"You might be wondering why Teacher One Leaf Knows Autumn is working alone. It's because he composes both the music and lyrics himself, skillfully handling both roles."
Ye Huanqiu modestly replied, "You flatter me."
"Chaoyue, no offense, but when you met Teacher Ye earlier, did he ask you for a quick-acting heart medication?" Wang Ziqiang teased.
Yang Chaoyue clenched her fist and waved it playfully, huffing, "Brother Wang, how could you say that? A Ye is incredibly nice! I just need to trust him. Just you wait—he'll blow your minds!"
Wang Ziqiang pretended to dodge her punch, nodding frantically. "Right, right, right!"
An audience member muttered under their breath: He'll definitely blow our minds... I should buy earplugs. Watching a beautiful woman is a feast for the eyes, but enduring a performance with neither singing nor dancing skills is torture for both the eyes and ears.
"For the first episode, to ensure fairness and transparency, we have five hundred audience members present. Each of you has a voting device displaying sixteen song themes. Please cast your votes now. The top eight themes will become the creative prompts for our contestants."
"Yes, everyone, please pick up your voting devices. You'll see a number assigned to each theme. Press the corresponding number and confirm your vote. You may select up to three themes. The five-minute countdown begins now."
Urged by Meng Yan's gentle voice, the audience immediately began voting.
Meanwhile, the large screen above the stage displayed the real-time vote count, which was rapidly increasing. The top eight themes out of sixteen, ranked from highest to lowest, were:
Heart-Wrenching Memories The Innocence of Youth A Song to the Beauty of Nature Ode to China Cool Summer Melodies The Enduring Bonds of Family A Rhythm That Makes You Want to Dance Celebrating Friendship
With five hundred audience members each allowed three votes, the maximum possible total was 1,500. However, the visible count currently stood at only 1,439 votes, indicating that some participants had chosen only one or two themes, which was perfectly acceptable.
In the end, the top eight themes remained unchanged. The first episode of the show emphasized randomness and blind guessing, embracing uncertainty at every turn.
Future episodes would be adjusted based on audience preferences.
After the eight topics were selected, Meng Yan personally wrote each one on a slip of paper, placed them inside colorful balls, and tossed them into a blind box.
Each of the eight creative teams then appointed a representative to draw a ball.
Ye Huanqiu, recalling Yang Chaoyue's reputation for extraordinary luck—her "Koi" attribute—and comparing it to his own disastrous lottery luck in his past life, decided to sit this one out. "Chaoyue, why don't you draw one for me?"
"Me? What if I pick a really difficult topic?"
Although every topic seemed equally challenging to her, Yang Chaoyue couldn't understand why Ye Huanqiu had so much faith in her, especially since even her manager constantly cautioned her during routine work, terrified she might make a wrong move. While the manager's intentions were good, the incessant warnings bordered on nagging and undermined her confidence.
Yet here was Ye Huanqiu, whom she had only just met, trusting her completely.
Rolling up her sleeves, Yang Chaoyue volunteered to pick a ball. As she returned to her seat, she opened it, unfolded the slip of paper inside, and the photographer rushed over to capture the moment.
The slip of paper read: "9. Praise China."
The entire audience erupted in an uproar. Yang Chaoyue buried her face in her hands, muttering helplessly, "I swear, I didn't do this on purpose! Who knew they'd crank the difficulty up to max right from the start? A Ye... don't blame me."
In truth, "Praise China" was an incredibly challenging theme. Few songwriters in the entertainment industry dared to tackle it directly.
Any new song would likely pale in comparison to the legendary compositions of veteran composers and lyricists, whose iconic odes to China had become textbook classics.
Even Diamond-tier songwriters and composers hesitated to casually venture into this territory.
Crafting a masterpiece was nearly impossible, while mediocrity was inevitable—and could ruin one's reputation. It was a thankless task.
Audience Member A: "I refuse to believe this is just for the show. No script would dare to pile on so much misfortune! First, she's forced to compete solo, then she's paired with Yang Chaoyue, and to top it off, she draws the hardest theme? This level of rigging is practically a public announcement of foul play!"
Audience Member B: "Whoa, that's a real killer! This is going to be epic."
Audience Member D: "I'll bet fifty cents that Yang Chaoyue's team will be dead last when the performance starts. Anyone want to take that bet?"
The other contestants on stage breathed a collective sigh of relief. To be honest, the topic was too grandiose for them to dare touch. They never expected some poor sap to actually draw the most challenging theme.
Now, any theme they draw will be a winning card!
As hosts, Wang Ziqiang and Meng Yan couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for Ye Huanqiu and Yang Chaoyue's "Black Hole Duo."
Director Zhang and Shen Tao also struggled to hide their helplessness, but it wasn't all bad... Once they'd milked the situation for all it was worth, everyone could part ways amicably.
Yang Chaoyue didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
Meanwhile, Li Yuanjie was practically cackling with glee. Yang Chaoyue, combined with the most difficult theme—praising China—meant she had no chance of avoiding elimination.
Truth be told, he felt a sliver of pity for her, though his overwhelming emotion was mockery.
The other contestants each drew their own themes. Li Yuanjie, however, had his lackey do it for him and ended up with "A Refreshing Summer Tune," a relatively easy topic. Zhang Yanzhuo was still a headache, but with Ye Huanqiu's group as the scapegoat, he felt much more relaxed.
Zhao Ziyun and her senior brother, Sui Gu, drew "A Beautiful Landscape's Ode."
When Yang Chaoyue turned around, her face downcast, she saw Ye Huanqiu's ambiguous, half-smiling expression.
"A Ye... Teacher Ye, don't look at me like that! You're scaring me... If you're upset, just yell at me. As long as it makes you feel better."
Observing his expression, as if he were on the verge of losing control, Yang Chaoyue cautiously shifted her chair further away from Ye Huanqiu.
"Chaoyue, thank you! You're my lucky Koi! You're absolutely amazing!" Ye Huanqiu whispered, suppressing his overwhelming joy.
"Huh?... I don't deserve to be called anyone's Koi."
And what the heck is a lucky Koi anyway?!
Yang Chaoyue could only conclude that Ye Huanqiu had completely lost his mind, his emotions and words completely jumbled.
With the eight creative teams assigned their themes, the first half of the first episode's recording concluded. The second half would commence on Friday.
Although there appeared to be a three-day gap between Monday and Friday, the reality was that the artists needed time to compose their songs, the singers needed time to memorize the lyrics, and the performers needed time to rehearse. Even counting the afternoons, they only had three and a half days.
As the singers and songwriters left the stage separately after the recording, Ye Huanqiu noticed Li Yuanjie's undisguised, mocking gaze. The man was clearly laughing at him.
Ye Huanqiu deliberately rubbed his shoulder as he stepped off the stage, tugging up his shirt to create pointed, horn-like peaks at his shoulders. He swaggered back to the backstage area, shaking his head with exaggerated nonchalance.
Li Yuanjie seethed with fury. That bastard was mocking his choice of Zhang Yanzhuo!
"Young Master Li, calm down. It's not worth getting worked up over such a nobody. He'll be gone by Friday anyway," Gou Bing hastily interjected.
"Hmph, One Leaf Knows Autumn... Let's see how long you can keep up this arrogance," Li Yuanjie snarled through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing with malice.