Chapter 132: "Life-Saving Benefactor"

Wang Chong watched Zhang Yuan’s performance from start to finish, terrified that something might go wrong. If another disaster occurred, he would truly have no choice but to "atone with his life."

Since this was only the second episode of the show, a major blunder so early in his tenure would make it inevitable that he would be heavily criticized. Fortunately, Wang Chong breathed a massive sigh of relief after seeing Zhang Yuan’s performance.

With Zhang Yuan’s act, Wang Chong finally felt a sense of security. At the very least, her performance provided a solid foundation for this episode, ensuring there was something worth watching so the show wouldn't be bombarded with negative reviews once it aired.

In a sense, Zhang Yuan was Wang Chong’s savior. If not for her performance in this episode, he would have been finished, and the program he had worked so hard to arrange would have been ruined. Thankfully, Zhang Yuan was there, giving him a chance to adjust.

With this opportunity provided by Zhang Yuan, Wang Chong could now optimize the show’s rules. He believed that after this "original song debacle," the singers would no longer blindly pursue original compositions. They realized that even if there were no official rankings during the show, the negative impact of a poor performance after the episode aired was far greater than any ranking could cause.

Consequently, when considering original songs, these singers would weigh the external repercussions carefully. In any case, they would likely stop the flood of subpar original tracks. Of course, Wang Chong would always welcome original work from those truly capable.

Wang Chong wished that Zhou Ran could provide an original song every single episode, preferably one of the same quality as "The Wind Rises." If every episode featured such songs, Wang Chong felt he would wake up laughing in his sleep every night.

He had a hunch that "The Wind Rises" would become a massive hit after the episode aired. Its style was easy for the public to accept and incredibly catchy; even Wang Chong could hum the melody after hearing it just once or twice.

The final voting stage of the second episode was the least suspenseful one. In the lounge, after hearing Zhang Yuan’s performance, everyone knew who would take first place. Her stage presence was undeniable—if that didn't earn first place, who else could possibly deserve it?

The main reason for this consensus was that the other singers’ performances in the lounge were abysmal. They had overestimated their songwriting abilities. Seeing how easily Zhou Ran and Xu Yan produced original songs, they mistakenly believed they could do the same.

Reality dealt them a harsh blow, teaching them exactly how difficult original composition truly is. Even completing a song in two days was a monumental task, let alone ensuring quality. One only had to look at how everyone else who attempted an original song—except for Zhang Yuan—had crashed and burned.

This also unexpectedly benefited Li Jie, who had stuck to performing a cover. Her performance stood out even more by comparison. While she certainly couldn't best Zhang Yuan, she was more than enough to outshine the others.

When Wang Chong announced the rankings for the second episode, they matched the singers' predictions: Zhang Yuan took first, and Li Jie took second.

The singers in the lounge had no doubts about Zhang Yuan’s top spot. Her performance was simply stellar. The combination of Zhang Yuan and Zhou Ran was, for them, an unstoppable force—a true "demon king" living up to the title.

While they couldn't compete with Zhang Yuan, they still felt confident against Li Jie. They preferred to pick on the "weakest target," attributing Li Jie’s success purely to luck. They convinced themselves that if they had also chosen to perform a cover, the second-place spot would have been up for grabs.

They were all singers, and the gap between them wasn't actually that vast. Having reached their current status, they all possessed a degree of talent; it came down to effort and luck.

It was a cold, hard fact: once you reach a certain level, achieving greater success depends on luck. Since they were all in the same circle with similar capabilities—much like Zhang Yuan and Xu Yan—they needed external help to break through.

Zhou Ran was clearly that external force. With his involvement, Zhang Yuan had left Xu Yan far behind, not even giving her a chance to catch up. This episode was proof enough. Despite both being "Little Heavenly Queens" competing with original songs, the results were vastly different.

Xu Yan watched Zhang Yuan from the side, seething with resentment. She was angry that Zhang Yuan had Zhou Ran’s help to surpass her, but she was also frustrated by her own limitations. Why couldn't she be like Zhou Ran and effortlessly create hit songs? Was the gap between people really that insurmountable?

If Xu Yan wanted to stage a comeback, her only hope was to rely on her agency to find songs for her—a form of "cheating" to secure a higher ranking on "Sounds of Nature." It was her most viable option.

Regardless of what the singers in the lounge thought, they had learned a crucial lesson: do not attempt to write original songs lightly. If you lack the skill, don't take on the task. Otherwise, the outcome of this episode was the bloody price they had to pay. Some things can only be understood through experience; otherwise, the lesson never sticks.

Before the episode concluded, Wang Chong announced the theme for the next one: "Sweetness and Romance." The style would be a complete departure from the current episode.