Chapter 67: The Night of Final Battle (Part Three)

The competition was not yet over, and voting was still underway.

Thanks to Mr. Chen Dong’s efforts to rally support, Lin Chuan’s votes had surged dramatically. With Qin Xiyao, the young songstress and rising star, backing him, his numbers closed the gap to Huang Quan’s by nearly twenty thousand in the blink of an eye.

If things kept progressing at this pace, overtaking or even surpassing Huang Quan didn’t seem impossible.

Next was the solo performance segment—a crucial moment for each contestant to make their final appeal for votes.

Huang Quan was the first to step onto the stage.

He had always kept a low profile, neither flaunting his talent nor seeking attention. But in the semifinals, he stunned everyone with a remarkable display, hitting the highest notes of a song with explosive force, earning the audience’s rapturous applause.

Now, standing at the center of the stage, a faint smile played on his lips. He didn’t spare a glance at the giant screen behind him, as if he were already certain of the outcome.

It was no wonder. Huang Quan’s guest, Dong Kai, was a powerhouse in the music world. Even before his retirement, he had a massive following, and in recent years, his influence hadn’t waned—he’d written songs for many stars.

Such strong foundations and advantages were not something a newly minted diva like Qin Xiyao could match. Her “Young Songstress” title was, after all, just an affectionate label given by her online fans.

With such context, the tens of thousands of votes separating the two contestants were not surprising.

The music began, and Huang Quan’s performance was as steady as ever. His explosive vocals sent waves of screams and cheers through the audience.

On the big screen, Huang Quan’s vote count soared at an astonishing speed.

In just a few minutes, the gap jumped from twenty thousand to a staggering one hundred fifty thousand.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

“How is this possible? How can Huang Quan’s votes increase so fast? There must be something fishy going on,” Yang Xue murmured resentfully in front of her television, her brows tightly knit.

As Lin Chuan’s most devoted fan, she hadn’t rested for a moment since voting opened, tirelessly canvassing for votes everywhere she could.

She posted on forums, microblogs, and used every chat app she had. She even reached out to old classmates in groups she hadn’t opened in years.

But the effect was negligible; Lin Chuan’s votes crawled up at a snail’s pace. If this kept up, the gap would only widen.

At the same time, other fans were doing their best as well.

Ding Min sat at her computer, her face grim as she watched the discussions in the fan group.

She was the leader of the Chuan Fan Club, and in this situation, she was more anxious than anyone. She had tried every method to rally votes—even reaching out to distant relatives and friends she rarely contacted—but to no avail.

Suddenly, a system notification flashed at the bottom right of her screen. She clicked it. Someone with the username “Silent Words” was requesting to add her as a friend.

Ding Min frowned. She was already in a foul mood—her idol was on the verge of losing, and she had no energy for small talk.

But just as she was about to hit “reject,” her finger slipped and she accidentally hit “accept.”

“Great,” she muttered in frustration.

She was about to block “Silent Words” when the person messaged her first.

“Hello, are you the leader of the Chuan Fan Club?”

A fellow Lin Chuan fan? Ding Min paused, halting her attempt to block him.

“Yes, I am. And you are…?” she replied quickly.

“Heh, just as I hoped. I’m a Lin Chuan fan too, but I’m in America and can’t watch the live broadcast of ‘A Song to Fame.’ Do you have a video?”

“A video? Let me check. Hold on a moment.”

Since he was a fellow fan, and an overseas one at that, Ding Min had no reason to refuse. As the club leader, it was her duty to help every fan.

“Thank you, I’ll wait,” Silent Words replied promptly.

…

At the same time, in a luxurious office at the Cloudtop Tower in the capital, a middle-aged man sat behind his desk, watching the live broadcast of the finals at Baining University’s stadium on his computer.

Across the desk stood a well-mannered man in glasses, waiting respectfully.

“Very good. Keep things going as they are, but remember—control the pace. Don’t let the vote margin get too large, and make sure Huang Quan doesn’t attract any suspicion,” the middle-aged man said, nodding with satisfaction after a long pause.

“Yes, President Huang. The young master will surely win the final championship, rest assured,” the man in glasses replied quickly.

“Good. When the time comes, your reward won’t be lacking.” The middle-aged man smiled, a cunning glint in his eyes.

Back at the stadium, Huang Quan’s performance had just ended. The big screen showed his votes had surpassed three and a half million, outpacing Lin Chuan by two hundred thousand.

No one could believe their eyes. A gap of two hundred thousand? That was too much. The crowd gasped in shock.

Backstage, several staff members were tallying the votes.

Han Xiao, the television station’s executive producer, paced back and forth, her face clouded as she watched the numbers rise on the screen.

She was also a fan of Lin Chuan, and had loved every song he had performed since the contest began.

She had believed that Lin Chuan was destined to win tonight’s final.

But fate had other plans. Even as an executive producer, she had no power to change anything. If she wanted to keep her job, she had to follow orders from above.

Still, she silently prayed that the efforts of Qin Xiyao and Mr. Chen Dong would produce a miracle.

Even though she knew it was impossible.

Because any time Lin Chuan’s votes surged, Huang Quan’s would rise even more, always by an overwhelming margin…

Just then, a man in his thirties with a fair, clean-cut look approached with a broad smile. He glanced at the vote tally and nodded with satisfaction.

“Director Han, the higher-ups said not to widen the gap too much—keep it within three hundred thousand, or it’ll be too obvious.”

“I understand,” Han Xiao replied in a low voice.

“Good. Just remember that. If anything goes wrong, I won’t be responsible.” With that, the man turned and walked away.

Watching his retreating back, Han Xiao bit her lip, her eyes filled with disgust.

…

As Lin Chuan and Huang Quan’s vote gap widened to two hundred and thirty thousand in a flash, the internet erupted.

The Red Tide Forum, the main base for Lin Chuan’s fans, was flooded with posts urging people to vote.

“There’s only half an hour left before voting closes! What are you waiting for? Hurry up and vote for Brother Chuan!”

“We’ve all done our best, but in competitions like this, there are too many outside factors. Who knows how many real votes there are… Let’s just hope Brother Chuan can turn things around with his performance.”

“Come on, how can you give up now? I’m calling my classmates right now to ask them to vote for him.”

“Exactly, everyone should act—don’t give up until the last minute. Brother Chuan is the best; he will be the champion tonight…”

Hundreds and thousands of Lin Chuan’s fans were glued to their TVs, refreshing the forum constantly. Every change in the situation sparked a flurry of activity.

“This isn’t working. Brother Chuan’s votes gain a few thousand, but then the gap widens again—it stays at more than two hundred thousand. What can we do?”

“Actually… even winning second place is pretty good for him…”

“Get out! Don’t call yourself a fan. We don’t know you.”

“Yeah, how can you say something so defeatist? Shame on you.”

“Enough arguing—look, Brother Chuan is on stage…”

Instantly, everyone in the forum fell silent.

At the venue, Lin Chuan held the microphone tightly as he strode onto the stage, his steps steady and resolute. Behind him was a band made up of Fang Zi and others, with Fang Hao among them.

The host forced a smile, walked to Lin Chuan’s side, and asked, “Xiao Chuan, before you sing, is there anything you’d like to say to your supporters across the country?”

Lin Chuan smiled and nodded gently. He took a deep breath, raised the microphone, and glanced around at the tens of thousands in the stadium. His voice was hoarse as he said, “First, I want to thank Mr. Chen Dong and Xiyao for supporting me and helping me rally votes. I also want to thank every one of my supporters. All I want to say is—no matter how this competition ends, having you all here… is more than enough.”

A wave of emotion swept through the crowd, and many fans burst into tears at Lin Chuan’s final words.

Given the current situation, Lin Chuan had almost no chance of winning. Even if he finished his last song, it was unlikely to turn the tide unless a miracle occurred.

But was that possible? Everyone knew the answer in their hearts.

Even the host’s eyes grew moist. Offstage, both Chen Dong and Qin Xiyao struggled to hide their regret and sorrow.

After a long moment, the host forced a smile, patted Lin Chuan’s shoulder, and said, “Alright, let’s hand the stage over to Xiao Chuan. While he sings, everyone can pick up their phones and cast their votes…”

As the host stepped down, Lin Chuan turned and nodded softly to Fang Hao behind him.

The music began to play, drifting through the vast stadium.