Chapter 1069: Chapter 1069

Both men fell silent, while Liu Dongyu, sitting aside, seemed to subtly sense the tense atmosphere and shifted in her seat uneasily.

Li Changlin noticed and couldn’t help but say gently, "Liu Dongyu, there’s no need to be nervous. Just imagine that the audience is made up of your friends. Perform well; I believe in you."

"Thank you." Grateful for the comfort from a rival, Liu Dongyu’s impression of Li Changlin improved greatly, and he sincerely expressed his thanks. Li Changlin smiled, waved his hand, and said no more.

By then, Li Yuan had finished his song, and the audience, quite supportive, had given him an average score of 8.45.

On the surface, 8.45 seemed quite good, especially since Li Changlin’s previous average was only 8.96, but Li Yuan knew in his heart that he might be facing elimination.

The scores from the lay judges were quite good; they weren’t as professional as the panel judges and rated purely based on their feelings.

If they felt someone sang well, they would give a high score; if someone looked particularly attractive, they could also receive a high score.

If they didn’t like someone’s appearance, no matter how well that person sang, they might still give a low score. It was an unfortunate reality.

In fact, Li Yuan was overthinking it. Although the audience had some biases, most of them maintained a fair and just attitude. It was actually Enluotianyi who played by their own rules.

Then Liu Dongyu took the stage. Perhaps bolstered by Li Changlin’s encouragement, her performance was exceptionally strong, and she ended up with an average score of 8.63, exactly the same as Xu Xin.

The moment the score was announced, the entire venue erupted in surprise, and even Xu Xin couldn’t avoid feeling nervous.

Now that Liu Dongyu’s average score matched hers, if Li Changlin scored well in his upcoming performance, she and Liu Dongyu would have to face each other in a PK.

This added significant pressure to both of them, as a poor performance at that time could mean elimination.

At this moment, Li Yuan was completely calm inside.

He knew very well that no matter how Li Changlin scored, his own elimination was inevitable; it was an unchangeable situation.

As for Liu Dongyu, she was quite nervous.

On one hand, she knew Li Changlin was more outstanding than she was. As long as Li Changlin performed normally, his score would certainly surpass 8.63, meaning she would have to face Xu Xin in a PK.

Xu Xin had a clear advantage, a fact Liu Dongyu was well aware of.

If she had to face Xu Xin in another PK, her chances were slim.

Meanwhile, Xu Xin secretly hoped that Li Changlin would make a mistake during his performance, allowing her to remain on stage and advance to the top sixteen.

Liu Dongyu’s dark thoughts weren’t to be blamed; after all, once on this competitive stage, no one wanted to give up their dreams lightly.

She had come a long way to reach this point and certainly didn’t want to be eliminated so soon.

Even though the coaches could revive her later, Liu Dongyu, like all contestants, actually preferred to prove her worth through genuine talent.

The higher her rank, the more chances she had to sign with a major company. If she had the opportunity to join one of her preferred companies, she could transform from a nobody to a star, and fame and fortune would be within easy reach.

This stage was fundamentally a battleground for fame and profit. The contestants joined Xuanyuan’s The Voice to chase fame and fortune. Even someone like Li Changlin, who already possessed a fortune worth billions, still wanted to leverage this platform to boost his popularity.

Li Changlin was not overly concerned with others’ thoughts. It was now his turn to perform again, and he rose calmly without giving Xu Xin another glance.

Liu Dongyu also returned backstage and looked deeply at Li Changlin, her mouth opening as if she wanted to say something.

Ultimately, Liu Dongyu remained silent; anything said at this moment would be insincere. She lacked Li Changlin’s magnanimity and didn’t want to contradict her true feelings with falsehoods.

In truth, Liu Dongyu genuinely hoped that Li Changlin would underperform.

That way, she could easily advance to the top sixteen.

Watching her, Xu Xin’s lips slightly curled up, a mysterious smile appearing on her face, "Liu Dongyu, your performance was exceptional this time. I believe you’ll definitely make it to the top sixteen!"

"I hope so, but Li Changlin is a formidable opponent. Plus, he’s quite popular. If his score exceeds ours, I’m not confident about beating you," replied Liu Dongyu, who was well-aware of her position. She knew Xu Xin had already signed with Nanfu Province’s Feiyu Entertainment Media Group, which was set to heavily promote her.

This was a typical case of ’comparing oneself to others will only result in grief.’

While many contestants were still desperately seeking a chance to sign with an entertainment company, people like Xu Xin, Li Changlin, and Wang Yiyi had already been receiving considerable promotion from their respective companies, earning significant popularity.

"What if Li Changlin underperforms?" Xu Xin smirked nonchalantly. "Liu Dongyu, you’re overthinking it. Actually, Li Changlin’s singing isn’t that great, which is why he chooses to sing falsetto. I’ve been his classmate for four years and know his strengths and weaknesses like the back of my hand!"

Unashamedly, Xu Xin boasted, secured in the knowledge that neither Liu Dongyu nor Li Yuan was aware of her true relationship with Li Changlin.

As it stood, Li Changlin was now considered part of the industry, and Xu Xin was confident he wouldn’t spread such matters around.

"Oh, you were classmates with Li Changlin?" This was indeed a secret, surprising both Liu Dongyu and Li Yuan, prompting them to quietly inquire further.

Xu Xin, full of pride, shared several embarrassing stories about Li Changlin, evidently trying to assert her superiority.

The more insecure one is, the more she attempts to use others’ disadvantages to highlight her own strengths.

This was typical of Xu Xin’s personality. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have engaged in stealing someone’s lover back then, purposely targeting Lin Ruonan just because she usurped her title as the number one beauty in their school—a slight that Xu Xin could never tolerate.

At this point, Li Changlin hadn’t started singing yet because the rules of The Voice dictated that he couldn’t continue using falsetto for his performance. The hosts, worried he might not understand the rule, specifically went on stage to clarify it for him.