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

The preliminary selection process has officially begun.

After the host announced the rules, the first name was called starting from the center area.

That makes sense.

High scorers go first to set the tone for the whole event.

The first contestant was a boy with a buzz cut. His original style leaned towards rock, and he immediately hit a powerful high note when he stepped on stage, which drew thunderous applause from the audience.

Then came the second, and the third.

The contestants in the center position took turns performing, and their skill level was indeed impressive.

Some people play folk music, their guitar strumming is clean and crisp, and their eyes even redden when they sing emotionally.

Someone was doing electronic music, and the arrangement was so loud that the whole place was filled with rhythm, and the audience in the front row started swaying their arms along.

Some singers take the love song route, filling the chorus with emotion right from the start, and the audience cheers when they finish singing.

Someone else put on a traditional Chinese style performance, playing the pipa with electronic drums in a flashy arrangement, prompting many in the audience to pull out their phones and record it.

Everyone who went on stage showed off their best skills.

Each has their own specialty.

The applause came in waves.

The comments section also became lively.

"Great, this year's contestants are of good quality."

"The center position area is indeed the center position area; any one of them can be a match."

"This is the kind of original variety show I watch; it's so enjoyable to listen to!"

The atmosphere in the venue was raised steadily.

Everyone's attention was firmly fixed on the brightest area in front.

……

In the guest seats, Lin Xi'er listened quietly.

The applause from the audience came in waves, but her expression remained indifferent.

In her opinion, the level of these contestants in the center position was only average.

The singing is solid, the arrangement is well-organized, there are no major flaws, but there is also no surprise in it.

They are all mature products honed through the industry's assembly line.

She grew up immersed in the music industry and has heard this kind of work countless times.

It sounds nice, but I can't remember it.

She glanced discreetly in the direction of the corner.

The person she had pulled into the show but who ended up with the lowest score was sitting against the wall, looking relaxed.

Lin Xi'er withdrew her gaze.

She had no doubt about Jiang Che's abilities; she had heard it with her own ears on the night of the school anniversary celebration.

She was just a little curious about what kind of song he would use to silence all those self-important center positions.

……

Lin Wei took the stage as the main performer in the center position.

She stepped onto the stage in a little dress, the lights shining on her, her aura perfectly controlled, and she exuded star power the moment she opened her mouth.

This is an original love song that Shengda tailored specifically for her.

From lyrics to music, from arrangement to harmony, behind it all is a finished product that an entire team has polished countless times.

Lin Wei's singing skills were already quite good, and with this song being tailor-made for her, she sang it steadily and flawlessly, without missing a single note.

The verses were gentle and tender, while the chorus was full of emotion, prompting some people in the audience to applaud.

The high notes were placed very accurately, and the transitions were handled skillfully, with no obvious mistakes.

This stability was nurtured little by little with money and time.

The song ended.

Cheers erupted from the audience.

On the mentors' panel, several mentors nodded slightly, and one of them even made a few notes on the evaluation sheet.

The live chat was flooded with approving comments.

"This newcomer at Shengda is quite something."

"You sang very steadily, even during the typhoon."

"The title of 'original rising star' isn't given lightly."

"If I don't advance, I'll eat my keyboard on live stream."

Lin Wei stood on the stage, bowed slightly in greeting, but glanced at a spot in the corner of her eye.

She wanted Jiang Che to keep a close eye on things.

See what a real stage looks like, what professionalism is, and what the standards should be for someone sitting in the center position.

Her smugness was almost overflowing from her face.

Expectations have been raised all the way up.

All eyes remained glued to the center position.

……

In the dormitory live-streaming room.

Wang Haoran was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table.

He even slapped the bottle of soda on the table until it was foaming.

The more steadily Lin Wei sang, the more frustrated he felt for Jiang Che.

"Stable my ass!"

He yelled at the screen, "This song is obviously a product of a team spending a fortune! The lyrics were bought, the melody was bought, the arrangement was bought, even the singing style was meticulously crafted by a teacher line by line!"

"You guys haven't heard my brother play the piano in the dorm! Even a casual hum is better than this!"

He spammed his judgments in the live chat, filling the entire screen.

Unfortunately, few responded.

Few people in the live chat believed him.

"Don't rush, buddy."

"One's in the center, the other's in the corner, and you're telling me the one in the corner is stronger?"

"Bro, did you enter the wrong live stream?"

"You're from the corner area, right? I understand, but strength speaks for itself."

Wang Haoran's face turned red from being bombarded with several comments. He was so angry that he typed back, but his typing speed couldn't keep up with his mouth speed, and he started pulling his hair in frustration.

He knew that no one would believe him even if he told them.

But he just couldn't hold it in.

He knew all too well how his brother had blown the whole place up that night at the school anniversary celebration.

Just thinking about that feeling gives him goosebumps.

……

The performances in the center area have finally come to an end.

The camera then slowly panned to that darkest corner for the first time.

Scrap area.

The comments section immediately erupted with memes.

"Director, why are you filming that?"

"Oh, the group that was just there to make up the numbers went in."

"I suggest fast-forwarding through this part to save data."

"Is this section only for applauding the person in the center?"

The first few contestants from the corner area took to the stage one after another.

The first one cracked her voice because she was nervous, and after finishing her song, she wanted nothing more than to crawl back to her seat.

The second one was decent, sung steadily but without any memorable moments.

The third song was hastily finished, and the audience's reaction was lukewarm; not even a decent cheer could be heard.

The temperature at the scene was visibly dropping.

The atmosphere that was just hyped up by the center position is gradually cooling down.

Some of the mentors even picked up their teacups, preparing to take a break while these few unimportant contestants were taking their time.

Right at this critical juncture.

The host glanced down at the list and read out the next name.

Jiang Che, Jiangcheng University.

The camera panned to a corner.

The figure sitting against the wall stood up.

He wasn't nervous at all. He straightened his collar, slowly walked out from the last row, crossed the entire venue, and headed towards the center of the stage.

His posture was as relaxed as if he were taking a walk after a meal.

The host was taken aback, not expecting a bottom-ranked contestant to walk so calmly.

Someone in the mentor's seat raised their eyelids, their hand holding the teacup paused in mid-air, and they glanced again at the person who came out from the corner.

He then looked away.

What tricks can someone who ranked last in the initial evaluation possibly pull?

As Jiang Che walked through the corridor, he casually browsed through the music library in his mind.

He had experienced this kind of poor start in his previous life as well.

When he first debuted, he was also relegated to the sidelines and mocked for lacking talent and not becoming famous.

and after.

Later, all the lights in the stadium, which could hold 10,000 people, were turned on just for him.

So he wasn't in a hurry at all.

What happened to the corner?

The corner was just enough for him to sing the song quietly, and then suddenly take the whole place by storm.

The live stream chat was filled with pessimistic comments.

"Fast forward, fast forward, is there still hope in this area?"

"Is something even worth listening to, given its bottom-tier ranking?"

"Jiangcheng University? Probably a diploma mill, just going through the motions."

"Judging from his posture, he probably thinks he's here to hold a concert."

In the center position, Lin Wei pursed her lips.

She leaned back in her chair, adopting a schadenfreude attitude, waiting to see Jiang Che humiliate himself.

It's best to break down their defenses in public.

Ideally, your voice should tremble; ideally, you should be unable to continue singing halfway through; ideally, you should run off the stage with red eyes.

This will definitively confirm that matter.

Without her, Jiang Che is a useless piece of trash.

She crossed her arms and legs, looking like an audience member who had bought a ticket and was waiting to watch a farce.

What she didn't know was that what she was waiting for wouldn't be a farce.

It was a scene she would never forget in her life.

Jiang Che walked step by step to the center of the stage.

There was a black grand piano there.

He lifted his shirt, sat down in front of the piano, and placed his slender fingers on the keys.

As the spotlight fell, he looked up, spoke into the microphone, and calmly announced the program.

"Hello everyone, my name is Jiang Che. The next song is called 'The Wind Rises,' and I hope you will like it."