Chapter 172 The Birth of the Joker
The next morning, Yida Records Company.
"Wow, Pigeon, did you clean the office last night?"
Lin Zhixing came to the company with breakfast and saw that the office had been cleaned and looked brand new. He turned around in surprise and asked Song Ge beside him.
"Not me."
Song Ge shook his head and turned to look at Ji Yu beside him.
Ji Yu waved her hand and looked back at the corridor. "It's not me, could it be the cleaning lady?"
"It can't be the cleaning lady. Didn't she already tell her that she would clean it?"
"Who is that?"
While the three were guessing, Dong Chen, who had come to the company early to work, walked in, took the breakfast from Lin Zhixing, and replied, "It was Liu Zhu, the musician who plays the chimes, who cleaned it. She came early in the morning and had just left when I ran into her."
"she?"
Lin Zhixing was quite surprised.
Dong Chen peeled off the packaging bag, took a bite of the bun, and said, "Well, there aren't many songs used for the chime instrument. She felt that it was inappropriate to be idle all day with the money she received every month, so she planned to take charge of the office hygiene."
Ji Yu pursed her lips and gave a thumbs up, "This girl is a good person. If it were me, you would definitely see me cleaning. I just want to do it for the sake of not doing anything wrong. It's rare to see her."
"By the way, Brother Lin."
Dong Chen swallowed the bun and said, "The production team of I Am the Rap King has a pre-match recording interview. We have to do it one day in advance, so we have to fly back to Shanghai this afternoon."
"Okay, no problem."
…
…
In a hotel in Shanghai.
The air was filled with smoke and the clinking of wine bottles.
"Brother Fan, what are your plans for tomorrow night's game?"
"Yes, what song are you going to sing tomorrow?"
Zhao Fan pinched a cigarette in his hand, looked at the curious eyes of his friends, took a gulp of wine, smiled and said: "Of course I'll bring out my hit song "This is Rap"!"
"Wuhu, that's not a reserved championship!"
"If we bring out this song, we'll definitely have a chance to win the championship!"
"This Is Rap" is Zhao Fan's masterpiece. Most of his fans fell in love with him because of this song. This song is his trump card, and he is the best when he sings this song.
Listening to the flattery of the people around him, Zhao Fan put down the bottle of wine in his hand, shook his head and said: "I'm not drunk, I still recognize the reality."
"The champion is Lin Zhixing. His song "In the Name of the Father" is absolutely amazing. Although I hate him, to be honest, I think that song is the pinnacle of Chinese rap."
When the people around heard this, they nodded.
"Indeed, that song is amazing. It's hard to imagine his creative state at the time. I've never seen that style of rap before!"
"Well, he is really good, and that song is also really good. I downloaded it and I really like listening to it."
"Um."
Zhao Fan flicked the ash off his cigarette, rubbed his chin, and analyzed, "He's already come up with such a good song before the finals. The song in the finals might be even more terrifying, so the championship will definitely be his."
"That makes sense, but with the song "This Is Rap", the second one won't be a big problem."
"cough."
Zhao Fan put out his cigarette and turned around to say, "Change 'not a big problem' to 'no problem'. Why am I so sure? The song 'Black World' sung by Zhou Dan in the last episode was already his strongest work, and I haven't revealed my trump card yet! Even though he is very strong, he can never beat the strongest me."
"As for Wei Zhehao from Pan Shuai's team, there's nothing to worry about. Just retain your strength and use another song to eliminate him."
"Yes, that analysis is absolutely correct!"
"Lin Zhixing is a monster. It's not shameful to lose to a monster. Winning the silver medal is proof of our strength!"
"Come on, let's raise our glasses and congratulate Brother Fan for taking second place!"
"cheers!"
…
In another hotel.
Wei Zhehao practiced singing all night long and did not dare to slack off at all for tomorrow's competition.
"Brother Hao, don't be too tired, give your voice a rest!"
"Yeah, relax."
After being eliminated, Chai Da and Li Chao did not leave Shanghai for the time being. They planned to accompany their buddy Wei Zhehao to the end of the final. They had seen Wei Zhehao's hard practice these days.
Wei Zhehao picked up the bottle of mineral water on the table, took two gulps, and said with a firm look, "I am the weakest among the top four. It's the final moment, I can't slack off, I have to give it a try."
Chai Da nodded and asked curiously: "Brother Hao, what song are you going to sing tomorrow?"
Wei Zhehao said: "The semi-finals are "Crazy Dreams" and the finals are "Dix Walks."
Li Chao opened his eyes wide and asked in surprise, "Why didn't the strongest work "Crazy Dream" stay in the finals?"
Wei Zhehao pursed his lips and said frankly: "It's difficult to beat Zhou Dan, so I have to go all out to get the top three. I will try my best in the semi-finals."
Chai Da and Li Chao looked at each other and felt that this safe approach was fine. Being too greedy could easily lead to losing everything. They gave him a thumbs up and said, "Good luck, Brother Hao. I'll see you receiving the award tomorrow!"
…
In another hotel.
Lin Zhixing was holding his phone and watching funny short videos, laughing loudly.
"Brother Lin, don't you want to practice singing for the competition tomorrow?"
Dong Chen asked while leaning against the head of the bed and playing games on his mobile phone.
"Tomorrow's game?"
Lin Zhixing scratched his itch, turned his head and raised his eyebrows and asked, "Isn't there an award ceremony tomorrow?"
Dong Chen: “6!”
…
…
Eight o'clock the next morning.
The recording building of "I Am the Rap King".
The top four contestants were invited by the program team to record a pre-match interview, and the interview video will be released at noon to build momentum for the evening's game.
Lin Zhixing was the first to arrive. He was pulled into a room by the female host for the interview and the cameraman was already ready.
"Hello, Lin Zhixing."
"Hello."
After a few simple pleasantries, when Lin Zhixing was ready, the photographer started recording.
The female host asked: "Fans feel that your rap is different from other rappers. Other rappers seem to learn rap from foreign countries, but your rap has its own characteristics. What do you think about this?"
“I have such an understanding.”
After thinking for a moment, Lin Zhixing said, "The lyrics of these foreign rap cultures are actually quite dark. I like this kind of music, but I don't like this kind of content."
“I want to let the audiences who like rap know that rap is not only about dirty words, violence, sports cars, and money; it can also be about pastoral life, love, dreams, and family affection…”
The female host and the photographer looked at each other and secretly gave each other a thumbs up, "Full marks!"
…
The second person to be interviewed was “Zhou Dan”.
"Are you confident that you can win the 'Rap King' trophy tonight?"
Facing the host's question, Zhou Dan smiled and replied: "As a contestant, I should say I am confident that I can win the trophy. But frankly speaking, the person who should hold the trophy should be the most popular Lin Zhixing. His last song amazed the rap community. I will try my best to compete with him!"
…
The third person to be interviewed was “Zhao Fan”.
The host asked him the same question as Zhou Dan.
Zhao Fan hesitated for a moment and replied, "There is a voting post on Weibo about the champion of I Am the Rap King. Lin Zhixing received 95% of the votes, Zhou Dan received 4% of the votes, and I received 1% of the votes."
"Although only 1% of netizens think I can win, I also want to prove to that 1% that your choice is right!"
…
Exactly twelve o'clock noon.
The official Weibo account of "I Am the Rap King" released the interview video of the top four contestants, which instantly aroused heated discussion among netizens.
"Oh Ye Ge's answer is amazing, he is definitely a high-quality idol! He gave a perfect answer, the Chinese music scene needs singers like him!"
"From the video, it seems that In the Name of the Father conquered Zhou Dan, and his answer was very realistic."
"I'm a fan of Zhao Fan. This answer really brought tears to my eyes. Even if there's only a 1% chance, I'll still give it a try. Come on!"
"Zhao Fan doesn't believe that the long night is coming, because the white flag is in his hand!"
…
One hour before the game, in the locker room.
Dong Chen, who accompanied him, saw this Weibo post, curled his lips, and said to Lin Zhixing, who was leaning on the sofa with his eyes closed, "Brother Lin, have you watched the interview video?"
"Zhou Dan has been defeated from his opponent to his subordinate. But Zhao Fan still has illusions. He will never give up!"
Lin Zhixing didn't care at all, closed his eyes and replied: "Let the bullets fly for a while, he will give up tonight."
"Um."
Dong Chen put down his phone and advised, "I just checked Weibo and saw that those three people all posted on Weibo to promote the event. Brother Lin, why don't you post one too?"
"Okay, this is the last episode."
Lin Zhixing opened his eyes, picked up the mobile phone on the coffee table, pondered for a moment, edited a Weibo post and sent it out.
[My assistant asked me to post a microblog to promote tonight's game. I thought about it and didn't know what to post. Come watch the show tonight. I will show you how to hold the trophy with one hand! ]
As soon as the Weibo post was released, fans were overjoyed.
"Okay, familiar smell, I just like your pretentious look!"
"6, you know how to create momentum!"
"Okay, I'll witness you holding the trophy tonight!"
…
…
Half an hour before kick-off.
Pan Shuai came to the lounge specifically to meet Lin Zhixing.
"Pan! Sit down quickly."
Lin Zhixing invited him to sit on the sofa, and Dong Chen, who was also a singer from "I Am the King of Singers", came over to say hello.
Pan Shuai smiled and raised his eyebrows and asked, "Xiao Lin, I heard that you will hold the cup with one hand tonight?"
"Yes, there is such a plan."
Lin Zhixing was not modest and admitted it generously with a smile.
Pan Shuai nodded and gave a thumbs up, "Come on, I want to meet you as the champion in the show the day after tomorrow!"
…
…
Eight o'clock in the evening.
With a gesture from the on-site director, the scene suddenly became quiet, and the live broadcast room of "I Am the Rap King" was officially opened.
With the hype created by the Weibo video and the popularity of the finals, the audience gathered in the live broadcast room early. They poured in like a tide and the barrage of comments instantly filled the screen.
"First, the sofa!"
"Come and see Brother Oh Ye win the championship!"
"I Am The Rap King cannot exist without Oh Ye Ge, just like snail rice noodle cannot exist without fried eggs!"
…
In the director's office.
"Wow, the initial number of people online is too exaggerated. Is it going to break the record tonight?"
Director Hou Pingliang looked at the real-time data in the live broadcast room and was so excited that his hand was shaking as he touched the mouse.
The female assistant beside him nodded repeatedly and replied with a smile: "We will definitely break the record tonight, Director Hou, prepare a celebration banquet!"
“Okay, okay!”
Hou Pingliang smiled from ear to ear, his finger lightly placed on the screenshot key on the computer.
…
On the gorgeous stage.
The host, Hua Shaoyang, wearing a bright red suit, came on stage amid cheers from the audience. "Good evening, audience friends. Welcome to the live broadcast of the final night of I Am the Rap King..."
"good!"
After the opening remarks, inspiring background music sounded, and the three mentors waved and came out. Behind each mentor was his or her team member, all dressed up carefully.
After the contestants were seated, the host announced: "Before the finals, we will stage a competition for the top three spots. Contestant Lin Zhixing has already secured one spot, and the remaining three contestants will compete for the remaining two spots."
"Without further ado, the semi-finals will begin now! Please look at the big screen!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the contestants' portraits began to roll on the stage screen. Ten seconds later, the first contestant to appear was "Zhou Dan".
"Next, please welcome contestant Zhou Dan..."
Amid applause from the audience, Zhou Dan, dressed in a suit and tie, walked to the center of the stage.
Zhou Dan was in a very peaceful state of mind tonight. He had no utilitarianism and was more focused, performing very well.
After listening to the whole song, Lin Zhixing felt that it was very good and that he would definitely advance to the next round.
Zhou Dan left the stage amid warm applause, and the contestant portraits on the stage screen turned again.
"Now, please welcome contestant Wei Zhehao to sing "Crazy Dream" for everyone. Please welcome him with applause!"
"Wow, finally we get to sing this song! I love it so much!"
Wei Zhehao's fans were very excited.
"come on!"
Lin Zhixing and his teammate Wei Zhehao high-fived to encourage each other.
Wei Zhehao, under the spotlight, has a determined gaze. After a week of hard practice, he is confident that he can perform the song better.
Hard work pays off.
He performed very well tonight, it can be said to be his strongest live performance!
The fans gave him thunderous applause for his excellent performance.
"That's it?"
Zhao Fan, who appeared last, didn't take him seriously at all. His goal was to defeat "Zhou Dan".
He walked to the center of the stage amid the cheers of his fans.
The song he sang was a fast one and his performance was also very good. After listening to it, Lin Zhixing felt that "Zhou Dan" would definitely advance. It was hard to say who would win or lose between him and Wei Zhehao.
…
After Zhao Fan left the stage, the host walked back to the center of the stage and introduced: "The three contestants have finished their performances. Now I declare that the voting is officially open. The three mentors please write down your scores for each contestant on your hand cards."
In order to prevent all votes from being cast for one's own contestants, the mentor voting rules have been slightly changed.
The camera turns to the contestant seats.
Wei Zhehao seemed a little nervous, Zhou Dan was very calm, and Zhao Fan's lips curled up slightly, as if he was determined to win.
About three minutes later.
The staff handed the envelope with the statistical results to the on-site host, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
"Okay, the results are out."
The host opened the envelope, kept it a secret, and then announced with a smile: "I announce that the top three contestants of "I Am the Rap King" are... Lin Zhixing, Zhou Dan, and Wei Zhehao!"
"???"
Faced with this result, Zhao Fan stared at the host, completely dumbfounded.
"I haven't revealed my cards yet?"
(End of this chapter)
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