85: Chapter 85 First Place! Tang Yingxue's face turned green.

The stage lights switched from warm tones to cold white, and the eight people stood in a row, their expressions impossible to hide.

Teacher He stood at the very front, holding a card in his hand.

"I will repeat the rules once more—one thousand members of the Audience Jury, each with three votes, cannot vote for the same singer more than once."

"Now, the voting channel is open."

A countdown appeared on the big screen: sixty seconds.

The five hundred Audience Jury members on-site lowered their heads to operate their voting devices, while the five hundred off-site members voted simultaneously via the Livestream Room.

A minute passed very quickly.

The countdown hit zero, and the voting channel closed.

Teacher He turned to face the eight singers.

"We will announce the results one by one, starting from eighth place."

He raised his hand and pointed to the high-definition big screen behind him.

"Eighth place—Liu Yuhang, 287 votes."

Liu Yuhang's face showed no fluctuation; he smiled at the camera and gave himself a round of applause.

"Seventh place—Su Xiaoman, 296 votes."

Su Xiaoman nodded and pursed her lips.

The disadvantage of performing first was too obvious; she knew it herself.

"Sixth place—Zhao Pengfei, 302 votes."

"Fifth place—Wang Mingxuan, 343 votes."

"Fourth place—Lin Ke, 379 votes."

When Lin Ke heard her name, she first let out an "Ah," then flashed a peace sign at the camera.

Only three people were left on stage.

Zhang Yihan stood to the left of Shen Nian, and Chen Hao stood on the far right.

There was a distance of two steps between the three, but the camera framed them all in the same shot.

"Third place—"

Teacher He deliberately dragged it out for two seconds.

"Zhang Yihan, 423 votes."

Zhang Yihan's smile froze for less than half a second.

She quickly adjusted herself, nodded at the camera to express her thanks, and said, "Thank you, everyone."

The Livestream Room's chat was already getting restless.

[Holy crap, Zhang Yihan is only third?]

[Only Chen Hao and Shen Nian are left!]

[Tang Yingxue's words didn't do anything, hahahahaha]

Teacher He's voice rose.

"That means—tonight's first and second place will be between Chen Hao and Shen Nian!"

The discussions among the on-site Audience Jury erupted.

The Livestream Room's chat went wild.

[Chen Hao vs. Shen Nian!]

[I bet Chen Hao takes first! That bass voice is the GOAT.]

[Shen Nian! It has to be Shen Nian! "the wind rises" was absolutely incredible!]

Teacher He raised the card.

"Second place—"

Shen Nian's fingers curled against the hem of her dress.

Chen Hao stood there with his hands behind his back, his expression very calm.

"Chen Hao! 466 votes!"

Chen Hao paused in surprise.

He turned his head to look at Shen Nian, raised an eyebrow, and the corners of his mouth actually curved upward.

Teacher He's voice had risen to its highest pitch.

"That means—the champion of the first ranking round of "The Sound of Nature"—"

He turned and pointed his arm at Shen Nian.

"Shen Nian! 504 votes!"

The number appeared on the LED screen at the back of the stage.

504.

More than half of the thousand people had cast their votes for the same person.

The applause from the on-site Audience Jury drowned out all other sounds.

Chen Hao walked over and took the initiative to reach out his hand.

"Shen Nian, you sang very well."

Shen Nian shook his hand. "You too."

Chen Hao smiled and patted his chest. "I won't lose next time."

After saying that, he turned and walked away with long strides. His 1.9-meter height made his silhouette look open and composed as he walked off the stage.

— —

Teacher He walked up to Shen Nian.

"Shen Nian, tonight's first place. Do you have anything you'd like to say?"

Shen Nian raised the microphone.

"Thank you, everyone."

She thought for a moment and added another sentence.

"Thank you to the person who wrote this song."

The Livestream Room exploded again.

[Jiang Fan! It's Jiang Fan again!]

[What kind of background does this man have? Every song he writes is a hit!]

[I'm begging you, Jiang Fan, write one for me too.]

[Anything produced by Jiang Fan is bound to be a classic.]

On the mentors' platform, Producer Chen Kexin adjusted his glasses and said something to Heavenly King Zhou next to him.

Heavenly King Zhou nodded, and both of them looked toward the side stage at the same time.

— —

The recording ended.

In the backstage corridor, the various teams began to withdraw.

Jiang Fan led Shen Nian and Zhou Yutong toward the dressing room.

Zhou Yutong's mouth hadn't stopped moving.

"Sister Nian, you were amazing!"

"First place! 504 votes!"

"You don't know, when the results were announced, Tang Yingxue's face—"

"Alright, alright." Jiang Fan looked back at her.

Zhou Yutong hurriedly covered her mouth.

Entering the dressing room, Shen Nian sat down on the sofa, her fingers still slightly trembling.

Jiang Fan's phone vibrated twice.

A message from Li Cheng.

[Li Cheng: Watched the livestream. Awesome.]

[Li Cheng: Three trending topics already. #Shen Nian the wind rises# #Jiang Fan's song is a hit again# #The Sound of Nature first round ranking#]

[Li Cheng: Aren't you being a bit too high-profile, kid?]

Jiang Fan typed a few words back: "Standard procedure."

[Li Cheng: ...]

He put his phone back in his pocket and was just about to tell Shen Nian to pack up and leave when there was a knock at the dressing room door.

"Please come in."

The door pushed open.

Zhang Yihan stood at the doorway, followed by that short-haired assistant.

Seeing Jiang Fan, she smiled.

"Teacher Jiang."

"Ms. Zhang." Jiang Fan leaned against the vanity table. "Is something the matter?"

Zhang Yihan walked in, her gaze falling on Shen Nian first.

"Nothing major, just here to congratulate Shen Nian on taking first place." She looked at Shen Nian. "Niannian, you were really great tonight."

Niannian.

She said it quite affectionately.

The two of them hadn't spoken at all before.

Shen Nian replied with an "Mm," "Thank you."

Zhang Yihan didn't linger on Shen Nian, turning her gaze back to Jiang Fan.

"Teacher Jiang, I've always really liked your songs. I've listened to "blue and white porcelain" at least a hundred times." She tilted her head. "I wonder if there will be a chance to collaborate in the future?"

After saying this, she took the initiative to extend her hand.

Jiang Fan shook her hand.

When letting go, Zhang Yihan's index finger gently hooked his palm.

"Teacher Jiang, would it be convenient to add you on WeChat?"

Jiang Fan looked at her.

The system panel popped up automatically.

[Target: Zhang Yihan]

[Appearance: 8.0 points]

[Compatibility: A-]

A-.

Jiang Fan shook his head in his heart.

Compared to Su Yuyan's SS and Tang Yingxue's SS+, this rating—how should I put it—was tasteless.

And she was on the same line as Tang Yingxue.

Getting involved with her meant trouble.

"No rush on the matter of collaboration." Jiang Fan withdrew his hand, showing no intention of taking out his phone. "Ms. Zhang, please go about your business; we need to pack up as well."

Zhang Yihan's smile paused for a moment.

She had been rejected.

She was, after all, someone who had seen it all; she didn't show an awkward expression, just nodded.

"Alright, then we'll talk another day. Congratulations, Shen Nian."

She turned and left with her assistant.

Her high heels clicked against the corridor floor, the rhythm slightly faster than when she arrived.

The door closed.

Zhou Yutong breathed a sigh of relief and muttered in a low voice: "What was she here for? Sister Nian just took first place and she comes over to cozy up."

Jiang Fan looked at her. "Let's go, back to the hotel."

Shen Nian stood up and picked up her bag.

When passing by Jiang Fan, her footsteps slowed for a beat.

"She just now... touched your palm."

Her voice was very soft, but the words were articulated very clearly.

Jiang Fan looked down at his own palm. "You have sharp eyes."

— —

At the end of the corridor, Tang Yingxue was coming out of the mentors' passage, surrounded by three assistants.

The entourage was exactly the same as when he saw her during the day.

Her gaze crossed the crowd and met Jiang Fan's directly.

This time, she didn't look away.

Jiang Fan didn't dodge either.

The two stared at each other for three seconds across the dozen-meter-long corridor.

Tang Yingxue's mouth twitched—as if she were appraising something interesting.

Then she withdrew her gaze and turned into the elevator area, clicking her high heels.

Zhou Yutong looked back and lowered her voice: "Brother Fan, was Tang Yingxue looking at you just now?"

"Looking at how handsome I am, obviously."

"..." Zhou Yutong rolled her eyes.

Shen Nian was biting on a cashew, not looking back, but the tips of her ears had turned red.

— —

Arriving at the hotel, Jiang Fan took Shen Nian to her room door.

Zhou Yutong swiped the card and went in first, calling out: "I'm going to run the hot water, Sister Nian, you go take a bath."

Shen Nian stood at the doorway, her hand on the doorknob.

Jiang Fan reached out and patted the top of her head.

"Sleep early."

Shen Nian gave an "Mm" and retreated into the room.

Jiang Fan returned to his own room, threw his coat on the chair, and collapsed onto the bed.

He closed his eyes.

Tang Yingxue.

SS+.

A woman one tier higher than Xu Qingya.

If he could take her—

No rush.

With this kind of person, the more you cozy up to her, the less she thinks of you.

You have to let her come to you.