Chapter 98: Chapter 98: So Useless

The backstage dressing room.

Jiang Qin was on the side giving directions. She provided all the clothing and accessories.

Of course, they had to be paid for, but payment would be settled after the show.

She could have taken them back, actually, but she didn’t want the hassle. It was just one outfit, after all; giving it away was no big deal.

Besides, the amount of reputation value she needed wasn’t that much.

They were already famous singers. After they performed this song, their fans would probably generate reputation value for her too.

That was basically equivalent to them paying her fee.

But this was an invisible, undisclosed fee, so on the surface, she still had to charge them something.

After all, the outfits she provided were quite unique for the Interstellar era.

The materials were high-quality, too.

Right now, Jiang Qin was helping Cang Hong adjust his makeup.

Interstellar People were naturally good-looking, so they hadn’t delved into the art of makeup as deeply as people on Earth had.

Most just put on a little something to make their skin look better on camera.

She had no choice but to step in and help with the adjustments herself.

She had no idea how flustered her proximity made him. Cang Hong was blushing the entire time.

His eyes didn’t dare meet Jiang Qin’s, terrified she would see through him.

But even so, he felt his heart wasn’t in his chest, but lodged in his throat.

“There.” Jiang Qin admired Cang Hong’s handsome face, satisfied.

’Perfect. Cool and handsome!’

Next was Trant.

This guy might have a bit of an arrogant streak, but he wasn’t too difficult to get along with.

He was only faintly impatient with the others at the very beginning. But over the last two days, probably due to the high-intensity practice, he simply didn’t have time for an attitude.

Or maybe he was just shocked by everyone else’s life-or-death, competitive drive.

In any case, his attitude had softened considerably, and he was even willing to give the others pointers on singing high notes.

It was only natural for someone with his talent and status to be a bit proud.

What gave Jiang Qin the most inspiration was his long, wavy, purple hair.

Wasn’t he the spitting image of a band’s bassist stepping right out of a comic book? So, the first thing she did was assign him to play bass.

And Cang Hong would be the drummer.

Of course, Jiang Qin didn’t make these assignments based on looks alone; she had other considerations as well.

***

After a full four hours of makeup, they were finally ready.

Five people, five different styles of makeup.

“Let’s go, the livestream is about to start.”

Jiang Qin led the way toward the composers’ guest seating area.

Her outfit tonight was also edgy: a black, one-shoulder leather top paired with a matching tight, hip-hugging skirt.

Her hair was tied up high, and her makeup was heavier than usual, concealing the frail, sickly look on her face.

When the show began, the atmosphere in the venue was electric.

A 30-to-20 elimination round, plus the unprecedented band theme—this episode was packed with hype!

After the host’s opening remarks, they cut the chatter and went straight to drawing the performance order.

Jiang Qin stared, stunned, at the number she drew.

30…

They were going last…

On Earth, no one without real skill would dare to perform last. But this was the Interstellar era, an era of unequal votes.

Performing late meant you only got the scraps…

In the singers’ waiting area, the team members’ hearts sank.

Performing last!!!

This wasn’t about skill anymore. The number of votes left at the end would depend entirely on the strength of their opponents.

If their opponents were too strong, the only votes left might be from a few die-hard fans.

There were a total of one hundred million audience members in the venue.

Who could guarantee how many of their own fans had gotten in, or how many of those fans would remain steadfast and not be swayed by another performance?

They knew this from Jiang Qin’s previous rounds, where fans of other contestants had switched sides on the spot and become Jiang Fan.

Although everyone’s mood was a bit heavy, this was just a case of bad luck. There was nothing they could do to change it.

They could only accept it.

Besides…

The singers wouldn’t be eliminated.

As long as they performed well enough, they could still break out.

After all, the only ones who really cared about the vote count were the composers.

…

The Federation people watching the livestream also grew anxious.

[We finally saw a glimmer of hope, and now we’re back to despair.]

[Damn, everyone who made it to the top 30 is talented, right? How is the last act supposed to survive?]

[Forget last, anyone performing after the top ten probably won’t get any votes, right?]

[This is what’s fair. If they don’t have votes, they have to compete based on their score.

It’s a reasonable system for the show. The top ten are judged on score and popularity, while those who perform later are ranked by score.]

[The person above has a point. I almost believed it.]

[Hah, what’s fair about it? The Empire is obviously targeting our Federation. I bet they rigged it, didn’t they?]

…

Although most people were furious, a small, clear-headed minority remained.

[This is a mechanism controlled by the mainframe. Human intervention would require a vote from the leaders of all major powers. It’s really not worth it for a simple entertainment show…]

The Federation people were angry, but so were the supporters of the previously eliminated contestants.

[Tch, you two-faced Federation hypocrites! When she was always going first, you didn’t say a word, did you?]

[Exactly. If it wasn’t her, it would be someone else. So other people can go last, but she can’t?]

[If you don’t have the skill, then just drop out of the competition. Why are you here nitpicking? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you’d already reserved the championship title.]

The chat in the livestream was on fire, and the number of viewers was constantly rising.

Behind the scenes, the director was grinning from ear to ear.

The director of this show got rich every year, and this year, it was his turn.

And this year’s show was far more popular than the previous two seasons. He couldn’t even imagine how big his bonus would be!

But soon, he couldn’t smile anymore.

Because the first five-person band to take the stage sang an incredibly messy song.

Even Jiang Qin was stunned.

’This… This is a band?’

’Singing off-key, singing over each other, and even raising the key for the next person to take over??’

And then the next singer, who was clearly not good at high notes, just screeched…

The judges silently gave out low scores.

The audience in the venue had no desire to vote whatsoever.

Honestly, in a situation like this, they felt the production team should compensate them. Their ears were actually hurting.

Some even felt it was a form of psychological attack and suggested a thorough investigation.

If the first band’s performance had been an accident, the fact that the second and third were just as bad meant it was no longer an accident.

This was just the average skill level.

[I thought tonight’s show was going to be legendary, but it turned out to be a total trainwreck.]

[Three days isn’t a long time, sure, but is it too much to ask for them to at least be in sync?]

Netizens weren’t unaware that some composers, lacking inspiration, might only finish writing the score on the final day.

But they didn’t see that as an excuse. After all, if others could do it and you couldn’t, that just meant you were useless!

So right now, the livestream chat was a waterfall of insults.

[LMAO, with this level of skill, what are they doing forming a band? If they had just done a five-person chorus, it probably wouldn’t have been this embarrassing.]

[They want votes with this kind of performance? They should be paying the audience’s medical bills!]

[Jiang Qin: I gave you a chance, and you’re all still useless.]

…

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