As the selection process unfolded, Tan Weiwei and Sun Nan were undoubtedly the first picks, just as they had been in the previous round. The only surprise was that Chen Yihan wasn't chosen by Zhao Ziyun's team; instead, she partnered with Liu Ning.
Despite Liu Ning's forced last-place finish in the previous performance, the Creators understood that it was due to the material, not his own shortcomings.
Cheng Xiao was strategically selected by Li Yuanjie, likely for corporate interests related to Hai Die Company. Unable to refuse, she accepted on stage. Gao Jin, having joined as a replacement, was the last to choose and had no real options left.
He ended up paired with Mirei Mei. While her talent was undeniable, the language barrier posed a significant challenge, and most Creators preferred not to complicate their work.
When Gao Jin learned he would be working with Mirei Mei, he felt neither concern nor disappointment—in fact, he was relieved.
With all eight Creator teams finalized, the theme voting finally concluded.
The detailed results flashed across the giant screen, revealing the top four themes:
A Song for Rainy Day Moods: 1,935,000 votes
An Explosive Anthem to Shake Up Stagnant Lives: 1,664,000 votes
Integrating Flower Names into the Lyrics: 1,210,000 votes
Writing Beauty into Songs: 1,032,000 Votes
The turnout for this round of voting was remarkably high, as evidenced by the million-vote count. Compared to the mere five hundred participants in the first round, the difference was striking.
"The four major themes presented to our Creators today are based on real-time voting data from our viewers. For this round's head-to-head battles, the first-place winner will face the wildcard entrant, the second-place winner will battle the seventh-ranked contestant from the previous round, and the two tied for third place will face the fifth and sixth-ranked contestants, respectively."
The large screen displayed four rows of eight Creators each, with Ye Huanqiu and Gao Jin directly matched against each other.
Gao Jin was pleased because he didn't feel he had an unfair advantage. Mirei Mei didn't understand Chinese, so he would need time to coordinate with her, effectively increasing the challenge for him.
Meanwhile, Ye Huanqiu had chosen Yang Chaoyue, a formidable opponent in her own right.
Li Yuanjie's expression couldn't have been fouler. This match format was forcing Ye Huanqiu to confront Gao Jin directly. How could a newcomer from the previous round, who had barely made a name for himself, be pitted against Gao Jin, a multi-award-winning veteran?
And what about Li Yuanjie? He was relegated to being mere background noise!
The show's ever-changing format had completely thrown Ye Huanqiu off balance. He'd been looking forward to his chance at revenge, only to be caught off guard by the sudden twists.
Meng Yan announced, "Now that the teams have been formed, the top-ranked teams from each group will choose their themes. As before, the highest-ranked teams will select first."
She walked over to Ye Huanqiu and handed him the microphone.
"Senior, which theme would you like to pick?" Ye Huanqiu suddenly asked Gao Jin, who was standing beside him.
"Anything is fine," Gao Jin replied, exactly as Ye Huanqiu had anticipated. Abruptly, Ye Huanqiu switched to Japanese.
"Mirei-san, which of these themes do you find the most challenging?"
"Ehh?!" Mirei Mei's surprise was evident on her face. Ye Huanqiu's Japanese pronunciation was nothing like the broken phrases often heard from casual learners—no "sugoi" or "yamete" here. His accent was impeccable, truly authentic and fluent.
"I'm probably not very good at the first one," Mei admitted.
Switching back to Mandarin, Ye Huanqiu asked Yang Chaoyue, "Which theme do you think you're least suited for?"
"The first one. I don't really connect with tragic ballads."
Ye Huanqiu nodded and turned to Meng Yan. "Host, I've made my choice. We'll take the first theme!"
Yang Chaoyue's eyes widened in shock as she grabbed Ye Huanqiu's arm and shook it vigorously. "Are you crazy? I said I'm not good at this!"
"Exactly! We should choose something you're not good at. How else will you unlock your full potential? A true singer can't just stick to upbeat tunes. It's good to challenge yourself occasionally."
Mirei Mei, listening to the translated conversation through her earpiece, offered a wry smile of resignation.
"Not bad," Gao Jin commented. "This is an excellent choice."
With both sides in agreement, there was no need for further discussion. Meng Yan nodded and moved on to interview the next group.
Yang Chaoyue muttered complaints to Ye Huanqiu, who simply reassured her with unwavering calm.
Sometimes, switching up your style can yield better results!
"By the way, you know Japanese?" Yang Chaoyue asked, surprised that Ye Huanqiu always seemed to have something new up his sleeve.
"A little," he replied.
"Here we go again ╭(╯^╰)╮" Yang Chaoyue pouted.
Gao Jin couldn't help but nod in admiration. A worthy rival like this was truly precious. To be honest, he hadn't accepted the invitation to participate for the money.
As the Vice Music Director at Hai Die Company, he had long since secured fame and fortune. At his position, he could even announce his retirement without a second thought.
Gao Jin yearned for a breakthrough. He craved a worthy opponent, but most of his peers had already retired, making them difficult to find. Even if he could find them, figuring out how to challenge them remained a daunting task.
Serendipitously, one of his company's employees happened to be watching I Am a Creator and was impressed by Ye Huanqiu's song "Chinese" and how well he had coached Yang Chaoyue.
Every year, countless newcomers flood the entertainment industry. Gao Jin occasionally listened to new singers, hoping to discover hidden gems he might approach. Yang Chaoyue's voice lingered in his memory. Director Xu had once declared her case "beyond medical help." Yet, her performance of "Chinese" proved she had made a monumental leap from a musical cripple to a fully capable artist.
This extraordinary progress was precisely what piqued Gao Jin's interest, prompting him to investigate further. Throughout the day's filming, he had closely observed Ye Huanqiu, noting his unwavering composure—a mental fortitude many aspiring artists struggled to cultivate even after years of rigorous training.
Take, for example, the Platinum-tier Writer's disciple. Gao Jin immediately saw through his facade, but unwilling to needlessly antagonize Hai Die Company, he ignored the disciple's veiled provocations.
With the theme selection finalized and the day's recording nearing its end, Gao Jin felt his assessment was nearly complete.
Director Zhang had managed to secure four filming crews from Tomato TV for this segment. They would now be traveling to the singers' companies to capture candid, behind-the-scenes footage of the contestants.
Otherwise, the first half of the season wouldn't have enough substance.
After the recording wrapped up, Ye Huanqiu went backstage, tidied up, and prepared to leave. His contract with the show stipulated that he would work from 9 AM to 3 PM, and once his tasks were completed, he was free to go.
As soon as filming ended, he left without hesitation.
When the production team decided to shoot a cover photo for the next episode's promotional poster, Ye Huanqiu was already gone from the green room. The publicity staff approached Shen Tao, who sighed resignedly. "Don't bother looking for him. He's already left. We're sticking to the contract. There's no need to make a fuss about this cover shoot. Just have the post-production team Photoshop him in."