Chapter Ninety-Eight: Two New Tasks Added

On the fifth, at half past four in the afternoon, Tang Zhi first arrived at the recording building thirty minutes ahead of schedule.

In the recording hall for the task selection, only two or three people sat scattered about. Tang Zhi nodded politely at them; some even stood up, and someone called out, "Little Tang." But there was no conversation, and Tang Zhi simply took his seat at Wildfire Alliance's area.

The large screen directly ahead still hadn’t updated the task list; the fifth and seventh slots remained dim.

"Hey, my friend, you’re here so early?" Sig entered.

Sig was straightforward, striding directly toward the Wildfire Alliance and greeting Tang Zhi.

Tang Zhi smiled, "I didn’t even go home."

"You stayed here?"

"Mm."

Sig dropped heavily into the seat beside Tang Zhi. Because of last episode's events, Shen Jianxin worried Tang Zhi and Sig might be awkward, but it was fine. Sig’s personality was more streetwise, valuing comradeship. Once he accepted Tang Zhi, it was actually easy, and he even felt a little guilty—Tang Zhi hadn’t even used the creative studio, yet secured the project. If Sig still fussed over personal gains, he'd be ridiculed by his brothers on the street.

"Are you prepared?" Sig asked quietly.

Tang Zhi glanced at the task list, then shook his head.

"It’s normal not to have time to prepare, same here. After finishing a song, my mind is still blank. Let it go; we have Sister Miao and Teacher Shen—they must be ready. Just look at these tasks, pick one that's easy to handle, study it, keep it as a backup..." Sig murmured to Tang Zhi.

This was experience, and the point of the alliance: someone leads, someone keeps a fallback.

Tang Zhi nodded. He wasn't entirely unprepared, just hadn’t made plans for the duel stage.

He’d just brought out a song, and now they wanted him to carry the duel stage again? Whether Shen Jianxin would agree or not, it wouldn’t be fair to others in the alliance who’d prepared.

But he would have to go up; every project meant money, missing an episode meant losing income.

If he couldn’t do the duel stage, he’d see about picking an easier challenge stage.

A little past five, nearly everyone had arrived.

Shen Jianxin still sat in the front row, eyes closed in feigned sleep.

Behind, Yun Miao took a seat between Tang Zhi and Sig.

The three grew more familiar as they chatted, Yun Miao animatedly recounting Tang Zhi’s romance show experience to Sig, leaving him astonished.

Tang Zhi also learned why Sig used that stage name—it was a hip-hop joke, derived from the English word "sky." Translating it directly into Chinese became Sig, a bit of mockery toward certain people.

"Welcome everyone to the fourth episode’s task selection recording. There’s a somewhat sad topic I must mention: last episode’s losers in the duel stage were the Star Alliance and the Sunflower Alliance. Perhaps it’s as the old saying goes: the wheel of fortune turns, hahaha..." The host, holding cue cards, stood in the center of the hall.

He introduced the opening, trying to liven up the mood, but sensed something was off—everyone looked rather serious.

By the fourth episode, if the losers lost again, someone would be eliminated. This round was harsher than the last.

Sunflower Alliance’s founder, Bai Xiwei, covered her face—they’d lost three consecutive rounds!

But the most dramatic was the previous champion, Vanguard Alliance. In the last duel stage, they faced Sunflower Alliance.

They won; under normal circumstances, they were safe.

But, unfortunately, Pu Jing Shi challenged another project and lost.

According to the show’s rules, though they were in the winners group, if their project was rejected again this episode, elimination would still follow.

That’s why no one dared to be a challenger; if you lost, the elimination seat was likely yours.

As for Star Alliance, last episode’s Three Kingdoms game project saw them crushed—this episode wouldn’t be easier.

Strictly speaking, only Wildfire Alliance faced the least pressure; even if they lost this round, elimination wouldn’t happen yet.

"Sorry, but as the old saying goes, the wheel of fortune turns—no one knows what this episode’s outcome will be." The host sensed the tension and quickly changed the subject.

"Let’s get back to business. Although Vanguard Alliance lost a stage, they won the duel, so they’re still considered winners. The losers this episode are Teacher Liu Xingyun’s Star Alliance and Sister Wei’s Sunflower Alliance; your accumulated points will decide who picks a project first..."

When the host finished, Bai Xiwei nearly burst into tears. Three straight losses left them with nothing.

Guo Jinglong’s joining added ten thousand points, but last episode’s loss deducted ten thousand, leaving them at zero. Bai Xiwei truly looked on the verge of tears.

"Teacher Liu, you pick first. Let’s skip the points check, alright?" Bai Xiwei pleaded, looking pitiful.

Tang Zhi chuckled softly, truly feeling sympathy for Bai Xiwei's side.

He’d met her a few times during last episode’s recording—she’d encouraged him, clearly a good person. Everyone called her Sister Wei, which said a lot.

Another reason Tang Zhi paid attention was Bai Xiwei resembled an artist from his previous world—Xu Qing.

Especially when she smiled, a faint dimple appeared.

Liu Xingyun didn’t stand on ceremony, rising and saying, "Update the task list. I’ll do it myself this time."

His words surprised everyone present.

The founder himself was stepping in?

Star Alliance had lost a round, but no one thought they were weak, especially Liu Xingyun. He and Sun Zhe debuted at the same time, even released albums together, and in that era, Liu Xingyun’s sales edged out.

Later, their careers diverged: Sun Zhe moved behind the scenes, joined Tianhe, became a talent show mentor, focusing on discovering and training newcomers.

Liu Xingyun had also been a talent show mentor, but he still released singles every year, remaining a staple in pop music. Some said Liu Xingyun was a distant, still-shining light in the twilight of the Chinese music scene.

"Wow, Teacher Liu himself is taking the field—he’s dead set on protecting his people."

"No kidding. Do you think there’s still room for us small fry? The show’s officially entered the gods-battling phase."

"Let’s see how the other alliances respond."

...

Whispers spread across the hall; the Star Alliance members were excited, even moved.

Liu Xingyun stepping in now meant enormous pressure, but it made him all the more respected.

Beside him, Bai Xiwei rubbed her temples and smiled helplessly. Were they really going to play it this way? They’d lost three episodes already—if everyone kept fighting so hard, only she would be left to take the stage.

The host waved to the staff, and the big screen flickered, beams of light reflecting on the leaderboard.

Many gasped.

"My god, a million-level project!"

"It’s actually the ending theme for Director Zhang Ansheng’s 'Good and Evil'! That’s a top-tier job!"

"It landed straight at third place on the task list—I’m drooling!"

"Forget it, this job is too hard. Winning doesn’t just get you a fee—it’s a real credential, a director’s film project!"

...

The atmosphere instantly heated up, and the host pursed his lips, internally grumbling about the musicians’ realism.

When he spoke, everyone wore grave faces; now, seeing a great project, their eyes shone.

"Ahem, let me briefly introduce: two new projects have been added, as you see. One is the ending theme for Director Zhang Ansheng’s film 'Good and Evil,' with a one-million-yuan fee. The other is special, more public-welfare oriented—a documentary theme song. The fee is smaller, but the significance is extraordinary..."