As one can imagine, if it hadn't been for Wu Mu's sudden participation, Mo Mo would have definitely been the ace up the sleeve that the show's producers used to attract viewers.
After introducing herself, Mo Mo began to perform.
Her voice was soft and gentle as she spoke, but when she started to sing, it was filled with power, exuding an air of conviction and infectiousness.
Unlike other singers who chose well-known songs, she picked an experimental track called "Shipwreck," which wasn't particularly famous among her work.
In the end, it could only be said that she was a Heavenly Queen level singer. Her strength and talent were evidently superior to others; even with such an experimental song, she managed to draw all the audience into the mood.
She ended up scoring 834 points, over twenty more than Zheng Qiang.
Although this was partly because she had a high national profile and her appearance was a surprise.
But skill was still the main factor.
Mo Mo undoubtedly ranked first.
By this point, all fifteen singers had appeared, and it naturally went without saying who the last one was.
"The production team is really full of tricks."
Wu Mu muttered to himself.
The producers had him perform last and immediately after Mo Mo, which was an obvious and intentional setup.
Their goal, of course, was to maximize his value as cannon fodder and generate the most buzz.
However, he didn't care anymore since he had already resigned himself to his fate.
Wu Mu stood up nonchalantly, waiting for his turn to perform.
Onstage, the host was already reading his introduction.
"He is the singer with countless fans..."
"Boo!"
The host had barely started when boos and jeers erupted from the crowd.
At this point, who didn't know the remaining person was Wu Mu?
Wu Mu's anti-fans and the general public who had a terrible impression of him didn't hold back at all and started booing directly.
Having a guest booed by the audience was a first in the history of the show, making it clear that even the host was thrown off.
He paused for several seconds before barely managing to continue.
"He is the former top-charting singer with countless fans..."
"Boo!"
"He is the star who sold two million copies of his album in just two days..."
"Boo!"
"He is the highly controversial superstar... He is Wu Mu."
The audience kept booing non-stop, causing the host to pause between sentences, stumbling his way through Wu Mu's introduction.
Wu Mu walked through the corridor and stepped onto the stage.
All cameras were trained on him.
The boos from the audience got even louder.
But facing their jeers, Wu Mu remained impassive. He even seemed a bit thrilled.
The louder the boos, the happier he became.
Because ever since he stepped onto the stage, the rate of points increase on his system panel, which had been sporadic before, tripled.
Boo, by all means, keep it up. The more they booed, the more time they helped him drag out, the more points he could rack up.
Wu Mu watched the booing audience with a cheerful look, not saying a word, just waiting for them to continue booing.
After one or two minutes of this, just as the producers were about to step in to control the audience,
the crowd below the stage, seeing that their booing had no effect on Wu Mu, stopped on their own.
They switched tactics.
"Wu Mu, are those chats online real? Are you really just a bootlicker?"
Someone shouted from the audience.
This was clearly a question meant to embarrass Wu Mu.
Nobody expected Wu Mu to actually respond.
But to everyone's surprise, Wu Mu pointed in the direction of the question and said, "Hey, that's a good question."
"Of course, it's fake."
Wu Mu replied with resolute assurance.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, not quite catching on.
Once they realized what Wu Mu had just said, a murmur rippled through the crowd.
Huh?
Those chat screenshots were fake?
This was huge news!
Could it be that Wu Mu, who had been disparaged for over half a month, was actually wronged?
Wu Mu's ex-fans, including Zhang Li, couldn't help but stand up and shout, "Those chats weren't sent by you!?"
Wu Mu chuckled and said, "Oh, those chat records were indeed sent by me. But I'm no bootlicker. Think about it, with my outstanding qualities, why would I act like that? I was just pretending, having a bit of fun with her."
Audience: "..."
I think you're just playing with us.
Not just the audience but also the celebrity guests, the staff onstage and backstage, were all left speechless by Wu Mu.
Wu Mu's ex-fans were so frustrated they nearly died of anger, almost ready to rush onstage and strangle Wu Mu.
After having his fun, Wu Mu laughed loudly and actually did drop a bombshell, "Since you've asked, I might as well take this opportunity to clear the air. The matter with Liu Lan is true, but I definitely wasn't the 'other man.'"
"I sincerely fell in love with her. It's just that she was a bad woman who deceived me."
He would definitely not exploit the tragedy of his previous parents, but he wasn't going to carry the bad woman's blame.
This revelation once again left everyone dumbfounded.
Wu Mu wasn't the 'other man'?
The collapse of a star's image, as opposed to whether they were the 'other man,' was a whole different concept.
One is morally corrupt, possibly leading to an official ban, while the other at most would mean the loss of his original fan base, still leaving room for a possible comeback.
Zhang Li's heart was pounding. That detestable man hadn't been the 'other man' but simply had a relationship?
Although the thought of someone else sleeping with Wu Mu still disgusted her, especially seeing his subservient behavior, it somehow didn't seem as repulsive?
No, that's not right. He could very well be lying again. Don't be fooled!
Let's put aside the shock Wu Mu's revelations brought to the audience for now. Backstage in the control room, Wu Feng and the show's director were delighted as peaches.
Perfect bombshell!
They could already envision the explosive popularity of the show after it aired. It was going to skyrocket!
Having Wu Mu on their show had certainly paid off.
That's what Wu Feng thought to himself.
But they still couldn't lose sight of the substance of the show. He signaled for the director to tell the host to take control and move on, not to get stuck here.
Having received the cue from the host, Wu Mu, although a bit regretful that he couldn't drag it out further, still began as arranged, "Okay, let's not talk about my personal matters for now. Let's continue with the show. The song I'm going to sing is one I wrote last year, 'Flowing Years.'"
The music started, and Wu Mu began to sing.
And then...
"The final score is 213 points."
They were mostly one-star and two-star ratings, with fewer than a hundred three-stars, and not a single four-star or five-star rating.
It could only be said that an idol singer stepping onto such a competitive stage was simply humiliating himself.
Usually, no one noticed when they were indulging in their own fantasies, but once placed in direct comparison on the same stage, the gap was glaring, and the difference in caliber was instantly apparent.
Poor singing, mediocre songwriting, just a standard pop song.
Add to that the fact that Wu Mu himself had fallen from grace, with numerous anti-fans and poor public favor, it was no surprise he scored what he did.
If anything, it was fortunate that his previous revelations had thrown things off a bit, distracting the audience's attention, otherwise, it would have looked even worse.