Invite him at any cost!

As soon as the recording of the episode ended, and with her phone in hand, the trending feed immediately recommended news to Ji Fanxing. She opened it to see Xu Mo’s post. Casually, she removed him from her “special attention” list before scrolling onward.

Xu Mo’s post had barely stirred a wave online before it was drowned under a flood of trending topics. The four love songs she performed—“Little Love Song,” “Confession Balloon,” “Absolutely Devoted,” and “The Fleeting Years”—occupied the top four spots across all online searches. Closely behind followed “Ji Fanxing’s First Stage ‘Fate and Romance’ Live Performance.” The keyword “Ji Fanxing’s Love Interests: Xu Mo, Ji Shengxue, Ning Ze—Four-Sided Romance” nearly slipped off the trending list.

Satisfied, she put away her phone. Tonight’s love song feast had been a success, offering netizens a brand new experience with romantic music. Overnight, the name Ji Fanxing became known to all.

“Bad news! Pirate videos are popping up online!”

Early in the morning, Liu Qi, the producer of “King of All Singers,” heard the news and paled in shock.

“What? Those people have lost their minds!”

W Star takes copyright seriously, imposing strict penalties for piracy. Yet the more popular the show became, the more it piqued the curiosity of those who hadn’t watched it—where there’s demand, there’s trade, and someone’s always willing to risk it for profit.

At that moment, Liu Qi felt torn—dizzy from the windfall, yet forcing himself to stay clear-headed and strategize how to maximize this surge in attention.

“Hurry! Report and take down everything before the footage spreads any further!”

Leaping into his car, Liu Qi nearly shouted as he revved the engine, his heart aching—every view was his lost traffic.

“Is the first stage performance ready yet?!”

“It’s basically done, just needs final polishing…”

“To hell with polishing! Upload it now!”

Driving to the company, Liu Qi’s mind raced. “Release it first, then replace it with the perfected version later…”

Never had a W Star program reached such feverish heights. The entertainment industry had no contingency for this. Audiences were typically indifferent to domestic shows.

No one realized that this was merely the beginning. Soon, anything related to Ji Fanxing would become irresistible to viewers, and the landscape of entertainment would be upended.

While the world outside churned with chaos, Robin Island—the show’s core—remained tranquil.

The second episode of “King of All Singers” would be an elimination round. Today’s announcement concerned the rules, and everyone was too focused to bother with the internet.

“This round will be a team competition. Teams will be chosen by drawing lots according to ranking.”

“Each team consists of two. After the performance, scores will be given live, and the forty-four lowest combined scores will be eliminated.”

The MC explained the rules simply, and contestants exchanged uneasy glances.

Ji Fanxing’s expression was particularly subtle; the production team knew how to play their cards. After a group performance, both members would be rated together. Naturally, audiences would favor one over the other, making it hard to score fairly.

Thus, teammates were also rivals. One had to excel not only in performance but also guard against one’s partner outshining them.

The tension was palpable.

The MC announced loudly, “The first to draw a partner is Ji Fanxing!”

“Oh my God, Ji Fanxing is first!”

“Pick me, pick me!”

“You’re brave, aren’t you? Aren’t you afraid of being compared and overshadowed by her?”

“But…” The contestant hesitated, unable to finish. Indeed, this elimination round was brutal.

Ji Fanxing had always struck others as aloof and formidable, hard to approach, and few were confident they could work well with her.

Already planning for a win-win partnership, Ji Fanxing calmly took the stage.

Without hesitation, she pressed the massive red button with a resounding slap.

The contestants below were both anxious and expectant.

As her finger hit the button, the screen froze on a name that sent the crowd into an uproar—Chu Hao.

“Chu Hao?! This is going to make headlines!” someone murmured.

Two strong, cold, and nearly unapproachable contestants were now teammates! This was like lighting a match next to a powder keg.

The live comments exploded:

[Haha, how will Miss Cool and Mr. Cool cooperate? I’m booking front row seats for their fight.]

[Chu Hao’s scored big! Sharing the stage with Ji Fanxing is a treasure.]

[What are you saying? Clearly Ji Fanxing is the unlucky one!]

Soon, fans of both sides were tearing at each other:

[Our Brother Chu is no slouch! He’s ranked fourth—worthy of anyone!]

[What a joke! No one is worthy of our Sister Ji! She is the stage’s center!]

[Ji Fanxing has talent, so what? This round is a team competition!]

[Ha, as if lone wolf Chu Hao can carry his partner.]

Most viewers in the live stream had tuned in for Ji Fanxing and were staunchly behind her. Chu Hao’s fans were quickly outmatched.

Ji Fanxing remained calm; she didn’t think teaming up with Chu Hao would be difficult.

She turned to Chu Hao, who stood nearby with a slight frown. “Looks like things will get pretty interesting for us.”

Chu Hao snorted, “Just don’t drag me down.”

When it came to competition, Chu Hao was merciless.

“No worries.” Ji Fanxing had never responded well to force and certainly wouldn’t indulge him.

“I’d rather not be dragged down by you.”

Their gazes clashed, sparking invisible tension in the air.

Everyone around could feel it.

The MC quickly interjected, “All right now, let’s look forward to the stunning performance this duo will bring!”

Ji Fanxing and Chu Hao sat far apart, one to the left and one to the right.

Next up was Hai Lan, who seemed indifferent, pressing the button carelessly.

And once again, the crowd was electrified!

“Oh my God! Ji Shengxue!”

“First and fourth, second and third paired up! How is anyone else supposed to compete?!”

Ji Shengxue saw her name on the screen, walked over, and took Hai Lan’s hand. “Let’s work well together.”

“Mhm,” Hai Lan nodded shyly.

[Ah Xue is wonderful.]

[This pair looks like they’ll get along well.]

Ji Fanxing frowned, concerned for Hai Lan.

With the top four paired, the rest of the groupings were less remarkable.

Once all forty-four teams were formed, the MC announced the theme for the second round.

Tension returned to the air as contestants whispered, trying to guess the upcoming theme.

Some suggested folk songs, others thought it might be classic hits.

Ji Fanxing sat in a corner, her gaze cool as she observed the anxious faces around her.

In her previous life, she’d already withdrawn at this point, curled up at home, hiding from the world, unaware of how the show would progress, so she had no idea what to expect.

The MC took the microphone. “Contestants, please quiet down! I now announce the theme for the second round—rap!”

The words dropped, and the entire venue was silent for a moment.

“Rap? Is this for real?” a disbelieving voice broke the stillness.

“My God! That’s so unexpected!” another exclaimed.

Most contestants exchanged bewildered glances.

After all, in this world, rap was an almost marginalized genre, rarely ventured into.

As the only rapper present, Chu Hao raised an eyebrow at Ji Fanxing.

“Do you know rap?” he mouthed silently, arrogant as ever.

Ji Fanxing’s lips curved into a faint smile. Across the distance, she silently replied,

“Guess.”

She turned away, refusing to look at him again.

Chu Hao wasn’t annoyed; he believed he held the advantage in their partnership.

In the realm of rap, who could rival him?

Low, anxious murmurs rippled through the crowd. “What do we do now?”

“We’ve never prepared for this…”

“Where do we even start learning?”

Hai Lan looked to Ji Shengxue for answers. “Have you ever sung rap before?”

Ji Shengxue shook her head, offering a wry smile. “Looks like we’ll have to work extra hard.”

Everyone felt lost, except for Chu Hao and Ji Fanxing.

Ji Fanxing now understood the vision behind “King of All Singers.” Choosing rap as the theme was bold and progressive for W Star.

On Earth, rap as a musical style and cultural phenomenon had evolved over decades, shaping pop music profoundly. It had spawned countless competitions and reality shows.

Ji Fanxing pondered what the second stage should look like, her thoughtful expression leading viewers to misunderstand. Online comments swiftly reversed:

[Ji Fanxing will have to rely on Chu Hao to carry this round.]

[Haha, looks like our Brother Chu will save the day again!]

Chu Hao’s fans were smug—rap was his domain!

While reflecting, Ji Fanxing caught a flash of color from Song Qing’s waist accessory nearby.

She frowned slightly. That delicate trinket seemed oddly familiar.

“Song Qing, what’s that in your hand?” Ji Fanxing pointed calmly at the ornament.

Song Qing was in a poor mood—her partner was an ordinary contestant ranked past thirtieth, unworthy of someone in the top ten.

Ji Fanxing’s sudden question startled her, and instinctively she tugged her hem to hide it.

“Oh… just a plain accessory,” Song Qing stammered.

“Alright.” Ji Fanxing responded indifferently and turned her attention elsewhere.

Yet Song Qing’s heart tightened, suddenly unconcerned with her teammate.

Her hand unconsciously caressed the angel charm at her waist, its wings already polished to a shine.

“Well, you’ve already stolen my song title, consider this payback—it’s mine now, completely…”

In the executive meeting room of “King of All Singers,” producer Liu Qi made the final call.

“For the second round, invite Xu Mo as the guest mentor!”

“But… he’s an actor…”

“Hmph!” Liu Qi snorted, launching into a tirade.

“What’s the purpose of a guest mentor?

It’s traffic! It’s buzz! Does it matter if he’s not a singer?!”

It doesn’t matter!

Get him at any cost!”

“…Alright, alright…”