The song "The Actor" at the beginning stunned me with its portrayal of the aloof school be

The recording of the second episode of "I Am a Singer-Songwriter" has officially begun.

The lights in the recording studio were brighter than in the previous episode, and the camera positions were also closer together.

The contestants took their seats one after another.

The atmosphere and the day of the audition.

The high-scoring contestant who was putting on airs in the center area last time glanced in the corner as soon as he entered the venue today.

The last row against the wall.

That position that was underestimated by everyone but ultimately turned the tide in the last game.

Their eyes held both fear and resentment.

The host walked onto the stage and, without any pleasantries, went straight to the point.

"Before the second round officially begins, we will first announce the overall rankings of the previous round of auditions."

The large screen behind me lit up.

The rankings were scrolled down line by line.

All eyes were fixed on the very top shelf.

First place.

Jiang Che.

The Wind Rises.

The entire room fell silent for a moment, followed by a collective gasp.

The result was expected, but when those two words actually topped the list, the impact was still significant.

The names of the high-scoring contestants in the center position area were listed one after another after Jiang Che.

Neat and tidy.

Like a row of backdrops that have been pressed down.

The nickname "Corner Singer" was completely confirmed at this moment.

Someone who was initially ranked last and relegated to a corner actually ranked first in the overall audition.

His strength is beyond question.

……

Jiangcheng University, male dormitory.

The second episode of "I Am a Singer-Songwriter" will be broadcast live across the entire network as usual.

Wang Haoran failed to get into the venue again and stayed obediently in front of his computer.

There were still those two bottles of soda and a bag of spicy strips on the table.

Upon seeing the name at the top of the list on the screen, he slapped his thigh, almost knocking over his chair.

"I knew it!"

"The worst seat in the entire venue, yet they sang the best song of the night—who else deserves first place but my brother!"

He was scrolling through the comments section at lightning speed.

This time, no one criticized him in the comments.

The screen was filled with unanimous approval.

"The Corner God of Song, truly deserving of the title."

"I was the one who told you to fast forward last time, but this time I've already listened to 'The Wind Rises' on repeat eighty times."

"What will Jiang Shen sing this time? I'm already waiting to find out."

Looking at the screen full of "Holy crap" and "Awesome," Wang Haoran felt incredibly satisfied.

Finally, I can hold my head high!

He picked up his soda and took a sip, looking just like a gambler who had just won big.

……

The host gestured for the room to quiet down before revealing the most crucial element of the episode.

"Next, let's talk about the format for this round of competition."

"All contestants, please listen carefully."

"Because the results of this period are more important than you can imagine."

He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately.

"The rankings from the first and second periods will be combined into a single overall ranking."

"And this overall ranking directly determines the choice of opponents in the third phase."

The large screen switched, and the rules were listed one by one.

The host continued reading.

"The third round is an elimination round."

"The higher your combined ranking between the first and second rounds, the sooner you can choose your opponent in the third round. You can designate any player to face off against you."

"Players ranked lower will be eliminated immediately if they lose a match, without any chance of recovery."

"And the top-ranked players, even if they lose a match, will retain one chance to be revived without being eliminated."

The words fell.

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

The meaning of these rules was immediately clear to everyone.

The rankings in this period determine more than just a single position.

What will be decided in the next episode is whether you'll be the one wielding the knife or the piece of meat lying on the chopping board.

The one who wields the knife can pick on the weak, and can even revive after losing.

Like meat on a cutting board, once someone picks it, it has no choice but to endure it; if it loses, it's out on the spot.

The difference between them is like heaven and earth.

……

The live stream was also ignited by this competition format.

"Goodness, these rules are really ruthless."

"The one holding the knife picks the people, and the one on the chopping board gets stabbed. This show is serious."

"Jiang Shen is definitely in first place overall; whoever he picks in the third episode will be devastated."

"Please, Jiang Shen, don't hold back and burn that ingrate to death."

Upon seeing this, Wang Haoran immediately replied with a comment.

"Don't worry, my brother holds grudges the most."

After he finished swiping, he chuckled twice, feeling increasingly confident that things were going well.

……

The contestants' faces visibly tensed up.

The group in the center area whispered among themselves, their eyes full of calculation.

They are already planning how to improve their score and ranking in this round.

After all, nobody wants to end up as someone else's prey in the next episode.

A short-haired guy sitting in the front row in the center was whispering to the person next to him.

"We must suppress Jiang Che this time."

"If he ranks first overall, whoever he picks in the third round will be doomed; nobody will have an easy time."

Those around him nodded in agreement, but their expressions were not pleasant.

Ya Jiangche?

The song "The Wind Rises" from the audition still echoed in their ears.

It's easy to say.

That area of ​​scrap materials looked more like it had been pushed to the edge of a cliff.

They knew in their hearts that they were already ranked at the back, and if they couldn't produce anything in this round, they would be at the mercy of others in the third round.

Some people clenched their fists.

Someone was looking down and repeatedly flipping through the sheet music they had prepared, muttering to themselves.

The air in the entire venue seemed to tighten.

Only one person.

The figure leaning against the wall in the corner showed no change in expression.

After listening to the rules, Jiang Che slowly turned his gaze away from the big screen.

He considered it in his mind.

Since this issue is so important, there's no reason to keep it hidden any longer.

The current rules clearly tell him that if he doesn't get to the top this time, he'll be led by the nose next time.

Then don't hide it anymore.

Pull out an absolute masterpiece.

A song that can leave everyone else speechless.

In Jiang Che's mind, the music library containing an entire era slowly unfolded.

Pop, rock, folk, R&B.

One song after another flashed by.

These are the things we can bring out; we can win, but we won't win decisively.

He wanted a definitive decision.

Finally, his gaze settled on a song.

That was a piece that even he recognized as extremely difficult in his previous life.

It's difficult, so we blast it.

The more untouchable the subject matter, the greater the gap can be widened.

After this song, who would dare to compete with him for first place?

Jiang Che thought for a moment, then a slight smile appeared on his lips.

That's it.

……

One contestant after another took to the stage.

Those in the center position clearly put in a lot of effort this time, and their submissions were even more meticulous than those from the preliminary rounds.

However, the audience's reaction remained lukewarm.

Because everyone's thoughts are still on the person in that corner.

They wanted to see what the "corner singer" who rose to fame through the auditions would pull out this time.

at last.

The host read out the name.

Jiang Che.

The figure in the corner stood up.

He straightened his collar, strolled slowly across the venue, and walked to the center of the stage.

This time, no one dared to show any sign of enjoying the show.

The contestants in the center area sat up straight.

On the mentors' panel, all three mentors put down what they were holding.

All eyes in the room followed him.

Jiang Che walked to the center of the stage and stood in front of the microphone.

He didn't rush to speak, but first glanced at the dark mass of people below the stage, his expression calm.

Then, he announced the song title into the microphone.

"This song is called 'Moonlight'."

The audience waited quietly for what was to come.

Jiang Che paused, then added a sentence.

"It's a traditional Chinese style song."

The moment those three words were uttered...

The audience was initially taken aback.

Immediately afterwards, even the three experienced mentors frowned slightly in unison.

Qin Lie's fingers, which were resting on the armrest, stopped.

Shen Yan raised his eyelids slightly.

Cheng Xue's brow furrowed slightly.

Chinese style.

Those who truly understand the significance of these two words are more aware than anyone else in the room.

This is widely recognized as the toughest nut to crack in the entire music industry.

Many established singers would never dare to touch this subject matter in their entire lives.

A young man who had just started his audition was already talking about doing traditional Chinese style music.

The entire audience's appetite was instantly whetted by those two words.

Everyone is waiting.

Let's wait and see if this rising star dares to, and is able to, take on this toughest challenge.