After being dumped by the diva, I was picked up by her arch-enemy.

Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye.

evening.

In the living room on the first floor of the small villa, Gu Ruanxing, like a cat, had already taken over the most comfortable seat on the sofa.

The coffee table in front of her was set up quite elaborately.

On the left is a large bucket of tomato-flavored potato chips, on the right are two cans of iced cola, and in the middle is a box of strawberry daifuku.

She sat cross-legged, wearing a gray sweatshirt that was so big it could be worn as a dress, revealing two dazzlingly white calves.

Her hair was casually tied into a bun, with a few stray strands falling on either side of her face.

She doesn't act like a typical heiress from Star Entertainment at all.

"Jiang Yichen! Come down now! It's about to start!"

Gu Ruanxing shouted towards the direction of the stairs.

Jiang Yichen slowly walked down from the second floor, holding a freshly brewed cup of tea in his hand.

He glanced at the pile of junk food on the coffee table and shook his head helplessly.

"At this rate, you'll end up looking like a ball sooner or later."

Gu Ruanxing rolled her eyes and patted the sofa next to her.

"Stop talking nonsense and sit down to watch the show."

"Today is the second episode, let's see what level those contestants are at."

Jiang Yichen sat down on the single sofa next to him, picked up his teacup and took a sip.

It was exactly 8 p.m.

The LCD TV screen lit up, and the opening animation of "The Voice of Heaven" appeared on time.

The familiar stage, the familiar lighting array.

The host, Shao Hua, wearing a dark gray suit, walked to the center of the stage with a microphone in hand.

Good evening, everyone!

Welcome to the second episode of "The Voice of Heaven"!

"Tonight, another group of contestants with musical dreams will be tested on this stage!"

Shao Hua's opening remarks were as impressive as ever.

The applause of the audience was thunderous.

The camera then cuts to the judges' panel.

Three chairs, three people.

Zhang Xiangjun, Chen Yaohua, Lin Qinghe.

The exact same lineup as the previous episode.

When Gu Ruanxing saw Chen Yaohua appear on the judges' panel, she paused for a moment in the action of holding a potato chip.

"Damn, this old bastard actually has the nerve to show his face?"

Her tone was filled with undisguised contempt.

"They were criticized so much last time, why didn't the production team replace them?"

Jiang Yichen leaned back on the sofa, his gaze sweeping indifferently over Chen Yaohua's smiling face on the screen.

"The production team is just hoping for controversy."

"Controversy generates topics, and topics generate traffic."

Gu Ruanxing was stunned for a moment, then sneered.

"That's true."

"These people who make TV shows will do anything for ratings."

She then glanced at Lin Qinghe, who remained aloof and elegant, and said, "Hey, what do you think of seeing your old flame on TV?"

Jiang Yichen ignored her and gave her a look that said, "You're so boring."

At this moment, the live stream chat exploded with comments.

"Holy crap? It's still Chen Yaohua, that old man? Are the production team deaf?"

"I'm still furious about that old guy's antics last time!"

"As long as he's still on the judging panel, I can't trust the show's impartiality."

"I suggest replacing Chen Yaohua with Mr. Li Guochun; that would be much more prestigious."

"Hilarious! Old Master Li would never come to this kind of variety show. He has the magnanimity to back it up."

Eight out of ten comments on the screen were criticizing Chen Yaohua.

Gu Ruanxing found it hilarious.

"Serves you right."

The first contestant has already taken the stage.

A young girl with her hair in a ponytail, wearing a white dress, held a wooden guitar and sang an original campus folk song.

Although her technique was still immature, her voice was clear and pure.

Zhang Xiangjun rejected the application.

Chen Yaohua approved it.

Lin Qinghe approved it.

Two votes secured advancement.

Immediately, some people in the live chat expressed their displeasure.

"Chen Yaohua isn't being picky this time? He was so ruthless to Jiang Yichen last time, why is he being so lenient this time?"

"Double standard dog."

"He's specifically targeting Jiang Yichen, and now he's pretending to be a good guy."

Gu Ruanxing took a sip of cola, smiled, and shook her head.

"See, netizens aren't stupid either."

Over the next half hour, five more contestants came up.

The quality varies greatly.

Some sang quite well, while others were so nervous they sang off-key.

Chen Yaohua was unusually amiable in front of these contestants.

The comments are fair, the wording is gentle, and there are even some encouraging words.

She's completely different from the aggressive person she was in the last episode.

But netizens simply didn't buy it.

The comments section was almost entirely filled with mockery.

"Oh, why aren't you saying they don't respect tradition this time?"

"You've been lectured by Old Master Li, so you're behaving yourself now, aren't you?"

"Your acting is superb. I suggest you switch careers. The Oscars owe you an award."

"I felt disgusted every time he opened his mouth, but I endured it for the sake of the other two judges."

"Please, production team, replace him in the next episode. It's upsetting to watch him."

Gu Ruanxing laughed so hard she almost fell over while watching the comments.

Jiang Yichen sipped his tea, his expression calm.

This old man got a lot of flak last time, so he's starting to act like a kind elder this time?

Unfortunately, netizens' memories aren't that short.

on the stage.

Another contestant has entered the arena.

He was a man in his early thirties, wearing a floral shirt, who introduced himself as a resident singer at a bar.

He chose to cover a classic Chinese love song.

His voice is husky, with a slightly smoky quality, and his singing skills are not bad.

The performance has ended.

Zhang Xiangjun nodded and approved it.

It was Chen Yaohua's turn to give his comments.

"Your voice is very distinctive, and your emotional delivery is also spot on."

"Keep it up, I have high hopes for you."

After he finished speaking, he pressed the green button.

The bullet comments react faster.

"Haha, is this level of singing as good as that band's lead singer from last episode? Last episode, Chen Yaohua criticized him mercilessly, and this time it's 'I have high hopes for you'??"

"Old Deng's double standards are so obvious, he's not even pretending anymore."

"So it's confirmed that he deliberately targeted Jiang Yichen last time."

"Pah, what kind of judge is he? He's just a tool that's been bought off."

The program continues.

A few more contestants came on later, but none of them were particularly outstanding.

One guy who sings R&B did attract some attention; he has an excellent voice and strong stage presence.

They received all three votes and passed.

Finally, some positive discussions appeared in the live stream chat.

"This is good, the voice has a lot of texture."

"Finally, someone who can fight has arrived, otherwise I would be bored to death tonight."

"To be honest, he's still a bit lacking compared to Jiang Yichen from the last episode."

"Upstairs +1, ever since I listened to 'Red-Clad Ladies,' other songs just don't feel the same."

"Jiang Yichen has set the bar too high, putting a lot of pressure on the later contestants."

Throughout the entire program.

The name mentioned most in the live chat wasn't any of the contestants tonight.

Instead, it was Jiang Yichen, who had already advanced from the previous episode.

That's magical.

Although he wasn't on stage, his popularity surpassed everyone else's.

10 PM.

The program reached its finale.

As usual, host Shao Hua gave a summary.

Five more contestants have successfully advanced this episode, bringing the total number of advanced contestants to ten. The 1v1 elimination rounds will follow. See you next time, everyone!

The trending topics list was updated as soon as the show ended.

One topic surged to third place, and it was—

[#Chen Yaohua still has the nerve to be a judge#]

Jiang Yichen clicked in and took a look.

The discussion threads under the topic were overwhelming, and almost all of them were insults.

The top trending post is a long article by a blogger who is verified as a "senior entertainment critic".

"After watching the second episode of 'The Voice of China,' I only have one question for the production team—why is Chen Yaohua still sitting on the judging panel? His malicious suppression of Jiang Yichen in the last episode has already been thoroughly exposed by netizens. In this episode, he suddenly became kind, gentle, and considerate? Is he a judge or a chameleon?"

"What right does someone who can't even uphold basic fairness have to judge other people's music?"

"I strongly suggest that the production team replace the judges and give the audience a clean stage."

The comment section has already received over two thousand replies.

"That speaks my mind!"

"Chen Yaohua's attitude today made me feel uncomfortable all over; he couldn't even act properly."

"Are the players he gave out today really up to par? I seriously doubt it."

"Last time they were nitpicking like crazy, this time they're letting us win like crazy, it's disgusting!"