Chapter 29

After a reminder from the program team, Su Xingyao didn’t take a taxi by himself this time. Instead, he had the driver take him.

When he arrived at the The Voice of Heaven recording venue and was about to head to the VIP entrance, he passed by the door he had used previously to check in and realized that the program team hadn’t lied to him.

The show hadn’t even started, but there were already a lot of fans gathered at the entrance.

Although there were fans from all different groups, he could clearly see from a distance someone holding up a photo of him wearing the cat headpiece from the second episode of the competition, shaking it in the crowd.

The scariest part was that someone had even specially made a similar mascot costume to his, and was now in the crowd cheering for him enthusiastically.

Seeing the passionate crowd, Su Xingyao suddenly remembered the tip Xiao Li had given him earlier.

It seemed like for the next stage, he would need to make sure the mascot costume was one that couldn’t have its headpiece easily lifted.

The car quickly stopped at the entrance to the VIP passage. After Su Xingyao double-checked his mascot costume and voice changer, he hurried inside.

Since the program was continuing from the previous initial stage, everyone’s costume had to match what they wore that day.

As a result, Su Xingyao was once again wearing the incredibly famous cat headpiece costume.

This costume was just too cute. Although no fans tried to lift his headpiece, many of the staff members grabbed him to take photos with him.

Everyone also, without exception, skipped calling him by his number, 78, and just referred to him as “Cat Cat”

Hearing “Cat Cat” over and over again, Su Xingyao couldn’t help but feel as though he had become cuter.

Not long after taking photos with everyone, the staff notified all the contestants to gather in the recording hall and stand in order by their numbers.

A batch of contestants had already been eliminated in the initial stage a few weeks ago, so there were fewer contestants on-site today than before.

The contestant number 79 behind him had been eliminated, and now standing to his right was a stranger.

However, the person to his left hadn’t changed—it was still the cute number 77.

It had been two weeks since they last met, and number 77 was still as adorable as ever.

When the staff on stage were speaking, the other contestant, who couldn’t talk, winked at him with a smile.

Su Xingyao also raised his paw and waved back in greeting.

Then, he rummaged through his bag and finally pulled out a cat keychain.

This was something he had made for number 77 himself.

The last time during the competition, number 77 had given him one.

In the spirit of reciprocation, he made one to give back to them.

Number 77 was clearly surprised by the unexpected gift and immediately pinned the mascot on the most prominent spot on his chest, proudly showing it to the camera.

Su Xingyao couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of it.

After the staff finished speaking, a familiar voice immediately echoed from the stage.

“Hello, contestants! It’s been two weeks, but you all still look as handsome as ever~”

Su Xingyao lifted his eyes and saw Song Yingming standing on the stage, holding his signature loudspeaker, smiling as he scanned the contestants one by one.

After a recording of an episode, everyone realized that while Director Song had a lot of tricks up his sleeve when it came to the program’s setup, he was actually quite easygoing. So, some people immediately started joking with him.

“Director Song, you’re still as charming as ever, just a bit rounder now.”

Upon hearing this, Song Yingming immediately widened his eyes, which were already quite small.

Seeing his expression, the audience burst into laughter.

Song Yingming laughed along but quickly got back to business.

“After the first round of auditions, we are now about to enter a new phase of the competition.”

The contestants gradually quieted down, listening attentively to what Song Yingming would say next.

Sure enough, the next words out of his mouth left everyone in shock.

“Next, the format of our program will undergo a change.”

Song Yingming’s eyes squinted into a smile as he leisurely announced, “From now on, every stage performance will be broadcast live.”

At the mention of live broadcasts, most people in the audience gasped in surprise.

It’s widely known that live broadcasts are the most prone to problems and expose the most issues.

Without post-production editing and sound correction, a singer’s performance could sound very different when aired, and even if something went wrong, there would be no chance to redo it.

This kind of approach, with no room for retreat, was a huge challenge for the contestants.

Seeing the program team going all out and immediately throwing them into such a high-risk situation…

Realizing the kind of challenges they would face, several contestants grew so nervous they could hardly breathe.

???????

“What??”

“Are you kidding me, boss…”

“Are we seriously going live??”

Song Yingming smiled and nodded.

Once it was confirmed that they would indeed have to face live broadcasts in the future, the contestants began to panic.

They exchanged confused glances, all of them wearing expressions of disbelief.

Why was the program team acting so unpredictably?!

When the contestants voiced their concerns, Song Yingming, who had seen it all, remained completely calm.

“Everyone, relax, relax. A live broadcast is no different from the usual recording.”

Hearing his unhelpful tone, the contestants nearly had a stroke.

No different??!

After saying something completely uncomforting, Song Yingming continued, “But today, we’re still recording, so don’t be too nervous.”

He then wiped the smile off his face and raised his voice deliberately.

“Next, everyone, please pay attention. The next thing we’re going to do is… choose a mentor!”

As soon as Song Yingming finished speaking, the curtain behind him suddenly dropped.

On stage, the four mentors had already appeared, though no one knew exactly when they had gotten there.

Having just arrived at the scene and already received so many shocking updates, many of the contestants were still in a daze.

It wasn’t until they saw Fu Qingyan coming down from the rising stage that everyone finally reacted and started applauding the mentors.

Fu Qingyan walked to the center of the stage and flashed his signature smile.

“Good afternoon, contestants. It’s a pleasure to once again join you on the stage of The Voice of Heaven.”

Fu Qingyan’s speaking skills were impressive. Though not a professional host, his tone carried the professional broadcasting style of a seasoned presenter.

His style, much like his voice, was formal and authoritative.

After delivering these two opening lines, he immediately turned the focus to the theme of the day.

“Are you all ready for the mentor selection process?”

Many of the contestants, still uncertain about their status, weakly replied, “No…”

Fu Qingyan wasn’t fazed by this and calmly smiled. “It’s okay if you’re not ready. Let’s first listen to what the mentors have to say.”

The camera immediately cut to the mentor seats.

The four mentors were in the same spots as last time.

Wen Yun, sitting at the far left, spoke first.

True to his straightforward nature, he took the microphone and simply said, “I hope everyone will choose me.”

After quickly putting down the microphone, he saw Sheng Yan beside him giving him a look that seemed to say, “Is that all?” and hurriedly added, “That’s really all I wanted to say, nothing else.”

Sheng Yan smiled and teased him, “Mr. Wen, that’s not very sincere, is it?”

The honest Wen Yun laughed and quickly waved his hand, signaling “leave me alone.”

Sheng Yan, knowing when to stop, immediately took over Wen Yun’s words, following up with, “I also hope everyone will choose me.”

Wen Yun looked at Sheng Yan, “Why are you copying my words?”

Sheng Yan shrugged, replying confidently, “It’s the most effective and straightforward line…”

After saying that, he looked at the contestants, suddenly adopting a humble attitude. “Everyone, please, don’t let me end up with no votes today.”

Sheng Yan, usually maintaining a cool idol image, was showing a playful side, and it worked well.

The contestants responded in kind.

“Okay, okay.”

“Mentor Sheng, wait for me!”

After Sheng Yan spoke, it was time for Shen Huaixi to take his turn.

But Xu Beizhou directly stepped aside, leaving the final segment for Shen Huaixi.

Upon hearing Xu Beizhou’s words, some attentive people suddenly realized that the order seemed to be the same as the last time.

Every time, Xu Beizhou would step aside during the most important and glamorous moments, always giving Shen Huaixi the spotlight.

He purposely let him speak last, purposely let him make the final comments, giving him plenty of face.

“Isn’t Xu Beizhou pretty close with Shen Huaixi? He always lets him go first.”

Two contestants standing in the front row whispered in confusion.

The other person shook their head, “I don’t know. It didn’t seem that way usually.”

Hearing their conversation, Su Xingyao shifted his gaze to Xu Beizhou.

In the novel world that he understood, there had been no singing competition in his previous life.

He hadn’t chosen to participate, and Shen Huaixi hadn’t come as a judge either.

However, even though there hadn’t been such a program in his previous life, there was a later scene in the plot where Xu Beizhou and Shen Huaixi met on a variety show.

Xu Beizhou had fallen in love with Shen Huaixi at first sight.

Although this life’s plot and development were somewhat different, Su Xingyao understood that, as the protagonist of this world, those who were originally set to fall for Shen Huaixi at first sight would still like him this time.

That was why Xu Beizhou was subtly yielding to Shen Huaixi in every little detail on the show.

As Su Xingyao recalled this, Xu Beizhou had already finished speaking.

After making his statement, he kindly handed the microphone to Shen Huaixi and then sneaked a glance at him.

Shen Huaixi didn’t notice Xu Beizhou’s unusual behavior. Instead, he slightly tilted his head and pressed his chin down, choosing the most flattering angle to showcase his eyes before he started speaking.

He deliberately slowed his speech, looking sincerely at the contestants.

“Actually, I’m very aware that compared to the other mentors, I’m not as professional, and I don’t sing as well as they do… I know very well that I don’t have much of an advantage.”

At this point, he paused for two seconds, then with a look of realizing his mistake, he self-corrected.

“To be more precise, I have absolutely no advantage.”

As soon as he finished saying this, Xu Beizhou quickly whispered words of encouragement to him, “That’s not true, don’t say that.”

Some soft-hearted contestants clapped for him.

After speaking these words, Shen Huaixi took a deep breath, his eyes innocent and full of sincerity.

“But… I can guarantee that I have a sincere heart for all the contestants. Actually, during this time, I’ve assembled my own professional music team. So, if you join my team, you don’t have to worry about any future music-related issues.”

To make himself appear more sincere, Shen Huaixi deliberately slowed down his speech.

At the end, he looked toward Xu Beizhou, “Mentor Xu will help me, right?”

Xu Beizhou was momentarily stunned by his gaze, then gently nodded, “Of course.”

Shen Huaixi smiled, and after saying all that, he finally looked at the camera and spoke the words to solicit votes, “I hope everyone can trust me, choose me, and let’s go all the way to the end together!”

After Shen Huaixi said this with deep emotion, both Fu Qingyan and Xu Beizhou led the applause for him.

Fu Qingyan even comforted his friend, “Mentor Shen, don’t underestimate yourself, there are many contestants here who like you.”

Shen Huaixi smiled cutely at Fu Qingyan’s words and then, like a little rabbit, playfully nodded.

Shen Huaixi was always quick to seize any opportunity to make himself stand out.

While the others were performing, Su Xingyao, who had already gotten used to this, lowered his gaze and started to drift off.

It wasn’t until the audience started applauding for Shen Huaixi that he snapped back to attention.

Then, without thinking, he glanced to his left and saw—77 had actually rolled his eyes dramatically toward the sky.

After the four mentors finished speaking, the main event of the day began.

The mentors now had to choose their team members, forming four new teams.

These four teams would later go through a series of PKs (competitive rounds).

However, unlike most other competitions, today’s mentor selection process placed the mentors in a somewhat disadvantaged position.

This was because, according to the competition rules, each mentor could only select 12 contestants.

In other words, aside from the contestants already eliminated, the mentors could only select 48 people from the remaining 70 contestants.

But the selection of these 48 contestants wasn’t entirely up to the mentors.

The mentors’ first round of selections had to come from a pool of undecided contestants, and they could only pick 7 contestants each.

However, this list had to be chosen blindly, without prior communication among the mentors.

This meant that there was a chance of overlap in their selections.

After all, all four mentors had a good idea of the contestants’ strengths, and there were only so many strong contestants. Everyone would want to pick the best ones for their own team.

The devious program organizers deliberately designed the competition like this to see the mentors fight over contestants.

As a result, the program gave special privileges to contestants who were selected by multiple mentors.

That privilege was the ability to choose their own mentor.

Moreover, the contestants who had already advanced directly to the next round had even more power.

They didn’t have to go through the mentor selection round, they could simply choose their mentor directly.

If a mentor wanted one of them, they had to fight for it.

This kind of rule, in some ways, tested the mentors’ popularity and their standing in the contestants’ eyes.

This was also why Shen Huaixi had been trying so hard to stand out earlier.

No one wanted to look like a fool on stage, and Shen Huaixi especially didn’t want that.

After Fu Qingyan explained the rules to everyone, the first round of selections began.

“Mentors, please head backstage to your respective resting rooms to make your selections.”

The program gave the mentors ten minutes to make their picks.

During these ten minutes, the program team didn’t forget to stir things up and set up live streams in four separate rooms within the studio.

However, they only broadcast the mentors’ footage, and not even a glimpse of the tablet they were using to select contestants was shown.

There wasn’t even any sound.

For the contestants who had been placed on hold last week, watching this was pure agony for the entire ten minutes.

“Cat, I envy you so much! I’m so nervous right now.”

With the mentors absent, the contestants finally had the chance to talk.

Number 77 immediately turned to face Su Xingyao and couldn’t resist reaching out to pat his fluffy mascot costume.

Although Number 77 looked cute, he was actually quite bold in his behavior.

It was surprising for Su Xingyao to hear him say he was nervous.

“Don’t be nervous, you did great on your first performance.”

Number 77 nodded, then lowered his voice a little and leaned toward Su Xingyao’s ear. “I’m just a bit greedy. I hope to advance, but I really want to be chosen by the mentor I like.”

Su Xingyao smiled in understanding.

As expected, he wasn’t nervous about advancing.

He was nervous about being chosen by his favorite mentor.

But during the first performance, he had enthusiastically supported all three mentors. Su Xingyao didn’t expect him to be so worried about the mentor selection.

Su Xingyao wasn’t the type to pry, so he didn’t ask who the other contestant was hoping to be selected by.

He looked up and saw the mentors in front, each holding a pen in one hand and furrowing their brows while they scrolled intensely on their tablets.

There was a countdown beside the screen.

For the contestants whose skills were average, each passing second on the countdown felt like a small tremor in their hearts.

Soon, the ten minutes passed, and the four mentors returned to the stage.

Each of them wore a smile that seemed to conceal some kind of ulterior motive, each trying to subtly find out who the others had chosen.

Finally, Fu Qingyan walked to the center of the stage, holding four envelopes in his hands.

“Now… the mentors’ selections are right here with me.”

He looked down at the contestants and asked, “Who would you like to see first?”

“Sheng Yan!!!”

“Wen Yun!!”

“Xu Beizhou…”

There were shouts for all the mentors, but the ones shouting for Shen Huaixi were much fewer compared to the others.

But on stage, Fu Qingyan raised an eyebrow and said to the contestants, “Shall we look at Mentor Shen’s first?”

Number 82, standing next to Su Xingyao, didn’t quite understand the situation and couldn’t help but mutter.

“Is the stage too far away for Senior Fu to hear clearly…”

Although everyone was puzzled as to how Fu Qingyan heard Shen Huaixi, they still quieted down to wait for him to open the envelope.

Of course, Fu Qingyan hadn’t misunderstood, he was simply showing favoritism towards Shen Huaixi.

Shen Huaixi had saved his life, and in this situation, it wasn’t a big deal for him as the host to casually call on Shen Huaixi.

Suddenly being called on, Shen Huaixi also cooperated by putting on a surprised expression and immediately waved his hand, saying, “No, no, I… I had something earlier this morning…”

But Fu Qingyan had already opened his envelope and randomly picked out a card from it.

The first person Fu Qingyan picked was number 65.

A girl who looked fresh and had a lovely singing voice.

The selected girl came up to the stage, bowed to Shen Huaixi, and said thank you with some excitement.

Seeing the girl’s excitement, Shen Huaixi took the microphone and explained his reason for choosing her.

After their interaction, according to the program rules, the big screen displayed whether any other mentors had chosen her.

After returning home, Shen Huaixi had actually spent a lot of time researching the list.

Although he seemed very conflicted and troubled in front of the camera, he had already made his selections well before this.

He didn’t always choose the most talented contestants, but rather those with greater potential.

He didn’t care whether his team would win the championship, as the honor wasn’t his.

However, during the selection process, if no one from his team chose him, he would feel upset for a long time.

He couldn’t afford to lose face, so he selected contestants with relatively soft personalities who were easier to manage.

The girl, number 65, was the perfect choice for this.

Shen Huaixi looked up, watching the names of the other three mentors constantly flashing on the screen, hoping they wouldn’t choose this unremarkable girl.

But after the background music ended, Sheng Yan’s name suddenly popped up.

Shen Huaixi’s fingers dug into the palm of his hand.

But on the surface, he smiled and said, “Mentor Sheng, this isn’t really your style, is it?”

He looked at him, as if questioning, “Why are you taking my contestant?”

Sheng Yan was also surprised that Shen Huaixi had chosen this girl. He gave a somewhat embarrassed smile, but his attitude was still firm.

“I like her.”

When two mentors select the same contestant, the choice now falls to contestant number 65.

Shen Huaixi looked at her with anticipation, but the result was disappointing.

Number 65 was a fan of Sheng Yan, and after being chosen by her idol, she immediately and without hesitation chose him.

The first selection was an unfortunate one. Seeing Shen Huaixi’s face full of disappointment, Fu Qingyan, standing on the stage, tried to comfort him.

“It’s okay, let’s move on to the second one.”

Originally, Fu Qingyan planned to proceed with the second selection to ease the awkwardness Shen Huaixi felt after the first contestant’s choice.

But to his surprise, the second contestant was also in a conflict.

And it was with Xu Beizhou.

Seeing this result, Xu Beizhou was a bit surprised.

He had previously chatted with Shen Huaixi and, from the conversation, had guessed which contestants Shen Huaixi favored, so he had tried to avoid conflicts with him.

But he didn’t expect this to happen after all.

Seeing the contestant on stage and Shen Huaixi’s expectant look, Xu Beizhou gave a somewhat perfunctory gesture to select the contestant.

But even though he was so indifferent, the contestant who didn’t read the room still chose him…

“Sorry…”

Seeing Shen Huaixi’s expression souring a bit, Xu Beizhou quickly turned off his microphone to apologize to him.

Shen Huaixi, who had already sensed that Xu Beizhou was interested in him, smiled a little, both wronged and stubborn. “It’s fine, I don’t blame you.”

After being passed over by two contestants, Shen Huaixi was indeed feeling quite awkward.

Fu Qingyan, realizing that if the same thing happened again with the next contestant, Shen Huaixi would lose all face today, decided to open a different mentor’s envelope.

But whether it was that everyone had similar tastes or that Shen Huaixi was just incredibly unlucky, the next round was also a conflict.

When Fu Qingyan opened the other mentors’ envelopes, their selected contestants clashed with Shen Huaixi’s choices too.

Out of the ten contestants he had written down, he only ended up selecting two.

The other eight were all picked by other mentors.

Such a low selection rate made him appear quite embarrassed.

Especially compared to the two mentors next to him, each of whom had managed to select seven contestants, it was really quite an uncomfortable situation.

While Fu Qingyan on stage was comforting the contestants who hadn’t been selected, saying, “Don’t be discouraged, there will be other chances,” he was secretly observing Shen Huaixi, whose face had already lost any trace of a smile.

“Next, let’s welcome the contestants who directly advanced to the next round from the initial stage!”

Only four contestants had received the four advancement cards.

Under the guidance of the staff, Su Xingyao, along with the other three, stepped onto the stage.

When the four direct qualifiers took the stage, the audience erupted in a wave of intense applause.

After all, these four were the strongest of the strong. Regardless of whether people liked them or not, at least on the surface, they were respected.

Especially Su Xingyao. When many people saw him in his cute plush costume again, they couldn’t help but whistle and shout, “Cat!”

Fu Qingyan stood next to Su Xingyao and smiled at him.

“After the show aired, many people asked about the link to your cat headpiece. Would you mind telling everyone where you bought it today?”

Suddenly being called out, Su Xingyao instinctively took a step back.

After creating a safe distance from Fu Qingyan, Su Xingyao finally spoke.

“I made it myself.”

Fu Qingyan didn’t mind Su Xingyao’s reaction. In fact, he thought that Su Xingyao was simply playing along with his earlier comment, pretending to be surprised and stepping back on purpose.

So he praised him even more enthusiastically, “You made it yourself? Wow, that’s impressive, you’re such an all-around ‘Cat.'”

In response to Fu Qingyan’s excitement, Su Xingyao remained silent and didn’t speak any further.

Of the four contestants on stage, Fu Qingyan was only interested in “Cat Cat.”

After interacting with Su Xingyao, he quickly announced the next segment.

At this point, the production team finally revealed their trump card— the blind box drawing.

Su Xingyao looked at the familiar box in front of him and casually picked one.

When he opened it, he realized he had drawn the last one.

Being the last one, he quickly moved to the edge of the stage, waiting for the other three contestants to make their choices.

The first three contestants who had advanced were quite straightforward. As soon as they stepped on stage, before the mentors could start fighting over them, they quickly announced their preferred mentors.

The first contestant from the creative department chose Xu Beizhou.

The second contestant, with a gentle vibe, chose Wen Yun.

The third contestant, from the idol department, chose Sheng Yan.

The contestants in the audience, seeing that the three advanced contestants had made such balanced choices, began to suspect that the production team had arranged everything in advance, making sure each mentor got a fair share.

So when it was Su Xingyao’s turn to step up, everyone was curious.

“Could it be… that Cat will choose Shen Huaixi?”

“No way…”

“Cat, come to our team!”

While the contestants were thinking this, the mentors were not of the same mind.

As soon as Su Xingyao stepped onto the stage, Wen Yun, who was usually calm and soft-spoken, spoke up first.

“Cat, come to my team. Our team style should be a great match for you.”

Sheng Yan, who often bickers with Wen Yun, couldn’t help but open his mic. “How come, Brother Yun, are you trying to steal my contestant again? We already agreed—Cat is mine!”

Xu Beizhou had originally planned to speak up as well.

But seeing Shen Huaixi’s nervous gaze fixed on Su Xingyao’s plush costume, he graciously smiled and decided not to get involved.

“I feel like I won’t win this one, so I’ll step back.”

Xu Beizhou’s words sounded a bit odd. Many of the contestants looked at him in confusion, not understanding why he gave up without any explanation.

However, Xu Beizhou didn’t clarify. Instead, he turned to look at Shen Huaixi and silently mouthed, “Good luck.”

At this point, Shen Huaixi was indeed starting to feel anxious.

In his pre-selection list, there was no contestant in a plush costume like number 78.

From the very first time he saw the person, he didn’t like them much.

Especially after the previous episode aired, the things he said to this person had even gotten him scolded by some viewers. So, under normal circumstances, he would never consider such a person for his team.

But…

So far, he didn’t have a single decent contestant in his group.

Especially when it came to the three contestants who had directly advanced, not one of them had mentioned him.

This was the first time he faced such an uncontrollable situation. Even though he disliked the person, he was now desperate to get number 78 onto his team.

So, he eagerly opened his microphone and looked at Su Xingyao, praising him, “Cat, your voice is very pleasant to listen to.”

“The first time I heard you sing, I was truly amazed.”

“Many people might have misunderstood what I said to you in the previous episode, but I want to clarify here.”

“I like you so much… that I urgently want to get to know you more…”

After explaining himself, Shen Huaixi used all his acting skills and looked at Su Xingyao.

“Of course, that’s not the most important thing. What I really want to say today is, come join my team. Together, let’s go for the championship!”

Shen Huaixi’s words were sincere, but Su Xingyao on stage just stood there in silence, his expression unreadable.

If he didn’t know the person, he might have believed it.

Once Shen Huaixi finished speaking, it was time for Su Xingyao to make his choice.

As the first contestant to advance, and the one with the most attention, Su Xingyao was now being courted by three mentors.

The production team also knew how to heighten the tension, playing an exciting background music to build the suspense.

The contestants in the audience were also caught up in the atmosphere, and they couldn’t help but feel nervous as they watched Su Xingyao in the center of the stage.

Some were curious whether he would be moved by Shen Huaixi.

Some were praying that he would join their mentor’s team.

Fu Qingyan also seized the moment to speak up, looking at Su Xingyao with curiosity and anticipation.

“So, Cat… what is your choice?”

A few seconds later, Su Xingyao picked up the microphone. “Thank you to all four mentors for your recognition and affection…”

He lifted his head, his gaze fixed ahead.

“But my choice is…”