Chapter 108 Second Sequence Release 4.0
"Contestant Qingyu, do you think it will be contestant Gu Qiong who is right next to you?" Qu Qinghuan blinked mischievously.
"Teacher Qu! Please, please stop panting when you speak, okay?"
The contestants' booth erupted in wails, and some exaggeratedly covered their chests, "My little heart can't handle this kind of shock!"
Everyone nodded enthusiastically. They were terrified. They actually thought it was Xie Qingyu... Wait??? Who was she talking about next???
The air suddenly froze.
How is that possible? Gu Qiong? He was first in the last round, and he was the first S-level singer to emerge from the first stage, a famous vocalist who has gone viral.
Fourth? What a joke!
But when Qu Qinghuan officially announced, "The fourth-ranked contestant is—Gu Yan, with a total of 20,024,875 votes. Congratulations!"
The contestants looked at each other, their expressions out of control, and most people present were numb.
This is ridiculous. The second-round ranking this time is really crazy. The "dark horse" jumped faster than the Rockets, and the king fell harder than the stock.
Gu Zheng obviously did not expect to hear his name being called at this time.
But at this moment, the cameras were all collecting his subtle facial expressions, so this old fox naturally had no flaws.
Bai Lang, who was sitting on the left, patted him on the back, and everything was said without words.
Only when he stood up and gave Xie Qingyu a polite hug did Gu Qie use the material of his clothes to cover his face and whispered in a voice that sounded lost: "Ah, I'm really sad this time."
He didn't want the production crew to film him, so Xie Qingyu naturally wouldn't rush to provide them with material. She just moved her fingertips slightly, moved them upwards without making a sound, touched the back of his neck, and replied in a whisper, "Be good, it's okay."
When someone who seems to be very smart on weekdays suddenly reveals his soft belly, the lethality is still very strong.
Seeing the slight curve of Gu Yan's mouth when he turned around, Bai Yan narrowed his eyes, feeling that this person was up to something again.
"Next, we will announce the third-ranked contestant—"
The atmosphere at the scene was relatively calm. After all, there were only a few popular contestants left, and everyone had a rough idea of the top three candidates.
No matter how crazy or outrageous it is, it is impossible for the popular contestants to be eliminated and the people behind to rush into the top three. Then there is no need to hold this show.
Qian Song clenched his fists tightly, beads of sweat oozing from his palms. He stared intently at Qu Qinghuan on the stage, his Adam's apple unconsciously rolling. Could it be him?
Qu Qinghuan smiled: "The direction of his second evaluation is——"
Everyone waited with bated breath. The remaining three candidates belonged to different groups. As long as they knew which group he was from, the answer would be clear.
"...What is it?" She suddenly changed the subject, a sly look flashing in her eyes.
"Teacher Qu..." Just as someone was about to cry out in pain, Qu Qinghuan continued, "Could it be the Rap group?"
This keyword made Qian Song freeze all over. The contestant next to him had already hugged his shoulders excitedly, but he was not sure - was he really worthy of such a height?
What if...what if it’s not him?
"Congratulations to contestant Qian Song for ranking third in the second round of rankings, receiving a total of 20,025,133 votes!"
It wasn't until Qu Qinghuan's firm announcement that Qian Song finally regained his breath.
He blinked his sore eyes hard and secretly told himself that he must remain decent this time and not lose his composure in front of the camera like before.
When Qian Song was concentrating on giving his speech, he did not notice the subtle pause among the contestants.
20,025,133 votes - only 258 votes away from the fourth place Gu Qiong's 20,024,875 votes.
This astonishingly accurate gap in the vote pool of tens of millions made some contestants wonder whether the production team was manipulating the program behind the scenes just to muddy the waters and cause fans to fight.
Of course, there is no intention to question Qian Song’s ability. After all, everyone can see the efforts he has made.
And the harm his company did to him...it's better not to talk about it. It's just because it was too coincidental and they didn't trust the usual operations of the program team.
As soon as Qian Song took his seat, only three places remained to be announced. Let’s not talk about the last one for now, let’s just talk about the first and second ones.
After all, everyone has a backup phone, and any movement on the Internet cannot escape their eyes.
In recent times, the number of CP fans of these two has been increasing like mushrooms after rain, the online popularity has remained high, and the competition between fans is in full swing.
This time they are competing for the first and second place. According to the nature of the program crew, they will definitely not miss this wave of hot topics and excellent hype opportunities.
Qu Qinghuan lowered her head and glanced at the wrist card. The dense asterisk marks on it made her heart beat fast.
The program crew is too lazy to even try to hide it, fearing that others won't be able to see through their little calculations.
"Now - please ask contestants Xie Qingyu and Bai Yan to stand on the podium!" She maintained a perfect professional smile, thinking that she would call them up first.
She has always had a firm grasp on her professional qualities.
Xie Qingyu turned around upon hearing this and happened to meet Bai Yan's gaze.
Before the two could react, a dark shadow flashed between them - it was the follower with a camera.
The camera was fixed on the facial expressions of the two people, wanting to magnify every micro-expression tenfold.
This guy has the words "want to make progress" carved on his face.
"Let's go." Xie Qingyu took the lead and walked around the camera blocking the way very calmly, as if nothing had happened just now.
Bai Lang's lips curled slightly as he followed him at a leisurely pace. The two of them, one in front of the other, walked toward the podium, casting intersecting silhouettes under the spotlight in the auditorium.
At this moment, whether it was the contestants who had safely advanced or the contestants who were still waiting for the results, they couldn't help but focus their attention on the two people on the stage.
The contestants whose rankings have been confirmed have completely relaxed, while the contestants whose rankings have not yet been announced have already "let it go".
As things stand, even the top favorites have stumbled before their time, so what else is there for them to worry about?
It’s better to calm down and think about your future development plan.
"I'm afraid the program crew's actions will cause a huge uproar when it's aired." A contestant muttered quietly, with a gossipy glint in his eyes.
"Hehe, I love watching this kind of top-level battle scene, the more intense the better!" A contestant who was watching the fun was rubbing his hands, his face full of anticipation.
"Tsk, if you ask me, Big Brother Xie is enough on the stage alone. The others are superfluous." Xie Qingyu's die-hard fan rolled his eyes, staring intently at his idol. "He has always been number one in my heart!"
Qu Qinghuan coughed lightly, and the scene immediately became quiet.
She looked down at the cue cards, on which the questions prepared by the production team were more explosive than the last.
After careful consideration, she finally chose a relatively gentle one: "Contestants, do you have anything to say to each other regarding the upcoming rankings?"
Please, give a decent reaction to shut up the production crew, and we'll be done with this.
Xie Qingyu caught a glimpse of Qu Qinghuan's desperate expression as he turned his back to the camera, and he almost couldn't hold back his smile.
He shook his head helplessly. He could ignore the program crew's outrageous actions, but he had to give face to the initiator who had always taken care of them.
Xie Qingyu tapped the microphone three times with his knuckles, and the metal casing made a crisp sound.
He tilted his head to look at Bai Tang, his eyes slightly raised: "I think contestant Bai Tang should speak first, after all-"
The last word was drawn out, and he suddenly turned to the camera with a harmless smile, "This is the second time he's stood in this position~"
Then he gently tapped his chin with his fingertips, as if thinking, "I guess you're already familiar with the order and process of speaking. Maybe I can bring you a different 'surprise'?"
Bai Lang chuckled knowingly, his slender fingers casually fiddling with the microphone. "Contestant Qingyu, aren't you worried that the 'surprise' I've prepared will be too exciting, and you won't have a chance to perform after I finish speaking?"
He took a half step forward, his voice low enough for the microphone to pick up, "Or... are you actually nervous?"
There was a sudden burst of booing from the audience.
Qu Qinghuan's eyes lit up. This is the taste, almost there.
Tsk, this camera is so slow to react. Isn't it usually very smart? It's better to let her do it~
Xie Qingyu faced Bai Lang's questioning, but smiled without saying anything, giving the audience ample room to imagine the two people's tit-for-tat confrontation.
It may be because the two people’s performance was quite good, or it may be that the production team knew that they would not get any more answers.
Next, Qu Qinghuan asked two trivial questions.
Until this part was over, the program director in the earphones stopped yelling at her.
"The second place winner in this ranking release is contestant Bai Lang, with a total of 23,081,728 votes!"
"Let us congratulate contestant Xie Qingyu for taking first place in the second round of rankings for 'Road to Star Dreams'. Her total votes are..."
At this point, Qu Qinghuan paused, and as the audience held their breath, he announced loudly: "36,189,065 votes!!!"
This... Although they expected it to be the first place by a large margin, after all, they had seen with their own eyes the crowds of fans offline on the second public stage.
But the vote difference of more than 13 million still made everyone dumbfounded, and even the last digit exceeded the total votes of most of the candidates present.
"It's too fierce, I'm going to lose it!!!"
"How many votes were there? How many votes did Teacher Qu say?"
"Deaf people are not blind, please look up at the big screen!"
There were actually contestants who started clicking on the digits on the big screen with their eyes half closed, their fingers trembling as they gestured in the air, their inner shock incapable of expression in words.
The toxic fan of the player jumped up excitedly: "This is worthy of my thanks to God!"
Xie Qingyu turned around and gave Bai Lang a proper hug in front of the camera. The moment their faces touched, Bai Lang whispered "Congratulations" in his ear, and the warmth disappeared in an instant.
Next, it was time to take turns speaking. Bai Lang raised the microphone and said succinctly, "Ranking is an encouragement, but it's also a responsibility."
He paused, his eyes scanning the camera, "I will continue to let the stage do the talking."
His concise and powerful speech left no room for doubt about his determination, and it was clear that his fans really bought into it.
When it was Xie Qingyu's turn, his movement forward paused for a moment, barely perceptible.
In a trance, the memories of the two worlds flashed by like a kaleidoscope, and it turned out that there was a slight bitterness in my heart for a moment.
Coming to this program is a brand new beginning for him. There is no so-called "top-tier" halo anymore, no company support, only the never-extinguished lights in the training room and the sweat-soaked training suit.
To be honest, the effort and sweat he put in were no less than those in the other world. He had also been confused and lost, but it was not until he stood here at this moment that he realized that he had really done it.
Those late nights when I didn't dare to stop practicing, those details that I repeatedly adjusted in front of the mirror, now all turned into the heavy weight of the microphone in my hands.
"Standing in this position at this moment, what I want to say most is thank you."
Xie Qingyu gripped the microphone tightly, feeling the coolness of the metal casing. "This isn't a polite remark from the script. I truly want to share this moment of glory—"
His fingers unconsciously rubbed the lines on the microphone. "One for each of you who voted for me."
He then leaned forward slightly, bringing his eyes level with the camera: "Your trust gives me confidence in every step I take. Every bit of support is like the wind that holds up my wings.
In fact, I have always been clear about what I want, and I have always believed that hard work will pay off."
The vote count on the large screen behind him still shone brightly. Xie Qingyu raised his head slightly and said, "This first place is not a coincidence, but a necessity written by us together. For me, it is not the end, but a new starting point."
"I will continue to stay focused and let better performances and works speak for themselves. The road ahead is still long, but as long as you are with me, I have unlimited strength. Let's keep moving forward together~"
At the end, Xie Qingyu's voice softened unconsciously. She smiled at the camera and made a small fist next to her cheek, as if to say "Let's work hard together!"
I don’t know whether the fans were moved or not, but the contestants in the audience had already burst into tears, and the sobs echoed in the auditorium.
"Wow, thank you, sir! This statement is so touching!"
One contestant was wiping his tears and blowing his nose with a tissue. The contestant who was trying to pass him the tissue couldn't even deliver it to him, so he simply threw the remaining half of the packet on his legs and asked him to tear it himself!
The person next to him slapped his thigh and lamented, "It's the same old saying... when you need it, you will regret not having enough knowledge. Regret not having enough!"
"No matter whether we can advance or not, we must keep working hard!" someone shouted with red eyes.
"I should have practiced harder!" Another contestant beat his chest and stamped his feet. "I hate it~"
“Forget it,” his companion patted him on the shoulder, “the competition is too fierce this time. For someone of our level…” He was interrupted before he could finish his words.
"Who cares about debuting?" Xie Qingyu's longtime fan suddenly looked up, his eyes red. "What I hate is that I can't see Big Boss Xie ascend the throne on the group's debut night!"
The contestant who was trying to offer comfort was suddenly speechless, and then he remembered that the person in front of him was a well-known die-hard fan of Xie Qingyu, and he shut up in disappointment - it was completely unnecessary to reason with such a fanatical fan.
Xie Qingyu stood at the base of the pyramid and gave a warm smile to every contestant who came to congratulate him.
He looked up at the highest point and climbed up the stairs step by step. His white sneakers made a steady sound as they stepped on the steps.
When he finally turned around and sat down at the top, the lights of the entire pyramid suddenly lit up, enveloping him in a dazzling brilliance.
Xie Qingyu looked up at the cameras that were gathered from all directions and facing him, tilted his head and smiled, since he had already sat up, he would not get off.
The headlights above the seat cast a light golden halo around him, making his outline even clearer.
This simple head tilting action was captured by countless cameras and played repeatedly in the subsequent program highlights.
At that moment, Xie Qingyu was like a king who had finally been crowned, gently but unquestionably declaring his absolute dominance!
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