Why bother writing songs? Fast forward to the "Don't Laugh Challenge"

Chapter 168 The Microphone in My Hands: A Scepter and a Sword [Two Chapters Combined]

(The two chapters have been combined into one; update complete!)

Xia Shen had originally estimated that if the competition progressed to the next pair-up battle, given their scores and rankings, there was a high probability that they would directly encounter Aspirin.

Because the scoreline was so close, it was impossible to distinguish the difference between them; they had the smallest score difference of the entire game.

When all the guests took the stage to present their scores, the final scores and rankings proved that Xia Shen's guess was correct.

First of all, the first and second place are unsurprisingly Lin Jian and Zhang Qiangwei, whose scores are simply terrifying, showing a precipitous lead.

Xia Shen and Aspirin are the two in the very middle, so they've been paired up and will be together.

This concludes the first episode of "The Winter of Bands".

Of course, the show has ended, but the discussion has only just begun.

However, after the live broadcast, the biggest increase in popularity for this program came from those who didn't watch the live broadcast, but rather those who only watched the pre-recorded version.

Then, the most discussed topics were not what everyone expected before the show aired, but rather Lin Jian and Zhang Qiangwei, who had just returned to the stage.

The controversy revolved around Xia Shen and aspirin, specifically the dispute sparked by the chubby boy on the show.

A large number of people felt that the fan's actions were inappropriate.

"Are you kidding me? This chubby guy is really funny. Anyone who doesn't know better would think he's some kind of senior big shot in the industry. But when you check, damn it, he's just a minor shareholder in a small company with legal risks, and he doesn't have any qualifications at all."

"I don't know where they get the confidence to comment on Xia Shen's songs like that."

"He just relies on that foreign-worshipping attitude, what else could it be? He doesn't know anything. When Xia Shen asked him professional questions, he just stopped talking. Isn't that because he's guilty? He still pretends that he doesn't care about explaining, but who can't see that he's guilty?"

"Music fans are just music fans. Please don't think of yourselves as mentors. They invited you here not to be mentors. Although the functions are similar, you are just a judge."

"Yeah, that's the judgment! So what if it's a trash song? Isn't this song just like Xia Shen's previous trash songs, just cheesy pop to grab attention? It's just that this time it's cheesy rock pop."

"Hilarious. That's why you shouldn't jump out and talk nonsense in areas you don't understand. This song is actually quite technically sophisticated, and the arrangement is very well thought out."

As expected, they started arguing.

Of course, those who oppose it are basically on the side of aspirin.

"Stop joking. It's just plain and unsophisticated. What's so hard to accept about it? Isn't that what Xia Shen is all about? It's just a crazy song. I really don't know who would like to listen to this kind of song."

"People who like listening to this kind of music are more or less influenced by it."

"Why is listening to music turning into a personal attack? Is this the kind of quality aspirin fans have?"

"Hilarious! A rock band that's only known domestically has the right to call Xia Shen unsophisticated? On the entire stage, apart from Zhang Qiangwei back then, who can compare to Xia Shen in terms of international appeal? Can they even compare together? You probably have a serious misunderstanding about Xia Shen's popularity abroad."

"It's no use saying anything now. We'll face off next week, and then we'll see who's the real deal. It would be hilarious if the so-called international producers got knocked out and eliminated in the second round."

"Laughing my head off. Aspirin can beat me, okay? You're telling me Xia Shen isn't good at writing songs like 'Fairy'? Seriously, sometimes it really does come in handy to learn something new."

The internet is in an uproar. Xia Shen's fans and Aspirin's fans, even new fans, have started arguing fiercely. The argument has escalated to the point of personal attacks!
Of course, it was mainly aspirin's fans who were making personal attacks, while Xia Shen's fans were more convincing and even tried to reason with him.

Many music connoisseurs even attempted to analyze the technical differences between the two songs.

However, it didn't work; the entire internet is still in complete chaos.

This continued for a week, and the controversy surrounding the song "Xian'er" remained significant.

Public opinion has become extremely polarized.

A week later, the second show that everyone had been eagerly anticipating was finally about to begin.

Perhaps it was the controversy of the first round that led to the second round's popularity being completely outmatched by the first round from the very beginning.

It's a direct, level-up difference in traffic.

8000 million views!
This left the program's backstage staff and Kiwi's official technical staff speechless.

Is this the true value of Xia Shen's qualifications?

Can he really generate such a high level of buzz?

"Quickly add more servers, don't let it crash!" The person in charge of backend data monitoring immediately gave the order.

We're at a critical juncture now; there's a possibility of exceeding 100 million, so we absolutely cannot afford to collapse.

Even though Kiwi Fruit is a large and powerful family business, they must prevent this kind of thing from happening.

"Incredible, truly incredible, he really is the true god of traffic control in China."

The person in charge, who was sweating profusely, looked at the dense and frequent appearances of Xia Shen in the barrage of comments and murmured to himself.

What else is there to say besides being arrogant and domineering?
Meanwhile, the formal proceedings have now commenced.

After the host's announcement, the atmosphere became even more tense. Not only did the guests glare at their opponents with cold eyes, but representatives from various fan clubs also subtly began to divide into factions.

There's no way around it; I can't afford to be too angry. This round is the start of the real elimination rankings.

Of course, with a few exceptions.

Those were Lin Jian, Xia Shen, and Zhang Qiangwei.

Unfortunately, Lin Jian and Zhang Qiangwei, as the top two in the first round, faced opponents who were ranked last and second to last.

They weren't a particularly prestigious band; they were the kind of unknown bands with only average musical skills.

Now that they've suddenly come face to face with two great demons, they're already in despair. How could they possibly still harbor any hostility towards these two big shots?
And Xia Shen?
The reason he didn't sense any hostility was simply that Aspirin seemed to still treat everyone as insignificant as ever.

Xia Shen had nothing to say about this; he simply sat calmly in his seat.

Soon, it was time for the first pair of contestants to take the stage, namely Xia Shen and his opponent, Aspirin!

Yes! They're in the first group this time!
The reason is simple: they are right in the very middle, the kind of couple that are only one name apart but have to fight each other.

This round follows a similar pattern, with the most significant couples, up to the second to last and the first to last, naturally being placed at the end as the grand finale to boost ratings and audience numbers.

Xia Shen didn't have any thoughts on this; in his opinion, it didn't matter which number he went on stage.

He seemed to have never panicked, much like aspirin.

However, in the eyes of aspirin fans, Xia Shen's behavior was considered very pretentious.

"What are you pretending for? You look calm now, but you'll know you're an idiot when you get crushed by real international rock."

"Xia Shen has honed his skills on a massive stage like Ultra, which can accommodate 100,000 people. He's even performed at the Magpie Nest and sang at the opening ceremony of the World Finals. When has Li Le ever been on such a stage? Can he even handle it? That's ridiculous."

"This kind of stage is just child's play for Xia Shen, okay? He's competing against international big shots like Alex, Angelina, and Miles!"

"Stop talking nonsense, it's about to start, don't let the comments block my view of Lele! I don't want to turn off the comments!"

"."

On the scene, Aspirin drew the first card and was led by Li Le, who went on stage first.

Just like last week, he calmly took the stage, head held high. Xia Shen could even see the other person sneer at him as they passed by.

Xia Shen didn't care. Instead, he chuckled and slowly tapped the table with his fingers.

Host: "Next up, please welcome Aspirin to perform their classic song, 'Don't Say It Again'!"

In an instant, some of the audience members and fans in the music club actually cheered.

The live chat exploded instantly.

"!!!!Wow!!!!"

"It's this song? They brought it out already? This is their first hit song!" "Although I'm happy, I also feel a little sorry that it was released in the second round. It feels like a waste of talent to use it against a tacky pseudo-rock song. It's like using a cannon to kill a mosquito."

"Hahahaha, give pseudo-rock a proper burial! The four flies of Douyin and Kuaishou, get back to Douyin and Kuaishou! Don't taint the rock scene!"

"Stop yelling. Without Xia Shen, the show's popularity will drop by at least half."

"It's all messed up."

"This song is really elegant! It's true international rock! It's real rock music!"

Just like the aspirin fans in the live chat.

This song is truly Aspirin's best song; the moment it was played, the whole audience went wild.

Even when they sang the chorus, many people started singing along right there on the set.

"Don't say, say it again~"

“Some times the Mambo was winding my mind~~”

"Oh, Don't say, say it again~"

Until the end.

The chubby boy continued his steady performance, clapping and exclaiming, "Wow! This is real rock and roll, true international rock and roll, awesome!"

Give me a perfect score of 100!
The barrage also exploded.

"Waaaaah, I kept singing along."

"Wow! This song is so elegant, it perfectly captures the British style!"

“It feels so good.”

"I have to say, although Ah Le's character is questionable and Aspirin is too abstract, his songs are truly amazing."

"A decisive blow! No solution!"

"Xia Shen, take him away on the spot!"

"."

Many people present also turned their attention to Xia Shen and the Rose Red Flower Band.

It has many meanings.

There were pitying glances, and there were also mocking, gloating glances.

Of course, there were also glances of regret and sighs.

Then, Xia Shen remained expressionless, making it impossible to discern his thoughts from his facial expression.

Until the host made the announcement.

Host: "Next, let's welcome Rose Red Flower, and—SKYINDEEP!"

Pah pah pah pah——

There was a round of enthusiastic applause, though quite a few people looked surprised.

Many people didn't expect Xia Shen to make an appearance this time.

But if you think about it carefully, it's not hard to understand. At this point, it really is time for them to make their appearance.

The next moment, Xia Shen stood up and began to prepare with the band.

We can't have commercials this time, since the show has only just started.

So, while Xia Shen and Yueji Honghua were preparing, the host also asked the fan club for their opinion on Xia Shen and Yueji Honghua's performance.

Many music fan groups have said they dare not make wild guesses.

After all, no one can say for sure what the final outcome will be!
Although aspirin is amazing, in the eyes of the vast majority of people, Xia Shen is no pushover either.

Don't worry about whether they've never been exposed to rock music before.

Is it possible that they understand it, but they just haven't publicly done anything related to rock music before?
He's a world-class music producer, after all, and his international achievements are truly impressive.

Even if someone doesn't really think highly of Xia Shen, very few people would say it openly in this kind of setting.

After all, he's a big name in the music industry. What if you say something that offends him?
Only a few hotheads, who, in order to chase after celebrities, and then rely on their family's connections to open a small company and sneak into the industry, think they're so awesome that they'd act so recklessly without considering the consequences.

Among the fans, Gao Xixi glanced at the chubby boy in the distance and shook his head.

She doesn't know who she's talking about.

The vast majority of people are very considerate and speak very tactfully.

Then, the microphone was handed to the chubby boy again.

This time, the chubby guy said directly: "Don't Say It Again" has been recognized by some foreign listeners. In the ears of those listeners, they even mistake this song for an old song by the Black Beetles. This shows that this is rock music that truly meets international standards. From the moment this song came out, the scales of victory were already clear.

Xia Shen had no hope of winning, but of course, we also admire his courage and never-give-up spirit in the face of certain defeat.

At this point, the chubby boy put his hands on his hips and chuckled.

At this moment, he no longer had the same impatience as before; instead, he had an expression of complete confidence.

This is the current situation.

It's not surprising that he felt the same way, just like countless aspirin fans.

Such an international song, with such authentic flavor and such elegance, is simply a game-changer. It could even beat the top two spots, let alone just a pseudo-rock song like Douyin's "Slapping Fly".

And so, under these circumstances, Xia Shen and Yueji Honghua were finally ready to make their appearance.

This time, the exaggerated makeup and styling of the first round were gone, and Huang Dalong was no longer wearing leather boots, high heels, and a black sequined dress.

Instead, they all changed into trench coats and suit jackets.

Especially Xia Shen!
He had the most extravagant makeup and styling.

but!

It's not the kind of flamboyant stuff we saw before.

Instead, she was dressed in a fur coat, her hair was styled in a slicked-back style, and she wore rings and bracelets on her hands, along with black manicures!
Yes! Xia Shen was wearing gloves from the beginning, and no one noticed that she had black manicures!

That wasn't all. The microphone he was holding wasn't just a regular microphone; it had a small handheld metal stand attached.

The silver microphone stand gleamed under the lights, and when it was upside down, its slender handle resembled a sharp rapier. Combined with Xia Shen's mink fur and black manicure, it gave off a rather elegant feel.

At this point, the song introduction also appeared.
"Killer Queen+Bohemian Rhapsody"

(Killer Queen + Bohemian Rhapsody)
Singer: Xia Shen / Rose Red Flower
Performer: Xia Shen/Rose Honghua
Lyrics by: Xia Shen

Composer: Xia Shen

Arrangement: Xia Shen

Mixing: Xia Shen

Master tape: Xia Shen

Guitar:.
(The bonus chapter system seems to be down; this one can't be posted either.)
(End of this chapter)