Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center. The three thousand public judges had finished entering. The recording of the first episode of "peak voice" officially began.

Backstage in the studio, the atmosphere was tense. The theme for the first round of competition scrolled across the big screen: Re-arranging Signature Songs.

The production team's intention was extremely obvious; they wanted to blow the roof off in the very first episode.

Taking one's most confident song and operating on it—done well, it's a god-tier live performance; messed up, and it's a ruined reputation. The first four singers to perform, without exception, were all adding elements.

Top-tier idol Shen Yihang was the fourth to perform. His signature song had originally been a mid-tempo love song, but it was forcibly changed by his team into a cyberpunk style.

On stage, eight backup dancers flashed wildly along with him, and the dry ice sprayed so much that the front-row audience frowned.

The performance was ferocious, and the atmosphere was indeed heated up by the audio.

In the backstage lounge, several young singers applauded repeatedly.

"That was explosive."

"Those high notes are insane."

"Yihang has this in the bag."

Shen Yihang's manager stood in the corner, unable to suppress the corners of his mouth from curling upward.

Traffic, high notes, and stage production—this is the universal formula for music variety shows. As long as the atmosphere is there, who cares if your pitch is accurate?

The fifth one was Lin Shiya.

A stage hand pushed open the door to the lounge: "Teacher Shiya, get ready to go on stage."

Lin Shiya stood up. Today, she was wearing a minimalist black long dress, without any sequins or superfluous decorations.

The studio lights dimmed completely. The audience erupted into huge screams, then quickly quieted down under the signal of the on-site director.

A cold white spotlight hit the center of the stage. In the middle of the stage, there was only a black grand piano.

Lin Shiya lifted her skirt and walked to the piano to sit down. Her slender fingers rested on the keys.

The big screen displayed the song information: "Indulgence."

This was the signature work that had swept all the major music awards three years ago.

The original version was a grand orchestral arrangement, extremely rich in layers, with broad emotional swings.

Everyone thought she would add more complex harmonies to this song, or simply change it into a rock version to blow the roof off.

The piano sound rang out. Extremely light, extremely slow. She even stepped on the pedals with extreme restraint.

Only a few simple single notes echoed in the studio. Some people in the audience were stunned. The singers backstage were also stunned.

This was subtraction. And it was reduced to the extreme.

Lin Shiya approached the microphone, closed her eyes, and began to sing.

The minimalist accompaniment instead infinitely magnified that "voice kissed by an angel" of hers.

In the three-thousand-person studio, only the piano sound and her breathing could be heard.

When it reached the chorus, the original version had heartbreakingly high-pitched outbursts. However, Lin Shiya suddenly stopped the keys in her hands.

Complete a cappella. The timbre was so pure that there was not a trace of impurity. Her breath control was terrifyingly stable.

The song ended. Lin Shiya played the final chord, stood up, and bowed to the audience.

The scene was quiet for a full five seconds. Then, thunderous applause broke out.

On the judges' panel, top domestic music producer Zhou Qiming directly pressed the "burst" button in front of him.

He picked up the microphone, looked at Lin Shiya on stage, and shook his head.

"Everyone else is desperately trying to prove they can sing, so they add high notes, add techniques, and add all kinds of flashy arrangements," Zhou Qiming's voice spread throughout the venue.

"But your stage today is proving that you don't need to prove anything."

"The greatest truth is simple. For this adaptation, I give full marks."

Backstage lounge. Shen Yihang stared at the screen, his face pale.

The few singers who had been fawning over him just a moment ago were now silent.

Shen Yihang's manager gritted his teeth and cursed in a low voice: "Damn, with the way she sings, all the trending topics for this episode will have to go to her."

On stage. The host, Li Zhi, walked up with the script, beaming.

"It was too shocking, Shiya. I believe this stage will definitely become legendary after it airs."

Li Zhi finished the routine process, then suddenly changed the subject, glancing at the card in his hand.

"However, everyone online has been very concerned about some of your recent developments. The production team has also collected a question that netizens are most concerned about."

Here it comes. Sister Chen backstage suddenly stood up straight, staring fixedly at the screen.

The audience in the studio suddenly erupted into a round of meaningful jeering. The name "Lu Zhixian" was shouted out one after another from the audience.

The camera instantly zoomed in on Lin Shiya's face. The production team rubbed their hands behind the monitor, just waiting for her to show a trace of panic or shyness. Lin Shiya's expression remained unchanged.

Li Zhi asked with a smile: "If there is a stage in the upcoming competition where you can invite a friend of the opposite sex to collaborate, would you consider inviting Lu Zhixian?"

The entire audience held their breath.

Lin Shiya looked at Li Zhi, then looked at the camera.

"If the competition rules require it," her voice was very steady, without a ripple.

"If this music requires it."

"I will invite the person most suitable for this song."

Lin Shiya paused for a second, her gaze cold and clear: "Not because of anything else. Just because of the music."

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment, then immediately smoothed things over: "A very professional answer! Let us look forward to the surprises Shiya will bring in the future!"

The recording ended.

At 8:00 PM on the weekend, the first episode of "peak voice" was launched simultaneously on the three major video platforms.

Two hours later, the trending searches exploded.

But to the production team's surprise, what dominated the rankings was not the CP topic they had expected.

#Lin Shiya Old Song Piano Version# went straight to the number one trending spot, followed by a deep red "Explosive" tag.

#Zhou Qiming Comments Lin Shiya Doesn't Need to Prove Anything# ranked third.

#Shen Yihang High Note Crack# ranked seventh.

Major music bloggers released videos overnight to analyze the performance.

"Lin Shiya's dimensionality reduction strike this time is too ruthless. This is the confidence of a top diva; what you guys are playing with, I can't be bothered to play with anymore."

"Those twelve seconds of a cappella gave me goosebumps. In the domestic entertainment industry, you can't find a second person with this lung capacity and pitch control."

"Comparing it to that noisy cyberpunk from a certain top idol, I can only say, eat fewer snacks and practice your basic skills more."

As for that question about Lu Zhixian, although there were CP fans reveling in it, it was quickly drowned out by the massive general audience and career fans.

The musical reputation completely overwhelmed the gossip heat.

Jingzhou. Lu Zhixian leaned on the sofa, having just finished watching the pure solo version of Lin Shiya's stage performance.

On the TV screen, the woman in the black dress sat in front of the piano, cold and pristine, untainted by dust.

He picked up his phone, opened WeChat, and clicked on the chat box with the avatar of black piano keys.

Lu Zhixian: "This version is better than the original."

After sending it, he threw his phone aside and picked up his guitar to strum a few chords.

Less than a minute later, the phone vibrated.

Lin Shiya: "Not bad?"

Lu Zhixian looked at the two words on the screen, and the corners of his mouth instantly curled up.

This woman, she still remembers that "Not bad" he sent in the live broadcast room that day. She holds a grudge.

He typed with one hand and replied.

Lu Zhixian: "This time it's really good."

The other side showed "Typing...", and after a few seconds, it stopped.

After a while, she sent an image. It was an emoji of a cat rolling its eyes.

Lu Zhixian chuckled out loud. He could imagine Lin Shiya's expressionless face as she sent the emoji.

At this time, Shanghai. In the meeting room of the "peak voice" production team, the room was filled with smoke.

The general director stared at the real-time data reports on the big screen, his brows knitted into a knot.

"The ratings have broken the record for music variety shows in the last three years, and Lin Shiya's solo stage views are number one by a wide margin." The assistant director reported the data, his tone filled with excitement.

"However," the general director tapped the table, "the discussion surrounding the topic of Lu Zhixian is far lower than expected."

"Lin Shiya brought the topic back to the music itself, and netizens are now all discussing her singing skills; the CP heat has actually dropped."

The planner scratched his hair: "Then our two-pronged strategy for the first episode is half a failure. She is too smart; she didn't fall for it."

The general director took a drag of his cigarette and stubbed the cigarette butt into the ashtray.

"It's a good thing that the reputation exploded; it can stabilize the show's foundation." The general director narrowed his eyes, looking at Lin Shiya's promotional photo on the screen.

"But for a hit variety show, having a good reputation is not enough; there must be drama, conflict, and a constant stream of topics."

"What is the format for the next episode?"

"The challenger round." The assistant director opened the file.

"Go contact Old Zhao." The general director tapped his finger on the table, his voice cold and hard.

"No matter how much money it costs, get Lu Zhixian here as the first challenger singer."

The meeting room went silent for a moment.

"Director, Lu Zhixian just released a statement saying he won't be taking on any permanent variety shows for the near future, and he is currently at the height of his popularity..."

The file on the table was blown open by the wind, and on it was clearly printed the ranking of the first episode's contestants.

Lin Shiya, first.

And the storm had only just begun.