Being a gigolo was too much for him, so he had to become a music superstar.

The others in the rest area exchanged meaningful glances as they watched the silent standoff between the two.

Li Ang's agent leaned close to Li Ang's ear and whispered, "Zhou Qian cares about him. Be careful."

Li Ang glanced at Lin Buyi in the corner and gave a soft "sneer".

Even if an amateur with two veto votes had incredible luck in the last round, what tricks can they possibly pull off this round with a different format and a different opponent?

He didn't believe it.

Half an hour before the recording started, Shen Yihe ran over from the rest area of ​​another group.

Shen Yihe peeked out from the entrance of Group C's rest area and immediately spotted Lin Buyi in the corner.

"Are you...are you ready?" Her voice was very soft, as if she didn't want to disturb others.

Lin Buyi looked up at her: "Why did you come here?"

"I've looked at the group assignments." Shen Yihe bit her lip. "Your group..."

She didn't say the words "group of death" aloud. But her expression said it all.

"It's nothing," Lin Buyi said.

What song do you want to sing?

"A new song."

Shen Yihe hesitated for a moment: "Are you nervous?"

Lin Buyi looked at her.

He thought for a moment and then told the truth: "A little."

Shen Yihe's eyes widened slightly. She hadn't expected him to admit it. Last time backstage she asked him if he was nervous, he said "not really."

"But being nervous won't help." Lin Buyi placed the guitar on his lap. "Just go for it."

Shen Yihe was stunned for a moment, probably not expecting Lin Buyi to admit that he was nervous.

She stood at the entrance to Group C's rest area, her fingers gripping the strap of her canvas bag so tightly her knuckles turned white. She wanted to say something to comfort him, but felt that anything she said would seem sentimental.

"Well...I'll head back now," she said softly. "Our group goes before you, I need to get ready."

"Okay, go ahead." Lin Buyi raised his chin. "Don't be nervous, just go up and sing."

Shen Yihe nodded, turned and took two steps, then turned back: "Lin Buyi."

"What?"

"come on."

She ran off after saying that. Her footsteps faded in the corridor and disappeared around the corner.

Lin Buyi looked in the direction she disappeared, then lowered his head and continued to pluck the strings.

After a long wait, the competition began.

The recording for the first group was completed in the morning. After a one-hour break at noon, it was Group C's turn at 2 PM.

Lin Buyi sat in front of the monitor backstage, watching the replays of the first two groups. The contestants in the first group performed consistently well, without any major mishaps or particularly amazing performances. In the second group, a contestant who followed a hip-hop style was eliminated, and his face turned deathly pale as he left the stage.

Group C consisted of eight people waiting in the waiting area. The atmosphere was noticeably different from that of the other groups.

While other groups were waiting, some people chatted a bit, asking each other what songs they had prepared and how nervous they were. Group C, however, was completely quiet.

The reason is simple—Zhou Qian is here.

With such a powerful being sitting in the corner, who would be in the mood for idle chatter?

Li Ang's manager squatted down beside him, lowering his voice to say the last few words: "Pay attention to breath control when you warm up. Don't rush to hit high notes in the second chorus. Your strength lies in your explosive power; save it for the last line. Don't worry about Zhou Qian, just focus on yourself."

Li Ang nodded, picked up his thermos, and took a sip of water.

Over at Wang Ke's place, his personal vocal coach was still giving him final vocal exercises, muttering, "Relax your throat, open your pharynx, yes, just like that."

Lin Buyi did nothing. He tuned the guitar, memorized the lyrics, and had practiced everything he needed to in the past few days. Now all he could do was wait.

Staff came in to announce the order of appearance.

"The order of appearance for the eight contestants in Group C has been determined. First, Zhang Ziming. Second, Li Ang. Third, Wang Ke. Fourth, Zhao Xiaoyu. Fifth, Zhou Qian. Sixth, Chen Lei. Seventh, He Jiaqi. Eighth, Lin Buyi."

the last one.

Lin Buyi didn't react much when he heard his name was listed last.

But he understood the meaning behind this arrangement—to place him after Zhou Qian, and last in the entire group. After the audience's emotions reached their peak with Zhou Qian, all that was left for him was aesthetic fatigue and a sense of disappointment.

This is the standard order of appearance for "I'll arrange for you to die".

Li Ang's agent glanced at Lin Buyi, his lips twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything.

But the meaning in that look was clear: I sympathize with you, but that's all the sympathy I can offer.

The competition has officially begun.

Zhang Ziming, a trainee from a mid-sized entertainment agency, was the first to perform in Group C. He sang a pop ballad, which was decent but unremarkable, with no mistakes or highlights. The mentors gave him polite praise, and the audience gave him polite applause.

The second is Li Ang.

Li Ang is indeed talented. He chose a challenging English song and belted out high notes throughout the performance, with his final eight-second sustained high note sending the audience into a frenzy. His voice is naturally suited for the high register, possessing tremendous power; when he reached the highest point, the entire studio was buzzing with excitement.

Fang Yizhou gave it a "very good" rating.

Xue Xinghe said, "The high notes are beautiful, but they lack a bit of flavor."

When Li Ang stepped down from the stage, his expression was fairly satisfied; he knew he had met the expected standard.

The third is Wang Ke. He follows an R&B style, has excellent stage presence, and his arrangements were professionally produced at a high price. Overall, he is very mature and has the demeanor of a seasoned singer.

Then the fourth, the fifth, the sixth...

After each person finished singing, the audience applauded, and the mentors gave their feedback. The process went very smoothly.

But everyone is waiting for one person.

The fifth one is Zhou Qian.

When the host read out the name "Zhou Qian," the atmosphere in the entire studio changed.

The audience fell silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous applause. Many had come specifically to see this person sing live, having watched the previously leaked video.

Zhou Qian walked onto the stage alone.

Just like last time, there were no backup dancers, no fancy lighting. The staff hadn't even had time to change the stage set; the LED backdrop from the previous contestant was still lit.

But Zhou Qian stood there, needing nothing.

He himself became the focus of the entire event.

The music started.

This time he changed his style—an arrangement of a very difficult Western opera excerpt. The prelude is a grand and majestic introduction with piano and strings.

Then Zhou Qian spoke.

When the first note came out, Lin Buyi sat up straight in front of the monitor backstage.

It's because the singing is so beautiful.

Zhou Qian's voice was so pure it seemed unreal. Her high notes were clear and bright, without a single harshness; her mid-range was warm and full, with each transition smooth and without any angularity; and her low notes were steady and powerful, providing a solid foundation for the entire song.