Chapter 179: A Formidable Adversary!

Afternoon.
Two o'clock.
Having completed all their rehearsals, the six singers were "invited" back to their respective waiting rooms by the men in black.
Their freedom was restricted once again.
From now until the recording of the show was fully completed, none of them were allowed to leave at will.
Meanwhile, some of the television station staff who had originally been permitted to watch from the sidelines were also politely escorted away by the men in black.
Except for the production crew members, no one else was allowed to linger on the premises.
Seeing the men in black making another flamboyant appearance, the group of station staff who had been enjoying the spectacle suddenly felt a bit deflated.
Here they go again!
This free, large-scale deployment of muscle was back!
Clearly, before the official broadcast of the third episode, the identity of the substitute singer would be kept strictly from the outside world.
Sighing inwardly with a trace of regret, the staff members very cooperatively cleared the area.
Secrecy—they understood!
This could be considered standard operating procedure for Chen Qi, so they were not too surprised.
Of course, as for the identity of the substitute singer and other related details, it soon sparked a small wave of internal speculation within the television station.
Just like the thoughts of many netizens online, since the starting lineup of "I Am a Singer" was already so formidable, the substitute singer must surely be that kind of major star who would make the audience gasp upon sight, right?
Who could it be?
...
A dozen minutes later, the brown commercial van familiar to many viewers steadily pulled up at the entrance of the VIP passage, carrying the substitute guest.
Chen Qi personally led the welcoming party.
The moment the van door opened, the experienced camera crew tacitly rushed forward in unison.
Shortly after, Li Hongti appeared before everyone in simple attire.
Upon catching sight of Li Hongti, many of the staff members involuntarily froze for a moment.
Their gazes were tinged with a hint of bewilderment.
How embarrassing—many of them did not recognize her.
However, they were not naive rookies fresh out of society; that look of confusion lingered in their eyes for a mere half-second before they masked it skillfully.
Everyone welcomed the new member with smiles.
They still understood the most basic courtesies.
"Hello, everyone." Having just stepped out of the vehicle, Li Hongti politely waved at the camera, then turned her gaze toward Chen Qi, who was walking up to meet her.
"Director Chen."
Chen Qi greeted her with a smile, skipping any superfluous pleasantries, and directly guided her toward the stage area.
"The other singers arrived this morning, and they all finished their rehearsals half an hour ago. Considering the entertainment value of the program, we didn't plan on letting them know your identity in advance, so right now, none of them have any idea who the substitute singer actually is."
Walking side by side with him, Li Hongti smiled without speaking.
Having watched the first two episodes of the show, she knew that Chen Qi loved playing these suspense-building tricks. Naturally, she also found this kind of routine quite interesting.
"According to the show's rules, you have one hour from now to familiarize yourself with the stage and the live band."
Li Hongti nodded.
As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the venue.
The moment they stepped through the doors, the production crew members on site simultaneously cast their gazes over.
Then, many of them also froze slightly.
Expressions of astonishment, greater or lesser, appeared on their faces.
Who is this?
They searched their memories frantically, but for a moment, they truly could not recall who this rather young female singer standing before them might be.
On the other hand, the band members on stage looked slightly startled upon seeing Li Hongti, their expressions clearly betraying genuine surprise.
"This is Li Hongti..." Chen Qi led Li Hongti onto the stage and briefly introduced her to the band.
Most of the band members knew her, and they were all somewhat surprised to see her appear on this stage.
"You only have one hour, make the most of it." Chen Qi gave Li Hongti a brief instruction before hurrying down the stage, leaving it entirely to her.
On stage, Li Hongti took a deep breath. After a brief scan of the venue, she wasted no time and quickly began communicating with the band members.
A few minutes later, she started her trial singing.
The instant she opened her mouth, the production crew members off stage involuntarily drew in a sharp breath, their gazes shifting toward her with sudden respect.
Within those last few minutes, quite a few people had already managed to find out her identity.
Upon learning who she was, some of them felt rather puzzled—confused as to why Chen Qi had suddenly altered the style of the show.
After all, his initial lineup consisted entirely of major stars, and the outside world was currently speculating which big-name celebrity the substitute singer for the next episode would be.
No one expected Chen Qi to once again pull off such an unexpected twist by going against the grain, inviting a singer of lesser mainstream recognition but possessing an extremely distinctive style.
Interesting!
Truly interesting!
Especially the moment Li Hongti started singing; even those who still didn't recognize her were taken aback.
Who would have guessed—she is a powerhouse vocalist!
...
While Li Hongti was rehearsing, the six singers backstage also began drawing lots to determine the performance order for this episode.
Chen Qi personally oversaw the process.
Having been eliminated himself, he had no choice but to use this method to grab some camera time and maintain his presence.
"Director, has the substitute singer drawn a lot yet?" Song Quqi still had his mind on the newcomer.
"She doesn't draw lots. After you all finish drawing, whatever number is left over will be hers."
"Is that a 'he' with a single-person radical or a 'she' with a female radical?"
"Hmph..." Chen Qi offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Song Quqi was not the only one desperately trying to fish for information.
Seeing that Chen Qi was personally tracking this draw, the other five singers also tried probing in roundabout ways.
Naturally, Chen Qi refused to let them have their way.
He didn't even tell them which position in the running order the substitute singer occupied, torturing the six of them to the verge of frustration several times over.
...
An hour passed quickly, and Li Hongti, having finished her rehearsal, was escorted by the men in black to the backstage waiting room.
"You are performing third."
Chen Qi informed her of her place in the performance order.
"Alright," Li Hongti acknowledged.
"The television in here can show real-time footage of the recording stage. If you have any needs or questions, you can tell the men in black outside directly."
After issuing a couple of brief instructions, Chen Qi hurried away.
A few minutes later, the live audience entered the venue.
This batch of audience members was slightly different from the previous ones.
They had registered themselves and were then randomly selected through a system.
They were true fans of "I Am a Singer."
Therefore, relatively speaking, they were far more excited upon arriving at the scene than the audiences of the first two episodes.
"Stage preparation."
"Ten-second countdown."
Upon hearing the staff signal them to be quiet, the previously boisterous venue quickly quieted down.
Shortly after, the recording of the third episode officially began.
This episode included an opening monologue.
Whether Chen Qi was deliberately trying to boost his own screen time remained unknown.
He delivered the opening monologue, read the title sponsor's commercial plug, and shamelessly used the identity of the substitute singer to keep the audience in suspense.
"This is the first match of the second elimination round. Singers with lower rankings will have a significantly increased probability of being eliminated in the next episode. I am a living example of that."
"Ha-ha-ha—"
As soon as these words fell, not only did the live audience burst into roaring laughter, but even the singers backstage couldn't help laughing out loud.
Following that, they couldn't help but marvel at Chen Qi's willful behavior.
If you were to say this show had rules, the hosting style seemed different in every single episode. But if you were to say it had no rules, the elimination process was strictly enforced.
To be able to run a show with such capricious self-will—currently, Chen Qi was probably the only one capable of it.
"Let's wish them good luck. Please enjoy the performance of the first singer."
Having finished his lines, Chen Qi turned and walked off the stage.
Amidst shifting lights on the stage, the unique footsteps characteristic of "I Am a Singer" echoed in everyone's ears.
The entire audience watched with bated breath, their eyes filled with intense curiosity.
Qin Mengxue and the others backstage also unconsciously stretched out their necks.
Was the first performer male or female?
Was it the substitute singer?
The first to take the stage was an veteran singer.
Upon seeing him appear on stage, both the backstage guests and the live audience felt a fleeting sense of regret. However, the moment the music struck, that slight regret instantly dissipated.
Having arrived at the venue for the first time, they were deeply shocked by the live acoustic effects!
This quality was infinitely better than sitting in front of a television set!
This was true enjoyment!
"Ooh—"
As the song concluded, the live audience offered thunderous applause.
The second performer was also an veteran singer.
Her performance similarly left the live audience marveling in admiration.
"Please welcome the third singer!"
Lights flickered on stage, shifting endlessly through various dazzling effects, dazzling the eyes of the audience.
Yet when the sound of footsteps rang out once more, everyone's attention instantly converged upon the depths of the stage.
Then, a hazy figure materialized within their field of vision.
"Eh?"
The singers backstage quickly sensed something, their eyes brightening involuntarily.
"Is that the substitute singer?"
"Looks like a woman."
"Can you tell who it is?"
Subconsciously, they leaned their bodies forward, as if doing so would help them see more clearly.
Not only them, but the live audience—who had grown quite familiar with the starting lineup—also felt a flutter of excitement upon seeing this slender figure.
Here she comes!
The substitute singer has finally arrived!
"Bang!"
At that moment, a spotlight in the center of the stage suddenly illuminated.
Almost simultaneously, Li Hongti arrived at center stage.
Gazing at the young and beautiful face before them, both the live guests and the backstage singers experienced a brief moment of bewilderment.
"Who is this?"
"Oh, damn, I don't recognize her!"
"Hongti?"
Nearly all the guests backstage subconsciously turned to look at their respective managers or assistants.
Among the six singers, only one recognized this National Grade-One Actor who almost never dabbled in the entertainment circle.
"Oh—"
"I remember now!"
"So it's her!"
Prompted by their managers, these singers uttered long realizations, their faces settling into expressions of sudden understanding.
Whether it was because of Li Hongti's relatively low mainstream fame, upon learning that the substitute singer was her, the pressure on these original lineup singers lightened considerably.
Meanwhile, the live audience looked somewhat blank as well.
Some audience members did not recognize her.
Others felt she looked vaguely familiar, but could not recall her name no matter how hard they tried.
The proportion of audience members who actually recognized her was quite small.
Of all this, Li Hongti on stage remained completely oblivious.
After bowing to the audience, she immersed herself entirely in her musical world.
The area below the stage was pitch black; standing at her position, she could not see the faces of the audience members.
A few seconds later, she sang out loud!
That clear and resonant high note instantly reverberated in everyone's ears!
"Whoa!"
"Whoa!!"
"Whoa!!!"
Exclamations of shock erupted backstage!
The original lineup singers, who had just relaxed their minds, were given a severe jolt.
This voice... so pure!
So pure that not a single trace of impurity could be heard!
They subconsciously straightened their postures, staring unblinkingly at Li Hongti on the television screen, who was intoxicated in her musical world, their expressions turning grave.
Ignorance can kill you!
They had actually thought a bronze-tier rookie was coming, only to find out it was a grandmaster!
How careless of them!
Some had even thought that Chen Qi, taking pity on them as the starting lineup, was deliberately sending a pushover so they could perform a couple more rounds on the show.
Indeed, they were still far too naive!
At the venue.
The moment Li Hongti opened her mouth, almost all the audience members let out a soft exclamation.
It's her?
Oh, so this song was sung by her?
Many audience members did not recognize Li Hongti, but they were very familiar with the song she was currently singing.
This was precisely one of the reasons why Chen Qi insisted that the singers perform their own songs for their first appearance.
Singing one's own song, aside from carrying a degree of nostalgic sentiment, was also the quickest method to make the audience recognize them.
"Thank you everyone, I am singer—Li Hongti!"
Upon finishing the song, Li Hongti bowed once more.
"Ooh—"
A cheer erupted from the audience, instantly followed by thunderous applause.
Li Hongti smiled, bowed in gratitude once more, and then turned to walk off the stage.
Backstage, the expressions of the other singers turned somewhat bitter.
"So strong!"
"This is a formidable rival!"
"With vocal skills like that, I probably couldn't catch up even if I whipped a horse to gallop!"
"Oh my god! The pressure is so high!"
At this moment, no trace of contempt could be seen on any of their faces.
They all felt immense pressure pressing down on them.
"Please welcome the fourth singer!"
"Please welcome the fifth singer!"
The competition continued.
The cheers and applause from the audience continued as well.
As the show progressed slowly, the atmosphere at the venue grew increasingly heated.
Finally, the performances of all seven singers came to an end.
When Chen Qi gathered all seven of them together, Qin Mengxue, Song Quqi, and the other six all expressed endless admiration toward Li Hongti, leaving Li Hongti—who had been unprepared for this—somewhat flustered.
However, when Chen Qi brought out the voting results, the previously bustling backstage instantly quieted down.
Quite a few people swallowed hard involuntarily, and even Li Hongti's expression grew somewhat solemn.
The most nerve-wracking moment had finally arrived.
"Kuku Mobile's 'I Am a Singer', second round, first match—the winner of third place is..."
"The winner of second place is..."
Whether for the sake of the show's entertainment value or not, Chen Qi purposely left Li Hongti's ranking until the very end.
At this point, only fourth and seventh place remained.
"The ranking obtained by Li Hongti is..."
"Fourth place!"