Chapter 176: Results of the First Round of Elimination

Afternoon.

As it neared one o'clock, Chen Qi went on stage to rehearse.

He specifically invited Qin Mengxue and the other six to give him some guidance from the audience.

In the music circle, he was as green as a newcomer could possibly be, and he urgently needed these veterans to pass on some of their valuable experience.

Whether it was out of respect for his identity as the director or because they genuinely liked him, during that one-hour rehearsal, Qin Mengxue and the other six did indeed point out various shortcomings in his performance.

These precious suggestions benefited Chen Qi immensely.

Aside from the six of them in the audience, there were actually quite a few television station staff members present.

Because Chen Qi had lifted the restrictions, many people from the station took advantage of their work breaks to run over and watch the commotion.

They witnessed the entire scene of Chen Qi seeking advice from Qin Mengxue and the others, and their expressions were somewhat peculiar.

Was he really that afraid of being eliminated?

To avoid elimination, he was actually willing to ask his competitors for advice?

The rumors online were true after all—this guy really was shameless!

At that moment, many people secretly speculated in their hearts that if Chen Qi ended up with the lowest vote count again this episode, would he abuse his authority as director to manipulate the results and pull off a narrow victory?

After all...

Right?

At two-thirty, the rehearsals came to an end.

Following the usual convention, Chen Qi used a draw to determine the performance order for this episode.

Unlike the previous episode, this time he put on a show and drew a numbered ball.

Coincidentally, it was number one again.

While they were drawing lots, the live audience began entering the venue.

They were once again the audience arranged by Everyday Music.

It was worth mentioning that after the first episode aired yesterday, the internet was flooded with voices begging for tickets to the live recording.

Perhaps noticing this demand and possessing a sharp business sense, Everyday Music, after obtaining Chen Qi's consent, officially announced at noon that they had acquired the audio copyright for *I Am a Singer*. At the same time, they opened a registration channel for live audience members on their website and client homepage.

Starting from the next episode, live audience members would change from being passively invited to actively registering.

This could also be considered a clever way to drive traffic to their website, maximizing the influence of *I Am a Singer* into profit.

And sure enough, this registration channel caused quite a small sensation online and brought a significant amount of traffic to Everyday Music.

Of course, what excited netizens even more was the launch of the audio version of *I Am a Singer*.

Even though the premiere of *I Am a Singer* had already been rebroadcast on Beijing TV, there was still no trace of it online, leaving netizens who wanted to re-listen to the music tormented.

According to usual conventions, shouldn't variety shows from major television stations be launched on video websites the very next day?

What was going on with *I Am a Singer*? Surely the online copyright couldn't have failed to sell, right?

Sensing this unusual atmosphere, media outlets still high on excitement quickly followed up with reports.

Soon, all kinds of behind-the-scenes gossip were freshly baked.

From Chen Qi's initial preparations when no one believed in him, to the fierce bidding war between Simple Video and Youyou Video for the online copyright of the show, all sorts of true and false information flooded the eyes of the audience, leaving onlookers continually amazed.

A counterattack story was the most thrilling thing of all!

Because of these true and false insider stories, many netizens developed a certain degree of admiration for Chen Qi.

He certainly knew how to court death with style!

To be able to produce such a fantastic show under such immense pressure!

Fuelled by these gossips, the audience members fortunate enough to attend the live recording were exceptionally excited.

Having already taken their seats, they whispered to each other, their faces filled with anticipation.

Soon, three o'clock arrived.

"Stage preparation."

"Ten-second countdown!"

Guided by the on-site staff, the audience quickly quieted down.

Then, the recording of the show officially began.

No host.

No opening remarks.

The moment the lights came on, the first singer stepped directly onto the stage.

Seeing that the first person to appear on stage was Chen Qi, the audience couldn't help but smile.

They still had a deep impression of how he secured last place in the previous episode with an overwhelming advantage of twenty-three votes.

Some audience members were even wondering whether they should vote for him unconditionally this time, seeing as he truly looked rather pitiful.

Of course, other audience members thought it might be quite amusing if he actually got eliminated.

Naturally, Chen Qi hadn't deliberately screened the audience for this episode.

Having scored that blinding twenty-three votes last time, he had already prepared himself for the worst.

If he really got eliminated...

Then so be it.

Given the current sensational impact of the show, he wouldn't struggle to find a replacement singer anyway.

In fact, as early as the morning, a singer he had previously invited had called him, expressing quite directly their intention to join the show as a replacement singer.

He neither refused nor agreed.

At this stage of the show, the dynamic had reversed.

It was no longer the singers picking the show; it was him picking the singers. Which specific singers to choose would depend on the show's situation and the opinions of the audience.

"Nobody knows, I don't belong to this world..."

Given the rule that singers could no longer sing their own songs in this episode, Chen Qi did not sing a new track.

Instead, he sang a pop song from this world.

He found the lyrics quite interesting, so he performed it.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap..."

As the song ended, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

Qin Mengxue and the others, watching the live stream from the backstage area, nodded in admiration while joining in the applause.

"Welcome everyone to *I Am a Singer*, exclusively titled by Kuku Mobile. I am singer Chen Qi." Chen Qi bowed deeply to the live audience, and after delivering a brief opening speech, he directly signaled the second singer to take the stage.

The rest of the episode was equally breathtaking, with continuous applause and cheers.

For the vast majority of the audience, this was the first time they had heard such A-list singers perform other people's songs.

The flavor they brought out was completely different from the original versions.

The atmosphere in the venue was likewise exceptionally good.

After all seven singers finished performing, the audience still wore expressions of lingering attachment.

Almost all the viewers realized that listening to it live was infinitely more shocking than watching it on television at home!

Although it was the same episode, the live sound quality and the sensation of surround-sound vocals circulating right beside your ears were simply explosive!

Subsequently, the show entered the voting segment.

This segment was completely confidential and not made public.

Soon, the vote counts for the second episode were tallied.

When Chen Qi received the results from Su Xiaoxiao, he suddenly burst into laughter—a laugh that was entirely genuine and completely natural.

Qin Mengxue and the other six looked at each other in dismay, each seeing confusion and helplessness in the other's eyes.

Wait... what was he laughing at?

What did this laugh even mean?

In truth, they had half-seriously, half-playfully discussed the vote counts for this episode earlier. Of course, that wasn't the main point. The main point was that they were all guessing whether Chen Qi would be eliminated this time.

Given that his twenty-three votes from last episode were ridiculously low, they all thought his position was precarious.

However, seeing Chen Qi laugh the moment he saw the results left them completely baffled.

Especially the two singers who ranked fifth and sixth last time; their hearts were pounding with anxiety.

There wouldn't be a reversal, would there? They felt they had performed quite well this episode.

"The voting results for this episode are out, and they're right in my hand." Chen Qi waved the data sheets and said, "This result... is quite surprising."

Hearing this, several singers felt their hearts skip a beat.

Surprising?

He actually used the word surprising?

Then things were getting serious!

"The first singer to be eliminated has been decided. Do you want to know who it is?" Chen Qi looked at them with a smile.

Qin Mengxue and the others nodded instinctively.

Of course they wanted to know!

Who wouldn't?

However, they also knew that Chen Qi wouldn't just hand over the results like that.

Sure enough...

"Kuku Mobile *I Am a Singer*, the third place goes to..." Another long pause.

The anxious singers braced themselves and waited.

This shameless method of revealing results had already become a feature of the show; complaining about it was useless.

"Qin Mengxue!"

Hearing his name, Qin Mengxue smiled and stood up to acknowledge the applause.

Having taken first place last time, he wasn't particularly worried this time. With Chen Qi anchoring the bottom, even if he came in last place, it was unlikely he would be eliminated.

"Clap, clap, clap..." The other singers also applauded to show their congratulations.

After third place came second place, and then first place.

Hearing that Chen Qi was actually announcing first place ahead of time, everyone was somewhat surprised.

Weren't you the type to save the suspense of last and first place until the very end? Why were you breaking your own routine this time?

Song Quiqi, who once nearly climbed to the throne of diva, lived up to expectations and claimed first place this time.

Seeing these singers who were now guaranteed advancement, the remaining artists whose scores hadn't been announced yet involuntarily revealed a trace of envy.

"Kuku Mobile *I Am a Singer*, the fifth place goes to..."

After announcing the top three, Chen Qi skipped fourth place and directly announced fifth and sixth place.

In the end, only fourth place and seventh place remained unannounced.

Chen Qi was one of them.

The other singer had placed sixth last time.

"I'm done for!" Upon hearing that only fourth and seventh remained, that singer couldn't help but wail internally.

Since Chen Qi didn't leave first place for last but specifically held back fourth place, that spot had to be his. Otherwise, he wouldn't have smiled so brightly when he first saw the results.

He wasn't the only one with this thought; the others also believed Chen Qi must be fourth place.

As for whether there was any foul play involved, they didn't really suspect it.

Although they didn't know Chen Qi well, through their interactions over the past few days, they could sense that he was above such petty tricks.

His vision was simply too grand for that!

"The seventh place goes to..."

Hearing Chen Qi announce last place directly, everyone became even more convinced that he was fourth place.

He seemed to just love keeping his own ranking for the very end.

Not many people noticed that as Chen Qi announced this ranking, Su Xiaoxiao, standing just outside the camera's view not far away, unconsciously bit her lower lip.

After a pause of six or seven seconds, just when everyone thought Chen Qi was about to reveal the result, he suddenly changed the subject and said, "Um... let me say one more thing."

"Oh, come on..." Several singers groaned aloud, feeling thoroughly unwell.

Are you for real?

You built up the atmosphere all the way to this point, and then you change the subject?

How could you be so utterly heartless?

The singer who placed sixth last time even patted his chest involuntarily, wearing a traumatized expression of lingering fear.

"Heh..." Seeing their agonizing expressions, Chen Qi couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Let me just add, the singer who got last place today is the one being eliminated this time."

"..." Everyone looked at him speechlessly.

Could you be any more outrageous?

Couldn't you have said that after announcing the rankings? Did you really have to interrupt right in the middle?

Unbelievable!

Absolutely unbelievable!

"Alright, the first round, second match of *I Am a Singer*, the seventh place goes to..." Another shameless pause.

Everyone's just-relaxed hearts tightened up again, their gazes glued to him without blinking.

Chen Qi's gaze slowly swept across the remaining singers and finally locked onto the one who had placed sixth in the previous episode.

Meeting Chen Qi's gaze, that singer's heart skipped a beat, and despair instantly washed over him.

Chen Qi stared at him quietly, and only after sensing that the other person was about to break under the pressure did he slowly spit out two words:

"Chen Qi!"

"Huh?"

"What?"

As soon as those words dropped, the entire scene froze in shock!

Never mind the singers, even the cameramen and other staff members in the back involuntarily dropped their jaws, their expressions nothing short of spectacular.

Chen Qi?

The director?

No way!

The director is the one getting eliminated in the first round?

Are they playing this big?!

The singer who placed sixth last time stared in utter disbelief.

Chen Qi?

It's not me?

Wait...

Since last place isn't me, why on earth were you glaring at me like that just now?!

Enough is enough!

Seriously, enough!

You can't just trap people like this; do you know I almost had a heart attack?!

"Wait..." Qin Mengxue and the others couldn't process it for a moment.

They had already prepared themselves for Chen Qi taking fourth place, only for him to turn around and announce that he was still in last place?

If you were the one getting eliminated this episode, what on earth were you smiling about when you saw the results?! And what was the point of deliberately dropping that hint in the middle?!

"How else do you think I could have confused you?" Chen Qi said shamelessly.

Qin Mengxue: "..."

Song Quiqi: "..."

Everyone else: "..."

They were completely speechless.

To trap them and make them suffer through maximum anxiety, he certainly went to great lengths!

Thank you so much for your hard work!

"Alright, our elimination results for the first round are out. Yes, it's me." Saying this, Chen Qi's expression suddenly turned somewhat mournful. "To be honest, it really hurts."

The six singers: "..."

The entire crew: "..."

Enough!

You've really gone far enough!

Your acting lacks any sincerity whatsoever!

It's way too exaggerated!