Chapter 97: From "Cannon Fodder" to "Cannonball" (First Update, Please Subscribe)
“Who wrote the song?”
“No words.”
“Who?”
“No words.”
The host thought he had misheard and asked again, but still received Hao Mingxing’s firm confirmation.
He swallowed hard, wanting to say something.
Yet he discovered that the audience below had already erupted into an even more explosive commotion.
The entire venue instantly turned into a boiling cauldron.
No words!
This name seemed to carry an almost magical power, prompting many viewers to let out thrilled screams.
In the program’s backstage area, Luo Ning and the other five singers rose to their feet in unison. Some had not even steadied themselves, nearly embarrassing themselves right there on the spot.
No words!
It turned out to be Wu Yan.
After the initial shock, the five singers exchanged bitter smiles.
Zhou Jingyi shook her head, her expression complex. “No wonder, no wonder. I said from the very beginning why Hao Mingxing remained so calm—turns out he held such a powerful card in his hand.”
As singers, they were all too familiar with Wu Yan.
Luo Ning let out a long sigh. “Losing to Wu Yan is hardly embarrassing.”
What would be embarrassing?
Wu Yan’s previous songs had crushed the newcomer rankings and new song charts several times over, not only toppling countless fresh talents but also overpowering many established top-line singers and near-sky kings. Hearing that Hao Mingxing’s “Empty City” had been written by Wu Yan now made these men inexplicably breathe a sigh of relief.
The pain and depression in their hearts eased considerably.
While they murmured among themselves,
the host on stage had already signaled Hao Mingxing to step down and announced, “The six singers have now completed their performances. We will move into the voting phase. The two singers with the lowest votes will be eliminated. For the voting, please welcome our panel of guests to offer their commentary on today’s competition.”
He did not dwell on Wu Yan.
After all, this was a singers’ stage, not a composer’s arena. Overemphasizing others might seem like stealing the spotlight.
Yet the guests saw things differently.
The first guest stood up, still visibly excited. “I believe today’s competition belongs to Hao Mingxing—he is that brightest star, and no one can deny it. His performance, frankly, far surpassed my expectations. I never imagined we could hear Mr. Wu Yan’s fourth song here. Wu Yan’s name is well deserved—truly, not in vain.”
“Right.”
The second guest nodded. “This ‘Empty City’ has such a distinct style. In an era flooded with generic internet songs lacking any originality, ‘Empty City’ instantly struck me as fresh and brilliant. The lyrics are excellent, the melody is excellent. Especially Hao Mingxing’s smoky voice brought out the song’s profound sense of loneliness and emptiness to perfection. Wu Yan created this wonderful song, and Hao Mingxing delivered it flawlessly. The two complemented each other perfectly, each indispensable.”
“Stunning.”
The third guest offered a succinct judgment.
All five guests focused their commentary exclusively on Hao Mingxing and Wu Yan, seemingly forgetting the other five singers existed.
In the past, such behavior would have been sternly rebuked by the production team.
But now,
not only did the production team refrain from intervening,
even the audience found it entirely natural.
Across the entire recording site, Wu Yan had become the ultimate hot topic.
The audience chanted one after another.
“Wu Yan is unstoppable!”
“Hao Mingxing is unstoppable!”
“Wu Yan’s productions are always masterpieces.”
“On the surface, Hao Mingxing stole the show tonight. But beneath it all, Wu Yan used ‘Empty City’ to remotely annihilate everyone.”
“This is Wu Yan’s true power—turning the mundane into the miraculous.”
Of course, while Wu Yan enjoyed considerable renown in the industry, not every viewer recognized him. Among the on-site crowd, some shouted “Wu Yan is unstoppable” while secretly pulling out their phones to search Baidu: “Who exactly is Wu Yan?”
They knew others recognized him, yet they had never heard his music—it was embarrassing.
More than ten minutes later,
the voting concluded amid ongoing discussion.
The host smiled and declared, “The voting results are in. After ten minutes of balloting, the data shows the two singers with the fewest votes this round are Zhao Lian and Wei Wei. Unfortunately, you two are eliminated from today’s competition. Thank you for your participation. The remaining four singers have advanced smoothly.”
Throughout, the host refrained from revealing the exact vote counts.
He did not name who had received the least or most.
After all, this was not the final top-four showdown or championship match, so withholding the numbers would preserve the singers’ dignity.
Naturally, the audience continued to whisper among themselves.
“What a waste—if they had shown the numbers, Hao Mingxing would have swept first place without contest.”
“Exactly! The gap was obvious.”
“Even Luo Ning’s performance paled beside ‘Empty City’.”
“Hao Mingxing is truly fierce.”
“Who still dares call him cannon fodder?”
The host’s comment did not signal that the matter was settled.
On the outside world stage,
as “Singer Fan’er Season 3” concluded, the real tidal waves finally surged.
A torrent of “explosion” hot searches flooded Weibo.
[Hao Mingxing becomes the biggest dark horse]
[Wu Yan propels Hao Mingxing to victory]
[Wu Yan’s fourth song]
[Singer Fan’er delivers a shocking reversal]
[Heartbroken for Hao Mingxing? No—feel sorry for the other singers in his group]
[Who called Hao Mingxing cannon fodder?]
[Cannon fodder has become a cannonball]
Nearly every hot search dominated the rankings.
Particularly the final one, where netizens debated furiously.
“Who the hell said Hao Mingxing was cannon fodder? He’s a cannonball—one blast, and all five other singers are obliterated. Too insane!”
Cannon fodder transformed into cannonball!
The image left everyone in awe.
Weibo was not the only platform swept up. Douyin, Bilibili, Moments, and every other social network erupted in waves after tonight’s broadcast.
Discussions overwhelmingly circled Hao Mingxing’s comeback.
Of course, Wu Yan’s name appeared almost everywhere, often eclipsing Hao Mingxing’s own popularity.
Wu Yan’s influence radiated across the internet once more.
No choice.
His previous songs had provoked responses so massive that three tracks each spun into legendary tales. This time, using “Empty City,” he catapulted cannon-fodder Hao Mingxing into the frontrunner for “Singer Fan’er Season 3” championship.
Indeed!
Immediately after Hao Mingxing finished “Empty City,” Weibo launched a poll: “Who will win Singer Fan’er Season 3?”
Such polls had existed before. Only now, Hao Mingxing had ranked dead last at 0.12% of the votes.
This poll showed his odds surging to 21.6%—a jump of hundreds of percent!
Even top singers Luo Ning and Jiang Shihan held just 25.6% and 27.3%, respectively.
Meaning,
in netizens’ hearts, Hao Mingxing had vaulted into third place among championship favorites.
Of course, some dismissed the poll as nonsense.
One song deciding his fate as a top contender?
Unless Wu Yan kept composing for him indefinitely.
But how likely was that?
Did they truly view Wu Yan as Hao Mingxing’s personal muse, commissioning endless songs at will?
Yet soon, someone scoffed, “Precisely because it’s uncertain whether Wu Yan will continue, Hao Mingxing’s odds sit at only 21.6%. If he does keep writing, they’ll surpass 50%.”
Watching the internet blaze with heat, the director of “Singer Fan’er Season 3” finally smiled radiantly. This time, he had guessed correctly.
Wu Yan’s songs proved themselves potent igniters of viral fervor.
Simultaneously, he felt a private thrill: Before broadcast, he had worried “Empty City” might not resonate with the public, yet now he saw his caution had been needless. Wu Yan… was truly formidable!
Crafting one good song was easy.
The challenge lay in penning nothing but masterpieces—and ensuring each found the ideal voice to perform it.
Wu Yan, how had he achieved it?
The director’s joy expanded with one more revelation: the posters!
Since tonight’s airing,
a tide of netizens descended upon the official Singer Fan’er Weibo account, leaving apologies in the comments.
“I owe you an apology—I was impulsive.”
“You had no idea. Hao Mingxing deserves this spot.”
“I was wrong, Xing Ge. Stand tall—I’ll kowtow to you.”
“Sorry.”
“Sorry.”
“Apologies.”
Countless fans rushed to express regret for their earlier outrage.
After tonight’s competition, no one questioned whether Hao Mingxing qualified to stand among the second-line singers.
Perhaps he had lacked the credentials alone.
But Hao Mingxing plus Wu Yan?
That pairing belonged on the first row, not the second!
…
Another matter of significance emerged.
With “Singer Fan’er Season 3” concluding, the six singers’ live performances were immediately edited and uploaded online.
Naturally, only the live versions.
And the timing coincided perfectly with December 2.
Countless fans rushed to music platforms the moment the tracks dropped.
Play them.
Download them.
Loop “Empty City” on repeat.
In those first few minutes, they still craved more.
For viewers who had missed the show, the overwhelming hot searches prompted them to seek out the live version, eager to discover what made the song extraordinary.
“Indeed, it’s very listenable.”
“It’s far better than ‘No Concern’.”
“Hao Mingxing finally has a second song that holds up.”
“With this track, Hao Mingxing will lock in third-line status.”
“Too distinctive—the more you hear, the more addictive.”
“Hmm… today is only December 2. If nothing interferes, ‘Empty City’ might dominate the charts this month.”
“Of course. Dominating charts is effortless.”
Suddenly,
someone exclaimed, “Speaking of which, is any famous singer dropping new music in December? If it collides with ‘Empty City’…”
“I know—I know. Quasi-king Ye Yuan Hang released a new track yesterday.”
“Yes, I remember. Currently topping the new song charts. Apparently he drops songs so frequently because Wu Yan yanked him from first place twice before. This release is his bid to regain confidence.”
“Ye Yuan Hang?”
“No way.”
“Could it be?”
“This time?”
“Wow!”
The fans’ expressions turned peculiar, momentarily at a loss for words.
(The chapter ends)