"Has anyone noticed that although she's dressed casually, her demeanor is great and not at all petty?"
"I've noticed too. Even though they're both wearing black hoodies, why does she look so good in it?"
"Haha, I saw the logo on the hoodie. It's actually the brand endorsed by Shen Shuyao."
"Ji Xiaonian is being shipped with this brand!"
"This is an affordable brand that Shen Shuyao endorsed before she became famous. Most of the clothes there are aimed at students, costing only a hundred or two yuan on average."
"Haha, Ji Xiaonian is so down-to-earth? I thought celebrities always wear clothes that cost thousands."
"Your mindset is too narrow, sister. Many celebrities' haute couture dresses are worth hundreds of thousands."
"Same hoodie, same sneakers, passing by!"
At this time, Taobao had already received the message. Within ten minutes, many sellers' pages had started promoting "Ji Xiaonian's same hoodie," "Ji Xiaonian's same sneakers," and some even claimed to sell the "same jeans" she wore.
Ji Xiaonian sat in the mentor's seat, looking at the three renowned singers who were judges. They were probably considered high-level celebrities in the industry.
The show began, and the first performer was a handsome young man. Ji Xiaonian had learned that he was a famous internet celebrity who had made it through multiple rounds of auditions.
As soon as he appeared, the audience began cheering. He started with a cool street dance performance, followed by a rap.
Ji Xiaonian raised her eyebrows, her eyes sparkling. Wow, what a cool opening.
The camera happened to capture her expression at that moment, with her raised eyebrow and shining eyes, stunning the online viewers.
"Damn, that expression seems so real."
"Haha, that's exactly how I look when I see a handsome guy."
"Haha, I'm going to die laughing."
"Ji Xiaonian is here as a mentor, but she's really just being used to boost the show's ratings since she's so popular lately."
After the performance, the contestant stood panting on stage, awaiting the judges' final scores.
The judges deliberated briefly, and then one of them shared their opinion.
"Your singing and dancing were quite solid. Your composing style tends to lean towards hip-hop. You sang well, but you've been performing songs of this genre for a long time. I hope you can try a different style and break out of your mold, so unfortunately, I'll have to hold my vote for now." The judge then lit a red light.
That's quite harsh, isn't it? Ji Xiaonian was taken aback that despite the excellent performance, the contestant didn't receive a vote. She watched as the rejected contestant's eyes grew moist, even though they remained patient and listened attentively.
"Thank you for your advice, Teacher Zhou. I'll try a different style," the contestant replied.
The following judges were even more critical in their comments. Ji Xiaonian had a list in her hand, and to be honest, there were some insider dealings going on in this talent show.
For example, she was invited to be a "voter," but in reality, she could only give green lights. She had to vote for every contestant, and couldn't abstain.
So her role was to give green lights to all the contestants performing today, while the real decision-making power lay with the three judges.
At this point, two red lights had already been lit on stage, and only one judge had given a green light. All eyes in the venue turned towards Ji Xiaonian.
They didn't know about the inside arrangements and were pinning their hopes on the woman. If there were three red lights and only one green light, the contestant would be eliminated directly.
Sensing the audience's gaze, Ji Xiaonian remained as calm as ever. She smiled, picked up the microphone, and said, "I was completely blown away the moment you came on stage."
The contestant was taken aback and scratched their head shyly at the praise.
"Hip-hop songs are actually quite difficult to sing well. You have great vocal abilities, so keep working hard!" Ji Xiaonian encouraged them and pressed the green light with a smile.
The audience erupted in cheers, and even the contestant looked surprised, as they had almost thought they would be eliminated...
"Thank you, Teacher Ji," the contestant said gratefully with a deep bow.
Looking at their grateful eyes, Ji Xiaonian felt a little guilty. In reality, her role was just to balance out the scene. The show's organizers had already decided which contestants would advance, and she could only give green lights.
For the subsequent acts, the judges continued to give a mix of red and green lights. Ji Xiaonian sincerely praised every contestant and gave them all green lights.
The online viewers left various comments:
"I've noticed that Ji Xiaonian only gives green lights. She's so warm-hearted."
"Aww, I feel so sad. Three judges gave my brother red lights, but she still gave him a green light. I don't know why, but I'm so touched!"
"I suspect there are some inside dealings going on with the show, but I don't have any evidence!"
"Who would dare rig a show with online live streaming?"
"Actually, after listening to Ji Xiaonian's comments on the contestants, I feel like she's quite professional."
"Agreed!"
As the show neared its end, Ji Xiaonian looked at the contestant in front of her with some confusion.
Compared to the previous contestants, this one seemed quite mediocre and unremarkable, with no standout qualities. Yet two of the three judges had lit green lights for them.
If she also gave a green light, this contestant would receive three green lights and advance directly in the rankings. Ji Xiaonian was perplexed, suddenly feeling that the show was unfair.
Some of the earlier contestants who performed exceptionally well had been eliminated, yet this unremarkable one was allowed to succeed and advance? A complex expression flashed across her face.
All eyes were on the woman. As usual, Ji Xiaonian gave her direct comments.
"Honestly, I don't think this song suits you very well."
As soon as she said that, the audience fell silent, and even the three judges looked surprised.
"Compared to the earlier contestants, I personally think you sang this song a bit worse. Your voice tone is decent, but you seemed to struggle with the high notes. In my opinion, I suggest you try singing gentler genres."
Ji Xiaonian didn't want to beat around the bush. The audience could also tell, and she felt it was better to be truthful.
As soon as she finished speaking, the online viewers started leaving comments of agreement.
"Damn, Ji Xiaonian is so blunt."
"I was feeling annoyed by him too. I thought maybe it was just my taste being off, but even though he sings averagely, he always manages to advance."
"Same here. I don't like this contestant either, but I was puzzled as to why he was never eliminated."
"I was suspecting there might be some inside dealings going on before. Contestant number 9's brother sang so well but was eliminated, while this guy managed to stay?"
"Wow, no wonder I always felt something was off about this show."
Ji Xiaonian knew that she would still have to give a green light in the end. Just as she was about to press it, she suddenly heard the male contestant challenging her arrogantly.
The contestant on stage looked at her with a smug expression and said, "What qualifies you to say I'm not good? What works have you created? What right do you have to be a mentor on this original song talent show?"
Ji Xiaonian paused in surprise, looking back at him. Are today's contestants so arrogant?
The contestant continued, "You're just someone who became famous by riding on a romance scandal and the support of a mysterious backer. This is an original song competition. Can you even compose?"
"You're someone who can't do anything. What qualifies you to say I'm not good?" The contestant kept going.
This unexpected situation left the audience stunned, and the atmosphere grew awkward.
The show's director was also panicking backstage, unsure how to react since the live show couldn't be interrupted.
