Chapter 24: The Many Faces of Zhou Xiaoran

The rules for the semifinals of "Who Is the King of Song" were quite straightforward. In addition to the one thousand audience members, twenty professional judges had been added. Each audience member possessed a single vote, totaling one thousand votes, while every professional judge held ten votes, amounting to two hundred in all.

The choice of professional judges this time clearly signaled the show’s seriousness. Host Mr. He introduced each judge by name.

Li E: A renowned music critic in the country, with countless appearances on music programs.
Wang Nan: A dancer who once won first place in classical dance in Hua Nation.
Sun Dan: Music critic and planner, who has contributed to the Dragon Fruit Music Festival and the Strawberry Music Festival.
Zhou Ni: Famous composer, involved in the album releases of several song kings, with his composed songs selling over fifty million copies.
...

This semifinals would determine the two contestants who would advance to the Grand Finals, the Dragon’s Nest Carnival Night. Host Mr. He, microphone in hand, explained the rules to the freshly arrived audience, trying every means to enliven the atmosphere of the competition.

Furthermore, the entire semifinals were broadcast live online. As soon as the stream opened, it was flooded with viewers, the popularity index shooting past a million and climbing rapidly.

Backstage, the contestants were in the process of drawing lots to decide the order of their performances. This segment was also streamed live, with countless viewers anxiously awaiting the results.

With only four contestants drawing lots, the results were quickly announced: Ji Song would perform first, Chen Yi second, Fujiwara Taku third, and Zhou Ran fourth.

The outcome was quite favorable, and there was little worry about pressure on Zhou Ran, for he was currently enjoying a surge of popularity, exerting a strong sense of competition over the three veteran contestants.

It wasn’t that they feared Zhou Ran’s singing skills—on that front, the older singers still held an advantage. The main issue was Zhou Ran’s originality: every song he performed was his own creation, something few could compete with.

Zhou Ran had even earned a nickname online: the "Originality Demon King." Some people had started betting on when he would finally sing a song that wasn’t his own.

Ji Song, the first to take the stage, was ready, and the show was about to officially begin.

After Ji Song completed his performance, the professional judges signaled to the stage, indicating their wish to comment.

Li E, microphone in hand, addressed Ji Song: "First of all, Mr. Ji’s handling of the singing details was excellent, and his control and expression of the vocal range were very good.

"However, I believe there are a few imperfections. The first is an overreliance on vocal technique, which may lead to insufficient emotional transmission in the song. Then there’s the old issue of innovation. Mr. Ji, you do innovate, but perhaps not quite enough. Thank you!"

Ji Song nodded slightly after Li E’s remarks. He understood what had been said. Having singing technique was both a blessing and a curse: no matter how you sang, with technique, it would never be too poor, but the ceiling was limited, and emotional expression could sometimes fall short.

As for the issue of innovation, Ji Song could only feel helpless. Every craft has its specialist; not everyone can be as aberrant as Zhou Ran. Ji Song simply lacked talent for original songwriting. If he had it, he wouldn’t have lingered as a second-tier singer for years.

The judges’ comments were honest and forthright; praise for the good, criticism for the bad. Every point was reasoned and substantiated. There was no idle chatter or baseless disparagement.

Time passed alongside the professional judges’ commentary.

The third contestant, Fujiwara Taku, had finished his performance, which received the most criticism. Fujiwara had sung too many songs from hot-blooded anime, so whatever he sang now carried that same passionate flavor, making it impossible for the audience to emotionally connect.

In previous rounds, Fujiwara had always chosen energetic, uplifting songs, so this flaw had never been exposed. But today, he sang a love song, and the problem was laid bare.

It was similar to actors in past lives: someone with the appearance of a domineering CEO always played such roles, but if suddenly asked to play a pauper, it would come across as unnatural.

After Fujiwara’s performance, it was Zhou Ran’s turn to take the stage.

At the moment Zhou Ran appeared, the number of viewers in the live stream instantly soared past twenty million.

The screen was flooded with dense comments.

"Be brave, Ran Ran! Don’t fear the challenge, charge ahead!"
"Is Zhou Ran still performing an original today?"

As Zhou Ran entered, all eyes in the venue were fixed on him. Some hoped he would continue to achieve greatness and create new masterpieces. Of course, no one is perfect; there were also those who disliked Zhou Ran, wishing he would falter and leave the stage early.

Suddenly,

The sound of drums erupted across the stage. The lights shifted to a deep red, casting a somber atmosphere over the entire scene.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Before the big drum, the drummer struck with heavy, powerful beats.

The audience’s hearts began to beat in sync with the rhythm.

As the drums resounded, Pai Pai’s voice rang out.

Zhou Ran stood in the center of the stage, raising his tightly clenched right fist toward the sky.

Ha-hum! Ha-hum!

With his own voice, Zhou Ran led the audience into the rhythm.

A few seconds later, his voice burst forth like a cannonball from his throat.

"The vast sea laughs!
The tides surge on both shores!
Rise and fall with the waves!
Only remember today!"

Zhou Ran’s voice gripped listeners’ souls with an urgent intensity.

The audience was stunned by his versatility.

His voice, which had once sounded youthful, now carried a sense of world-weariness.

The barrage of comments in the live stream scrolled rapidly.

"My god, Zhou Ran the chameleon!"
"Is there any style you can’t master?"
"This style is so grand!"

Zhou Ran’s opening stunned the audience.

This rugged, heroic voice was completely at odds with Zhou Ran’s appearance, yet the contrast gave rise to a unique beauty.