompanied his benefactor on his long voyage!
Its main focus is on companionship!
No matter how high Zhao Yuan's popularity is, this kind of ordinary fan circle traffic is definitely no match for a national top-level superstar like Shen Ming'en.

What should I do?
Let's buy tickets!
They paid to buy votes!
In order to create the illusion that Zhao Yuan won "by merit," Zhao Yuan's manager Zhou Fang and the production team spent a lot of money to buy votes. As a result, the online live broadcast votes were neck and neck when Shen Ming'en and Zhao Yuan started singing on stage.

They knew they couldn't let Zhao Yuan take too big a lead at once, so they bought and used the robot tickets little by little...

There were probably over three million votes bought online, and many of the people here offline are also Zhao Yuan's fans...

It was a plan that was almost foolproof.

The results of it?
As it turns out, they miscalculated!

Check out the live online voting!
It is clearly shown above:

"Zhao Yuan received 8873256 votes!"

Shen Ming'en: 9872549 votes!

In the online live stream, even though Zhao Yuan bought over three million votes, Shen Ming'en still led him by nearly one million votes!

Needless to say, Shen Ming'en's approval rating was a whopping 85%, while Zhao Yuan's was a mere 60%!

That's it!

It was even swiped!
You can't even beat Shen Ming'en in buying tickets, where's your top star status?
"No, this...this...how could this be?!" Zhou Fang was stunned when she saw the data!
No way, Shen Ming'en's approval rating is that high?!

Is his popularity really that alarming?!
You should know that Zhou Fang bought votes for Zhao Yuan based on the online voting of last week's "Chinese Music Awards". She originally thought that with more than eight million to nearly nine million votes, she was sure to win. But who knew that, after only half of the song, in the middle of the performance, Shen Ming'en's online votes were already close to breaking ten million!
This is terrifying! This is so scary!

The show garnered nearly ten million votes by the halfway point—is that even humanly possible?!

Is there really such a top-tier celebrity in the Chinese entertainment industry?!
This is too exaggerated!
"Tsk..." Director Chen Tao was also secretly amazed by Shen Ming'en's terrifying popularity.

He had to admit that Shen Mingen was really charismatic on stage, especially when he sang inspirational songs like this; he really seemed like an insurmountable mountain...

"Let's buy tickets," he said helplessly to Zhou Fang. "If we don't buy them now, Zhao Yuan won't be able to win."

"How could this be..." Although equally shocked by Shen Ming'en's popularity, Zhou Fang still clung to a sliver of hope. She patted her chest and said, "Isn't there also live voting? Doesn't your show rely on live voting anyway?"

That's true. Watching a performance online is different from the close-up, direct experience of watching it live. Therefore, the production team's criteria for judging whether a surprise attack was successful largely depended on the live audience.

Although Zhao Yuan was behind in the online live stream, he wasn't too far behind due to vote manipulation. If he could pull back his votes at the venue, a "narrow victory" scenario wouldn't be unacceptable.

"Ha~"

Upon hearing this, Director Chen chuckled; he was so angry he almost laughed...

He pointed to one of the cameras in the control room that was filming the live voting and said, "Why don't you check the live voting results before you say anything?"

Zhou Fang was taken aback upon hearing this...

Look closely.

It's okay if you don't look, but once you do...

"hiss……"

Her eyes widened instantly, and she gasped!
"No... what... what's going on?!"

It's no wonder Zhou Fang looked so shocked; the results of the on-site voting were far beyond her expectations!
However, on the large screen directly above the stage, the real-time voting results were clearly displayed:
Zhao Yuan: 397 votes

Shen Ming'en: 599 votes!

The studio for "The Ultimate Singer Challenge" is a studio that has been passed down through generations of Hunan TV. Through continuous expansion by each generation, it can now accommodate up to a thousand audience members.

Therefore, as many as a thousand people participated in the voting!
The voting results at the scene mean that out of a thousand people, excluding four or five who abstained from voting, nearly six hundred people voted for Shen Ming'en!
Less than four hundred people voted for Zhao Yuan!
This is even with the majority of them being Zhao Yuan's fans!
Explode!
What a devastating result!

What does this mean?
This means that some of Zhao Yuan's fans cast their votes for Shen Ming'en!
"What...what are they doing!" Zhou Fang was so angry she wanted to curse.

What a bunch of fake fans!

To switch sides at this crucial moment?!
Have you no shame?!
They always call themselves true fans, but when it really comes down to it, they all turn around and show their true colors. This is just too much!
Director Chen shrugged and spread his hands, saying nothing... but he wasn't surprised by the scene.

Please!

You don't even look at how well Shen Mingen sang, compared to how well Zhao Yuan sang!
Without comparison, there's no harm done. When two singers perform on the same stage, and the situation is almost one-sided, fans are human too, and they have their own judgment...

Shen Mingen has an absurdly good public image. Many people, even those from other groups, don't have any ill intentions towards him. Under such circumstances, people quietly vote for Shen Mingen, and there's nothing wrong with that!
"Shouldn't we go buy the tickets now?" Director Chen said to Zhou Fang in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

Zhou Fang gritted her teeth, but after a moment, she had no choice but to take out her phone and walk away into the distance...

And at this moment...

The performance on stage continues.

……

"The allure and splendor of the future are always beckoning me..."

Even if only pain accompanies us, we must forge ahead...

"I want to set sail on the bluest sea there..."

"Regardless of whether I can repay it..."

……

As the first verse and chorus of "Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart" ended, almost the entire audience at the venue was captivated by Shen Ming'en's performance. In the online live stream, some viewers were even commenting: "[Zhao Yuan, if you want to argue, go elsewhere! Don't interrupt my listening to Shen Ming'en sing!]"

With everyone drawn to Shen Ming'en, Zhao Yuan was utterly humiliated. The scene was already incredibly disgraceful, but what happened next almost made Zhou Fang, who had bought a ticket for Zhao Yuan backstage, spit out a mouthful of blood!
At that moment, Shen Ming'en was singing loudly:

……

"Being depressed after a defeat is a sign of a coward..."

"Clench your fists as long as you have a breath left."

"We must be even braver before dawn breaks..."

"Waiting for the most dazzling moment at sunrise!"

……

As the chorus approached, Shen Ming'en's sense of rhythm became increasingly stronger. Although there was no accompaniment on his end, it felt as if everyone was silently keeping time for him...

There was a rather touching scene where, perhaps feeling sorry for Shen Ming'en's lack of accompaniment, a few fans raised their hands and clapped along to the beat.

One small action can have far-reaching consequences; one person sets a rhythm, and many others start striking along in unison…

At that moment, it just so happened that the chorus was coming up, and Shen Ming'en was about to sing...

Coincidentally, Zhao Yuan next door also seemed to sense that things weren't going well, so he tried to hit a high note.

In order to hit his high notes smoothly, he deliberately did a very pretentious thing: he took off his in-ear monitor.

On stage, in-ear monitors are actually very useful. After all, the stage is very loud, with both the cheers of the fans and the sound of the band. Without in-ear monitors, it's easy to not hear your own voice, so you don't know how well you're singing, and it's not easy to adjust them...

Removing the in-ear monitors presents a different challenge, making singing more difficult.

Zhao Yuan originally wanted to hit high notes in this section to compete against Shen Ming'en, and he wanted to give it his all at the last minute, but as soon as he took off his in-ear monitor...

"run ahead!!!"

Then I heard Shen Ming'en next door, his voice almost cracking, screaming and shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Facing cold eyes and ridicule!"

"How can one feel the vastness of life without experiencing hardship!"

Then the hilarious thing happened...

That is, as soon as Shen Ming'en sang, Zhao Yuan's mind was filled with Shen Ming'en's singing. He was completely filled with the chorus of Shen Ming'en's "Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart". He completely forgot what he was supposed to do and what he was supposed to sing!
I forgot my lines!
The chorus, after all that build-up...

I can't get in!

He did realize what was happening and picked up the microphone, but Shen Ming'en's voice was too loud and too personal, completely drowning him out!
He couldn't even remember his own lyrics!

That's how it is when two people perform on the same stage at the same time; it's hard not to be influenced by each other.

At times like this, it's all about having a strong foundation and real strength. The best way to avoid being influenced by others is to influence them in return.

Zhao Yuan was already being constantly suppressed by Shen Ming'en. If it weren't for the in-ear monitor constantly reminding him to sing at his own pace, he would have gone off track long ago. And yet he still dared to take off his in-ear monitor...

This is absolutely ridiculous!
He went off-topic, forgot his lines, and sang off-key...

【puff……】

It made the audience watching the show next door laugh like crazy!
[We've gone off-topic! Hahaha! We've been led astray!]

Why take off your in-ear monitor if you have nothing better to do? You don't actually think you can be like Shen Ming'en, do you?

[You don't wear in-ear monitors just because others don't? You need to have the means to do so!]

[Shen Ming'en: Do you know why the sea is mostly sand? Because there are no pebbles, bro!]

[Zhao Yuan: That year, I had my hands in my pockets and got beaten up without knowing how to fight back...]

……

"What is he doing!"

Backstage, Zhou Fang was furious when she saw this scene. She had just bought the tickets by phone, and now Zhao Yuan had this "stage accident," so all her efforts would be in vain!
"That's why I said a long time ago not to put them on the same stage..." Director Chen sighed helplessly, and even at this moment, he didn't forget to add insult to injury, saying, "There are very few people in the Chinese entertainment industry who dare to say that they can outshine Shen Ming'en when they compete on the same stage."

"...Stop making sarcastic remarks!" Zhou Fang said through gritted teeth, "What do we do now?"

"What else can we do?" Director Chen's lips twitched. "Quickly tell those who are rigging the votes to stop. If they're still doing it now, they're just asking for a scolding."

If Zhao Yuan has a "stage accident" and they still eliminate Shen Ming'en, wouldn't the online public opinion be overwhelming for them?
The reason they made so many preparations, including making Shen Mingen not sing revolutionary songs or folk songs, and even not giving him a drum, was just to eliminate him and keep the public outcry low.
But who knew that this "living father," without any buffs or special abilities, could achieve a complete and utter "crushing" victory solely through his voice...

That’s outrageous!

"...What about Zhao Yuan?!" Zhou Fang's lips twitched. "If Shen Ming'en isn't eliminated, Zhao Yuan will be eliminated too. Don't forget, we have a contract!"

Zhao Yuan signed a contract for three episodes, and leaving now constitutes a breach of contract by the program's production team.

"That's easy..." Director Chen waved his hand and said, "I'll do it in the next episode..."

He originally intended to suggest using some means to get another guest on the show to leave and to keep Zhao Yuan, but before he could finish speaking…

"Director...Director..." An assistant beside him couldn't help but tug at his hand and said, "Stop, stop, it's too late."

"What?"

Director Chen and Zhou Fang were slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then looked in the direction the assistant was pointing. What they saw...

Both of them widened their eyes immediately!

it's over...

This game is completely ruined!
……

(End of this chapter)