Chapter 107: A Singer's Crushing Defeat

On April 8th, the provincial leaders finally stopped calling Ren Qian to schedule inspection tours.

Perhaps they realized that the grand plan to "build a world entertainment capital" was too difficult to fake.

The project was massive, and the results would take a long time to manifest—no one knew when, if ever, it would come to fruition.

After unanimous discussion, the provincial leadership group decided to approach the construction of the entertainment capital in three stages.

The first step was to resolve livelihood issues. Only by meeting the people's material needs could spiritual development be stimulated...

As for the second step, it remained under discussion.

So, in the meantime, they formed teams to visit rural areas and sample exotic local delicacies.

This sudden change caught Ren Qian completely off guard.

But Ren Qian was glad to be left undisturbed. He reverted to being the mature, steady, family-oriented man he was, urging the home furnishing and decoration companies to speed up the renovation of the villas in Grand River City.

Meanwhile, he headed to the Jiangnan Television Broadcasting Tower.

Jiangnan TV reported a major event.

The night before, Ganjiang Satellite TV had aired a show called "Voice of the Empire." Though it was only a preliminary round, it managed to snatch 2% of the rerun ratings of Jiangnan Satellite’s "I Am a Singer."

The rerun of "I Am a Singer" usually garnered a 6.48% rating, but it was shaved down by 2%. This was a dangerously significant signal.

According to news released by Gansu Satellite TV, this preliminary round was just a teaser; the most exciting program would premiere tonight at 10:20 PM.

The Jiangnan TV production team understood perfectly.

Gansu Satellite deliberately scheduled the preliminary episode during the rerun of "I Am a Singer" to deliver a warning shot to Jiangnan TV.

Many staff at Jiangnan TV lamented that it was like a mighty tiger fallen to the plains being bullied by dogs—

A few years ago, Jiangnan Satellite had developed rapidly, vaguely showing signs of surpassing CCTV. But how could CCTV allow its glory to be overshadowed?

So it decisively issued a strict entertainment restriction order, quashing Jiangnan Satellite’s arrogance.

Afterwards, Gansu Satellite and several other stations took advantage of this opportunity to produce several entertainment programs and began to rise.

However, no matter how these other stations scrambled, Jiangnan Satellite still maintained its position as the big brother, thanks to its solid foundation. But now, other stations dared to directly challenge it…

For example, Gansu Satellite was confidently aiming to compete head-to-head with "I Am a Singer."

Without strong confidence, who would dare to do such a thing? If they failed to cut into "I Am a Singer’s" ratings, wouldn’t they be laughed off the stage?

Ren Qian had also watched "Voice of the Empire" online and found its format was roughly the same as "Super Girl."

Various female singers appeared—powerhouses, powerhouses with idol appeal.

Four judges, two men and two women, all seasoned music industry veterans, fiercely debating and attacking each other. The audience found it thrilling.

Every contestant had a heartbreaking story that moved listeners to tears...

To be honest, Ren Qian thought it was a decent talent show with its own selling points. "Super Girl" had once created a ratings miracle.

But to use it to take down "I Am a Singer," Ren Qian thought the station was being unrealistic.

"I Am a Singer" was a high-end, classy, genuine music program. Its hard and soft powers were not flimsy—a competition of powerhouse singers, a ruthless elimination system treating all equally, and carrying Ren Qian’s original creative brand. How could a grassroots show compare?

But that night, bad news came from Jiangnan Satellite.

When "I Am a Singer" first aired, its ratings were 7.32%. Only during the singers’ performances did it rise to 10.86%. When Murong Xue appeared, it reached 11.24%, and it hit 12% only when Ren Qian announced the rankings.

At other times, the rating barely hovered around 7.4%.

In other words, the former peak rating of 16.84% had been cut by more than half! Even the most exciting part of the show—the singers’ competition—only drew 11.24%.

Jiangnan TV was stunned.

The production team of "I Am a Singer" was also baffled.

They fervently hoped the reason for this situation was that viewers simply didn’t turn on their TVs, rather than Gansu Satellite’s attack succeeding.

But the truth was otherwise.

The premiere of Gansu Satellite’s "Voice of the Empire" averaged a 9.24% rating.

Achieving such a result while airing simultaneously with Jiangnan Satellite’s "I Am a Singer" was enough for them to boast endlessly.

It was said that the Gansu Satellite station director had hosted a banquet for the entire "Voice of the Empire" production team that very night.

Photos of the banquet circulated online.

The official Weibo account posted ten consecutive celebratory messages about the event, their pride obvious. One even tagged Ren Qian.

"Next Friday at 10:20 PM, ‘Voice of the Empire’ will face off with ‘I Am a Singer.’ We will show the audience that grassroots talent can achieve a comeback, that grassroots effort and talent are equally precious."

Ren Qian was speechless. His older brother hadn’t stooped to their level, yet they were already bragging. If their ratings surpassed 16%, wouldn’t they be flying to the heavens?

...

The successful ratings attack on "I Am a Singer" was big news.

The media reported on it widely. Of course, they paid no respect to the facts, writing whatever would attract attention.

Souhu Entertainment’s headline read: "Ren Qian’s Creative Well Runs Dry, ‘I Am a Singer’ Approaches Its End."

It stated: "As everyone knows, the popular singer Ren Qian’s hosting of ‘I Am a Singer,’ with its innovative concepts and unparalleled original songs, once created a legendary 16% rating.

But last night, ‘I Am a Singer’ suffered a heavy blow. Not only did its ratings plummet severely, but Gansu Satellite’s ‘Voice of the Empire’ stole the majority of its viewership.

‘I Am a Singer’ is doomed.

Gansu Satellite has declared: ‘Even airing simultaneously with ‘I Am a Singer,’ our ‘Voice of the Empire’ will use its high production values to overthrow the rating legend of ‘I Am a Singer.’’

What will Ren Qian do in response? Will he continue to sink or seek innovation to create new glory?"

Meanwhile, Baigou Entertainment published: "‘I Am a Singer’ Quality Declines Sharply, Rumors Say Ren Qian’s Talent Has Peaked."

It wrote: "'I Am a Singer’ Season One’s premiere amazed everyone. Six ancient-style songs, six interpretations, six flavors, leaving the audience marveling at Ren Qian’s talent while enjoying an audiovisual feast.

But the audience’s high expectations were met with continuous disappointment.

Over three episodes, the quality of compositions plummeted. Song quality worsened with each show. From initially all classics to the second episode with only one or two passable songs, to the third episode where none left a lasting impression.

Some say Ren Qian’s talent has dried up. Others claim his pride from fame has made him unwilling to write daily.

The third episode’s songs were merely perfunctory. Is this true?

Seven days remain until the fourth episode airs. Will Ren Qian be able to deliver works satisfying to the audience? If not, viewers will completely abandon ‘I Am a Singer’ and turn to ‘Voice of the Empire.’

At that point, ‘I Am a Singer’ may well come to an end, despite its once brilliant and dazzling glory.’"