Wu Mu could be said to have perfectly responded to everyone's expectations before the recording.
213 points, the lowest score in the show's history, not just this season, but in the previous two seasons as well.
The second-to-last contestant had over 600 points, while he only had 200 points, a gap of more than 400, making it laughably big.
He had truly made a spectacle of himself.
He exposed everything, and the gap was laid bare for all to see.
The audience below, the guests nearby, even the staff on and off stage, all stared at Wu Mu, waiting for him to break down.
But this time, they were disappointed.
Wu Mu nodded calmly, *his mind unruffled and he even felt like laughing.*
*[Points: 387]*
Just from stepping onto the stage for that moment, his points had skyrocketed from less than 200 to almost 400!
By the end of this recording, he estimated he could draw four prizes!
Although it was embarrassing, it was not worth losing points for one's pride.
He put down the microphone, walked to his reserved seat at the edge of the stage, and sat down, waiting for the next part of the show.
Seated next to him was Mo Mo, who had performed just before him.
Mo Mo nodded sympathetically at him, though he appeared indifferent, no one thought he was truly unaffected, assuming he was just putting on a brave face.
On the surface, he acted nonchalant, but behind the scenes, he was probably crying into his pillow.
In front of him sat Xu Zhiwen.
Xu Zhiwen turned around, adopting a senior lecturing a junior posture, "Music isn't something that fans can save you from. No matter how many records you sell, if you lack talent, it shows."
Wu Mu wasn't someone who would swallow insults quietly, so he glanced at Xu Zhiwen,
"The way you insult people is as pathetic as a TV actor. I don't even know you, why do you keep stepping on me? Are you trying to set yourself up as a music defender by stepping on me? Or are you trying to attract the female fans I've lost? Surely it can't be that you love music so much you can't let anyone taint your beliefs."
"Pfft~" Mo Mo, overhearing this, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The other contestants, who appeared to be solemnly watching the stage, also had shoulders shaking, clearly stifling laughter.
As for Xu Zhiwen, his face turned black on the spot.
He glared at Wu Mu fiercely, dared not provoke further, and turned back to watch the stage.
Though his face turned away, his mind was still occupied with thoughts about Wu Mu.
Not only him, but Mo Mo and the other contestants also found it odd.
*How come Wu Mu seemed different from the rumors?*
*Weren't the rumors that Wu Mu had a good personality, serious and positive, and conducted himself properly?*
*The public impression was of someone sunny, cheerful, and responsible.*
*But from what he just said, and his previous performance on stage, where was the so-called proper behavior?*
*Could it all be an act?*
*After all, they didn't know that Wu Mu was secretly a sycophant.*
All the guests finished performing in the first episode, and the scores were all in, next up was the grouping.
The grouping rule was simple, with the first-place and last-place contestants forming a team, second place with second-to-last, and so on, creating a total of eight groups.
So, based on the scores, Wu Mu, who was in last place, would team up with Mo Mo, who was in first place.
However, no one envied him.
Because being paired with the first place meant the highest chance of elimination, and it would likely be at the hands of their own teammate.
In "The Singer-Songwriter Duo," the game rules were harsh; the first round involved single rankings to form teams, with no eliminations yet.
The second round calculated the combined scores of the pairs, and the lowest scoring team would be eliminated.
But not both contestants would be eliminated, the higher-scoring one had a chance to be revived.
For example, let's say Mo Mo and Wu Mu were one team, and Xu Zhiwen was partnered with someone else.
If the Mo Mo and Wu Mu team were first in the next round, and Xu Zhiwen's team was last,
Then Xu Zhiwen's partner would be eliminated directly, but Xu Zhiwen would have a chance to be revived. Mo Mo could choose to replace Wu Mu with Xu Zhiwen as a partner.
That way, Wu Mu would have to have a face-off with Xu Zhiwen, the winner staying and the loser leaving.
Unless Mo Mo chose not to make the switch, in which case the opportunity would pass to the next group.
Normally, they would choose to switch.
After all, given the choice between a last-place teammate and a high-scoring eliminated teammate, anyone would choose the latter.
Actually, anyone who wanted to win could only choose that way.
Once the pairs were determined, the next step was to draw the songwriting theme.
"The Singer-Songwriter Duo" not only assessed singing ability but also songwriting skills.
The first round involved singing a previously written song, but in the second round, participants had to write a new song on the spot based on a drawn theme.
The show crew brought out a transparent box filled with theme balls, from which the first-place contestant would draw a theme.
Mo Mo went onstage towards the opaque side of the box, reaching in to grab a ball.
"The theme Mo Mo drew was 'Love That Cannot Be Achieved!'"
The ball she drew had the words "Love That Cannot Be Achieved" boldly written on it.
Love That Cannot Be Achieved?
All the contestants breathed a sigh of relief, as it was a common theme for sad love songs and not too difficult to write about.
Well, except Wu Mu, who had no reaction to whatever the theme was.
*Helpless, the theme made no difference to his elimination.*
He did have the ability to write songs, a skill inherited from his former self.
But the quality? Considering the songs he released before, even after careful selection, they only reached the level of pop songs, and now, writing on the spot with a theme constraint, could anyone expect a masterpiece?
Of course, it wasn't a complete lost cause.
Wu Mu glanced at the 417 points displayed on his system panel.
*System, help me out here!*
*Give me something useful with the prize draw!*
If possible, he didn't want to be eliminated, because accumulating points felt too good!
*Lazing around for one episode already brought over 400 points.*
*Where would he find such a good deal if he got eliminated?*
The first episode concluded after drawing the theme.
The audience gradually left, while the contestants were moved to the Beach Resort the show crew had prepared.
They would stay there for a week until the second episode's recording began the following week.
After showering in his room, Wu Mu eagerly opened the prize draw section of the system panel.
A row of Treasure Boxes appeared on the virtual screen, in three types: white, gold, and red.
Below the boxes were small annotations.
"White Treasure Box: 100 points per draw, Gold Treasure Box: 1,000 per draw, Red Treasure Box: 10,000 per draw, the higher the box level, the higher the probability of drawing a rare item."
"The system detects the host's current needs in real-time, greatly increasing the chance of obtaining the required items during the draw."
*Hmm?*
Wu Mu's eyes lit up upon reading the second note.
*Such a mechanism exists?*
*This was great news for him.*
Wu Mu spent 100 points to purchase a white Treasure Box, then directly chose to open it.