Crossdressing: I'm a man, bound to the All-Powerful Movie Queen System.

On the big screen, a boy wearing a denim jacket walked up and nervously gripped the microphone.

He took a deep breath and gave the band teacher an "OK" sign.

The accompaniment began.

Not only Jiang Bai, but all the contestants in the lounge held their breath and stared intently at the screen.

This is like the first candidate in an exam.

His scores often represent the baseline difficulty of the exam!

"Love finds you in my memories"

The boy started singing.

The voice is very steady, and the high notes are very bright; you can tell at a glance that the person has received professional training.

When they were singing halfway through.

"Snapped!"

Nayoung slams the light and turns around!

"Wow!!!"

The audience in front of the stage and the contestants backstage gasped in surprise at the same time, and some even applauded excitedly.

Then, near the end, Lee Yong-ho also took a picture.

"Snapped!"

Two turns!

The boy was so excited he almost knelt on the ground.

In the backstage dressing room, a buzz of discussion instantly erupted:

"Awesome! A great start! Two spins!"

"This is already quite a good result! Keep in mind this is a blind audition, and the professors are extremely selective!"

"Yeah, even though there are dozens of people sitting here, I estimate that it would be good if half of them could get a first turn."

"Most people probably get zero screen time, and don't even get a chance to be shown. They're just cut out and thrown into the trash."

Jiang Bai sat in the corner, listening to the discussions around him, but his eyes were fixed on the boy on the screen.

He secretly compared them in his mind:

"This guy's singing skills..."

"If we don't count the system's support, with my own basic singing skills, I don't think I can compare to him."

"His breathing is more stable than mine, and his resonance is also slightly better."

Thinking of this, Jiang Bai couldn't help but touch his chest and let out a long sigh of relief.

"fine……"

"Luckily, I wasn't stubborn enough to refuse the system's 'sleep-inducing task' just to save face."

"After accepting the task, the system directly provided me with singing experience and muscle memory for 'Baby'."

"If it weren't for this cheat code, with my own mediocre skills, if I just went up there with a beat-up guitar and tried to sing..."

"I reckon even one mentor would struggle to turn around; more often than not, it'll be a scene where all four mentors could sit there forever without ever turning around!"

"At that point, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing a million, it would mean being eliminated in the first round! A huge loss of popularity!"

Jiang Bai glanced at the clock on the wall.

5:10 PM.

The recording has only just begun.

"Dozens of people, each singing for a few minutes, plus mentor comments, contestant selection, and even the possibility of unexpected re-recordings..."

"This recording session will probably go on until after 10 p.m. at the earliest."

Five hours of footage.

The final edited version broadcast on television is only an hour and a half long, or even shorter.

What does this mean?

This means that most people, even if they go on stage and sing, even if they sing well, may only have a few seconds of fast-cut footage on TV, or even be completely "untraceable".

Only those who sing exceptionally well, such as those who get four turns, or those who are particularly controversial, or... exceptionally beautiful, will get the full broadcast time.

"Luckily, I was the last one to perform."

"Luckily, I'm good-looking."

"Luckily, my song is special enough."

Jiang Bai gripped the guitar in his arms tightly.

"This time, they're not just aiming to advance, they're also going to steal the spotlight!"

"I want to turn this episode into my own personal showcase!"

The first contestant walked off the stage with a radiant smile. Although he only got two turns, it was Nayoung and Lee Yongho's approval. This was a win-win situation, or even a huge gain.

On the mentors' panel, the four mentors were clearly in a good mood because of this "good start".

Nayoung twirled her pen, a look of satisfaction on her face:

"That's a great start! It's really energizing."

"Hopefully, the later contestants can maintain this level, then this year's show will be really interesting."

Wang Feng adjusted his glasses and a rare smile appeared on his face.

"Indeed, their basic skills are very solid. It seems that this year's young people have come well-prepared."

however.

Reality is often like a roller coaster; just as you soar into the sky, it suddenly plunges you vertically downwards.

The second contestant took the stage.

He was a fresh-faced young man in a white shirt who chose a love song that was difficult to handle.

As a result, perhaps because she was too eager to express her emotions, she overdid it and sang in a way that was so plaintive that her face turned red. The listener felt constipated and had no desire to be moved at all.

Until the last note falls.

The four chairs remained completely still.

The boy stood on the stage, his eyes instantly reddening. He bowed awkwardly and left the stage with regret amidst the polite encouragement from the mentors.

the third.

She's a female folk singer with a distinctive voice, a bit like a smoky or sonic voice.

Unfortunately, the song choice was too niche, and only Lee Yong-ho pressed the buzzer at the last second.

"A narrow escape to the next round!"

The girl cried so hard that her makeup was ruined.

Fourth place.

The main event is coming.

He's a high-pitched guy bursting with confidence, and he immediately challenged himself with "Love Even If It's Gone".

The first part of the verse was alright, about the level of a karaoke enthusiast.

The chorus reached its climax—

"Even without love—hiccup!"

A crisp, crackling sound, like a rooster crowing, was precisely transmitted to every corner of the studio through the top-notch sound equipment.

It even echoed.

"Hiccup hiccup~"

The entire room fell silent.

Wang Feng's hand, which had just reached for the button, recoiled as if he had been electrocuted.

Nayoung covered her ears, her face contorted in pain.

No doubt about it.

0 RPM.

The guy with the high notes slunk off the stage, probably never wanting to sing that song again.

……

The subsequent recording felt like entering hell mode.

One contestant after another landed on the ground.

Some forgot their lines because they were nervous.

Some of them made mistakes in song selection.

Others are simply there to make up the numbers because they lack the ability.

The atmosphere in the backstage dressing room gradually shifted from excitement to a somber mood, eventually resembling the entrance to a hospital emergency room.

Every time a contestant returned with a long face, everyone's faces paled a little more.

"Too strict..."

"This is way too difficult!"

"That singer who sang so well in bel canto didn't get a turn?"

Until the recording was halfway through.

Finally, a small climax occurred.

A student with formal training from a music academy sang an adapted version of "Nocturne".

Skilled technique, gorgeous transitions, and incredibly stable high notes.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

Na Ying, Wang Feng, and Zhang Xingzhe, the three mentors turned their chairs one after another!

Three turns!

This is the best result so far!

The student with formal training was so excited that he jumped and danced on stage, while the contestants backstage exclaimed in envy.

"Awesome! Three turns!"

"Is this the ceiling we've reached?"

"I wonder if a fourth job advancement will be possible?"

Sitting in the corner, Jiang Bai looked at the spirited third-round player on the screen and stroked his chin.

"Three turns, one..."

He silently assessed the situation in his mind:

"The technique is indeed quite good; I'd give it an 8 out of 10."

"but……"

"Too little emotion, too much slickness."

"This is what you call the common problem of academic schools: all technique, no soul."

Jiang Bai gripped the guitar in his arms.

"Looks like I'll have to save my first fourth job advancement."

"The song 'Baby' doesn't have any fancy techniques."

"But that kind of heartwarming warmth is the real killer move."

"Just wait and see."

"Let me show you what it means to be—"

"A devastating blow from the god of lulling listeners to sleep!"