Chapter 323: Editing

After the song ended, Luo Quan thanked the instrumentalists as usual and bowed to the audience.

But this time, she did not leave the stage immediately; instead, she took the suona she had brought with her from the stage assistant.

This segment had already been rehearsed during dress rehearsal; though the director's expression was less than pleased, he silently accepted Luo Quan's action.

"Today, besides singing 'Little River Flowing,' I've prepared an extra performance—a promise I made to my fans—to play a short suona piece on the stage of 'I Am a Singer.' Just give me one minute."

There have been many such interactive moments on 'I Am a Singer'; otherwise, if singers merely took turns singing, the show couldn't sustain its length, so Luo Quan's willingness to add content was naturally welcomed by the audience.

But few expected Luo Quan to play the suona; logically, a girl of her appearance would be more suited to piano or violin.

Luo Quan placed the microphone back on its stand and lifted the suona with a smile.

To avoid dragging the performance too long, Luo Quan played directly the climactic section:

"This piece is called 'Bridge,' a sorrowful tune. (PS: The original melody is the horsehead fiddle interlude from 'Anhe Bridge'—you can search 'Anhe Bridge suona version' directly on Bilibili; the first result is it.)"

As she spoke, she puffed her cheeks, and a piercing suona note instantly echoed through the entire 'I Am a Singer' studio, nearly sending many expectant audience members reeling.

Though the piece was excellent, the mood was too heavy—those unfamiliar might think a shaman was conducting a funeral rite.

But after the initial shock, listening again revealed its true depth—it was undeniably outstanding.

Though it lasted less than a minute, the audience once again applauded Luo Quan's performance; the piece was excellent, her technique solid, and several backstage suona players nodded in approval.

The entire venue felt harmonious, except for the director, whose face turned ashen—he never imagined Luo Quan would play such a piece on 'I Am a Singer.' Was this a funeral dirge?

If this aired, it would completely destroy the prestige 'I Am a Singer' had painstakingly built!

"Cut this segment entirely," the director said coldly to the production staff beside him.

"What? Cut it?" The crew member, still enjoying the moment, thought he'd misheard.

The director glared at him: "What? Is my word not binding?"

"N-no… not at all…"

……………………

In the green room, Luo Quan returned like a conquering monarch, greeted with congratulations and praise.

"Classmate, your rendition of this song is even more authentic than mine!" Kong Kong Yue lavished Luo Quan with praise.

Luo Quan replied modestly: "No, I just got lucky to reach this level—next time, it'll probably be ordinary."

That was the truth: after using a celebrity card, there was a one-week to one-month cooldown period; unless permanently bound, she couldn't achieve this level every performance.

But she had more than just Gong Teacher—many other teachers' cards were still available.

With 'Little River Flowing' performed, the ranking for this episode was already decided; the only possible competitors, Kukas and Kong Kong Yue, had chosen songs outside their strengths—one sang pop, the other rock.

They were pleasant to listen to, but artistically, their songs paled beside Luo Quan's.

When the public jury votes were announced, no one was surprised: Luo Quan won first place in the fourth episode with a staggering 36% of the vote.

At this point, she now held two first-place finishes, just like Kong Kong Yue, pulling clear of the other guests.

Unfortunately, winning the regular episode's first place had little practical effect; no matter how many she won, it didn't automatically crown her the Singing King.

But if she could win first place every episode, it would prove her strength was truly unmatched, and if she maintained this form until the finals, her chance of winning the Singing King was very high.

Because this episode went smoothly, after recording ended early, Luo Quan bought a ticket and flew straight back to Shanghai.

On the way back to campus after landing, Weibo users had already leaked details of the fourth episode of 'I Am a Singer.'

Although 'I Am a Singer' often posted notices asking insiders to stop leaking, such information still slipped out every episode.

But these insiders knew their limits—they didn't reveal who won first place, only that Luo Quan's performance had stunned everyone and that she'd prepared a special gift for her fans.

Calling it a leak was misleading—it was more like baiting public curiosity.

Seeing the online sentiment was positive, Luo Quan felt she had fulfilled her promise.

The next evening, 'I Am a Singer' officially aired.

Both 'Little River Flowing' and 'Bridge' surged to trending topics, and 'Luo Quan plays suona' also trended, instantly igniting massive attention.

The comment section was even more vibrant:

"Wow, didn't know Luo Quan could do this—pretty impressive."

"You have to lie down to listen, otherwise you won't feel it."

"Shouldn't you be lying in a rectangular box and then covered with a lid?"

"Is this 'Bridge' the Naihe Bridge? Listening to it made me want to reincarnate."

"Doesn't anyone praise 'Little River Flowing'? First time hearing such a beautiful folk song—if the Spring Festival Gala always featured songs like this, I wouldn't skip it every year."

"Luo Quan's creative ability is truly strong—she can create from nothing and add brilliance to excellence. Admirable."

"Shouldn't the Singing King be between her and Kong Kong Yue? These two Shanghai Art School sisters are too powerful—they're on a completely different level from the veteran singers; only Kukas can match them."

"Kong Kong Yue is from the national team; these veterans were just born earlier. In pure vocal skill, they can't compare to those three."

"I feel Kong Kong Yue's been playing around—she's never sung folk music."

"Isn't Luo Quan the same? Her specialty, pop, only appeared in episode two—surely people haven't forgotten that already?"

"That rich chest voice literally made me wet—does having big breasts give an advantage here?"

"Luo Quan is too versatile—none of her four episode song choices repeated, her vocal styles differed each time—what can't she do?"

"I used to think she was just an idol who relied on hype; now I've truly re-recognized her—her skill is absolutely top-tier in China!"

"Haha, mainly because Luo Quan's face is so mesmerizing—everyone assumed she relied on looks, ignoring her talent."

……………………

Luo Quan watched this scene with satisfaction—it was the first time online, on a large scale, people were praising her skill.

Previously, most praise had been for her appearance and creativity; few ever commended her singing ability, and many saw her only as a female singer who wrote good songs and looked beautiful.

That's why she joined 'I Am a Singer'—to prove her true ability!

Now, her goal was achieved; if she won the season's Singing King, her mission would be complete.

But a new trending topic instantly extinguished her joy.

"Luo Quan is edited out."

A trending topic that appeared with the "Boiling" suffix immediately.

It claimed that many of Luo Quan's on-stage moments in episode four had been cut, including her emotional journey and post-song thanks to fans—especially the suona performance, which was entirely removed and nowhere to be seen in tonight's broadcast.

The trending topic "Luo Quan plays suona" that everyone saw were actually behind-the-scenes clips and audience-recorded videos from the public jurors' phones.

Once this news broke, fans and netizens alike erupted in fury; the comment section overflowed with anger:

"Is this true?"

"I haven't even watched episode four yet—just saw some clips on Weibo—and didn't expect such a scandal."

"No way, man! They cut such an amazing moment? What were they thinking?"

"This show's got some guts—doesn't treat Luo Quan like a big name at all."

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"So many variety shows worldwide beg to invite you, yet you cut her footage? You've got some nerve."

"Since episode one, I've always felt Luo Quan's screen time was less than other singers—I thought it was because she didn't like talking, since that was also true on 'Create You.'"

"Now I finally understand why…"

"Hope the production team explains soon—confirm if this is true or false."

……………………

For Luo Quan, she knew perfectly well whether it was true or false—she had just checked her own footage from episode four, and indeed, her suona performance had been entirely cut; only the behind-the-scenes clip at the end of the episode showed it.

But the playback count of that behind-the-scenes clip was nearly a hundred times lower than the main episode's—aside from diehard fans, who would watch the clip after finishing the main episode?

Luo Quan couldn't understand this behavior—if they didn't want her to play the suona, they could have told her directly—what was the point of this petty sabotage?

She dug Zheng Da out of her blacklist and called him.

"Hello, Director Zheng?" Luo Quan forced her anger down.

"Luo Quan," Director Zheng's tone was calm; before she could confront him, he struck first: "Luo Quan, the first-day viewership for episode four still dropped compared to episode one. Your song adaptations may be praised but not popular."

Now he's playing the victim? Luo Quan laughed bitterly: "Director Zheng, let's not sidestep—I'm asking why you cut my footage?"

"The performance was excellent, but I personally felt it didn't align well with the show's theme, so I edited it into a standalone short—this creates better distinction and helps fans find it more easily."

"So you're doing me a favor?" Luo Quan wanted to curse—this was meant to be a surprise for fans; if you cut it out and put it right on the 'I Am a Singer' page, what's the point of the surprise?

"Luo Quan, I've always wanted to tell you: think about the show's ratings and sing more pop songs. Why do you insist on being so unconventional?"

"If you'd just listened to one piece of advice, we wouldn't have this conflict!"

Luo Quan sneered: "Isn't this show called 'I Am a Singer'?"

"Of course it's called 'I Am a Singer.'"

"From your tone, I thought it was called 'I Am a Pop Singer.' If it's 'I Am a Singer,' shouldn't the singer decide what to sing?"

"If you control the song selection, then shouldn't you also decide the rankings and the Singing King?"

Director Zheng grew annoyed: "Luo Quan, you're being unreasonable."

"If you're so dissatisfied with the production team, you can quit the competition."

Luo Quan laughed coldly: "Quit? Do you have the authority? Or is it your superiors who dislike me?"

Mango TV's leadership, unlike Director Zheng, was far more level-headed; the drop in viewership was blamed solely on the director, and they had never shown any dissatisfaction toward Luo Quan.

The only one who didn't get it was the director himself.

Perhaps creating this national-level variety show had gone to his head, or perhaps the season's high start and low finish had driven him to desperation, robbing him of his usual calm.

At this moment, Luo Quan's question left him no time to think—he blurted: "The leadership entrusted me with full authority over this show—I have the right to manage all staff, including guests."

"Anyone who negatively impacts this show will be removed—and leadership will absolutely support my decision!"

Luo Quan now calmed down: "I understand. You believe my presence is a negative for 'I Am a Singer,' right?"

"Just look at the data comparison over these four episodes."

"Can you take responsibility for what you've said?" Luo Quan asked solemnly.

"Of course I can!"

"Fine, I'm withdrawing from the competition. Find someone better."

Without waiting for Zheng Dao's reply, Luo Quan hung up the call and blocked him again.

Opening her Weibo, Luo Quan typed rapidly: "I'm announcing something: due to increasing academic demands and limited energy, I can no longer juggle both responsibilities. Effective immediately, I am withdrawing from the show 'I Am a Singer' to focus on my studies."

"I also wish 'I Am a Singer' will stay true to its original purpose and continue to improve."

Though angry, Luo Quan's mind remained clear; lashing out online might feel satisfying, but it would make her seem narrow-minded and low-quality.

Ending it this way was clearly dignified; no matter the outcome, she would never be the one at fault.

It was somewhat regretful to withdraw without winning the title of Singing King.

But such an honor meant little to her now—it brought no significant benefit—and she had already achieved her goal for appearing on the show. Ending it now would allow her to move forward more easily.

After all, flying back and forth between two cities every week left her too little time to rest.