blueteamnovel Chapter 73 Everyone Wants to Step on Wang Bo to Climb to the Top
Chapter 73 Everyone Wants to Step on Wang Bo to Climb to the Top
Li Xuan's face stiffened.
"Overall, it was alright," Mr. Zhang pushed up his glasses. "At least I wasn't stage-frightened, and I was more composed during the typhoon than during practice."
Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and straightened his back a little.
"But," Liu Wei changed the subject, "you were completely outmatched by Wang Bo."
These words were like a bucket of ice water, completely chilling Li Xuan to the bone.
"Sister Liu, I..."
"The data doesn't lie." Liu Wei pushed the tablet over, which showed a detailed analysis of the audience's interim reference votes from last night. "For Wang Bo's song, out of 500 audience members, 487 people voted, accounting for 97.4%. Your 320 votes, 64%. See the difference for yourself."
Li Xuan stared at the string of numbers until his eyes almost bled.
"Moreover," Professor Chen said slowly, "Wang Bo sang a new song, while you covered a classic. In terms of difficulty, he has already won."
"Then...then I'll sing an original song next time too!" Li Xuan blurted out.
There was a three-second silence in the conference room.
Then Liu Wei smiled, a smile that sent chills down Li Xuan's spine.
"Li Xuan, do you have any original works?" she asked.
Li Xuan opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Does he have it?
Yes, just pick any song from the company's music library and put his name on it.
But can that be called original?
"The company can prepare it for you," General Manager Zhang replied, "but the question is, can you achieve the same effect as Wang Bo when you sing original songs?"
Li Xuan remained silent.
He listened to Wang Bo's song live last night and had to admit—that song was addictive.
As soon as the melody started, I got goosebumps.
My eyes welled up with tears as soon as the lyrics were played.
The moment the chorus started, I was completely fired up.
That kind of infectiousness isn't something just any song can achieve.
"So," Liu Wei tapped the table, "your goal for the next round isn't to beat Wang Bo—you can't."
Li Xuan suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with resentment.
"Don't be unconvinced," Liu Wei said directly. "Even Qin Xiao might not be able to consistently defeat Wang Bo, let alone you. Your goal is... not to be eliminated."
These words were blunt and cruel, and Li Xuan's face turned pale instantly.
"Sister Liu, I..."
"Let me finish," Liu Wei interrupted him. "The format has changed for the next round. It's a two-on-two battle. The winner advances, and the loser is put on hold. Finally, all the contestants on hold will compete again, and two will be eliminated."
Li Xuan's heart tightened.
"Your task is simple," Liu Wei stared at him, "First, don't draw Wang Bo; second, if you draw Qin Xiao, lose gracefully; third, if you draw any other player, do your best to win."
"Then Wang Bo..." Li Xuan was unwilling.
"Wang Bo has someone to deal with him," Liu Wei said meaningfully. "As for Qin Xiao, the sugar daddy has already spoken. He must overshadow Wang Bo in the next episode. As for how to do that... well, that depends on Young Master Qin's abilities."
Li Xuan's eyes lit up: "Sister Liu, you mean...?"
"Let's sit back and watch the tigers fight," Liu Wei laughed. "The fiercer Qin Xiao and Wang Bo fight, the safer you middlemen will be. Once they're both exhausted, you might even be able to pick up a bargain."
Li Xuan suddenly understood and nodded quickly, "I understand, Sister Liu. I will definitely prepare well and won't hold you back!"
"Good, I understand." Liu Wei waved her hand. "Go and get ready. Professor Chen will help you choose a song."
Li Xuan thanked him profusely and left the meeting room.
After the door closed, Mr. Zhang finally spoke: "Sister Liu, do you really think Li Xuan can snag a bargain?"
"What are you trying to pick up?" Liu Wei scoffed. "He'll be lucky if he doesn't get eliminated. But even trash has its uses—at least it makes Qin Xiao and Wang Bo stand out."
Professor Chen sighed softly, "Aren't you being a bit too harsh?"
"Ruthless?" Liu Wei lit a cigarette. "Professor Chen, when has this industry ever been anything but ruthless? Wang Bo is talented, but how much is talent worth in the face of capital? Qin Xiao has a sugar daddy behind him, and the production team is the sugar daddy's favorite son. This game was never intended to be fair from the beginning."
She exhaled a smoke ring, her eyes cold: "If Wang Bo has anyone to blame, it's himself for signing with a small company. Xiaoyi Media? Ha, that brat Su Xiaoxiao, thinks she can outmaneuver us?"
At the same time, Qin Xiao's personal studio.
Compared to the seriousness of Starlight Media, the atmosphere here is much more relaxed—at least on the surface.
Qin Xiao was wearing loose loungewear, barefoot on a wool carpet, holding an iPad, and watching a slow-motion replay of the audience's reactions during last night's recording.
His manager, Yang Li, sat opposite him, holding a schedule in her hand, and cautiously asked, "Brother Xiao, what are your thoughts on the song for the next episode?"
Qin Xiao didn't look up; his finger slid across the screen, pausing on the image of the audience crying during Wang Bo's performance.
"Sister Yang," he suddenly spoke, "what do you think is good about Wang Bo's song?"
Yang Li paused for a moment, then said cautiously, "The melody is catchy, the lyrics are profound, the emotional resonance is strong, and... his performance was very moving."
"That's all?" Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"And..." Yang Li thought for a moment, "The stage performance is very pure, without any showing off skills, but it is precisely this purity that makes it more powerful."
Qin Xiao finally raised his head, a playful expression on his mixed-race face: "You're right, but not entirely right."
He stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked at the city view outside: "Wang Bo's greatest strength is... he knows what the audience wants to hear, and he can deliver it in the most direct way. No beating around the bush, no pretense of profundity, just hitting the nail on the head."
Yang Li nodded: "So, Brother Xiao, for the next episode..."
"I'm going to sing original songs too." Qin Xiao turned around, his eyes sharp, "but not the kind of sentimental songs he sings."
"And you are...?"
"Dance music." Qin Xiao smiled. "Since he says the stage is not just about technique, then I'll show him that technique taken to its extreme can also be an art form."
Yang Li's eyes lit up: "Which one do you want to dance?"
"Yes," Qin Xiao nodded, "After practicing for half a year, it's time to bring it out."
"But..." Yang Li hesitated, "That dance is too difficult. Singing and dancing at the same time requires extremely high breath control. What if something goes wrong on stage..."
"There's no such thing as 'what if'," Qin Xiao interrupted her. "The word 'mistake' doesn't exist in my dictionary."
He spoke with absolute certainty, and his innate arrogance made Yang Li swallow back what she was about to say.
"Oh, right," Qin Xiao suddenly remembered something, "Have you spoken to the production team yet?"
"We've already faced off," Yang Li quickly said. "The director said that in the next round's PK draw, they will try to avoid pairing you and Wang Bo together—at least before the finals, they won't let you face each other prematurely."
Qin Xiao frowned: "Why?"
"The production team's consideration is that you and Wang Bo are the biggest highlights of this season. If you meet earlier, regardless of who wins or loses, it will lose another hot topic. So they want you to 'let things happen naturally' and will only let you meet earlier if the ratings drop and they need to salvage the ratings."
"What if I want to have the duel earlier?"