Staring at the two words “Eliminated” on the big screen, Lin Mo felt his heart sink to the very bottom.
He could not understand it. His song had clearly received such an overwhelming response. Why had he still been eliminated?
At that moment, his emotions were a tangled mess. He had only wanted to use this opportunity to find Shen Youchu. Why was it so difficult?
“Have you all lost your minds? Why are you eliminating Lin Mo?” Ye Qingqing suddenly stood up from the judges’ panel, pointing at the other three judges, her face full of anger.
With Lin Mo’s ability, advancing should have been guaranteed. He could have even easily claimed the championship of this season’s competition. Ye Qingqing had never expected that he would be eliminated in the very first round.
As intelligent as she was, how could she not suspect something shady behind this?
Hearing her outburst, the three judges awkwardly looked away. No one understood Lin Mo’s ability better than they did. But because of Su Qianqian’s influence, they had no choice but to compromise.
“I admit that Lin Mo does have some creative talent,” one of the female judges stood up and said calmly.
“But he is still a newcomer with no experience. Yet he chose to compete with his own original song. That kind of behavior is somewhat arrogant. Eliminating him is simply a way of giving him a warning.”
“Young people need to polish their fundamentals. They should not rush for success. Otherwise, the consequences may backfire.”
“We are doing this for his own good, to temper his mindset.”
Lin Mo’s work had been nearly flawless. She could not find fault in the song itself. So she could only shift the focus onto Lin Mo personally, standing on moral high ground while making it appear as though she was acting in his best interest.
Her reasoning was clearly nitpicking, but there was no other choice. Since Lin Mo had already been eliminated, they had to provide the audience with some explanation.
The other two judges nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Ye Qingqing let out a cold laugh. “So this is the excuse you came up with?”
“What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting I deliberately targeted him?” the female judge frowned, clearly displeased.
Ye Qingqing responded calmly, “And what if I am?”
“You—”
Turning toward the audience, Ye Qingqing raised the microphone. “Everyone, today’s competition never stated that contestants were forbidden from performing original songs. What they are doing is clearly targeting Lin Mo on purpose and disregarding all of you.”
“I demand a re-evaluation. If the outcome remains so unreasonable, then it proves this program operates under hidden rules from the start. In that case, I will withdraw from my position as judge.”
“I, Ye Qingqing, refuse to participate in a program without principles, and I refuse to stand alongside people who cannot even see clearly.”
Since she could not overpower the other three judges alone, she decided to bring the audience into it. Her popularity exceeded that of the other judges, and many of her fans were present. Combined with the audience’s clear recognition of Lin Mo’s performance, public pressure might very well change his fate.
The other three judges’ faces turned dark. Ye Qingqing’s actions were an open slap to their faces.
Beside them, Su Qianqian’s expression was even colder. Watching Ye Qingqing defend Lin Mo so fiercely made her feel deeply uncomfortable.
For a fleeting moment, her icy heart wavered. Had she really made a mistake? Should she not have eliminated Lin Mo?
But then she reconsidered. If Lin Mo advanced, he and Ye Qingqing would only grow closer. Moreover, Xiao Jibo needed this opportunity to prove himself. Only by winning the championship and achieving success afterward could Su Qianqian’s parents possibly accept him. This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
With that thought, her resolve hardened once again. Lin Mo must not advance.
Meanwhile, the audience below began discussing heatedly.
“I also think something’s wrong. Lin Mo’s song was so good. Why eliminate him?”
“Exactly. Compared to that last guy who was completely tone-deaf, Lin Mo was infinitely better. If that guy can advance, why not Lin Mo?”
“Right. Lin Mo is so handsome… I mean, so talented. This shouldn’t be his ending.”
“This program is probably playing dirty behind the scenes. Lin Mo doesn’t have backing, so getting eliminated isn’t surprising.”
“I don’t care. I’ll follow our goddess Qingqing. If she withdraws as judge, I’ll demand a ticket refund too.”
Soon, the entire venue buzzed with discussion.
Onstage, Xiao Jibo’s eyes flared with anger. But when he glanced at Su Qianqian, who remained composed, he sneered.
“Lin Mo, so what if so many people are backing you? You still won’t advance.”
“Refund! Refund! Refund!” the audience suddenly shouted in unison, as if rehearsed.
Backstage, the director broke into a cold sweat. He knew he could not afford to offend the audience. Otherwise, the program would be finished.
After a moment’s hesitation, he gritted his teeth and signaled the host through his earpiece. As for Su Qianqian, he would explain later.
“Alright, everyone, please calm down,” the host said seriously, trying to steady himself.
“This… was actually a specially designed opening format for our program. The purpose was to observe everyone’s reactions and measure how much you truly appreciate Lin Mo.”
“The test is now complete. I hereby announce that voting will officially begin again. Judges, please cast your votes once more.”
The host was clearly experienced and quickly crafted a new explanation.
Ye Qingqing merely sneered but did not expose the lie.
Su Qianqian and Xiao Jibo frowned in confusion.
The audience was not foolish. They knew the program team was trying to shift responsibility. But since their goal had been achieved, they did not pursue it further.
Soon, the judges voted again. They had also received instructions from the director.
This time, Lin Mo advanced as expected. Another contestant took the eliminated slot in his place.
That contestant accepted it calmly. He had not truly expected to advance anyway, so elimination did not surprise him.
In the end, six of the twelve contestants were eliminated. Both Xiao Jibo and Lin Mo successfully advanced.
Xiao Jibo shot Lin Mo a resentful glare, as if he wanted to devour him.
By the time the advancement round ended, it was already nearing evening. Due to time constraints, the director postponed the semifinals and finals to the next day.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
Before leaving, Lin Mo cast a deep look toward Su Qianqian backstage. Then he left in Ye Qingqing’s car.
“Your song was clearly so good, yet they deliberately eliminated you. And then they call it a creative opening format. Hah. I think they’re just like other programs, playing hidden tricks behind the scenes. I even rushed back from overseas to participate.”
Lin Mo smiled faintly. “Alright, Qingqing, don’t be angry. I still advanced, didn’t I? And… maybe that really was a carefully designed opening format.”
Although he said that, he kept his head lowered, clearly troubled.
Seeing this, Ye Qingqing stopped pressing the matter. After dropping him off at the villa and reminding him of a few things, she drove away.
After getting out of the car, Lin Mo stood in thought for a moment. Finally, he shook his head and went upstairs to prepare dinner for Su Qianqian.
Backstage, Xiao Jibo glared at the director angrily. “What are you doing? Why did you let Lin Mo advance? Are you ignoring Qianqian’s words?”
He spoke with the arrogance of someone in power, not taking the director seriously at all.
The director frowned. “Mr. Xiao, you saw what happened just now. That situation was beyond my control. If the audience had demanded refunds, it would have caused huge losses for both me and CEO Su. I had no choice.”
This program was not only funded by Su Qianqian but also built with his own effort. How could he sacrifice everything for Xiao Jibo alone?
“I don’t care. You must eliminate Lin Mo. Otherwise, I’ll have Qianqian withdraw her investment,” Xiao Jibo insisted irrationally.
The director’s face darkened. Xiao Jibo was only relying on Su Qianqian’s support. Without her, he would not even be qualified to speak to him.
“Enough,” Su Qianqian said calmly.
“Since things have come to this, let him advance for now.”
“What? Qianqian, why let him advance? You promised me,” Xiao Jibo said anxiously.
Su Qianqian’s expression softened slightly. “Jibo, don’t worry. I will keep my promise.”
She then looked at the director. “Let this one go. Lin Mo’s ability is obvious to everyone. Eliminating him now would be unreasonable. However, in the finals, Jibo must win the championship. You understand what to do.”
The director paused, then suddenly understood.
“CEO Su, do you want me to arrange for Lin Mo to place second or third?” he asked cautiously.
Under the current circumstances, Lin Mo could not be eliminated outright. That would anger the audience. But if he reached the finals and placed second, no one could complain. After all, competitions always have winners and losers.
And Lin Mo would not be losing entirely, only to Xiao Jibo.
Su Qianqian nodded.
“Understood, CEO Su. We’ll proceed as instructed,” the director replied respectfully.
This arrangement did not harm his interests. As for what happened afterward, that was no longer his concern.
“Are you satisfied now?” Su Qianqian asked Xiao Jibo gently.
Xiao Jibo’s expression finally eased.