Chapter 118: An Unbelievable Outcome

After Li Xuan finished her song, the entire audience was deeply moved. Tenderly caressing her delicate chest, she held the little girl’s hand and bowed gracefully to the crowd.

The audience rose to their feet, entranced, applauding this stunning goddess with fervent admiration.

Thunderous applause filled the venue!

Backstage, the other singers also sincerely applauded Li Xuan. Zhao Ziqi clapped reluctantly, though she had to admit that Li Xuan’s performance was flawless. Just moments ago, she had been confident she could surpass Li Xuan, but now it seemed she would have to wait much longer for that victory.

As Li Xuan exited the stage, the entire Dongyu team, led by Chen Ke, applauded with heartfelt emotion—not just for Li Xuan, but also for Zhang Qiyang. They all knew that Zhang, who humbly called himself a mere craftsman, had created for Li Xuan a pair of exquisite crystal shoes so dazzling that, like a fleeting glimpse of a startled swan, they instantly captivated every spectator.

Not only those present, but millions watching on television were sure to have etched this song deeply into their memories.

As soon as Li Xuan’s performance ended, the online forum dedicated to the show was flooded by a wave of fervent praise, led by the fan armies of Chu Entertainment. The entire forum was overtaken by posts extolling Li Xuan:

“Where are those people who insisted Zhao Ziqi would win? Does your face hurt? Still boasting? If you do, I’ll send you a guide dog!”

“Xuan’s new song is amazing! ‘At Least I Still Have You’!”

“Did you notice? This song was written by Caidao. Who is this genius?”

“Xuan will definitely win tonight! If not, I’ll eat dog food live on stream! No joke!”

“As long as the audience isn’t deaf, the champion belongs to Li Xuan!”

“Just broke up, listening to this song, tears streaming down my face.”

“Beautiful Xuan, it’s such a blessing to live in the same era as you.”

“Xuan, you owe me instant noodles! Because of your singing, my noodles got too soggy! No texture left!”

“Another song for the year’s top ten hits is here! Throw flowers! Long live! Let’s make some noise, Xuan’s fan family! Tonight, Xuan will surely win!”

“Trash Zhang Cannon, if you dare to steal my goddess Xuan’s championship again, I’ll smash your bulletproof glass, believe it or not!”

“Cannon is facing a real rival tonight.”

“Rival? Are you an idiot? Trash Zhang Cannon can’t even be compared to our Xuan! Go cool off somewhere else!”

“Haven’t heard such a moving piece in ages. Xuan is truly one of a kind!”

“Xuan is amazing, but Caidao is incredible too! Is he Xiaowa’s friend? Look at the arrangement they did together. Anyone who knows Xiaowa, go find out who Caidao is. To write something so touching, he must be a very talented and warm person. If Caidao were a woman, I’d chase after her, hehe.”

“Is elementary student Wang Mingming still here? Do you support Zhang Cannon? Quickly abandon him and join Xuan’s fan family! Want your desk mate to kiss you? Bet on Big Sister Beautiful Xuan winning, got it?”

...

Tonight, the Love Crystal Shoes worn by Li Xuan shone so brilliantly that when Ji Chunying appeared last, many were still immersed in the rich melody of “At Least I Still Have You,” unable to break free.

Previously, Li Xuan had unveiled a secret weapon on the “My Song” stage—during the fourth episode, she sang “The Grand Entrance” with grandeur and majesty. Like tonight’s “At Least I Still Have You,” it gave listeners a transcendent, heavenly experience.

However, in that episode, Zhang Qiyang performed the explosive “New Shit” as the finale, dragging the audience down into hellish depths. By the time voting came, most were still swept away by the black-gold roar of “New Shit,” joyriding through hell with no envy of heaven’s beauty.

Tonight was different. Zhang’s “Outlier” also unleashed a fierce hellish storm, but thanks to the efforts of the singers who followed, the audience was pulled back to the earthly realm.

Then, Li Xuan’s heavenly voice transported them to paradise—no one missed the thrill of hell anymore.

When Ji Chunying finished performing, the audience wore expressions of lingering delight, wishing the competition could last longer, with more singers weaving beautiful musical fairy tales for them.

Unfortunately, “My Song” only had eight contestants. With all eight finished, it was time to judge and decide.

This episode’s audience was less conflicted than before.

Most had already made their choice after the performances.

Fifteen minutes later, the electronic voting system finished tallying the results.

The printed sheet appeared once more in Luo Tao’s hand.

For several episodes in a row, Luo Tao’s eyes would widen in shock when he saw the results.

And this episode was no exception.

Seeing the audience vote totals, Luo Tao’s eyes bulged as he exclaimed, “Holy shit!”

His assistant nearby flinched in surprise.

That showed just how deeply Luo Tao was shaken.

As a seasoned and composed variety show producer, Luo Tao usually masked his anger, rarely showing such a loss of composure.

Clearly, he was stunned by the results.

He agreed with the rankings but found the vote margin absurd beyond belief.

After a season and a half of “My Song,” such a ludicrous vote gap had never appeared—it seemed almost unreal.

Luo Tao groaned in frustration and quickly instructed the subtitle team not to display the vote counts during the broadcast, to avoid excessive controversy.

At the program’s end, they would only reveal the singers’ rankings and wait until next week’s final showdown to announce the vote numbers altogether.

The singers and their teams were all keenly watching the results, as were the viewers at home.

On the forums, fans shouted fervently for their idols, with Xuan’s fan family dominating the scene. Combined, other singers’ fans likely couldn’t outcheer them.

All signs pointed to Li Xuan claiming the championship of this week’s “My Song” once again.

Xuan’s fans couldn’t wait to pop champagne, ready to celebrate her victory while mocking Zhang Cannon as trash for stealing so many of Li Xuan’s championships in the past.

Thirty years on the east side of the river, thirty years on the west.

Now it was time for Xuan’s fan family to give those foolish cannon fodder a good thrashing.

Li Xuan herself was equally determined to secure this victory.

She intended to continuously suppress Zhao Ziqi until she broke the little girl’s spirit.

Just as Zhang Qiyang had said, she must make this cocky newcomer see that when she turns her head, she must retreat—only then would she feel truly triumphant.

Luo Tao entered the singers’ lounge holding the results sheet, his eyes immediately locking onto the most dazzling figure in the room—Li Xuan.

When their gazes met, a chill ran through Li Xuan’s heart.

Why did Luo Tao’s look feel so strange? Could it be… the championship wasn’t hers?