"Such a high vote count!" Wei Tongzi exclaimed in surprise.
Chu Zhi asked knowingly, "Is this vote count considered high?"
In truth, before coming, he had studied the season's data inside out.
"The highest vote count last episode was Teacher Hou's 704 votes. With 679 votes, you'd either be the champion or at least in the top three," Wei Tongzi explained.
One by one, the contestants took the stage, receiving 594, 611, and 647 votes respectively. Whether by luck or misfortune, this round's performers all delivered strong performances, and even the audience votes were higher than the previous episode.
Zheng Yingying, often seen as an easy target, lucked out with a sweet love song that suited her style. With minor rearrangements to the melody, she delivered a stable yet standout performance, earning 635 votes.
In the waiting room, Wei Tongzi's gaze flickered between Chu Zhi and the button on the table—lingering on him but hesitating when it came to the button.
The show's setup allowed the challenger to press a red button, triggering a sudden alarm on stage and flashing red warning lights. But in the end, Chu Zhi didn't reach for it. A flicker of disappointment crossed Wei Tongzi's eyes.
The only advantage of being a surprise challenger was the freedom to choose a song, while the other contestants had to rely on luck to draw their songs after the previous episode, giving them a week to rearrange them. This time, all the songs were well-known, severely weakening Chu Zhi's edge.
"I was so scared! Thankfully, no one challenged me." Zheng Yingying patted her flat chest in relief after finishing her performance without being targeted.
With a smile, she returned to the gathering hall, where Lin Xia, Hengkou Yi, and others stood up from the sofa, applauding. "You sang with such passion today!" "Amazing, you're such a skilled singer!"
"Yingying, your performance today was radiant and effortless," praised Hou Yubin, the elder statesman of the group, who remained seated but clapped along.
"Uncle Hou, there's more, right?" Zheng Yingying looked at him expectantly. "You usually praise with three idioms in a row. 'Radiant' and 'effortless' are only two."
"Really?" Hou Yubin hadn't noticed but played along. "Yingying's talent stands out among her peers—how about 'exceptional and outstanding' to complete the trio?"
"Uncle Hou complimented me! That's a performance worth bragging about." Zheng Yingying grinned.
She had undergone minor cosmetic procedures in her youth, and when she smiled, her crescent-moon eyes curved upward, radiating youthful energy. After all, what kind of idol doesn't tweak their face a little?
"The important thing is to compete with skill and style." Hou Yubin carried himself with the demeanor of a veteran artist—no social media, rarely giving interviews, unaware that netizens had dubbed him the "walking idiom dictionary." His popularity was surprisingly high.
"Who is the surprise challenger targeting?" Zheng Yingying, now that she was safe, grew curious. The unannounced contender loomed like the Sword of Damocles, hanging ominously overhead.
"Maybe they plan to challenge all of us," Lin Xia declared firmly. "If my guess is correct, then that's exactly what's happening."
Hou Yubin nodded. "I share the same thought. The challenger must have remarkable courage, given how well everyone has performed so far."
The singers in the hall grew even more intrigued. The previous two surprise guests had been skilled, yet both failed. Was the new one really that bold?
"I admire the challenger's courage to take on everyone at once," Koguchi Yoshihiro said, standing up but not sitting back down—he was next to perform.
On stage, the lights shimmered, creating an aura of stardom. No wonder so many young people were desperate to become celebrities.
"This next singer is hailed as a voice of the new era, with a mesmerizing low tone that's earned him the nickname 'The Melody of the Bullet Train.' Please welcome Koguchi Yoshihiro!" Gu Nanxi announced.
I am a Singer had a unique format: the show's host also served as a musical partner, while contestants took turns as emcees.
Gu Nanxi was this season's host, and in this round, she had earned 647 votes—a high score.
Koguchi Yoshihiro had rearranged the Chinese song Deserted Island into a bilingual Chinese-Japanese version. Though he didn't speak Chinese, that didn't hinder his performance. On Earth, the legendary diva Teresa Teng—honored by Japan's TBS as one of the "Five Great Singers of the Showa Era"—had initially memorized Japanese lyrics phonetically, leaving behind timeless classics despite not understanding the language (as confirmed by lyricist Toyohisa Araki). Of course, Teng later mastered Japanese effortlessly, proving herself a linguistic prodigy.
For foreign stars working long-term in another country, failing to learn the local language within a year or two was a clear sign of zero sincerity—even in money-making.
The Japanese singer's vote count: 699
Even surpassing Lin Xia's score. Foreigners singing Chinese songs was a surefire crowd-pleaser, and Koguchi Yoshihiro's rendition truly conveyed the sorrow of love lost on a deserted island.
Finally, the veteran Hou Yubin took the stage. Last round, he had drawn a viral TikTok hit—catchy but shallow. Yet after his team rearranged it, the song transformed into an epic tale of life and death on the battlefield, infused with the grandeur of a general's voice. The audience was stunned.
"After being brainwashed by these cheesy tunes, I never expected to be moved like this," one viewer remarked. The applause was the most thunderous of the night.
As expected, his vote count was the highest of the round: 716.
Back in the gathering hall, the other singers rose to their feet.
"Uncle Hou, your high notes left me speechless!"
"When will I ever reach this level of skill?"
"The arrangement was so unique—what was that instrument the band member on the far left was playing?"
"That's a yugu—some call it a bamboo zither. It's a traditional Han Chinese instrument dating back to the Tang Dynasty's Taoist storytelling, where priests 'played the yugu and sang Taoist songs.'" Hou Yubin enthusiastically explained. "In myths, the immortal Lan Caihe used it to sing The Stomping Song while begging. Nowadays, it's mostly used in children's songs. Wang Xian and I debated for a long time before deciding to incorporate it."
"Uncle Hou's knowledge is truly vast," Lin Xia said. "I still have so much to learn about traditional culture. I must keep working hard to… keep working hard."
Though Lin Xia was the king of circular statements, his questions always hit Hou Yubin's sweet spot, delighting the elder. Meanwhile, Zheng Yingying's attention snagged on the name "Wang Xian"—a top-tier producer she had once tried (and failed) to commission for her own album.
Lyricists and music producers might not be household names, but their influence in the industry was immense. The gathering hall buzzed with camaraderie, the surprise challenger momentarily forgotten—until the screen dimmed, and Gu Nanxi began her introduction.
"This next singer… is hard to define." Reading the name on her cue card, Gu Nanxi was baffled. "Wasn't Chu Zhi canceled? How is he on this show?"
But confusion stayed in her head. Her mouth kept moving.
"His digital album sales topped the charts in both 2018 and 2019. Fans have hailed his voice as 'divine.'"
"Let's welcome our surprise guest—" Gu Nanxi dragged out the suspense.
The stage went black. Then a spotlight blazed at the entrance, its white light so dazzling it seemed like a celestial path. A slender figure slowly emerged.
The contestants backstage watched the screen, the glare initially obscuring the newcomer. But the live audience in the front rows saw him immediately. Whispers spread like wildfire through the crowd of 800.
"Is that… Chu Zhi?"
"It really is him! What was the show thinking? He's a disgrace!"
"'Divine voice'? Please. I used to love his looks, but his character is trash. Former fan here—now I hate him."
"Let me tell you a joke: Chu Zhi has a divine voice."
"I'm trained to stay professional. No matter how funny, I won't laugh—pffft! Sorry, I couldn't help it."