Chapter 151 Global Music Competition

When Shi Shi returned home, her father was in the study. Her mother was organizing things she had brought back from abroad, preparing to distribute some to relatives and friends.

"Mom, why is there so much stuff?"

"We went to a lot of places on this tour, buying things here and there, and ended up with a huge pile. Here, that pile is yours."

Shishi walked over and casually flipped through the items, discovering perfumes and scarves from various regions, as well as some European-style decorative trinkets. Kong Pan had a good eye; the things she picked were full of interest and had a strong regional character.

“You’ve come at the right time. I went to see your villa last time. What’s the use of just being big? It’s too empty and cramped. You really don’t care about your house. This is a good opportunity to move all this stuff out and decorate it properly. It’s almost Chinese New Year, so it needs some festive atmosphere. Go upstairs and call your dad down to help you move.”

Old Shi and Little Shi made three trips to move the cart until Shishi's car was full, and only then did Kong Pan stop.

"You've made money but haven't bought a bigger car. It looks nice but isn't practical. I was thinking of having you take the things to your aunt and Aunt He. Never mind, we'll talk about it next time."

Shishi drove the car Fu Yingzhou gave her today. Faced with Shi Ma's words, she was speechless.

"Mom, didn't you say you needed to talk to me on the phone? What is it?"

Seeing that the items were almost sorted, Kong Pan pulled Shi Shi to sit down at the table next to them.

Mr. Shi quickly poured a glass of water for the two of them.

Do you know about the World Music Tour?

Shi Shi nodded: "The world's largest music competition, and it's international. I've only heard of it, I don't know much about the specifics."

This is not surprising, after all, this competition only happens once every ten years, and at Shi Shi's age, she was still in high school when the last competition was held.

"This competition is held only once every 10 years, and our country's performance was far from ideal 10 years ago."

"That can't be right, how could our country's musical talent be so poor?"

"It's not as simple as you think," Kong Pan explained to her simply.

"This international competition is divided into three parts. The first is the team competition, in which the Central Conservatory of Music will definitely participate. The second is the individual competition, in which each country sends three singers, and the winner is determined by the highest combined score of the three. The third is the emerging talent competition, which is a bit special. It is assumed that contestants who have participated in the competition before cannot participate in this part."

Shishi expressed her understanding, saying that if someone lives a long life, they could participate at least 6 or 7 times. Are we even giving other countries a chance?

"Mom, what kind of competition is this?"

"Musical creativity is the most difficult of the three rounds. Contestants not only have to compose lyrics and music on the spot, but also sing. So singing ability is only one aspect, and creative ability is only part of it. The most important thing is the performance on the spot, because the topic is randomly drawn on the spot."

Kong Pan took a big gulp of water to relieve his dry mouth and continued, "In the last competition, our country achieved a good result of second place in the first round. However, one of the contestants in the second round, Teacher Wang Zherong, suddenly lost his voice for three minutes before the competition. He was the strongest among the three, and his personal score became zero. Our country dropped out of the top 10 in the second round. When we went to the third round, our country randomly drew a question and got a 'death question'."

Shi Shi was genuinely curious: "What kind of questions can be considered 'death questions'?"

"The topics for the assigned writing are fireplace, dream, world peace, vampire, and skin color." This time, it was Mr. Shi who spoke.

His face looked extremely pale. Even though Mr. Shi was a rigid and upright man, he knew that there must be some underhanded manipulation by the host country involved.

Of the five topics, fireplaces and vampires are Western inventions. The themes of dreams and world peace are too vague, allowing for significant "manipulation" in scoring. Skin color, however, involves racial discrimination. These topics are far too sensitive.

Kong Pan continued, "Do you know what the topics were for the first-place winner, 'Beautiful Country'? Oh, moonlight, love, praising the motherland, and the like."

"These questions are way off!" Shishi couldn't help but exclaim.

"What's done is done, we should learn from our mistakes. But what's worse is that this year's host country is Japan."

Everyone knows about the historical conflicts between Japan and China. This is not a good sign for China.

"Haven't you noticed how many pop performances our band has had this year? It's all paving the way for the competition in the first half of next year! Compared to the music of other countries, our country has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that the melodies are grand and magnificent, with a strong sense of historical weight, which is something that smaller countries can't match. But the disadvantage is also obvious. Our country's language is beautiful and profound, and often a single word or sentence can imply many meanings. It's hard for people to quickly empathize with things that are too complex."

Upon hearing this, Shishi realized something and looked at Kong Pan in shock: "Mom! You're going to represent the country in the competition!"

Kong Pan said nonchalantly, "Ten years ago, when I watched those seniors participate in the competition, I could only feel envy. But when it's my turn, I realize how nervous I am."

"Mom, be careful with everything you eat, drink, and use during the competition!"

"Yes, ever since that incident, there has been a designated person in charge of these things."

Shishi suddenly realized something was amiss. She asked, "Are many countries being targeted, or is it just our country?"

"Not just in our country."

"That……"

Knowing what Shi Shi was asking, Kong Pan told her, "The countries that were targeted ten years ago were all among the top four twenty years ago. You know Chairman Kan Hong, right?"

Shi Shi knew, of course, that Chairman Kan was not only the presenter for the Golden Voice Award, but also the person who later introduced her to the Music Association, where she became a member.

"In that competition 20 years ago, Chairman Kan achieved the highest individual score in the second and third rounds. If it weren't for the same contestant, who couldn't participate in the third round, he would have dominated the leaderboard!"

"Was our country's champion that year?"

Kong Pan nodded proudly: "Of course. We must be number one!"

"So, you called me here today not because you want me to participate in the competition, right?"

"Yes, Chairman Kan came to see me at the orchestra yesterday. He mentioned your matter."

Shi Shi was somewhat incredulous. She had always been working on a small scale in China, never expecting to have the opportunity to stand on the international stage.

Seeing that her daughter was unaware of her own abilities, Kong Pan had no choice but to remind her, "You participated in an important national selection?"

Shi Shi nodded, and the military song competition ultimately chose her song.

Have you won any major domestic awards as well?

Shi Shi nodded again. She had won all the major awards at the Golden Voice Awards.

"Finally, let's talk about your output..."