Chapter 71

When the votes from the audience outside the studio were counted, the chief director of the Chinese-speaking region's program stared at a string of data on the computer screen, which had been fed back by mobile, telecommunications, and internet companies. He couldn't help but take a deep breath.

A new record since the start of the competition! And it's a significant new record! 1,072,317 text message votes! Directly breaking through the one million mark! This number usually only appears during the top five competition, but now it's just the second round of the top twenty. At this stage, most contestants can't even get 100,000 votes. Those with 100,000 to 200,000 are considered popular, and those with 300,000 to 400,000 are considered super-popular.

What do global idol talent shows want? They want attention! They want outstanding contestants with great topics, talent, and appearance!

"Based on the song she just performed, she's not just a global idol; she's fully qualified to win a Grammy!"

The program's chief director slapped his thigh and decided, "We need to significantly倾斜 (tilt) the program resources towards Qin Yuezhuang. Focus on cultivating her! Treat her the same as Luo Tianyi, and we'll hype them up as two rival styles. Yes, that's what we'll do! Contact the media quickly and create a big news story!"

Not only did the program director pay special attention to Qin Xia'er. When the girl on stage learned her vote count from the host, she placed her hands on her chest, bowed excitedly, and was about to leave the stage. Suddenly, a middle-aged man in a suit and glasses, sitting in the front row of the audience, stood up.

"Excuse me, wait a moment, I want to say something."

The four mentors immediately turned to look at the middle-aged man. Three of them gradually recognized him and smiled knowingly.

As seasoned music professionals, they basically all knew this middle-aged man in glasses—the head of the mainland China branch of Rolling Stone Records.

The middle-aged man's gaze directly fell on Qin Xia'er on stage, and he immediately put on a warm smile. "Contestant Qin Yuezhuang, are you interested in collaborating with our Rolling Stone Records?"

"Eh?" Qin Xia'er was slightly stunned. Is this to sign me?

Apart from people like Li Pu who have special purposes, most contestants in talent shows ultimately aim to be noticed by record companies, sign contracts, and be packaged into music artists. Rolling Stone Records, with a large number of stars under its belt, actually stood up on the spot to express their desire to collaborate with Qin Xia'er—this kind of treatment made some of the other contestants envious.

However, before Qin Xia'er had time to consider, another fashionably dressed woman stood up.

"Miss Qin, hello, I am Matsubayashi Tomoko from Avex Records," the woman smiled. "Our Avex Records also hopes to collaborate with you. Have you heard of Avex?" She said confidently, "In terms of packaging a talented and beautiful singer like you, our company's experience and resources are undoubtedly the best in Asia."

The representative of Rolling Stone Records on the scene immediately looked a bit uncomfortable—he had seen the Avex Records representative and wanted to sign this girl first. But this annoying Japanese woman didn't give him any face!

Matsubayashi Tomoko also glanced at the middle-aged man from Rolling Stone Records, feeling secretly annoyed. This colleague was breaking the rules by inviting her to sign on the spot—hmm, Avex Records is best at packaging top divas with both beauty and voice. How could she let this charming and dynamic girl be signed by someone else!

As a senior executive of Avex, she personally came to mainland China to sign a foreign songstress with characteristics different from Japanese girls. Initially, she had her eye on the Tibetan girl Dawa, waiting for Dawa to get a good ranking before discussing a contract. But after seeing Qin Xia'er's performance today, she immediately shifted her focus to Qin Xia'er, determined to sign her!

This girl already has excellent qualities in every aspect. At a young and charming age, she is exactly the type the Japanese market loves. With her delicate features, gentle demeanor, and outstanding singing voice—her figure is even as good as a model.

Moreover, the song Qin Xia'er performed just now—according to Matsubayashi Tomoko's professional judgment, if this song were adapted into English, it has a very high chance of becoming a globally best-selling platinum album!

Not to mention the other four songs she mentioned—if she didn't snatch such a top-tier contestant, she wouldn't be in the record company business.

"But I'm still a high school student..." Qin Xia'er, flattered and surprised, was a bit hesitant. She didn't come to the competition to really enter the music industry.

In a sense, she was similar to Li Pu. This was her first attempt to break free from past constraints and pursue her pure personal hobby, stepping onto a side path in life.

"It's fine. You know, in Japan, there are many high school and even junior high school idols, like Berryz Kobo, who are also popular in China," Matsubayashi Tomoko smiled. "It won't interfere much with your studies."

In the end, Qin Xia'er said she needed to consider it and temporarily declined the collaboration offers from the two record companies. This unexpected event was naturally widely reported by the media. For a time, Qin Xia'er's popularity quickly surpassed the originally top-ranked Luo Tianyi, becoming the biggest super typhoon eye of the Chinese-speaking region's competition.

In the third round, the top twenty to ten competition, Qin Xia'er, using another alien song adapted by the "Level 2 Intelligent Authority Module," eliminated another popular but unlucky contestant with overwhelming strength. She caught up to Luo Tianyi in the overall popularity ranking.

As for Jin Chengxiu, his luck was not good, and he was unexpectedly overtaken by Yuezheng Ling in the top twenty to ten elimination round. He didn't even make the top three, dropping to fourth. Fortunately, he had enough brain-dead female fans who believed that the "handsome prince" would definitely turn the tables in the top ten competition.

"The battle is just beginning," the handsome Jin, who looked like Hanamichi Sakuragi, said to the reporters in a cool line from "Slam Dunk."

As for Li Pu, with a powerful old martial arts TV drama theme song "Clouds Parting, Heaven Opening," he mercilessly eliminated Li Hansha, who sang "Sweet and Sour Tofu Brain" in a cute style, rising to seventh place in the overall ranking.

The top ten to five competition was about to begin. The two divas in pink and sky blue, as well as the red whirlwind that followed, had become the most discussed and watched hot topics. Especially Qin Xia'er, the two adapted alien hit songs she uploaded to video websites had a significant impact in Asia and even across the ocean.

Unlike Li Pu, who was completely careless and didn't care about his studies, Qin Xia'er had to try to review her lessons while participating in the competition, making her daily schedule very tight.

So, apart from meeting at the competition venue and occasionally at school, she really had no extra time to find Li Pu.

Reason and common sense told her so, so when the girl, driven by her personal bodyguard, entered an ordinary neighborhood and went up the stairs alone, she felt that she might have been a bit...

—Too preoccupied with him.

But... the top ten competition is about to start, so it's normal to come and discuss strategies! And since he's always so lazy and skips classes, I should come and take care of him more as a childhood friend!

Finding a sufficient reason, Class President Xia'er stood in front of the door, clenched her small fists, and knocked, "Knock knock~"

After a while, the door opened, and Li Pu poked his head out, seeing the tall and graceful girl standing outside.

"How did you have time to come today? Weren't you supposed to be reviewing your missed lessons?" Li Pu's nose twitched slightly. His sense of smell was about ten times that of an ordinary person. Besides the scent of shampoo from the girl's straight, freshly washed hair, he could also clearly distinguish a unique, fresh body fragrance.

"Um..." Qin Xia'er held a notebook she had prepared, and said firmly, "I came to review with you!"

"Uh... review? That's not necessary, right?" Li Pu swallowed. Since entering his senior year, he hadn't really opened his textbooks.

"You're still a student facing the college entrance exam, of course you need to!" Qin Xia'er smiled, deliberately brushing her hair with her delicate hand, and said in a queenly manner, "What, are you unhappy that I came to study with you?"

Li Pu was speechless. Indeed, Qin Xia'er's popularity and attention had skyrocketed like a rocket recently, and many media outlets were calling her a talented and beautiful national girl, a heavenly songstress, and the strongest contestant in the Asian region of the global idol competition. As for her millions of hardcore fans, they were even more crazy.

For a high school boy, a girl like her coming with class notes to review together would feel like a dream.

But Li Pu was probably the only exception.

In Li Pu's eyes, if Class President Xia'er were ten parts, three parts were still the unlucky girl who pouted and reported him to the teacher after he bullied her; three parts were a childhood friend who cared about him; three parts were a beautiful and well-figured girl who was a pleasure to look at; and only one part was a super-popular new star as a national idol.

"Let's skip the review. I have a pile of homework to do. Since you're here, you might as well help me finish it," the boy said, spreading his hands.

"Eh~ I don't want to help you with your homework. You should do it yourself," Qin Xia'er, who had been a class officer from elementary to high school, reflexively objected.

"But the last few times you came, you were willing to clean my room for me," Li Pu argued.

"That's completely different," Class President Xia'er turned serious. "Let's put it this way. You are a student, and a student's primary job is to study, but cleaning the room is not. If you get married in the future and have a wife, she might clean your room and wash your clothes, but she can't do your job for you."

Class President Xia'er's argument was logical and righteous. But the boy accurately spotted the flaw and said with a grin, "Thinking so far ahead, do you want to marry me?"

"I... I don't!" Qin Xia'er's face turned red, and she said flustered, "Idiot! Don't think too much, it's just an example."