Next up was Tan Weiwei, who chose the duo of Zhao Ziyun and Sui Gu. Selecting these powerhouses was undoubtedly a stroke of luck, especially given their own formidable talents. Her recent rankings had been disappointing, and she desperately needed a strong vocalist.
Sun Nan selected a group of mid-tier Creators. Their faces lit up—drawing such skilled singers felt like pulling a guaranteed rare card early in a gacha game. While they couldn't aim for first place, securing a spot in the top five, or even pushing for the top three, seemed within reach.
When it was Mei's turn, a smile spread across her face as she heard the elegant piano melody. "I choose this..." she said in halting Chinese.
"The piano song?"
Mei nodded.
As the pairings were revealed, Ye Huanqiu stepped forward.
Mirei Mei covered her mouth, stunned. "Mei-chan got paired with One Leaf Knows Autumn! What a powerhouse combination!"
"Not so fast. Japanese pronunciation is a huge challenge. It won't be easy for her to sing beautifully. At best, they might do what Gao Jin did last time—half Japanese, half Chinese. But I think that would severely weaken the impact."
"We'll have to wait for the theme to be announced. If it's something absurd, I doubt even One Leaf Knows Autumn can shine."
The audience remained cautiously optimistic, watching with anticipation.
Director Zhang, however, was delighted. Partnering with a Japanese artist? That's perfect—a guaranteed blend of suspense and novelty.
Of the remaining pairings, Cheng Xiao was matched with Gao Jin, Chen Yihan teamed up with a seasoned group of Creators, and Wang Lingkai finally got his wish—partnering with Zou Yan and Wang Hao, the two challengers who had stormed onto the show earlier that day.
"All eight Creator-singer teams have now been officially formed," Wang Ziqiang announced. "This round's song theme will once again be determined by real-time audience voting, but with a twist: there will be two rounds of voting. First, viewers will choose the overarching theme, and then they'll assign a specific sub-theme to each team."
Director Zhang intentionally tweaked the format slightly each episode to maximize audience engagement.
As Wang Ziqiang finished speaking, the large screen displayed each team's pairing, with a scrolling list of potential themes cascading above them.
Ye Huanqiu and Mei's team was the first to receive their assigned sub-theme: "A high-energy dance track with a dynamic melody."
The themes assigned to the other teams could all be described in two words: tailor-made!
For example, Tan Weiwei's team received the theme "A song to showcase her celestial voice," specifically designed to allow her to fully unleash her formidable vocal prowess.
The audience chose a performance that combined singing and dancing for Cheng Xiao, while Yang Chaoyue received a theme bursting with youthful energy. Chen Yihan was assigned a fresh, delicate theme, and Liu Ning a youthful, upbeat song. Wang Lingkai, on the other hand, was tasked with delivering a high-energy rap performance that would set the stage ablaze.
Each group's theme was perfectly suited to their strengths, though the difficulty varied from person to person. This round remained a team battle, with all groups competing at the audience's discretion except for Ye Huanqiu and the substitutes, Zou Yan and Wang Hao.
The audience selections were: Tan Weiwei and Chen Yihan for the first round, Sun Nan and Liu Ning for the second, and Yang Chaoyue and Cheng Xiao for the third. The final showdown pitted Mei against Wang Lingkai.
Gao Jin felt a pang of disappointment at not being chosen for a match this time. However, given the distinct themes, even if they had directly competed, he would have felt a lingering sense of incompleteness.
As for Li Yuanjie, he had lost his appetite for conversation. If only I could switch places with Cheng Xiao, he thought, I'd be much happier if she stayed in my group.
"Young Master Li, there's no need to be so disheartened," Gou Bing forced out, trying to sound reassuring. "Yang Chaoyue won first place in her first two performances. Leaving that arrogant guy aside, her singing has genuinely improved. We might still have a chance to win."
Li Yuanjie desperately wanted to avoid choosing Yang Chaoyue. It wasn't personal; he just knew that if the song he wrote for her performed even slightly worse than Ye Huanqiu's, he'd immediately be labeled as inferior.
When writing for other artists, if his team lost, he could always blame the singer's lack of skill or poor performance. He could argue that if he'd chosen someone like Tan Weiwei or Sun Nan, they would have easily won.
Ye Huanqiu had written two songs for Yang Chaoyue, and both had topped the charts. Did Li Yuanjie truly have the talent and confidence to bring her to the top again?
The first half of the recording session came to a temporary close.
Mirei Mei's assistant left Ye Huanqiu her contact information, instructing him to call and schedule a recording session when he was ready.
Ye Huanqiu nodded. He had nothing to pack, so he simply hailed a taxi and left.
As he drove home, Starbeam prompted him, "Host, the promotional rewards for your previous work have arrived. Are you sure you don't want to claim them?"
Claim them? What for? He couldn't use the double-reward multiplier this time.
"Can I save the rewards and merge them later?"
"Technically... yes..."
"Then that's what I'll do." Ye Huanqiu decided to postpone claiming the rewards. He figured he'd accumulate more rewards before applying for another Rank Assessment.
Then, straight back to the villa!
When the Music Association received Ye Huanqiu's Rank Assessment application again, they remembered Li Yuanjie's earlier request to suppress it. But now, with another song reaching the "Renowned Far and Wide" level, what excuse could they possibly use this time?
The other members watched Chairman Zhao's reaction, eager to see how he would handle the situation. Sensing their anticipation, Zhao decided to stir the pot.
"Committee Member Yao, what are your thoughts?"
Yao Qi, Li Yuanjie's master, had reached the pinnacle of the Platinum-tier Writer rank. Though he hadn't shown any recent progress toward Diamond-tier promotion, his remarkable patience suggested he might be secretly plotting something.
Rumor had it that Yao Qi was poised to succeed Chairman Zhao as the next leader of the Music Association. The only thing standing between him and that position was a prestigious title—one more "Renowned Far and Wide" masterpiece.
Chairman Zhao naturally harbored no fondness for Yao Qi, but the man's talent for political maneuvering and extensive influence within the association made him nearly untouchable.
This time, however, Chairman Zhao's sarcastic remarks about Ye Huanqiu's renewed Rank Assessment application had thoroughly disgusted Yao Qi.
"Chairman Zhao," Yao Qi replied smoothly, "as the head of the association, the decision is naturally yours. My previous reservations about this young man were purely for the sake of upholding the association's standards. Since he has produced another renowned piece so quickly, we should proceed according to established regulations."
Yao Qi put on a show of selfless impartiality, leaving Chairman Zhao with no choice but to concede. "Very well," Chairman Zhao declared, "Ye Huanqiu is promoted to Gold-tier composer and lyricist—at the Five-Star level!"
Normally, reaching Gold-tier required a composer to produce numerous "Rising Fame" works to accumulate merit. Yet Ye Huanqiu had leapfrogged the process, directly attaining the rank of Golden Five-Star!
Was this strictly by the book? Of course not. Ye Huanqiu had already released two "Renowned Far and Wide" songs—a feat typically reserved for Platinum-tier writers.
His continued Gold Five-Star status was merely a compromise brokered by Chairman Zhao.
If Yao Qi now dared to retaliate, Chairman Zhao might propose strictly adhering to the regulations, forcing Ye Huanqiu's immediate promotion to Platinum-tier.
It was like trying to open a window when the room felt stuffy, only to have everyone object. But when you suggested tearing off the roof for ventilation, opening a window suddenly seemed like the most sensible option.
"Approved."
The members raised their hands in unanimous agreement. Yao Qi had no choice but to join them.
The youngest Gold-tier composer and lyricist in history—and a Five-Star upon entry!—this was unprecedented.
Yao Qi instructed his subordinates to leak the news within their circles. The young prodigy, expected to become the youngest Gold-tier arranger before turning thirty, would surely be rattled.
Let him go stir up trouble for Ye Huanqiu—no need to get his own hands dirty.