Should They Just Give Him an S Card?

Zhou Li, one of the judges, was a rather unusual presence in the entertainment industry.

She wore many hats. She had once been a singer, but never made it big. Later, she tried writing lyrics and music, but never became a hit songwriter either.

Then last year, Pure Voice invited her to judge the first round of its first season, and she suddenly became famous.

The reason was simple: her sharp tongue.

In the first season, Zhou Li judged the Jiangsu Province preliminary rounds, and she had made at least fifty contestants cry with her scathing remarks.

Her razor-sharp tongue set her apart, and she became a huge hit online.

Some people thought Teacher Zhou's critiques were biting and exciting, and loved listening to them.

Others felt Zhou Li was just seeking attention and showing no respect for the contestants.

Her style of judging even sparked countless arguments and flame wars online.

But controversy brought traffic. No matter how sharp her tongue was or how disrespectful she seemed, she had become famous.

Lin Mu had a strong impression of Zhou Li. She was the sort of person who knew how to make money off online traffic.

Just like that stand-up comedy master on Earth who coined the term "mediocre yet confident" and shot to fame.

When women like them insulted people, their goal was never really to insult anyone. It was to generate traffic and make money for themselves.

"The song Dawei Tianlong performed is called Quiet. Hmm, according to his profile, it's an original song. There sure are a lot of original singers this year."

Liu Qiang was the most prominent judge, seated between the other two, and he largely set the pace of the critiques.

Zhou Li gave a cold laugh. "What a shame they're all garbage! Do these people have no idea how mediocre they are? They have no talent but still dream of becoming famous overnight, so they write a pile of garbage and force it into the audience's ears!"

As she spoke, she picked up Dawei Tianlong's profile and read aloud:

"Office worker, no formal training, likes singing and songwriting. Hmph, the bar for writing music sure keeps getting lower. Anyone thinks they can write a song these days."

"There are a few self-taught geniuses, though, right, Teacher Zhang?"

Liu Qiang quickly tried to smooth things over, passing the question to Zhang Wanteng.

Zhang Wanteng lifted his thermos, took a sip of goji berry tea, and beamed. "Heh heh heh. Let's hear the song first."

"Quiet. You can tell it's garbage just from the title. These amateurs make my stomach hurt. Hurry up and sing. If you can last ten seconds without me hitting the buzzer, I'll admit defeat."

Zhou Li sneered, folding her arms across her chest, ready to press the red button on the table at any moment.

Each of the three judges had a button on the table. If a contestant's performance was truly awful, the judges could press the red button to avoid wasting time.

A buzzer would then sound, signaling that the contestant had been eliminated and could stop singing.

Without a doubt, the sharp-tongued judge Zhou Li had pressed the buzzer more than anyone else.

Now she angled herself slightly, making a point of turning her face toward the camera beside her. She furrowed her brow and put on a cold expression.

She had practiced that look many times. It perfectly conveyed the image of an impartial, stone-faced judge.

It was the look her fans liked best.

That morning, Zhou Li had already made five contestants cry and hit the buzzer seven or eight times. She was quite pleased with herself.

After all, how else could she stand out in the preliminary rounds, which didn't attract much attention, if she didn't do something unconventional?

And none of the contestants so far had been particularly impressive, so Zhou Li wasn't worried that anyone would accuse her of picking on them.

Now this Dawei Tianlong was another original singer, and he had no formal training. Wasn't he practically handing himself over to be slaughtered?

Zhou Li was looking forward to it. She was already composing her critique in her head, ready to show off her sharp tongue again.

"Teacher Zhou really says what she thinks. I love her!"

"Calling people garbage is a bit much, isn't it?"

"What's too much about it? What were those so-called originals earlier supposed to be?"

"Heh. The music scene is so restless these days. Nobody takes the time to write and sing properly. We need brave people like Teacher Zhou, who dare to tell the truth!"

Behind the judges' table, the audience was also buzzing, mostly discussing Zhou Li's earlier critiques. They paid little attention to the contestant about to perform, Dawei Tianlong.

Just then, piano music suddenly rang out from inside the red tent.

The melody flowed from the keys at an unhurried pace, yet it instantly drowned out every other sound, quieting the performance hall.

Liu Qiang raised an eyebrow. Zhang Wanteng's hand paused around his thermos. They exchanged a glance and nodded at the same time.

He was playing the piano?

And he played quite steadily. It was clear he'd put years of hard work into it.

Just as the two men were about to quietly discuss it, the singing began inside the tent.

"Only the piano remains to keep me company all day, the sleeping cello, quiet and worn with age."

The two of them immediately fell silent.

Bad songs came in all shapes and sizes, but good songs often shared one trait: they won you over from the very first note.

The piano introduction to Quiet wasn't fast, but its melody was captivating. The rise and fall of the notes seemed to pluck at the listeners' heartstrings.

And as soon as Dawei Tianlong began to sing, everyone was drawn into the song.

His voice wasn't top-tier, but it matched the melody perfectly.

The melody and his singing carried a faint sadness. It didn't need to be heart-wrenching; all it had to do was make people listen quietly.

"How can I tell you how hard this is? I never wanted us to part. Why must I smile my way through it?"

In an instant, the first performance hall at Jiangrong Drama Center fell completely silent, with only the piano and the singing echoing through it.

"I really have no talent for this. I can't learn to be fine so soon. I'll learn to let you go, because I love you too much."

There were many contestants in the preliminary rounds, so each was only allowed to sing half a song. Before anyone knew it, the final line and melody of that half-song faded away, and the singing stopped.

The performance hall remained silent.

A moment later, someone finally came to their senses:

"That's it?"

"Don't stop! Why was it so short?"

"That song title really fits. The music starts, and the whole hall goes quiet. Tsk, tsk."

"Oh my gosh, that last line almost made me cry!"

More than ten seconds after the song ended, the audience finally came around and began talking excitedly.

But unlike the audience, who were unanimous in their praise and excitement, the three judges had very different expressions.

Clap, clap, clap!

Liu Qiang applauded hard, his eyes shining. "I thought I was sitting in the audience at the national finals. This song belongs on the grandest stage!"

"Heh heh heh. Good, good!" Zhang Wanteng set down the thermos he'd been holding the whole time and joined in the applause.

Liu Qiang turned to the two judges beside him. "Should we just give him an S Card?"

Whoa!

The audience erupted in a wave of surprised gasps.

Pure Voice had five preliminary-round regions, and each one would select twenty contestants to advance to the national top 100.

Each region had only one S Card. Contestants who received one could skip the rest of their region's competition and advance directly.

It was like getting early admission to college without having to take the entrance exam.

But since each region had only one S Card, the judges were usually very cautious about giving it out.

Sometimes, the regional competition even ended without the S Card being awarded.

But it was only the first day of the Jiangsu Province preliminaries, and they were already talking about giving one out?

Zhang Wanteng glanced at Liu Qiang in surprise. He thought it over, then nodded.

"I agree. This song deserves an S Card."

"What do you think, Teacher Zhou?" Liu Qiang asked Zhou Li.

The audience fell quiet again, and everyone turned to look at Zhou Li.

After all, she'd just predicted that Dawei Tianlong and his song Quiet would be garbage.

Now they were talking about giving him an S Card right away. Wouldn't that make our Teacher Zhou lose face?