Less than half an hour after Gezi's article was published, the view count surpassed the twenty million mark.

Liu Guangde, Chen Jiahui, and Wang Zhiyuan—these three names were listed uniformly on the trending searches.

"Holy crap, someone really took money to mess with the scores? I knew those scores looked fishy!"

"The evidence is irrefutable; this data was dug up so thoroughly. Which big shot did this? With this level of rigorous logic, it's a pity they aren't investigating crimes. They even calculated the variance of the deviation values—it's a total knockout!"

"In the round where Chen Jiahui gave Su Ran a 5.5, I felt like smashing my phone. It turns out my aesthetic sense wasn't the problem; it was his conscience that was eaten by dogs!"

"Looking back at the logic, Su Ran's score was suppressed for three rounds straight; the judges started cheating from the very first round. Then, how terrifyingly high is the gold content of the championship Su Ran won under such high pressure? This is like starting on hell mode and clearing the game directly!"

The hashtag #Heavenly Voice Partners Scoring Fraud# directly parachuted to the number one spot on the Weibo trending searches, followed by a deep red "Burst" tag. The eyes of the entire entertainment industry were drawn over.

Qin Haoran wanted to rely on PR to extinguish the fire. At two in the morning, he called the entire PR team back to the company to urgently draft a solemn statement "denying everything and reserving the right to pursue legal action."

This statement survived for less than ten minutes.

Gezi backhandedly threw out the second batch of evidence—screenshots of bank transfer details between a shell company under Qin Haoran's name and Chen Jiahui's private account. The timing and amounts perfectly overlapped with the program's recording cycle. In black and white, it was hammered so hard not even a speck of dust remained.

After daybreak, the situation completely spiraled out of control.

The official TV station stepped in.

A red-headed official document was posted directly on the home page of the official website: "Upon verification, the Heavenly Voice Partners production team confirms that three judges exhibited abnormal scoring behavior. The relevant personnel have had their judge qualifications revoked, and the production team will fully cooperate with the subsequent investigations by relevant departments. Hereby, we offer our most sincere apologies to all contestants and the general audience."

At 9:30 AM that day, the stock market opened.

The stock price of Qin Haoran's company plummeted in a straight line. In the office, Qin Haoran smashed three ashtrays in a row, his tie pulled askew, yet he couldn't get through a single phone call to anyone who could bail him out.

The downfall of Chen Jiahui and Wang Zhiyuan came extremely quickly.

The industry association sent a letter for an inquiry, and the professional judge qualifications of the two were permanently revoked.

Following that, for the four music variety show collaboration projects they were currently working on, the production parties announced unilateral contract terminations overnight to avoid risks.

Chen Jiahui's Weibo comment section became a disaster zone.

"Master 5.5, how much do you charge per order? Give me a quote; I'll pay you to listen to a sound."

"Art is priceless, but your conscience has a clear price tag. Don't come out and embarrass yourself anymore."

As for Judge No. 7, Liu Guangde, public opinion showed a divergence.

The 9.0 score he gave at the critical moment in the final round became his only buffer zone. Some cursed him, saying, "You took the money just the same for the first three rounds, what are you acting noble for?" while others said, "At the final moment, he chose music; he's a bit better than those two rotten ones."

Liu Guangde cleared all his past Weibo posts, leaving only one newly posted status.

There was no long-winded defense, only three words.

"I am sorry."

The cursing in the comment section continued, but it was occasionally interspersed with a few comments like, "If you know you're wrong, just leave the circle; save yourself some dignity." Twenty years of industry reputation was lost in a single day.

At noon the day after the finals, Lin Feng posted a Weibo.

"Congratulations to Su Ran for winning the championship. Well-deserved. At the same time, I thank Zhou Qiming teacher for his guidance and dedication during this period."

The entire post didn't mention scoring fraud by a single word. However, news quickly spread within the circle that after Lin Feng learned the truth backstage, he smashed the flower basket held by the assistant Qin Haoran had sent to deliver flowers on the spot.

He didn't care about losing to Su Ran; he was convinced by that song 'Listen'. But he couldn't accept Qin Haoran using such dirty methods to tarnish the competition.

This 'reserved' method was equivalent to rubbing Lin Feng's pride into the ground, treating his strength as a tool for capital operation.

That afternoon, Lin Feng's studio officially sent a lawyer's letter for contract termination to Qin Haoran's side.

The partnership ended right there, crisp and clean.

Zhou Qiming accepted an exclusive interview with an authoritative industry media outlet amidst the turmoil.

When the reporter asked about his views on Lu Zhixian, this old senior who had been through the mill in this circle for thirty years held his teacup and remained silent for a long time.

"I have been in this industry for thirty years and have seen all kinds of geniuses." Zhou Qiming leaned back on the sofa, his fingers interlaced.

"But Lu Zhixian is not a genius. A genius just goes further than ordinary people in terms of talent. He is different."

"His understanding of music, his intuition for vocal qualities, and that ability to dig out a singer's potential from within. I have to admit, these things exceed my cognitive system. He can use the simplest chords to strike the heaviest emotions."

The reporter followed up: "Where do you think you fell short in this showdown?"

Zhou Qiming gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

"I fell short in that I make correct music. Whereas what he creates is living music. It has a few flaws, but it can strike directly at the heart."

Once this interview was published, 'Correct Music vs. Living Music' quickly became a new hot term discussed by various music critics.

The loser admitted defeat, and did so candidly, which instead allowed Zhou Qiming to preserve the dignity of the older generation of musicians.

Such greatness of character was admirable.

At the center of the entire storm, one person was unusually quiet.

From the conclusion of the finals to the scoring fraud incident fermenting across the web, Lu Zhixian hadn't posted a single status or accepted a single interview.

He hadn't complained about even a single 'injustice' in any public setting.

No one knew that the precise anonymous data sheet came from his hands.

Lu Zhixian's attitude of staying out of it instead pulled the public's favorability to its peak.

"Notice it? From beginning to end, Lu Zhixian never played the victim. He just kept his head down writing songs, provided Su Ran with three God-level Arrangements, and then crushed the shady dealings with absolute strength."

"This is a true big shot. No matter what capital operations you have, I'll just use a dimensional strike. This way of winning is too cool."

"No talking, everything is spoken through the works. Lu-god is awesome!"

9 PM. Hotel room.

Lu Zhixian had just finished showering and was drying his hair with a towel.

The phone on the table wouldn't stop vibrating.

Picking it up to look, the WeChat interface was flooded by Su Ran.

Twelve long voice messages, three missed calls, plus a bunch of crying emojis.

Lu Zhixian clicked on the last text message.

"Teacher Lu, I really don't know how to thank you. You've pulled my life back onto the right track. If you ever need me for anything in the future, just say the word, and I'll be there!"

Lu Zhixian draped the towel over his neck and typed a reply with one hand.

"Sing well in the future. Don't touch those assembly-line bubblegum songs anymore. Your voice deserves better works. I've already paved the way for you; you have to walk the rest yourself."

After sending it, he thought for a moment and typed another line.

"Also, next time you bring me wontons to the rehearsal room, remember to add a side of sour and spicy shredded potatoes. I didn't get enough last time."

The other side replied instantly.

Su Ran: "...Teacher Lu! Can you please not mention wontons at such a touching moment!!!"

Lu Zhixian looked at the screen and chuckled.

He tossed the phone back onto the table.

In his mind, the long-awaited mechanical voice sounded on time.

[Task "Midas Touch" — Completed!]

[Task Evaluation: S-rank (Highest evaluation).]

[Additional Note: The host not only led the partner singer to win the championship but also facilitated a qualitative change in the partner's singing skills, cleared out industry corruption, and maintained the fairness of the competition. Overall performance far exceeded system expectations.]

[Reward Distribution: Skill God-level Arrangement — Unlocked!]

At the moment the prompt ended, a massive and complex flow of information poured into Lu Zhixian's brain.

The timbre combinations of various instruments, the ultimate directions of chords, and the exquisite interlocking of different vocal parts.

The arrangement logic that originally required him to spend a lot of energy to deduce and experiment with had now become an instinct, like muscle memory.

He closed his eyes to digest it for a moment. When he opened them again, he clenched his fist.

"Upgraded..."

This feeling of absolute control over music was much more substantial than winning a championship.

Previously, rearranging a song required dismantling and reassembling over several all-nighters; now, as long as the melody passed through his mind, the most perfect arrangement plan would automatically take shape.

Immediately after, the second prompt followed.

[Current popularity value has broken through the "Phenomenal" threshold.]

[The host's industry status rating in the field of music production has been raised from "Leader of the New Generation" to "Phenomenal Producer."]

[New system functions are about to be unlocked; please stay tuned.]

Lu Zhixian stared at the words "New functions unlocking" on the virtual panel.

The system was always stingy and rarely announced anything in advance. This time the commotion was not small; it seemed like something big was coming.

The next morning.

Lu Zhixian had just poured a cup of coffee when his phone screen lit up.

A text message from an unknown number popped up.

"Hello, Mr. Lu. We are the staff of the Golden Song Awards organizing committee. We sincerely invite you to visit the Magic City on December 25, 2057, to attend the Golden Song Awards ceremony."

The Golden Song Awards.

One of the most prestigious awards in the Chinese music scene.

Lu Zhixian held his coffee cup, and before he had time to think about whether to go, the system's voice sounded for the third time.

[New task generated — "From Behind the Scenes to the Front Stage".]

[Hint: The host is about to face a key turning point in identity transformation. From music producer to stage performer, From Behind the Scenes to the Front Stage—are you ready to stand in the spotlight?]

[Task Reward: Exquisite Timbre. Super Vocal Cord Function]

Lu Zhixian put down the coffee cup.

He looked at those two rewards.

In his previous life, he was a producer, and in this life after transmigrating, he started as a producer again, although it was a bit underwhelming.

He knew how to teach others to sing and how to write the most catchy melodies.

But his own vocal timbre and vocal cord conditions had always been at an ordinary level.

Now, the system was going to fill these last two shortcomings.

Lu Zhixian leaned against the bar and laughed.

"Front stage. This arrangement suits my taste."

He talked to himself, his fingers tapping out a light rhythm on the bar counter.

"I've been hiding behind the scenes teaching others to sing for so long; to be honest, my hands have been itching for a while."