I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

Cai Xiaokui said, "Uh, if I understand correctly, those words were said by Chen Liang, right? She was just relaying them."

"Yes, actually Chen Liang thinks his other songs are better."

Gao Xiaobo smiled and lay down in a comfortable position, saying:

"Actually, I've listened to all the contestants' songs before, especially Chen Liang's. Putting aside his songwriting ability, I admire his confidence. He has the courage to believe that he can surpass his past self, and I believe he will grow in the future."

Lu Yu said, "Wow, that's really high praise for a newcomer in the songwriting world!"

Cai Xiaokui asked curiously, "Are you saying that the composer of this song, Chen Liang, is a newcomer?"

Lu Yu glanced at the documents on the table and said, "Yes, Chen Liang is a newcomer who debuted on the show for the first time. His first song was 'Plum Jam,' and this song, 'Towards the Clouds,' is his... seventh song."

Cai Xiaokui clapped her hands lightly: "Wow, it's amazing that a newcomer can write such a good song!"

Xu Xiangxiao, who was standing to the side, hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

I feel a bit uncomfortable holding it in.

……

Chapter 486 Su Xiaonuan Tells Everything

Finally, the results of the first round of points were released.

Qin Yunshang won first place without any doubt.

Next, Jin Lan lost to Lu Chu Jiu by a narrow margin, finishing in third place.

With the first, second, and third place winners determined, the next question is how to arrange the matchups in the second round.

The live stream switched the camera to the domestic studio, the host went on stage to warm up the audience, and the contestants went into a soundproof booth.

"So, the current situation is one superpower and two strong contenders," Gao Xiaobai said in the studio.

“Yes,” Lu Yu agreed. “According to the competition rules, Jin Lan will be the first to choose her opponent, followed by Lu Chujiu.”

Gao Xiaobai opened his folding fan with a "whoosh" and said, "Actually, the possible scenarios are very limited. Jin Lan can either choose Lu Chujiu or Qin Yunshang. Choosing Lu Chujiu means fighting for second place, while choosing Qin Yunshang means going all in and gambling on luck."

Lu Yu nodded: "The score difference between Jin Lan and Lu Chu Jiu is not large. If Jin Lan chooses Qin Yun Shang and loses, then Lu Chu Jiu will be firmly in second place. If she wins by chance, it is very likely that it will benefit Lu Chu Jiu."

Gao Xiaobai did the math and nodded, saying, "That's right. If Jin Lan chooses Qin Yunshang, and if I were Lu Chujiu, I would choose Jin Lan directly. As long as I win, regardless of whether Jin Lan wins or loses, I will be in the top two and still have a chance to be number one."

"In short, as long as Jin Lan and Lu Chu Jiu win a round, they have a great chance of getting second place. If Jin Lan chooses Lu Chu Jiu, then Lu Chu Jiu's optimal choice will definitely be to choose Jin Lan, which will most likely turn into an internal battle between the two sides. However, they probably won't fight an internal battle, as that would be too undignified."

Cai Xiaokui chimed in, "From this perspective, the situation is very favorable for Lu Chujiu!"

“Yes, all the pressure is on Jin Lan,” Gao Xiaobo said. “But Qin Yunshang is also under a lot of pressure because Chen Liang isn’t there. If she loses a game, she could be completely ruined.”

Lu Yu laughed and said, "So, although Yun Shang'er had a big advantage before, it can be seen that the suspense of the competition can still last until the end. Please don't go away, the next part will be even more exciting."

Xu Xiangxiao, who was standing to the side, didn't say anything; she felt a little puzzled.

In her opinion, if Chen Liang hadn't failed to appear, the outcome would have been a foregone conclusion.

From Jin Lan and Lu Chujiu's perspective, the safest option is undoubtedly for them to fight for second place in an internal battle between the second and third-ranked teams.

From Jin Lan's perspective, why take the risk of competing with Qin Yunshang? The popularity and strength of the two are not on the same level, and the probability of losing is extremely high.

From Lu Chujiu's perspective, why would she be so foolish as to challenge Qin Yunshang? She only needs to compete against Jin Lan. If she wins one of the two matches, she can keep her second place.

Second place is always better than third place, right?

She glanced at Lu Yu with a hint of suspicion, then suddenly realized: Lu Yu wasn't saying that because she didn't understand the situation, but because it was necessary for the sake of the show.

What's so interesting about fighting for second place?

If Qin Yunshang had been decided as the winner from the start, a large number of viewers would have left, and the result of the competition would have been meaningless.

Lu Yu said into the microphone, "The contestants are still working hard to come up with a strategy. We heard that Channel 2 is interviewing a 'rare guest'. Next, we will hand over the live broadcast to Channel 2."

The small screen in the studio switched along with the live broadcast. As soon as they switched to the second channel, Xu Xiangxiao almost burst out laughing.

Because the two people appearing in the picture are old acquaintances of hers.

Su Xiaonuan and Xia You.

At this moment, both of them were facing the camera, one with a mysterious smile and the other looking embarrassed.

During the live broadcast, upon seeing the two people on screen, Qin Yunchu, Jiang Xinhai, and Gu Yuqing, who were sitting in the audience, all became confused.

"Why is she here too?? How come I didn't receive any news?!"

"When did she arrive? Does Chen Ya know?"

Qin Yunchu stared blankly at the big screen. Speak of the devil, and he appears! They were just talking about her. Su Xiaonuan's arrival was too fast.

Qin Yun Chu whispered, "How come we just happened to interview Su Xiao Nuan? Will she reveal some really shocking information?"

Gu Yuqing's expression was not good: "Given her personality, it's very possible."

On the big screen, the female host held up a microphone and said to the camera:

"Okay, thank you, Lu Yu. As you can see, some of you may have already recognized the audience member next to me. That's right, she is Su Xiaonuan, the famous director of 'Crazy Stone'. Hello, Director Su."

Su Xiaonuan smiled and nodded: "Hello."

The female host, holding up the microphone, asked, "Director Su, did you come to the competition venue because you happen to be in Japan?"

Su Xiaonuan faced the camera without any shyness and said earnestly, "No, I came to Japan specifically to be here."

Hearing her answer, the female host and the cameraman beside her were both surprised. The female host became excited and then asked:

"Are you also a fan of our show? Then, which contestant do you support?"

Su Xiaonuan said, "I came to see Chen Liang."

The female host was somewhat surprised. She had been expecting an answer from Qin Yunshang or some other idol, and she had already prepared her next question.

Unexpectedly, Su Xiaonuan mentioned Chen Liang.

This disrupted her interview rhythm.

The female host subconsciously said, "Uh... Chen Liang? It seems you really like his songs?"

Su Xiaonuan shook her head and said, "I listened to the songs he wrote recently, and I feel they are not as good as the ones he wrote for Jiang Xinhai and Xu Xiangxiao before."

Female host: "Huh?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinhai, Gu Yuqing, and others present at the scene, as well as Liu Ruying and others who had just returned to their seats, and Xu Xiangxiao in the domestic studio, all experienced a sudden mental breakdown.

Su Xiaonuan added, "As his friend of more than ten years, I am mainly here to congratulate him. His screenplay, 'Hi Mom,' has been nominated for Best Story at the Golden Phoenix Awards."

The female host said, "Huh??"

Su Xiaonuan chuckled and added, "Moreover, his novel 'The Three-Body Problem,' which he wrote a long time ago, was nominated for the Nebula Award, and the copyright was finally sold, for a lot of money."

Female host: "Huh???"

……

Right now, in the soundproof room behind the stage.

Jin Lan, Lu Chujiu, Qin Yunshang, Guo Xiaoran, and Meng Xing were all sitting here, not saying a word.

Apart from Guo Xiaoran, everyone else looked unfriendly.

On the sofa, the assistant director, holding a folder, said, "Everyone, we should make a decision soon; the audience is waiting."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Lu Chujiu said, "Can I think about it some more?"

The assistant director closed the folder impatiently: "Then please hurry up, the program can't be interrupted for too long."

The entire soundproof room was so quiet that the only sound could be Lu Chujiu sniffling resentfully.

In the next segment, Jin Lan and Lu Chujiu were supposed to choose their opponents one by one, but the production team gathered them all together and decided on the next "selection" arrangement:

Jin Lan and Lu Chujiu must both choose Qin Yunshang as their opponent!

The current situation has already been clearly analyzed in the domestic studio. If Jin Lan and Lu Chujiu fight each other, it's a battle for second place, while choosing Qin Yunshang would be an act of blindness.

But if Jin Lan and Lu Chujiu are allowed to compete for second place, and Qin Yunshang reaps the benefits, then what's the point of watching this show?

So at this point, the production team intervened urgently. In order to add some highlights to the show, they forced the two of them to choose Qin Yunshang as their opponent.

That's why this awkward situation occurred.

From Lu Chujiu's perspective, she was the one who suffered the most; and Jin Lan wasn't much better off either. Given her and Meng Xing's abilities in the next few songs, it was impossible for them to beat Qin Yunshang.

Both chose Qin Yunshang as their opponent simply to make Qin Yunshang's victory more spectacular.

From Qin Yunshang's perspective, she was also very unhappy—she could have won fair and square, but now she was forced to resort to underhanded tactics and take unnecessary risks.

Moreover, she originally only needed to sing one show to win, but now she has to risk two shows. If she doesn't perform well, she might have to sing three shows later.

She felt aggrieved.

The production team couldn't please everyone, so they came up with a plan that would displease everyone.

Qin Yunshang said, "It's too fake that both of them chose me as their opponent."

The assistant director, not daring to offend Qin Yunshang, explained, "We were considering that the show wouldn't be as exciting without this arrangement..."

Qin Yunshang said sarcastically, "Oh? Then why don't you just have the judges give me a low score later, and deliberately make me lose to Jin Lan? Wouldn't that make the show more exciting?"

The assistant director quickly smiled apologetically: "Well... today's judges are all such big names, it's not like we can just tell them what to score..."

"You know you can't just order them around, so you can only order us around?"

Only Qin Yunshang dared to say that. The assistant director, sweating profusely, went outside and whispered to the staff:

"This situation is a bit tricky. How about we call President Qin over? And while we're at it, tell the director to request another ten minutes to extend the intermission a bit more."

……

Over here, the female host on Channel 2 is interviewing Su Xiaonuan.

I think I just heard something incredible.

Her mind was a bit blank at that moment, when the director's voice suddenly came through her earpiece:

"That's perfect! Hold onto Su Xiaonuan and don't let her get away easily. Dig deeper into that bombshell she just mentioned!"

The female host turned around and said into her earpiece:

"Director, Director Su might have been joking just now..."

"Never mind that, if she wants to joke, just go along with it and make sure to buy the backstage area another 20 minutes!"

"20 minutes?!"

The female host was astonished; 20 minutes was equivalent to a mini-interview program.

Now all the viewership from the main channel is being directed to her, and she's under immense pressure. Even a five-minute segment is enough to make her drenched in sweat. We never expected her to have such a big workload!

However, now that the die is cast, we have to bite the bullet and go for it.

"Director Su," the female host turned around with a smile, continuing the interview from where she left off, "You just said you know Chen Liang? Have you known Chen Liang for a long time?"

Su Xiaonuan nodded and said, "To be precise, I've known him for over ten years, and his name isn't Chen Liang."

She paused for a moment, then said, "His real name is actually Chen Ya."

At this point, Jia Yi, sitting in the audience, clenched his fist and punched the armrest:

"Damn! I knew Chen Liang's background was something else! He really does have someone pulling the strings behind the scenes!"

Jia Yi gritted his teeth. He was like a rabbit that had fallen into a trap and finally discovered the hunter who had set it.

He often couldn't understand why he lost, feeling that Chen Liang, who clearly had no foundation, always had benefactors to help him.

Now that Su Xiaonuan has been exposed, he understands: Chen Liang was originally a hidden prince, and this time he came to gain prestige.

Su Xiaonuan is probably his backer. With such a strong backer, it's no wonder he was able to make things easy before.

A helpless expression appeared on Jia Yi's face.

That's why I'm afraid of these guys who aren't part of the elite circle coming out to have fun. If they had just said they had powerful connections, we wouldn't have had to make such a scene!

In the entertainment industry, who doesn't have powerful connections? They hide their influence, and then suddenly retaliate when you least expect it. After that, who in the entertainment industry would dare to associate with you?

Not only did Jia Yi lose his temper, but the live stream chat exploded as well.

"So Chen Liang knows Su Xiaonuan!"

"A lyricist and composer of his caliber couldn't possibly be unknown! He probably used to do film scores and has now switched to this field."