Chapter 85: The Challenge

Sieg stretched out his hands with the swagger of a hip-hop artist and said, “Hold on, hold on! Look at the host!”

The host, holding a microphone, stepped into the center of the stage.

Once everyone’s attention was on him, Sieg turned to Tang Zhichu and said, “Add me on WeChat, don’t forget.”

Tang Zhichu nodded, “After the recording.”

The host glanced at his cue card and motioned for silence, then said, “Does everyone still remember our project selection rules? Yes, except for the first episode, in all subsequent rounds, the losing teams get priority in choosing projects, after which the winning teams send out their chosen champion to face the challenge...”

After finishing the explanation, the host gestured toward the large screen at the back, where ten tasks were neatly listed.

The highest fee was six million, the lowest two hundred thousand, and all after-tax.

That was the reason so many musicians were willing to come. Setting aside all the program’s rules, even as straightforward business, these prices were top-tier within the industry.

Penguin Video had essentially come in to integrate resources, gathering everyone together.

“For this second round, the losing teams are the Wildfire Alliance and the Sunflower Alliance. The two are tied in points, so let’s be careful: Teacher Shen, Sister Wei, why don’t you play rock-paper-scissors...?”

“Uh…”

“You really are cautious!”

...

Shen Jianxin stood and walked over to the Sunflower Alliance.

The initiator of Sunflower Alliance was Bai Xiwei, more than a decade younger than Shen Jianxin, the only female alliance leader, but with qualifications beyond question—one of the most formidable female musicians in Huaguo, with more awards than she could carry. In terms of popularity, she far surpassed Shen Jianxin.

Egged on by the others, Shen Jianxin lost, as expected.

He returned looking somewhat embarrassed.

Yun Miao comforted him, “It’s okay, let them choose first.”

A few minutes later, Sunflower Alliance made their decision. They sent out a musician who had won the Huayue Award for Best Lyricist, picking the fifth-ranked project—a theme song for an urban romance drama, with a fee of six hundred eighty thousand.

Shen Jianxin looked at Sieg. “Your turn?”

Sieg nodded. Among their alliance, he hadn’t gone on stage yet.

Shen Jianxin nodded, then raised his hand toward the host.

The host signaled for Wildfire Alliance’s representative to stand; Sieg rose.

“What’s your choice?” the host asked.

Sieg pointed at the big screen. “Number seven—the promotional song for the Three Kingdoms game expansion!”

“Teacher Shen, any objections?” the host asked again.

Shen Jianxin shook his head.

“Alright, Wildfire Alliance will be represented by Sieg, who has chosen the seventh-ranked task—the promotional song for the Three Kingdoms game expansion, with a fee of five hundred thousand. The losing teams have finished selecting their projects. Now, the winning teams will counter, with higher points having priority…”

The rules were a bit complex. Tang Zhichu recalled them as he watched the unfolding situation.

By difficulty, Sieg’s choice was tougher than the fifth-ranked one. A theme song for a romance drama is relatively easy to write, but a specific promotional song for a game is a real challenge.

Tang Zhichu knew Sieg dabbled in Huaguo-style rap songs; he should be confident in this genre.

After the winning teams made their selections, two duel stages took shape, and staff began notifying the director to prepare for the next stage of recording.

“The excitement is about to begin. Based on everyone’s choices, this episode’s stage will feature the Stellar Alliance versus Wildfire Alliance, and Vanguard Alliance versus Sunflower Alliance. Does anyone wish to issue a challenge?”

The first phase was for the alliances to select their representatives and set up the duel stages.

The second phase—the one the host was now announcing—allowed individual musicians to step forward and form a challenge stage.

Wildfire Alliance had tried this last time, but ended up losing.

The dueling stage was straightforward: a one-on-one showdown. The challenge stage was also simple but more dramatic—the challenger would face two opponents as the grand finale.

In essence, it was a three-way brawl, but as the challenger, you became the focus, with the show building up the pressure around you.

Tang Zhichu frowned, then closed his eyes, mind racing. He was certain he would step forward as a challenger, but hadn’t yet decided which task to take on.

As a newcomer, it was hard to take center stage—especially after two episodes, with everyone now focused on results.

Up front, Shen Jianxin’s eyes sharpened as he also considered whether to challenge another task.

He couldn’t stick to old ways. As the senior, he had to step up—he’d already lost three times.

Suddenly, someone in the center raised a hand, and the host immediately perked up. “Vanguard Alliance’s Pu Jingshi—Master Pu, do you wish to challenge?”

A ripple of surprise swept through the crowd. Pu Jingshi was one of the most formidable musicians in the Vanguard Alliance, or perhaps among all present; every year, chart-topping hits still came from his pen.

Among the four alliances, everyone knew which was strongest and which was weakest. Shen Jianxin’s laid-back attitude had attracted several musicians others had passed over, making his team the weakest by default.

The initiator of the Vanguard Alliance, Sun Zhe, was a mainstream powerhouse, the artistic director at Tianhe Entertainment, and the composer of “Prayer,” sung by Tang Zhichu.

Pu Jingshi was Sun Zhe’s longtime collaborator. People said that Tianhe Entertainment’s music division was led by the “Tianhe Trio”—wherever they went, they dominated the finale, and it was these two men who trained them.

With Sun Zhe and Pu Jingshi, the rest of their team was strong as well. In two recordings, they had sent out three performers, all of whom had won.

Many sighed—after two episodes, the rookies’ warm-up was over, and now the monster-class veterans could no longer sit still.

Pu Jingshi grinned. “Let’s give it a try. With so much excitement, my hands are itching—don’t laugh at me.”

Some people already looked sympathetically toward Wildfire Alliance. The Vanguard Alliance and Sunflower Alliance had just been paired for the duel stage; it was clear whom Pu Jingshi intended to challenge.

The host asked, “Master Pu, which project will you challenge?”

Pu Jingshi turned and saluted Shen Jianxin’s group, then smiled, “The game promotional song—I’ll challenge myself a bit.”

“Ha…”

“How exciting!”

“So this is the Vanguard Alliance? Already targeting two alliances at once?”

“Damn, poor Sieg!”

“This is brutal! I’m already getting goosebumps!”

Why such a strong reaction? There was an unspoken rule—no, it wasn’t even hidden.

If you’re the client and an ordinary musician is up against one of the best in the industry, both writing you a song, wouldn’t you naturally expect more from the star? Their reputation alone could sway you; they’d have extra points before even performing.

Shen Jianxin frowned slightly but maintained his composure, giving a polite gesture back to Pu Jingshi.

He had anticipated this. The Vanguard Alliance was packed with the industry’s most active musicians, as were the other teams, all with major label backing.

Shen Jianxin’s reputation was solid, but he’d long since set up his own studio, leaving the mainstream behind—and had even publicly criticized the others, blaming them for the decline of the Chinese music scene.

If it came to a showdown, it was fair game for the others to target him.

“Alright, the challenge stage between Vanguard Alliance and Wildfire Alliance is set. Anyone else?” the host asked.

Shen Jianxin hesitated. If he stepped up now, it would look like he didn’t trust Sieg, which would be unfair to Sieg. If he chose another project, he’d be distracted. If he stayed put, at least he could help Sieg.

Shen Jianxin believed that with his support, Sieg might not lose to Pu Jingshi.

Sieg clenched his fists—not out of fear. As a rapper, he was naturally combative and didn’t care about qualifications or status. He was simply excited, with a hint of nervousness.

Excitement for the impending battle; nerves because he’d be facing a heavyweight as soon as he stepped on stage.

Yun Miao edged closer to Sieg. “Good luck. If you need anything, just ask your big sister.”

At that moment, the host repeated, “Anyone else?”

Some considered it, hesitated, but didn’t raise their hands. With Pu Jingshi stepping in, the spotlight was set. Anyone else would merely be an afterthought.

The newcomers didn’t dare move. They had started out full of confidence, but after two episodes, they knew exactly where they fell short. Music was far more than just writing lyrics and composing tunes.

Just then, another hand went up.

“Wait… Wildfire Alliance’s Tang Zhichu—Xiao Tang, did you just raise your hand?” the host’s surprised voice echoed through the hall.