Chapter 191 The Japanese have broken through their defenses

Shi Shi's singing grew increasingly passionate, completely igniting the atmosphere at the venue. The international audience initially had some doubts, but they were quickly captivated by the powerful melody and lyrics, clapping along to the rhythm.

As the song ended, thunderous applause erupted from the audience. The judges exchanged glances, realizing that the song not only had a noble message (defending women's autonomy and rights), but its lyrics, music, and arrangement were also exceptionally well-executed. They unanimously awarded it high marks.

After removing the highest score (99.75) and the lowest score (97.45), Shi Shi's final score is 99.28. Shi Shi is unsurprisingly in the lead.

The moment the score was announced, the entire audience erupted in uproar!

Since its inception, the World Music Competition, which combines composition and performance simultaneously, has been widely considered the most challenging round. This is not only because the topics are unpredictable, but also because it tests the contestants' comprehensive abilities. Moreover, the time limit is extremely limited! Comprehensive ability, on-the-spot performance, and mental fortitude are all indispensable!

What does 99.28 mean?

This score broke the competition record!

Highest score in history!

Domestic netizens were in an uproar, and the topic of Shi Shi on Weibo soared to the top spot in terms of popularity.

Knowledgeable netizens quickly explained the significance of this score online. Some Chinese parents, seeing this, also started commenting, saying, "I want a daughter like Shi Shi!"

The pride in their eyes, like that of Shi Shi's parents, was impossible to hide. Shi Shi, enjoying the joy of victory on stage, secretly vowed to continue shining in the upcoming finals.

Previously, Shi Shi only had some fans who were into her career. Now, she is the only one who, though no longer in the entertainment industry, will always have a legend about her.

Queen of the Nation!

When the total score was tallied, the Chinese team led the second-place team by 4.25 points after three rounds.

Just as Shi Shi was basking in the joy of victory, an unexpected event quietly occurred.

When you think Japan is a dog, it can do far more dog-like things than you imagine.

A judge from the competition's organizers, Japan, suddenly suggested that Shi Shi's song appeared to contain an unauthorized musical element, requiring a reassessment of her score. Shi Shi was instantly stunned. She knew her creative process perfectly well; there was absolutely no unauthorized element involved. And how could she not know the melody's "originality"?

After acquiring this system, every song she copied was compared between Binglu and the music library of this world. Any song with a melody similarity exceeding 20% ​​was adjusted by her.

Shishi was amused and annoyed. She looked at Kato Ichiro, one of the judges, and bluntly stated, "Only when someone else's melody is used does the issue of unauthorized use arise. Since this song is an original work, I haven't borrowed from or quoted anyone else's work in the entire song."

After saying this, Shi Shi turned to the camera, looking at the global audience through the lens. She stated confidently, "Each of my works is like my child. I will never allow anyone to slap the label of plagiarism on it. No matter how subtle you try to hide it, it's unacceptable!"

Kato Ichiro knew his objections were untenable. His actions were merely an attempt to influence Shi Shi's mindset. As a seasoned musician, how could he not see Shi Shi's talent? World-class competitions, whether for the sake of national rivalry or the exchange of skills among top musicians, are characterized by extremely close scores; even a single point can determine the winner.

Turning red-faced after being silenced by Shi Shi, he couldn't say anything, only pointing his finger at her with an expression that said, "This woman is so disrespectful to the judges."

"Someone like you who twists the truth doesn't deserve any respect," Shi Shi thought to himself, showing no sign of backing down. He looked at the host next to him and stated his demands.

"Since the judge from Japan—I mean, the Japanese—has raised objections to this piece, then I invite him to explain where the work was unauthorized and which part of the lyrics and music was copied from someone else's song!"

The burden of proof lies with whoever raises an objection; there's absolutely nothing wrong with that statement!

Just as the host was trying to smooth things over, Shi Shi continued, "If there is such a thing, then I'll give myself 0 points. If not, for the sake of fairness in the entire competition, I demand that the judge who slandered the contestant be removed from the judging panel."

Chinese netizens were furious the moment Kato opened his mouth! They accused him of deliberately making things difficult. However, after Shi Shi demanded the judges withdraw from the competition, Chinese netizens gave her a thumbs up, saying, "That's right! We can't let a little Japanese guy bully us!"

Shi Shi remained calm. In the brief period leading up to the finals, no one except Kato Ichiro panicked. Because he couldn't produce any evidence to present to the organizers, he ultimately had to admit it was a misunderstanding and reinstate Shi Shi's score.

As Kato Ichiro, his face flushed and neck red, bowed and apologized to her, he didn't forget to dig a few verbal traps for Shi Shi. He hoped Shi Shi would be more magnanimous and forgiving, because he didn't want to lose his position as a judge.

"He's so handsome!" Kong Pan exclaimed from below the stage.

Gao Rong nodded and echoed her, saying, "Don't be fooled by his euphemism; plagiarism is a very serious accusation. To casually and baselessly slander a contestant and still dream of staying on the judging panel is just wishful thinking!"

The finals have begun, with only 5 teams remaining to compete for the championship, runner-up, and third place.

Shi Shi, full of fighting spirit, prepared to take the stage again. Everything was as usual, except that one of the judges had quietly changed. Kato Ichiro, a judge from Japan, had withdrawn from the competition due to health reasons.

As the host country, Japan shamelessly offered itself a plausible excuse: "due to health reasons!" Such a stupid pretense, like a flimsy curtain, can't possibly fool anyone!

The previous matches have taken a toll on all the teams' energy. The host announced that the finals will be held in one day. We hope all the athletes from each country can rest and recharge for the championship!

The quarterfinals have concluded. The five countries that made it to the finals are: China, the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States.

Yes, even with home advantage, Japan still couldn't advance from the quarterfinals. No wonder Kato Ichiro broke down.

With only one day left until the finals, contestants from various countries left the recording studio one by one with their teams. Shi Shi looked at the increasingly empty studio and secretly made up her mind that she must perform even more amazingly in the next finals, otherwise, all sorts of nobodies would come and try to take her place! She wanted to reach a level that no one could challenge!