This time, the director was surprisingly straightforward and announced the first-place results directly.
Yang Han and Da Fei stood up and bowed to everyone in thanks.
The crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause, their faces all wearing fake smiles. Zhang Yiran, in particular, looked very congratulatory, a stark contrast to her earlier sour expression.
"Second place, Zhang Yiran, Xu Feng."
"Third place, Zhu Sikai, Chen Maochun."
"Fourth place..."
The rankings were announced, and the first episode's recording was complete.
"Everyone, take a break, change your clothes, and get ready for the second episode. Thank you, everyone!"
"Thank you, Director Hong!"
The first episode was over, and the second was about to begin. Lin Chudong changed his clothes, preparing to record again.
He put on the hoodie that Sister Deng had bought and began to touch up his makeup.
Liang Yin was also busy, checking everyone's instruments and seeing if there were any adjustments needed for their makeup and hair.
Suddenly, a woman walked over. It was Wu Shuang, Zhang Yiran's agent.
"Da Fei, it's Wu Shuang. I wasn't very polite on the phone earlier, and I'm here to apologize. Please don't take it to heart."
Lin Chudong nodded expressionlessly, "It's okay."
"If you still want to talk about songwriting, then forget it. I'm not selling songs anymore."
Wu Shuang's expression stiffened, and she said helplessly.
"Alright, maybe we'll collaborate on something else later."
Wu Shuang said, "Your band is doing pretty well now, and you're using all high-end stuff. Look at this drum, this guitar, hehe."
Saying this, Wu Shuang reached out and touched them.
Liang Yin stepped forward and said, "Sister Shuang, do you need anything else? If not, we need to get ready to go on stage. We're the first ones in the second round."
"Okay, you guys are busy, I'm leaving."
Wu Shuang walked out of the makeup room and put a small file back in her makeup box.
...
"Welcome to I Am the Song King, I'm the chief director, Hong Wentao."
"This episode, we have a new challenger. If he enters the top four, he will advance to the finals, and one of the contestants present will be eliminated."
"Please, everyone, do your best. Good luck."
Yang Han took the stage again.
The audience roared with cheers.
Yang Han said, "Today, we have a challenger. I'm sure everyone is familiar with his story."
"Like me, he also went through a low point. A song called Chengdu brought him back into the public eye."
"That's right, he's my good friend, Da Fei, from the previous episode's guest performance!"
"Today, he's here with his band to challenge us. We're looking forward to a fantastic performance. Now, please welcome the Liang Music Band!"
The lights dimmed, and Lin Chudong walked out, clutching his guitar. The lights above the musicians behind him lit up.
Chen Jianguo stood to his right, the designated spot for the lead guitarist.
The audience screamed continuously. The atmosphere was incredibly lively. The song "Can't Help But Love" had filled everyone with anticipation for Da Fei!
Backstage, Zhang Yiran frowned as she approached Hong Wentao.
"Director Hong, you're not actually going to let Da Fei win first place, are you?"
Hong Wentao gave a wry smile. "Sister Zhang, there's no behind-the-scenes manipulation in my show. It's only the first season, and I need to be fair and just."
"If Da Fei really gets first place, then I have to admit it," Yang Han said.
Zhang Yiran frowned, thought for a moment, and still didn't say anything.
Da Fei might not even get first place. There's no rush to say anything until he actually wins.
Chen Jianguo's guitar took the lead, and the prelude to "No Longer Hesitate" instantly ignited the atmosphere of the entire venue.
"Bored, I see hesitation\nIt's not easy to achieve ideals..."
The moment he started singing, the audience below immediately began to sing along!
Everyone joined in the singing, even Hong Wentao didn't expect a Cantonese song to be so widely sung.
Previously, when singers performed, there were often audience members singing along, but none were as exaggerated as "No Longer Hesitate"!
Jia Lu's excited face was flushed, and she wielded her drumsticks vigorously, coordinating with Wang Zhi's bass, controlling the rhythm of the entire venue, rock solid.
Lin Chudong's voice, combined with the sound system of I Am the Song King, was simply divine.
Chen Jianguo and his two guitars were the icing on the cake.
As the second verse was about to end, there was a sudden snap! Lin Chudong's first string broke!
This time, the break was extremely obvious, even the audience saw it.
Because the string had snapped at the base, the long string curled up and dangled on the headstock!
Everyone's hearts sank, and Chen Jianguo's face changed drastically.
They had just watched Sun Jie's accident, and now they were experiencing the same thing?
History repeating itself?
Hong Wentao said, "Everyone stay calm, Da Fei, don't stop."
In the break room, Wu Shuang winked at Zhang Yiran, who remained expressionless; a Da Fei wasn't worth her attention.
The musicians on stage didn't panic. Instead, they focused, knowing Da Fei had a problem. They had to ensure they didn't mess up too!
Lin Chudong's singing wasn't affected, and he continued to perform.
But Liang Yin in the backstage was anxious. The next part was the dual guitar interlude by Old Chen and Da Fei. If a string broke, there was no way to solo, and the performance would be ruined!
Suddenly, Da Fei tapped the strap button on his guitar with his right hand.
Liang Yin immediately understood. She quickly took out the diamond guitar Deng Siqing had given her from its case. She'd brought a spare, just in case, and it turned out she needed it!
The interlude was only a dozen seconds away. Liang Yin gritted her teeth and rushed onto the stage.
She crouched down and walked onto the stage, bent over.
Seeing Liang Yin come up, Da Fei turned to the side.
"WO-OH, I have the stories in my heart, Handwritten on every gain and loss, joy, sorrow, and dreams!"
The singing wasn't affected at all; it just aimed the end of the guitar at Liang Yin.
Liang Yin quickly unfastened the quick-release buckle of her strap and switched to the new guitar.
Da Fei held the headstock of the diamond guitar with his left hand. At the same time, Liang Yin directly pulled out the pickup wire and plugged it into the diamond guitar.
Da Fei seamlessly took over, picked up the new guitar, and continued strumming. Only a small measure was skipped, but it didn't affect anything. Chen Jianguo didn't have a solo in this part, so he directly switched to a low position on the fretboard, supplementing Da Fei's rhythm notes.
Liang Yin's hand speed was fast. The strap buckle clicked into place. She held the guitar and quickly bent over, dodging the camera, and jogged out.
"...Finally visible!"
The chorus ended. Lin Chudong walked out of the microphone stand and stood shoulder to shoulder with Chen Jianguo. Their dual guitar interlude ignited the whole audience!
The continuous string-breaking performance just now sent the whole audience into a frenzy.
Da Fei really lived up to his name!
This was definitely a classic moment for the variety show!
This diamond-encrusted guitar was truly dazzling, but even more dazzling than the guitar itself was its owner, Da Fei!
During the interlude, Lin Chudong suddenly twisted the tuning peg of the second string.
The new guitar's tuning was a little off.
The musicians in the program's band immediately started a heated discussion.
"Holy crap, this is insane. He can hear that it's out of tune while adjusting it live, amidst all the chaotic sounds?"
"Perfect pitch, maybe? I heard that Da Fei's guitar skills are incredibly strong, and some people say he's the best guitarist in the country."
"The number one guitarist in the country, and also a singer-songwriter? That's amazing!"
"Number one is a bit of an exaggeration. He's just famous for singing. There are many excellent guitarists in the country."
"Forget about that, how many people can switch guitars, tune them, and not affect the performance like he just did?" "..."
Da Fei's song ended, and the entire audience stood up!
The atmosphere was at its peak!
Lin Chudong picked up the microphone and said,
"Hey everyone, how are you doing?"
Instantly, the entire audience screamed again! This time, there were really audience members crying under the stage.
They sympathized with Yang Han, and also with Da Fei. Every successful person has a different story. The reason Da Fei could stand on this stage was his persistence in music!
In this respect, he and Yang Han were the same, and both deserved everyone's respect!
The second recording was coming to an end.
Hong Wentao stood in front of the contestants and said.
"Next, I will announce the voting rankings for this episode."
"Liang Music Band, third place!"
Everyone was silent for a few seconds, then Hong Wentao continued.
"Is it still second place, or is it first place?"
Several contestants were speechless. They had been recording for several episodes, and they were still being tricked by the director. It was estimated that when it was broadcast, the audience would both laugh and curse.
"No kidding, let's announce the rankings for the rest of the contestants first."
The rankings of the contestants behind didn't change much. It was just that after Lin Chudong joined, everyone's ranking went down by one place.
"Now announcing the third place."
"The third place is… Zhang Yiran!"
Zhang Yiran's face turned gloomy. She didn't even stand up this time, clearly a little angry.
It was fine that she was suppressed by Yang Han for two episodes, but now she had fallen to third place? Was this a joke?
Where would she, a queen of song, put her face in the future?
Hong Wentao frowned.
"Wait a minute!"
The recording paused.
Hong Wentao forced a smile, "Sister Zhang, this is just the ranking for the first episode, not the final standings. Don't take it too hard."
Zhang Yiran quickly adjusted her expression; if her previous look was broadcast, it would definitely affect her image.
Taking a few deep breaths, Zhang Yiran said, "I'm sorry, Director Hong. Let's do it again."
Hong Wentao nodded, called for the camera to roll, and then went through it again.
"Third place... Zhang Yiran!"
Zhang Yiran smiled slightly, stood up, and bowed to everyone, her demeanor very insincere.
"Everyone must be curious, wondering whether the first place goes to Yang Han or the Liang Music Band, right?"
"I'll announce the results now."
"Yang Han, is the... first place in my current season of I Am the Song King voting!"
"Or, is it second place?"
Yang Han immediately laughed, "Director, don't torture me like that."
Hong Wentao chuckled, "No more suspense, the second place this season is Yang Han!"
"First place, the Liang Music Band!"
Immediately, everyone applauded.
Backstage, Liang Yin and the others were excitedly covering their mouths. They had won first place!
Even more votes than Yang Han and Zhang Yiran!
Da Fei was going to be a hit!
After the recording ended, Zhang Yiran gave Hong Wentao a look, and the two walked into a dressing room.
Hong Wentao asked, "Sister Zhang, what's up?"
Zhang Yiran said coldly, "Director Hong, this sponsorship from Snow White Laundry Detergent was given to you because of me, you know that, right?"
Hong Wentao's face stiffened, "I know about this."
"Yang Han has been too popular recently, and her popularity has been very high over these two episodes, bringing your show a lot of heat, so I can tolerate her."
"Now, Da Fei is also stepping all over me, where does that leave my face?"
Hong Wentao frowned slightly. "Da Fei's song is absolutely explosive. Even if I manipulate the voting results to put Da Fei in third place, if it's broadcast, the show's reputation will probably suffer."
Hong Wentao's show was a phenomenon, a ratings guarantee for Mango TV. Da Fei's performance of "No Longer Hesitate" was so electrifying live; he couldn't bear to make Da Fei re-record. He also had to report his achievements to the leaders at the station.
Zhang Yiran said, "Let it go this episode. Next episode, don't let them take first place."
Hong Wentao looked troubled. "Da Fei should be preparing to sing 'The You of the Past' next episode. This song is equally stunning. This is difficult for me!"
Zhang Yiran said coldly, "Then have them change songs. Today, it's me talking to you. Next time, it will be the sponsors talking to you, Director Hong. Consider it carefully."
After Zhang Yiran finished speaking, she turned and left.
Hong Wentao furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, and finally sighed helplessly.
He came to Lin Chudong's dressing room, pushed open the door, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Da Fei, congratulations."
Everyone quickly stood up.
"Thank you for your guidance, Director Hong."
Hong Wentao waved his hand and said.
"Um... there's something I need to tell you. The higher-ups have watched your performance and have some new requests."
"You, Da Fei, are known as a music genius. For your upcoming songs, the program wants you to sing original songs."
"Firstly, to showcase your creative ability, and secondly, releasing new songs on our I Am the Song King program will also help boost our popularity."
"What do you think?"
Hong Wentao looked a little embarrassed when he said this, not even daring to look Da Fei in the eye.
Lin Chudong said calmly, "Alright, then the next episode will be original. When will it be recorded?"
"In a few days, after the help-singing episode airs, we'll see how it goes."
"Okay."
After speaking, Hong Wentao hurriedly walked out.
Liang Yin frowned, "Da Fei, what does this mean? They won't let us sing 'The You of the Past'? It's too difficult to do an original in such a short time, right?"
Lin Chudong nodded, "The results were too explosive. It affected some people's interests, I guess."
Liang Yin's expression changed slightly, "Who?"
"Who else could it be?"
"Zhang Yiran?"
"Yep."
Liang Yin was speechless. "A diva like her, and she's so petty?"
Lin Chudong sneered, "She's no saint. Her capacity for forgiveness is the same as anyone else's. That string was ruined by her agent."
The string had snapped cleanly at the base. The cut was obvious; it hadn't broken from excessive tension, but had been worn down beforehand.
Only Wu Shuang had touched the guitar. It had to be her.
Liang Yin clenched her fists and gnashed her teeth.
"That's so underhanded, what do we do now? We're being sabotaged, can we even continue participating in the program?"
Lin Chudong said calmly, "Of course we're participating. Fifty thousand a episode, and it's all original. Let them wait."
A week? They thought he was out of good songs?
-----------------------
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