Chapter 79 Changing the Tournament Format

On stage, Liu Shao finally finished reading the opening remarks, and the program moved into its official segment.

“In the last episode, we selected thirty-two outstanding contestants from a hundred participants hailing from all corners of the country, dividing them into four groups.”

“Today, these four teams will draw lots to determine their match-ups, and from the thirty-two contestants, sixteen winners will emerge!”

“With nearly half the participants facing elimination, today promises to be a fierce and passionate showdown! So, let me first invite our four mentors to the stage!”

“They are Yan Mi, Han Hong, Zhou Zhiqian, and our mentor Zheng Huayu, who joins us despite his injury!”

As Liu Shao’s spirited voice rang out, beams of light swept across the stage, illuminating the mentors in the darkness.

Among them, Zheng Huayu’s entrance was the most unconventional.

He appeared on stage in a hospital gown, sitting in a wheelchair, hooked up to an IV drip.

The viewers in the live broadcast room were stunned by the sight.

“What the… Yesterday I saw on Weibo that Zheng Huayu was hospitalized for self-harm. How is he back so soon?”

“Where exactly did he hurt himself? I don’t see any injuries. Maybe he accidentally nicked his finger—just a millimeter cut that healed overnight?”

“Hey, that’s going too far! Don’t underestimate our idol! He’s ruthless with himself. For all we know, he could have gone all out and castrated himself!”

“Hahaha! That’s quite the image. He was already kind of effeminate, and now it’s official. I suppose that’s progress in its own way.”

“He’s working so hard despite everything, and you all still cyberbully him—do you have any conscience?!”

Soon, Zheng Huayu’s diehard fans swarmed in to defend him, clashing head-on with the many detractors in the live chat.

On stage, Liu Shao remained unaware of the chaos erupting online. But even if he knew, he wouldn’t halt the show’s proceedings.

As Director Wu Tong often said, for a show, as long as people are talking about it, there’s enough heat.

And that discussion needn’t be positive; negative publicity is still publicity.

After all, who can say notoriety isn’t a form of fame?

“All right, now that our four mentors are in place, let’s draw lots to determine the battle order!”

As Liu Shao spoke, staff members brought up a transparent glass box and placed it before the four mentors. Inside, three slips of paper were clearly visible.

“Since today’s battles are head-to-head, only one person needs to draw to decide the match-ups,” Liu Shao explained to the camera.

“Originally, the drawer was to be chosen by rock-paper-scissors, but Zheng Huayu’s dedication to recording the show despite his injury moved the production team. After discussing with the other three mentors, we decided to let Mentor Zheng Huayu draw!”

“Let’s give a round of applause for Mentor Zheng Huayu!”

As Liu Shao finished, Zheng Huayu was pushed behind the box by staff. He lifted the microphone and said, “Thank you to the production team for this opportunity, and thanks to the other mentors for their graciousness. If I happen to draw a mentor’s name, I hope you’ll go easy on me!”

Zheng Huayu smiled, but for some reason, the audience felt an even heavier gloom about him today.

He absentmindedly curled his fingers into a delicate pose, reached into the box, and drew out a slip, handing it to a staff member.

The staff unfolded the paper, held it above their head, and revealed the bold, enlarged name for all to see.

Yan Mi.

“It’s Team Yan Mi! That means both match-ups for our thirty-two-to-sixteen round are now set!”

“In the first group, Team Zheng Huayu will face Team Yan Mi, and in the second, Team Han Hong will battle Team Zhou Zhiqian!”

“Both match-ups are sure to be riveting!”

Liu Shao’s tone shifted.

“For this round, to facilitate scoring, we’ve made a last-minute change to the rules! Instead of a free-form battle, each match will now have a set theme!”

“For example, the next round’s theme is ‘love.’ Contestants must choose a song that contains the word ‘love,’ and the entire song must strongly align with the theme. This will be a key scoring criterion.”

When Liu Shao finished outlining the rules, a commotion erupted in the audience, and the chatroom of “Star of Tomorrow” was flooded with question marks!

“What the hell?! Is the production team targeting Su Chen? This is just bullying an honest person!”

“What do you mean ‘is it’? Take out the word ‘isn’t’! From the very first episode, anyone with eyes could see the team was deliberately making things harder for Su Chen—like making him go last in the first episode, and letting Zheng Huayu single him out!”

“This is unfair! Absolutely, blatantly unfair!”

“What’s unfair? Who told Su Chen to talk big? And nobody’s forcing him to sing his own original songs!”

“Exactly—if you want to save face, you’ll have to suffer the consequences!”

The live chat grew ever more heated, while backstage at “Star of Tomorrow,” an eerie atmosphere had taken hold.

When they heard Liu Shao’s announcement, those who had previously gathered around Su Chen suddenly became much less enthusiastic.

There was no helping it—the production team’s bias was practically undisguised. They couldn’t help but wonder: even with Su Chen’s current popularity, would he still be unable to debut?

If Su Chen were eliminated this round, wouldn’t all their efforts to curry favor have been for nothing?

Compared to the strange mood around Su Chen, things were quite the opposite for Meng Xiaotian, who was grinning from ear to ear.

“Haha, just as I predicted!”

“If you’re up against Su Chen, you’re bound to win, aren’t you, Brother Tian?”

“I knew it—how could Su Chen, that clown, possibly get the upper hand with you around!”

Basking in the flattery and compliments from those around him, Meng Xiaotian’s eyes narrowed in delight.

This was how things should be! Any setback he’d suffered at Su Chen’s hands before must have been an illusion!

Su Chen, you’ll never beat me—never!

On stage, the other three mentors frowned at Liu Shao’s announcement.

They hadn’t been told about the rule change in advance. To only find out as the show began was clearly a deliberate move to keep them in the dark.

They were deeply displeased, but could not show it, for the rules were laid down by the production team, and as mentors, they had no choice but to follow the new system.

At least on the surface, the program had not openly favored any team.

But everyone knew this was a blatant punishment for Su Chen.

On his wheelchair, Zheng Huayu gave a sickly smile…