I'm Really a Superstar

On the stage.

Zhang Ye was the fifth singer to perform.

When the instruments were finally brought up onto the stage, around eight musicians sat down at them. At this moment, it felt like everyone in the studio was holding their breath.

A sheng 1 ?

A dizi 2 ?

A cello?

A yangqin 3 ?

What were all these for?

What was with this grand setup?

Some of those in the audience even recognized the musicians!

"Look!"

"Chen Di? He's that famous cellist!"

"Old Zhao? The great yangqin percussionist!"

"Sun Li? The famous folk music master?"

"They're all big names!"

"Damn, what a big move!"

"Zhang Ye has invited this many musicians onto the show?"

"How awesome is this!"

"This is gonna be great!"

"Zhang Ye has finally come to his senses. He's not going to sing a plaza dance tune!"

The audience was shocked by this lineup!

The singers backstage were also shocked. It was only now that they believed Zhang Ye was doing something big. Every one of those instruments was full of killing intent. These musicians were all capable of putting on a solo show by themselves. By convincing so many of them to come onstage to play for him, one could only wonder what kind of song Zhang Ye had used to convince them. They were all masters who could not be invited with money alone!

There was a bit of shock on Zhang Xia's face.

Xiaodong straightened up a little in her seat.

Chen Guang starting leaning forward as he kept his eyes on the screen.

Everyone was staring at Zhang Ye and the folk music musicians onstage in the most anticipated of ways, waiting for their stunning performance to begin.

The song began.

The accompaniment played suddenly.

Zhang Ye instantly looked lively. With a droop of his eyelids, he got into the groove of the song and looked like he couldn't free himself.

The sound of the yangqin was a constant presence!

The tempo got faster and faster!

Then Zhang Ye abruptly started singing 4 .

"Ahhh, ohhh!

"Ahhhhhh, oh ay!

"Ah seh dee, ah seh doh!

"Ah seh da geh dee ga doh!

"Ah seh dee, ah seh da geh dooooh!

"Ahhh, ohhh!

"Ahhhhhh, oh ay!"

Chen Guang was dumbfounded!

Amy was in complete wonder!

Xiaodong was also staring wide-eyed in disbelief!

Director Zhang!

Was this what you meant by substance?

Was this what you meant by depth?

I'm gonna faint!

Why don't you just ascend to the Heavens!

Why don't you just fly out into the universe!

But Zhang Ye was incredibly invested in his singing.

"Ah seh dee, ah seh doh!

"Ah seh da geh dee ga doh!

"Ah seh dee, ah seh da geh doooooh!

"Ahh—

"Ahh—

"Ahh—

"Ahh—

"Ah ya yo!

"Ah ya yo!"

The audience was also staggered!

So this was Zhang Ye's big move? It was another song without any lyrics? There was only vocalizing? Zhang Ye, you are really something! Do you still have any seriousness left in you!

A lot of people started laughing hard as they listened!

Some of them found it interesting.

Some of them found it hilarious.

Everyone thought that Zhang Ye was trying to be funny, but no one seemed to have noticed that tinge of seriousness in Zhang Ye's eyes. He was really trying his best. Perhaps only Huang Cheng had somewhat realized it.

Backstage.

The singers who already performed were all seated together.

Amy said, "This song's title is 'Perturbed'? Pfft, it really is perturbing! It makes me unable to sit still as a listener. That's really enough, Zhang Ye!"

Xiaodong smiled and said, "I really have nothing I can say about him anymore."

Chen Guang said helplessly, "It looks like Director Zhang is having so much fun."

Hearing them say that, Huang Cheng suddenly said, "He's not playing around."

Chen Guang was taken aback. "Huh?"

Huang Cheng said sternly, "I also play an instrument myself, so I'm more sensitive of the emotions the instruments portray. Can't you all see it? All of those musicians onstage are really focused, especially Zhang Ye. He isn't playing around, nor is he trying to be funny. He's actually singing very seriously."

Singing seriously?

How does this song have anything to do with being serious?

Nobody could really understand.

Onstage, the performance came to an end.

The audience was ridiculing him.

"I really have to hand it to him!"

"To think that I believed that he was coming up with something big!"

"I'd be a fool to believe him again!"

"Hahahaha! Hurry up and eliminate him, I've had enough already!"

"Yeah, we mustn't vote for Zhang Ye. Let's vote for someone else!"

"Just let this fellow be eliminated. If not, I'd surely laugh myself to death eventually!"

"Let's allow Zhang Ye to rest in peace."

"Yep, yep."

"But why do I find the song to be not that bad?"

"Get lost, what do you mean it's not that bad!"

"From a certain perspective, this song has indeed shocked the studio. It's just that it's not the same kind of shock that we got from Chen Guang and Xiaodong's performances. It's an entirely different thing!"

"I just like Zhang Ye. He's really too good at bringing laughter to people!"

"Yeah, any place with him will never be missing fun."

"He's having so much fun that it feels like he's at a karaoke session!"

"Yeah, this is completely not a competition type song. It's more like a song to warm the audience up. We mustn't let this fellow through to the grand finals. Otherwise, who knows what kind of stunt he'll pull again!"

"But that's what I want to see!"

"I'm also quite looking forward to what Zhang Ye will sing in the grand finals."

"Grand finals, my ass. With a song like this? It'll be a miracle if he can even get into the grand finals!"

"Yeah, he was already in sixth place last episode."

The audience was coming up with all kinds of possibilities.

The next singer to appear was the replacement singer from last week.

But the moment he opened his mouth to sing, he made a mistake. His voice cracked when he attempted a high note in his song. By rights, this was very normal, and no singer could guarantee that every performance of theirs would be perfect. But because of this replacement singer's inexperience in the industry and onstage, coupled with the fact that he was still considered a newcomer, this voice cracking incident caused him to lose his rhythm. He forced himself to finish singing with a hint of self-blame and regret.

Backstage, Chen Guang, Xiaodong, and everyone else were sympathizing with him. Among the newcomers, this singer was truly one of the more capable ones who could sing without rushing. He had the vocals and the ability to back it up too. What he lacked was only an opportunity, some good songs, and a little stage experience. Otherwise, there would surely be a spot for him among the top singers of the music industry. But it seemed like this stage might have been too big for him. He had taken a step up too quickly. Sometimes, pressure could push a person forward. For example, no stage seemed too big for Zhang Ye, and he was always able to bear the pressure no matter how great it was. Even the fiercest of criticism did not faze him. This was also the reason why Zhang Ye could make it to where he was today. But for many people, they lacked such an ability. If there was too much pressure, it would make them so nervous they would break down when facing it.

The audience also felt pity.

"Your sister!"

"That was such a huge mistake!"

"I guess Zhang Ye will be advancing into the grand finals then?"

"That fellow's luck is too good!"

"This replacement singer couldn't live up to his hype!"

"Hai, this newbie is really lousy at withstanding the pressure."

"If there's anyone who's the best at withstanding pressure in the entertainment industry, it has got to be Zhang Ye. If it were anyone else who went onstage to sing that song, I'm sure their faces would be flushed completely red. But look at Zhang Ye? He just finished singing the song without a trace of embarrassment. Just how thick does his skin have to be? This fellow is really not afraid of people scolding him"

"Who can compare with him?"

"He's just shameless, haha!"

"You can see the difference between a veteran and a newbie from this!"

The performances ended after everyone had their turn.

The rankings were announced.

First: Chen Guang

Second: Zhang Xia

Third: Xiaodong

Fourth: Huang Cheng

Fifth: Amy

Sixth: Zhang Ye

Seventh: Li Naran

The replacement singer came in at seventh place over the two episodes and was eliminated.

Being in the second to last place, Zhang Ye had narrowly qualified for the grand finals of I Am a Singer!