With all eight performances concluded, Yang Chaoyue, Tan Weiwei, and Cheng Xiao had left the strongest impressions on the audience.
The reasons for Yang Chaoyue and Tan Weiwei's impact had already been discussed. As for Cheng Xiao, her exceptional dance skills, honed through overseas training, were undeniable. When she took the stage, the audience, both male and female, erupted in screams of admiration.
Such dazzling displays of dance artistry are rare on domestic entertainment stages. Paired with a dynamic dance track, Cheng Xiao's performance was truly captivating.
With the performances concluded, it was time to reveal the voting results. Eight cards displaying the vote counts were placed inside a clear acrylic box at the front of the stage.
Among the Creators, Li Yuanjie wore a grim expression. After his earlier exit from the stage, only he knew the details of the shady deal he had struck with the show's producers.
Desperate to avoid elimination in the first episode, Li Yuanjie had secretly signed a contract with the I Am a Creator production team. In exchange for ensuring his survival in this round, the producers deployed fifty staff members to vote for him.
However, this favor came with a price: if Director Zhang needed him to bring his mentor onto the show in later episodes, he would have to comply.
A Platinum-tier writer was an exceedingly rare find, let alone one willing to appear on a variety show. Only the United Broadcasting Station, which aired holiday galas and special programs, might occasionally feature one or two such luminaries.
Li Yuanjie had no choice but to swallow his pride and accept the humiliating terms. Before he could even make a name for himself on the show, he'd already signed a contract that felt like a personal insult.
Returning to the stage, he channeled all his resentment toward Ye Huanqiu. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in this mess! The bastard... Couldn't he have just stayed at the bottom where he belonged?
He vowed to pull every string, investigate Ye Huanqiu's company, and uncover his backers. Once I confirm he's just a powerless nobody, he'll pay dearly for daring to challenge me.
Incompetent people often blame others for their failures, no matter how absurd the excuse. They cling to their distorted logic, convinced of their own righteousness.
Ye Huanqiu remained blissfully unaware of Li Yuanjie's petty scheming, and even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared. No amount of connections or influence could rival the sheer power of his Starbeam cheat.
Wang Ziqiang and Bai Mengyan each picked up eight envelopes, each bearing a singer's name and vote count.
The randomly announced vote tallies were as follows:
Sun Nan: 389 votes Wang Lingkai: 231 votes Chen Yihan: 264 votes Tan Weiwei: 441 votes Liu Ning: 122 votes Yang Chaoyue: 449 votes Zhang Yanzhuo: 123 votes Cheng Xiao: 389 votes
As Bai Mengyan announced the votes, the leaderboard on the giant screen updated in real-time. Yang Chaoyue unexpectedly soared to first place, with The Great Demon King Tan Weiwei narrowly securing second. Sun Nan and Cheng Xiao tied for third.
To everyone's surprise, Liu Ning found himself in last place. His Creator team had written him a bland, youthful song that lacked any real impact, resulting in an utterly mediocre performance.
Yet he had at least outshone Zhang Yanzhuo!
Despite this, he ended up in last place by a single vote, while Zhang Yanzhuo's visually offensive spectacle somehow managed to avoid the bottom spot.
Some viewers weren't fooled. They could smell the fishy undertones of this outcome.
Some of the staff couldn't help but feel uneasy. They remembered Director Zhang's repeated emphasis on the fairness of the competition format when the show was first conceived. Yes, the format was fair, but those who designed it could choose to disregard their own rules.
The singers themselves seemed calm enough, perhaps because this performance showdown was essentially a battle of the creators behind them.
Even the Great Demon King Tan Weiwei, whose vocal prowess was unmatched—surpassing even Sun Nan's performance—lost to Yang Chaoyue.
This underscored the crucial importance of a great song and the true value of talented composers and lyricists.
"First place!" Yang Chaoyue was stunned. She had spent years competing in countless shows since entering the entertainment industry, but she had never won first place herself. To achieve this in singing, something she had never even dared to dream of, left her speechless.
She had initially hoped to secure a top-five position, perhaps even squeeze into the top three. Instead, she had been awarded first place outright.
"A Ye, you're the best!" Yang Chaoyue immediately gave Ye Huanqiu an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
"According to the competition rules, the lowest-ranked creator will be eliminated. This week, the creator in eighth place will be eliminated."
Sensing the mood, Liu Ning put on a melancholic expression and approached the two composers and lyricists to apologize. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't perform well enough..."
They hastily waved their hands and shook their heads. It wasn't his fault, and besides, they still couldn't understand how they had lost.
But the votes spoke for themselves: they had lost. Any further explanations would only sound like excuses.
After delivering their closing remarks, the two left the venue with regret.
The remaining contestants gave brief interviews, sharing their thoughts on the day's results and wrapping up the recording for the second half of the show.
Li Yuanjie left without granting any interviews. Gou Bing lingered briefly before also departing, having maintained complete silence with his partner, Zhang Yanzhuo, throughout the entire episode.
Ye Huanqiu was about to leave as well when Yang Chaoyue intercepted him, bringing Chen Yihan along.
"A Ye, won't you come with us? Let me treat you to dinner to celebrate my first-ever win in a singing competition!"
"Sorry, I still have some things to take care of," Ye Huanqiu replied, feeling weary from running around all day.
Now that his part was done, he just wanted to clock out and head home.
"Alright then..."
Yang Chaoyue sensed Ye Huanqiu was in a hurry and didn't press him to stay. She watched him leave.
Chen Yihan watched his retreating figure, eagerly anticipating his next performance on the show. She wondered if he could surprise her again.
"Yihan, I'm talking to you! Do I look handsome today?" Yang Chaoyue called out.
"Handsome? You're off the charts, Yang Chaoyue! It's been three whole minutes since you last mentioned winning first place in the singing competition. I feel like ants are crawling all over me! Please, just say it one more time!"
Chen Yihan's personality was usually as calm as still water, but when she was lively, her sarcasm knew no bounds. Yang Chaoyue understood her teasing instantly, and their playful chase needed no further explanation.
While Ye Huanqiu waited for his ride outside, he watched people come and go—some driving their own cars, others being chauffeured in company vans. A flicker of envy crossed his face, but he remained optimistic. Not having to drive himself was a luxury in itself.
Before his ride arrived, his battered phone buzzed with a text notification. He opened it to find a bank alert confirming a deposit of 100,000 yuan.
Finally, some relief!
As Sui Gu drove past with Zhao Ziyun, he noticed her gaze fixed on Ye Huanqiu. "Junior Sister," he remarked, "you seem quite interested in him."
"Well, it's the first time I've seen a young creator incorporate our traditional musical instruments," Zhao Ziyun replied earnestly. "I hope to discuss music with him sometime."
Seeing Zhao Ziyun's sincere expression, Sui Gu realized his teasing had missed the mark. He hadn't really meant to ask that anyway.