Three Kingdoms: Start by marrying Cai Yan, then vie for supremacy.

16

The live stream chat was flooded with comments like snowflakes. This top-tier music variety show lived up to its reputation; within moments of its premiere, the number of online viewers had already surpassed ten million, and was rapidly approaching fifteen million.

"Now, please have the staff bring the lottery props onto the stage." He Jiong's voice echoed in the studio. As the host in charge, he needed to coordinate various processes on stage and backstage simultaneously.

A female staff member carried a red lottery box into the backstage preparation area. All eyes were focused on this small cardboard box—it would determine the crucial order of appearances that evening.

......

Standing under the spotlight, He Jiong explained the rules to the seven groups of singers backstage via earpiece: "I Am a Singer uses a two-stage elimination system. As the initial lineup, one group of singers will inevitably have to leave the stage by the end of the second episode."

"The following third and fourth episodes will also constitute an elimination cycle. Of course, we will have replacement singers joining us."

"Therefore, the order of appearance is crucial; a good ranking can effectively reduce the risk of being eliminated."

"The production team has given the teachers complete control over the draw. You will decide the order of the draw, and the final order of appearance will be based on the results."

"Now, please begin the drawing of lots."

After He Jiong finished speaking, he turned to look at the large screen. The singers backstage could also see the live feed from the stage through the screen.

How should the order of the draw be arranged?

Who wants to draw first?

"The order doesn't matter; what matters is the final number you draw."

"Brother Han Lei, as the most senior member here, why don't you make the decision?"

......

The singers began to discuss, and after a moment's thought, Han Lei nodded in agreement: "Then I'll draft a plan."

Everyone awaited Han Lei's decision. Hua Chenyu remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he cursed Han Lei to the core. He believed himself to be the best singer in the room, and that the order of the draw should rightfully be his.

Seeing that everyone else supported Han Lei, Hua Chenyu didn't want to offend the crowd; he still had that much reason.

Han Lei quickly suggested, "Why don't we draw lots to determine the seating order? Everyone probably didn't consider the lottery when they took their seats; that would be the fairest way."

"Starting from the entrance, Teacher Zhang Jie will draw first, and Phoenix Myth will draw last."

"This is only the first set of rules. From the second set onwards, the order of the draw will be determined by the rankings from the previous set, with those ranked higher drawing first."

What do you all think?

Han Lei looked around the room, seeking everyone's opinions.

"Great idea!" Zhang Jie was the first to agree. Not only because he was the first person to draw lots, but also because he admired Han Lei's fair and impartial style.

Seeing Zhang Jie's statement, the other singers also expressed their approval, and even Phoenix Myth nodded in agreement.

Although they were ranked last, Mo and Linghua were confident and not afraid at all.

Even Hua Chenyu gave a thumbs up this time—simply because Han Lei placed Mo at the end of the list.

In fact, there is no need to draw lots for the last person; the result will be known naturally after the first six people have drawn lots.

"According to Teacher Han Lei's plan, the order of the draw is as follows," He Jiong announced: "Teacher Zhang Jie, Teacher Deng Ziqi, Teacher Wang Feng, Teacher Hua Chenyu, Teacher Han Lei, Teacher Li Shengjie, and the Phoenix Myth duo."

Han Lei ranked himself fifth, a less-than-ideal position that left other singers with no objections.

"Please draw lots first, Professor Zhang Jie."

As soon as He Jiong finished speaking, the staff brought the red lottery box to Zhang Jie.

Zhang Jie smiled and reached his hand into the box.

"Mr. Zhang Jie, please draw the first number to start the show."

"With Zhang Jie's skill, it's a real shame he wasn't the first to perform!"

"Teacher Zhang, the public's demand is so strong, please just give in!"

The crowd started chattering amongst themselves.

Zhang Jie shook his head helplessly: "You people are all incredibly heartless!"

The viewers in the live stream burst into laughter instantly.

"Hilarious! Teacher Zhang Jie is being collectively 'targeted'!"

"Senior Han Lei's advice was indeed spot on!"

"Old ginger is spicier; the perspective is just different!"

"I wonder what number Teacher Zhang will draw?"

"If Teacher Zhang really draws number 1, his expression will definitely be priceless!"

"Look! Teacher Zhang Jie has unfolded the note—"

……

Backstage at "I Am a Singer".

Zhang Jie fumbled around in the red cardboard box for a while before finally managing to squeeze out a crumpled piece of paper.

Under the intense gazes of everyone, he calmly unfolded the note—which clearly read the number 5.

"Number 5?!"

"That was incredible luck!"

"Perfect positioning, escaped the opening curse!"

"I thought I was going to witness a historic No. 1 rocket..."

The other singers all showed expressions of regret.

Zhang Jie raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Fate is hard to defy."

He Jiong's voice rang out at the right moment: "Congratulations to Teacher Zhang Jie for securing position number 5! Now, please welcome Teacher Deng Ziqi to draw lots."

The staff took back the slip of paper and presented the red box to Deng Ziqi.

Deng Ziqi deftly pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, and amidst the urging of the crowd, slowly unfolded it, suddenly revealing a dimple in her smile: "I'm number 4!"

Zhang Jie's eyes widened: "Is this some kind of mystical method?"

Han Lei joked, "At this rate, Wang Feng should be drawing number 3 next, right?"

Li Shengjie chimed in, "Then isn't Hua Chenyu number 2? Teacher Han, you'd better watch out for number 1!"

Han Lei laughed heartily: "If I really drew number 1, I'll accept my fate!"

However, Wang Feng's luck completely shattered this notion, because he actually drew the number 1 lot!

Wang Feng was on the verge of tears. How did the heavy responsibility of the opening performance fall on his shoulders?

Everyone knows that the opening act is the hardest to control!

The lottery results were already set, so I could only blame my bad luck.

He Jiong's voice rang out again: "Teacher Hua Chenyu, please draw lots!"

All eyes immediately focused on Hua Chenyu.

What number will he draw?

.......

"Finally, the flowers are blooming!"

"Go, Hua Hua!"

"The seventh-place spot is still open; maybe Hua Hua will pick it!"

"It must be him!"

"People who smile a lot are lucky!"

……

Hua Chenyu's fans flooded the screen with comments, and other netizens almost burst out laughing when they saw the last comment.

"Brother, the saying 'a smiling person has good luck' is true, but where does Hua Chenyu smile? You're clearly being sarcastic, implying he has bad luck! Hahaha!!!"

"This is hilarious! The saying 'A person who smiles a lot is lucky' is completely unsuitable for Hua Chenyu. It would be more fitting to say 'A person who smiles a lot is fertile!'"

"Incredible! The person upstairs is truly talented!"

"Whatever that monk Hua Chenyu sings sounds like a ghost's wail; it's better to listen to a frog croaking."

……

Netizens and Hua Chenyu's fans are having a great time arguing.

The scene was very joyful.

Hua Chenyu, however, was extremely nervous. The draw results for the first three singers were mixed. Zhang Jie and Deng Ziqi had good luck, while Wang Feng was extremely unlucky.

Upon learning that Wang Feng had drawn the first-place draw, Hua Chenyu's tense nerves relaxed slightly—at least he didn't have to face the most challenging opening performance.

But human desires are endless, and what Hua Chenyu truly longs for is the seventh spot, the grand finale!

"It has to be number seven!" he cried out in his heart, his trembling fingers pulling a crumpled piece of paper from the red cardboard box. The moment he unfolded it, his pupils contracted sharply: "...Number three?"

This result clearly failed to meet his expectations.

Seeing this, the surrounding singers all spoke up to comfort them:

"Number three is already ideal, Teacher Hua!"

"Wang Feng doesn't even have a chance to draw number three!"

"The suspense now rests entirely on the last three draws!"

"Han Lei, Li Shengjie, and Phoenix Myth haven't been drawn yet, and it's getting more and more confusing who will get number seven!"

Hua Chenyu waved her hand dejectedly, "Forget it, let's leave it at that."

A burst of teasing laughter erupted from the audience:

"Teacher Hua's reaction was so relatable!"

"Number three is clearly the prime spot!"

"Wang Fengcai should be crying, shouldn't he? He can't get on the trending topics, but he always manages to get first place in the lottery!"

"Now only numbers two, six, and seven are left—look! Teacher Han Lei is about to draw!"

When the camera turned to Han Lei, the veteran singer deftly reached into the box, and the unfolded note caused a stir among the audience: Number Six!

With a one-third chance, contestant number seven missed out! Fortunately, number six was better than number two, and everyone's attention immediately focused on the remaining two singers.

"It would be outrageous if Teacher Li Shengjie didn't draw number seven!"

"If Phoenix Myth is the grand finale, this luck is simply incredible!"

"Are we really going to win by doing nothing?"

"Could this lottery system be manipulated by superstition?"

Amidst the rising and falling gasps of amazement, the atmosphere on stage grew increasingly heated.

Hua Chenyu stared intently at Phoenix Myth, so angry she almost vomited blood. If Phoenix Myth really did draw number 7, that would be absolutely outrageous!

Feeling pressured by the gazes of the crowd, Li Shengjie was somewhat nervous. He reached into the small red cardboard box, where only two small crumpled pieces of paper remained. Although he quickly found them, he hesitated, unable to decide which one to choose.

"Hurry up!"

"What are you dawdling about?"

Is there a difference between second and seventh place?

"Draw it now!"

The viewers in the live stream were on the edge of their seats; the slow-motion was driving them crazy. Finally, Li Shengjie gritted his teeth and grabbed one of the crumpled pieces of paper. As he carefully unfolded it, he froze in shock—it was number 2!

"Number 2," Li Shengjie announced calmly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the 500 audience members erupted in an uproar.

"**! This works?!"

"The Phoenix Myth really won by doing nothing!"

"Hilarious! Everyone's fighting tooth and nail, but the last one standing benefits!"

"They inexplicably became the final act!"

"This is fate!"

"This is so magical!"

Compared to the uproar outside, the singers backstage seemed a little calmer, but they still couldn't hide their surprise.

Congratulations!

"Ms. Mo, Ms. Suzuka, you're so lucky!"

"What an easy win!"

Congratulations to both of you!

The other singers congratulated Mo and Linghua, but Hua Chenyu stood far away in a corner, staring at Mo with red eyes and a look of gritted teeth.

"The draw is over. Everyone has a few minutes to prepare. The competition is about to begin!" He Jiong's voice rang out, and the venue and backstage immediately fell silent. Everyone knew that the draw was just a prelude; the real highlight—the singing segment—was the key.

The final order of appearance is as follows: Wang Feng, Li Shengjie, Hua Chenyu, Deng Ziqi, Zhang Jie, Han Lei, and the Phoenix Myth duo.

The first singer to take the stage was...

Wang Feng!

……

On stage, He Jiong announced loudly, "Let's give a warm round of applause to welcome our first competing singer—Teacher Wang Feng!"

"He is a powerful singer in the Chinese music scene!"

"He once won the Best Male Singer award!"

"His music has inspired millions of listeners!"

"who is he?"

"He is—Wang Feng!"

……

As is customary on the show, He Jiong prepared an opening introduction for each singer.

"Go, Teacher Wang Feng!"

"Thank you for your hard work!"

We believe in you!

Other singers offered their encouragement. Although they were competitors, most of them had a good personal relationship. Only Hua Chenyu, with her aloof personality, rarely interacted with others.

Wang Feng shook his head with a wry smile: "Just wait to collect my corpse." This self-deprecating remark made everyone burst into laughter.

The audience chuckled softly, covering their mouths. Clearly, this veteran singer had adjusted his mindset and accepted the opening order with equanimity. After all, aside from always missing out on topping the trending charts, his talent is undeniable.

"Teacher Wang Feng, what are your expectations for the new work? Or what are your predictions for this ranking?" He Jiong's question came through the speakers.

Wang Feng paused and pondered for a moment: "Of course, I hope to rank as high as possible, but I dare not hope to win the championship. Making it into the top three would be a victory."

This statement sparked heated discussion:

"Teacher Wang Feng is very clear-headed!"