Chapter 177: The Astonishing Contrast

Seeing the expressions of utter disbelief and disdain on Qin Mengxue and the others, Chen Qi couldn't hold it back and burst into laughter.

Of course, his sorrow was entirely fake.

He had nothing to be sad about.

Wasn't elimination just the most normal thing in the world? Among the seven initial lineup members, he was by far the weakest. Whether in terms of seniority or experience, he simply couldn't compare to the other six, making his elimination an absolute foregone conclusion.

Failing to gain any real advantage even after bringing out a brand-new song, it would truly be a miracle if he could pull off an upset this week!

Watching Chen Qi crack up, Qin Mengxue and the others couldn't help but chuckle as well.

This was simply ridiculous!

This was the elimination segment!

Could you at least show a little respect to the word "elimination"?

When the rankings were being revealed just a moment ago, you made the background music so tense and terrifying, yet now that it was time for some emotional resonance, you went completely quiet?

What about the atmosphere?

Where was the sentimental atmosphere?

Where was the heartbreaking atmosphere that made people unable to bear watching?

It was one thing to lack a sentimental atmosphere, but turning an elimination into such a comedy routine—what was that supposed to mean?

And to think we had actually prepared a whole speech of hypocritical consolations, only to be denied even the chance to deliver them!

Unbelievable!

Not far away, standing just outside the camera's view, Su Xiaoxiao curved the corners of her lips into a smile when she saw this scene.

Just as the voting results had been tallied earlier, she had called Chen Qi.

She hadn't said anything else; she simply informed him of the results and quietly waited for his instructions.

And the result...

Chen Qi hadn't said anything either, only telling her to confirm everything was correct and rush the footage over immediately.

To be honest, she had felt quite bewildered at the time.

From her perspective, neither publicly nor privately did she wish to see her boss eliminated first, as that would certainly be quite embarrassing.

Yet, he didn't seem worried in the least.

Especially seeing him still in the mood to crack jokes just now, she felt a slight wave of emotion.

She felt that this relaxed elimination atmosphere actually looked much more comfortable.

"Alright, that's it for this week's episode. Next week, we'll have a new singer joining as a replacement, so everyone get ready." Chen Qi, having finished his laughing fit, couldn't be bothered to regulate his facial expressions and simply delivered his closing lines with a grin.

"A new singer?"

Hearing this, Qin Mengxue and the others all lit up slightly.

"Who?"

"Who is it?"

They looked at Chen Qi with curious expressions.

"I don't know, haven't started looking yet," Chen Qi shook his head.

"..." Qin Mengxue and the others rolled their eyes in annoyance.

Haven't started looking?

Anyone who believed that would have to be a ghost!

Still, they didn't really expect to get any information about the replacement singer out of him; they knew he wouldn't tell them.

When it came to keeping secrets, probably no one could rival him. They only asked out of subconscious curiosity.

After exchanging a few words with Chen Qi, they stood up and left.

Chen Qi waved at them with a smile and lowered his head to start organizing the newly filmed footage.

...

Right as the recording of the second episode concluded, Simple Video also announced to the outside world that it had secured the internet broadcasting rights for *Singer*.

Simultaneously with the announcement, the premiere episode went live immediately.

In just over an hour, the click count for the first episode of *Singer* smashed through the ten-million mark!

This was a testament to the sensational impact of the show.

And as the show went live on the video streaming platform, certain details that netizens hadn't noticed before were amplified once again.

For instance, Chen Qi's remark that "this season's audience is a bit lacking" after announcing he had received only 23 votes.

When watching the premiere earlier, the vast majority of viewers had been so stunned by the sheer number of votes he received that they completely overlooked what he said afterward. Hearing it now, many of them found it hilarious.

"Blaming the audience when you're the one who failed? Classic! That's a classic move right there!"

"Hahahaha, I think he's spot on. This season's audience really is a bit lacking, even I could tell!"

"Chen Qi, you've gotten cocky, haven't you? How dare you scold the audience?"

"Do you guys think he'll really pick a different batch of audience members for next week?"

"Definitely, definitely, definitely! He is completely capable of pulling off such a shameless stunt! It totally fits his style, alright?"

"Why would he say that if he wasn't going to pick them? Did you think he was just joking around? No way, he was just giving you a preemptive warning so you wouldn't be too surprised when you find out next week."

Aside from this detail that sparked numerous discussions, attentive netizens also pointed out another detail about *Singer*: there was only a single title sponsor.

"Oh, wow, that's true!"

"Whoa, I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't mentioned it. Is he being this conscientious?"

"Oh well, there's nothing strange about that. Everyone knows that when Chen Qi was preparing this show, no one was optimistic about it, so it was normal that he couldn't find advertisers back then. Don't worry, starting next week, all the necessary advertisements will definitely be filled in, guaranteed not to let you guys miss out!"

"Hahahaha, I think so too. With the premiere episode generating so much buzz, advertisers wanting to promote themselves on the show are probably breaking down the doors right now. I refuse to believe Chen Qi would actually reject these ads out of the goodness of his heart. That's money right there!"

"Why do I feel like Chen Qi did this on purpose? It's a fact that *Singer* wasn't favored in the early stages, but he managed to secure a title sponsor on the level of Kuku Phone; finding a few other ads would be a piece of cake for him, right?"

"Exactly! And I don't know if you guys noticed, but even with Kuku Phone as the title sponsor, Chen Qi only did a verbal ad read at the very beginning and end of the entire episode, and never mentioned the advertiser at all in the middle. If it weren't for the Kuku Phone logo on the backdrop behind the stage, I would've forgotten this show even had a sponsor!"

Netizens debated this advertising detail with great enthusiasm.

Some claimed that Chen Qi simply couldn't find advertisers, while others argued that Chen Qi deliberately refused to feature so many ads. Neither camp could convince the other.

It is worth mentioning that while netizens were noticing this tiny detail about having only a single sponsor, those with keen business senses in the advertising world noticed it too.

Lacking Chen Qi's contact information, they immediately reached out to Beijing TV.

They were green with envy over the sensation the show had caused nationwide.

Just like many netizens thought, they refused to believe Chen Qi would turn down easy money!

To these major financial backers, there was no sponsorship in this world that could not be solved with money.

And then, to their absolute disbelief, they found out there actually was.

Beijing TV rejected their sponsorships—completely and utterly.

Chen Qi had made it clear: *Singer* would not add any more advertisements.

And then, those advertisers were dumbfounded.

They felt their worldview had suffered a massive shock!

...

As *Singer* launched on the video streaming platform, the show's popularity spread gradually.

The TianTian Music streaming charts were completely dominated by *Singer*!

Chen Qi's rendition of *Grand Empire* justifiably claimed the top spot.

Although the live audience voting in the premiere episode of *Singer* was somewhat absurd, the choices made by netizens proved the song's exceptional quality from another perspective.

In addition to that, the songs performed by Qin Mengxue and the others experienced a resurgence in popularity, leaving countless music agencies green with envy.

Under the blessing of various forms of hype, the attention garnered by *Singer* remained consistently high.

...

Soon enough, Friday rolled around again.

Starting from midday on that day, online discussions regarding the second episode of *Singer* began to multiply steadily.

The topic most discussed by netizens was the identity of the first person to be eliminated.

Roughly fifty percent of netizens believed that Chen Qi would be the one to go.

Of course, many naturally assumed Chen Qi wouldn't be eliminated, for no other reason than the fact that he was the show's director.

Who eliminates themselves?

Since he chose to take the stage, he had to stick around for a few more episodes, right? To be eliminated after only two episodes—and as the very first person, no less—didn't he care about his pride?

"Anyway, if I were Chen Qi, I definitely wouldn't let something like that happen!"

"Not necessarily. Don't forget, he's Chen Qi! He's a master at playing by his own rules!"

"No matter what, Chen Qi has the highest chance of elimination. If he doesn't get eliminated, there's a ninety-nine percent chance there's some shady behind-the-scenes manipulation."

"What the poster said is ridiculous—can't you just let the man take first place? What if he gets first place this week?"

"Oh, give it a rest! He sang a brand-new song last week and still didn't get first place, what is he going to use to take first now? Unless he pulls out another new song of the same caliber as *Grand Empire*. Do you think new songs of that caliber are that easy to come up with?"

"What new song? Wouldn't it be easier if he just pulled out his director status?"

Netizens argued endlessly over whether Chen Qi would be eliminated.

Although everyone loathed and despised behind-the-scenes manipulation, they also knew that if Chen Qi really wanted to pull such a stunt, as mere viewers, they had no power to change it.

As the scheduled broadcasting time approached in the evening, these arguments grew increasingly intense.

At this time, several high-profile online influencers on Weibo jumped out to make attention-grabbing statements.

Claims like Chen Qi definitely won't be eliminated, or if Chen Qi gets eliminated I'll do a handstand and eat something unthinkable, or this show could never achieve one-hundred-percent fairness and impartiality, and so on.

Unfortunately for them, the majority of netizens chose to directly ignore these blatantly attention-seeking remarks.

For them, taking even a second look at such brainless comments was an insult to their own IQs.

Nowadays, far too many people had discarded all lower limits just to chase clout.

Soon enough, the time arrived.

The second episode of *Singer* aired as promised.

Just like the premiere, this episode also featured behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage.

The viewers still watched with great relish.

Through the conversations between Chen Qi and the various singers during rehearsals, the audience learned the rule for this week.

No one was allowed to sing their own songs anymore!

Hearing this rule, many people's eyes lit up slightly. Much like the thoughts of many live audience members earlier, they had genuinely never heard these superstar singers perform anyone else's songs!

Following the rehearsals, the drawinglots segment was edited into the main feature.

Seeing Chen Qi draw the number one ball once again, many netizens wore somewhat peculiar expressions.

How could it be such a coincidence that he was first every single time?

Could there really be shady manipulation going on?

Before they could ponder it further, the competition officially began.

And then, those netizens who had previously argued over whether other advertisements would be added this week fell directly into a state of stunned silence.

None!

Not a single advertisement was added!

Not only were there no ads, but this episode even skipped the opening remarks!

"Whoa!!!"

This discovery left numerous netizens marveling in admiration.

Was he really being this conscientious?

Before they could process their reactions further, Chen Qi's singing was already ringing in their ears.

The entire episode was once again spent by the audience in various states of awe.

At this point, many viewers simultaneously thought of a single phrase:

A clash of titans!

This was a genuine clash of titans!

After the competition ended, the screen quickly cut to the backstage area.

Seeing the smile on Chen Qi's face upon viewing the results, netizens quickly unleashed their rich imaginations.

He definitely wasn't eliminated this week!

At that moment, many people subconsciously thought of the word "rigged." But upon closer reflection, given Chen Qi's performance just now, him getting a few more votes seemed somewhat justifiable.

Quite a few viewers even paid special attention to the demographics of the live audience while watching, and they noticed that the audience this week didn't seem to have any noticeable differences compared to the previous week.

Every age group was represented equally.

"The third-place winner is..."

"The first-place winner is..."

Chen Qi's infuriatingly drawn-out way of revealing results drove the audience crazy once again.

If TV stations had a live comment streaming function, the screen right now would probably be filled with bloody kitchen knives!

Especially the off-topic remarks Chen Qi inserted right when he was about to reveal the last remaining spot—it left the netizens alternating between furious and amused.

Enough!

You've really had enough!

There seemed to be a host who was just as long-winded last year, do you know the grass on his grave is already two meters high?

Yet, what tortured the netizens the most was that this segment was still an absolute must-watch; they couldn't bring themselves to skip it.

Although every viewer believed Chen Qi must have taken fourth place this time around, until they heard the final result revealed, they still held a sliver of anticipation.

Anticipation for a final plot twist!

"For the second match of the first round of *I Am a Singer*, the person who placed seventh is..."

Finally, the crucial moment had arrived.

However, the moment they saw Chen Qi cast his gaze toward the singer who had placed sixth last week, they knew there would be no twist.

Chen Qi probably really hadn't been eliminated.

"Chen Qi!"

Just as they were thinking this, Chen Qi called out his own name.

"Huh?"

"What?"

The reactions of the viewers in front of their televisions were almost identical to the reactions of the guests on screen.

"What's going on? Chen Qi?"

"No way, it's really him?"

"Chen Qi is in last place again?"

"Wait a minute! If Chen Qi is in last place, why was he smiling when he got the results?"

"This shameless guy was staring right at the others while the results were being announced just now!"

They were dumbfounded!

Everyone was completely dumbfounded!

Wasn't this unexpected?

Wasn't this completely catching them off guard?

Before anyone could fully process what had happened, the precise voting counts were displayed on the screen.

Chen Qi's score this time was even better than before, earning 39 votes.

"How else was I supposed to trick you guys if I didn't smile?"

The sound of Chen Qi explaining why he smiled earlier rang in the ears of every viewer.

"Oh—"

While the multitude of netizens experienced a sudden wave of realization, they couldn't help but find it both funny and exasperating.

Good grief, he had actually been plotting against the audience the moment he got the results.

He had deliberately created the illusion for the viewers that he wouldn't be eliminated.

Just as everyone had walked straight into his trap, he announced that the eliminated person was none other than himself.

And thus, this massive contrast effect was born...