101: Chapter 101 You can buy a ticket, but you can't buy this song.

"The second place is—"

Teacher He opened the card, his gaze pausing for a beat.

"Zhang Yihan, 546 votes."

The smile on Zhang Yihan's face faltered.

546.

It was over seventy votes higher than Chen Hao's, but—still second place.

Teacher He closed the card.

"First place this episode—Shen Nian, 548 votes!"

Applause erupted.

But everyone noticed the same thing—

Two votes.

Out of a thousand people, a difference of two votes.

The atmosphere in the Livestream Room's bullet comments was very subtle.

[Two votes? That's too close for comfort.]

[Zhang Yihan has improved so much?]

[Chen Hao only got 468, and Zhang Yihan got 546? Since when did she get so much better than Chen Hao?]

[Is there a possibility... never mind, I dare not say.]

[Can we stop with the conspiracy theories?]

Shen Nian stood on stage and bowed to the camera.

"Thank you, everyone."

Zhang Yihan was also smiling, leading the applause with a graceful and composed demeanor.

Fifteen million people were watching the livestream; she couldn't let her expression slip.

Teacher He quickly went through the rankings of the eight contestants and announced the two eliminated this episode—Wang Mingxuan and Su Xiaoman.

Su Xiaoman's eyes turned red on stage as she hugged and said goodbye to each of the other singers.

Wang Mingxuan was more open-minded; he took the microphone, said "See you next time if there's a chance," and waved goodbye.

The recording ended.

—

Side stage area.

Jiang Fan stared at the two lines of numbers on the big screen, not moving.

548 to 546.

Zhang Yihan's song was indeed good, the production was excellent, and the explosive power of the chorus had reached a new level.

But compared to invisible wings, the live emotional impact was not just a little bit worse.

He shifted his gaze to Chen Hao's vote count.

468.

Zhang Yihan 546.

A difference of 78 votes.

He could see Chen Hao's live performance standard very clearly—

The depth of that low-frequency range was still top-tier among the eight people tonight.

After he finished singing the rock Arrangement, the applause in the venue was no less than Shen Nian's.

Could he lose to Zhang Yihan by seventy-eight votes?

Shen Nian walked back from the stage. As soon as she reached the side stage entrance, Zhou Yutong rushed up and hugged her.

"Sister Nian! Two consecutive championships!"

Shen Nian patted her back.

"Keep it down."

Jiang Fan handed her a bottle of water.

"Let's go, back to the dressing room."

The three of them walked back.

Passing by the entrance of Zhang Yihan's dressing room, a "bang" sound came from inside, as if something had been smashed on the floor.

Zhou Yutong shrank her neck and automatically quickened her pace.

Entering the dressing room, Jiang Fan took Shen Nian's jacket from the hanger and draped it over her shoulders.

"Pack up, get ready to leave."

The three packed their things, pushed open the dressing room door, and walked out.

After taking just two steps, someone approached them.

Tang Yingxue.

She had just come from the mentor's passage. The neckline of her black dress was very low, and the curve below her collarbone was unfathomable.

Seeing Jiang Fan, she didn't bypass him but walked straight over.

"Jiang Fan."

She took the initiative to extend her hand.

"We haven't formally met yet. I am Tang Yingxue."

Jiang Fan glanced at her and shook her hand.

Her fingers were slightly cool, her frame rounded, but there was strength in her grip.

The system panel flickered in the corner of his vision.

[Charm field in effect...]

Jiang Fan let go.

Tang Yingxue didn't pull back immediately.

Her fingertips paused for a moment the instant he let go.

A tingling sensation surged into her body, and her legs actually trembled slightly.

She looked up at Jiang Fan for two seconds.

Having achieved such success in her career, very few men could catch her eye, let alone trigger any physical reaction.

But this young man stood before her, doing nothing, yet her heart skipped a beat.

"Shen Nian performed very well tonight." Tang Yingxue shifted her gaze from Jiang Fan to Shen Nian and nodded, "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Teacher Tang."

Tang Yingxue didn't stay any longer, smiled at Jiang Fan, and turned to leave.

Her high heels clicked against the corridor floor with a steady rhythm until she disappeared around the corner.

After she was far away, Zhou Yutong leaned in to Jiang Fan's ear: "Why did she suddenly come to shake your hand?"

"Maybe she thinks I'm handsome."

Zhou Yutong rolled her eyes.

—

The production team's van took the three of them back to the hotel.

It was 11 p.m., and it was drizzling in Star City. The roads were wet, and the car headlights swept across the ground in streaks of light.

They arrived at the hotel and went upstairs.

Entering Shen Nian's room, Zhou Yutong closed the door tightly and turned around.

"Brother Fan, don't you think Zhang Yihan's vote count is strange?"

"Hmm."

"Did you see something?"

Jiang Fan leaned against the windowsill, watching the drizzle outside.

"Chen Hao 468, Zhang Yihan 546. Do you think that's normal?"

Zhou Yutong shook her head vigorously.

"Chen Hao's rock Arrangement this episode had a live reaction no worse than Zhang Yihan's. His fan base and industry reputation are both above Zhang Yihan's."

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

Zhou Yutong swallowed.

"You mean... buying votes?"

"Without evidence, saying anything is useless." Jiang Fan pulled the curtains shut.

"But Shen Nian won, that's a fact."

Things like buying votes involve cash and private transfers, chat records are deleted after reading, and the middlemen are all seasoned veterans.

If you say they bought votes, they say you're spreading rumors, and a lawyer's letter arrives the next day.

Accusations without evidence are stupider than silence.

Shen Nian sat on the edge of the bed, her chin resting on her knees.

"Jiang Fan."

"Hmm."

"If they really bought votes, and I still won by two votes... what does that mean?"

Jiang Fan looked at her.

"It means they spent a lot of money, but still couldn't crush you."

Shen Nian was stunned for a moment, then the corners of her mouth curved up.

"That's true. But the song you wrote wasn't bad either."

Zhou Yutong chuckled on the side: "Sister Nian has learned to be humble-bragging now."

"Go take a shower."

"Yes!"

—

1:00 a.m.

Jiang Fan returned to his room, lay on the bed, and took out his phone.

On the trending list, Shen Nian already had three entries.

First: #The Sound of Nature Shen Nian Two Consecutive Championships#

Second: #invisible wings#

Third: #Shen Nian Wins by Two Votes#

He clicked on the second entry.

The view count exceeded three million and was still rising.

Weibo was flooded with clips of Shen Nian singing invisible wings.

The comment section was going wild.

[I'm a thirty-five-year-old grown man, and I listened until I cried. Is that embarrassing?]

[This song is written for everyone drifting out there, right?]

[When I heard the line 'I know I have always had a pair of invisible wings,' I inexplicably called my mom. She asked what was wrong, and I said nothing, I just wanted to talk to you.]

[After listening to this song, I found the direction to my dreams.]

[Lyrics and music: Jiang Fan. It's this guy again. How many more songs does he have?]

Jiang Fan scrolled down.

A long review written by a music critic blogger was pinned as the top comment:

"The Arrangement of invisible wings is extremely restrained—the verses only have acoustic guitar and piano. Choosing such an Arrangement on a stage like The Sound of Nature is extreme confidence. The 'wings' in this song are the breath hidden within everyone. When life rubs you against the ground, this invisible power becomes the motivation supporting you to keep moving forward."

Jiang Fan put his phone face down by the pillow and closed his eyes.

The rain outside was still falling, pattering against the glass, making a very faint sound.

invisible wings was being shared, played, and looped over and over at this moment.

From Star City to Shanghai, from Shanghai to Beijing, it was spreading into every rented room where the lights were still on.

Some songs are just like that.

It doesn't need flashy production, it doesn't need explosive high notes.

It just tells you when you're about to give up—

You still have wings.