Chapter 162: Audacious
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There was no doubt that Su Chen’s answer caused an uproar both in the audience and in the livestream chat!
“Holy crap! My Chen is so arrogant! I love it!”
“Hahaha, this is way too boring and offers no challenge at all. I’m dying! Is Chen taking a shot at the production team?”
“What do you mean, taking a shot? Su Chen is confronting them head-on! Don’t you know the saying? What doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger!”
“To be fair, I usually don’t like people who flaunt themselves. But seeing contestant Su Chen so confident, I’m not annoyed at all. In fact, I feel that he’s the only one qualified to say something like that!”
“Brother Chen! Invincible!!!”
…
Compared with the frenzied comments in the livestream, the audience at the venue was much more restrained.
But no matter how reserved they tried to be, seeing their favorite contestant display such overwhelming confidence and power, they still could not help screaming.
“Ahhh! Su Chen! You’re so cool!!!”
“Su Chen! We believe in you! Every twist and turn is merely a stepping-stone on the path to godhood!!!”
“Go, Su Chen! Show everyone who doubts you and everyone who targets you that you cannot be defeated!!!”
…
Hearing the waves of screams, Liu Shao finally let out a sigh of relief.
The production team had recorded this video precisely to soothe the audience’s emotions.
Originally, Wu Tong himself had been forced to swallow his pride and ask Su Chen to record it. Yet, unexpectedly, the moment Su Chen heard that the competition format was being changed, he had acted as though it were completely irrelevant to him.
He had even recorded the video without requiring Wu Tong to make an appearance.
Liu Shao did not know whether to call Su Chen magnanimous or audacious…
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Clearly, recording the video had been useful. Although the audience seemed even more excited now, at least they had stopped criticizing the production team. As long as the show could proceed normally, that was enough.
Seizing the opportunity, Liu Shao hurriedly raised the microphone and continued, “Now that we’ve explained the new format for tonight’s competition, let us welcome, with a warm round of applause, the six music critics invited to our program!”
“First to appear is Qiu Zhijie, Mr. Qiu! Let’s welcome Mr. Qiu to the stage!”
As Liu Shao spoke, Qiu Zhijie emerged from backstage and walked toward the front of the stage. At the same time, the large screen in the center began playing a video introducing him, allowing the audience to learn more about this renowned music critic.
“Qiu Zhijie: Qiu Zhijie is a renowned Chinese music critic and promoter. He wields considerable influence in the field of music criticism and excels at analyzing and evaluating a wide range of musical genres!”
When the video ended, Qiu Zhijie stood onstage and gave the audience a formal greeting.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Qiu Zhijie.”
After saying this, he walked over to the critics’ section specially arranged by the production team, located beside the mentors’ seats.
It was clear that Mr. Qiu was a reserved and rather serious man.
Although the audience was not very familiar with him, the four mentors seated at the judges’ table all stood and greeted Qiu Zhijie.
Meanwhile, Liu Shao continued introducing the next critic.
“Next, our second music critic is Ren Jie, Mr. Ren!”
As Liu Shao spoke, the screen began playing another video.
“Ren Jie: Ren Jie is a renowned music critic and one of the founders of Rock Weekly. He possesses extensive experience and unique insights into China’s rock music scene and is highly respected for his criticism!”
After Ren Jie took his seat, the remaining four critics, including Bi Feiyu, were introduced in turn.
“Bi Feiyu: Bi Feiyu is a renowned independent music critic, famous for his research into and promotion of independent music. His contributions to China’s independent music scene are widely recognized, and he is frequently invited to participate in music festivals and other events.”
“Shi Qi: Shi Qi is a renowned Chinese jazz critic who specializes in the study and promotion of jazz. Her understanding and commentary on jazz are both profound and accessible, helping more people understand and appreciate this musical form.”
“Zhang Fan: Zhang Fan is a veteran pop-music critic with a keen eye and unique insights into the development and evolution of Chinese pop music. His critical works are widely loved by readers and have played a positive role in advancing China’s music industry.”
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“Zheng Jun: Zheng Jun is a renowned rock singer as well as a critic with extensive musical experience. His status and influence in the music world have made his commentary particularly noteworthy, while his exceptional musical talent has earned him widespread acclaim!”
Once all six music critics had taken their seats, Liu Shao finally walked to the center of the stage.
“The six music critics joining us tonight all possess considerable influence in China’s music industry. Through their professional knowledge and insights, they offer the public a deeper understanding and appreciation of music.”
“So let us once again welcome all six of our distinguished guests with a warm round of applause!”
As Liu Shao finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
At first, the audience had not been very familiar with these music critics. But after watching the introductory videos, they realized that every one of them carried considerable stature.
And among the six was Zheng Jun!
The others might not have been familiar to them, but Zheng Jun could be called a legendary figure—practically an artifact of Chinese-language rock music.
Although he had gradually faded from public view over the years, a great many older people still remembered him.
After all, in his heyday, he had been a rock star whose popularity rivaled that of top-tier celebrities such as Zhou Zhiqian and Yan Mi!
Once the applause had subsided, Liu Shao continued, “All right. Everything that needed to be introduced before the competition has now been covered. So let us officially begin this episode’s competition!”
“This competition will once again use a dual-theme format. The random topics have already been displayed on the large screen.”
As Liu Shao spoke, two wheels appeared on the screen, one on the left and one on the right. Each wheel was divided into five sections, with a different word written in each section.
Liu Shao pointed toward the screen and said, “As you can see, the five sections on the wheel to the left are: sentimental ballad, rock, rap, folk music, and traditional-style music.”
“The five sections on the wheel to the right are: porcelain, bridge, moonlight, desk lamp, and new love, old love.”
“These are all the topics for tonight’s dual-theme challenge. Now, let us invite the mentors of the first two teams to take the stage—Mentor Yan Mi and our newly joined mentor, Cai Xukun—to make the random selections!”
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