Chinese Entertainment King: Starting as a Fat Boy and Becoming a Singing King

It's time for Yang Kun's team to gather.

Xu Yao stood at the entrance of the hotel lobby. In the corner of the lobby stood a grand piano with a label on the lid that read "The Voice of China - Yang Kun's Team's Dedicated Rehearsal Room".

"Xu Yao, over here!"

A familiar voice came from the lobby lounge area.

Xu Yao turned his head and saw Xu Jianqiu standing up from the sofa, waving at him.

Xu Jianqiu was wearing a black T-shirt, his hair was cut very short, and when he smiled, he revealed a set of white teeth. He exuded the straightforwardness of a northern boy.

"Jianqiu?" Xu Yao walked over, dragging his suitcase. "When did you arrive?"

"Yesterday afternoon."

Xu Jianqiu patted the sofa next to him, gesturing for him to sit down. Then he looked him up and down, his tone showing concern.

"I watched your blind auditions that day, you sang so powerfully. But..."

He paused, his gaze falling on the fine beads of sweat on Xu Yao's forehead.

"Are you in any physical condition?"

Xu Yao gave a wry smile. "I'll give you a 250-pound body, you try it."

"It's alright," Xu Yao said, sitting down on the sofa and wiping the sweat from his forehead. "It's just that my physical fitness is a bit lacking. Let's take it slow."

"I need to lose weight," Xu Jianqiu said seriously. "The competitions ahead will be intense. We'll be singing the same song several times in a row, and we'll also have to do positioning, interaction, and coordination with the band. My voice alone won't be enough."

Xu Yao nodded; he knew Xu Jianqiu was right.

"By the way," Xu Jianqiu lowered his voice and leaned closer, "the next mentor assessment competition will be a two-person team singing the same song. The winner advances, and the loser is eliminated."

"Aren't you nervous?" Xu Jianqiu asked, looking at him.

"What's the use of being nervous?" Xu Yao leaned back on the sofa. "What's meant to happen will happen."

Xu Jianqiu paused for a moment, then smiled: "You're a capable person, you're really not nervous."

"You're acting like you're not a talented person."

Xu Yao casually remarked that, in his memory, this guy was also one of the top four contestants in Yang Kun's team.

One by one, contestants dragging suitcases walked in.

Some people carried guitars, some wore headphones and hummed songs, and some were filming vlogs with their phones—the production team required each contestant to cooperate with the promotion and have material from the moment they checked into the hotel.

Xu Yao recognized several faces.

A girl wearing a baseball cap and a loose sweatshirt walked in through the revolving door, followed by someone who looked like an assistant.

She has delicate features, fair skin, and her eyes crinkle when she smiles, giving her a clean and pure aura.

Chen Yongxin.

Xu Yao recognized her; she was a Malaysian Chinese who sang "The Things You Don't Know" during the blind auditions, turned three times, and chose Yang Kun's team.

In my memory, she was the most popular member of Yang Kun's team, fighting her way to the group championship, but ultimately losing to Yu Feng.

"That girl," Xu Jianqiu followed his gaze, "is Chen Yongxin? She sang really well during the blind auditions, her voice is so clean."

Xu Yao didn't say anything, but just watched Chen Yongxin walk to the front desk to check in.

Just then, Chen Yongxin finished the formalities and turned around, her gaze sweeping across the lobby, where she met Xu Yao's eyes.

She paused for a moment, then gave a polite smile.

Xu Yao nodded in response.

But Chen Yongxin didn't leave immediately; instead, she dragged her suitcase toward them.

"Hello," she said softly, standing in front of the sofa, her voice gentle and sweet with a slight Malaysian accent. "You're Xu Yao, right? The one who sang 'I'm Ugly But I'm Gentle'."

Xu Yao stood up and nodded: "Yes, I'm Xu Yao. Hello."

"My name is Chen Yongxin," she said, extending her hand to shake hands with Xu Yao. "I watched your blind auditions, and your deep voice is truly amazing."

"Thank you." Xu Yao smiled. "I've also listened to your 'Things You Don't Know.' The transitions in your voice are very delicate, and the emotions are spot on."

Chen Yongxin's eyes lit up, seemingly surprised that Xu Yao would evaluate her performance so seriously.

"Actually..." she hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice, "I actually wanted to ask you a question."

"you say."

"When I blindly chose that song, I always felt that the transition in the last chorus wasn't relaxed enough."

Chen Yongxin frowned slightly, her fingers unconsciously gesturing.

"It's that line, 'You don't know why I left you.' Every time I sing that part, my breath gets a little tight and my voice becomes harsh. I saw you sing the whole song very relaxed during the blind auditions. How did you manage that?"

Xu Yao remained silent for two seconds.

He could certainly tell her the answer directly: lower your breath, relax your throat, and use chest resonance to support the transitions. But as a professionally trained singer, Chen Yongxin couldn't possibly be unaware of these technical aspects.

What she lacks is not technique, but physical condition.

"Are you nervous?" Xu Yao asked.

Chen Yongxin was stunned for a moment: "What?"

Were you nervous when you sang that part?

Chen Yongxin thought for a moment and nodded: "A little. Because that's the most difficult part of the whole song, I was afraid of making a mistake, so..."

"Your pitch is impeccable," Xu Yao said. "But you can't be nervous. The more you try to control a vibrato, the less control you have. What you need to do is not to sing the vibrato well, but to believe that you can sing it well. Relax your throat and let the breath flow naturally. It will happen because you've practiced it countless times."

Chen Yongxin blinked, seemingly lost in thought.

"Also," Xu Yao added, "you're too thin, your core strength might not be enough. If your abdominal support isn't stable when you're singing, your breath will be weak. I suggest you do 20 minutes of planking every day, it will help with singing long phrases."

"Plank?" Chen Yongxin tilted her head, somewhat surprised.

"Yes," Xu Yao pointed to his stomach and laughed self-deprecatingly, "Don't let my weight fool you, my core isn't great either. We're about the same."

Chen Yongxin burst out laughing, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

"Thank you, Xu Yao," she said sincerely. "I'll try again during rehearsal another day."

"You're welcome."

Chen Yongxin left with her suitcase, turning back to wave at him before she left.

Xu Jianqiu watched the whole thing from the side. Only after Chen Yongxin had walked away did he turn around and look at Xu Yao with an incredulous expression.

"Bro," Xu Jianqiu lowered his voice, "were you... flirting with her just now?"

Xu Yao laughed: "Bro, if you like her, just go for it."

"I didn't," Xu Jianqiu said, feeling embarrassed instead.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Xu Yao dragged his suitcase toward the elevator.

"Hey, wait for me." Xu Jianqiu picked up his backpack and caught up. "Which floor do you live on?"

"Seventh floor."

"I also live on the seventh floor; we're neighbors."

The two entered the elevator, and Xu Jianqiu pressed the button for the seventh floor. The elevator doors slowly closed.

"Xu Yao," Xu Jianqiu suddenly spoke, his tone much more serious than before, "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"During my blind auditions, I sang 'I Miss You So Much'," Xu Jianqiu's voice lowered, "but actually... I didn't really want to sing that kind of sad love song."

Xu Yao glanced at him.

"My voice isn't very good, and I'm not particularly good at hitting high notes," Xu Jianqiu continued.

"So the songs I choose are mostly the kind that go on an emotional level. But you know, on this kind of stage, emotion alone isn't enough. You need to have explosive power, you need to have memorable moments, you need to have those 'wow' moments."

The elevator stopped on the seventh floor and the doors opened.

The two people stepped out of the elevator and walked side by side in the corridor.

"What advice do you want me to give you by telling me all this?" Xu Yao asked.

Xu Jianqiu stopped, stood at the door of his room, turned to look at Xu Yao, and chuckled.

"I just want to talk to someone. There are sixteen people in the team, and each of them has a unique skill. Chen Yongxin has a clean voice, Yu Feng has all-around singing skills, Zhao Ke has a wide vocal range... I'm just someone who sings sad love songs."

Xu Yao was silent for a moment, then he patted Xu Jianqiu on the shoulder.

"Jianqiu, listen to me."

"Everyone wants to be a champion, but do they realize that becoming a champion automatically makes them a wildly popular singer?"

"When you sang 'I Miss You So Much,' some people in the audience cried. Do you know why? Because you weren't just acting out sadness; you were genuinely empathizing with the sadness."

"On this stage, you can practice your skills and hit high notes, but what matters most is whether a singer can establish their image and break out of their niche."

The corridor was quiet for a few seconds.

Xu Jianqiu smiled, clearly not understanding: "I get it, you're... comforting me, knowing I have no chance of winning the championship."

Xu Yao didn't want to delve into the issue any further, so he joked, "I don't know if you have a chance, but I know I definitely don't."

Xu Jianqiu immediately retorted, "You sing so well, you're the chosen singer for Teacher Yang Kun's team, if you have no chance, who does?"

"Next, it won't just be a competition of singing ability, but also stage presence. And with my frail physique..."

Xu Yao smiled, but before he could finish speaking, he arrived at his door.

"Alright, I won't bother you anymore." Xu Jianqiu patted his arm. "Want to have dinner together tonight?"

"We'll see."

Xu Yao pushed open the door to room 708 and placed his suitcase in the corner.

The room was quiet, and outside the window was the hazy sky of Jiaxing.

He sat on the edge of the bed and opened the system panel.

[Main Quest: The Battle for the Best Voice - In Progress]

[Current Stage: Mentor Team Training (Before the First Round of Assessments)]

[Side Quest: Achieve team's top 8 finish, reward 2500 Idol Points]

[Physical Fitness Status: Basic Improvement Completed]

Core muscle strength: Normal

[Endurance: Singing continuously for 20 minutes]

[Remaining Idol Points: 100]

100 points.

Not enough to lose fat, not enough to sculpt the body, meaning there won't be any significant changes in appearance for the time being.

But Xu Yao wasn't in a hurry.

In the mentor assessment competition, two people were paired up to sing the same song.

No matter who his opponent is, no matter what song he sings, he will win.

Just then, the phone rang: Zhou Shen.