99: Chapter 99 She changed into a dress with a lower neckline.

10:00 AM the next day, at the recording venue.

The light rigs were fully illuminated, casting a bright blue-white glow across the stage floor.

Shen Nian stood at the center of the stage, holding the microphone, facing the empty seats of the Audience Jury.

"Every time, I remain strong while wandering in solitude—"

"Every time, even when deeply hurt, I don't let tears shine—"

The sound spread from the speaker system overhead. Over at the mixing console, the sound engineer looked up and gave a thumbs-up to the stage.

The rehearsal went smoothly.

Shen Nian's condition was much better than in the first episode—her positioning was precise, and her transitions with the band were clean and crisp.

"Alright, come on down." Jiang Fan waved at her from the side stage.

Shen Nian handed the microphone to a staff member nearby and walked off the stage.

"How do you feel?"

"Pretty good." Shen Nian pursed her lips. "More relaxed than last time."

That was no lie.

During the last walkthrough, she had been gripping her skirt so hard her hands were shaking. This time, she was completely relaxed, and she stood on stage with newfound confidence.

"Let's go, head back to the hotel to rest first."

The three of them exited through the back door of the venue and boarded the program team's nanny van.

On the van, Shen Nian leaned against the window and closed her eyes for a while. Zhou Yutong leaned over and draped a jacket over her, her movements light and careful; she had become much more sensible than when she first arrived.

— Top floor of the hotel, executive suite.

Tang Yingxue stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a glass of red wine in her hand.

Outside the window, the Xiang River took a turn. The afternoon sunlight shone on the water, shimmering with scattered golden light.

The phone screen lit up. A message from Qin Wanhao.

"Everything is arranged. Just perform as usual tonight."

Tang Yingxue stared at it for two seconds, didn't reply, and placed the phone face down on the nightstand.

She walked over to the bathroom mirror. A champagne-colored silk nightgown; the curve of her chest stretched the fabric into a full shape.

She leaned close to the mirror and looked at the corners of her eyes. Well-maintained, but fine lines were still appearing.

Thirty-one years old, three Golden Melody Awards, and one song, "light years," still popular today.

She had held the second chair among The Four Heavenly Queens for four years. She couldn't move up. And those below couldn't move up either.

Until recently. Xu Qingya's "Red Bean" album sales broke a five-year record. Su Yuyan's new song hit the top of the charts the moment it was released.

These two women were charging upward one after another at an abnormally fast pace. And the source of all this pointed to one name. Jiang Fan.

Tang Yingxue opened the wardrobe. Her fingers slid across a dozen hangers and stopped at a black slim-fit dress.

She took it down, held it against her body, and turned halfway around in front of the mirror. As for tonight, she would do as Qin Wanhao intended.

As for Jiang Fan—she hung the dress back and changed into another one with a lower neckline. She had to meet him herself.

— 6:00 PM. In the plaza outside the venue, several buses were parked, with signs on their sides reading "The Sound of Nature Audience Jury Exclusive."

The Audience Jury got off the buses one after another, queuing to verify their identities before entering. In the crowd, there were students from music conservatories, music review bloggers, and music enthusiasts.

A portion was randomly replaced each episode to ensure freshness. The selection process looked quite formal.

But some people, while receiving their entry passes, also received a transfer record on their phones.

— 5:30 PM, dressing room. Shen Nian was sitting in the makeup chair, and the makeup artist was touching up her makeup.

Zhou Yutong was squatting by the coffee table, holding that Nokia phone playing Snake; the "beep-beep-beep" electronic sound filled the entire room.

Jiang Fan was sitting on the sofa, flipping through the program schedule on the coffee table.

Tonight was about the same as the first episode—a ranking competition where eight singers would each sing one song, and one thousand people would vote on the rankings.

Afterward, there would be a challenge round where two singers eliminated from the previous season would each pick an opponent to sing against, and the Audience Jury would vote to determine the winner.

Shen Nian had ranked first in the first episode, so it was impossible for her to be at the bottom of the total ranking after two episodes. Jiang Fan threw the schedule back onto the coffee table and leaned back into the sofa.

The makeup artist packed up her tools and left.

"Brother Fan, do you think Tang Yingxue will cause trouble again tonight?" Zhou Yutong didn't even look up, her eyes fixed on the snake on the screen.

"Forget about her."

Shen Nian was adjusting her earrings in the mirror. She met Jiang Fan's gaze in the reflection, and her lips twitched slightly. "I'm fine."

Outside the corridor came the sound of staff running and intermittent instructions over walkie-talkies—"Area A lighting in position," "Control room confirming signal," "Audience Jury beginning entry."

Jiang Fan checked his phone. 7:45 PM. The live broadcast was in fifteen minutes.

— 8:00 PM sharp, the live broadcast began. Teacher He stood in the center of the stage, and after a brief opening, he reiterated the competition format for the second episode.

Then came the drawing of lots. Eight singers took turns drawing balls from the lottery box. Chen Hao drew number 8, the finale. Zhang Yihan drew number 4, her expression showing no ripples.

It was Shen Nian's turn. She reached in, felt around for two seconds, and pulled it out. Number 6.

The final performance order: Zhao Pengfei #1, Wang Mingxuan #2, Lin Ke #3, Zhang Yihan #4, Su Xiaoman #5, Shen Nian #6, Liu Yuhang #7, Chen Hao #8.

The two challengers for the challenge round also appeared—Han Bing and Fang Xiaoxiao, singers eliminated from the previous season. Han Bing chose Zhao Pengfei, and Fang Xiaoxiao chose Su Xiaoman. They both chose to pick on the soft targets.

— The ranking competition began. The first three singers performed adequately.

Zhao Pengfei switched to a fast song and showed improvement over the last episode. Lin Ke chose a love song; her voice was sweet, the emotional impact was still there, and the atmosphere in the venue was good.

The fourth. Zhang Yihan. When she took the stage, she had changed into a wine-red evening gown with sharp shoulder tailoring, her entire aura a level higher than in the first episode.

The prelude started—heavy drum beats, electronic sound effects, completely different from the gentle route of the first episode. This song was aggressive.

Zhang Yihan's voice pushed upward from the very first syllable, the high notes in the chorus coming in wave after wave, her vocal runs were on point, and every breath was perfectly on the beat.

Jiang Fan stood in the lounge watching the live broadcast, his brow furrowing slightly. The production level of this song was a cut above.

The melody had strong hooks, the Arrangement was layered and distinct—all the issues Heavenly King Zhou had mentioned in the last episode had been avoided in this song.

Zhang Yihan sang the final note and held it. The entire venue erupted in enthusiastic applause.

On the judges' panel, Tang Yingxue was the first to pick up the microphone. "Yihan, I have to say—you have impressed me this episode."

Her tone was sincere, and her smile was just right. "The teachers gave some suggestions last episode, and you digested all of them. The choice of this song was very smart, and the Arrangement fits your vocal characteristics perfectly. Most importantly—you have found your own style on stage."

Tang Yingxue put down the microphone and led the applause. Heavenly King Zhou didn't play devil's advocate this time and nodded: "There is indeed improvement. The explosive power in the chorus is much better than last time."

Producer Chen Kexin pushed up his glasses and added: "The song choice is indeed good; keep it up."

The three judges were unanimous in their praise. The Livestream Room chat flooded—

[Zhang Yihan is set for this episode] [This song is amazing, what kind of god-tier production is this] [Feels even more intense than Shen Nian's?] [Don't rush, Shen Nian hasn't sung yet] [Have to say, Tang Yingxue's black dress is truly stunning] [Cameraman. Aren't you giving Tang Yingxue too much screen time?]

Zhang Yihan bowed on stage, and when she turned to walk off, her lips were curled high.

Passing through the backstage corridor, Shen Nian happened to be coming out of the lounge to wait for her turn. The two bumped into each other in the hallway.

Zhang Yihan stopped and turned her head. "Niannian, you must do your best."

Her tone was light, the end of her sentence curling upward, and she walked away with a smile.

Shen Nian stood where she was, watching her back disappear around the corner. Zhou Yutong followed behind, her expression not looking very good: "What does she mean by that?"

Shen Nian didn't speak and turned to walk toward the waiting area. When she reached the side stage entrance, the fifth singer, Su Xiaoman, had just finished singing and come down, sweat still on her face.

Shen Nian stood behind the curtain. The lights on the stage were switching, fading from warm orange to moonlight white.

Teacher He's voice came from the front— "Next, let's welcome the sixth singer—Shen Nian!"