The third performer, Koguchi Yoshihiro, sang a duet with Suzuki Kana, a new song with the flavor of a Japanese drama theme. It landed well with the audience.
Fourth up was Zhu Xinyue, and her choice surprised everyone. Instead of partnering with a popular guest to boost votes, she invited a close friend, also a lesser-known singer from the show National Style Youth. Both had started there.
The final performer, Liang Zhengwen, brought on stage the veteran folk singer Xiong Ke as his guest. Their blend of rap and traditional folk was unexpectedly impressive—Chu Zhi found it one of the most memorable acts of the final.
"I think Orchid Grass by GAI had a similar style," Chu Zhi mused.
All performances completed, and the audience voting ended. Host Hu Xiaodong stepped back on stage to announce results. The stage lights brightened, while the ambiance lights dimmed.
Each contestant received applause, but the loudest went to Chu Zhi and Jo Kwon's group, GZ. From above, the audience looked like a sea, red lightsticks waving for Chu Zhi's fans, green for the Korean fanbase.
In the green zone, murmurs spread. Confidence in their idols had crumbled after Chu Zhi's performance.
"Did you vote for our boys?"
"Of course I did! I didn't vote for anyone else. Not Koguchi, not Zhu Xinyue, not Liang Zhengwen."
"…Then you voted for Chu Zhi?"
"Eh—that, um… I didn't mean to. It was his performance! That blue robe, those eyes—I lost control."
"Traitor! If they lose by one vote, it's on you!"
The girl's anger wasn't just performative. Truth was, she too had been drawn in by the performance, especially that final glance back. Her hand moved on instinct.
The crowd was caught in a red-vs-green standoff, but red clearly had the edge. Of course, most attendees were casual viewers. iQIYI wasn't foolish. If only fans voted, it would just turn into a proxy war between fandoms. The other contestants wouldn't stand a chance.
Still, the fact that nearly a hundred green sticks made it in was proof of the GZ group's popularity. If someone else had stood in Chu Zhi's place—someone like Su Yiwu or Li Fei—they'd have been crushed by the K-pop machine.
"Thank you to all the artists for their incredible performances," Hu Xiaodong said. "I now hold the final results."
He lifted a card, and every gaze followed. Fans of Chu Zhi, GZ, casual viewers—all eyes locked on that card.
"I have to admit, I'm surprised by this result," Hu Xiaodong said, sneaking a glance at the numbers. He clearly enjoyed the suspense.
Jo Kwon wished he had X-ray vision. What if they had actually won?
Koguchi Yoshihiro, meanwhile, thought to himself, "Chu Zhi first, me second. That tracks."
This host's teasing style reminded Chu Zhi of another showrunner, Meng Fan. The way he was dragging it out—it was getting annoying.
"Let's begin by announcing fifth and fourth place," Hu said. "Please look at the screen behind me."
Two numbers appeared: [643 votes] and [699 votes].
"Congratulations to Zhu Xinyue and Koguchi Yoshihiro, placing fifth and fourth respectively."
It was clear that guest popularity had swayed the rankings. Zhu Xinyue came in last, and Koguchi—despite his confidence—barely stayed out of it.
Still, both were met with supportive applause. Zhu Xinyue accepted it calmly.
"Thank you to the 643 people who voted for me," she said. "Every performance tonight taught me something. I'm grateful."
When asked how he felt about placing fourth, Koguchi looked dazed.
"I apologize," he said. "I was still thinking about Chu Zhi's stage look."
Then he smiled. "Getting nearly seventy percent of the vote is a big affirmation. I'm happy."
He said that, but in his heart, he thought, "Not coming back to China for any more shows… unless it's with Chu Zhi."
"Now, let's announce third place," Hu Xiaodong continued. "The margin was narrow. Congratulations to Liang Zhengwen, who earned 711 votes."
He beat Koguchi fair and square.
"Didn't expect the votes to be that high," Liang said. "But really, all credit goes to Xiong Ke. I'm lucky he agreed to perform with me."
And then, only two names remained: Jo Kwon and Chu Zhi.
"Mr. Jo, do you feel confident about winning first place?" Hu asked.
"I hope so. With my team behind me, I believe we can do it."
"And what about you, Mr. Chu?"
From a production standpoint, the extra questions made sense—it was good for tension. From a personal standpoint, Chu Zhi thought, "Why is this guy still talking? Just announce it already."
He replied, "There's a saying: do your best and leave the rest to fate. I've done my best."
"This is the twelfth and final round of I Am a Singer-Songwriter," Hu Xiaodong announced. "Second place has received… 866 votes!"
His gaze flicked between Jo Kwon and Chu Zhi.
"And that person is—Jo Kwon, of the GZ group!"
Jo Kwon froze. They'd come in full force—five against one—and still lost?
They had surrounded him, and got completely outplayed.
"This means, of course, our winner tonight is Chu Zhi!"
The red side of the arena exploded. The "Little Fruits" [Chu Zhi's fans] cheered as one. They had always believed in him, no matter the opponent.
The pride was overwhelming.
On the green side, it was dead silent. One fan leader, upon realizing they had lost by nearly a hundred votes, actually felt relieved. The bigger the gap, the less likely her one errant vote had made a difference.
"With a total of 953 votes, our winner is clear," Hu said, his excitement rising. "From Chrysanthemum Terrace to Chapter Seven of the Night, and now The New Drunken Concubine, Chu Zhi has given us masterpiece after masterpiece, a true feast for the ears and eyes."
"Let's give him the loudest applause of the night!"
The clapping thundered down like a waterfall.
Skipping past second place entirely, Hu jumped to the next question.
"Mr. Chu, how do you feel right now?"
"I want to thank my Little Fruits," Chu Zhi said. "And all the listeners who enjoy my music. I hope I can continue making better and better songs."
In his mind, he added, "Having a system really helps."