Chapter 5: As Expected
The citywide singing competition was held once a year, attracting many participants every year. But not everyone could become the final winner, though it was indeed a gateway to higher places for those with dreams. Some succeeded, while others fell.
The competition venue was packed with people, a sea of black heads covering most of the area. As the first round of eliminations, it always had the largest number of participants, and also the most eliminations. After all, there weren’t many restrictions on the rules of participation. As long as you met the age requirement, you could basically participate. That is, anyone 16 years of age or older could participate. There were no restrictions.
Although it was held every year, the organizers also attached great importance to this competition. This singing competition was to select the best singers in the city, who would then advance to the provincial competition, and finally the national competition. So it was natural that it received attention.
Chen Xi came here because she was bored and her friend had stuffed a ticket into her hand. She actually had no interest in this kind of garbage competition. And she wasn’t a professional. She was just an editor in the editorial department and wasn’t very keen on music. If Huang Jinglin hadn’t dragged her here, she wouldn’t have come. Her work was very busy.
According to Huang Jinglin, this kind of competition always produced one or two special people, and these people were the most suitable to become rising stars. Perhaps it was to witness this moment with Chen Xi that she had dragged her here.
“Hello, audience friends! Welcome to this episode. This program is exclusively sponsored and broadcast by xxxx.”
The lights on the stage flashed, and a chubby male host first said a few words, and the camera recorded this. The cameramen didn’t dare to slack off, concentrating on doing their jobs. The on-site staff proceeded in an orderly manner. Each of them was an indispensable part of this event. The success or failure of a program depended on the silent efforts of these people.
To be honest, Yu Linna was nervous in the contestants’ waiting room. She clutched the corner of her clothes, feeling very uneasy.
For this competition, she had specially changed into a long dress with Nangong Ying’s help, and had carefully styled her hair. She even put on light makeup, which she usually didn’t wear, making full use of her natural advantages. Even before she went on stage, she was already a very conspicuous presence among all the contestants.
But she still had no confidence. Her basic skills weren’t very solid. Could she really stand out in such a competition?
“Don’t be nervous. You’ll get used to it.”
Seeing her like this, Nangong Ying patted her head to help her relax.
Unlike Yu Linna, Nangong Ying had participated in many competitions since she was a child. First of all, she had won two national championships in sports, not to mention the awards from some smaller competitions. Nangong Ying had long passed the age of being nervous about the stage.
Although it was also her first time participating in a singing competition, she never thought she would lose. As long as she gave it her all, she believed she could do it.
But Yu Linna had no confidence. She wasn’t as outstanding as Nangong Ying. Was it really okay for her to participate so rashly?
“Nangong, do you think… I can really do it?”
“You’re the person I chose. Have some confidence in yourself.”
Not to mention anything else, Yu Linna’s appearance was very good, more conspicuous than the average contestant. This alone was her advantage. Nangong Ying believed that this was her winning weapon.
But, the most crucial thing in this competition was still winning with singing skills…
“Next contestant, number 02, Nangong Ying, please prepare.”
The competition had just begun, and Nangong Ying had to prepare. No problem, she was ready. She adjusted her dress, revealing a confident smile. There was really nothing in front of her that could shake her.
She was the strongest.
Huang Jinglin was one of the hosts of this program. She was sitting at the judges’ table, recording the program with her colleagues and creating a humorous atmosphere to make the program easier to broadcast. Chen Xi, on the other hand, was sitting in the C position watching the competition, showing no interest in this kind of competition.
Time passed minute by minute. After the first contestant’s score came out, Nangong Ying finally went on stage. She wasn’t nervous at all. Standing on the stage, enjoying the illumination of the lights, she picked up the microphone, and as the music started, she began to sing.
Years of singing skills, she had always kept them. And she had no problems with her grasp of the notes. Although Yu Linna’s impression of her had always been that of an all-around athlete, she didn’t expect that Nangong Ying could also sing.
This was natural, because Nangong Ying had been exposed to various things since she was very young. She could participate in sports competitions and also in music competitions. She just wanted to challenge herself.
Huang Jinglin stared blankly at this contestant’s singing. How long had it been since she had heard such wonderful music? Although she still had some flaws, overall, these flaws were nothing. And most importantly, she couldn’t find any major flaws.
The audience watching the competition live was also stunned for a long time. They probably didn’t expect to see music comparable to a concert in this kind of competition. Although these songs were all covers, they were sung with their own flavor. Nangong Ying was a well-deserved genius.
Chen Xi was the most surprised one. She thought it would be difficult to see special singers in the elimination rounds. Who would have thought that this was only the second performance, and she immediately saw the most special contestant. This girl’s basic skills were very solid, and she was quite experienced. If there was any shortcoming, it was that because she was too experienced, she lacked a sense of closeness with the audience. But this wasn’t a big problem. The important thing was that everyone enjoyed listening.
The song ended, and the audience applauded. The judges quickly entered the discussion mode. Huang Jinglin, as the host, took the initiative to ask the girl:
“Contestant number 02, Nangong Ying, can I ask you a question? When did you start learning music?”
“Around 5 years old, I think. I started taking interest classes at that time.”
“I want to know if you’ve participated in many competitions. Your stage presence doesn’t look like a newcomer at all, but like a veteran who has participated in many competitions.”
“This is my first time participating in a singing competition, but I have participated in many other types of competitions. Like martial arts competitions, tennis competitions, and basketball, I’ve participated in them all.”
“The competitions you’ve participated in in the past were all sports competitions, completely unrelated to this singing competition. Why did you give up your area of expertise and enter the singing stage?”
Hearing this question, Nangong Ying smiled.
This question, she had an answer long ago, and she had it a long time ago.
“I want to prove that what others can do, I can do too. What others can’t do, I can do.”
Such a bold statement seemed to have destined her fate.
The audience was first stunned, then their faces became excited, and finally, thunderous applause was given.
Throughout history, people who dared to boast were either truly capable or were just bluffing. But they had one thing in common: they could quickly become the focus of the audience.
So there was no suspense in this competition. Nangong Ying occupied the highest score, and even after it was over, no one could surpass her, which showed how terrifying she was.
Yu Linna had been waiting. She sat in the contestants’ waiting room, looking at the lyrics she had prepared. Although she had already memorized them, she was still nervous. She rarely went on stage, and this time she had to force herself to go up. Once she went up, she couldn’t come down.
She wasn’t Nangong Ying. She hadn’t practiced since childhood. All she had was the courage given by others.
When she learned of Nangong Ying’s score, she couldn’t help but show an envious look. As expected, Nangong was different. She was always the most dazzling, unlike her, who had nothing.
The transmigrated girls in novels were always so powerful, with all kinds of cheats. But Yu Linna wasn’t. She thought she could be as calm as the protagonists in novels, but in fact, she couldn’t. In front of the stage, she was like most ordinary people, afraid of the crowd.
But…
She had no way out.
“Next contestant, Yu Linna.”
She stood up and slowly walked out. The moment she went out, the audience was drawn to her. Yes, Nangong Ying was right. Yu Linna’s appearance was very good. Even before she started the competition, she could get points before others. Because she was beautiful, that was the reason. Appearance was also counted in this kind of competition.
After careful makeup, Yu Linna’s appearance was very cute, and her golden hair was very conspicuous. The more you looked, the more you got the illusion of seeing a foreigner, although Yu Linna was 100% Chinese.
When the music started, Yu Linna cleared her mind and completely followed the tune. She followed Nangong Ying’s method and chose the song that suited her best, cleverly hiding her weaknesses. This trick was unexpectedly useful. Although she wasn’t as stunning as Nangong Ying, she at least managed to get a score, so she wouldn’t be eliminated immediately.
When Yu Linna learned that she had passed, she almost cried. She was so nervous! She almost thought she wouldn’t make it.
Chen Xi looked at Yu Linna’s performance on stage. For some reason, she watched for a long time. It wasn’t that Yu Linna was very special, but this child gave her a feeling, making her feel that this child wouldn’t just be buried. Perhaps it was her professional habit. She always felt like she could dig something up, but in fact, she couldn’t dig up anything.
The rest of the competition wasn’t very interesting. Except for Nangong Ying’s performance at the beginning, the rest were tasteless and unwatchable.
The first round of eliminations ended. Yu Linna barely passed, and she was complacent about it for a while.
But then, in the second round of eliminations, Yu Linna was ruthlessly eliminated, completely shattering her fantasy.
With this, let alone prize money, she didn’t even pass two rounds of eliminations. What was the point of talking about placement? In the end, the winner was only Nangong Ying.
Leave a Reply