He is deliberately provoking them!

Returning to the recording studio, Chen Qi briefly inspected the singers' dress rehearsal. Satisfied that everything was running smoothly, he handed the floor back to Su Xiaoxiao and retreated to his backstage lounge to prepare for the live broadcast of the grand finale.

There were still countless tasks ahead of him.

He had already drafted the competition format, the songs the singers would perform, and a rough rundown of the broadcast flow. However, determining the specific personnel adjustments, equipment requirements, and rehearsal schedules still demanded considerable thought.

If nothing else, the upcoming major dress rehearsals alone would be enough to keep him run ragged.

Beijing TV lacked extensive live broadcasting experience, and the existing production team had even less.

Almost none of them had ever worked on a live broadcast.

Of course, neither had he.

As for the singers...

Aside from the two who had appeared on the Spring Festival Gala, the rest probably had no live broadcasting experience to speak of.

Consequently, he had to rely on holding multiple dress rehearsals to minimize potential errors during the live telecast.

Naturally, these rehearsals had to adhere strictly to live-broadcast standards; no detail could be treated carelessly.

Whether he could elevate this program to another peak depended entirely on this live broadcast!

Even though there were still nearly three weeks until the grand finale, Chen Qi felt the time was somewhat tight.

Busy as he was, the better part of the day slipped away.

By the time he finished compiling his checklist of required preparations, afternoon had arrived.

Four o'clock.

The program recording commenced.

"Set the stage."

"Ten-second countdown!"

"Whoa—"

Amidst the cheers of the live audience, the show officially began.

As the music swelled, the entire recording studio transformed into an ocean of melody.

Production crew members and audience members alike were completely immersed in the atmosphere.

Chen Qi, acting as director, stood offstage with a look of pure enjoyment, watching the performance unfold.

The singers' vocals, the instrumentalists' playing, the lighting effects...

Every frame possessed immense visual appeal.

The gestures and movements of both singers and musicians possessed a fluid, ethereal grace.

At that moment, Chen Qi suddenly found himself looking forward to the grand finale.

The songs scheduled for the finals were all familiar to him—virtually all of them represented nuclear-grade performances from the Earth edition of *I Am a Singer*.

What kind of impact would those songs create if brought into this world?

He was eager to find out.

"I am singer Li Hongti, thank you everyone!"

"Whoa—"

The performers followed one after another on stage, and the audience's enthusiasm grew wave upon wave.

Just like the audiences of the previous nine episodes, the attendees of this episode experienced the entire show amidst gasps of awe and shock.

The nearly two-hour recording passed in the blink of an eye.

As the audience lingered, reluctant to leave and slowly heading for the exits, the seven singers were summoned to the backstage lounge.

Not long after, Chen Qi walked in leisurely, holding the voting results.

All eyes turned toward him.

After a brief greeting, Chen Qi began announcing the rankings.

Naturally, this was another agonizing process.

Especially for the two singers who had ranked near the bottom in the previous episode; with every single rank revealed, they felt as though they had narrowly escaped death.

This episode's ranking was crucial for them.

To advance meant securing a direct ticket to the grand finale. But to be eliminated now would reduce their hopes of reaching the finals to a slim fraction.

In the end, the singer eliminated was once again the one who had received the fewest votes in the previous episode.

Miraculously, from the beginning of the program until now, the curse that whoever received the lowest votes in the premiere episode would be eliminated in the next had remained unbroken.

"The new rule to be announced for this episode is—"

With the rankings revealed, Chen Qi unveiled the episode's hidden twist.

The seven singers simultaneously held their breath, terrified of missing any detail.

They had a vague suspicion that the new rule Chen Qi was about to announce must be related to the grand finale.

"The competition in the grand finale will be divided into two stages: the assistance round and the solo round."

Huh?

Hearing this, the seven of them froze momentarily.

They understood what a solo round was, but what did an assistance round mean?

Everyone directed a puzzled gaze at Chen Qi, waiting patiently for his explanation.

"The so-called assistance round means you will invite a guest to perform a duet with you."

"Oh..."

Realization dawned on everyone's faces.

Especially upon hearing Chen Qi tell them they could personally invite their own guests, several of their minds began racing.

As everyone knew, thanks to the explosive popularity of *I Am a Singer*, musicians nowadays were practically breaking down the doors trying to get onto this stage!

If they were allowed to extend the invitations themselves, this would constitute a monumental favor.

Once this news got out, countless people would surely come knocking on their doors.

The thought that they would have the power to decide who could grace the stage of *I Am a Singer* stirred a wave of excitement within them.

The singer who had just been eliminated even wore a look of undisguised envy.

Bringing someone onto *I Am a Singer*?

At present, that was an unrivaled honor!

If word of this got out, they would instantly become the most sought-after figures in the entire music industry!

"This segment is also called the duet support round, and the guests you invite are called supporting guests, however..."

With typical shamelessness, Chen Qi paused for seven or eight seconds. "To increase the show's entertainment value, you are not allowed to invite singers as your supporting guests for this round."

"Ah?"

Hearing this, the seven singers, who had been lost in various fantasies, froze once again.

Not allowed to invite singers?

Did that mean they had to invite actors?

After a two-second pause, their expressions turned somewhat comical and helpless.

Invite actors to assist in a singing competition?

Must admit, the idea sounded quite novel indeed.

At least, upon hearing this requirement, they developed a budding sense of anticipation for this support round.

Yet, as they calmed down, the looks they cast toward Chen Qi turned somewhat peculiar.

They were all vaguely aware of the scheme targeting Chen Qi a few days ago.

Now that he had suddenly introduced a support round with the explicit restriction against singers, could it be...

Yes.

The exact reason Chen Qi explicitly banned inviting singers was to provoke those shadowy masterminds behind the scenes.

Weren't they trying to use underhanded tactics to force him to accommodate their people?

Well, he wouldn't!

He would rather invite actors onto the stage than let a single one of their people through!

With this twist revealed, the current episode officially concluded.

Following that, Chen Qi kept the six advancing singers behind.

He needed to brief them on some information regarding the grand finale.

"The next episode is the breakout round; you don't need to participate," he stated.

Li Hongti, Song Quqi, and the other four all nodded to indicate they understood.

"Furthermore, since you won't be participating in the next episode, I must inform you of its hidden twist in advance."

Hearing this, all six raised their heads in surprise.

Inform us in advance?

Could he be so kind?

"The grand finale will be broadcast live!"

To their utter astonishment, Chen Qi stated the twist for the next episode just like that.

What shocked them even more was how terrifying that twist actually was.

"Live?"

"Live broadcast???"

Upon hearing those two words, all six opened their eyes wide in disbelief.

Just like Vice Station Master Wang, they were utterly stunned!

A live broadcast!

A live telecast right in front of the audience!

In that instant, they felt an immense wave of pressure wash over them—even Li Hongti, who had twice appeared on the Spring Festival Gala, was no exception.

"Yes," Chen Qi nodded earnestly, "The grand finale is projected to last three hours, and we will broadcast the entire event live, allowing tens of millions of viewers across the country to witness the birth of the ultimate King of Singers together."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The six singers stared blankly at him, speechless for a long time.

Given the current explosive popularity of the program, if it were broadcast live, how many people would be watching simultaneously?

The thought that their performance would be transmitted in real-time to viewers nationwide made their expressions turn solemn.

During a live broadcast, absolutely zero mistakes were permitted!

The pressure was astronomical!

"Director, what about the songs for the grand finale?" Qin Mengxue asked, breaking the silence.

They were well aware that the production team's song copyright reserves had been exhausted.

They also knew that the music companies holding those copyrights were deliberately withholding them, hoping to use them as leverage to negotiate terms with Chen Qi.

Chen Qi smiled and said, "Don't you worry about the songs; the selections for the grand finale are already being prepared and will be handed over to you in two days at the latest."

Hearing this, the singers, who had been somewhat anxious, finally set their minds at ease.

At that moment, none of them dug too deeply into what Chen Qi meant by "being prepared."

They subconsciously assumed he was finding ways to purchase the copyrights, especially since he had earnestly solicited their song preferences for the upcoming stages not long ago.

"Let me outline the specific schedule for the coming days." Chen Qi handed each of them a copy of the schedule for the next ten days.

"Over the next two days, you need to decide on your supporting guests and finalize their schedules."

"Once you confirm that the other party is available and willing, please inform me at the earliest opportunity. I will personally contact them to handle contracts and related matters. However..." Chen Qi glanced at them, looking slightly embarrassed. "Due to the production team's limited budget, we need to keep a tight rein on appearance fees."

"Ha..."

Chen Qi's remark elicited a chorus of laughter from the group.

The crushing pressure they had felt upon learning about the live broadcast finally eased just a bit.

Still...

A limited budget?

All six silently scoffed inwardly.

With the show as wildly popular as it was now, how could he claim the budget was limited?

Had he no shame?

"The specific cap for appearance fees is 200,000, so try not to invite overly prominent A-list guests. Of course, if you manage to negotiate a major star's fee down to this figure, I'll be more than happy to welcome them."

The six laughed again.

200,000?

That price was already remarkably reasonable.

To be frank, given the current hype surrounding *I Am a Singer*, plenty of people would scramble to come even for free.

Any fool knew the astonishing exposure this stage provided, and any fool knew what performing on this stage meant.

"Additionally, although you won't need to participate in the breakout round next week, because the grand finale is a live broadcast, you must still come to the venue to familiarize yourselves with the songs. This will ensure you present yourselves in the best and most perfect condition to the audience during the live show."

The six nodded gently without further objection.

Afterward, Chen Qi discussed a few more minor details with them and scheduled them to return in two days to begin preparations for the finals.

They had a total of ten days of preparation time.

Once next week's breakout round aired, they would need to gear up for rehearsals.

Having wrapped up all instructions, Chen Qi made a special announcement regarding the voting rules for the grand finale: the voting mechanism would be altered.

However, he did not specify the exact changes, noting only that the new rules would be far fairer and more equitable.

He also remarked that until the very last moment, it was impossible to say who would claim the crown of King of Singers.

Finally, Chen Qi offered a special reminder concerning the supporting guests.

"The assistance round is a crucial segment that will heavily influence your bid for the King of Singers title. Therefore, your supporting guests must arrive at least one week in advance for rehearsals and practice. You must coordinate your schedules with them properly."

With these details settled, Chen Qi arranged for them to be driven back to their hotel.

However, he kept Li Hongti behind.

He needed her help.

He still required several musicians.

Aside from instrumentalists, he also needed a chorus.

Aside from Li Hongti, he honestly couldn't think of anyone else who could assist him.

After much deliberation, only someone within her network would be immune to the influence of those shadowy powerbrokers, and only her network could muster so many people on such short notice.

Though she hadn't been able to help last time, he understood that the previous delay was due to time constraints that left her overextended. This time, with a lead of over ten days, he figured there shouldn't be any major issues.

Upon hearing Chen Qi's request, Li Hongti looked at him thoughtfully and abruptly asked, "Are you being blackballed by the entire music industry right now?"

"Ah?" Chen Qi paused slightly, clearly caught off guard by the question.

Then, he chuckled and said, "The entire music industry is probably a bit of an exaggeration—maybe half of it."

"Just because you rejected them?"

"Yes." Chen Qi nodded, fixing her with an enigmatic gaze.

Who would have thought she had such a gossipy streak?

"Why?" Li Hongti asked, genuinely curious.

To prefer offending half the music industry over yielding to their demands—what was he even chasing?

Chen Qi merely smiled and remained silent.

Li Hongti looked at him with amusement, pressing no further.

In truth, when Chen Qi had asked for their help last time, she had already realized the situation must be far more serious than he had let on.

"Is the grand finale the Friday of the week after next?" she asked.

"Yes, but there are rehearsal sessions leading up to it, so they need to arrive at least a week early. Naturally, earlier is even better if possible."

"Alright, I'll ask around for you and give you an answer in a couple of days. It shouldn't be too big of an issue." Li Hongti thought for a brief moment and agreed.

With over ten days remaining before next week's rehearsals, she figured it would be manageable.

"Great, name your price for the appearance fees and whatever else; as long as it's not too outrageous, I can accept it." Chen Qi suddenly grew magnanimous again.

"..." Li Hongti looked at him somewhat strangely. "Didn't you just say the production team's budget was tight?"

Chen Qi replied with a perfectly straight face, "It is tight, but I can figure something out."

Li Hongti: "..."

Why did she suddenly feel she couldn't trust his earlier promise about naming any price?