This Star Only Wants More Money - Chapter 21
Translator: Diviner
The choice for the second song turned out to be Xu Feng’s signature track!
The livestream, already with millions of viewers, suddenly erupted with excitement.
The PK rules had been laid out for everyone to see, and even those who were biased could hardly call this a fair competition. The rules clearly favored Ding Henrun!
He got to choose the songs and knew them in advance. If Xu Feng had not been overconfident, how could he have agreed to such conditions? Even those mocking Xu Feng in the chat hadn’t criticized him for that—they knew Ding Henrun had the upper hand.
However, when the second song was revealed to be Xu Feng’s original piece, “Ugly Monster,” the whole PK livestream chat’s tone flipped!
As the party with the advantage, being able to pick any song he liked, Ding Henrun had not chosen something outside Xu Feng’s style or a song that might expose his weaknesses. Instead, he chose Xu Feng’s own original track.
It’s well-known that performing one’s own song provides a significant edge. Even if both performers did equally well, or if the original artist was slightly worse, public sentiment would still favor the original.
In other words, Ding Henrun had given up his advantage and opted for a direct challenge against Xu Feng!
“Wow! Go, Teacher Ding!”
“Now no one can say the PK is unfair, right?”
“Xu Feng must be sweating buckets now.”
“Even if he loses this round, he’s established his momentum—he’s bound to win the third round!”
“But isn’t it still unfair? Xu Feng didn’t even know the song in advance; he’s still at a disadvantage in preparation.”
“Oh, so we should just let Xu Feng win another round? How about we just give him two wins in a best-of-three, and then it’ll be fair, right?”
“Yeah, don’t be too greedy—you’re like a wolf that can’t be satisfied!”
Xiao Yue said, “This young man has such drive; he’s both humble and capable. His future is limitless.”
“I can’t wait to see Xu Feng’s expression when he loses!”
“Xiao Yue’s words are so true!”
“Wow, Xiao Yue’s high praise!”
“After this PK, Teacher Ding is definitely going to soar.”
“…”
Xu Feng glanced at the chat and, suppressing the urge to laugh, maintained a serious expression as he picked up his instrument, adopting a posture that suggested he was defending his honor. He then played the accompaniment for “Ugly Monster” with unprecedented precision.
This was his most flawless performance yet, with every emotion perfectly conveyed.
When he finished, Xu Feng’s earlier casual demeanor disappeared. He put down his bass and glanced at the camera.
To ensure the competition would reach the third round, Xu Feng, while playing as Ding Henrun in the second round, deliberately made a few subtle but critical mistakes.
Given his advantage as the original creator, the higher quality of his performance, and the fact that the program team knew the third-round song would be Ding Henrun’s hidden ace, Xu Feng’s victory in the second round was practically guaranteed.
“Thunk…”
The sound of the bass strings echoed as Ding Henrun’s performance began.
Things went exactly as Xu Feng had anticipated. As Ding Henrun started playing, from the very first note, the overall sound was noticeably inferior to Xu Feng’s version.
Xu Feng had deliberately held back while recording Ding Henrun’s video, resulting in a performance that didn’t even match Xu Feng’s live version on the show.
Of course, it was still an excellent performance by professional standards, but compared to Xu Feng’s version, it was clearly weaker.
Even with such a gap in quality, the comments on that side were full of support and praise for Ding Henrun’s courage and fairness.
It was evident that the program team’s bots were hard at work again, attempting to solidify Ding Henrun’s image as the honorable challenger. If they could establish this persona, combined with a little PR work, the fairness of the competition would be beyond question, and Xu Feng would be utterly disgraced!
This was the fate of a newcomer who dared to offend their program team!
No matter how talented or skilled he was, there was no room for resistance.
After putting down his bass, Ding Henrun unsurprisingly lost the second round of the PK. However, the comments on his side were filled with encouragement and praise for a “glorious defeat.”
On the contrary, although Xu Feng was the winner, the atmosphere in his chat was rather gloomy.
“Xu Feng, are you really going to lose?”
“Hahaha… I don’t know if it’s just me, but the comments on that side feel like they’re from bots. Winning by votes here won’t be easy.”
“Did you offend someone, Xu Feng?”
Big Bird Spin Spin Spin said, “Winning and losing are common in battle. Don’t worry. Plus, there’s still the third round, so don’t let this affect your mindset. And next time, don’t accept such challenges lightly. Even if you do, make sure you’re fully prepared!”
God of Illusions Himself added, “I still say, there’s no need to use one of your skills to challenge someone else’s lifelong expertise. The outcome this time won’t affect you much.”
Dai Mingli said, “Brother Xu Feng, keep calm and perform!”
“Tsk, I still prefer the defiant Xu Feng from earlier. Get back to that attitude.”
“Better think about how you’ll kneel down next, Xu.”
Bass Rookie Xia You said, “Don’t listen to those above. Just perform your best, Xu Feng; I’m looking forward to your show.”
“Still resisting, Xu Feng? Haven’t you considered that if the other side is willing to let you win the second round, it means they’re confident of winning?”
“Does Xu Feng have any scandals? Why are so many people attacking him? I quite like his slightly laid-back style…”
“Everyone knows the ‘Tomorrow’s God of Song’ show is shady. Xu Feng suddenly quit when he was a sure winner—who wouldn’t think there’s something fishy going on?”
“No conspiracy theories without evidence.”
“…”
Xu Feng chuckled at the dismal comments. “We still have the third round, right? It’s not over yet. No need to jump to conclusions.”
Although he was acting, finding the negative comments amusing, he couldn’t help but feel a slight emotional reaction to the IDs that weren’t swayed by the situation and instead offered encouragement and comfort.
True colors show in tough times, indeed.
It wasn’t easy to maintain an aloof, arrogant persona.
But… to complete the task perfectly, the act had to go on.
“Reveal the third-round’s song!” Xu Feng regained his confident posture, “This childish game should end now.”
With both sides having won a round, the PK reached its climax. Xu Feng could see that the number of viewers in the lower right corner of the livestream had reached an astonishing five million!
And the number was still rising.
Everyone was eager to find out which of these two masters of a niche instrument would emerge victorious.
After Xu Feng spoke, everyone held their breath, focusing on Ding Henrun’s livestream screen.
From the paid audience to the genuine spectators, from the program team eager to see Xu Feng humiliated to those hoping he would make a comeback in the final round, all felt an unprecedented sense of tension.
After a brief pause, Ding Henrun took out a sign with large letters: “The final round is my original piece… It’s called ‘The Wind Rises.'”