Chapter Twenty-Two: Goddesses of Two Generations

The mechanism of "The Voice" differs from that of "Who Is the Singer." "Who Is the Singer" is a traditional, pre-recorded music talent show and is already the undisputed king of variety shows in the country. In order to surpass "Who Is the Singer" in ratings, "The Voice" had no choice but to blaze a new trail, adopting an entirely new format of live broadcasting.

Moreover, the competition rules are quite different as well. "The Voice" utilizes a singer elimination system. Each episode, the production team invites seven established singers, and the live audience votes to determine the rankings. The bottom three are eliminated immediately, while the rest advance to the next round.

Under the repeated urging of Zhou Lu and Mo Fan, Chen Nian finally, in a daze, took a cab to the recording site of "The Voice."

The set inside the building was already prepared, and there were quite a few audience members present, eagerly awaiting the start. In the backstage area, aside from the staff, several invited singers had already arrived. Most of these people knew each other and began chatting as soon as they entered the waiting room.

“Sister Na, you must be the first to perform tonight, right? I’m so jealous,” one said.

“Oh, that depends on the production team’s arrangement,” replied Na Ying, a female singer, with a smile.

“I heard Zhou Lu is competing too, is that true?”

“Xiao Lu is a national goddess now. How could she miss a show like this?”

“By the way, Sister Na, is it true you’re going to challenge Zhou Lu later?” The other singers grinned, looking at Na Ying.

Besides the usual elimination system, "The Voice" also features a PK mechanism. If two contestants agree, they can challenge each other directly—winner advances, loser is eliminated on the spot.

As the former national goddess and an undisputed vocal powerhouse, Na Ying still harbored a grudge over Zhou Lu taking her title, a resentment she’d nursed for years. Now, at last, "The Voice" had given her a chance for revenge. This was also precisely why the director had invited Na Ying—to set the stage for love and hate between Zhou Lu and Na Ying, stir up conflict, create buzz, and boost the show’s popularity.

Yet, despite her inner thoughts, Na Ying maintained her smile. “At my age, what’s the point of a PK? I’ll just focus on singing. I can’t outdo Xiao Lu these days anyway.”

Just then, with a click, Chen Nian pushed open the door to the lounge and walked in. At his arrival, the others looked at him with confusion.

Unlike "Who Is the Singer," "The Voice" only invited big names from the music industry to ensure it would outdo its competitor.

“Hello, are you lost? This is the contestants’ lounge,” Na Ying asked, thinking Chen Nian was a staff member.

Chen Nian said nothing, simply pulling the contestant badge from his pocket.

“You’re a contestant?” The famous singers in the room were nearly dumbfounded.

For a moment, all eyes in the lounge focused on him.

Chen Nian was unfazed. He found an empty seat, sat down, and started playing a game on his phone.

This can’t be real, can it?

Would the production team really invite an unknown to "The Voice," a show meant to rival "Who Is the Singer"?

“Do you know him?” Na Ying turned to Hua Chenyu, a new-generation vocal star.

“No,” Hua Chenyu shook his head. “He’s not from our circle, at least not that I know of.”

Na Ying and the others exchanged knowing smiles, assuming Chen Nian was just there to fill out the numbers.

“Who the heck is this guy?”

Because the entire show was broadcast live, the audience in the streaming room could see everything happening in the lounge.

“No idea, who is he?”

“He has a contestant badge? Why would the production team invite him?”

“Probably just a sacrificial lamb. After all, three people get eliminated each round, and it’s all live with no post-editing or pitch correction. What singer would risk that?”

“True, but I wonder how much the production team pays. Maybe I could go next time?”

“Get paid? Dream on! Watching the show live and getting up close with celebrities? If they don’t charge you tens of thousands, don’t even think about it!”

“Oh my god! It’s the guy! He’s really here to compete!”

As Chen Nian had previously hinted during his own livestream that he’d be joining "The Voice," he’d brought quite a bit of buzz with him.

“You’ve heard ‘Sunny Day,’ ‘Elopement,’ and ‘Cinderella,’ right? Those are all his songs.”

“Warning: nuclear-level hype ahead! I don’t even know who Zhou Lu, Hua Chenyu, or Na Ying are—I’m here for him. Go, bring that trophy home!”

“I looked him up—he has hundreds of thousands of followers on Weibo. He’s an internet singer!”

“An internet singer thinks he can win? Please, this week’s champion will definitely be Goddess Zhou!”

“Goddess Zhou? No way! The trophy belongs to Huahua this week! Go Huahua! Love you, girl!”

“A magician wants to win? Better try ‘China’s Got Talent’ next door!”

With Chen Nian’s fans suddenly flooding in, the previously harmonious live chat erupted into wave after wave of arguments... and debates.

About half an hour later, with Zhou Lu’s arrival, all seven contestants for this episode of "The Voice" had finally assembled.

Zhou Lu first greeted the star singers sitting at the center, then noticed Chen Nian sitting in the corner.

“Chen Nian, you’re here?” Zhou Lu greeted him warmly and naturally sat down beside him.

The other singers, who had been puzzled, suddenly understood.

So this guy was from Star Entertainment. No wonder the production team invited him—they were piggybacking on the show’s exposure to promote their own artist.

As the leading singer of Star Entertainment, Zhou Lu’s presence immediately made wherever she sat the center of attention.

The other singers, seeing this, subtly shifted their seats closer to the two of them.

“So he’s got connections after all.”

“I knew it—why would an internet singer be allowed to compete with my Huahua, unless he’s from Star Entertainment?”

“Shut up! Our guy isn’t here because of connections—he’s competing on his own merits!”

“Yeah, right. Connections are connections. Mark my words: an internet singer will never make it to the top.”

“Just wait—my guy will use his talent to slap you in the face!”

“Fine, I’ll be waiting right here!”

“So your name is Chen Nian?” Suddenly, He Wei in the crowd realized—this was the man caught in the plagiarism scandal with Lin Xinrou.

Chen Nian glanced back at He Wei, a little puzzled, and nodded.

He Wei smiled, his expression turning subtle.

He had thought Chen Nian might be a rising star, but now he saw he was just a Star Entertainment insider. If he could get Chen Nian eliminated, Lin Xinrou would be his.

Ever since Lin Xinrou signed with Heart Trace Entertainment, He Wei had had his eye on her.

With that thought, He Wei’s smile grew more arrogant.

Chen Nian glanced at He Wei, exasperated. “Who is this guy? Do I know him?”

Zhou Lu shot He Wei a glance. “That’s He Wei, from Heart Trace Entertainment. He sings pop.”

At her words, Chen Nian nodded in sudden understanding.

With Zhou Lu seated, the recording officially began.

The host strode onto the stage with brisk steps.

“Hello everyone, I’m your host for this episode of ‘The Voice.’ Time is tight, so I’ll keep it short. Let’s welcome our first guest tonight, Ms. Na Ying!”

As expected, the producers had arranged for the highly talked-about Na Ying to perform first in order to boost ratings.

Dressed in a stunning gown, Na Ying ascended the stage to a chorus of cheers.

“Ms. Na Ying, please choose your opponent,” the host said, microphone in hand, looking at the former national goddess.

Na Ying, ever the seasoned veteran, smiled and didn’t rush to answer.

“Zhou Lu! Zhou Lu! Zhou Lu!” The audience began to chant the reigning national goddess’s name in unison.

After a moment’s contemplation, Na Ying announced her choice. “I choose... to challenge Zhou Lu!”

An uproar swept through the crowd, the atmosphere instantly electrified.

“Ms. Na Ying, are you sure?” the host asked again.

“All right, let’s turn the camera to Ms. Zhou Lu!”

The backstage screen switched to the lounge, where Zhou Lu, holding a microphone, smiled at the camera.

“Ms. Zhou Lu, do you accept Ms. Na Ying’s challenge?”

“I accept,” Zhou Lu replied without hesitation.

“Then let’s give the stage to Ms. Na Ying!” the host declared, stepping aside.

Na Ying smiled, a confident gleam in her eyes. She had prepared for this moment for over two months, determined to trample the woman who had taken her title as national goddess.

She had worked with top producers on this song, certain it would be enough to defeat Zhou Lu.

As the music began, Na Ying started to sing.

In the lounge, all the singers watched the broadcast with rapt attention, afraid to miss a single note.

Chen Nian glanced up at the screen, then went back to his game.

“Wow, incredible. No wonder she’s Sister Na—she’s amazing!”

“Absolutely angelic. That high note, that breath control, those lyrics... She’s definitely here for the championship.”

“Zhou Lu’s in trouble. Will Star Entertainment’s top artist get eliminated in the first episode?”

When the song ended, the live chat was filled with nothing but praise for Na Ying’s performance.

Onstage, Na Ying lifted her proud head to the audience, then turned and left without a backward glance.

Zhou Lu, who had been waiting, passed her with a smile and walked onto the stage.

She bowed deeply to the audience and then, smiling, spoke: “Good evening, everyone. Tonight, I’ll be performing a brand-new song, ‘Under the Sea,’ in collaboration with Mr. Chen Nian.”