EFB Chapter 69 All Contestants Gather in One Room
Chapter 69 All Contestants Gather in One Room
"I'll sing 'The Moon Is My Heart'," Lin Xiaoya said.
"I'll sing 'Sea and Sky'," Zhao Chen said, then lowered his voice, "Brother Wang Bo, we actually secretly prepared an original song, but our manager said that to be on the safe side for the first show, we should sing a classic song to build up our popularity."
Li Xuan, who was listening nearby, stiffened – these two brats weren't even this respectful to him, their senior, at the company, but they acted like they were seeing their own brother when they saw Wang Bo.
"Classic songs are great; they're easy to resonate with," Wang Bo said.
"But none of them are as good as Wang Bo's original songs," Lin Xiaoya said, praising him without any reservation. "Our manager said that if we could get a song from Wang Bo, we'd be laughing in our sleep."
Well, our purpose has been revealed.
Wang Bo knew perfectly well that these two young men were outwardly admiring him, but in reality, they were paving the way for him to invite Wang Bo to sing for them in the future.
However, compared to Li Xuan's insincere enthusiasm, he preferred to accept this straightforward flattery.
At least they admit they're there to curry favor with someone powerful.
"Let's talk about it after the match," Wang Bo said.
Just then, the door to the dressing room was pushed open.
A blast of cold air, both physically and psychologically, rushed in instantly.
Qin Xiao walked in.
Today he wore a dark blue velvet suit with a burgundy silk shirt underneath. His hair looked like it had been waxed, and his features appeared almost sharp and sculpted under the lights.
She was followed by three assistants: one carrying a makeup case, one holding clothes, and the other carrying a thermos and a towel.
With this kind of entourage, anyone who didn't know better would think he was here to hold a concert.
The dressing room fell silent for a few seconds.
Qin Xiao's gaze swept around the room, finally landing on Wang Bo. He paused for two seconds, then nodded slightly—a gesture like a king addressing his subjects.
"Hello, Brother Qin Xiao!" Lin Xiaoya and Zhao Chen immediately greeted him politely.
Li Xuan forced a smile: "Qin Xiao, long time no see, last time..."
Qin Xiao raised his hand to interrupt him: "Sorry, I don't have a very good memory."
Li Xuan's smile froze on his face.
Qin Xiao walked straight to the best spot in front of the makeup mirror and sat down. His assistant immediately began to fix his hair and touch up his makeup.
He looked at Wang Bo in the mirror and finally spoke: "Wang Bo, right? I've listened to your song, it's not bad."
This sounds like a teacher praising a primary school student for writing neat homework.
Wang Bo wasn't annoyed; he simply nodded and said, "Thank you."
"However, for this kind of competition," Qin Xiao picked up the thermos his assistant handed him and took a slow sip, "it's not enough to just have sentiment and a good narrative; you need more skill and stage presence. After all, the audience comes to see a performance, not to listen to a story."
That's practically saying you can only write songs, not perform.
The atmosphere in the dressing room grew even colder.
Lin Xiaoya and Zhao Chen exchanged a glance and quietly moved half a step closer to Wang Bo, as if they were choosing sides.
Li Xuan's eyes darted around, and he tried to smooth things over by saying, "Qin Xiao is right, stage performance is indeed important, but Wang Bo's strength is in songwriting. Everyone has their own strengths."
These words sound like they're speaking up for Wang Bo, but they actually confirm the subtext that Wang Bo can't act.
Wang Bo smiled.
He walked to the makeup mirror next to Qin Xiao and sat down. That spot was originally reserved for a folk singer named Chen Tao, but Chen Tao hadn't arrived yet.
"Qin Xiao is right," Wang Bo said as he opened his guitar case. "So today I've prepared a song that requires skill and expressiveness."
Qin Xiao glanced at him in the mirror: "The You of the Past?"
"No." Wang Bo took out his guitar, tuned it, and said, "New song."
Everyone in the dressing room was stunned.
Including Qin Xiao.
New song?
The first round of singing new songs?
That's either extreme overconfidence or extreme stupidity.
Zhao Chen's voice changed: "Singing a new song in the first round? Brother Wang Bo, that's too risky! Singing 'Once Upon a Time' would be so much safer, it's been proven by the market!"
Lin Xiaoya also looked worried.
Only Qin Xiao, after his initial surprise, smiled knowingly: "Interesting. It seems you really want to prove something."
"It's not to prove anything," Wang Bo said calmly, "I just feel that this song is suitable for this stage."
Just then, the door to the dressing room was pushed open again, and the remaining two contestants arrived—folk singer Chen Tao and female singer-dancer Su Na.
All seven contestants have finally arrived.
The production team came in and announced the rules: "Dear teachers, the recording will officially begin in one hour. The order of appearance has been determined by drawing lots, and the staff will distribute the order list to everyone shortly. The first round is a solo performance, one song per person, with a duration not exceeding five minutes. After the seven performances, the 500 audience members will vote, and the person with the fewest votes will be eliminated."
"Can we have another elimination round?" Suna asked with a mournful face.
"This is a competition," the director said expressionlessly. "It's normal for it to be brutal. Also, a reminder to everyone: although it's pre-recorded, there will be an audience present, so please give it your best."
After the director left, an eerie silence fell over the dressing room.
The harmonious atmosphere of "friendship first, competition second" that was just now has vanished, replaced by a silent competitive pressure.
Seven people, one eliminated.
A one-in-six chance of being eliminated is not low.
The staff brought over the order of appearance.
Wang Bo glanced at the screen—he was the fifth to go on stage, neither too early nor too late, which was a pretty good position.
Qin Xiao was the third, Li Xuan was the second, Lin Xiaoya was the first, Zhao Chen was the fourth, Chen Tao was the sixth, and Su Na was the seventh.
"Me, first?" Lin Xiaoya's face turned pale. "Oh no, oh no, the opening is the hardest, the audience isn't even in the mood yet..."
"I'm second..." Li Xuan's expression was also not good.
Qin Xiao didn't care—being the third to appear meant that the audience was just getting into the groove, without causing aesthetic fatigue, making it a prime spot.
"Wang Bo is fifth, what a great spot," Zhao Chen said enviously.
Wang Bo didn't say anything, he just lowered his head and wiped the guitar.
An hour later, the recording officially began.
The audience seats were filled with 500 "high-quality audience members" selected through multiple rounds of screening—young, enthusiastic, expressive, and easily moved to tears or laughter, making them a favorite of variety shows.
The host is a well-known variety show personality, very quick-witted, and immediately set the mood for the show.
"Welcome to 'The Voice of China'! This is the starting point of dreams, and also a brutal battlefield! Of the seven outstanding singers, one will leave this stage tonight—who will be the first to say goodbye? Let's wait and see!"
There was thunderous applause.
Lin Xiaoya was the first to appear.
She sang "The Moon Is My Heart," and her sweet voice and innocent appearance were indeed very endearing.
A piano solo was added in the middle—although the playing was a bit awkward, it was full of sincerity.
The audience loved it, and the applause was enthusiastic.
Li Xuan was the second to go on stage.
He chose a classic rock song, "No Place to Hide," and sang and danced all over the place, even doing a guitar solo—although he played a few notes wrong, he really got the atmosphere going.
When he stepped off the stage, Li Xuan was covered in sweat, but his eyes were shining, clearly satisfied with his performance.
It was Qin Xiao's turn.
When the host introduced the next guest, he deliberately added a long list of titles: "Next up is Qin Xiao, the piano prince, dance champion, and a graduate of the Juilliard School!"