Chapter 107 A Desperate Reversal: The World Changes, the Tree Falls and the Monkeys Scatter
"Teacher Wei, what are you saying..."
The moment Tan Mu was grabbed, he almost stood up from his seat.
However, he quickly regained his composure.
"Those were all my own thoughts, of course. Do you really believe what Song Ying said on stage just now, and think that I plagiarized?"
Wei Haiyuan stared at Tan Mu for a moment.
Seeing that he looked back at her calmly and without fear, she slowly let go of his hand.
"I'm sorry, I was overthinking it."
As the original creator, I cannot tolerate others copying my work.
Similarly, we also know that we cannot easily conclude that someone has plagiarized.
"Keep watching the game. Group 5 is much better than we expected, and it should give you a lot of inspiration."
After saying this, Wei Haiyuan continued to look at the stage.
But his furrowed brows did not relax.
The doubt in my heart did not dissipate.
He felt inexplicably upset.
It seems that something tricky is about to happen.
After Wei Haiyuan withdrew his gaze and sat down properly, Tan Mu breathed a sigh of relief.
Wei Haiyuan.
He almost found out.
However, that's impossible.
The surveillance cameras have long been destroyed; the only variable now is Xu Zhe.
That coward would never speak recklessly if there were enough incentives.
Thinking this, Tan Mu rubbed his wrist and looked back at the stage.
-
Chien Cheng's stage performance shocked everyone.
If it weren't for the fact that everything was being broadcast live, and the director even had the cameraman give him a close-up of his face, netizens would almost certainly have suspected that he was a body double.
But that's clearly not the case.
[That was hasty; we should have reserved the tickets for Jian Cheng.]
[+1, I thought Tan Mu was the best stage, who would have thought that Jian Cheng could be even better than him]
[It wasn't just Jian Cheng; did you see the performances of the others in the back? The members of the fifth group were all significantly better than their previous performances.]
Even Xu Zhe, who was at the bottom of the rankings, surprisingly performed quite well. He participated in talent shows for three or four years, failing to be selected each time. Could this be a turning point in his talent show career?
A person becoming outstanding may just be a coincidence.
But the awakening of a group of people must be connected in some way.
And this connection...
[Song Ying's ability to lead a team is just too strong! Even veteran talent show team leaders like Lü Nianwei and Ran Chengwang can't match her level of training trainees.]
Is this the legendary Right Hand of God? Possessing the power to turn the rotten into the miraculous?
[Turning lead into gold is truly amazing, it's incredibly powerful.]
[It's no exaggeration to say that I have a feeling that the fifth group will at least be third, if not second.]
However, netizens' guesses were still too conservative.
When the voting results for the fifth group were announced, everyone was stunned.
The scene fell into dead silence.
Tan Mu seemed to lose control and suddenly stood up.
"That's impossible!"
Jian Cheng received more votes than him.
And the total number of votes for the fifth group...
"23,720,981 votes! My God! This is the highest number of votes in the history of 'All-Round Trainee'! It not only broke the previous record, but it's also more than double the total number of votes for the first team competition!"
"A well-deserved miracle, a well-deserved number one!"
The host was so shocked that he became incoherent and couldn't even control his facial expressions.
"Jian Cheng's votes have also surpassed Tan Mu's, making her the first contestant in the history of 'All-Round' to have over 10 million votes in an individual competition! 14,230,914 votes! That's also higher than the total votes for the first group's team competition!"
"I believe that our friends here and those watching on screen share the same feelings as us right now! Tonight, we are here to witness history, to witness transcendence, and to witness the infinite possibilities that truly belong to the Chinese entertainment talent show stage!"
"Please forgive my excitement right now. Really, when the votes for the first group came out, I thought that this was the climax of the night. But only now do I realize that our mentors and trainees can actually create even more miracles!"
Down in the audience, Tan Mu's face had turned completely black.
He threw the towel he was using to wipe his sweat on the ground and stormed off.
Wei Haiyuan watched his departing figure, his brows furrowed.
After spending the last few days with him, he knew very well how proud Tan Mu was.
But pride doesn't mean being intolerant of others.
Acknowledge that others are better than you and make changes accordingly; only then can you remain someone with something to be proud of.
Tan Muhan's ability to cultivate her inner strength is still somewhat lacking.
People like that rarely go far.
Thinking this, Wei Haiyuan shook his head and looked away.
He looked at the other trainee next to him.
"Go follow Tan Mu. We still have to go on stage later. Don't let it interfere with our business."
-
After the vote count was released, the mentors and members of the five teams were invited to the stage for a final interview and to receive scores from the judges.
The judges' votes plus the audience votes, along with the online votes, each account for 50% of the final vote count.
This is also to prevent vote rigging.
However, during the on-site voting, each team has the opportunity to speak and campaign for votes.
Time limit: 30 seconds.
The order of campaigning is the same as the order of appearance, and the vote count is also displayed in real time.
Based on the current voting results, the top four out of the six students in Wei Haiyuan's group are all set to advance. Therefore, Wei Haiyuan, as the mentor, is going to great lengths to campaign for the remaining two students who are in a more precarious position.
His sincere words quickly pulled the two back from the brink of danger.
Almost everyone can advance.
Groups two, three, and four performed poorly, and everyone was in danger, so the mentors dared not favor one group over another and treated everyone equally.
Surprisingly, in the last few seconds, Lü Nianwei mentioned that her group's stage was designed with Song Ying's help, asking everyone not to be prejudiced against the fifth group, and not to make unfounded accusations of plagiarism.
When it was Song Ying's turn, she took the microphone but didn't immediately solicit votes.
"Thank you for your votes. I always keep my word, so now I'd like to share something with you all."
Immediately afterwards, the background of the large screen behind the stage for "All-Round Trainee" suddenly changed.
The first video clip shows Xu Zhe in the training room, destroying his teammates' performance costumes. It lasts for eight seconds.
The second video is a twelve-second clip showing Tan Mu bullying Jian Cheng and Xu Zhe in the training room, while the others watch and laugh.
The third audio clip is a conversation between Tan Mu and Xu Zhe:
"Did you steal it?"
"Brother Mu, I want to perform on the team stage myself. It would be too obvious if I cheated. How about this, I'll steal Jian Cheng's arrangement and stage design for you?"
Six seconds.
Adding the time Song Ying spent speaking earlier.
Exactly 30 seconds.
-
The incident happened so suddenly that the host was completely bewildered when the microphone was handed back to him.
Even the viewers watching the live stream were stunned.
The most amazing thing was the backstage lighting setup.
"Damn it! Who tampered with the equipment?!"
The lighting team members looked at each other in bewilderment. "Mr. Li, we...we didn't do anything. You were the one sitting at the control panel the whole time..."
The stage lighting and screen are all handled by specialists.
Especially in live broadcasts like the qualifying rounds, no problems can be tolerated, so the lighting director personally handles everything.
"I didn't touch anything!"
Teacher Li was completely dumbfounded.
This step doesn't require any changes in lighting, and his hands are almost entirely off the control panel.
At this moment, someone spoke up weakly.
"No, could it be that I've been possessed by an evil spirit?"
"Damn it! Why don't you just say it's haunted?"
"Then, how do you explain this..."
Teacher Li: "..."
Meanwhile, in the audience seats.
Peng Wen sat down next to Qin Shu, put away his phone, and adjusted his glasses.
"Sir, it's done."
"Um."
Qin Shu gave a soft "hmm," leaned back in her chair, and gently tapped the armrest with her fingers.
The audience had already realized what was happening.
The scene erupted in uproar.
Their conversation, amidst the surging skepticism, was like a small pebble falling into the ocean, causing no ripples whatsoever.
-
The trending topics exploded.
That short 30-second video went viral and made headlines.
Even many casual viewers who didn't care about the game turned into onlookers and crowded into the live stream.
The director's voice came through the host's earpiece.
"Seize the opportunity! Keep asking questions!"
Soon after, the host coughed lightly and looked at Song Ying.
"Um, Ms. Song, could you please explain this video we just watched?"
Song Ying: "Isn't it only 30 seconds? Can I continue talking?"
host:"……"
After a moment of hesitation, the host said, "Our production team unanimously believes that fairness in the competition is more important."
"Since that's the case, shall I treat everyone to some more entertainment?"
-
Backstage at the studio.
The lighting director jumped up and stepped back three meters away from the control panel, raising his hands.
No action was taken.
But the stage screen had changed...
As Song Ying finished speaking, the large screen on the stage switched back to the previous video.
But it's longer and slower than the previous clips.
There are even close-up shots of the camera zooming in.
Frame after frame, crystal clear.
"It's really haunted..."
The lighting director's expression changed.
It wasn't just the staff behind the scenes who changed color, but also the onlookers.
The expressions of everyone else on the stage also changed drastically.
Especially Tan Mu.
He never imagined that Song Ying had far more than just this.
The scene of him hitting Jian Cheng with a baseball bat in the emergency exit...
The scene in the bathroom shows him threatening Jian Cheng, Xu Zhe, and the other trainees...
In the training room, there were scenes of him frequently hitting and verbally abusing others, and spitting in their faces...
There was even a scene in the dormitory where he urinated on the face of a trainee who had already been eliminated...
In addition, there are many other scenes.
Coercion, intimidation, and bribery.
They even promised advancement and debut spots...
And next to each of his videos, there is no shortage of his fans.
They may not have committed the violence themselves, but their inaction as bystanders, or even their unbridled ridicule, is enough to prove that they are also part of the evil.
One piece of irrefutable evidence after another was presented on the stage's large screen via live streaming across the entire internet.
Tan Mu staggered backward, his face ashen.
"It's not me, these aren't me... It's all fake, it's all fake!"
"Yes, Song Ying, you ruined me! You ruined me with a fake video!"
"It's not me, it's definitely not me! It's AI face-swapping, it's AI face-swapping!"
With that, Tan Mu turned and ran.
However, they were stopped by Jian Cheng, Fu Gaoxuan, and others.
"You might be able to change faces on your own, but what about so many people? They can't all have their faces changed!"
"Tan Mu, have you forgotten what you said and what you did!"
As she spoke, Jian Cheng took out her phone from her pocket, opened a recording, and played it into the microphone.
It was Tan Mu's voice.
"Jian Cheng, if you agree to be my dog, obey me, please me, and serve me well from now on, I guarantee that not only will you advance in your career, but you'll also debut and become famous throughout the entertainment industry!"
"Tan Mu, you're dreaming!" Jian Cheng's voice was both painful and resolute.
"Disobedient? Fine, Xu Zhe, hold him down!" Tan Mu's voice suddenly turned cold.
Immediately following was the sound of a heavy object falling on her, along with Jian Cheng's cry of pain and muffled groans.
It was just a phone recording, but everyone seemed to see the image of this frail boy being tortured inhumanely...
[A beast in human clothing!]
[Tan Mu, get the hell out of here!]
[Sending heartfelt hugs to Jian Cheng, bullies, get out!]
Netizens were shocked, and the audience at the scene were all extremely angry, wishing they could rush up and beat these beasts to a pulp!
The security guards were frantically trying to control the situation.
The other trainees also denied the allegations and began to distance themselves from the situation.
"I'm not an accomplice! I just don't want to be isolated or targeted!"
"I didn't do anything. It's Tan Mu who's been bullying me!"
"Tan Mu forced us to do it all!"
"..."
Even Xu Zhe started playing the victim to distance himself from the situation.
"I was forced to do all of this. I just didn't want to be eliminated. The Tan family is too powerful, and Tan Mu has powerful backers. I really just didn't want to lose..."
Tan Mu spat at Xu Zhe.
"You lot, what the hell are you pretending for! None of you are any good. You think you can get away with kicking me? Dream on!"
"Tan Mu! You fucking ruined us!"
"I'll fight you to the death!"
Someone rushed forward and punched Tan Mu twice.
Once this started, the stage instantly turned into a brawl.
Fortunately, Jian Cheng and Fu Gaoxuan acted quickly and avoided getting involved...
-
The audience was in chaos, and the stage was in complete disarray.
The scene was chaotic.
By the time the director realized things were getting out of control and the hype was backfiring on him, it was too late to stop it.
The qualifying rounds became a complete joke.
The stage of dreams has been stripped of its glamorous facade, revealing the naked essence of capital transactions.
The hustle and bustle of the night finally came to an end when the production team cut off the power to the venue, citing equipment failure as the reason.
The live stream was interrupted.
The final scoring was dropped and deemed unnecessary.
But now that things have come to this, no one cares about these trivial matters anymore.
What followed was a whirlwind of public opinion.
All the trainees who appeared in the video have been implicated and their careers have been ruined.
Out of thirty people, you can't even find ten who are clean.
Tan Mu was the first to be affected.
As the ringleader, he has completely fallen from being "the hope of the Chinese music scene" to "the shame of the Chinese music scene".
Bullying deserves to die! Damn it, my youth was wasted!
[I've gouged out my own eyes; I was truly blind before. I owe Jian Cheng an apology.]
My heart aches for those trainees who are bullied and humiliated because they have no connections. Those privileged individuals should get out of the entertainment industry!
[This is filthy! Tan Mu must be sentenced!]
The fans who used to follow Tan Mu around calling him "brother" all stopped supporting him after seeing his true colors.
However, there are still some people who pretend to be asleep and shout that "my brother is innocent."
However, such recklessness can no longer stir up any trouble in the face of the rule of law.
That's not all.
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