CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol
Chapter 100 - 97 Voices of Doubt

Chapter 100: Chapter 97 Voices of Doubt

"I want to continue the challenge." Natasha’s icy voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone’s hearts tightened. No one had expected Natasha to act this way.

Ye Yuwei actually understood her reasoning. With her stature, there was no chance of her successfully debuting as part of the group in the end.

Inviting her might just have been for the sake of accessing the overseas market, or to add a touch of "internationalization" to the show and boost its prestige.

After all, nowadays any program involving international friends immediately seems high-end and sophisticated.

She was probably trying to accumulate more screen time before being eliminated, or perhaps clinging to a faint hope of making it to the end.

However, by acting this way, she was effectively offending everyone. You can fight for what you want, but you must be mindful of boundaries and methods.

"Very good, I love watching you all go head-to-head." Long Zitao laughed, his eyes filled with encouragement as he looked at Natasha.

Bolstered by Long Zitao’s gaze, she felt a surge of excitement. She thought to herself that these Huaxia women were indeed too weak. Back in school, there had been so many excellent Huaxia men chasing her.

No Huaxia woman could rival her popularity.

After all, back home, she was just an inconspicuous "ugly duckling."

"Maybe I should use some means beyond the rules. Huaxia men are always interested in blonde-haired, blue-eyed women," Natasha mused, unconsciously flashing a smile at Long Zitao.

"Who do you want to challenge?" Long Zitao asked her with a smile.

"I watched backstage earlier. That Li Zimeng sings very well. I want to challenge her." Natasha said without hesitation, clearly having made up her mind.

Li Zimeng, from Jialuo Country, hadn’t expected to be challenged like this.

Her mind went blank for a moment as she stood up in a daze.

But she quickly returned to normal. After all, she was someone who had seen the bigger picture.

On the other hand, Yang Ni, who was also from Jialuo Country, was livid.

Having spent several years in Huaxia’s entertainment circle, she could guess Natasha’s intentions.

The show had invited only three foreign contestants—herself, Li Zimeng, and Natasha.

If Natasha could defeat the other two, her chances of debuting would increase significantly.

Moreover, by challenging another foreign contestant this time, she could reduce the animosity from the Huaxia competitors toward her.

This Natasha was undoubtedly intelligent and a formidable opponent who couldn’t be underestimated.

The competition began, and Li Zimeng sang a song by Huaxia’s renowned singer, Li Jun.

Li Zimeng’s singing skills were excellent; her head voice was stable, and her breath control was even.

Though her Mandarin wasn’t very good, she still worked hard to ensure her diction and pronunciation were accurate.

This was a typical academy-style singing technique. Her technical skills were relatively mature, her vocal range stability was impressive, but her chest resonance was somewhat lacking, which made her voice sound a bit thin.

Her technical level was better than that of Zhang Zining, who specialized in folk singing techniques.

However, compared to Chen Afang and Xu Qianhua, she fell short.

Still, she could be considered a near-professional level trainee; among the trainees, her skill ranked in the top three.

Perhaps it was due to nerves, or maybe the recording sessions had run too long, but Li Zimeng ended up faltering during her final high note.

Her chest-abdomen resonance broke down; air escaped from her lips, carrying with it a trailing sound, and she failed to hit the final C3 note.

Putting down the microphone, she suddenly felt relieved, as though she had set down a heavy burden. She smiled apologetically at everyone, her grace impeccable.

After she finished, Natasha took the stage to sing Zong Sheng’s "Little Bird."

She seemed to be self-taught, though she had undergone professional training—but the training was misdirected.

Her technique for opening up her voice was incorrect, but at least her pitch was accurate.

Her chosen song was moderately difficult, but she had adjusted the key to make it easier.

As long as her mid-range vocal techniques were steady, she could handle it.

Her timbre could be considered bright and resonant! At the very last high note, a C1, she managed to hold it without faltering.

"The result of this competition is: Natasha wins," Zhang Wei announced.

Upon hearing this result, the trainees who truly understood vocal techniques all went silent.

Li Zimeng had missed her final note, but her overall performance had been decent.

To use an analogy:

Li Zimeng’s test difficulty was at the graduate level, and she scored 98 points.

Natasha’s test difficulty was at the elementary school level, and she scored 100 points.

So, which exam carried higher value?

"Teacher, why did Li Zimeng lose to Natasha?" Yang Ni boldly raised her hand and asked.

The entire room was stunned. She dared to question the instructor’s decision—did she not want to survive in this field?

Countless examples had shown them that even questioning judges during auditions, let alone on a program like this, would leave no room for advancement.

Furthermore, these were senior figures in the entertainment industry. Challenging their expertise like this would inevitably lead to public backlash from fans and viewers once aired.

Would people think the instructors lacked skill, or that the program was rigged?

If it was a matter of skill, would they still be hired for future shows? How would they make money? Was Yang Ni about to cut off their livelihood?

Daring indeed! Did she think earning an ’A’ equated to being a queen?

After the shock settled, some took delight in her audacity, while others secretly admired her courage.

At this moment, Zhang Wei was inwardly cursing. As a top graduate of the academy system, how could he not hear how poor Natasha’s performance was?

But since Yang Xiaoyue had instructed him to announce Natasha as the winner, there was nothing he could do. Offending Penguin was simply not an option, so he had to go against his conscience.

Yang Ni’s question had immediately put him on the spot.

At that moment, Long Zitao stepped forward to smooth things over: "We felt her style was very unique. Beyond that, if you want to sit higher, you need to work hard to win. If you want to keep your spot, you need to work hard to defend it."

Upon hearing Long Zitao’s comments, all the trainees were speechless.

What kind of explanation was this? Yang Ni was clearly challenging their professional credibility, and yet he responded with motivational platitudes.

What does "unique style" even mean? By that logic, singing out of tune could also be considered a unique style!

If that’s the case, what’s the point of having professional judges? They could simply rank contestants based on personal preference.

Zhang Wei also heard the absurdity in Long Zitao’s reasoning and quickly added:

"Everyone can review the playback just now. The reason Li Zimeng lost was because her final note fell apart."

"Meanwhile, Natasha’s completion was excellent. We judged based on the song’s overall execution, and Natasha’s dance skills are also commendable."

Zhang Wei’s words calmed everyone down. In truth, even if he hadn’t spoken, no one would continue to question the result—they all knew it was pointless to argue.

Ultimately, this program was meant to be consumed by viewers.

Natasha’s face turned ashen, and she shot a fierce glare at Yang Ni.

She believed her performance had been outstanding.

Li Zimeng, on the other hand, smiled gratefully at Yang Ni.

As it happened, they had known each other for some time. Li Zimeng was part of the overseas Huaxia aristocracy in Jialuo Country.

Her family wielded significant influence in that country.

Yang Ni, by contrast, came from a family of moderately wealthy merchants. Usually, the two wouldn’t cross paths.

But the Huaxia community in that country was small.

The two of them were minor celebrities among overseas Huaxia people, so they had met at many events, performed on the same stage, and even signed with the same company in the past.

Yang Ni stood up for Li Zimeng, but in truth, she was defending herself as well.

If she hadn’t, both of them would have been steamrolled by this Russian contestant.

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