Chapter 469: Chapter 467: The Final Awards

When the song ended, everyone felt a genuine sense of ease.

It felt as if their hearts were basking in the spring.

The mentors gave their comments one by one. Aside from Sili, who nitpicked a little about Tang Wanqing’s singular style, the others didn’t have much to say.

As for her singular style, it was already a well-known issue that she had decided not to change.

So Tang Wanqing didn’t take it to heart.

After the critiques, the host invited all three of them onto the stage.

"And now, we’ve come to the most nerve-wracking part of the evening—the voting! Let’s see who will be crowned champion!"

[This is so hard. I like all three of them. Who should I vote for?]

[Me too! All three are my favorites. Why do I have to choose just one!!]

[This is where having a partner comes in handy. I got my whole family to vote, and we split our votes evenly among them. No one gets left out, but we’re not really choosing anyone either.]

[Pfft—how is that any different from not voting at all?]

[It’s different. If I don’t vote, it makes it seem like I’m not that passionate.]

[You guys are just too soft-hearted. I’m all-in for Xiong Yuanyuan, no questions asked.]

[I’d rather vote for Qin Bao. Can we get a mentor voting option??]

...

Regardless of what everyone was thinking, the voting progress bar was steadily rising.

Currently, Xiong Yuanyuan was in the lead, with Qi Huaixuan and Tang Wanqing’s vote counts still neck and neck behind her.

The atmosphere in the venue was so tense it was suffocating.

The three contestants’ hearts weren’t calm either, but they weren’t overly nervous.

After all, no matter what happened, they were guaranteed at least third place.

Given the show’s current popularity, even if they only ended up with third place, it was still an impressive achievement.

Finally... the countdown ended.

The result was revealed.

The host built up the suspense before announcing, "Let’s have a round of applause to congratulate...!

Tonight’s champion, Miss Xiong Yuanyuan!!!"

Xiong Yuanyuan was astonished. As the spotlight enveloped her, her face was still filled with disbelief.

"Haha, it seems our Miss Xiong Yuanyuan hasn’t come to her senses yet. Let’s give her a moment to take in this wonderful surprise."

Hearing this, Xiong Yuanyuan quickly snapped out of it, blushing and flustered. "Sorry, I’m just... I’m just so surprised."

"Miss Xiong Yuanyuan, were you not prepared for this at all? Did you think it was impossible for you to win the championship, or was there another reason?"

"Yes, I wasn’t prepared at all, because the other two contestants are so outstanding.

So I didn’t think I had much of a chance."

The netizens in the livestream chat instantly felt their hearts go out to her.

[Yuanyuan has been so busy practicing her singing, she must not know how popular she is, right?]

[Even though she didn’t summon any other female Spiritual Bodies in the last two performances, everyone still acknowledges her singing skills.]

[Poor baby. All her hard work has finally paid off.]

[The shock on Yuanyuan’s face practically screams, ’How could I possibly deserve this?’ Sigh, such an insecure girl.]

[She really does lack confidence, but when she sings, she has the presence of a giant.]

...

Xiong Yuanyuan emotionally thanked many people.

She gave special thanks to her family, who had been with her every step of the way without a single complaint.

And also Jiang Qin, thanking her for choosing, trusting, and mentoring her... and so on.

She nearly broke down in tears at one point, and her speech became a bit incoherent, but everyone could hear her sincerity.

The host waited for her to finish before continuing, "Next, let’s welcome the runner-up, Miss Tang Wanqing, to give her acceptance speech!!"

There was a hint of surprise in Tang Wanqing’s eyes, but it was mostly excitement.

Because the contestants had their backs to the large screen, they couldn’t see the voting results earlier.

Her heart had been pounding with anxiety for a long time.

’After losing the championship, I had just managed to console my disappointed self and was even prepared to accept the worst-case scenario.’

She never expected that she, the one criticized for her singular style, would actually win runner-up!!

"I’m very grateful to the show for giving me the opportunity to stand on this stage.

I also want to thank my mentor, Miss Jiang Qing, thank you for meticulously preparing so many outstanding songs for me.

I can say that without her, there would be no runner-up Tang Wanqing!

And I also want to thank all the audience members, both inside and outside the venue, who like me. Thank you all for your love and support..."

Because the worst they could do tonight was third place, Jiang Qin had long since had the three of them write and memorize an acceptance speech.

So Tang Wanqing’s speech was also full of sincerity, but it was also rather formal.

In short, it was best to just thank everyone involved.

Next up was Qi Huaixuan.

He accepted the fact that he’d won third place in zero seconds.

After all, his two companions were just too strong. Getting third place was already an unexpected result for him.

So he accepted the third-place trophy with a brilliant smile.

The trophy was beautifully designed, shaped like a musical note.

When asked for his acceptance speech, he also emotionally recited the script he had memorized.

He also sincerely thanked Jiang Qin several times.

He believed that while he had some skill, he wasn’t at the level where he could crush the many naturally talented contestants.

Having come this far, no one knew better than him the importance of those songs and that guidance.

It was safe to say that if he had had any other mentor, he absolutely would not have placed third.

After all, which of the contestants eliminated so far wasn’t a powerful competitor?

So, when participating in a competition like this, song choice is truly vital.

...

After the show ended, Xiong Yuanyuan and the other two once again received olive branches from the major entertainment companies across the Empire.

Even the show’s director personally came to ask if they were willing to join Times Entertainment.

After all, the prize for the top three included an offer to join Times Entertainment with an A+ contract.

In addition to that, there were Star Coin prizes, three advertising deals for the champion, two for the runner-up, and one for third place.

For the three of them, who had lived in poverty, these rewards would undoubtedly make them rich overnight.

They had already contacted their families and were just waiting for the show to end so they could go celebrate.

Faced with the director’s invitation, all three of them refused.

"I’m sorry, I’ve already signed with Tianwen Entertainment, so..."

"I was raised with a traditional education from the ancient culture, and I always remember the saying, ’A teacher for a day is a mother for life.’ So, I’m very sorry, Director, but I would rather stay and develop my career by my teacher’s side."

"Because Mentor Jiang Qin promised that after I join Tianwen Entertainment, she would give me several more songs for my debut, so..."

Qi Huaixuan felt awkward, but since the two ladies had already set an example, it wasn’t so hard for him to speak up.

The director, having been rejected by all of them, was at a loss for words.

’So, we ran this whole show just to scout talent for Tianwen Entertainment, is that it?’

But the law was on their side, so there was nothing he could do about it.

After all, the contract with Times Entertainment was a prize, not a mandatory condition for participating in the show.

So he had no grounds to force them to accept this prize.

’I guess you win some, you lose some.’