Wu Jianguo had already devised a strategy, but now that Zheng Zhao had disrupted it, he was naturally displeased.
Zheng Zhao insisted, "No, use it now, for Ye Cang!"
Wu Jianguo was stunned: "Ye Cang?" He said with disapproval, "He just had an exceptional performance once. Why are you so worried? Your opponent is still Li Zihang."
Zheng Zhao shook his head, recalling what Ye Cang had said in the restroom, and gritted his teeth in hatred. He didn't care about Ye Cang's abilities, but he wanted to make sure that this person could never appear on stage again.
Wu Jianguo couldn't refuse Zheng Zhao, so he had no choice but to agree.
Zheng Zhao put away his phone and returned backstage. It was during the intermission and commercial break, and most of the contestants had finished their competitions and were chatting in small groups. Ye Cang, who had previously been ignored, was now surrounded by the crowd. Unlike before, he didn't seem awkward and appeared to be in his element.
Zheng Zhao glared at him resentfully before closing his eyes to rest and prepare his competition piece.
Perhaps because Li Zihang and Ye Cang's overly strong stage performances raised the audience's expectations, the following performances were somewhat lukewarm until Zheng Zhao came on stage, which made things a little better.
In the end, only three people directly advanced: Li Zihang, Ye Cang, and Zheng Zhao. In the past, Zheng Zhao would have been secretly proud, but when he saw Ye Cang, he felt like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.
Although there were many highlights in the subsequent PK matches, those who had enjoyed the feast were no longer interested in the simple porridge and side dishes. Apart from the fans of those few contestants who were still sincerely cheering for their idols, the netizens' minds were already on the next round.
The next stage is a collaboration stage, where contestants will choose teammates in the order they advance, compete in groups, and all winners will advance, while losers will face off within their groups, eliminating two members. This will require some strategy; choosing strong teammates will certainly increase the chances of winning, but it also increases the likelihood of being eliminated if they lose, not to mention the unpredictable random song selection. Netizens are already eagerly offering suggestions in the live chat.
Shen Huai asked Ye Cang, "Have you decided who you want to choose?"
Ye Cang shrugged: "I don't know, we'll see how it goes. Maybe someone with discerning eyes will choose me, and I won't have to worry about this kind of thing at all!"
Shen Huai was speechless.
Li Zihang, who happened to be standing nearby, overheard this and lowered his eyes, lost in thought.
-
After the two PK matches concluded, the list of the top eight contestants was officially finalized.
The host interviewed all eight finalists before asking Li Zihang, the first to advance: "Zihang, the next round is the collaboration stage. You will have to choose one of the remaining seven contestants to be your partner. He/she will be both your teammate and your opponent. Do you already have someone in mind?"
Li Zihang nodded.
Host: "Wow! Let's see who Zihang will choose as his partner!"
Li Zihang looked to the left and then raised Ye Cang's hand.
Ye Cang: "???"
Li Zihang said calmly, "I choose Ye Cang."
The audience was stunned. After all, Li Zihang and Ye Cang had never worked together before, and their styles were completely different. It was impossible to imagine what their collaboration would be like.
The host snapped out of his daze and held the microphone out to Ye Cang: "Ye Cang, would you be willing to partner with Zihang?"
Ye Cang was just talking nonsense, but he didn't expect that Ye Cang would actually be right. However, he didn't care and shamelessly said to Li Zihang, "Brother, you have a good eye!"
Li Zihang: "..." What should I do if I suddenly regret it?
Standing beside him, Zheng Zhao almost couldn't contain his elation. Although he had previously considered using the random song selection function to eliminate Ye Cang, it wasn't a sure thing. But now that Li Zihang had chosen Ye Cang as his teammate, Ye Cang would definitely be eliminated in the PK round. As for the possibility of the two of them defeating him on the collaborative stage, he hadn't even considered it.
Zheng Zhao chose a player who was also quite strong, and according to the rules, they automatically became opponents.
The host interviewed Zheng Zhao: "Are you confident you can defeat such a strong team as He Zihang and Ye Cang?"
Zheng Zhao's words were laced with sarcasm: "I am very confident. I am here to win. I will choose teammates who are strong and powerful. I will not choose players who are not strong but have high popularity. That would be disrespectful to the audience and the opponents."
Zheng Zhao's words were a sarcastic remark directed at both Ye Cang and Li Zihang.
Ye Cang was surprised to be told that he was not strong for the first time. He couldn't help but take a second look at Zheng Zhao. There was no record of the two of them being enemies in the original owner's memories, so it could only be that he had made enemies.
He lamented that outstanding people are always envied, no matter where they go.
Fortunately, Zheng Zhao had no idea what he was thinking, otherwise he would probably be furious.
The host, who had only intended to create a spectacle, was thrilled by Zheng Zhao's enthusiastic response and immediately shoved the microphone at Ye Cang's lips: "Ye Cang, what do you have to say after hearing your opponent's challenge?"
Ye Cang chuckled: "Oh, I just hope our opponents will cheer up and prepare well for the upcoming PK match."
The host almost thought he had misheard: "P...PK competition?"
Ye Cang said casually, "Because I'm sure I'll win the next match."
His words were like igniting a powder keg, causing an uproar in the arena. Zheng Zhao was already arrogant enough, but Ye Cang was even more so; the next match was going to be exciting!
Zheng Zhao smiled, but inwardly he was cursing and gritting his teeth, thinking, "I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget."
Once the groups are divided, the most exciting moment will be the drawing of lots.
Li Zihang hesitated for a moment and gave the chance to draw lots to Ye Cang. The screen started scrolling, and Ye Cang casually called for a stop. Then, a gasp came from below, and Li Zihang's expression next to him was indescribable.
"Brother, I have a good eye, but your luck isn't so good."
Ye Cang turned his head and saw a very familiar song on the screen.
"Summer Insects", lyrics and music by Lu Yang; original singer: Lu Yang.
Ye Cang: "..."
This is Lu Yang's signature song, a song that must be mentioned when talking about rock. This song is widely sung and has a high level of difficulty that matches its fame. Moreover, because the original version is so classic, no one has surpassed it to this day. Singing this song during a competition is practically suicidal, not to mention that one of the judges in the audience is a die-hard fan of Lu Yang. "Summer Insects" is an unblemished white moonlight in the other party's heart.
Xia Fei's brows began to furrow.
Zheng Zhao watched, his smugness almost overflowing. He felt a surge of satisfaction, as if all his anger had been released. He couldn't wait until next week to see the two of them being verbally abused and trampled under his feet by Xia Fei.