Chapter 189 "Try"

Even though the audience consisted mostly of their own countries, those participating in such competitions were all top-tier national-level athletes, among the best in the world. People couldn't help but be moved by the songs performed by artists from other countries. After all, music transcends borders.

When Gu Han took the stage, she sang "Peony Flower." She captured the peony's national beauty and splendor, as well as the grandeur and elegance of a great nation. Her voice was melodious and graceful, flowing like a gentle stream through the heart, or a soft breeze caressing the cheek. Gu Han's voice was incredibly captivating; each note seemed to transform into a vibrant peony, blooming freely on the stage.

The audience below the stage was completely captivated. They had been scattered due to cultural differences, but were now drawn in by the singing, and their attention was now focused on Gu Hanyi.

As the song progressed, the atmosphere at the scene gradually became more enthusiastic. Some people began to hum along softly, while others couldn't help but clap their hands.

As the last note faded, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the audience. Contestants from various countries also cast admiring glances, applauding Gu Han's brilliant performance.

Gu Hanyi bowed slightly, a confident smile on her face. Looking at the audience's reaction, she knew that this performance of "Peony Flower" not only showcased her talent but also allowed the world to witness the unique charm of Chinese music.

She's in a strong position for this round.

As expected, after all the contestants from various countries had finished their performances, Gu Hanyi emerged as the champion of this round, leading the second-place finisher by two points.

The third round is an elimination round, in which three countries will be eliminated.

Seeing the impressive results achieved by the Chinese players in the first and second rounds, Shishi couldn't help but feel nervous. She absolutely couldn't allow herself to drag the team down. She had to bring down their already leading score!

Besides the American athlete Brian and the Japanese athlete Kenta Tanaka, whom she had already met, Shi Shi noticed that many spectators were holding up support signs for Oliver, indicating they were his fans.

Looking around, Shishi noticed out of the corner of her eye that all the media were snapping photos of her. It was easy to guess why; the third round of the competition tested both singing and talent, and among all the contestants, she was the only Lady.

This discovery didn't discourage her; instead, it ignited her fighting spirit. She knew that on this stage, the best way to silence the doubters was to crush everyone with an outstanding score. She wanted to prove with her abilities that women could shine just as brightly on this stage, and were in no way inferior to men.

Shishi took a deep breath, silently encouraging herself. She went on stage. Unlike the final round, this round was a one-singer-determines-all competition. Each contestant from a different country randomly drew a theme and had 30 minutes to create a finished piece. They also had 30 minutes to communicate with the live band. The entire process took one hour. After one hour, the creators performed their complete works for the audience. The maximum score of 100 points was awarded as follows: lyrics, music, and arrangement each accounted for 35 points, while the performance accounted for 30 points. The contestant with the highest total score won.

Contestants from various countries took turns going on stage and drawing their competition topics from a giant box. After all the contestants had drawn their topics, they displayed them to the audience. Following this, the eight contestants were led into a transparent room to create their works. This room was extremely soundproof, completely isolating them from outside noise. A camera was also present, broadcasting their creative process live to the judges and audience outside the room.

Slowly unfolding the topic she had drawn, Shi Shi nearly cursed in anger. The Japanese really lived up to their reputation as the number one bootlickers. Shi Shi's topic was "Be Yourself," and the requirement was to use English. She glanced at the topics from other countries' contestants; none of them specified a language. They usually required a song style or specific lyrics. Luckily, her English was good. China is full of talented people; they wouldn't send someone with poor foreign language skills. Otherwise, she would have been truly tricked!

She calmly went to her small room, unaware that Kan Hong and his group below the stage were worried about her. Hua Hu, standing next to Kong Pan, regretfully said, "If I had known that, I would have gone."

Everyone else ignored him, except for Gao Rong, who rolled his eyes and said, "Who knows what kind of shady business the Japanese are up to this time? Maybe they'll change the topic because they see you're going to be on stage. Maybe it'll become something like writing a tender love song?"

What he said makes sense; it's clear that the situation of the participants from various countries has been thoroughly investigated.

Seeing Kong Pan's worried expression, Yan Xuehua patted her shoulder and said, "Do you still doubt your own daughter's abilities? Don't worry, Shi Shi will be fine!"

Kong Pan didn't want to say anything discouraging, but she still expressed her concerns: "Shi Shi has never written a song in a foreign language. At most, she'll insert a few lines into one of her songs."

"Just because she hasn't written any doesn't mean she's not good at it. At least her melodies and arrangements are fine."

The person who said this is Gao Rong. Don't be fooled by his self-proclaimed love for classical music; he actually quite enjoys pop music and is considered a fan of Shi Shi.

Oh, right, he also covered Shi Shi's song "The Wind Rises." Although he sang it in a bel canto style, netizens joked that it sounded like a sandstorm. But that didn't stop people from liking it.

Gao Rong's words made sense. Regardless of what everyone was thinking, they at least calmed down on the surface and began to pay attention to the movements of all the contestants from the sidelines.

The first to create it was Brian from the United States. It's no wonder he's only 13 years old and has already amassed 5.2 billion views worldwide with his background music. We won't comment on his character, after all, this competition isn't about finding a "nice guy." His talent is undoubtedly among the world's best.

Moreover, he clearly doesn't fall into the category of "prodigies who failed to live up to their potential." It's just that as Brian has gotten older, he's become more demanding of the quality of his work. His output has decreased, and he's only appeared somewhat lackluster in the last two years.

As the contestants from various countries began to exert their strength, Shishi picked up a pen and paper, walked to the desk, pulled out a chair, and gently sat down.

From the moment she drew this question, she had the answer in her mind.

Since the question asks for "being yourself", then that song is the perfect choice.

That was a song she used to listen to on repeat in her playlist. There were two lines of lyrics that she really liked.

"You don't have to give it all away

You don't have to please others unconditionally.

You just have to get up get up get up get up

You just need to be brave and face yourself.

That's right, the song Shi Shi submitted for the competition this time is "Try" by Colbie Caillat.