Chapter 13: The Heart of a Dreamer

After Zhou Ran and the others finished drawing their performance slots, the remaining four drew theirs much more quickly. At this point, no matter what order they got, none of the positions were particularly dangerous anymore.

"Nice!" Li Di lucked out and got the first slot, followed by Zhang Yuan as the second, Jin Kun as the third, and poor Shen Wei, who ended up sixth, sandwiched between three of the top contenders.

Just as everyone in the lounge had finished drawing their lots and Li Di was preparing to go on stage, a sudden blaring red alarm rang throughout the studio. The piercing [beep beep beep] echoed across the recording set.

Everyone in the waiting room was stunned—was it happening this soon?

The red alarm signaled the arrival of the surprise contestant, who would be performing first this round.

Li Di was dumbfounded when he heard the alarm. No way, already? The first slot?

No one had expected this. Everyone thought the surprise contestant would at least observe before deciding when to perform, but instead, they made their entrance right at the start.

Ji Song, upon seeing this outcome, couldn't help but smile. He happened to know today's surprise contestant and had been tipped off beforehand. Even so, Ji Song was shocked when he found out who was coming—the contestant was sure to be another formidable opponent.

No matter how surprised everyone in the lounge was, the show had to go on. The host walked on stage, first thanking the sponsors, then warming up the audience and stoking their excitement. Soon, it was time for the surprise contestant to appear.

Ever since Chen Yi had been the surprise contestant in the previous episode, the audience had become increasingly eager to see who would take on the role next and what surprises they'd bring.

"Let's welcome our surprise contestant, Taku Fujiwara!" the host announced loudly.

With that, Taku Fujiwara slowly made his way onto the stage.

Whether by coincidence or not, the surprise contestants all seemed to dress simply. Last time, Chen Yi had done so, and this time, Taku Fujiwara showed up in a plain black sweatshirt and dress pants, as if he were going grocery shopping rather than preparing to sing.

Yet the moment Taku Fujiwara appeared, the audience erupted in screams.

Taku Fujiwara was a famous singer from Japan, a former idol who had successfully transitioned into a singer. His last album had sold over a million copies, and he was known as the man with a voice kissed by God.

In Japan, album sales are tracked by ID number—one ID counts for only one copy, no matter how many you buy. Plus, a single album costs over 200 yuan. Despite this, Taku Fujiwara had a massive following domestically as well. Many of the idol dramas he had starred in during his early years had been broadcast in China, causing quite a stir, and after switching to music, he had sung numerous well-known anime theme songs, gaining him a solid fanbase.

Today, Taku Fujiwara was performing a theme song from a popular shonen anime, "Don't Give Up Hope," an anime that held a status akin to "Slam Dunk" on Earth.

This song had marked his successful transition from idol to singer.

Watching from the lounge, Zhou Ran was deeply impressed by Taku Fujiwara's powerful and distinctive singing style. The song he chose was a household favorite on Blue Planet, instantly closing the gap between him and the audience.

In Zhou Ran's opinion, Taku Fujiwara was especially suited to sing "Until the End of the World"—his voice fit that song perfectly, almost identical to the original.

As expected, Taku Fujiwara's performance electrified the entire venue, stirring the audience's memories and sending the atmosphere to its peak.

After the first round, Taku Fujiwara received a high score of 920.

This put considerable pressure on Zhang Yuan, who, fortunately, had prepared in advance—knowing he couldn't match the others in pure vocal skill, he decided to showcase both singing and dancing.

From Zhou Ran's perspective, this was a smart move, playing to his strengths. The audience's votes confirmed it: Zhang Yuan earned 860 votes. The next two contestants performed similarly, earning 855 and 857 votes, respectively—both respectable scores in Zhou Ran's eyes.

Next up were Ji Song and Chen Yi, both seasoned veterans. For their performances, Zhou Ran simply watched with appreciation and enjoyment; their singing was nothing short of pure pleasure.

Ji Song secured second place with 915 votes, while Chen Yi narrowly missed third with 914 votes, just a single vote behind.

After Chen Yi's performance, Zhou Ran left the lounge to prepare backstage. During the preparations, he listened to Shen Wei's performance. It sounded a bit off; perhaps Shen Wei had sung too many sorrowful songs and was unable to switch moods quickly enough, earning 840 votes.

As soon as Shen Wei finished, Zhou Ran took to the stage.

The moment he appeared, the audience erupted with thunderous applause, calling out his name. It was clear their anticipation was sky-high.

On a typical day, Zhou Ran would have been nervous at such a scene, but today he was calm. He silently removed the microphone from its stand, completely focused on his upcoming performance.

The song he was about to sing was exceptionally difficult for him; it required his full attention. Even in the recording studio, he’d made countless mistakes. Without total immersion, the chance of failure was too great.

This song was not just for the audience of Blue Planet—it was for himself. It held extraordinary meaning for Zhou Ran. In his previous life, during countless nights when he’d wanted to give up on singing and performing, he would listen to this song and find encouragement.

Zhou Ran glanced up at the expectant faces in the audience.

Today he was dressed formally, wearing a black velvet suit that perfectly accentuated his strong build.

“Life’s journey is full of hardships and setbacks,” he began. “It’s easy to want to give up, but true courage lies in persistence. The next song is dedicated to everyone who keeps pushing forward, refusing to give up.”

Silently, Zhou Ran added to himself, “And to that foolish, penniless dreamer singing in a bar, who refused to give up.”

Raising the microphone high, Zhou Ran announced, “‘Heart of a Dreamer’—for all of you.”