"Ma Xiang, why is it you?"
Yin Na exclaimed, surprised, standing up from her seat.
This Ma Xiang was a veteran singer renowned as the "Iron Lung Singing King," and he was also a singer under the prominent Entertainment company, Ding Sheng Entertainment.
He could definitely be ranked among the top singing kings. She hadn't expected him to be eliminated so early.
With Ma Xiang's strength, as long as he performed at his best, he had a chance to contend for the Singing King title.
"Heh, a singing competition filled with so much flash and flair. If I get eliminated, so be it."
Ma Xiang said with a cold laugh, holding his War Horse mask.
He felt utterly speechless.
Logically speaking, even if he couldn't win the Singing God title, he should at least have won the Singing King title for one round, right?
But who could have expected there to be a bug in this show? He had performed his best, but what was the use?
Facing an opponent like Dark Night Rabbit, who could be confident of winning against him?
In this episode, after losing to the Faceless Knight, Ma Xiang's mentality completely collapsed. He lost his state, and then encountered the Painted Face Cat, who performed a sensual dance, showcasing her martial arts and singing skills, which led to his defeat. This information was from Da Feng Novel Network.
However, Ma Xiang was unconvinced. He felt that someone like the Painted Face Cat had achieved victory through unconventional means. In terms of pure singing, she couldn't possibly be his opponent. Therefore, when answering Yin Na's question, he became somewhat confrontational.
"Teacher Ma Xiang, can you tell me what you mean by 'unconventional means'?"
However, the Painted Face Cat was displeased.
She was a dance-singing artist, and such performances were common abroad. Even in China, pole dancing was a recognized dance genre, so why was it considered unconventional?
"Heh, some people know how they won themselves. I won't say any more about it."
With that, Ma Xiang fell silent with a stern expression.
The viewers watching the show were bewildered by Ma Xiang's sudden remarks.
"Holy crap, I thought this scene would be edited out. They actually aired it directly. Aren't they afraid of offending Ding Sheng Entertainment?"
"Are you kidding me? 'Masked Singer' has official backing. Would they be afraid of Ding Sheng Entertainment?"
"Even if they weren't official, the organizer, Yi Hai Entertainment, has nothing to fear. Besides, Ma Xiang is just petty. While the Painted Face Cat's dance might have given her an edge, her singing skills are also very strong. She can hit high notes while doing a handstand, and how many singers can do that?"
"This Ma Xiang is truly narrow-minded. He lost because he wasn't in his zone, and he can't accept defeat, so he blames others."
"I used to listen to his songs frequently. Ma Xiang's character is really poor!"
When this scene was broadcast,
An uproar immediately erupted online.
In such a major competition, especially one that was pre-recorded, directly mocking an opponent face-to-face was indeed rare.
Generally, the production team would edit out such unexpected occurrences. Even if the live audience spread rumors, ordinary people wouldn't be able to stir up public opinion.
But the show aired it directly without editing, and with so many people seeing it, Ma Xiang was likely going to have a difficult time for a while.
...
Ding Sheng Entertainment.
Qi Shenghua's office.
He scratched his head with some annoyance and then took out a cigar from a nearby drawer.
After lighting the cigar, he took a puff, exhaled a stream of smoke, and then looked at Ma Xiang, who was smiling sheepishly, and said, "Are you an idiot?"
"President Qi, I thought they would edit it..." Ma Xiang spread his hands.
"You thought? Who do you think you are, that even the officials would give you face?" Qi Shenghua sneered.
He remembered Ma Xiang's overconfident demeanor from back then and felt extremely frustrated.
From the first episode he participated in, Ma Xiang hadn't achieved any results that satisfied him. He had even boasted that he would definitely win the Singing God title.
This time, he had utterly disgraced himself, uttering such foolish words immediately after losing.
"Ahem... President Qi, please don't be angry. I was just temporarily confused..."
"I think you've been confused all along!"
Qi Shenghua held his forehead.
His head ached.
He couldn't recall the last time he had heard any good news.
Yesterday, when he looked in the mirror, he noticed that he had more gray hairs at his temples.
"Forget it, I don't want to say any more. You need to resolve this matter yourself. Whether you hire a public relations team or apologize yourself, you must not let the company be affected in any way. Otherwise, you can announce your retirement from singing!"
Qi Shenghua waved his hand at Ma Xiang and ushered him out.
Ma Xiang's face was full of bitterness. He opened his mouth, but ultimately dared not say anything more.
He knew Qi Shenghua's methods. If this incident wasn't resolved, he would have to announce his retirement from singing. Otherwise, he might lose even the little reputation he had left, because Ding Sheng Entertainment's internet trolls could easily tarnish his image.
After Ma Xiang walked out,
Qi Shenghua extinguished the cigar in his hand.
He leaned back in his chair and sighed.
He hadn't expected that he, a domineering CEO, would have subordinates who were all overly confident.
What made him most upset was that since Chen Shuhao left, he didn't even have anyone to talk to.
It was one thing to not be able to compete with Dynasty Entertainment, and to always be the runner-up.
Recently, many foreign companies had set their sights on the Chinese market. For example, Cass Entertainment had already extended its reach into China, and Lin Yanzhi was their first breakthrough in the country.
These foreign companies possessed more professional promotional techniques. Lin Yanzhi's meteoric rise in just a few days had taught Qi Shenghua a lesson.
Therefore, he now felt a strong sense of crisis. Ting Yu had revitalized the Chinese music scene and caught the attention of foreign capital. If those entertainment companies truly entered China in large numbers, with their international superstar resources, even Dynasty Entertainment might not be able to compete. Ding Sheng Entertainment would undoubtedly be impacted, and it was uncertain whether it could survive.
Moreover, with the impact of overseas capital, the entire Chinese music scene might undergo a major reform.
During this period, Qi Shenghua had a persistent sense of crisis.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
He picked it up and a smile immediately appeared on his lips.
Chen Shuhao.
After being abroad for so long, this was the first time he had called him.
"Xiao Chen, are you getting used to things over there?"
"President Qi, I'm calling to tell you some good news. My first Chinese song abroad has entered the top thirty on the Era Music Chart."
The Era Music Chart is the most authoritative music chart in the world. The data it compiles is based on the aggregation of all overseas music platforms.
The rankings on the Era Music Chart are the honors that all producers strive for throughout their lives.
Reaching the top thirty on the world stage was indeed a good start for Chen Shuhao.
You must know that it's not easy to get onto this chart. Even though Ting Yu is so popular in China, only a few of his songs have entered the top one hundred.
Of course, this is also because his focus has always been within China, and there has been no overseas promotion.
His presence on the chart relies entirely on the voluntary promotion by overseas Chinese, and reaching the top one hundred is already impressive.
"Haha, I still have to count on you! Do you know that since you left, this is the first good news I've heard!"
Qi Shenghua excitedly stood up from his chair.
It was too difficult!
Finally, some good news!
"President Qi, I plan to capitalize on this momentum and write another song. Perhaps it can break into the top twenty." Chen Shuhao's voice was also filled with excitement.
In the absence of Ting Yu abroad, he suddenly realized that the heavy burden weighing him down was gone, his mood had improved, and he was experiencing a surge of inspiration.
Most importantly, he wasn't writing an English song; he was writing a Chinese song. After this song reached the top thirty on the Era Music Chart, he suddenly felt a grand ambition to bring Chinese culture to the world!
"Go for it, Ding Sheng Entertainment is your backing!"
The good news brought by Chen Shuhao swept away Qi Shenghua's gloom.
A Chinese song reaching the thirtieth spot on the Era Music Chart is definitely something worth publicizing extensively!