After Zhang Yun left the stage and returned to the rest area of Group Three, everyone's gaze towards him changed.
Zhang Yun wasn't particularly emotionally affected by this expected minor incident.
Zhang Yun gave everyone a polite smile, returned to his previous position, put on his sunglasses, and continued to wait for the match to end.
Lü Jiaojiao turned to look at Zhang Yun, her feelings extremely complicated.
No one can understand that feeling of thinking your opponent is a loser who will be eliminated in the first round, only to find out once they step onto the field that they are an absolute dark horse and a favorite to win the championship.
I should have tried to get closer to him and asked for his Fetion account!
Will asking for it now make him think I'm materialistic?
Zhang Yun glanced at the girl in front of him who kept turning her head to steal glances at him. "Is something the matter?"
"Ah! Oh, oh... no... no, it's nothing! Um... could we exchange contact information?"
"Don't misunderstand, I absolutely didn't mean to harass you, it's just that..."
She couldn't come up with a coherent explanation for a long time, and her pretty face turned red with frustration.
"Okay." Zhang Yun nodded.
"Huh?" Lü Jiaojiao was stunned.
"I'll scan you." Zhang Yun took out her phone.
"Oh, oh, oh! Okay!" Lü Jiaojiao quickly pulled up her Fetion QR code.
The two added each other on Fetion.
"Okay," said Lü Jiaojiao, still a little dazed.
"Okay, that's settled then. Good luck later!" Zhang Yun said, waving his fist at her in a gesture of encouragement.
Lu Jiaojiao was charmed by his appearance, and she chuckled, feeling all her previous tension dissipate.
She nodded. "Yes, thank you!"
There's nothing particularly special about Zhang Yunjia and Lü Jiaojiao; it's just that they think she's good-looking and has potential.
Moreover, he had been sitting behind her for the past two days and had overheard her chatting with others, discovering that this girl had a very optimistic and positive attitude.
This is a promising talent who could easily join the scene.
The performances of the next three groups of contestants were not particularly impressive, except for Lin Kexin, a third-tier female singer who scored 89.99 points with a sweet love song, ranking behind Zhang Yun. After that, no one was able to surpass them.
To Zhang Yun's surprise, Lü Jiaojiao also made it to the next round, scoring 68.79 points and ranking tenth, only 0.01 points behind eleventh place!
But reality is cruel; a difference of 0.01 points can mean the difference between heaven and earth.
When the preliminary round ended and everyone was leaving, Zhang Yun found Cheng Lujin and Gu Chen in the parking lot.
They had just managed to sneak into the audience to watch the game through Cheng Jin's connections with the staff here.
Cheng Lujin was in the driver's seat, answering a phone call.
Zhang Yun opened the car door and sat down next to Gu Chen in the back seat.
He leaned against Gu Chen and whispered, "Brother, did I sing well?"
“Great,” Gu Chen said.
"Is there a reward?" Zhang Yun moved his face a little closer.
Gu Chen lowered his head and kissed him.
Cheng Lujin saw it in the rearview mirror and was so frightened that he quickly rolled up all the car windows.
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Lujin said to the two people behind him in an annoyed tone, "We're still out here, can you two tone it down a bit?"
The two shared a brief kiss before separating. Zhang Yun smiled and asked him, "Was the person who called you just now the person in charge of The Voice of China?"
Cheng Lujin nodded and said, "How did you know? Their manager thinks highly of you. Knowing that I brought you here, he specifically asked me to make an appointment for you to be the opening act for the next season of the show. I agreed on your behalf."
"Also, I've already contacted people to promote your show online after it airs. Let's find a place to celebrate now," Cheng Lujin said, starting the car.
Zhang Yun licked his lips and said, "Let's find a better restaurant. The boxed lunches we've been eating at the production crew these past few days have been so bland. I'm really craving meat."
Cheng Lujin said, "You are contestants, so of course the production team wouldn't dare to make anything too strong-flavored. Who could bear the responsibility if you ruined your voice?"
"What would you like to eat, brother?" Zhang Yun asked Gu Chen beside him.
"you."
"?"
Zhang Yun only questioned him for a second before understanding what he meant.
His face flushed, and he turned to look at the closed car window beside him, then suddenly couldn't help but laugh.
At this moment, Cheng Lujin rolled down the car window to let in some fresh air.
Help! He's about to die from being overfed in dog food!
After the three finished their meal, Cheng Lujin dropped them off downstairs and immediately sped away.
He didn't want to see those two again for the next few days.
The preliminary rounds are pre-recorded, and the program will be broadcast after editing.
Not everyone who appears will be on the show; only the top ten performers from each group will be featured.
Normally, the show would be made into four episodes, with each group's competition edited into one episode. However, the first two groups of contestants in this season's "The Voice of China" performed so poorly that there wasn't much to edit out. The production team was afraid of affecting the show's reputation, so they cut it down to three episodes.
Zhang Yun was the last contestant to appear, and his performance was in the third episode.
After Zhang Yun's group's program aired, Cheng Lujin immediately uploaded Zhang Yun's pre-recorded "Exclusive Angel" to all platforms.
With the promotion of The Voice of China, this song unsurprisingly surged into the new song charts and topped the weekly charts in just three days.
"A heavenly voice appeared in the preliminary round of The Voice of China!"
"He is the man who came closest to a perfect score in the history of The Voice of China!"
"A song dedicated to an angel, protecting the best version of you in this world!"
...
The publicity team that Cheng Jin contacted also started to exert their efforts, and Zhang Yun's newly opened social media account quickly gained hundreds of thousands of followers, and the number is still increasing.
"Oh my god, he's so handsome..."
"When my brother sings, his eyes seem to sparkle like stars!"
"That smile is so sweet! It melts my heart..."
...
Soon, Angel Boy's fan support group was established. Zhang Yun's fans called themselves "Feathers". Gu Chen registered a small account and had Zhang Yun use connections to authorize him with the title of number one fan and the privileges of group leader.
If you don't give him the food, you won't let him sleep.
Zhang Yun had no choice but to submit to Gu Chen's tyranny.
Watching the person in the group who claimed to be his number one fan, "Ah Yun's Darling Baby," actively incite fans to support him and vote for him every day, he was as active as a level 5 alt account of a pyramid scheme leader.
Then look at this quiet, reserved guy next to me, who seizes every opportunity to grope him...
Zhang Yun was very worried about the protagonist's mental state.
...
When the first episode aired, Zhang Yun and the others were called away to prepare for the recording of the next competition.
The second round of matches is the group stage.
The forty contestants who advance from the preliminary round will be randomly divided into ten groups of four to perform together.
The group stage will directly determine the top 16 teams, meaning that only four out of these ten groups will be able to stay.
This requires a certain amount of luck.
Because if you're grouped with a popular player, you can undoubtedly ride on their popularity to advance.
Commonly known as clinging to someone's coattails.
The two strongest contenders among the contestants are Chen Chujie from Huayu Entertainment and Zhang Yun, a dark horse who scored nearly full marks in the preliminary round.
During the group draw, Chen Chujie was ahead of him in line. After receiving his own ball, he turned around and, as he passed Zhang Yun, suddenly blurted out—
"Looks like Gu Chen has found a good employer! I wonder when you'll be able to pay off his debts now that you've started your career?"
Zhang Yun chuckled upon hearing this, "Soon, won't we be able to collect some interest soon?"
He raised his hand and showed his draw to Chen Chujie.
The above are four groups, and Chen Chujie's group two will be their opponents in the next match.
"You're really confident! Do you really think you're invincible just because you have a song written for you by Gu Chen?" Chen Chujie sneered.
"Not entirely. My confidence stems mainly from the fact that your next opponent is you."
Zhang Yun grinned at him, revealing a set of beautiful, even, white teeth. "This is the courage you gave me."
The two favorites to win the championship were locked in a fierce battle, while the surrounding group of players fell silent and watched the drama unfold.
"Heh, you just wait!" Chen Chujie's eyes darkened as he turned and left.
"Okay, I'll wait."
Zhang Yun smiled throughout, and the overhead camera did not capture any footage that appeared to be provocative.
The camera turned away in disappointment.
Soon, the other three members of Zhang Yun's group were confirmed: Li Shaobai, Zhao Qiji, and Lü Jiaojiao.
That's right, Lü Jiaojiao was lucky enough to be assigned to the same group as him.
Of the other two, Li Shaobai was the tenth-place finisher in the fourth group of the preliminary round, a promising online singer, while Zhao Qiji was an amateur enthusiast who was the tenth-place finisher in the second group of the preliminary round.
His name is quite fitting.
After all, in the entire history of The Voice of China, no contestant has ever advanced with a score of 42.33.
A true miracle!
etc!
Zhang Yun suddenly realized that Lü Jiaojiao was still ranked tenth in their group!
So is someone messing with me? Making me lead three students who came in last place all by myself?!
Zhang Yun sensed the malice from the production team. (Production team: This is truly a coincidence!)
After the groups were formed, Zhang Yun and his group were assigned rooms.
During the group stage, the production team became quite wealthy and booked a three-story building as the recording base.
From now until the semi-finals, the show will be filmed here. When the contestants are not competing, they can leave the base or choose to stay here.
Of course, players who are eliminated during the competition will leave from here.
The second and third floors are the contestants' rooms, each with its own room and bathroom. Girls stay on the second floor and boys stay on the third floor.
The first floor houses the mentors' lounge, the competition stage, the cafeteria, and the training rooms.
The four mentors don't usually live here. When they come over, they stay in the lounge, where the contestants can take the opportunity to ask them questions.
Before coming to the base, Zhang Yun applied to the school for an extended vacation.
They are an arts college, and it's common for students to participate in various programs to gain fame. After learning about Zhang Yun's situation, the college readily approved it.
After all, if Zhang Yun becomes famous in the future, he can claim to have come from their school, which will greatly benefit the school's reputation.
The three boys from their group were assigned to the same room, which was a series of three rooms coming up the stairs on the left. Lü Jiaojiao, being a girl, lived on the second floor.
Zhang Yun left secretly, without telling Gu Chen. He was afraid that if Gu Chen brought him over, he might see some unpleasant things there, and then a melodramatic scene of a villain mocking the protagonist would unfold, which wouldn't be pleasant.
Although this would undoubtedly create an opportunity for him to protect his husband, Zhang Yun did not want Gu Chen to suffer humiliation from others for such an opportunity.
He was a little reluctant to part with it.
Once inside the room, Zhang Yun had the system scan the room to confirm that there were no listening or surveillance devices before taking out his phone.
Looking at the dozens of missed calls, I clicked to call back.
The call was hung up as soon as it was made, and then Gu Chen made a video call.
"I was wrong, brother! I shouldn't have sneaked away while you were sleeping! And I didn't answer your calls! I was wrong! I apologize! I deeply regret my actions!"
Upon seeing Gu Chen's gloomy face in the video, Zhang Yun immediately and sensibly apologized profusely.
Gu Chen's expression showed no sign of improvement, and Zhang Yun continued, "Brother, please spare me. After the competition, when we get back, I'll accept any punishment you give me."
As he spoke, he made a little heart shape with his hands for Gu Chen, then deliberately said in a seductive tone, "I'll do anything you want, brother~"
"Oh? Really?" Gu Chen's expression indeed improved, and a wicked smile appeared on his lips.
Seeing his smile, Zhang Yun had a bad feeling, but having already promised Gu Chen, he could only nod reluctantly, "Of course."
"Okay, then I'll wait for you." Gu Chen nodded.
Zhang Yun breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'll hang up now, pack my things, and contact you later."
"etc."
Gu Chen said seriously, "I only forgave you for sneaking out behind my back, but I haven't forgiven you for not answering my calls!"
"..."
The next day, when Zhao Qiji knocked on Zhang Yun's door, he saw Zhang Yun with dark circles under his eyes, a hoarse voice, and a tired look on his face.
"Brother Yun, what's wrong, Brother Yun! Who poisoned you?" Zhao Qiji asked in shock.
His shout was quite something; it instantly summoned all the contestants and crew members from the third floor, who were all extremely nervous, thinking that something had happened to Zhang Yunzhen!
It was only after learning that Zhang Yun was a light sleeper and hadn't slept the night before that Zhao Qiji's bluff had caused a misunderstanding, and the staff finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After the staff criticized Zhao Qiji, they dispersed.
Throughout the entire building, except for the players' rooms and the public restrooms on the first floor, there are surveillance cameras everywhere.
The purpose is to capture footage of the contestants' lives at the base so that it can be edited into VCR and inserted into the program. Therefore, once they leave their rooms, they must be careful about their words and actions.
Otherwise, a single careless mistake could lead to a scandal.
Zhao Qiji is an amateur enthusiast, even more so than Lü Jiaojiao, that obscure female singer. He has never received professional training and naturally doesn't understand these things.
"I'm sorry, Yun-ge, I made you apologize to someone with me." Zhao Qiji apologized to him at the door with his head hanging low.
While inwardly criticizing amateur players for causing so much harm, Zhang Yun shook his head and said, "Never mind, just be more careful next time."
Stop making such a fuss!
"Also, you're four years older than me, so don't call me 'brother'."
If others see me like this, they'll think I'm old and that I'm deliberately trying to look young!
"No way! I heard our group is going to elect a group leader, and we've all agreed to recommend you for the position. You're the backbone of our team, and we'll do whatever you ask us to do."
Should I thank you for giving me this opportunity?
Zhang Yun wanted to roll her eyes, but she held back when she thought of the camera.
After politely asking Zhao Qiji to leave, Zhang Yun returned to her room to wash up and change her clothes.
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