I am Really a Superstar 3

by Little Merger

Zhang Ye was originally a mundane college graduate with aspiring dreams to become a star, but unfortunately has below average looks and height. However one day, he woke up and suddenly found himself in a parallel world!It’s like the same world, but wait a minute…many brands, celebrities and even famous works from his world changed and are gone in this new world!

4. 981

I am Really a Superstar #Chapter 981: Mask: The Clown! - Read I am Really a Superstar Chapter 981: Mask: The Clown! Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 981: Mask: The Clown!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

During the weekend.

The promotions for King of Masked Singers were already progressing as planned.

News of heavyweight big shots joining the show, being called a new variety show that would subvert all other singing shows, and all sorts of topics related to the show were constantly generated as the netizens grew more and more hyped!

"Who's joined the show already?"

"When does it begin broadcasting?"

"Quickly begin recording the show!"

"I can't wait any longer!"

"Is Zhang Ye really not going to be the host?"

"Will there be any A-list celebrities joining?"

"Don't leave us hanging!"

"King of Masked Singers? This title leaves everything to the imagination!"

"They're really going to let established singers compete against each other on the same stage? To see who is better?"

"Damn, that's so ruthless!"

"Isn't Beijing TV taking things too far this time?"

"Yeah, they might really have taken it a bit too far! But I'm still looking forward to it!"

"That's right, I really want to watch it! Chen Guang versus Fan Wenli? A Heavenly King verse a Heavenly Queen? Will such a situation really happen? I can't bear it just thinking about it! Hurry up and start broadcasting already!"

"The most interesting thing is that everyone will be wearing a mask, so no one will know who the person behind it is!"

King of Masked Singers' format and title gradually surfaced. Even before the show got broadcast, while it was still in the production stage, the popularity of this show was already greater than the numerous television variety shows that were currently broadcasting! There was more discussion about it than all the others combined! A situation like this was typically not seen in the industry! When many of the industry peers saw this, they could only shake their heads and smile bitterly, or stare in amazement at the happenings.

Envy?

They had nothing to be envious about!

Because Zhang Ye's production was just too creative to begin with!

...

Dragon Television.

"We should have invited him to join us if we knew it would be like this!"

"Yeah, this show is truly going to be spectacular!"

"Just from hearing of it, I know it will become famous!"

"Did you think that Zhang Ye would be so easy to recruit?"

"That's right. He only went over to help them produce the show because he has friends at Beijing TV and past ties with the station."

...

Zhejiang Television.

"Zhang Ye is content to just work behind the scenes?"

"Who knows!"

"He couldn't possibly come up with such a good show and just give it up to Beijing TV so easily, can he?"

"He can't host even if he wants to, since the higher-ups' attitude toward him is still uncertain. That air pollution documentary brought him a great deal of popularity and reputation, but it has also disrupted his career."

"Hai, if only we had gotten this show instead!"

"King of Masked Singers? Only a daring person like Zhang Ye would come up with such a show!"

...

Heated discussions regarding this topic started appearing online.

It was widely discussed within the industry as well.

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At home, Zhang Ye was practically doing nothing. He had already finished his detailed pre-production work for the show and was essentially not involved with the rest of the production. Yesterday, Hu Fei had wanted to inform Zhang Ye about the identities of the masked singers who'd joined, but was turned down. Zhang Ye didn't even want to hear or know about them. This was because he did not want too much pressure and distractions for himself. If he knew who the other competitors were, he would probably start overthinking things, so it was better to know nothing at all.

Later that morning.

Old Rao called.

"Little Zhang, come over and babysit the kid."

"Where are you going?"

"To get a filling, tsk."

"Do you have a toothache?"

"It's been hurting for two days now. Cut the crap and get over here on the double."

"I'm still busy with my work."

"You've been staying home every day with nothing to do. What are you busy with?"

"Can't I watch a movie? Get my junior marital sister to take care of her instead."

"You talking 'bout that hothead? For only two smashed window panes, she risked her life by jumping down from this high a height. How can I be at ease letting her babysit my kid?"

"True, she is a little hotheaded."

"Get over here."

"Fine, fine. I understand. You just go on ahead."

After informing his parents, Zhang Ye headed straight to Old Rao's place.

When he arrived, Rao Aimin was already gone. For some reason, Yang Shu was at Rao Aimin's house as well. She was practicing her martial arts in the first story living room by herself, going "hoo ha, hoo ha," enraptured in her training!

When she saw Zhang Ye, Yang Shu quickly cooled down with an ending stance. She took a deep breath and respectfully greeted, "Senior Bro."

Zhang Ye smiled wryly. "You don't have to be so polite. I've already said that you can just call me by my name."

Yang Shu nodded. "OK, Senior Bro. Then can you lend me some money?"

Ah?

Asking to borrow money again?

Zhang Ye said in exasperation, "I think it's better for you to be more polite."

Yang Shu said nothing.

Zhang Ye asked, "You've run out of money again?"

Yang Shu made a noise of acknowledgment. "I haven't found a job yet."

Annoyed, Zhang Ye said, "You can't just keep staying at home doing nothing. What do you wish to do? Tell me."

"I would like to spread the art of the Taiji Fist so that it may flourish and bring glory to my ancestors."

"How will you spread it?"

"I don't know. I will listen to Senior Bro's teachings."

Why would you listen to me!

This bro does not have such aspirations!

However, Zhang Ye had only one junior marital sister, so he couldn't just ignore her. He pulled out all of the cash in his wallet, totaling over 3,000 RMB, and gave it to her.

Yang Shu didn't treat Zhang Ye as a stranger, but rather as family. She took it and pocketed it. "Thank you, Senior Bro."

At this moment, Chenchen came down from upstairs.

Zhang Ye looked up. "What were you doing upstairs?"

Chenchen gave him a look. "Zhang Ye, help me do my homework."

Zhang Ye sneered. "I refuse."

When Yang Shu heard this exchange, she said, "Senior Bro, teach me Taiji Fist."

Zhang Ye said in a speechless manner, "We'll talk about that another time."

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Chenchen said, "Zhang Ye, do my homework for me!"

Yang Shu said, "Senior Bro, teach me some unarmed fighting techniques!"

The two of them kept it up one after the other, giving Zhang Ye a terrible headache.

The phone suddenly rang.

It was his other cell phone that was ringing!

"Alright, that's enough! Be quiet!" Zhang Ye said impatiently, "I need to answer this call before I can listen to the two of you again. Do you think things are easy for me?!"

Zhang Ye walked a distance away from them before answering the call.

It was the same woman's voice from a few days back on the other end of the line.

Han Qi carefully said: "Hello, Teacher. I'm Han Qi from the King of Masked Singers' program team. You can just call me Little Han. From now on, I'm your main liaison with the program team. If you require anything, you can find me anytime."

Zhang Ye pinched his throat and said: "OK."

Han Qi said: "Welcome aboard. Then…the rules of our show state that every participant must fashion a mask, so do you have any kind of designs in mind that you would like? And what about your stage name? We will construct a mask according to your specifications."

Zhang Ye blinked a few times. "I need to think about it."

Han Qi said: "Understood. You may call me anytime when you've thought of it."

"OK."

After hanging up, Zhang Ye fell into deep thought.

A mask?

A stage name?

He had to make sure to get it right as it was incredibly important.

What should he use?

What should he be called?

Zhang Ye couldn't think of one no matter how he tried, so he waved Yang Shu and Chenchen over. "Here's a task for the two of you. Help me think of something. If you had to label me as something, what would your impression of me be?"

Chenchen chuckled. "A dummy!"

Zhang Ye stared at her. "I'm gonna spank you."

Chenchen looked at him. "But you really are a dummy."

Zhang Ye harrumphed. "Answer me properly and I'll help you do your homework!"

Chenchen immediately changed her tune and replied, "A hero!"

Dummy?

Hero?

Isn't your turnabout too damn fast?!

Why are you so fake!

Zhang Ye rolled his eyes and looked to Yang Shu. "Junior Sis?"

Yang Shu thought for a long time before saying, "I think that you have a chivalrous spirit for the country and its people."

These words from his junior martial sister had actually embarrassed Zhang Ye some!

Chivalrous?

He was not worthy of the description.

In truth, Zhang Ye had never had a high appraisal of himself. He did not feel that he was a hero, nor did he have anything to do with the word "chivalrous." He was just a celebrity who made people laugh, earned some money with a clear conscience along the way, stepped in whenever he saw injustice, and scolded people if he was forced into a corner by them. He would make trouble from one industry to another, so he was actually a disliked personality who offended and angered many people wherever he went.

Then why not this?

His stage name would be "The Clown."

If this world did not wish to let him say anything!

If this world was unwilling to let him appear!

If this world could not accommodate his pride!

If that is the case, then I shall transform into "The Clown." Donning my war robes, putting on my mask, changing my identity, I will turn everything upside down once more!

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Chapter 982: You want another song?

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

On this day.

Zhang Ye's mask and costume had arrived. It wasn't sent to his house because he didn't give his home address to the station. Otherwise, they might spot it and easily identify him as a result. The address he gave to the King of Masked Singers program team was his eldest younger sister's home address. The courier from Beijing Television had already reached her place.

His eldest younger sister's call came in.

"Brother, your package has arrived."

"Thanks."

"What's in it?"

"It's a secret, hur hur."

"You're acting so mysterious. Shall I send it over to your place?"

"There's no need. I'll go there in a bit to collect it."

By the afternoon, he had the package in his hands.

When he reached home, Zhang Ye shut his bedroom door before opening the package. Then he took the items out one by one. There were actually quite a few, as all the gear from head to toe was placed inside.

The mask.

The clothes.

The pants.

The shoes.

And a pair of gloves.

Zhang Ye lifted the mask and placed it over his face to check if it fit. He looked in the mirror and was immediately quite satisfied with it. Zhang Ye had had a fair number of specifications for the mask, and gave Han Qi a list of design details to pass to the costume designer. This mask was not exactly made to look like the stereotypical clown with a red nose and sharp facial features. It had only one color. White, pure white. It did not have any special edges or fanciful stylings. It was the simplest and plainest, pure white mask, but did not look plain at all when put on. Instead, it represented a return to innocence and appeared elegant and refined.

The Clown: this was how other people saw him.

White: this was how Zhang Ye saw himself.

A "clown" wearing a white mask. This was the inspiration behind Zhang Ye's design.

He also put on the costume. He was wrapped up from head to toe, and if he were to go outside now, absolutely no one would recognize him. Even he was unable to recognize himself, as all of the features and traits that distinguished him were covered up!

Fantastic!

This would do!

He took off the costume and placed everything back into the package. Then a call came in.

It was his other cell phone.

"Hello, Teacher. It's Han Qi."

"Hello."

"Have you received the mask and costume yet?"

"Yes."

"Does it fit? If not, I'll get the designer to alter it."

"It fits great."

"Great. So it's like this. Construction on the set has almost finished. We'll be doing some simple mic and sound tests tomorrow here in the studio. We would also like to have a look at all the participating teachers in their costumes. This is, after all, meant to be televised, so we need to do a check beforehand. There might also be an audition. The station has placed a lot of emphasis on the show this time and the execs are coming to inspect the production. If, if you're free, sir, could you please come and attend?"

"What time?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"OK."

"Th-Then please call me when you arrive, sir. I'll be waiting for you."

"OK."

An audition?

This was not unexpected.

Due to the special nature of this show, a lot of processes could not follow the standard operating procedures of previous shows. Especially for someone like him who would not even divulge his identity, how could he expect them to rest easy? He couldn't possibly assure them with just a recorded sample clip of his a cappella singing. They would have to at least listen to a live performance of his. While he was at it, he could familiarize himself with the stage and meet the program team staff. That was what it was all about.

Let's do it then.

He had been ready for a while now anyway.

...

The next day.

At 9 in the morning.

King of Masked Singers' program team staff were in full anticipation mode. Those who knew which celebrities were coming all felt excited, while those who didn't know the identities of the contestants were all curious and looking forward to it.

"Are they here yet?"

"Five of them have already arrived!"

"Where'd you arrange for them to go?"

"They've all been put into different waiting rooms so that they wouldn't bump into each other."

"Good."

"Brother Hu, when do we start?"

"We can start now. Make them come out one at a time."

"OK, I'll go and arrange it!"

"Be alert, the station heads might be coming to have a look."

"Understood!"

Everyone got down to business.

They adjusted the audio as the band did their sound checks.

After that, the first masked singer came onstage. He gave himself the stage name "Sunflower in the Starlight," and in accordance, his mask was designed to look like a cute sunflower. Other than Hu Fei and Dong Shanshan, basically no one else on the program team knew who this person was. In an instant, everyone's gaze fell curiously upon him. He did not bring his agent or assistant along today, because it could have inadvertently revealed his identity. He came alone and walked to the band that the program team had invited. After communicating a few simple words with them, he stood onstage.

Although his face could not be seen through the mask, the moment he gripped the microphone, Teacher Sunflower in the Starlight's stage presence immediately changed!

The moment he opened his mouth, his voice shocked the entire studio!

This song was titled "Hope," and was a very famous song in this world!

The band members were under no pressure even though they did not have a prior discussion about the song with this masked teacher. They managed to sync up seamlessly to the meter and beat in no time at all!

They were all professionals, so it was no sweat.

Even though they were not familiar with the song, they could still easily play the accompaniment to the vocals. This was because they were the "Miracle Wheels," a very famous band in the industry. Most television shows would find it very difficult to invite them onto their show, so it could be seen how much effort Beijing Television had put into the production of this show!

...

Backstage.

In a waiting room.

Han Qi was waiting outside the room, restless and tense, unsure of what she was really feeling, though she mostly felt perturbed.

Why is he not here yet?

Where is he?

She made another call. "Hello, Teacher. Have you arrived yet?"

A voice came from the phone. "I have."

Han Qi said: "Ah? Where are you?"

That person said: "Turn around."

She suddenly heard the voice coming from behind her.

Han Qi turned around in consternation. "D-Did you come here wearing that?"

The Clown said, "Yes."

Han Qi had thought that she could finally see the man's real face today and find out who he was. But she didn't expect that he would make his way here while wearing his mask. "Uh, are you ready, sir?"

"I'm ready anytime."

Han Qi coughed. "Teacher Clown, are you a senior of the music industry?" She began trying to sound him out.

"Guess."

"Uh, you must surely be quite the big shot."

"Not necessarily."

"What's your actual occupation, sir?"

"I'm a worker."

Han Qi was speechless.

You're still saying you're a worker?

Can you stop pretending, please?

She knew that it was impossible to find out anything. This person was much too evasive and obviously did not want to disclose any information. He clearly did not want anyone to find out his identity!

But, but you still shouldn't say that you are a worker just because of that!

The two of them went into the waiting room and sat facing each other. The atmosphere was extremely awkward.

The Clown did not say a word. It seemed like he did not enjoy talking much.

Meanwhile, Han Qi did not know what to say. But as she didn't want things to be so awkward, she attempted to make conversation.

"Your mask is really beautiful."

"Thank you."

"You're not too old, right?"

"I'm not young."

"Ah, last time you said you weren't old, sir."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh, then I'm not old."

Han Qi was on the verge of tears. Talking to this guy was nothing but a goddamn exercise in smoke and mirrors. She couldn't tell which of the things The Clown said were true and which were false. Most importantly, he was still speaking in a gravelly voice, so how could she possibly guess who it was? She simply could not make out who he was!

This deadlock went on for a good half hour.

Suddenly, someone knocked gingerly on the door.

Dong dong. They heard an employee say, "Han Qi, it's time for the teacher to go onstage."

"Alright!" Han Qi felt a great sense of relief. "Teacher Clown, it's your turn."

The Clown nodded. "Let's go."

In the corridor.

Zhang Ye was walking out as someone came in.

Coming in the opposite direction was someone wearing a mask. The figure appeared to be a woman's.

As Zhang Ye and she passed each other, the two of them gave each other a curious glance. There was a hint of scrutiny in their eyes. Those eyes, that figure. Zhang Ye felt a hint of familiarity. He believed he had probably seen this young woman before, and may even know her. But as for who she was, he could not tell. Upon further consideration, he realized that the stars he knew in the industry were not small-timers. It looked like this competition was truly going to be a tough battle. In his first foray into the music industry, it had better not end up with him getting crushed within the first two rounds! That would be really embarrassing!

The two of them stopped in their tracks with unspoken agreement, and then looked at one another.

Han Qi wiped her sweat away and introduced them to each other. "This is Teacher Clown. And this is Teacher Sunset Glow."

Wasn't she pretty young?

So why did she call herself Sunset Glow?

Zhang Ye nodded his head in greeting.

Sunset Glow looked at him. "Do we know each other?"

Zhang Ye spoke in a gravelly voice, "I don't know."

Sunset Glow smiled. "How old are you?

Zhang Ye lied without blinking. "Fifty, and you?"

Sunset Glow said, "I'm fifteen."

Zhang Ye blinked. "Your occupation?"

Sunset Glow said, "I'm a student, and you?

Zhang Ye replied, "I'm a worker."

Sunset Glow had no response.

Though they tried to sound each other out with all those questions, neither managed to identify the other.

Both Han Qi and Sunset Glow's Beijing Television assistant didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Why were all modern celebrities like this?

A worker?

A student?

Fifty?

Fifteen?

Would you two die if you ever stopped bullshitting?!

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Chapter 983: As a fifty-year-old pro driver, I am all smiles!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

On the King of Masked Singers stage.

The set was not fully constructed yet, but it was enough to accommodate the sound checks.

There were many people seated in the audience, such as the station heads, channel directors, and Hu Fei, together with most of his program team. They had already auditioned five masked singers, and it was time for the sixth contestant. They had to take into consideration the live performances as well as other various factors to determine the order of appearances, to know which contestant would start in the first round or act as a replacement in the second round. All of this were not yet decided, so it was particularly important today as they needed to understand each of the contestant's strengths and characteristics in order to make a decision.

Hu Fei lowered his head and jotted a few things down on his notepad.

Contestant #1: Recommended as opener, has explosive high notes.

Contestant #2: Recommended as opener, a big name celebrity.

"How amazing!"

"Yeah, these singers are way too impressive!"

"I've got the goosebumps!"

"This wasn't even rehearsed. If it were the day of recording, how much more shocking would it get?"

"Our show is gonna get super popular!"

"Who's the next contestant? Are they here yet?"

"Yup."

"The next one is 'The Clown.'"

"Who's The Clown?"

"It's that oil worker!"

As soon as those words were spoken, the program team staff all snickered!

"Pfft!"

"So it's him!"

"Why did he come up with that name?"

"Now I'm even more interested in him!"

"Me too. I can finally see him in person!"

"Observe him, everyone. See if you can identify who he is! Figure out just which industry seasoned pro he is!"

During the past few days, "I Offer Oil To My Homeland" had spread throughout the station. The program team staff would laugh until their stomachs hurt every time they listened to it. Even a few of the station heads didn't know whether to laugh or cry after hearing it.

In the meantime, a few of the station heads started conversing.

A deputy station head asked, "Is this the celebrity who claims to be a worker?"

Hu Fei laughed and said, "Yes, that's him.

Another station executive said, "He sings really well, but that song…"

Dong Shanshan was also seated with them. She smiled and said, "That was just an audition demo. He was just ribbing us. I'm sure he'll sing a proper song for us today."

The executive nodded. "Yeah, I'm quite looking forward to it."

Suddenly, everyone's gaze fell on a side door next to the stage.

The door swung open and a white mask appeared before everyone's eyes!

He had arrived!

The Clown had arrived!

Some people even stopped blinking and tried to guess who he was from his shape, but drew a blank. Who could this be? He had a figure that was very common and could match too many celebrities!

When Han Qi saw that so many executives were present, she got a little nervous. "Teacher Clown is here."

However, The Clown did not seem to be the slightest bit nervous. He took to the stage very gracefully and stood there while looking at everyone in the audience. He gave them a slight nod, but did not say anything.

The station heads, Hu Fei, and Dong Shanshan scrutinized him.

He walked in with great confidence!

He stood there with great confidence!

The first thought that they had was: This is definitely not a newcomer!

As Dong Shanshan was the host, she took charge of this segment. She raised the microphone in her hands and said with a smile, "Hello, Teacher. Out of all the contestants, you're the only one we have zero information about. You don't need to tell us your name, but could you please briefly introduce yourself?"

Zhang Ye felt very happy at seeing his old classmate speak to him in such a serious manner without recognizing him.

Zhang Ye was smiling to himself. He purposely spoke in a gravelly voice, "I am The Clown."

He was especially cautious when speaking to Dong Shanshan. After all, they had been classmates for a long time and knew each other very well. If he accidentally revealed anything, Dong Shanshan might begin to suspect who he really was. However, Zhang Ye was still rather confident in his acting chops as he had previously received quite a few skill experience books related to acting.

Dong Shanshan asked, "That's all?"

Hu Fei asked, "How old are you?"

Zhang Ye didn't even blink. "Fifty."

Hu Fei felt his legs give. "Are you also a worker then?"

Zhang Ye said, "Eh, how did you know?"

Dafei wiped his sweat away. "Teacher, can you please stop teasing us?"

Zhang Ye replied, "But I'm really a worker."

The program team staff rolled their eyes in unison!

Pretend!

Go on and keep pretending!

A station head said with a wry smile, "Since he does not wish to tell us, let's not force him."

A chairman looked at him, then commented, "He must be a big shot in the industry. Otherwise, why would he be so cautious as to not even reveal his age?"

The channel's director nodded. "Makes sense."

Dong Shanshan looked at Zhang Ye. "Then why don't we begin?"

The band was ready.

The Miracle Wheels' keyboardist asked, "Teacher Clown, what song do you intend to perform? We need to do some tuning."

Zhang Ye looked at him. "An original."

"An original?" That keyboardist was taken aback, but nodded and said, "That's fine too."

The drummer said, "Go ahead and sing. We can improvise."

Zhang Ye said, "Are you sure?"

The drummer smiled. "Of course, it's no problem. We're all professionals."

There had just been two masked singers who had arranged their songs. Whether they'd sustained high notes or slowed down the song, even when it was performed differently from the original, the Miracle Wheels could still accompany the performers. They were one of the best bands around, so how could they not do that? It was just improvisation. What was so difficult about that?

The guitarist said, "Let's hit it, Teacher."

In the audience, everyone was engrossed by the happenings onstage!

Hu Fei's ears perked up.

Dong Shanshan did not blink.

Han Qi was also eyeing the stage, hoping to catch a glimpse of something that would reveal The Clown's identity.

A worker?

You've been acting since the start!

This time, I want to see how you can keep pretending!

A love song? Or a rock song? Once you start singing, there will surely be something that gives you away. At that time, I will definitely be able to guess your true identity!

A lot of people were thinking the same thing as Han Qi, as everyone wanted to guess the identity of this man. They couldn't have it such that not even their internal staff knew who this guy was, could they?

However, when The Clown starting singing, they realized that they were too naïve in their thinking! They finally realized just how much of a seasoned pro they had encountered!

Zhang Ye lifted the microphone in his hands and started singing with enthusiasm.

"We workers have the strength and pow'r!

"We workers have the strength and pow'r!

"Working hard every single day!

"Building all these high-rise buildings!

"Laying railways for coal mining!

"Reforming the world, we've changed it!"

Two of Beijing Television's heads were floored!

The program team staff in the audience were all bowled over!

"Machines are started: rumbling loud!

"Raising our hammers: clink clank clunk!

"Making plows: the production's good!

"Forging guns: to send to the front!

"Heave ho, heave ho!

"A red glow shines on our faces!

"Our sweat drips down off our faces!

"For what? For the revolution!

"For what? For the revolution!"

The Miracle Wheels' band members' jaws all dropped. Throughout, they could not even accompany him with a beat. They just stared in astonishment at the masked singer onstage, feeling as though 10,000 grass mud horses were galloping past!

Improvisation?

I'll improvise your sister!

What the fuck is this song! How the fuck can we possibly improvise to that!

But listening to that Teacher Clown's voice, they couldn't help but admit one thing—his singing was so fucking good! That voice was marvelous!

The music stopped.

Well alright, there wasn't actually any music to begin with. The entire time, Zhang Ye had been singing a cappella. The Miracle Wheels, who had just bragged about their professionalism, ended up not even playing a melody.

Zhang Ye finished performing.

Everyone in the audience smiling wryly.

It was another workers' song?

Yesterday was oil workers!

And today? Railroad workers? Coal miners?

Geez, friend, can you stop being so inspirational?!

Can you please sing properly! How do you expect us to guess who you are this way?

Hu Fei cleared his throat, looked at The Clown, and said, "Teacher, you sing great and very professionally. We all recognize your singing and strength, but about that, um, can you please switch to a different song? Can you sing something that is closer to your actual job? Are you a professional singer? Or an actor? Why don't you do another song?"

Zhang Ye nodded. "Sure."

Hu Fei said, "Thank you."

Everyone was once again in full anticipation as they believed he would finally sing something proper.

Something related to my job?

Alright, then I have no choice but to reveal my real occupation to all of you!

Without even skipping a beat, Zhang Ye sang the next song loudly. The moment he belted out the first line, he made the 50 to 60 people present in the studio so angry they wanted to vomit blood!

"As a fifty-year-old pro driver, I am all smiles!

"I tend to get long-winded when talkin' 'bout trucks!"

Pfft!

Dong Shanshan had her face in her hands and was laughing uncontrollably!

Han Qi was floored!

Hu Fei stared blankly!

You've become a pro driver this time? And you're even a fucking fifty-year-old pro driver? You even fucking all smiles about it?

I'll smile at your second granny!

However, Zhang Ye was very into the song and painted a vivid picture.

"Thinkin' o' when I was 18 'n' learned how to drive, oh.

"Fid'ling with that foreign truck, I b'came an old hand.

"Since, of course, I have yet to see a Chinese truck.

"Praying to the moon and stars, praying for that truck to come! And, it did! Yo-o-o ho hey!

"Our working class wins glory for our country, hey!"

Everyone felt numb and watched him in stupefaction.

But the more Zhang Ye sang, the more enjoyment and excitement he got out of it.

"Full of pride, I have the power!

"Hey-hey-hey, hey-hey-hey.

"Heh-heh-heya.

"My-y-y country's la-a-and spans far and wide.

"I drive my domestic truck merrily along.

"In the blink of an eye, I've traveled all across China.

"Load up all the construction material onto my truck, oh.

"Night and day, no stops, hey!

"Shipping grain, lugging steel,

"Climbing mountains, crossing rivers,

"I will take it into my own hands to build our China! Yo-o-o ho hey! Hey!

"Even with 50 or 60 more years, I shall never come to a stop!"

"Hey-hey-hey!

"Hey-hey-hey-hey!

"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heyo!"

With one last deep breath, Zhang Ye sang in a sustained line in his head voice, "I shall never come to a stop!"

He finished singing.

The song ended.

In the audience, very few people were left "standing" as everyone had been bowled over!

Stop the truck!

Hurry up and stop the truck, bro!

Hats off to him!

They truly commended him!

Almost nobody could play dumb to his extent!

Oil workers? Coal miners? Railroad workers? And this time, it was a truck driver? Even if you live for another 50-60 years, you shall never come to a stop? Aren't you going to drive yourself to death then!

Truly, everybody was defeated by this masked singer who went by the name of The Clown!

" I Offer Oil to My Homeland 1 "?

" We Workers Have the Strength and Pow'r 2 "?

" Pro Driver 3 "?

What the fuck are all these songs!

Did you have to go that far to hide your identity? Just who on earth are you!?

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Chapter 984: You have the cheek to call others weird?

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Teacher Clown's audition was over.

Every employee in the studio found it both funny and annoying!

A lovely King of Masked Singers.

A lovely variety show.

A lovely stage meant for the performance of pop music.

But good god! It was fucking turned into a retirees' concert for old cadres of the working class, with songs talking about events before and after the revolution. Even if you sang a song from 10 to 20 years ago, we would still have considered it pop! But which era were your songs from? They were all songs from 50 to 60 years ago, perhaps even 60 to 70 years ago!

Han Qi thought to herself how her dad had probably just been born when these songs hit the airwaves!

How did you even come up with songs like that?

You're too good at making things up!

The performance had knocked most of the audience dead. The previous five masked singers had also purposely tried to hide and disguise their real voices. One of them even sang their song entirely in a falsetto. But even so, compared to those before him, the way that this masked singer named "The Clown" had concealed his identity made the other five people's methods not even worth mentioning! In order to hide his identity, he went as far as composing these three revolutionary style songs himself or with the help of someone else!

He pretended to be a coal miner after pretending to be an oil worker!

He pretended to be a trucker after pretending to be a coal miner!

Would you be convinced by that?

Would you?

In any case, Hu Fei, Hou Ge, Hou Di, and the rest of the program team were all prostrating!

They were convinced!

A lot of them were actually kneeling in worship on the inside as they listened to the end of the song!

Hu Fei looked behind him. "Sirs, what about him?"

A deputy station head who was neither laughing nor crying said, "Why are there even such people?"

A station chief coughed and said, "People involved in the performing arts are probably a little bit different, you know?"

"There's a lot of people in the performing arts," the deputy station head said, "but I've never seen one that takes it as far as him. In order to protect his identity, he pretended to be some retired old worker? And belt out revolutionary song after revolutionary song? Coming up with all sorts of tricks? He acted like he was a worker until it became a drama! He turned these working class songs into a series! When he gets onto the actual stage, he better not turn into a textile or subway worker! Who could bear that?"

Hu Fei was entertained. "Sir, that definitely won't happen. When the day of recording arrives, he will definitely sing properly. I'm just curious as to who he really is."

Another station head suddenly said, "Did you all forget? The contract."

When everyone heard that, their eyes lit up!

Right!

The contract had yet to be signed!

They still required him to sign it in person in order to participate!

The Clown had already gone offstage.

Hu Fei asked, "Are there any more contestants lined up?"

Dafei quickly answered, "There are two more teachers who have just arrived, but they're both still getting ready."

"Alright, let them wait a bit." Hu Fei immediately called out to Zhang Ye, "Teacher Clown, a word, please."

The Clown looked at him.

Hu Fei held up the contract. "You must be an industry insider, so you must surely know that there is a requirement to sign a contract before you can appear on the show. Please look over it."

The Clown acknowledged and walked over to them. He held the contract in his gloved hand and swept his eyes several times across the contract.

Hu Fei said, "It just outlines the duties of the artist, such as attending the show's recording on time—it's the same as any other contract. The contract period runs until the end of the show's broadcast. If you've verified that there are no problems, please sign your name here. Oh, by the way, it has to be your real name, else there's no legality, and that wouldn't do."

Everyone was thinking that he would reject it.

But this man wearing a clown mask did not even hesitate. He picked up a pen and signed his name in a few quick strokes.

Hu Fei was taken aback.

A few of the station heads were also taken aback.

They grabbed the contract and squeezed together to look at it. Their jaws dropped.

"This is?"

"What name is this?"

"I can't read it?"

"Th-This is your real name?"

Although he did sign his real name, it was so flamboyant none of them could read it.

The Clown said, "It's 100% my real name."

He was not lying. He did indeed sign it as "Zhang Ye," which was his real name. But of course, Zhang Ye was a calligrapher too. Regular script? Clerical script? Semi-cursive script? Cursive script? He knew all of those. As long as he didn't wish for anyone to read his handwriting, most ordinary folk would not be able to read it. And even if they wanted Zhang Ye to explain the characters he wrote down, he could easily tell them about the strokes that were written. His name and his signature would definitely match up!

A deputy station head was flabbergasted. "Teacher, you're making things very difficult for us by doing this. If we don't even know who you are, how can we pay you your appearance fees?"

Zhang Ye shook his head. "Just take care of my meals."

Take care of his meals?

No need for any appearance fees?

Damn, aren't you too easy to fool? But it was true; the working class had always had low requirements.

They had no other ideas left anyway. Having encountered such a stubborn veteran, what else could they do? They couldn't possibly deny him an appearance on the show, could they? With such good vocals, it would be a real pity not to have him! Besides, the man beneath the mask might really be some big name celebrity, and that would mean viewership ratings! Who would willingly give that up?

The Clown walked off.

Leaving only the program team staff whispering to one another.

"Could he have really been a worker?"

"The hell, you really believe that?"

"Uh, how else could he have sung those songs with such enthusiasm?"

"Who knows."

"I still can't figure it out!"

"Yeah, those three songs have me befuddled!"

"He's way too good at faking it!"

"We might really have to wait until the start of the competition to find out what he's truly capable of."

"He hides himself really well. But is it worth it?"

"He doesn't even want the appearance fees? Perhaps he's not actually a big name celebrity?"

"God only knows!"

However, when writing their evaluations, everyone still gave him very good reviews.

Hu Fei wrote: Bel canto maestro.

Dafei wrote: Recommended as opener.

Dong Shanshan wrote: Able to sing old songs well, very unique.

...

Backstage.

In The Clown's waiting room.

Han Qi followed him back.

"Teacher."

"Hm?"

"There are a few more masked singer auditions taking place later. When everything is over, there will be an internal meeting."

"Meeting the other contestants?"

"No, no, it's just showing everyone's singing to each other so that everyone can have a listen. Of course, it will only be a small portion of the actual singing, just a few lines. That's to allow the contestants to 'greet' to each other with their vocals. Of course, if you don't wish to make yourself known to them in advance, you may decline to partake in this internal meeting. We are more lenient about that. But out of respect for everyone else, if you do not wish to take part, you won't be allowed to listen to their singing from the auditions."

"OK."

"So your decision is?"

"I'm fine with that."

"OK."

Zhang Ye was fine with the arrangement. He had already done so much to conceal his identity. If someone could still recognize him, he would have to hand it to them. In truth, even if he did not hide himself this way, people were not likely to identify him. That was because Zhang Ye had only sung officially in public once before, during Beijing Television's Spring Festival Gala where he performed "A Letter to Home." His singing then was done in a more "recitative" style and was considered casual, so the industry insiders all knew that he couldn't really sing and would therefore not likely associate him to this current identity. As such, Zhang Ye was not afraid to let others hear his singing. In fact, he wanted to listen to the other masked singers to find out their strengths!

Half an hour…

One hour…

Finally, the auditions for the masked singers who came over today were finished!

Shortly after, Han Qi knocked on the door and came in. "Teacher, we're ready!"

Zhang Ye said, "OK."

There was a television in the waiting room.

Han Qi turned it on and changed some settings before an image appeared on the screen. This was clearly not a broadcast signal, but an internal one.

Zhang Ye, with mask on, looked over.

The first singer's voice came from the TV.

"The ni-i-ight's cooled down.

"The wi-i-ind's died down.

"But where, oh where, are you?"

It was a woman's voice!

All the notes were sung in a falsetto!

It might look like very easy to sing in a falsetto, but it was particularly difficult to control. It required a lot of skill, yet this woman's falsetto was flawless and would make anyone who heard it shiver!

Zhang Ye looked at her name.

Stage name: Petal Shower.

Who was it?

He could not figure out who she was just from listening!

Following her, the next voice sounded!

"The sun is my name.

"Heaven is my faith.

"The Earth is my refuge

"Humanity is my enemy."

It was a woman's voice again!

It was a very gentle and soothing female voice!

Upon hearing it for the first time, it didn't sound too special. But this voice was the type that became more pleasant the more you listened to it. It was the kind of voice that would slowly and lightly creep into your soul!

It was wonderful!

And who might this be?

Looking at her stage name, it was Sunset Glow!

So it was her! She had bumped into Zhang Ye earlier in the corridor. He felt that she should be someone he had come across before, although he could not recognize her.

Next, a man's voice rang out!

This was the voice of that man called "Sunflower in the Starlight."

"Oh!

"Yiya, oh!

"I don't believe that my life is worse than others!

"I don't believe that I have no talent!

"I don't believe that I'm destined to be a lowly person!

"I don't believe that my songs will be left unanswered forever!"

This was a song from this world, Zhang Yuanqi's old song, "I Don't Believe," although he made several arrangements to the score. His voice had very strong carrying power, and his high notes were very powerful!

He was certainly going to be a formidable adversary!

Moreover, Zhang Ye was positive that this man was a professional singer. This was because if he were an actor or a host, even with great talent and singing, he couldn't possibly belt like that. This guy's voice was like a well-tempered and highly polished blade!

Then the fourth contestant.

Followed by the fifth.

And the sixth.

Zhang Ye was looking more and more helpless, thinking about how these contestants were much too fearsome!

It wasn't until he heard the seventh person's voice that he felt a little relieved.

This man's stage name was "The Yak."

Although he sang well, there were some flaws that could be heard in his singing. There were some articulation issues and other details of his singing that lacked quite a fair bit compared to the others, so he likely wasn't a professional singer. Or perhaps it was a newcomer to the music industry? Hai, but when it came down to the real competition, nothing was certain. The live studio atmosphere, the audience demographics, the choice of song, the order of appearances, the actual performance, all of these would affect the final results. Zhang Ye would not venture say that this guy would definitely get eliminated until the outcome was announced. Who knew? If he picked well and chose a song that resonated with the audience, then they might very well just vote for him.

As a result, he knew not to disregard any of them!

None of the competitors would be easy to deal with!

Zhang Ye memorized all of their names by heart. He also knew they were not the only contestants. They were just the tip of the iceberg!

After the clips were played.

Han Qi looked at him with her beady eyes and blinked several times. "Teacher Clown, what do you think?"

Zhang Ye stopped up his throat and commented in a gravelly voice, "They're alright. The Yak is average at singing, but for Petal Shower to sing entirely in falsetto, she's a little weird."

Han Qi's vision swam!

Weird?

You have the cheek to call others weird?

Damn! Out of the entire group, you're the weirdest one, OK?!

...

Waiting Room #1.

The voice of The Clown was reverberating through the room.

"How glorious it is to be an oil worker!

"Wearin' a hard hat and trav'lin' the world!"

The masked man with the stage name, "Sunflower in the Starlight," was staring, slack-jawed!

...

Waiting Room #2.

"We workers have the strength and pow'r!

"We workers have the strength and pow'r!"

Petal Shower nearly fell off the sofa!

...

Waiting Room #4.

"As a fifty-year-old pro driver, I am all smiles!

"I tend to get long-winded when talkin' 'bout trucks!

"Thinkin' o' when I was 18 'n' learned how to drive, oh."

"Fid'ling with that foreign truck, I b'came an old hand."

Sunset Glow was wide-eyed and tongue-tied!

...

The people in the other waiting rooms were also reacting similarly!

All these masked singers were dumbfounded by what they heard!

Fuck!

What the fuck are these songs?

Who the fuck is this guy?

Did you come here to hold a union meeting or what?!

Could it be a veteran singer? Or an old performing artist who sang? But that voice did not sound like it! It didn't feel that old! Damn, just what kind of a person did King of Masked Singers invite this time?

"What a weirdo!" This was the evaluation of The Clown by all the other masked singers!

They were also speculating about the identity of "The Clown."

A bel canto singer?

Did he sing opera?

Just like how Zhang Ye was curious about who they were!

They were also extremely curious as to who "The Clown" was, as well as the identities of the other contestants!

For this unprecedented variety show, no one knew their competitors, so maybe this was where the real fun lay!

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Chapter 985: A female celebrity in trouble

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The next day.

Early in the morning, his parents had gone out to buy groceries.

After washing up, Zhang Ye closed his bedroom door and stayed inside to make a list of songs. Although it was still some days away until the official recording of King of Masked Singers, he definitely had to make some preparations beforehand. Frankly, with so many songs in his head, he did not know which song he'd pick to sing when he got on stage.

This song?

No, it was too normal.

That song?

That wouldn't do either as it was unsuitable for him.

Or that song?

Mhm, that song was alright, so he shortlisted it as a backup.

After working at it for one full hour, Zhang Ye was still not finished with the song list and was forced to lay the thought to rest for the time being. Since he did not have any inspiration today, he would stop thinking about it for now. He would decide on which song to sing at a later time. As such, he chose to practice his singing, as it was going to be his prime weapon. If his voice was not good and he did not sing well, it would be pointless even if he chose the best songs, since he wouldn't be able to move the hearts of the audience. Together with his stage presence, the musical arrangement, and the control of the live studio atmosphere, all of those might affect the audience's auditory and visual perception, which would then be reflected in the final score.

He still had many things that he needed to practice in the coming days.

So it was better to take it slow.

"Ah, woooo.

"Ah, haaaah.

"Ah, yi, yaaaah."

He began doing vocal cord warmups to train himself. This was the same as martial arts. Just learning wasn't enough. One would still have to practice diligently. Otherwise, though Zhang Ye had eaten 500 Fruits of Charm (Voice) and 500 Singing Skill Experience Books, he could not wield them effectively.

Coupled with the audition at Beijing Television yesterday, he realized that there were many other masked singers with astonishing voices. The pressure on him was great, so naturally he would have to do more prep work. Zhang Ye knew that if he went onstage in his current shape, he would definitely not win. Those singers were the country's cream of the crop, surely consisting of some professional singers who might already have been singing for ten or twenty years. This was something that Zhang Ye could not compare with.

One day.

Three days.

Five days.

He did not do anything other than practicing and refining his vocals every day during this period of time.

The octave his high notes reached.

How long his falsetto could last.

What the auditory feedback of his low notes were.

How to control his breathing and whether his modulations were mellow.

He had to understand everything. Through experimentation, Zhang Ye gained a deeper understanding of his voice and singing techniques during these several days. Only by knowing his true skill could he exert his strength to the fullest. That would allow him to capitalize on his strong points and minimize his shortcomings.

...

The promotions for King of Masked Singers were in full swing.

On this day, a call from Hu Fei arrived.

"Zhang'er, we're going to film the promo soon."

"OK."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

"Since you're the director, I shouldn't be making any suggestions. But if you need me to come up with a tagline or something, that's not a problem. As for how you want to film it, I'll leave it entirely to you."

"Are you really planning not to participate?"

"Hur hur, didn't I tell you already? I'd only be responsible for the pre-production. Brother Hu, I've been banned at long last, so why don't you let me rest a couple days."

"That won't do. Let's go together. You can give some advice while we're there."

"Where are you filming?"

"Not too far away. Just around the Beijing area."

"Well, OK."

"This will only be a concept-based promo, so there's no need for the contestants to personally take part. We plan on creating an atmosphere like a martial arts conference, with masked experts from all walks of life facing off against each other in a battle to the death. We need the feel of experts fighting each other, so we've booked a training hall for the setting. The view over there is not bad, and the atmosphere is also suitable for what we want. We'll head there first to get a feel for the place and see if we can create the effect we want."

"A training hall?"

"Yeah, that land is owned by the 'Lian Family Style School.' They're a martial sect with a real martial arts lineage, unlike some training halls that hold deceptive recruitment drives and demand joining fees. They don't usually welcome outsiders. There's an old film called Death Battle, have you watched it before? The latter half of the movie was filmed there, so it's quite a famous place. The two houses that appeared in the movie became quite popular later on. Some tourists were even attracted by its fame to the point it nearly became a minor tourism spot. I heard that a film Ning Lan will be starring in will also be going there to do some on-location shooting in the next couple days."

The Lian Family Style School?

He didn't know about them as he was not very familiar with the martial sects and schools of the Chinese martial arts world.

"Forget it, Brother Hu. I think it's better that I don't go."

"Ah? What's the matter?"

"If you're going to a training hall, I won't be joining you guys."

"But why? We're setting off tomorrow morning and can be back by evening at the earliest, so it wouldn't really delay anything for you. Hey, you're unemployed. What can be keeping you busy?"

"It's better that I don't go."

"Didn't you just say that you would go?"

"Man."

Would he have to tell him that it was because he was a notorious figure in the Chinese martial arts world?

Even if he told him that, Hu Fei wouldn't believe it!

Zhang Ye briefly discussed the concept for the promotional clip with Hu Fei and brought up some of his ideas before hanging up. Regarding the Chinese martial arts world, Zhang Ye's current stand was: "If you people do not provoke me, I will not provoke any of you. Let's just stay far away from each other so that we can save the trouble of finding each other an eyesore." He would not worry about the promotional video. Since the promo was getting produced, it meant the broadcast of the show was approaching. Zhang Ye had to make the best of it and practice his singing.

He practiced his singing for yet another day.

As well as wrote down a few concepts regarding some musical arrangements.

He was certain he wanted to go onstage with original songs, so his workload was much greater than everyone else. He had to arrange many of the songs himself, or at least come up with some ideas so that he could communicate them to the band members and music director who were invited to King of Masked Singers.

...

The next day.

Between 8 and 9 o'clock in the morning.

Zhang Ye was still under the covers, sleeping, when he heard his cell phone beep nonstop. They were notifications from the chat app, with messages coming in one after another, waking him up.

Who was it?

Why would anyone send so many messages in a row?

Groggy, Zhang Ye checked his cell phone. Oh, so the message notifications came from the Celebrity Goof Group, where almost all of the Heavenly Kings, Heavenly Queens, and A-list celebrities were members.

Since he was already awake, he casually browsed through the messages.

With over a hundred messages, Zhang Ye became more startled the more he browsed.

The first morning message was actually sent by Ning Lan around ten minutes ago.

Ning Lan: "Please help."

Huo Dongfang: "What happened?"

Xiaodong: "What happened, Sister Ning?"

Fan Wenli: "What's the matter?"

A lot of people appeared and responded.

Ning Lan sent a bitter smile emote and said: "We came to Lian Jia Gou for filming this morning. Due to a minor misunderstanding, someone in our filming team offended the Lian Family Style School. It blew up into a rather big affair and now our equipment has been withheld by them and they refuse to let us leave!"

Huo Dongfang: "Lian Jia Gou?"

Chen Guang said: "Old Ning, are you alright?"

Ning Lan: "I'm alright for now."

At this moment, Zhang Yuanqi appeared. "Have you called the police yet?"

Ning Lan: "Already done. The police are here and are talking with them. But it looks like it's gonna be pointless. We suggested compensating them monetarily but they wouldn't accept, so is there anyone here who can help us out? Please contact me, thanks."

Zhang Yuanqi: "I'll help you ask around."

Ning Lan: "Hurry up!"

Zhang Yuanqi: "Don't rush me. I'm already making some calls."

Everyone in the entertainment industry knew that Zhang Yuanqi and Ning Lan were close friends with a very good relationship. Although Zhang Ye had never met Ning Lan—who was an A-list celebrity in the film industry—in person before, they had chatted together in the group quite often.

Zhang Ye was still reading the chat history at the moment.

Zhang Yuanqi: "I've checked with a few people for you, but they can't do anything about it. The Lian Family Style School is a martial sect of the martial arts community whose unarmed fighting techniques are an intangible cultural asset. They don't have much interaction with the outside world, and the martial arts teachers that I approached were unqualified to talk to them. Old Jiang is in their circle, right? I'll help you @ him. He's a member of the martial arts community, so he should be able to help out. @JiangHanwei." Then Zhang Yuanqi said: "If he's not here, you can just call him."

Xiaodong, who was on extremely good terms with Jiang Hanwei, added: "@JiangHanwei Uncle Jiang, Sis Ning has met with some trouble."

Jiang Hanwei was also one of the chat members in the group, though Zhang Ye had not seen him say anything yet. Of course, this was partly due to the fact that Zhang Ye had recently joined the group.

After seven or eight messages.

Jiang Hanwei's name finally came up. "I just saw this. I don't really have any connections with the Lian Family Style and have not had any dealings with them before either. But I'll make a call to help you ask around and see if they're willing to give me some face."

Ning Lan: "Thank you so much, Brother Jiang."

Jiang Hanwei: "Don't mention it. Let me try making a call."

Jiang Hanwei was extremely skilled in martial arts, though his status was a little bit more aloof in the entertainment industry due to his big brother status. But he knew many people and was highly respected by them. But in the Chinese martial arts world, Jiang Hanwei's reputation was not really that great as he did not belong to any martial sect or school. He was previously a disciple of the Huashan Sect, but was later expelled for reasons unknown. At most, he could be considered a former disciple of the Huashan Sect, although that wasn't exactly much of a good reputation either. In the Chinese martial arts world, seniority and pedigree were emphasized with even more importance than in the entertainment industry. Even if the Jiang Hanwei Stunt Team had a sparkling reputation in the entertainment industry and around the country, many people in the real "martial arts community" refused to acknowledge him.

A few minutes later, sure enough.

Jiang Hanwei said: "I called them, but they aren't willing to give any face to me."

Xiaodong was a warm-hearted girl. "Uncle Jiang, you have such a high status, yet they won't even give you any face? What gives them the right to do that!"

Jiang Hanwei said helplessly: "The Chinese martial arts world is different from the entertainment industry. The 'martial arts community' is a more sealed off place. There are more rules as well. Once you've violated their taboos, they might really take it to the bitter end with you. Ning Lan, I heard about your people stepping on their Heavenly Rock that was passed down by their ancestral founder. No wonder they risked their lives."

Ning Lan sighed and said: "It was because one of our cameramen wanted to find a better angle to shoot from. But he didn't know that the rock held significance, so he crossed the fence and stepped onto it. We apologized, but it was no use! Everyone is trapped here now! We can't even retrieve our equipment!"

Jiang Hanwei advised: "Try to think of another way. I have no means to handle this. I really can't do much to help you."

Fan Wenli said: "Even reporting it to the police doesn't work?"

Chen Guang: "But still, they can't detain you like this!"

Xiaodong: "Then what can we do?"

Ning Lan: "The police is afraid to lock horns with them too. More and more of their sect members are gathering around now! Things look bad! Brother Jiang, you used to be part of the martial arts community. What do you think we should do?"

Jiang Hanwei: "Even monetary compensation didn't work?"

Ning Lan: "It didn't work, they wouldn't accept!"

Jiang Hanwei: "Such a problem is not easy to handle."

Xiaodong: "@Everyone Does anyone have a solution? Please rescue Sister Ning!"

This was the latest message in the group chat.

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Chapter 986: Zhang Ye steps in!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The Goof Group.

This should be the coolest chat group that ever existed in the entertainment industry. Almost all of the big shot celebrities were in it, and any one of them could shake up the entertainment industry with just a stomp of their foot. This group was usually just a place for shooting the breeze, but if anyone encountered trouble, they could seek help from the group. Those who could help would definitely try their best as they were always looking out for one another. After all, who wouldn't have times of trouble themselves? These celebrities always seemed like they were doing well on the outside, but there were still times they were vulnerable and needed to band together.

"Does anyone have a solution?"

"Old Ning, you guys must control yourselves, you can't clash with them. Those people from the martial arts world are not to be trifled with. Every single one of them is very skilled."

"Who here can speak with the Lian Family?"

"Is there anyone else online?"

Ning Lan's social ties within the industry were very good. Whenever her friends approached her for a guest role as a supporting character, she would always agree without hesitation and help out wherever she could. So as she ran into today's problem, everyone was very concerned for her.

Reading this, Zhang Ye could no longer "play dead."

He sat up in bed and typed: "Are Beijing TV's people there yet?"

It was Zhang Ye?

The people in the chat group were taken aback by his appearance.

Everyone already knew about the conflict between Zhang Ye and Jiang Hanwei. But no one expected that the two of them would appear in the group chat at the same time.

Ning Lan immediately said: "Are you referring to the program team of King of Masked Singers? They're here too. They arrived shortly after us and got detained as well."

Zhang Ye frowned. "They were detained too?"

Ning Lan said: "The Lian Family Style's people probably thought that they were also part of our group."

Zhang Ye made a noise in understanding. "Then I'll make a trip there."

Ning Lan: "You're coming over right now?"

Zhang Ye: "I'll head over straight away!"

Chen Guang asked: "Zhang'er, why are you going over there?"

Xiaodong said in surprise: "You can help them out, Teacher Zhang?"

Zhang Ye said: "We'll see when I get there." Then he said to Ning Lan: "If that group of people tries to do anything to you guys, just mention my name!"

Ning Lan was stunned. "Mentioning your name will work?"

Zhang Ye said: "Probably."

Ning Lan: "OK, I'll wait for you. Thank you so much."

Zhang Yuanqi reappeared and asked Zhang Ye: "You can resolve things?"

Zhang Ye said: "More or less. I'm certain I can bring everyone and the equipment back safely."

In truth, no one understood how Zhang Ye could have any influence over Lian Jia Gou. Even for a martial artist like Jiang Hanwei, the Lian Family Style was not willing to give him any face at all! And you're talking about mentioning your name?

Xiaodong was still quite worried, so she sent Jiang Hanwei a private message.

Xiaodong: "Uncle Jiang, is there really no other way?"

There was a moment of silence from the other side.

Then Jiang Hanwei replied: "Didn't that Zhang guy say he was going?"

Xiaodong: "What use would it be even if Teacher Zhang goes? With that bad temper of his, what if he ends up fighting with them when he gets there? That would blow things up even more. All of those people know martial arts, and if they really beat up Teacher Zhang to a pulp, then…"

Jiang Hanwei said: "Beat him to a pulp? That would be so wonderful."

Xiaodong didn't know how to react. "Uncle Jiang."

Jiang Hanwei pondered for a moment. "Hur, the problem is that they'd have to be willing to act."

Xiaodong didn't understand. "Eh? What do you mean?"

Jiang Hanwei did not bother explaining. "Nothing."

At home.

Zhang Ye immediately rose out of bed and got dressed.

His mother asked, "You're up? Do you want breakfast?"

"I can't eat now." Zhang Ye said helplessly, "My coworkers ran into some trouble, so I have to go take care of it."

At this moment, a call from Beijing Television arrived.

It was Hou Ge. "Teacher Zhang, we ran into some trouble at Lian Jia Gou."

Zhang Ye grunted. "I heard about it."

"You've already heard about it?" Hou Ge was surprised.

Zhang Ye asked: "Is Brother Hu there too?"

Hou Ge said: "Yeah, all of us have been detained here."

Zhang Ye said: "Tell everyone to wait for me to get there."

Hu Fei had asked him yesterday to go with them to film the promotional video for the show, but when Zhang Ye heard that they were going to one of the martial sect's training halls, he turned him down. He didn't expect that he would still have to make a trip there in the end.

Zhang Ye went out, got in his car, and drove straight for Lian Jia Gou.

...

Later that morning.

10:30 AM.

Zhang Ye drove very fast at a high speed all the way and reached the location in no time at all. He got out of his car and asked for directions before striding off.

Before he even got there, he could hear bickering.

At the grounds.

A film crew and a program team were surrounded by a group of people. Ning Lan's film crew consisted of around 18 people, while there were less people from the Beijing Television team, numbering only around 12 people. Actually, the Lian Family Style's people who had surrounded them numbered between 20 and 30 people and were roughly equal in numbers to them. They were all wielding club-type weapons. But Ning Lan, Hu Fei, and the others did not risk leading everyone else to break through because they knew their opponents were all martial artists.

The Lian Family Style was absolutely not a small sect in the Chinese martial arts world. Their master had appeared on a Central TV science show several years ago, during which he performed his kung fu in the presence of an audience, and was recognized as a genuine martial arts master. Although their grounds and some of its facilities were made available for lease to the public in recent years to supplement their income, the Lian Family Style School was still the same old illustrious but reclusive sect of the Chinese martial arts world. Even if their opponents amounted to just ten people, Ning Lan and the others would still be unable to overpower them in a fight, much less force their way out!

A person on the film crew said, "Return our equipment to us!"

Furious, a Lian Family Style unarmed specialist said, "In your dreams!"

That person on the film crew fumed, "We've apologized to you guys already. We understand that we were in the wrong as we did not know about the history of the Heavenly Rock, so how can you guys handle things this way? Just what do you people want?"

Ning Lan tugged at that person on the film crew. "Director Wang, let's refrain from saying too much."

Director Wang said angrily, "But they're really taking this too far!"

The Lian Family Style disciples shouted, "We'll talk about this when our master gets here!"

One of the Lian Family Style disciples said, "Before our master gets here, no one is to leave!"

Hu Fei was also getting irked. "Do you people know how to act reasonably?"

Hou Ge said in frustration, "What does any of this have to do with us? Why are you surrounding us as well?"

The Beijing Television team had really gotten themselves embroiled in an unfortunate series of events today. They had only just arrived and bumped into the film crew that was filming a movie here. As some of them knew each other, they went over to greet the film crew and chatted happily for a while. After all, they were by and large from the same industry, and it was only polite to greet each other when they met. But who could have known that something would happen right at the next moment? Hu Fei, Xiao Lu, Dafei, and the others had all been surrounded from morning until now, deadlocked for the past few hours!

The police were also here.

Several of the local police officers were trying to smooth things over. "Forget about it and just let it slide, Master Chen. They've apologized to you all and even offered compensation. You can't keep them here forever, right? There has to be an end to all this."

There was an unarmed specialist surnamed Chen who practiced the Lian Family Style.

Master Chen seethed, "The Heavenly Rock was handed down by our Lian Family Style's ancestral founder. It's the symbol of our sect! It's just as important as our name! They should have just stuck to their filming. We leased the place to them, so we wouldn't have kicked up a fuss as long as they did not damage anything. Besides, we even fenced the area around the Heavenly Rock! There was also a warning sign in place! Yet they had to step on it! That's the same as stepping on our heads! Can we take that lying down? Huh?"

"Senior Bro, let's not wait for Master to get here!"

"Right, let's beat them up before talking!"

"This is so infuriating!"

"Beat them up!"

"Smash their equipment!"

The Lian Family Style disciples were whipped into a frenzy!

When the film crew heard that the disciples were going to smash the equipment, they got worried. "Don't you dare!"

The digital film was inside the cameras!

If they got smashed?

That would be a huge problem!

Meanwhile, the Beijing Television team was also having none of it as their equipment was also being confiscated!

Hu Fei said, "What are you people trying to do? What are you doing?"

Hou Ge and Hou Di each rushed to stand in front of a female colleague to protect them!

The police officers started to look uneasy. "Calm down, everyone, calm down! Don't fight! Let's talk about this without resorting to violence!"

The Lian Family Style's people said angrily:

"What's there to talk about!"

"There's nothing to say!"

They tightened their grips on their weapons!

When Ning Lan realized that things were going badly, and was getting out hand, she remembered Zhang Ye's words. She had no choice but to use this as a last resort. She immediately shouted, "Zhang Ye is my friend!"

Zhang Ye?

Why was Zhang Ye's name brought up?

The film crew was shocked.

The people from Beijing Television were also staring at her in shock!

However, they were made even more slack-jawed by what happened next. When the Lian Family Style disciples heard those two words—Zhang Ye—they looked shaken and were instantly silenced!

Huh?

What was going on?

Ning Lan also didn't expect for those two words to be so effective. She immediately pointed behind her. "These friends are from Beijing TV and are all Zhang Ye's coworkers. He'll be here shortly too!"

Some of the Lian Family Style disciples looked at each other.

Someone stuck their neck out suddenly and gritted their teeth. "So what if Zhang Ye is coming!?"

"It doesn't matter who comes!"

"Right!"

"Don't you people even think about leaving this place today!"

"Even if Zhang Ye comes here in person, he'd still have to…"

Ning Lan sighed.

In the end, it didn't work!

But the next second, a voice abruptly came from behind everyone.

"Even if I come here in person, I'd still have to what?"

Zhang Ye was here!

Ning Lan turned around and said, "Little Zhang!"

Xiao Lu said in surprise, "Teacher Zhang!"

When the Lian Family Style disciples saw him, they all looked like they had just seen a ghost!

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Chapter 987: Why are they showing so much respect to Zhang Ye?

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Zhang Ye arrived.

The Lian Family Style disciples were cursing on the inside!

Fuck!

What is this Plague God doing here!

Shit!

This is going to be bad!

They were all in a subconscious state of panic. Although they had not participated in the recent Tianshan Martial Arts Conference, how could they not have heard of Zhang Ye's notoriety!

Hou Ge, Hou Di, and the others immediately ran up to him.

"Teacher Zhang!"

"You're here?"

"They've confiscated all of our station's equipment!"

"What is this! Tell me what this is!"

Han Qi and Xiao Lu stamped their feet angrily.

Hu Fei also looked over. "Zhang'er."

Zhang Ye asked, "Is everyone alright?"

Hu Fei furrowed his brows as he looked at the martial artists. He said, "We're alright for now, but they were planning to beat us up because of the argument we had. Even the police couldn't do anything when they got here!"

Zhang Ye said, "I'll handle it."

Hu Fei said, "Be careful."

Zhang Ye nodded.

Ning Lan also came up to him.

Zhang Ye locked eyes with her. As this was their first time meeting in person, they took the opportunity to size each other up.

Ning Lan was worthy of being an A-list movie star. She was elegant and looked very pretty as well. But at present, her clothing was a bit odd. She was wearing robes in the ancient style. Her sleeve was torn apart at the shoulder, and was even smeared with mud and some "blood." This look was probably required for a scene in the movie.

Ning Lan stretched out her hand. "Teacher Zhang."

Zhang Ye shook her hand. "Sister Ning."

Ning Lan had gone through all kinds of difficulties in the industry. Even though she and the film crew were trapped here and their equipment had been taken away, she did not make a fuss. Instead, she laughed. "As per your instructions, I mentioned your name but it didn't seem to have worked."

She turned around and looked at the Lian Family Style disciples.

Zhang Ye also looked at them. "The Lian Family Style?"

Master Chen, who was the group's leader, wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "That's us."

Zhang Ye said calmly, "I think I heard someone say that even if I came here in person, I'd still have to do something? That thought wasn't finished, so please go on and finish it."

When they heard that, the disciples immediately fell silent!

The Lian Family Style disciples were instantly dumbstruck and started sputtering!

Zhang Ye stared at them. "You don't even have that tiny ounce of respect for me, do you?"

Respect?

What respect did Zhang Ye command here?

The Lian Family Style disciples had even ignored the police, while the calls from Jiang Hanwei and other people in the industry trying clear up the misunderstanding went ignored as well!

The Beijing Television team could not understand!

The film crew could not understand either!

To them, Zhang Ye was just an A-list celebrity. But then again, Ning Lan was an A-list celebrity too. She was even much more popular than him, yet what use was that? In the martial arts community, they did not care about how famous you were as the two fields were in different domains with basically nothing in common!

However, the Lian Family Style disciples' reaction confused everyone!

There was a moment of silence from them.

Eventually, Master Chen braced himself and stepped forward. He apologized, "My deepest apologies, Master Zhang. My junior martial brothers don't know how to be polite. We didn't mean in that way."

Zhang Ye regarded him. "But it sounded to me like you really meant it that way."

Master Chen gave him a nervous fist and palm salute. "We wouldn't dare."

Ning Lan was stunned.

Hu Fei was wide-eyed and tongue-tied.

Dafei, Xiao Lu, Han Qi, and the film crew were all dumbfounded!

Damn! What was that supposed to mean? What was going on? The Lian Family Style disciples had just been furiously calling to rough them up. But when Zhang Ye arrived, why did they suddenly turn into different people? Why was their attitude toward Zhang Ye completely different from their attitude toward them?!

Zhang Ye pointed to the people behind him and said, "These are my coworkers; Ning Lan's my friend. Before I came over, I told Sister Ning that I would be arriving very soon. I told her that if there was any trouble, she could just mention my name to you. Oh, but now I've realized that I don't even command that tiny ounce of respect. And you people were even planning to beat them up after they brought up my name? Alright then." He stepped aside to vacate the area, revealing the people behind him. Then he swept his arm toward the film crews. "Make your move. Do whatever you wanted to do."

Master Chen was sweating profusely, and was truly trembling. "You must be kidding. Please don't joke around like this."

Zhang Ye solemnly replied, "I'm not kidding."

Master Chen wiped at his sweat again.

None of the Lian Family Style disciples ventured out!

Make our move?

Rough them up while you're standing right here?

Fuck, we haven't lived long enough yet!

Before Zhang Ye's arrival, they could have done anything they wanted, such as scolding or beating them up, and no one could have said anything against that. That was because the Lian Family Style had the right to do as they wished since it was the film crew who offended them first. Even the police would not be able to interfere. This was similar to how the ethnic minorities had their own rules, culture, and traditions. You couldn't just go about doing whatever you wanted and not respect their rules while in their territory. But now that Zhang Ye had come personally, they knew that they couldn't back up their bluster. With Zhang Ye's status in the martial arts community, if they did not show him this basic respect, then it would be their Lian Family Style who did not observe the rules. Of course, the crux of the matter was that even if a few dozen of them combined their strength, they still wouldn't be a fucking match for him! Beat them up? That would be as good as digging their own graves!

Zhang Ye said calmly, "I already know the issue. Whatever my friends here were in the wrong about, they've apologized and offered compensation. Or maybe you people could request something you need since they were at fault. There would be no argument against that!" Zhang Ye had always been a reasonable man. "But wouldn't beating them up be going overboard? A bunch of martial artists bullying a group of powerless people? There are even women among them! Are you not ashamed of yourselves?"

The Lian Family Style disciples were afraid to utter a word, but neither did they have an excuse!

Zhang Ye immediately said, "If you feel that their apology was not good enough, I will apologize to you all on their behalf since they are my friends." He then cupped his fists and bowed.

Master Chen went to stop him, flustered. "Please don't, please don't!"

Another Lian Family Style unarmed specialist hurriedly said, "There's no need to do that!"

"This isn't your fault," a female unarmed specialist also said hurriedly. "Master Zhang, there's really no need for you to do that!"

They could not accept Zhang Ye's apology, nor did they deserve it!

But with Zhang Ye showing his sincerity, much of their anger had dissipated. They suddenly felt that Zhang Ye was not as unreasonable as the rumors going around the martial arts community made him out to be.

All of a sudden, they heard footfalls coming from behind them.

Another person had arrived!

It was a middle-aged man who was bald. He looked very tough but had quite a tender air about him.

The Lian Family Style disciples instantly extricated themselves!

"Master!"

"Master!"

"Master!"

The man of the hour had arrived!

It was the Lian Family Style's master of the current generation!

The film crew and the Beijing Television team were subconsciously nervous. When the master arrived, they thought there would be another twist of events. If the other party decided to be unreasonable, they would still be unable to leave this place. Yet somehow, the next development made them once again unable to react!

Zhang Ye looked at him and gave him a fist and palm salute. "Master Lian."

The master of the Lian Family Style also looked at Zhang Ye. he gave a fist and palm and salute and said, "Master Zhang. A rare guest."

Zhang Ye said, "I'm here to resolve things for my friends and coworkers. They are just common folk and do not know your rules. If they did anything wrong, let me apologize on their behalf."

The master of the Lian Family Style refused to accept his apology as well and replied, "There's no need, Master Zhang. I've already been informed about the matter. The Heavenly Rock was handed down by our Lian Family Style's ancestral founder, and holds a great deal of significance to our Lian Family. But you are right; we cannot blame the ignorant. In reality, it's no big deal. Besides, how can we not show you respect, Master Zhang?"

Zhang Ye said, "Then allow me to thank you on behalf of my friends."

They could refuse to give face to Jiang Hanwei.

But they could not afford to snub Zhang Ye!

In the martial arts community, Jiang Hanwei's status was on a completely different plane from Zhang Ye's. Jiang Hanwei was a former disciple of the Huashan Sect, so even if he were an expert martial arts master, a former disciple was still a former disciple. His background was already tainted by that fact. Furthermore, some things that happened back at the Huashan Sect all those years ago had given some people in the Chinese martial arts world a bad impression of Jiang Hanwei.

But Zhang Ye was different. First, his kung fu skills were out in the open for all to see. He was someone who had previously forced a draw against a grandmaster. In the entire Chinese martial arts world, Zhang Ye was without doubt the strongest person below the grandmaster level. With his superb kung fu, even if those present today and the master of the Lian Family style were to gang up on him, the few dozen of them would still not be a match for Zhang Ye. Second, Zhang Ye's identity as the successor to the Taiji Fist that had been lost for over a hundred years was held in very high esteem within the martial arts community. It had a whole other meaning altogether. Third, Zhang Ye had recently barged into the grounds of over a dozen large sects in succession and took them all down with astounding ease. Almost all of the sects of the Chinese martial arts world that could be counted as large had their plaques smashed by him. Even the Shaolin Monastery and Huashan Sect had suffered Zhang Ye's violent wrath. Other than him, there was no one in the martial arts community with such a reputation. Even today, his legend was spreading throughout the martial arts community! However, even though there were many people denouncing him, as long as they did not have a blood feud with Zhang Ye, they would still prefer to avoid someone like him as much as possible.

Afterwards.

The master of the Lian Family Style glanced at his disciples and reprimanded, "Master Zhang is a guest, but you're all holding clubs. Is this the way we treat our guests?"

When the Lian Family Style disciples heard this, they hurriedly put down their weapons.

"We're sorry, Master."

"Uh-huh."

"Our apologies, Master Zhang."

Since they were being courteous with him, Zhang Ye also behaved politely.

Zhang Ye said, "We should be the ones apologizing instead."

An employee from the film crew was also quite enthusiastic to smooth things over. He came forward and said, "I'm sorry, Master Lian. We really didn't know the story behind the Heavenly Rock. We'll be sure to take note of it from now on. Tell us if you require anything for the training hall, or we could also fork out some money to help you renovate the place? It looks like quite a few of the structures are getting worn down."

The master of the Lian Family Style waved it off and said, "There's no need for that. Since your side has apologized, consider things resolved. There's no need to bring it up again. Besides, Master Zhang has come all the way here, so how could I ask you all for compensation?" Then he turned around and said to his disciples, "What are you doing still standing there? Return their equipment!"

"Yes!"

"Yes, Master!"

Master Lian beckoned to Zhang Ye and said, "Shall we have some tea inside, Master Zhang? This way, please."

Zhang Ye also gesticulated. "You first."

The two of them went inside to the innermost room.

They left behind a group of dumbfounded people who were unable to accept what had just happened before their very eyes!

Master Zhang?

When did Zhang Ye become a master?

What the fuck was that salutation?

In addition, why was the Lian Family Style's people willing to show this much respect to Zhang Ye?!

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Chapter 988: Martial Arts Master vs. Martial Arts Master!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

In the compound.

Inside the room, the tea had been brewed.

Master Lian swept out his arm. "Please have a seat, Master Zhang."

Zhang Ye said politely, "You first, Master Lian."

"You are the guest, so you first," Master Lian said.

Zhang Ye nodded and dispensed with the niceties. He sat down.

Around them, a few of the Lian Family Style disciples were also present. But they looked quite nervous, or maybe they were being cautious, as they kept their eyes on Zhang Ye.

Zhang Ye said helplessly, "Don't be so nervous. I'm just here to resolve things for my friends and coworkers. After I have my tea and finish filming the promo, I'll leave immediately." He knew what sort of reputation he had, so he made clear his intentions to put them at ease. And it was true—he was not planning on causing any trouble today.

The Lian Family Style disciples looked embarrassed.

"It's not that."

"We aren't nervous."

"Yeah, we're not."

"You're an honored guest, so we must show you hospitality."

In truth, what they had just said was totally different from they were thinking!

Not nervous?

How can we not be fucking nervous?!

Over a dozen large sects—such as the Shaolin Monastery, Wudang Sect, Huashan Sect, Kunlun Sect, Emei Sect, Iron Palm Sect, and the rest—with a few centuries of history were all taken down by you. In the entire martial arts community, who would not be on tenterhooks around you? Whose hearts wouldn't tremble if they saw you! For you to appear at our Lian Family Style's grounds today, how can we not be nervous? How big-hearted would we have to be?! Just hurry up and leave already! Leave once you're finished with your business! We are terrified into panic just at the sight of you!

When a junior martial brother of the Lian Family Style was given a signal to leave by his senior brother, he stole a glance at Zhang Ye before quietly withdrawing from the room and going outside into the training hall.

There were still several fellow disciples inside the training hall who did not know about the events that had occurred outside.

"Eh?"

"Little Junior Bro?"

"How're things outside?"

"Have those people been taught a lesson yet?"

"Where's Master?"

Those disciples all asked about it.

Instead, they witnessed their junior martial brother wildly gesticulate while panting, "Quick, quick, quick! Don't say anything! Just hide our training hall's plaque!"

A senior brother was taken aback. "What for?"

A senior sister said with wide eyes, "Why hide the plaque?"

The junior martial brother gave a bitter smile and said something shocking. "Zhang Ye is here!"

Everyone in the training hall suddenly looked horrified!

"Holy fuck!"

"Why is he here?"

"Heavens!"

"Quickly! Hide the plaque!"

"Hide it! Hurry up and hide it!"

All hell broke loose as every one of them started panicking!

This was what Zhang Ye represented.

His name was dreaded in the martial arts community!

Meanwhile, the people inside the room did not know what was going on outside. Actually, Zhang Ye's attitude was very clear and the issue was considered resolved. Both parties were very courteous to each other. There wasn't much conflict either. However, due to Zhang Ye's notoriety, several of those disciples took things into their own hands by hiding the plaque for safety's sake. Honestly, though, they couldn't be blamed for being overly cautious as it was always better to be safe than sorry. Zhang Ye's reputation was simply too notorious. As someone who could take the Huashan Sect's plaque and make it into beaded bracelets to give away, they couldn't be blamed no matter how nervous they got!

After three cups of tea.

Master Lian suddenly said, "Master Zhang, I've long heard of your great name."

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "My name isn't all that great. It's just infamous."

The Lian Family Style disciples started sweating. Oh, so you know that yourself too, eh?

Master Lian also smiled. "I've long admired the martial arts style of the Taiji Fist. We've heard a lot about the Taiji Fist since my master's generation, but we've never had the opportunity to see it for ourselves. Since you have graced us with your presence today, Master Zhang, and this is a rare opportunity, I wonder if we could exchange a few blows and learn from each other?"

Zhang Ye said, "You're too polite, Master Lian. Of course I don't mind exchanging a few blows with you."

Master Lian was delighted and rose to his feet. "Then, Master Zhang, I look forward to it."

Zhang Ye also stood up. "As do I, Master Lian."

Master Lian instructed, "Clear the room."

They did not go outside as there were too many people out there. Instead, his disciples quickly shifted the teapot, tea table, and assorted aside, then left the room in understanding. They knew full well that they were not allowed to stay behind to view this exchange between the two martial arts masters.

They withdrew.

Inside the room, the cleared space was about five or six square meters. It wasn't big, but it was more than enough.

Master Lian gave him a fist and palm salute. "Please, Master Zhang."

"Please, Master Lian," Zhang Ye said.

...

Outside.

A lot of the Lian Family Style disciples were getting very curious.

Thud. Thump. They had started fighting, and sounds of their exchange constantly came from inside.

"Who do you guys think will win?"

"Our master will win, of course!"

"You really think so?"

"Ahem, I guess our master will probably—"

"There's nothing to guess. It's an 80% chance that our master won't be a match for Zhang Ye."

"It's not an 80% chance, it's a 100% that he won't be a match for Zhang Ye."

"Sixth Junior Bro, why are you praising the enemy and putting down our master?"

"Do you guys really think that other than grandmasters, there's someone who's a match for Zhang Ye?"

Five minutes later.

The sounds of fighting stopped.

When the door opened, Zhang Ye and Master Lian walked out one after the other.

"Master!"

"Master!"

The Lian Family Style disciples looked at them anxiously, wanting to know how it'd turned out.

Zhang Ye said, "I must take my leave and go to my coworkers, Master Lian."

Master Lian said, "If there's any trouble, you can come look for me anytime."

"Thank you."

"Take care, Master Zhang."

"No need to see me out, Master Lian. Goodbye."

Zhang Ye left.

Immediately, many of the Lian Family Style disciples gathered around their master.

"Master!"

"How was it?"

"Who won?"

"Who was the victor?"

Master Lian looked over them. "We drew."

They were shocked when they heard that.

"A draw?"

"Master, you're that powerful?"

"Even Zhang Ye was not your match?"

However, Master Lian shook his head as he looked out at Zhang Ye's retreating, distant figure. He smiled and said, "He did not even use 20% of his strength, while I'd given it my all. He was just giving me face and being polite." He then sighed and said, "Taiji Fist is indeed worthy of its reputation!"

The Lian Family Style disciples fell silent at once!

20% of his strength?

Their master was not even a match for 20% of Zhang Ye's strength?

It was no wonder that he could single-handedly challenge over a dozen large sects in succession!

There were differences between the various grandmasters too. Rao Aimin, for example. She could face two grandmasters by herself for a short period of time without being disadvantaged. Naturally, there were differences between individual martial arts masters as well. Zhang Ye, Yang Shu and Master Lian were both martial arts masters. But even if Yang Shu and Master Lian were to team up to take on Zhang Ye, they might not be able to take more than 30 attacks from him. Whether it was their moves, physical attributes, or their concealed power, the gap was simply too great!

All of a sudden, Master Lian spoke, "Master Zhang's associates are filming a promo today. Help them however you can. Sometimes, we only get to know certain people after we've met them. There's no need to believe the rumors floating around out there. At the very least, I dare say that Master Zhang is not that unreasonable man he was rumored to be."

Was that so?

Was he really?

The Lian Family Style disciples were still skeptical!

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Chapter 989: Why are you guys so afraid of him?

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Outside.

The people from Beijing Television and the film crew were all busy working.

Their equipment had been returned. Actually, there were not many scenes left for the film crew to shoot. After getting a few more takes, they were finished filming for the day.

"Cut!"

"It's a wrap!"

"Great work, Director Wang."

"You too, Sister Ning."

The film crew started to pack up their equipment.

Not too far away, Zhang Ye was strolling past at this moment.

When the film crew saw him, the director and a few of the managers rushed up to him.

"Teacher Zhang."

"Thank you so much."

"It was all thanks to you."

"Thank you!"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Not at all. I had to answer Sister Ning's call for help. Besides, my coworkers were also trapped here. In the name of reason, I had to make a trip here today."

Ning Lan also smiled and said, "If you hadn't come here today, Teacher Zhang, we really wouldn't have known what we to do. It seems like only you can earn their respect. Others couldn't do a thing."

Zhang Ye waved it off. "The key is that they were willing to give me face. The truth is that we were in the wrong this time."

The director said, "It was due our crew's negligence. I'm quite sorry about that. We even caused trouble for you and your friends from Beijing Television."

Zhang Ye said, "Think nothing of it. Everything is fine now."

The film crew shouldered their equipment and left one by one.

Ning Lan was the last person to leave. She looked at Zhang Ye. "So it really did help to mention your name."

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "I just happen to have some influence here. They were also willing to give me face."

"Sure." Ning Lan smiled a beautiful smile, "When I encounter something like this in the future, I'll know what to do. Mentioning your name, Zhang Ye, will be sure to help."

Zhang Ye started and quickly said, "Don't do that. You absolutely must not."

Ning Lan was curious. "What's wrong?"

Zhang Ye said nervously, "In any case, just don't mention my name. I don't have that great an influence."

Mention my name?

You need to know where you are first of all!

It might be alright if it's at the Lian Family Style School or some of the other small sects in the martial arts community. Those places are more than likely willing to give me face. But if you went to the Shaolin Monastery, Huashan Sect, or Kunlun Sect and mentioned my name? Then you'd be trying to die! The issue might have started small, but if you mention my name, the small issue will most assuredly get blown out of proportion!

After a while, Ning Lan and the film crew left in a hurry to get to their next location.

Zhang Ye then went to the Beijing Television team.

They had already begun filming the promotional video and were currently blocking out the scene.

When Hu Fei saw that Zhang Ye had come over, he asked, "You even have influence at this place?"

Zhang Ye gave a wry smile. "More or less."

Xiao Lu grinned and shouted, "Teacher Zhang, you're so cool!"

"Yeah!" Dafei said, "You didn't see what happened just then. It was so dangerous. But after you arrived, the Lian Family Style disciples just stayed silent. What the hell happened?"

"What sort of title is Master Zhang?" Hou Ge was extremely curious.

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "It's just a form of address, nothing more."

Since Zhang Ye did not elaborate, no one could puzzle it out. Whatever it was, today's incident had astounded all of them. How could Zhang Ye have more influence than Jiang Hanwei in the domain of the Chinese martial arts world?

When the police officers standing a distance away were finally certain that there wouldn't be any more trouble, they gave each other a look and had a quick word with the people from Beijing Television before turning to leave. They didn't even greet Zhang Ye. Certainly, they knew who Zhang Ye was. But his reputation with the police was the same as it was in the Chinese martial arts world: It was very notorious! Those two verses of "Shut are the doors for humans, / Open is the entrance of a dog cage" and "No matter how heavy the iron shackles clang at my feet, / No matter how high you raise the whip" had pushed the police into the public eye a couple years ago. They had nearly drowned in the people's vitriol. Zhang Ye had gone in and out of the police station a few times himself, so he had dealt with the Public Security Bureau on many occasions. As such, whenever the cops saw Zhang Ye, their first reaction would be to stay as far away as possible, since they knew how awful this guy could be!

The shooting for the promotional video began.

Hu Fei asked, "Zhang'er, what do you think about this?"

"It's fine," Zhang Ye said.

Hu Fei asked, "Do you have any suggestions?"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "I'm just a bystander, don't ask me."

Hu Fei laughed and said, "With you, the director of the number 1 rated TV show in the country, standing here beside me, who else would I ask if not you?"

In the end, Zhang Ye had no choice but to offer some advice. He made a few filming suggestions, but did not say more than necessary. Zhang Ye had high expectations for the King of Masked Singers. After all, it was a show he would be competing in. But that was also why Zhang Ye did not want to get involved in the production too much. He wanted to give it some novelty since his upcoming battlefield wasn't going to be behind the scenes.

Half an hour.

An hour.

The filming followed a packed schedule.

Zhang Ye was observing things from a distance with folded arms.

Some Lian Family Style disciples were also nearby, stealing glances at Zhang Ye from time to time. Some of them looked at him curiously, while some of them glanced at him cautiously. But regardless of what their expressions were, there was always some fear in their eyes. Each one stayed as far away as they could. No one dared to get too near to him.

Many of those from Beijing Television noticed this, and it made them wonder even more!

Xiao Lu could no longer hold it in. When she saw one of the Lian Family Style disciples, she suddenly went up to him and said, "Bro."

"Ah?" The unarmed specialist was startled.

Xiao Lu pointed in Zhang Ye's direction. "Can I ask you something? Why are you guys so afraid of Teacher Zhang?"

The unarmed specialist said in embarrassment, "We're not."

Xiao Lu asked, "Really?"

The unarmed specialist wiped at his sweat. "We're not afraid of him."

Xiao Lu said suspiciously, "Oh, is that so? Then I must have been wrong."

The Lian Family Style's unarmed specialists could only smile bitterly in their minds. Not afraid? How could they not be afraid of him! In the Chinese martial arts world, who wouldn't tremble at the mere mention of Zhang Ye's name? Only people like you who did not know powerful Zhang Ye is would dare to speak to Zhang Ye in such a manner. If it were the Chinese martial arts world's people, how many would dare to act rashly in front of him? Even those large sects with a deep-seated hatred for Zhang Ye might not necessarily dare to do so. They were constantly saying they wanted to denounce Zhang Ye, but how long had it been? Had any of the large sects taken action yet? They only dared to talk big!

...

Heading to the metropolitan area.

On the road.

In the bus, the director was cursing at the cameraman who had stepped on the Lian Family Style's Heavenly Rock. He had been scolding him the entire way back. "What the hell were you thinking?! Didn't you see that they'd fenced it?"

That cameraman looked down at the floor without speaking. He had been quite frightened.

The director snapped, "If Sister Ning had not asked Zhang Ye for help, all of our equipment would've been written off! Someone might've even gotten hurt!"

The cameraman said, "It, it was my fault."

Ning Lan said, "It's over, so let's forget about it, Director Wang."

The director said, "Frankly, however, although Teacher Zhang Ye's reputation in the industry is not too good, but his influence is quite wide."

Ning Lan owed Zhang Ye a rather big favor this time, so she wanted to help him out. She smiled and said, "Why don't we add another character to our movie? And then invite Zhang Ye to play the part?"

The director gave her a wry smile. "Do you think I don't want to? If Zhang Ye had joined the film awhile back, the male lead's role would've belonged to him for certain. But ever since the air pollution documentary scandal, who has the courage invite him aboard? He has offended too many people and those people he offended this time are all…Forget it, there's no point in talking about it. I'm actually quite impressed with Zhang Ye, but being impressed is just that. As a director, I have to be responsible to the company and investors who entrusted me with this movie. I must guarantee that the movie will get shown. If I asked Zhang Ye to join us in his current circumstances, who would be brave enough to show our movie?" He wasn't some famous director. He was just a small-time director who hadn't debuted for too many years. He had to consider what others thought of him.

Ning Lan asked, "Is it that serious?"

The director nodded. "Why else do you think Zhang Ye still can't get any new work even though he's an A-list celebrity? It's because no one wants to risk inviting him."

Well, whatever.

It seemed like she couldn't help him out this time.

And so, Ning Lan did not say more.

Di di di. Suddenly, the chat app on her cell phone beeped with a notification.

When Ning Lan finally checked the messages, she discovered that there were quite a few new messages in the Goof Group. A lot of people had pinged her.

Xiaodong: "Sister Ning, how're things now?"

Fan Wenli: "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Zhang Yuanqi: "Are you there?"

Huo Dongfang: "Old Ning? Why'd she go quiet? Might something have happened?"

Ning Lan quickly replied in the group: "Thanks so much for your concern, everyone. The problem has been successfully resolved. Everyone is fine, and the equipment was returned to us."

Xiaodong: "Ah? That fast?"

Ning Lan sent a smiley face. "Yep. When Zhang Ye came over, the Lian Family actually gave him face and returned our equipment to us without another word!"

A movie star asked curiously: "Zhang Ye?"

Chen Guang: "Zhang Ye really went over?"

Xiaodong: "They really gave face to Teacher Zhang?"

Ning Lan laughed and said: "Not only that. When he first arrived, those people from the training hall immediately fell silent. Even the Lian Family Style's Master Lian treated him very politely. But as for why, I'm not quite sure either. Anyway, I owe Zhang Ye a favor now and have to find a way to repay him, hur hur."

A lot of the big shot celebrities in the Goof Group had not expected this. Many of them wanted to ask Jiang Hanwei what exactly was going on. That was because, in the entertainment industry, it was Jiang Hanwei who probably had the most ties with the martial arts world, so he should know why. But when they remembered the conflict between Jiang Hanwei and Zhang Ye, they knew it wouldn't be right to ask him. Therefore, they could only assume that Zhang Ye knew someone in the Lian Family since they couldn't think of any other possible reasons.

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Chapter 990: The name of Zhang Ye is worth a 150 million!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

A few days later.

The promotional video for King of Masked Singers was aired.

The premiere was scheduled for broadcast on Beijing Television on Saturday at 8 PM. When the promotional video was aired, it immediately took the Internet by storm. A lot of the viewers had their appetites whetted again!

"Take off your halo.

"Put on a mask.

"Return to the battlefield newborn.

"A gathering of the strong, no need for names. Fight a fair contest through music.

"A legend needs to be witnessed.

"Perfection can only be achieved through conquest.

"Set off a musical storm with your true power.

"King of Masked Singers.

"I'm coming!"

Impressive imagery!

A surge of visuals amid literature and art!

And then there were the lines that set people's pulses racing!

This promotional video that only lasted for around 40 seconds left everyone with a deep impression!

Widespread discussions started on Weibo.

"It's finally beginning!"

"Every show Zhang Ye produces makes people champ at the bit!"

"The promo was really blood pumping! Take off your halo and put on a mask? So who will appear on the show this time!"

"No one knows. Beijing TV hasn't revealed any names this whole time!"

"I heard that they'll all be A-list celebrities!"

"Are you serious?"

"Any celebrities in the A-list or above are the top names in the country. Will they really shed their identities and put on a mask to verse other competitors? Winning is deserved, but if they lose, that would be so embarrassing! And if they lose to some newbies in the music industry? Then it would look even worse for them!"

"That's why I'm looking forward to it!"

"Do you guys think there will be any movie stars joining?"

"Yes, of course! A lot of movie stars can also sing great!"

"Hahaha, they're crossing over to perform. That's what's most exciting about the show!"

"I really can't wait for this show to start!"

"I've been waiting for a month already! Hurry up and broadcast it!"

"The only regrettable thing is that Zhang Ye is not the host! This is his show, but he ended up getting banned. He couldn't involve himself as the host and executive director! How damned maddening!"

"Dong Shanshan is also pretty good."

"Yeah, I quite like Teacher Shanshan too."

Soon after, a list was published!

King of Masked Singers' crew:

Executive Director: Hu Fei.

Executive Producer: Zhang Ye.

Music Director: Bai Yuanfei.

House Band: Miracle Wheels.

Host: Dong Shanshan.

Guessing Panel Guest Judges: Chen Guang (famous domestic singer), Zhang Xia (famous songstress), Amy (member of popular idol group Spring Garden), Chen Yidong (famous variety host), Yao Jiancai (famous crosstalk comedian), Wang Zhuishu (famous lyricist and composer).

The list was revealed.

The viewers burst into an uproar!

They already knew about some of the people on the list, such as Zhang Ye being the executive producer and Dong Shanshan being the host. But they had never heard any news of most of the other names on the list!

Bai Yuanfei?

Chen Guang?

The Miracle Wheels?

These were all famous people from the music industry!

"Even the Miracle Wheels were invited?"

"How cool is that! They're one of the best bands in the country currently!"

"The music director is Bai Yuanfei?"

"Boss Bai received an overseas music achievement award just last year!"

"Yeah, it was for his work in the development of our country's music industry. A lot of it was to the credit of Boss Bai. He also has very high artistic standards. For him to come and take the role of music director for King of Masked Singers, the show's professionalism and degree of excellence will be elevated to another level!"

"Why did Chen Guang join as a guest judge?"

"Damn, I was hoping to see Old Chen wearing a mask!"

"Hahaha, Old Chen must be scared and unwilling to take the stage!"

"C'mon! In the music industry, among the male singers, how many people can compare with Old Chen? In terms of singing and popularity, Chen Guang is top-class. Would he even need to participate?"

"Grandma Zhang Xia will be there too!"

"Yeah, there's definitely a need for the presence of a bel canto singer!"

"I like Amy!"

"The one that surprises me most is Yao Jiancai. Hahahaha, Old Yao has actually come to do a TV show too. There's no doubt he did so because of Zhang Ye. It's not like anyone has been able to get him on their shows in the past. I adore Old Yao so much! The crosstalks he did with Zhang Ye were all perfect. They're the perfect duo that appears only once in a century! With him as a guest, the studio atmosphere would surely be enlivened. Hai, if only Zhang Ye could also be on the guessing panel as a guest judge too. That would make things even more wonderful!"

"They're all big names!"

"This guest lineup is so cool!"

"Wouldn't Beijing TV have spent a lot on this?"

"I don't know, but isn't that to be expected?"

"Has the title sponsorship been finalized yet? How much are they getting for it this time?"

Subsequently, just as the netizens were discussing this, news regarding the title sponsorship of King of Masked Singers was released. This announcement once again set everyone off talking!

After several rounds of bidding, the title sponsorship of the show was won by a very large, domestic beverage corporation! The exclusive title sponsorship fee: 150 million RMB!

"What?"

"How much?"

"Holy crap, 150 million yuan?"

"This is insane!"

"This, this has broken another record!"

"Heavens!"

"It's even more than The Voice?"

"The Voice only got only 100 million for the title sponsorship fee!"

This title sponsorship fee was really too frightening!

When the industry heard about this news, it also caused quite a sensation. Domestically, there had not been any variety shows that had ever sold a title sponsorship for such a terrifying figure. However, when they found out about the details, a lot of the industry insiders could only wryly smile without saying a word. They heard that in the bidding war for the title sponsorship of King of Masked Singers, it was a knock-down, drag-out fight with more than a dozen companies taking part at the beginning. They bidded until the end when the three remaining companies were unwilling to give up and nearly even came to blows!

How did it end up like this?

Why was it able to get such a high price?

Even the other variety shows had a lot of big names on their shows. Although the guest lineup could not be compared to the King of Masked Singers' guest lineup this time, they were still quite good. For example, a recent large-scale singing talent show broadcast on Dragon TV had a title sponsorship of merely 50 million RMB. And that was even with all of their invited guests being more popular than Dong Shanshan. But why was King of Masked Singers able to sell theirs for 150 million RMB? How could they do that?

Some people could not understand.

But some clearly understood.

It was probably because of one name.

Not the name of a guest.

Not the name of the host.

And not the name of a participating celebrity.

It was the name of Zhang Ye.

To many advertisers, Zhang Ye's name alone was worth the 150 million RMB! As long as Zhang Ye's name was in the executive producer's role in the crew, they would be willing to spend that much money!

Since Lecture Room started, Zhang Ye's path in the television industry officially began. Then, he moved on to make Zhang Ye's Talk Show, The Voice, and A Bite of China, proving on more than one occasion his production skills. He was currently regarded by everyone as the best producer in the industry!

The genre of show Zhang Ye worked with?

It didn't matter!

Who would be directing the show?

It didn't matter!

Who would be the host of the show?

It didn't matter!

As long as it was Zhang Ye who produced the show, that was all they needed!

Even a food documentary like A Bite of China that did not have a host could go on to top the nationwide viewership ratings. Moreover, it topped those nationwide viewership ratings over a dozen times in a row, so what else could be more important than him? Zhang Ye's name was the greatest guarantee! Having gone through the days of not being shown any interest when the idea for The Voice was hatched, and the low regard for A Bite of China before its broadcast, Zhang Ye had shattered people's expectations over and over again. He had now come to this point in time when no one would ever doubt his production skills. To put it plainly, even if this fellow produced a shit show, there would still be someone willing to pay for the title sponsorship and believe that the show would become popular. This was what you called star power.

Therefore, for them to have managed to secure this 150 million in title sponsorship money, other than the advertiser being optimistic about the show and their trust in the appointment of the celebrity guests, more of it was to the credit of Zhang Ye's name! As a show that had yet to be broadcast, it was getting hyped to a ridiculous extent and was being talked about nonstop by the viewers every single day. Together with Zhang Ye's name on it, there was almost no chance for the viewership ratings to do badly. The advertiser was not dumb. With such a channel publicizing their brands, they simply couldn't let such a good opportunity slip out of their hands without a fight. So the title sponsorship fee was naturally pushed even higher!

It had broken all records!

The record for the highest title sponsorship fee for a domestic variety show was once again broken!

Importantly, this was just the exclusive title sponsorship fee. There were still many remaining advertisement spots, so with everything added together, it might even cross 300 million RMB in total. And this was not yet taking into account the exclusive online broadcast rights fee!

...

After the announcements.

At an industry dinner party.

"Did you hear about the title sponsorship fee for King of Masked Singers?"

"Yes, I did."

"It's insane!"

"This is a good thing. Zhang Ye has broken the record for the title sponsorship fee once again. With the standard raised, it will only get better for future shows, since the general title sponsorship fees across the industry should raise as well."

"Old Li, you're overthinking things."

"Ah?"

"No matter how many times the record is broken for the highest title sponsorship fee, it's got nothing to do with us."

"That's right. A show that our station just made went to lobby for title sponsors with heaps of confidence, but was only offered 10 million RMB in the end. The title sponsors even reeled off a long list of conditions."

"Yeah, it's the same for us too."

"Ai, it's not easy at all."

"Just look at King of Masked Singers. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous of them!"

"There's no point in being jealous. There's only one Zhang Ye around. No one else's gonna get the same treatment as him!"

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Chapter 991: The first song has been decided!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Under public attention.

The countdown to the recording of King of Masked Singers begun.

There were three more days.

There were just three days remaining.

...

At home.

On this morning.

Zhang Ye was feeling unwell after getting up from bed. He felt a little dizzy, but was more bothered by a tickle in his throat. However, he did not think much of it. It might have been due to the added pressure in recent days or the long duration that he'd spent practicing that led to him catching a slight cold. He believed that he would recover after taking some medicine.

His mother, who had made prepared breakfast, suddenly said, "Son."

Zhang Ye said, "Ah?"

His mother smiled and said, "I discussed things with your dad yesterday. We're planning to sightsee and vacation in Hainan for a while. The two of us haven't really traveled much all these years."

His father, who wasn't too keen on going, asked, "Are we really going?"

"Didn't we already agree to it?" His mother stared hard at his father.

Zhang Ye found them funny and said, "Go on then. It's good to get out and have some fun."

His mother made a noise in agreement as she looked at him. "Will you be paying for us?"

Zhang Ye replied, "Of course! I must!"

His mother said, "Great, shall we book the tickets then?"

Zhang Ye said, "Go ahead. Go and have fun with Dad. I'll take care of all the expenses."

"Will you be fine staying at home by yourself?" His father was a little worried.

His mother sneered, "Our son is a grown-up. Does he still need you to worry about him?"

Zhang Ye smiled. "Don't worry about me. If I get hungry, I'll order something to eat. I won't starve to death."

His mother said, "We'll be back in a couple weeks. And you better find a job quickly."

"OK, I will," Zhang Ye responded.

His mother was the impatient type, who would act as soon as she made a decision. In that sense, Zhang Ye had inherited a part of her character. After booking the airplane tickets and the hotel, his parents packed their luggage and headed for the capital's airport to catch their same-day, afternoon flight. They left just like that!

At night.

Zhang Ye cooked a packet of instant noodles for dinner, then took some medication for his cold before turning in early for the night.

When Zhang Ye got up from bed the next day, he nearly fell down on the spot. He was feeling a bit dizzy, and his legs were a little wobbly. Only now did he realize that his cold had gotten worse, and that he even had a fever!

Damn!

No way, right?

Why are you chaining me up at this key point in time?

Zhang Ye didn't know what to do. He was scheduled for a rehearsal today at Beijing Television, where he was supposed to discuss the songs with the musicians and the arrangements. But Zhang Ye probably couldn't go anymore in his current condition. So he took The Clown's cell phone and called Han Qi, his liaison, to apply for time off.

Han Qi was very worried when she heard. "Teacher, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"We start recording the show tomorrow. This…"

"I'll be able to make it tomorrow."

"You're one of the contestants scheduled for the first round, so it's too late to make any changes at this time."

"I know that."

"Let me visit you. Where do you live?"

"There's no need."

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"Th-Then please get some bed rest. It won't make much of a difference to discuss tomorrow's rehearsal."

"OK."

After hanging up, Zhang Ye struggled and crawled out of bed quick as he could. He ransacked the drawers and found a bunch of cold and fever medicine and popped them all in one go before lying back down to sleep. He was hoping to recover from the cold quickly. Otherwise, it would be really stupid if it affected tomorrow's competition.

Many outstanding singers had come to compete on the stage of King of Masked Singers. Although Zhang Ye did not know their names, but when he saw their stage presence and heard their voices, he knew that every one of them was going to be a strong foe. Even if Zhang Ye faced the competition in his best condition, he might not necessarily win, much less if he had to perform when he was down with a cold. He could not even guarantee that he would not be eliminated in the first round, so he was feeling rather anxious!

He had to recover as soon as possible!

If he lost in the first round, and was forced to reveal his identity, how could he advance in this industry in the future?

But things don't always go as planned. Sometimes, the more you hope something will get better, the more it gets worse!

...

Friday.

On the day of the recording.

The interval between this world's recording of a television show and broadcast was much shorter than Zhang Ye's previous world. Due to having a live audience at the recording studio, it was impossible to keep a lot of news and competition results a secret. They would be leaked to the public. Therefore, in consideration of the possibility that, if the interval between recording and broadcast was dragged on for too long, the show's intended effect would be affected. As such, the King of Masked Singers program team compressed the interval even further by recording the show on Friday and then broadcasting at 8 PM on Saturday. The entire turnaround time was only a day, but even though there was enough time to do it this way, there was no allowance for any problems to arise. Everyone had to be extremely careful and focused, because if there were any recording accidents or problems, they would be unable to get the episode to air on the following day. That would then become a massive problem!

Around 5 in the morning.

It was still dark out.

Beijing Television's King of Masked Singers program team had all arrived.

Inside the recording studio, the entire place had been renovated. Anyone would be astonished once they saw the stage, lighting, studio, and heard the audio system, as they were all the best that anyone could get in the industry. The program team, which secured the 150 million RMB in title sponsorship, had also reinvested a lot of that money back into the show. They were essentially willing to dump any amount of money into it. They would either not make a splash, or they would amaze everyone with their show! Beijing Television's executives were also very cooperative on their part. This was the most important show for Beijing Television this year, without any other shows even coming close. so the station's and program team's efforts were fully concentrated on it!

"Brother Hu, Teacher Sunset Glow has arrived!"

"This early?"

"She wasn't too satisfied with the rehearsal yesterday, so she changed part of the arrangement and wanted to come rehearse with the band one more time. She's already in the second rehearsal room!"

"That's fine. The official recording will begin at 1 PM. Let's hurry and get our preparations done!"

"OK!"

"Understood!"

"Eh, where's Teacher Zhang Ye?"

"He didn't come?"

"He's here. I just saw him come in after getting out of his car when I went downstairs."

"Is that so? But I didn't see him."

"I didn't see him either. Maybe you were mistaken?"

"It was a BMW X5, the car that Teacher Zhang drives."

"Let's not worry about Teacher Zhang for now. The biggest variable right now is Teacher Clown. Where's Han Qi?! Little Han! Has Teacher Clown arrived yet?"

"He's here! Little Han went to bring him here!"

"Has he recovered?"

"I don't know."

"Go and check it out! If Teacher Clown does not make it for the recording, that'd be trouble! There's no way we could find someone to replace him at this time!"

Backstage.

Outside the rehearsal room.

The Clown again arrived wearing his mask. No one saw when he came in either. When Han Qi came out to bring him in, The Clown had already changed into his costume. His mask already covered his entire face!

Han Qi said in surprise, "Teacher Clown, you've recovered?"

The Clown was silent for a moment before saying, "I'm…alright."

The moment he spoke, that hoarse and broken voice was immediately unveiled!

Han Qi was stunned. "Sir, your…"

A little while later, the rehearsal room door opened.

When Sunset Glow emerged from inside and saw that man in the clown mask standing at the door, she was startled for a moment before giving him a smile with her eyes from under the mask. She had heard The Clown singing those working class songs in the video clips and was also extremely curious about his identity. She wondered what kind of wondrous song this "50-year-old driver" with a beautiful voice would perform this time, so she tried to explore the enemy's plans. "Teacher Clown, what song did you choose to perform?" she said with a purposely disguised voice, as she did not wish for her true identity to be exposed.

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The moment The Clown spoke, she also got stunned.

The Clown said in a hoarse voice, "Haven't…thought of…it yet."

Sunset Glow said, "Your voice…"

The Clown spread his hands. "A…serious…cold."

Sunset Glow immediately said, "Don't talk anymore. The less you can speak, the better. Have you gone to the hospital yet? Did you get a cortisone injection 1 yet? No, your case is too serious! Even a cortisone injection is useless!"

Han Qi stamped her feet in worry. "W-What can we do now!"

Suddenly, Hu Fei, Hou Ge, Xiao Lu, and the others rushed over. When they heard about the condition of The Clown's voice, their expressions changed slightly for the worse, and everyone fell silent.

Dafei clenched his teeth and said, "Let's get a replacement, Brother Hu!"

Hu Fei said, "How're we to make any changes? It's too late for that!"

Xiao Lu exclaimed, "This is bad!"

"The show's gonna start recording this afternoon!" Hou Ge was getting anxious.

However, The Clown just looked at them and smiled. He was obviously very sick but his mental state seemed to be much more better than theirs. "I'm…fine. I can still sing."

Han Qi said anxiously, "But how can you sing like that!"

The Clown ignored her and went straight into the rehearsal room. "Let's…rehearse—" A coughing fit consumed him.

When he walked in, everyone looked at him and found that his footfalls were a little light and swaying!

When the Miracle Wheels' band members saw him, their hearts pounded.

The music director, Bai Yuanfei, immediately came forward. "Are you alright?"

The Clown smiled. "Yes."

Bai Yuanfei nodded. "Then, let's rehearse."

The Miracle Wheels' drummer said, "How can you sing in that state? You'll definitely be eliminated even if you insist on singing!"

The guitarist sighed and said, "You sing bel canto, The Clown, but you can't possibly sing—"

"Pop…songs or rock, I can…sing them all," The Clown said.

The guitarist said, "You really can't sing like this!"

The Clown said staunchly, "Even if I can't…I must!"

Lose?

Elimination?

Zhang Ye was not afraid to lose. If he really lost, so be it. He was not a sore loser. But what he couldn't accept was that he did not even have the courage to get onstage. Having worked for so long in the industry, what sort of difficulties had he not encountered? What calamities had he not been through? He could lose, but even if he lost, he still wanted to lose while standing onstage!

This was who Zhang Ye was!

He had a bit of the wolf in his bones!

The word "retreat" didn't exist in his dictionary!

When he thought of all this, Zhang Ye suddenly knew what song he was going to sing today. The melody and lyrics of a song naturally surfaced in his mind!

He wanted to tell the audience.

Who he was!

Where he came from!

And where he wanted to go!

Zhang Ye immediately picked up pen and paper and started to write out the song.

When Music Director Bai Yuanfei and the musicians saw this, they were in disbelief.

Bai Yuanfei gasped and said, "Y-You're even thinking of singing an original?"

Zhang Ye nodded.

The bassist facepalmed and really had to hand it to Zhang Ye. "You're still thinking of singing an original in your current state? This is too hard. Why don't we choose something simpler instead?"

The guitarist also disagreed with Zhang Ye. "Besides, the audience might not even be convinced by it. How many people would accept a song that they've never heard before? How many would accept it after only hearing it for the first time? That's still a question mark. Your voice is already not up to mark today, so if you still insist on taking such a risk, you'll definitely get eliminated!"

But Zhang Ye just looked at them with determination and handed them the score. "My…first…song…must be…this one!"

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Chapter 992: A madman!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

At Beijing Television.

Behind the closed doors of the rehearsal room.

Guitar strums…

Bass strumming…

A song's melody repeated over and over.

Except there was no singing!

That was because Zhang Ye was no longer able to sing. The condition of his voice had gotten so serious that he had almost lost his voice, though he could still speak. But when he sang, half of his vocalization could not be heard at all! Even so, he still hummed along and tried his best to coordinate with the band.

They finished rehearsing the first song.

Then followed up with rehearsing the second song.

After two hours, the band members and program team staff felt sorry for the sight of the man wearing a clown mask standing onstage who looked like he was on the verge of collapsing.

Bai Yuanfei couldn't bear it anymore. "Alright, that'll do!"

However, Zhang Ye said, "Ba-and, let's do it one more time…."

Bai Yuanfei was fretting over him. "You're already in this state, so don't push yourself! Go to the hospital!"

Zhang Ye waved it off. "I'm fine. Let's try…again." He even got down from the stage to discuss things with the band's guitarist. He pointed out some issues. "I…want…cough…cough…guitar here….I don't want other…instruments." Then he pointed to another part and said with much difficulty, "I will sing…a capella here."

The guitarist hurriedly said, "I got it, I got it. Please…please don't speak anymore!"

Zhang Ye nodded. "Let's do it one…more time. Sorry for the trouble."

Once.

Twice.

And yet again.

This had always been Zhang Ye's way. He set very high standards for himself and would never allow any shortcomings in his pursuit of the arts. Even in his current poor health, he still had to carry on to the best of his ability.

Bluff his way through?

Make do?

Not pushing himself to the limit?

That was not his style!

Han Qi, who was seated in the audience, unwittingly started to tear up.

The rehearsal ended.

Han Qi quickly rushed onstage to help The Clown down and quickly returned to the waiting room. "The station called for a doctor, who's arrived!"

Zhang Ye nodded. "Thank…you."

Her heart aching, Han Qi said, "Please…please don't speak anymore."

Right after they left, Hu Fei arrived with a group of people!

Hu Fei said in worry, "How was it?"

Bai Yuanfei forced a smile and said, "We're done rehearsing."

The guitarist looked very touched. "I've never come across person as hardworking as him! The healthy competitors only rehearsed two songs seven or eight times yesterday, but he rehearsed two songs 23 times despite being sick! I've really never seen a person like him before! He's really risking his life that way!"

Hou Ge asked, "Can he sing? Will he be able to go onstage?"

Dafei said anxiously, "We're going to start recording very soon!"

Bai Yuanfei pondered for a moment. "Don't worry. He can definitely take the stage. Even if the sky falls, with the type of person he is, he'll remain standing onstage to finish singing before collapsing!"

...

Besides The Clown, the other five singers scheduled for the first round were ready to go.

In the waiting room of Sunset Glow.

Sunset Glow asked, "How's The Clown doing?"

Her liaison sighed and replied, "I heard that he just finished rehearsing, but that he just couldn't make a sound."

"That's such a shame."

Her liaison said, "Yeah, he'll definitely get eliminated."

...

In the waiting room of Petal Shower.

Her liaison asked, "Teacher, how do you feel?"

"I'm feeling great," Petal Shower smiled. "I can't wait to start."

Her liaison said, "That's great then. We'll crush the other singers for sure this time!"

Petal Shower suddenly asked, "I heard that one of the masked singers has fallen sick?"

Her liaison acknowledged, "That's right. It's so serious that he's having difficulty vocalizing. The rules state that two people will get eliminated in each round, so he'll definitely be one of the two today. He might not even be able to finish performing his first song, much less the second."

The other competitors had also heard about The Clown's health and felt that it was unfortunate. Even though they found the songs the man had sung a bit weird, his singing was still very strong. There was no one else who could sing better than him in bel canto. Ordinarily, he would be a very formidable competitor. But now that he had lost his voice after coming down with a serious cold, it was obvious that it would be a fatal blow to him. Whether or not The Clown would be going onstage to perform, his chance at moving on to the next round was as good as gone!

...

In the infirmary.

Zhang Ye was waiting here.

Han Qi said anxiously, "Doctor, please take a look at him, please!"

Zhang Ye was sweating profusely and beads of sweat were trickling down his forehead. No one could see his face underneath the mask, but it was obvious that he did not look good!

The doctor frowned as he made his way over. "Open your mouth."

Zhang Ye did as he was told.

"Say ah."

"Ah."

"Push your tongue down."

The doctor took out a thermometer and placed it into Zhang Ye's mouth. Then he wore his stethoscope and moved the chestpiece around Zhang Ye's chest. At this moment, the thermometer beeped to signify it was done taking his temperature. The doctor retrieved it from his mouth to check.

A fever of 40 degrees!

The doctor looked alarmed!

Han Qi paled a bit as well!

Hu Fei and some others on the program team pushed the infirmary door open and came over. Even Dong Shanshan, who had just finished doing her makeup, rushed over in a hurry when she heard about the emergency over here.

Dong Shanshan asked, "How is he?"

"Doctor," Hu Fei asked, "is he going to be alright?"

WIthout a second thought, the doctor suggested, "Get a substitute. It's impossible for him to go onstage in this state!"

Hu Fei gasped. "How serious is it?"

The doctor showed the thermometer at them. "He has a fever of 40 degrees, a severe viral cold, inflammation of the tonsils, and even has pneumonia symptoms. What say you?"

"What?"

"It's this serious?"

"This…"

"Then he really isn't going to be OK!"

The doctor looked at Zhang Ye and commanded, "The ambulance is just outside. You must immediately follow me to the hospital to get treatment. Don't even think of taking the stage. That is impossible!"

Zhang Ye shook his head and said, "There's nothing wrong…with me!"

The doctor said furiously, "You're in that state and you still say that there's nothing wrong with you? Anyone else who has a fever as bad as yours wouldn't even be able to get out the bed, yet you can still get here for the rehearsal? You even managed to rehearse for over two hours? You don't want to live anymore, do you?"

Only now did everyone realize the shape The Clown was in when rehearsing just now!

They heard a determined voice come from behind the clown mask. "I'm fine."

The doctor said angrily, "Follow me to the hospital right away!"

Hu Fei also knew that this couldn't continue, so he promptly said, "Teacher Clown, you—"

"I can go on. You don't have to say…more," interrupted Zhang Ye.

The doctor lost his temper and shouted, "You can't even stand straight right now! And you have nearly lost your voice! Go onstage? What stage!"

Zhang Ye looked at him. "Give me…a cortisone shot!"

The doctor said, "An injection probably won't improve your health!"

Zhang Ye said weakly, "Give me…shot!"

He was frequently losing his voice when speaking now. As a result, there were some words that didn't even come out. It made his speech sound a bit broken, Although, everyone still understood what he was trying to say!

"Teacher Clown!"

"You…"

Zhang Ye waved his hands to stop them from talking!

The doctor gazed into Zhang Ye's eyes. "Are you sure?"

Zhang Ye nodded. "Do it!"

The doctor had no other choice. "Let me tell you this first. As you're in grave condition, if you are injected with corticosteroids, the damage and side effects will be much greater than on others!"

Zhang Ye said a single word, "Understood!"

The doctor grit his teeth. "Alright!" He then turned around. "Don't crowd around in here. Everyone, please go outside."

Hu Fei and the others hesitated, wanting to speak, but eventually left the room.

However, Han Qi did not depart. She stayed behind with Zhang Ye.

Zhang Ye loosened his collar some and exposed his neck.

The doctor prepped the medicine and adjusted the dosage.

Han Qi stood right next to him, biting her lip, not saying a word.

Five minutes later.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to inject you now."

"OK."

The doctor pinched Zhang Ye's neck and soon started injecting the shot with care.

Zhang Ye's eyelids twitched as he felt a sudden gush of intense pain. He was the type who was most afraid of going to the hospital. Ever since childhood, he would look scared whenever someone brought up "the hospital." As such, he would self-medicate at home whenever he was sick. But this time, he couldn't do that. He needed to have a voice to sing!

After the injection was administered.

The doctor helped massage his muscles.

Awhile later, the doctor asked, "Try to make a sound, please."

Zhang Ye attempted to sing a line. "Land…as pretty as…a picture…"

His voice was still not back!

The doctor shook his head. "It didn't work."

Han Qi hurriedly said, "Forget it, Teacher, just forget it!"

But Zhang Ye put forth, "It's slightly…better! Give me another shot!"

The doctor said angrily, "You think this is an IV drip? We're talking about injecting you with steroids here! Do you know what side effects this could cause? Just one shot is enough to make you suffer!"

"Shoot me up again!" Zhang Ye yelled.

The doctor clenched his teeth. "It's none of my business if something happens to you!"

Zhang Ye said, "Do it!"

A second injection was administered to him!

This injection was even more painful than the previous one. Zhang Ye's hands were even trembling. The pain did not come from being pinched, but rather spread from his throat to his chest!

The injection was done.

Zhang Ye was sweating even more profusely. After he rested for a while to let the steroids take effect, he tried to sing again, "Land as pretty as a…picture!"

It was much better!

But still not enough!

He couldn't hit the higher registers!

Zhang Ye closed his eyes. "Another!"

Han Qi immediately deterred, "No! You absolutely must not!"

Zhang Ye looked tranquil. "Again!"

Han Qi shouted, "Teacher!"

Zhang Ye yelled without any explanation, "Do it!"

The doctor did not argue this time. In silence, he looked at the man in the clown mask, turned around, and picked up the syringe.

Han Qi could not watch any longer. She turned around and ran out after opening the door. Hu Fei had already gone back to the stage to oversee things, but quite a few of the others had remained outside the infirmary.

Hou Ge, Xiao Lu, Dafei, and the others were all waiting there.

"How are things?"

"Can he sing?"

"What're things like, Little Han?"

Han Qi didn't utter a word. She just squatted down and started crying!

"Little Han!"

"You…"

Everyone looked each other in the eye and suddenly felt their hearts grow heavy!

A short while later, the doctor pushed open the infirmary door and came out.

Everyone gathered around him in haste!

"Doctor!"

"Is he better?"

"How is Teacher Clown?"

The doctor scanned the group and proclaimed, "If something happens to him in the future, don't call me! I've treated a lot of celebrities before, as well as given them cortisone shots, but this is the first time in my entire life that I've encountered a madman who's not afraid to die! Just what kind of person has your program team invited this time?"

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Chapter 993: The show begins!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

In the King of Masked Singers recording studio.

The audience was already seated; the recording was about to begin.

Presently, the first judge walked onto the stage and took a seat, followed by the second one, then the third.

"Wow, it's Chen Guang!"

"It's Chen Guang!"

"Grandma Zhang Xia is here too!"

"Hahaha, Old Yao!"

"Why did Old Yao style his hair into a pompadour 1 ? Did he grow out his hair?"

"Amy!"

"Amy! I love you!"

"I've finally seen her in person!"

The recording did not begin yet. Yao Jiancai and Chen Guang were both smiling and waving at the audience.

Amy was chatting with Zhang Xia. The two other judges, Chen Yidong and Wang Zhuishu, were also sharing a laugh, discussing the competition that would be taking place soon. It was not just the audience who was looking forward to the start of this show; even the judges were greatly anticipating it as they did not know who the participating masked singers were. Would any of their old friends be competing on the show?

At this moment, Dong Shanshan, who was dressed in a women's suit, stepped onto the stage. Her fashion today was different from before. She not in her usual sexy short skirt or long dress. Instead, she was dressed in a more gender-neutral, more conventional petite suit today, with her hair up, and even wore a pair of golden-rimmed glasses. This style had completely changed her air, and was in consideration of the show having only one host, so it would be unsuitable if Dong Shanshan dressed in the way she used to. That wouldn't help her solidify her stage presence, as the clothes of a host had to befit the stage. All such details were carefully observed in their production.

Quite a few of the male audience members started screaming.

"Shanshan! She's so beautiful!"

"She looks really pretty in those clothes!"

"Yeah, it really suits her nicely!"

"She's got class!"

The atmosphere in the studio was heating up!

The staff were doing their final preparation work in the recording studio.

Hu Fei made last checks with his team. "Lights?

A lighting technician replied, "OK!"

Hu Fei asked, "Cameras?"

"Camera 1 OK!"

"Camera 2 ready!"

"All cameras on standby."

Hu Fei said, "Shanshan, do a mic test."

Dong Shanshan blew into the microphone. "Hello, hello, OK!"

The Miracle Wheels also went onstage. They had done their sound checks earlier and only needed a final confirmation check.

Everything was ready.

Hu Fei nodded and said, "Alright then. All departments, take note. The one-minute countdown begins now!"

30 seconds…

20 seconds…

10 seconds…

It was time!

The recording began!

A camera jib crane captured the panoramic view of the studio!

The stage lights twinkled as countless spotlights suddenly focused simultaneously on a door. The door opened up and a woman in a suit, wearing a red mask, slowly walked out. Her high heels clicked with every step she took. In no time at all, she elegantly stood at center stage.

The woman raised her microphone and spoke into it, and a very shrill voice came out. It was obvious that this was being resynthesized through a voice transformer. "Welcome to Beijing Television's Mystery Music Show, brought to you exclusively by Bright Fruit Cocoa—King of Masked Singers!"

The audience instantly rose from their seats with cheers and applause!

After the advertising messages consisting of a few hundred words were read, the woman turned around all of a sudden and hooked her hand behind her head. By the time she turned around again, the mask she had been wearing was off. She gently put on a pair of golden-rimmed glasses and exposed her beautiful face to everyone.

"I am your host, Dong Shanshan!"

Her voice was now back to normal!

With this opener, the audience was instantly stoked!

A mask.

A synthesized voice.

The reveal.

This is what King of Masked Singers is about!

At the guessing panel.

Zhang Xia smiled. "Interesting."

Amy clapped. "This is fun!"

Chen Guang's heart was beating very fast. "I'm anticipating this more and more."

Wang Zhuishu laughed. "Old Chen, do you think we'll bump into any old friends here?"

"Definitely," Chen Guang said, "but we may not recognize them."

...

Backstage.

Zhang Ye was hooked up to an IV drip in the waiting room.

Han Qi stayed right beside him and helped him keep the bag aloft.

The recording had already started. In the waiting room was a TV he could use to watch the entire recording.

"You can go back, Little Han."

"No thanks."

"I'm fine, really. Can't you tell?"

"Please stop talking."

"That's why I'm saying you can go back. Come back and call me when it's almost my turn. I would like to rest for a while by myself, that OK? Don't make me talk anymore."

"…Alright."

Han Qi had no choice but to leave for now. She went out and closed the door behind her.

Only Zhang Ye was left in the waiting room. Now, he finally clutched his chest. He could feel a pain in his chest as he took several deep breaths and coughed. He couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself at his current situation. He knew that this was not pain from pneumonia but the acting up of his old injuries. He did not know if it was because of the cortisone shots, or if he had caught a cold this time because of a lowered immunity stemming from his old injuries, or if it was due to the inflammation of his wound, which in turn aggravated his old injuries, but he was feeling extremely uncomfortable right now. His lungs hurt even just breathing!

In the end, he still could not escape from the injuries he'd received during the National Martial Arts Conference two months ago. Initially, he was quite alright. But as those injuries were internal and were received from Grandmaster Chen Xi's concealed power attacks on him, followed by the concealed power injuries that he suffered when he went on a consecutive rampage against the dozen over large sects, the injuries were there all the while. Injuries like these required time to heal, and they might even kill him if they were serious. Rao Aimin's younger sister and brother-in-law had died a year after suffering internal injuries caused by Zhou Tianpeng's concealed power attacks on them. And it wasn't just him who was affected. Rao Aimin herself carried some internal injuries, while the Huashan Sect leader, Chen Xi, was even worse off. It was rumored that he hadn't been seen in public for over two months. A lot of people had suffered rather serious injuries during that intense battle!

Old injuries.

A cold.

A fever.

This was Zhang Ye at his weakest. It was also the time when he was in the worst shape, yet he was immediately about to take part in the first competition round of King of Masked Singers. Having been thrown into such circumstances, Zhang Ye was forced bite the bullet. Because he was the type of person who never believed in fate!

He wanted to sing.

So today, he wasn't going to let anyone stop him!

...

In the studio.

A smile hung from Dong Shanshan's face, and she said in a steady rhythm, "This singer, the first to make an appearance, has a very clean voice and wide vocal range. Let us welcome—King of Oddity!"

King of Oddity?

What kind of name was that?

Everyone stared at the door curiously.

At the guessing panel, the judges had already started to make guesses.

Chen Guang smiled and said, "King? Of Oddity?"

Yao Jiancai blinked and said, "Could this be Zhang Ye?"

Zhang Xia was tickled pink.

Amy nearly burst out laughing!

Zhang Ye?

Just because there was the word "oddity" in the name, it has to be Zhang Ye?

These two people were indeed long-time partners. All they did was mock each other!

That remark was also picked up by the cameras, but everyone knew that Old Yao was just kidding.

"Wow!"

"He's coming out!"

"That costume is so cool!"

"Oh!"

Dong Shanshan walked away from center stage and stood in a corner of the wings.

The first masked singer came out onto the stage. His mask was quite peculiar, with nearly every color of the rainbow, while the mesh he wore covered his entire head and even hid his neck! He took a few steps forward and stood in the middle of the stage.

The famous variety host, Chen Yidong, said in shock, "How are we supposed to guess like this! We can't even see their hands since they're wearing gloves!"

Yao Jiancai said, "We can see their socks though."

Wang Zhuishu laughed and said, "Are you going to identify them from their socks?"

Amy was already curiously leaning forward just to get a tad bit closer. "Who could this be? There's not a single clue as to who it is!"

Zhang Xia was also analyzing the singer. "Are they tall?"

The lights abruptly dimmed.

The entire studio quieted as everyone stared at the singer in anticipation.

The music played. A very playful melody rang out!

King of Oddity closed his eyes and started swaying his head. He wasn't nodding to the beat of the music, instead thrashing his head from left to right!

Then, his legs started moving too!

He was dancing to the music, except that this dance looked quite funny!

His voice immediately came out the moment he opened his mouth to sing!

"Ya ain't doing good.

"But ya ain't sayin' so.

"I think you're,

"Truly an idiot.

"Ya say, ya say.

"I say, I say."

When everyone heard the short rap intro at the beginning of the song, they immediately knew what song this was. It was a relatively popular song in recent years, titled "Idiot," and was originally performed by a female Taiwanese singer. However, King of Oddity's performance of this song differed from the original. The tempo was clearly faster, and there was more portamento 2 to it!

The first verse of the song finished.

The audience immediately started applauding!

Zhang Xia concluded, "It's a young man!"

Chen Guang said, "Right, he's definitely not above 40!"

Amy solemnly stated, "It's a man."

Wang Zhuishu laughed and looked at her. "I can make that out too, y'know!"

As King of Oddity sang faster, the studio's atmosphere became increasingly lively!

The rhythm was great!

It made everyone tempted to sing along!

Chen Guang evaluated, "This guy is great at performing live. He's probably a professional singer!"

Zhang Xia shook her head. "Not necessarily."

Wang Zhuishu sighed and said, "He sings really well, but who could it be?"

Amy suddenly said with a start, "Aiyo! Could it be that, um, that, what's his name again?! Qiqi? The Taiwan Music Awards winner?"

Wang Zhuishu denied her. "No. I've written songs for Qiqi before, and this singer's figure does not look like his."

"I think, I think!

"I think, I think!

"Ya are, ya are!

"Truly an idiot!"

The song ended!

Everyone was applauding in the studio!

Amy was also clapping in excitement. "Great! That was great!"

Zhang Xia's evaluation was very high too. "Are there any singers in the industry whose portamento and sense of rhythm are so good?"

Wang Zhuishu said anxiously, "Who could this person be!"

The audience was guessing as well.

"I like him so much!"

"That was really nice to listen to!"

"Is this guy a singer? Or an actor?"

"Are there any actors who can sing this well?"

"I don't know anyone who can!"

"He does sound a little familiar, but I can't remember who it is!"

"Aiyo, I'm so anxious. Please just reveal his face. When does the identity reveal happen? I really really want to know who this guy is!"

"He has to lose before he reveals his face!"

"Ah, then I guess I'd better forget about it."

"The first singer's this good?"

"This is so exciting!"

"This show's better than I'd imagined!"

"Yeah, I initially thought that I could guess their identities as soon as I heard them. Cuz they're all famous, y'know? Shouldn't this be super easy? It was only after I heard them that I realized it was completely fucking impossible to guess who it was!"

"Who's the next singer?"

"Who's next?"

King of Oddity smiled and bowed before leaving the stage.

Dong Shanshan returned to the stage and said, "The next contestant has a very beautiful sounding name and a very beautiful mask. Let us welcome—Petal Shower."

...

Backstage.

There was a knock on the door.

Zhang Ye took a deep breath. "Come in."

Han Qi came in. "Teacher, you can start prepping now. We're on the second contestant, while you're the fifth to go on. We have at most 15 minutes."

Zhang Ye nodded. "OK."

Then he stood up and pulled out the intravenous needle from his arm.

Let's do this!

Chapter 994: The Clown takes the stage!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

In the studio.

"When will the moon be clear and bright?

"With a cup of wine in my hand, I ask the clear sky.

"In the heavens on this night.

"I wonder what season it would be?"

This was Petal Shower's performance of Zhang Yuanqi's song. To be exact, she was singing a song that was written for Zhang Yuanqi by Zhang Ye!

As soon as she started singing, the entire studio audience was in shock!

Zhang Ye could also hear her singing, from the TV in the waiting room. Petal Shower was still singing in falsetto for the entire song. Almost no one else would risk singing that way! This was because the pitch changes while singing in falsetto were too minute and would make it sound too monophonic. A lot of the syllable enunciations in falsetto were not easy to control, in addition. But Petal Shower's vocals and her handling of the technique were very special. Her falsetto was truly different from all others!

This was her absolute killer move!

A few of the guessing panel's judges were also shocked by her performance!

When it was over, Dong Shanshan came onstage together with the first performer, King of Oddity. The three of them stood at center stage and faced the guessing panel.

Dong Shanshan smiled and said, "Judges, what do you think?"

Zhang Xia praised, "Petal Shower's rendition of the song was very good!"

Petal Shower bowed slightly and used the microphone fitted with the voice transformer to say, "Thank you, Grandma Zhang."

Zhang Xia blinked. "You're addressing me as grandma, so does that mean you're quite young?"

Petal Shower said, "Isn't 'grandma' your official title?"

The audience laughed.

Amy was startled and said, "Are you Sister Yuanqi? You're using that falsetto on purpose to throw us off? So that we won't be able to recognize you?"

When Petal Shower heard that, she immediately imitated Zhang Yuanqi's posture and physical mannerisms.

The audience was tickled.

Zhang Xia instantly laughed and said, "You're definitely not Yuanqi. Yuanqi isn't this playful."

Chen Guang looked at King of Oddity. "Do we know each other?"

King of Oddity looked back. "More or less."

Chen Guang asked another question, "Do you have my cell phone number?"

King of Oddity kept silent for a bit. "Yes."

The audience burst into an uproar!

Amy walked over to snatch Chen Guang's cell phone. "Give me your cell phone! I wanna browse through your contacts!"

Chen Guang's hair stood on end. "I want to look through it, but I can't seem to recognize him! There are over a hundred people involved with music in my contacts!"

Next, it was time for the live voting round.

The competition format was divided into two rounds. In the first round, six contestants would face off in separate one-on-one singing duels, with the winners advancing to the next round to fight for the spot of Masked King. Of the three defeated contestants, one would be chosen to be placed on the safe list and remain in the competition while the other two would be eliminated. The eliminated contestants could then either choose to reveal their identities or not do so and just leave the stage. Two contestants would be eliminated per episode. This was how cruel this competition format was!

Dong Shanshan pushed her gold-rimmed glasses up and announced, "Can everyone please pick up their voting devices and vote for the contestant you like most?"

The voting started!

On the big screen behind them, both of the contestants' tallies rose.

There were a total of 500 judges in the studio and a total of 500 votes to be cast.

The audience voted excitedly, their eyes glued to the big screen!

Finally, the tallies stopped!

King of Oddity: 137 votes.

Petal Shower: 362 votes.

One voter abstained from voting. That vote was invalidated!

Dong Shanshan said with a smile, "I hereby announce: The first contestant to advance is—Petal Shower!"

Petal Shower bowed slightly and glanced in the direction of the judges.

Chen Guang was looking right at her. Their eyes briefly met before both quickly looked away.

Dong Shanshan said to King of Oddity, "Let's have King of Oddity proceed backstage to rest and prepare for the next round."

King of Oddity did not show much of an expression. He nodded slightly to the judges and audience before leaving the stage.

Some of the audience members were happy with the result while some were feeling regret.

"I really like King of Oddity!"

"I still think that Petal Shower sang better!"

"Her singing was incredible!"

"This is so fun! This show is much more interesting than The Voice!"

"Hahaha, you can't put it that way. Compared to The Voice, this is a different genre. But I agree that this is super exciting indeed! I'd also like to know where the fuck this group of people who can sing so well jumped out from. Which big names are behind the masks?"

"Petal Shower has to be a big name!"

"That's right!"

Onstage.

The second group's singing duel began.

Sunflower in the Starlight vs. Sunset Glow.

Piercing screams once again rang out in the studio!

"The sun is my name."

"Heaven is my faith."

"The Earth is my refuge."

"Humanity is my enemy."

An amazing voice filled the studio!

...

The Clown was in the studio by now and was waiting behind the door.

Hu Fei deliberately rushed over and asked, "How are you?"

Han Qi hurriedly said, "Director Hu, don't make the teacher speak."

Hu Fei nodded and looked at The Clown. "Just do your best. It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, that's not important anymore. That you've endured til now to go onstage is good enough, honestly."

Dafei also came over. "Yeah. If you can't continue singing, just walk off the stage. That'd be fine; no one would blame you."

The Clown smiled but did not speak.

In truth, none of them knew that The Clown's present health was far worse than they could imagine. It wasn't as simple an issue as a cold or a fever. He'd been injured by a grandmaster's concealed power attacks, as well as the attacks by the martial arts masters and disciples from over a dozen large sects. Right now, Zhang Ye was very weak physically.

He could hear the roar of the audience from here.

The voting had begun.

"Sunset Glow!"

"Sunset Glow!"

"Sunflower!"

"Sunflower!"

Everyone was shouting the names of the singers they supported!

Zhang Ye, however, was not paying any attention to it. He did not have the energy left to care about the other contestants' results. Just trying to stay standing was already sapping him of all his strength.

Finally, the voting ended!

He heard Dong Shanshan announce, "Let us congratulate Sunflower in the Starlight!"

Sunset Glow had lost, and lost by a very small margin, only a mere dozen votes or so!

At this moment, the recording inside the studio temporarily halted.

Dong Shanshan verified something with Hu Fei through her earpiece.

"Director."

"Yes."

"Is the next contestant able to make an appearance?"

"He's fine."

"OK, I understand."

The audience and judges in the studio looked curiously at Dong Shanshan, unsure of what was happening.

The recording continued.

Dong Shanshan said, "Our next contestant is feeling a little unwell today, but he still insists on coming out to perform. Let us welcome—The Clown!"

The Clown?

Zhang Xia was taken aback.

The audience turned to the direction of the door and clapped enthusiastically!

Behind the door.

Hu Fei said, "You can do it!"

Han Qi, who felt sorry for him, encouraged, "Teacher, you can do it!"

Dafei clenched a fist and held it up. "Come on! Teacher Clown!"

A female employee added, "Hang in there and finish the song!"

"You can definitely do it!" someone else said.

Many people from the program team were moved by The Clown's tenacity and unbending will. They knew deep down that someone who could take three cortisone shots would definitely not be a normal person. This was someone who wanted to get on stage even if it risked his life! They did not know why this person went so far to do this, why he was so hungry for the stage, why he did not fall even though it was clear that he was already on the verge of collapse!

The light came on!

The door opened!

Zhang Ye touched his mask and then walked forward slowly, step by step. The closer he got to the stage, the more determined his steps became!

Applause rang out again!

"Wow."

"That's a really nice mask!"

"The Clown?"

"What's with the way he's walking?"

"Is he really that sick? Why's he still pushing himself to go on stage then!"

"Man, it seems like it's really quite serious!"

"Can he even finish singing one song in that condition?"

"I don't know."

When the audience saw him, they started whispering. Some of them even pointed in the direction of the stage.

The person wearing the mask of a clown was taking a long time to walk the 20-odd meters to the center of the stage.

Zhang Xia frowned. "Can he really do it?"

Chen Guang said, "I heard that he has a fever and a very bad cold."

Amy was taken aback. "Ah?"

They were also singers and had encountered such situations themselves. They knew exactly what it felt like to sing in such a state, and judging from this person staggering onto the stage, it didn't look like it was just a simple case of a fever and bad cold!

Chen Yidong said, "This is going to be difficult for him."

Wang Zhuishu said, "Let's hope he can persevere to the end of the song."

In each of the waiting rooms, the other five contestants were watching him on TV.

At the center of the stage.

Zhang Ye finally reached it and stood there. He gently closed his eyes.

The lights shut off!

The studio quieted down instantaneously!

The notes of a flute suddenly drifted across the studio.

It was followed by a few notes from a piccolo.

The music started, but Zhang Ye did not move nor did he open his eyes.

Persevere to the end of the song?

He had been hearing similar words countless times since he'd made his way here from backstage. Did you guys misunderstand something? Do you think that I took three cortisone shots and came here carrying my old injuries just because I wanted to finish singing the song regardless of whether it was good or bad? Not only will I finish singing it, I will sing it well too!

So what if I lose my voice?

So what if my old injuries have acted up?

Those are not reasons!

I won't look for any excuses, and I don't need anyone's pity. All this while, I've walked alone, by myself. So I cannot falter here. Because I know that if I did, no one would help me up. As such, I can only keep walking, onwards and onwards, to the place I want to reach—this is probably the reason why I'm standing here!

The dazzling lights were shining from every direction!

The cameras were aimed at him.

The audience was watching him.

The guessing panel was watching him.

The other five contestants were watching him.

Beneath the mask of The Clown, a pair of eyes opened without warning. That sorrowful and hoarse voice from under the mask suddenly resonated through the entire studio!

"I am a wolf that comes from the north.

"Padding through the boundless wilderness.

"The mournful northern wind blows by.

"The slow sand brushes by."

Chen Guang was stunned!

Amy froze!

Zhang Xia was shocked!

What song was this?

Why hadn't they heard this song before?

A wolf?

A wolf that comes from the north?

Zhang Ye had already thrown him entire self into the song. He was not performing with the spirit of aloofness that the original version of "Wolf" had. He was using his imperfect voice to sing who he was right now! A wolf, an injured wolf! An injured wolf that still wanted to move forward!

Zhang Ye raised the microphone.

"I can only clench my cold, cold teeth!

"Respond with two long howls!

"Not for anything else!

"But for the beautiful plains found in legends!"

This was the portrayal of him today!

It was also the portrayal of him after several years in the entertainment industry!

He was tired!

He was scarred and wounded!

But he had to keep walking!

Amy was mesmerized!

Zhang Xia was dumbstruck!

Meanwhile, Chen Guang had his eyes firmly fixed on him as though he wanted to rush onto the stage to take off the mask and find out who he was!

Mournful!

Wintry winds!

Clench your cold, cold teeth for the beautiful plains found in legends?

The plains that you have in mind…What are they like? Is it worth pushing yourself to stand onstage in that condition and sing with that hoarse voice of yours?

Even Yao Jiancai, a music industry layman, was moved!

The judges all knew that this man must have a story to him. However, no one other than him would know what this story was or understand it!

Zhang Ye sang on, his eyes drooping heavily.

"I am a wolf that comes from the north.

"Padding through the boundless wilderness.

"The mournful northern wind blows by.

"The slow sand brushes by.

"I can only clench my cold, cold teeth.

"Respond with two long howls.

"Not for anything else!

"But for the beautiful plains found in legends!"

All of a sudden.

The Clown faced the sky as he howled.

"Awooooo!"

He was mimicking the call of a wolf!

This sustained howl lasted for a good nine seconds!

The studio atmosphere was instantly raised!

Chen Guang stood up. This was the first time he'd done so today while listening to a song being performed!

Amy did not stand up, though she did clutch her head and exclaim, "Oh my god!"

Zhang Xia was beyond curious. "Who on earth is this!"

Zhang Ye simply stopped caring about the state of his voice. Cracking? Trembling? Unable to hit the high notes? Breaking? Loss of voice? He did not care about any of that! The thought of not being able to continue singing or his voice suddenly disappearing did not even enter his mind!

"Not for anything else!

"But for the beautiful plains—found in legends!"

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Chapter 995: The Clown wins!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The music stopped!

Applause rang out from everywhere!

Many of the audience members were fired up!

"That song's unbeatable!"

"It's too damn nice to listen to!"

"Could that participant be Chen Guang?"

"Pfft, Old Chen is sitting right there at the judges' panel!"

"Then how can his singing be this good! And that song was so amazing. It sounded like it was specially written for the condition that he's currently in! Which entertainment company is this big shot from?"

"I don't know!"

However, there were also those who were not convinced by his performance.

"The song was alright, but his voice is terrible."

"Yeah, his singing wasn't good."

"In any case, I don't feel it."

"Was his singing good? I don't think so."

"Maybe it's because it's my first time listening to the song, but I didn't feel anything special. I still think that the previous singers sang much better, and that this guy's singing isn't good enough."

No single work could appeal to everyone.

The audience had many differing opinions regarding The Clown's performance.

But there were only cheers from the judge panel.

Chen Guang shouted, "Great!"

Amy clapped with all her might. "Fantastic!"

"Is there such a person in the music scene?" Zhang Xia was also getting very excited.

Yao Jiancai liked the song very much as well. "Who is it!"

Chen Yidong glanced to his side. "Even if Chen Guang went onstage with a serious cold, he wouldn't necessarily sing better than him, right? He was already greatly disadvantaged by losing his voice due to the cold, but The Clown has infused that greatest flaw in his singing into the song. I must admit that it made the entire performance just spectacular!"

Chen Guang said frankly, "I definitely can't sing as well as him. At a concert three years ago, I sang while I was down with a cold and it turned into a hell of a mess!"

Wang Zhuishu nodded and said, "Still being able to sing this well even after the voice has been affected by a cold, there shouldn't be too many people in the music industry who can achieve something like this!"

They were all left guessing!

Yet they didn't even know where to start guessing from!

...

Backstage.

In King of Oddity's waiting room.

King of Oddity looked at the producer in the room and pointed at the TV. He said, "Are you sure this guy was the one who sang that 'as a fifty-year-old pro driver, I am all smiles' song?"

The producer gave a wry smile and nodded.

King of Oddity was floored!

Damn!

I really believed that you were a bel canto singer!

How did I fall for your nonsense!

...

In Sunset Glow's waiting room.

Sunset Glow got the goosebumps listening to the performance. "That was a really good song!"

So this was who the real Clown was!

So this was what his true style of singing was!

This fellow had indeed just been putting on an act back then!

...

Onstage.

The man in the clown mask lowered the microphone, bowed slightly, and turned around before walking slowly offstage. Before he could leave the stage, Han Qi and two Beijing Television employees were already running over to support him. But The Clown waved them off by gesturing that he did not need any help.

He had finished singing.

This song was called " Wolf 1 " and was performed by Chyi Chin 2 in his previous world.

Zhang Ye felt very good and mustered up an exhausted smile. He felt that even if his voice was at its best, it wasn't likely that he could have performed the song better than he had. He did not know how the judges felt or how the audience would judge him, but he was very satisfied with it himself.

In the wings.

Han Qi was going crazy. "Teacher, you sang so well! It was so good!"

Zhang Ye said, "Thanks."

Dafei also came over after being astonished by what he heard. He even said with some disbelief, "You could still sing that well even with your voice in that state? If there weren't any problems with your voice, how well would you have sung?"

Onstage.

Dong Shanshan spoke, "Next, let's invite today's last contestant, who has a very tough‑sounding name. Let's welcome—The Yak!"

Zhang Ye had seated himself near the stage.

As he still needed to go onstage in a little while, he did not return to the waiting room.

The Yak appeared from the other side of the stage.

The Yak wore a cow mask, with horns, and looked very cute.

This was Zhang Ye's opponent this round.

The audience applauded!

Awhile back, Zhang Ye had listened to The Yak's performance on some video clips. His evaluation of him was that his singing was not bad, but it was only at an average level. He should be considered the one with a weakest singing among all the others in the first round. But since this was a competition, nothing was decided until the very end. No one knew who might suddenly decide to show their prowess and light up the venue. In the music industry, singing did not mean everything as it was only a foundation for success.

The stage lights shut off.

The performance began.

"Deep emotions, as water, like smoke.

"Bring me before your very eyes.

"You are drifting between the clouds."

Although the Yak was named The Yak, the song he performed was rather emotional and did not match the mask, which had a wild look with a hint of cuteness.

"I don't know where you came from.

"Nor am I clear 'bout where you're headed.

"The flames of passions.

"Whoosh. Extinguished."

The song he was singing wasn't incredibly mainstream, but it was still very nice to listen to and a treat to hear. An adult man in a yak mask singing a love song was a stark contrast and also quite eye-catching.

All of the people's attention was on The Yak.

Even Han Qi and the program team staff watched with interest.

Meanwhile, no one noticed that Zhang Ye was sweating even more profusely now. Even though he was sitting in a chair, he was already struggling hard to hold it together. He wasn't listening to The Yak's performance anymore. He had opened up the game ring's inventory to retrieve a Stamina Potion instead. This was an item he had received a long time ago. There were still over a dozen bottles left in the inventory. Back when he was working overnight to help Beijing Television with their Quit Smoking PSA, he had depended on this potion to help him pull through the night. Now that Zhang Ye was unable to hold himself together for much longer, he had no choice but to chug a bottle of it.

The potion took effect very quickly.

Part of his stamina was immediately restored. He could sit straight at least.

The Yak was coming to the chorus of the song when a mistake was suddenly occurred. His falsetto cracked but he recovered from it very quickly.

What kind of singing performance was the most difficult?

A live performance was the most difficult! Because you never knew what might happen, and you could never redo things. Be it good or bad, you only had one chance!

The song ended.

The performance finished.

The audience members were still very absorbed in the performance and were applauding enthusiastically!

"Great!"

"That was so touching!"

"This guy has a very identifiable voice!"

"Great song! It was really nice!"

Of course, there were also some in the audience who thought that it just an average performance.

Dong Shanshan reappeared onstage. "Alright, let's invite The Clown back onstage."

A moment later, The Clown returned to the stage and stood with The Yak, each on either side of Dong Shanshan.

Dong Shanshan smiled and said, "Judges? If you were to vote, who would you vote for?"

Zhang Xia grabbed the opportunity. "Let me speak first. Needless to say, The Yak sang quite well even though his falsetto cracked, right? But his overall performance was very good."

The Yak nodded. "Thank you, Teacher."

Zhang Xia said, "Onto The Clown next. I don't really know what to say about him. I'm sure that he has a very high artistic level, and he's definitely a big shot judging from the way he moves, as well as his posture and onstage presence—"

"That might not be the case. I feel that he could be a newcomer," interrupted Wang Zhuishu.

Zhang Xia asked, "Can a newcomer sing that well?"

Wang Zhuishu replied, "The newcomers these days are all really amazing."

Chen Guang added, "I think that he might not be a part of the music scene and could be a movie star instead? Because the other contestants have clues that we can make our guesses from, and there are still some possible candidates that come to mind. But as for this guy here, I simply have no memory of anyone like him!"

Famous variety show host Chen Yidong spoke up, "If I voted, I would vote for The Yak."

The Yak bowed ever so slightly to express his gratitude.

The Clown just stood there calmly.

Chen Guang stayed silent for a second. "From an artistic point of view, The Clown's performance was absolutely wonderful and I would evaluate his rendition of the song to be perfect. On a personal level, I'm also fully in support of The Clown. But from a professional point of view, my vote must still go to The Yak even though there were some minor mistakes in his performance too."

The Yak bowed to show his thanks.

Wang Zhuishu gave it some thought. "I'd vote for The Yak."

The Yak bowed again. "Thank you, Teacher."

Yao Jiancai declared, "I don't understand what being professional or unprofessional is. All I know is that The Clown's song touched me, so I'd certainly give him my vote!"

Zhang Xia hesitated for a bit and sighed. "I guess I'd vote for The Yak."

Han Qi was getting anxious in the wings. "Have the judges gone blind?"

One of her colleagues said, "Yeah, I also think that The Clown sang very well!"

A different colleague said, "They're analyzing it from their professional point of view. The Clown sang well and the song is good too, but there were too many mistakes in every line that he sang."

Han Qi said angrily, "But Teacher Clown has a cold!"

The colleague sighed, "Hai, but this is a competition."

Han Qi could not accept this, she really could not accept it!

Meanwhile, Zhang Ye, onstage, did not say anything.

Dong Shanshan said, "Well then! Audience members, please pick up your voting devices and vote for the singer you like."

The critical voting round began!

But what made Han Qi's blood run even colder was that The Clown's vote count immediately fell behind the moment the voting started!

The Yak: 20 votes!

The Clown: 11 votes!

Their vote count kept rising!

The audience members were exchanging words among themselves.

"Who should I vote for?"

"The Clown for sure!"

"The Clown's song was so touching!"

"But he made singing mistakes—the judges said so."

"Yeah, the judges are still the professionals at the end of the day."

"I should just vote for The Yak then."

"Although The Yak's singing did not move me as much, his singing was still very good. At least there weren't as many issues with his singing."

"I don't think that The Clown made any mistakes. I believe he used what's called 'artistic license'!"

The Yak: 70 votes!

The Clown: 61 votes!

The Yak was leading all the way!

Han Qi urged, "Go up! Go up!"

Perhaps someone heard her pleas. The Clown's tally actually started catching up bit by bit.

The difference was only eight votes.

Then it became five.

Then one.

At the final moment, the voting ended.

The Yak: 217 votes!

The Clown: 219 votes!

The remaining voters abstained from voting; several dozen votes had not been cast. That made it the biggest group of audience members to abstain from voting today.

The Clown won!

A narrow victory of two votes!

Han Qi was thrilled and heaved a sigh of relief!

He won!

He really won!

At least there wouldn't be any more worry that he would get eliminated today, but as for becoming the Masked King of this first episode? Judging from the audience's enthusiasm and the judges' emphasis on the professionalism of one's singing, Han Qi and the program team staff knew that The Clown would definitely not be able to compete for the position of the Masked King in the first episode. Since the judges valued voice quality greatly and the audience also placed a great deal of importance on having a flawless voice, even if The Clown still had stamina left to take the stage for his next song, it was impossible that he would clinch the round with his already badly strained voice!

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Chapter 996: A last-minute song change by The Clown!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

In the waiting room.

Han Qi said, "We're already through to the next round."

Zhang Ye nodded.

"No matter how you perform the next song, we can still proceed to the second episode. Teacher, why not consider not performing the second song tonight since your health is…"

Zhang Ye smiled at her.

Han Qi said, "The second round battle for the crown of the Masked King will be taking place immediately. According to the broadcast order, the elimination round for the three singers who were defeated will take place first. However, today's recording order was changed, so we'll record the battle of the Masked King round first. You're slated as the last of the three to appear onstage, but if you really can't bear it anymore, let's just give this round up. I'll communicate this to the production team since we won't get eliminated even if we withdraw now."

Zhang Ye did not say anything.

Han Qi's earpiece crackled. "Ah, it has already started!"

Petal Shower's figure appeared on the TV as Dong Shanshan handed her the stage. The moment Petal Shower appeared, the audience suddenly rippled with excitement. This was because her previous performance left a deep impression on them and they liked her very much. Hence, the atmosphere exploded right as she took the stage!

Han Qi sighed and said, "It definitely wouldn't be a problem with your skill. We'll battle them after you've recovered from your cold." She took a pause. "S-So rest a little longer. I'm gonna head out."

Zhang Ye gave a noise of acknowledgment.

The doors closed.

No one else was left in the room.

Zhang Ye weakly propped himself up and watched the TV.

"When did we start putting on a façade?

"When did we start forgetting to tell the truth?

"When did we start forgetting how to love someone.

"When did we start forgetting how to admit we were wrong."

Petal Shower was performing a rock song that required her to sustain her falsetto. The range on her falsetto was simply extraordinary, and her technique was well-honed too. Her voice was completely different from Zhang Ye's voice that scattered through the registers. It was a very clear tone, and she could hit her falsetto range as and when she wanted to!

The audience had truly never heard someone sing in such a way. It was quite refreshing!

Waving hands!

Screaming!

The atmosphere in the studio was heating up!

Next, it was Sunflower in the Starlight's turn to take the stage.

"Bom!

"Bom!

"Bom!"

It was a fast-paced English song!

The high notes were very strong! It was highly lethal!

The moment he opened his mouth, he sang in a high pitch and with great explosiveness throughout his performance!

Watching the TV, Zhang Ye could see that a lot of the audience members were so pumped that they stood from their seats. From inside the waiting room he even seemed to hear the faint sound of screaming coming from the studio!

Then Zhang Ye looked away and turned off the TV.

The room suddenly became quiet, similar to what Zhang Ye was feeling at the moment.

When Zhang Ye stood onstage after his performance and faced the judges' comments about the weaknesses in his singing, he did not say anything. Right now, he did not want to say anything either.

After he drank another Stamina Potion, he finally mustered up enough strength to open the game ring interface.

He activated the Lucky Halo (Upgraded) with much difficulty.

His Reputation Points were starting to decrease rapidly.

-100,000!

-100,000!

He tapped on the Lottery Draw (One).

He straight away added 500 additional stakes to the 100,000 Reputation Points per spin of the lottery draw.

The wheel began to move.

The needle started spinning.

One revolution.

Three revolutions.

Five revolutions.

Zhang Ye looked calmly at the wheel as the needle came to a rest in the Skills Category region. When he opened the golden treasure chest, the item majestically appeared from within.

[Piano Skill Experience Book] 501: Increases player's piano skill experience.

It turned out otherwise indeed.

Zhang Ye laughed at himself, a self-deprecating chuckle.

The lottery was not omnipotent and the Lucky Halo did not necessarily help him achieve whatever results he wanted as it did not have sapience. It was only a tool that could help increase his luck stat. Zhang Ye was thinking of getting some sort of medicine to treat his cold or an item to treat his injuries from the lucky draw. However, Zhang Ye was not even sure if the lottery draw system had anything similar to the items he wanted, so he did not hold out hope that he would really win them so coincidentally. He had only intended to give it a try so that he could stop wondering if it would happen at all.

This wasn't too bad.

This was a rather good outcome, actually

Zhang Ye consumed all the experience books.

The door opened.

Han Qi and a program team producer walked in. "Teacher Clown, it's almost your turn to go onstage. Can you hold together? If not, then this round…"

Zhang Ye stood up. "I'm fine, let's go."

Han Qi quickly said, "Let me help you."

"There's no need." Zhang Ye shook his head.

On the way to the studio, he reached into the game ring's inventory once again. This time, he took out five Stamina Potions and gulped them all down!

Very good!

He could still hang in there!

Zhang Ye smiled. He was suddenly full of fighting spirit!

Along the way, he saw a lot of the program team staff.

Hu Fei was being astonished by Petal Shower's and Sunflower's passionate singing. When he saw The Clown, he immediately turned around and asked with concern, "Are you going to be alright?"

Han Qi answered for him, "The teacher will be fine."

Hu Fei nodded. "Just try your best."

Hou Ge said, "You already performed amazingly."

Dafei added, "Don't force yourself. The outcome isn't that important anymore."

In reality, it was not that the outcome was unimportant, but that there was no suspense.

Han Qi had listened to the two contestants' performances, as had Hu Fei, Hou Ge, and the others. Judging from the audience's expressions and outpouring, it was quite clear that today's Masked King would definitely be either one of them. As for whether Petal Shower or Sunflower was better, that was still hard to say. Anyway, it definitely wouldn't be The Clown. Be it his health, voice, or the audience and judges' judgment, it was unlikely that they would let him, a singer whose voice was not in a good state, take the throne of the Masked King in this first episode. It was already made clear in the previous round between The Yak and him. Although The Clown's performance had moved many of the audience members and judges, he still just barely won and nearly got eliminated.

Hu Fei reported the time, "Get ready. There's only a minute left."

Music Director Bai Yuanfei also came over, wishing to have a last-minute discussion with Zhang Ye, "Since your body can't handle it, lower the song by an octave and don't sing the high notes. Just finish singing the song. That'll be enough."

Zhang Ye smiled.

Try my best?

Don't force myself?

Just finish singing the song?

Zhang Ye suddenly said something in his hoarse voice that shocked the program team staff. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'd like to switch songs."

Everyone was stunned!

Bai Yuanfei exclaimed, "What?"

Hou Ge nearly toppled over. "Switch songs?"

Hu Fei was also panicking. "Why would you switch songs at a time like this? You're about to go onstage!"

"Teacher!" Han Qi was also stunned!

No one knew what The Clown was thinking!

Bai Yuanfei said, "It's too late for that! There isn't an arrangement; the band isn't prepared either. Who'll play your accompaniment if you take the stage like this? You didn't even rehearse it! Y-You're taking a huge risk!"

At this moment, the Miracle Wheels band members came over.

The guitarist said, "Switch songs?"

The drummer said, "That's not actually necessary, right?"

You stand no chance of becoming the Masked King now, so why would you do that?

Your health and voice are in this state. Why are you still trying so hard?

Zhang Ye bluntly asked, "Do you have a piano?"

Bai Yuanfei was taken aback. "We do."

Zhang Ye nodded. "That's enough."

What's the meaning of this?

You even know how to play the piano?

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Chapter 997: I am a beautiful, beautiful wild rose!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

In the studio.

Host Dong Shanshan announced, "Let's welcome our next singer—The Clown!"

Applause sounded.

The Clown came out onstage looking very lonely.

Chen Guang sighed. "This is the worse time to come onstage."

Wang Zhuishu nodded. "The two contestants before him should've squeezed the atmosphere dry!"

Amy asked, "Who do you guys think will be the Masked King?"

Zhang Xia pondered and said, "Petal Shower's chances of winning are the greatest."

Chen Yidong disagreed, "Just based on the first round of songs alone, Sunflower is definitely going to be the Masked King!"

Zhang Xia said, "Petal Shower handled some parts of her singing really well."

"Who can compare with Sunflower's tenor?" Chen Yidong said.

The judges all had differing opinions and started disagreeing with each other, yet no one mentioned The Clown.

The audience did not keep him in mind either.

The two contestants before him had both performed passionate, fast songs with high notes. They were songs that fired up the atmosphere, which was why many in the audience were still clinging to the earlier performances.

"Aiya, Sunflower's singing was so intense!"

"I still like my Petal Shower!"

"Haha, when did she become yours?"

"Anyway, I'm already a diehard fan of Petal Shower!"

"Do you know who she is?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm curious!"

"Eh, The Clown has already taken the stage?"

"He won't be able to sustain his voice anymore, so he's more like a supporting act in the first battle to be Masked King."

"He only advanced because he got a lucky win."

"Yeah, the Masked King will definitely be either Petal Shower or Sunflower."

"Obviously. Must we spell it out?"

"Hur hur, seems like these two people have stage names related to flowers?"

"All that's left to see now is which 'flower' has the greater skill!"

The lights suddenly dimmed!

When the audience and judges finally realized that the next performance was about to begin, they were surprised to discover that the house band had already left the stage!

Where had the band gone?

Where was everyone?

All of a sudden, they realized The Clown was sitting in front of a piano.

Ah?

Playing the piano and singing at the same time?

Everyone froze!

Chen Guang, Zhang Xia, and the others were also surprised!

They had all seen The Clown's state and knew that it couldn't have been faked. He was indeed quite sick and had to force himself to stay standing, but what was this? In that state of his, why would he still want to play the piano himself? Playing the piano was unlike playing a keyboard. It was pressure sensitive 1 and required strength to play it properly! You already have no hopes of fighting for the throne of Masked King, so what are you trying to do? What are you thinking?

No one in the crew or judging panel could understand!

The audience was also unable to understand!

You pushed so hard to finish your previous song! Why are you trying so hard for the second song as well?

The judges and audience, and even the program team's staff, knew one thing though. If you could get on this stage, you must at least have some level of fame. At the minimum, you had to be someone that a lot of people knew. To be able to get to that level, you couldn't possibly lack a stage to perform on. Even if you gave up today, there would still be other platforms and stages welcoming you with open arms, so why are you risking your life like this! Just why?!

However, no one knew this one thing.

There were no other stages for the man under The Clown's mask to perform on!

Banned!

Frozen!

Suppressed in the news!

Ostracized by industry peers!

Jobless!

Old injuries acting up!

A serious cold!

It was the worst period that he was going through, as well as the time he felt the most vulnerable!

No one appreciated him!

He had sunk to a supporting act!

The piano sounded.

A flowing, watery melody reverberated throughout the studio.

The judges were stunned!

The audience was stunned!

The piano's melody carried sadness, a sorrow that silenced the entire studio!

The spotlights shone down on him.

Everyone's gaze fell to where he sat.

Zhang Ye played the piano oblivious to all around him. The melody flowed from his fingertips ceaselessly with every note representing a part of his sadness. He should have been the most beautiful thing in this world, he should have been the most beautiful wild rose 2 in this world. But right now, he could only wear a mask and hide all of himself beneath it. In this place where no one appreciated him, he would sing a song that perhaps only he knew, with that hoarse voice of his!

"These days, seasons fly by, flowers bloom aplenty.

"Winds wander, clouds float by, nature shut behind the door.

"To be plucked uneasily, I slowly realize.

"Bloomed already, but no one coming is completely expected."

Han Qi was stunned in the wings. "Teacher…"

Music Director Bai Yuanfei was watching slack-jawed.

Zhang Xia was stunned!

Amy could feel herself getting the goosebumps all over her body!

This…

Zhang Ye closed his eyes and sang softly.

"In the night, I'll sway with the wind and rain.

"When I see the break of dawn, I'll shed some tears.

"I'm a beautiful, beautiful wild rose.

"Not letting spring arrive in vain.

"Blossoming til it's dark, infatuating passersby.

"As I calmly watch myself wither away."

Wild rose?

A withering but beautiful wild rose?

Chen Guang stood up impassioned!

Zhang Xia stood up!

Amy and the other judges all stood up in a frisson of excitement!

This…

This song…

Zhang Ye continued playing and singing with his eyes still closed.

"I'm a beautiful, beautiful wild rose.

"Hating the Heavens for being unfair.

"Plucked of my buds.

"Stripped of my heart.

"Sadly given away as just a rose."

Plucked of his buds?

Stripped of his heart?

Sadly given away as just a rose?

Han Qi stared blankly at the stage, not knowing when her tears had started falling. She tried to wipe them away but found that she couldn't stop them from flowing!

Many of the audience members watched the stage, hypnotized, feeling felt like someone had pierced through their hearts!

The figure sitting at the piano looked very sad and lonely.

However, there was a hint of a smile on his face when he finally opened his eyes. His singing was still as rough and hoarse as before. But this time, he didn't even have the strength and voice to hit the high notes anymore, yet this represented the current Zhang Ye. Having had his hands and feet bound, getting his mouth muzzled, this was the current him!

"Ground's my bed, sky's my blanket, meteors are my tears.

"At times awake, at times drunk, the geese have made their return.

"In turn happy, in turn sad, the spring's light isn't bright.

"No regrets, no burdens, sweet dreams drift away like the stream.

"Willingness is a patch of color adorning the world.

"But unwilling to touch on what is right and wrong.

"I'm a beautiful, beautiful wild rose.

"Not letting spring arrive in vain.

"Blossoming til it's dark, infatuating passersby.

"As I calmly watch myself wither away."

Blossoming til it's dark?

Even if no one were to appreciate him?

Even if no one found him?

Even if he was withering away?

Listening to this, Zhang Xia's eyes reddened.

Why are you still smiling?

Why are you still smiling at this time?

Suddenly, the piano music stopped!

The man sitting at the piano was out of strength. The hand he was using to play the piano was no longer able to play the complex melody as it became more and more sluggish. He was forced to simplify the melody and use the simplest combination of notes to accompany his singing!

"I am a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful wild rose!

"Hating the Heavens for being unfair.

"Plucked of my buds.

"Stripped of my heart.

"Sadly given away as just a rose."

There were no high notes, but those hoarse and sad vocals cut deep into everyone's hearts!

Han Qi was crying!

Xiao Lu was crying!

A lot people were crying!

The emotions of many of the audience members exploded at this moment!

The entire audience stood up!

The atmosphere had hit a fever pitch!

Supporting act?

No!

No!

You're the true lead!

You're the most beautiful "flower" of all today!

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Chapter 998: Birth of the first Masked King!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The music stopped.

The performance ended.

Suddenly, someone in the audience shouted, "The Clown! The Clown!"

Another person shouted along, "The Clown!"

Han Qi was wiping her tears away while shouting, "Teacher Clown!"

Amy raised her arms over her head and shouted, "The Clown!"

Xiao Lu screamed, "The Clown!"

Executive Director Hu Fei clenched his fists tightly in the wings!

It was fantastic!

This song was fantastic!

This guy was…fantastic!

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

The shouting increased and slowly became more similar!

Such a scene was nearly impossible to describe in words!

Eyes now open, Zhang Ye was stunned for a bit. He stood up from the piano and struggled a little to bend forward slightly in the direction of the judges and audience. It was supposed to be a bow. Zhang Ye did not expect that his song would stir up such a huge clamor in the studio as all he wanted was to express his inner feelings. He did not even expect that anyone would understand the things in the song because it was not a popular song with the masses in his previous world. Not everyone knew this song, and there were also some people who disliked it. The Midday Sun performed the original version; Wang Bao was the songwriter and wrote the piece with a piano accompaniment. The version that Zhang Ye sang was an adaptation from the original version with some modifications of his own. For example, the last verse with the "beautiful, beautiful, beautiful" repetition was implemented by Zhang Ye based on his understanding of the song. It was subsequently covered by Han Hong, and her version was the one that most people had probably heard.

Zhang Ye liked this song greatly when he was still in his previous world. As he was neither handsome nor had great qualifications, those who knew that he wanted to join the entertainment industry were always persuading him to give up the thought. It was only when he had joined the entertainment industry that he had a much deeper sentiment for this song. Everyone liked garden roses and thought that they were the most beautiful flowers of all. However, he knew that he was not a garden rose. He was just a wild rose shrub that thought of itself as very beautiful, yet went unnoticed by all around him.

So he wanted to switch songs for this performance. Even if he sang badly, he still wanted to change songs at the last minute.

The crowd was very excited.

They were shouting.

They were screaming.

Some of them were even crying.

Applause thundered as everyone stood up!

Are they…applauding me?

Are they…crying for me?

When Zhang Ye saw this, he suddenly felt quite touched. He wanted to use a poem to express himself like he used to but knew that he couldn't do so.

Dong Shanshan returned to the stage. "Let's thank The Clown for his performance."

Zhang Ye glanced at her.

Dong Shanshan's smile seemed a bit unnatural. "Please welcome Sunflower in the Starlight and Petal Shower back to the stage…." She then stopped.

A lot of the audience members were momentarily stunned when they realized that the host was crying.

Petal Shower was the first to get back on the stage. When she saw Dong Shanshan crying, she immediately went to pat her on the shoulder and gave her a quick hug.

Dong Shanshan smiled while wiping away her tears as she said into the microphone, "I'm sorry that I got a little emotional." She turned to look at Hu Fei, off in the wings, and said, "Director, please edit this part out."

Hu Fei raised his hand and gave her a thumbs up. He didn't blame her at all, instead comforting her.

Dong Shanshan apologized, "Please pardon me for being unprofessional."

By now, Sunflower in the Starlight had also come back onto the stage. He patted Dong Shanshan on the shoulder in encouragement like a senior would.

Zhang Xia spoke, "It's alright, Shanshan, I cried too. There's only one thing that I want to know right now." She stared straight at that man in the clown mask and asked, "Who are you?"

The Clown did not say a word.

Zhang Xia fired off, "For someone who's in such bad shape, with a fever and cold, you can still sing like that and put in so much feeling into it. If you told me that you weren't a professional singer, I certainly wouldn't believe it. But I really can't think of anyone who matches you in the entire music industry!"

Wang Zhuishu said, "Maybe it's because of his cold that his voice changed. That's why we can't tell who it is! Or could he be a newcomer? But how can there be a newcomer who's like him!"

The judges' thoughts were scattered!

Someone had previously thought that he was from the acting industry, but that thought wavered now!

Another felt that he could be a big shot from the music industry, but they soon hesitated about that thought too!

Who was it!

Who the fuck was this guy!

The audience also had an important question right now. They really wanted to find out the identity of the man underneath the mask!

By this point, Dong Shanshan had recomposed herself. "Before the final voting starts, would our panel of guest judges please cast their votes first. Who do you think should be crowned as the Masked King tonight?"

Wang Zhuishu gave it some thought and answered, "I think I'll probably still vote for Petal Shower! Her singing was very good and her technique was wonderful. It's practically without any faults!"

Petal Shower bowed.

Chen Yidong said, "I'll vote for Sunflower in the Starlight. Combining the two rounds of singing, I feel that he truly deserves to be the first Masked King."

Sunflower nodded and said into the voice-transforming microphone, "Thank you, Teacher Chen."

Han Qi clenched her fists tightly in the wings.

Why?

Why is it not The Clown?

What the hell are you guys thinking!

Before, Han Qi did not really like this clown person. Since their first interaction, The Clown been constantly teasing her. Everyone thought that he was some experienced but very mischievous veteran of the music industry. But as she came to know more about The Clown, she became completely moved by him. She felt that it was very fortunate for her to be the only liaison in the program team for The Clown and was very honored by this as well!

He was a wild rose!

A flower that was different from everyone else!

The audience also made some subtle criticism.

"What the heck!"

"Are those two deaf?"

"They should totally have voted for The Clown!"

"The Clown's song was amazing!"

"I think the same. It's so good that it's beyond description!"

"You can't say that! Sunflower sang better!"

"I still prefer to support Petal Shower."

It was only normal to have differences in opinions. It was impossible for everyone to think the same. Music itself was perceived based on each individual's opinion and life experience. People who listened to the same song could not possibly have the same emotions about it at the end. Perhaps only those who have had similar experiences could understand Zhang Ye's "Wild Rose."

Then, Chen Guang spoke.

Chen Guang looked at the three masked singers. "On a professional basis, I would definitely choose between Sunflower and Petal Shower. Their voices, singing techniques, and appeal cannot be faulted; they're impeccable. In the first round, I made my decision following this set of standards even though I really liked The Clown's first song, 'Wolf.' But right now, I would like to apologize."

Apologize?

What are you apologizing for?

The judges were taken aback.

The audience were also startled.

Chen Guang said loudly, "To claim that I was judging on a professional basis was totally unprofessional of me! My decision might be a little willful and rash of me, but I can't not be rash. If I were to vote, I would definitely, definitely, definitely…cast this vote for The Clown and only The Clown! There's no why! There isn't a need for a why either!"

Han Qi was pleasantly surprised!

Someone was supporting him!

Someone was finally supporting Teacher Clown!

Yao Jiancai also spoke up, "Let me say this first: I do not fully know what being professional or unprofessional is, nor am I a person from the music industry, nor have I dabbled in music before." He smiled and said, "If my long-time crosstalk partner were here, his evaluation would probably be more professional than mine. But I can only follow my heart, so if I chose, my choice would be the same as Old Chen's. I would 100% cast my vote for The Clown without any hesitation! I don't know how good his voice is, and I also don't know how well it was sung. All I know is that this song, 'Wild Rose,' has moved me! This song has totally said what I wanted to say."

Amy stood from her seat and cleared her throat. "I hereby announce that from today onwards, I have become a fan of The Clown!" She looked at The Clown and said anxiously, "Who are you? I really, really like you a lot!"

The Clown gave her a slight bow.

Zhang Xia said, "I will also cast my vote for The Clown this time. Singing well requires a good voice, good technique, and all kinds of other factors. But ultimately, music has to be able to move people, and feelings are above all that. Petal Shower and Sunflower have both achieved that, but The Clown has undoubtedly done it best today with his song. His second performance essentially disregarded all the so-called technicalities and techniques of singing and was of such a high level as well. This sort of infusion and projection of emotions, this turning of the disadvantage of a bad vocal condition into something that helped make the song even better, it's absolutely not something that can be learned. This has surpassed any techniques around!"

The judges finished with their evaluations.

Dong Shanshan said, "Well then, let the voting begin. Will the 500 audience members please consider who you think is best and cast your votes so that we may witness the crowning of our first Masked King."

Han Qi felt extremely nervous.

Many of the program team staff were debating.

"I like The Clown!"

"Me too!"

"He tried so hard!"

"I just wish that the voting would end quickly so that The Clown can get off the stage and rest."

The audience had already picked up their voting devices and started to cast their votes!

On the big screen, the tallies were being compiled in real-time!

Petal Shower was at 10 votes…20 votes…30 votes!

Sunflower's votes were also increasing very quickly. 20 votes…30 votes!

"Rise higher!"

"Ah, Sunflower's votes went up!"

"Oh, Petal Shower's in first place!"

"The Clown! The Clown!"

"The Clown has taken the lead! He's in the lead!"

"He got overtaken!"

The competition was very intense!

The judges looked at the screen in astonishment!

The audience was staring at the same thing, not blinking. A lot of them were chanting for their favorite singer's stage name!

The three contestants' stage names in the standings kept switching positions, each replacing the other's at the top. A lot of people expected this, but could not predict who would end up as the final winner of this round. The suspense was too great to bear!

Finally, the voting phase ended!

Dong Shanshan immediately said, "The voting stops now!"

On the big screen, the tallies suddenly stopped. Those who did not vote within the time limit were considered to have abstained!

Everyone looked at the big screen!

Sunflower turned around!

Petal Shower leaned sideways and looked!

Han Qi glanced at the big screen nervously!

Only Zhang Ye did not turn around. He stood there very composed, or maybe he only had enough strength to remain standing.

The results were out!

The Masked King was crowned!

The crowd was instantly stoked!

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

Han Qi was so emotional that she started crying again. She screamed and hugged a male colleague next to her. "He won! Teacher has won! " Sobbing, she smiled through her tears.

That male colleague on the program team coughed in embarrassment. "Congratulations."

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Chapter 999: A few words from The Clown!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The Clown won!

Applause rang out in the studio!

The judges were also cheering for him!

The Clown raised his voice-transforming microphone to say a few words.

His first words were: "Thank you."

His next words came after some thought: "Thank you."

Zhang Ye had braced himself and taken the stage to perform. He never considered singing just well enough, no, he wanted to do his best on every song he sang, to relate all that he wanted to say, and to finish doing the things that he wanted done. Just like the time he released the documentary live at the Central TV press conference by himself, he did it to the best of his ability. Even if he landed himself in a tight spot because of his actions, he did not care as the consequences were unimportant to him. He was the same today, not thinking about winning some spot as the first Masked King. He personally knew that he was in very bad shape too and that he was very lucky not to have been eliminated in the previous round. So when he saw some of the audience members crying, when he saw that many of them were moved by his song, and when he realized that he had actually been voted as the first Masked King of the show, Zhang Ye honestly felt…very good.

His face was covered!

His voice caught!

But there were still people who understood him!

His voice could still be heard by others!

This was good.

This was really very good.

And so he wanted to thank them.

As such, he said thank you twice.

Applause thundered!

"Great!"

"You're the best!"

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

"You sang so well!"

With that, Zhang Ye exited the stage.

There was still another segment to be recorded, the elimination round to send away two contestants before the first episode's recording of King of Masked Singers could be concluded. In the next episode, the rules of the competition were different from the Chinese version of King of Masked Singers. The Masked King would not have to reveal their identity, but that position was also not going to be theirs forever. The Masked King from the previous episode would still have to participate in the next episode's competition and could even get eliminated from it. Meanwhile, the two contestants who were eliminated from the first episode would be replaced by new masked singers to compete in the show's new episode! However, Zhang Ye no longer had any strength to watch the rest of the recording. He was utterly exhausted after having spent all his energy onstage!

Han Qi and many of the program team staff surrounded Zhang Ye to help him off the stage.

"Teacher Clown."

"How are you doing?"

"You sang so wonderfully today!"

"Will there be a vehicle coming to pick you up? Why don't you let Little Han send you back instead?"

Zhang Ye thanked them for their kindness but did not let anyone see him off. After everyone left, he found a place to change out of his costume and even took off his socks. Then he took his bag with him before activating Invisibility (Upgraded) and departed from Beijing Television.

In the vicinity of the parking lot.

"Eh, Teacher Zhang Ye?"

"Teacher Zhang, you're here?"

"Brother Hu and Teacher Shanshan were looking for you earlier."

"Yeah, when they saw your car parked here they looked for you for a while, since you didn't answer your phone when they called. So you were here watching the recording all this time? Are you leaving now?"

A few of his former colleagues spotted him out here.

Zhang Ye smiled and nodded at them but did not open his mouth and speak. He was afraid that he would give himself away.

Those coworkers of his did not notice anything unusual about it. Back when they were working in the same office, Zhang Ye was not someone who really liked to talk much. It was only when the topic of work came up, or if there was a quarrel or fight with other people that he had no lack of words to say. So no one thought much of it nor was there anything for them to contemplate.

"Take care then."

"Goodbye, Teacher Zhang."

Zhang Ye waved goodbye to them and caught his breath before struggling into his car. After fastening his seat belt, he took out another Stamina Potion from the game ring's inventory and drank it. He managed to perk himself up and drove back home in a hurry.

...

Back at home.

Zhang Ye collapsed into his bed and coughed a couple times. He could feel his cold becoming less severe. It might have been due to the cortisone shots that he had received at the Beijing Television infirmary taking effect, although his chest throbbed and he could feel slight shoulder and middle back pain in the places he had been injured!

But Zhang Ye was smiling.

He had been crowned Masked King!

That was enough for him! It was worth all the pain and injuries he endured!

Perhaps because Beijing Television had finished recording the show, Zhang Ye's cell phone suddenly started ringing. His cell phone was still in his pants' pocket as he hadn't taken it out since he'd gotten back home. He had to prop himself up while he looked for his pants that he had changed out of. He retrieved the cell phone from them. He took a look at the caller ID and saw that it was Yao Jiancai calling.

Zhang Ye cleared his throat to try to make himself sound as normal as possible.

He answered the call.

Yao Jiancai greeted: "Zhang'er, what's up?"

Zhang Ye replied: "I'm lazin' about."

"What's with your voice? Why do you sound so sleepy? Are you in bed?"

"Yeah, I just got back and hit the sack."

"I didn't see you at the recording studio today. Why didn't you come? Haha, I saw a really amazing singer today. He sang so wonderfully!"

Zhang Ye laughed. "Really?"

"You're the executive producer right? C'mon, share with me, who's that guy? You must definitely know something. Don't try to fool me."

Zhang Ye blinked. "I honestly don't know. I didn't follow up with or participate in the production work at all."

"Heh, I thought that you'd know for sure. You didn't hear that guy's song, but it was so good that I can't describe it in words. Also, nobody had ever heard the songs he performed before. Perhaps his talent agency had them written specifically for him before the competition, so going along that line, a newcomer would definitely not enjoy such privileges. He must be a big name, and it's definitively a big name who's a supporting pillar of their agency. That's why he could enjoy such treatment from them! They're all good songs and I believe it would cost quite a bit to even buy the copyrights to them."

Zhang Ye smiled and said: "I guess so."

Yao Jiancai said: "Oh well, I'll let you get back to sleep. I'll ask around some."

He hung up.

Soon after, Zhang Xia also called.

The moment the call connected, Grandma Zhang said: "Little Zhang, I have just two questions for you. Who is Petal Shower? Who is The Clown?"

Zhang Ye chuckled and said: "Old Yao just called me as well to ask about this. I really don't know as I'm only in charge of the overall production. I did not oversee any other parts of the show and did not participate in those roles either."

Zhang Xia did not believe him. "That's impossible. Even you do not know?"

"I really do not know." Zhang Ye lied without blinking.

"Alright."

Zhang Ye suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, Grandma Zhang. Did Sunset Glow get eliminated?"

Zhang Ye felt that Sunset Glow was someone that he knew personally, and Petal Shower also felt somewhat familiar to him, although he couldn't be sure. As for Sunflower in the Starlight and the other contestants, Zhang Ye did not have any idea about them because he probably did not know them, but it could also turn out that he was familiar with them. Nothing was certain here.

Zhang Xia replied: "Sunset Glow did not get eliminated."

"Thanks."

Old Yao.

Grandma Zhang.

I'm sorry about this, but I really have to keep it from you two for now. I will apologize to you two at a later time.

No one knew that Zhang Ye had anonymously joined the King of Masked Singers competition, not even his parents and Old Wu were informed about it, so he wasn't planning on telling anyone else!

The main issue here was that he was afraid that if he lost, it would be too embarrassing for him!

He had thought about it before, that if he were to lose, he wouldn't reveal himself and would just exit the stage!

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Chapter 1000: Hero and Zero!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The next day.

It was a Saturday.

Early in the morning, the Internet stirred with activity!

"It's going to be broadcast soon!"

"My King of Masked Singers is coming!"

"I wonder if Zhang Ye's new work will create yet another miracle in the viewership ratings. After all, the show isn't directed by Zhang Ye this time, so everything is still a big unknown!"

"I'm just waiting for tonight. I'm so looking forward to it!"

"Who are the first episode's contestants? Did anyone attend yesterday's live recording?"

"I heard that the first episode's Masked King is someone called Petal Shower!"

"Ah? Why did I hear that it was someone called Water Buffalo who became the first episode's Masked King instead?"

"Is there even a contestant called Water Buffalo?"

"Damn, are you people for real? Who's telling the truth and who's lying? Can someone please give it to me straight!"

"In any case, those who went to the live recording said that the show is very, very good!"

"Really?"

"It shouldn't be too bad. It's Zhang Ye's creation after all."

"Will there really be big shots joining the show to sing?"

"I don't know!"

Online news was always a mixture of truth and lie. Some people who had not even gone to the live recording would confidently tell others just who the Masked King was and who had been eliminated in this episode's recording. In the confusion, the netizens could not tell truth from fiction, so they had no choice but to wait until the night to find out during the premiere episode!

...

Later that morning.

Jiaomen.

Rao Aimin's house.

Chenchen was doing her homework. "Old Yang, how do you do this question?"

Yang Shu looked at her. "Solve it yourself."

Chenchen said unhappily, "Tell me how to do it."

Yang Shu shook her head. "Your aunt won't allow that."

Chenchen said in annoyance, "Zhang Ye always helps me do my homework."

"I can't control what Senior Bro does," Yang Shu said, "but I can't help you do your homework because that's only going to do you harm."

Chenchen: "…"

These days, all of Yang Shu's meals were taken care of by Rao Aimin. The only condition for this arrangement was that Yang Shu had to tutor Chenchen every day. Yang Shu was a very dedicated and serious person, and would carry out what she promised. She really was keeping her eyes on Chenchen to supervise her and tutor her, although she definitely would not help her do her homework.

Bang bang bang.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door!

Chenchen looked to the door and asked, "Who is it?"

Zhang Ye's weak voice came from outside. "Open up!"

Yang Shu instantly became spirited and ran over. She opened the door and greeted him joyfully, "Senior Bro!" However, she was startled at the sight of her senior martial brother.

Zhang Ye looked very pale and seemed like he was on the verge of collapsing. It was as though he would die the very next second. When Zhang Ye saw his junior martial sister, his legs turned even weaker as he wailed, "Help me stand! I can't stay upright anymore!"

Yang Shu was horrified. "Senior Bro, what happened to you?"

Zhang Ye cried, "I can't take it anymore. Quickly let me lie down!"

Yang Shu was extremely anxious. She quickly propped Zhang Ye up and led him carefully into the house. She hurriedly helped him to the sofa in front of them to lay him down. "Stay strong! You must stay strong!" Yang Shu was getting really anxious as she knelt down to remove Zhang Ye's shoes and quickly covered him with a blanket.

Chenchen blinked several times as she looked over. "Zhang Ye, what's with you?"

Lying on the sofa, Zhang Ye whined, "I'm gonna die. I can't make it. Where's Old Rao? Call Old Rao out now." His breathing was very shallow and he seemed about to die.

Chenchen: "…"

Yang Shu's eyes reddened, "Senior Bro! Senior Bro, you must hold on! I-I'll go and get Master Rao immediately!" Then she shouted upstairs in panic, "Master Rao! Master Rao, come down quick! My senior bro isn't gonna make it! Quickly save my senior bro!" She looked at Zhang Ye again and asked, "Who injured you? I-I will get revenge for you!"

Revenge?

Avenge your sister!

Zhang Ye rolled his eyes and said, "This bro isn't dead yet!"

Footfalls thudded from upstairs. Rao Aimin came trotting down the stairs. "Why the shouting?"

Yang Shu cried, "Master Rao, please come quick! M-M-My senior bro isn't gonna make it!"

When Rao Aimin saw Zhang Ye lying on the sofa wailing, she was amused. "What is going on here? Who crushed you?" Yang Shu did not know Zhang Ye that well, but how could Rao Aimin not know him? She and Zhang Ye had known each other for a very long time and she knew exactly what this fellow's style was. When she saw him behaving in that manner, she knew that he was definitely not in any serious trouble. She made her way over to him and nudged him with a foot. "Stop playing dead. You a piece of broken porcelain?"

Zhang Ye groaned but did not move.

Yang Shu said anxiously, "Please take a look at my senior bro!"

Rao Aimin shook her head as she sat down on the sofa and prodded him. "Go on, scooch in."

Zhang Ye obediently shifted closer to the backrest of the sofa.

Rao Aimin reached out and took his pulse. Eight or so seconds later, she scanned Zhang Ye. "Your old injuries, eh?"

"I'm not going to make it." Zhang Ye groaned and whined still.

Rao Aimin asked, "Didn't your injuries get better, kid? Who did you fight recently?"

Zhang Ye insisted, "No one."

Rao Aimin sneered. "Impossible!"

Zhang Ye realized he might as well tell her. "A few days ago, I sparred and exchanged several dozen moves with the master of the Lian Family Style."

Rao Aimin looked at him. "You haven't even fully recovered from your old injuries yet you still went to spar with a martial arts master? You even exchanged several dozen moves? You're suicidal! Serves you right!"

Zhang Ye was exasperated. "My colleagues and friends had been detained by their people. When I went over to sort out the problem, they gave me face and immediately released them upon my request. After that, their master said that he would like to spar with me, so how could I turn him down? Where would I show my face if I did that! Hurry up, Old Rao, get me treated quickly!"

Rao Aimin told him, "Go to the hospital and get a checkup first."

However, the instant Zhang Ye heard the word "hospital," he panicked. "I'm not going there! I'm telling you this right now: I'm not going to the hospital!" He lay there even deader than before.

Yang Shu said anxiously, "Senior Bro, just listen to Master Rao!"

"I absolutely will not go!" Zhang Ye said firmly.

Chenchen pouted. "Zhang Ye, you're such a coward."

Zhang Ye stared at her and said, "Who's a coward? It's just that I'm too famous. If I go to the hospital, it would definitely cause a stir, understand? Forget it, a little kid like you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you."

Chenchen smirked. "Hur hur."

No matter what anyone said, Zhang Ye would never go to the hospital.

He'd slept from yesterday until today and had almost recovered from his cold and fever. The most serious issue he currently faced were his internal injuries. He would still face this situation again in next week's competition if his internal injuries were not properly treated, and everything would be in vain. As his parents were on vacation, there was no one at home to take care of him. Zhang Ye could no longer bear with it, so he decided to head straight to Rao Aimin's place, knowing that she knew traditional Chinese medicine and massage 1 .

Rao Aimin said in a speechless manner, "Rascal, are you becoming completely dependent on me now?"

Yang Shu said anxiously, "Master Rao!"

"Alright, alright," Rao Aimin said. "I'll help you on account of you getting the injuries because of me." She then walked away and found pen and paper to write down a prescription for a traditional Chinese medicine. She handed it to Yang Shu. "Little Yang, go and pick these herbs. I've already written down the items and quantities that I need."

Yang Shu took it from her. "OK!" She turned around and said, "Senior Bro, I'll be back immediately! You must hold on!"

Zhang Ye waved his hands. "Hurry up! Take a taxi there and back! Don't go by the Third Ring Road. I got caught in traffic there when I was coming here!"

Yang Shu ran out of the house!

She slammed the door closed!

Zhang Ye laid there and made yet another request. "Old Rao, I'm hungry. Can you make some red braised pork for me? Oh yes, and chicken soup too. I must nourish myself a bit!"

Chenchen: "…"

Rao Aimin: "…"

Zhang Ye asked again, "Do you have any chicken wings? If you don't have any, can you go to the market to buy some and cook some red braised chicken wings for me? I haven't eaten those in a very long time."

Chenchen said angrily, "Zhang Ye, why are you so weak?!"

"These are internal injuries we're talking about. I can't move at all." Zhang Ye lamented, "I haven't eaten anything in a day. There's no one to take care of my meals either."

Chenchen: "…"

Rao Aimin: "…"

Zhang Ye was just going to impose himself here and lie on the sofa without moving. No matter who tried to pull him away, he would not get up. He just kept groaning and whining while asking for things to be done.

This fellow acted completely differently on and off the stage.

Sometimes, the difference between a hero and a zero was just down to a difference of circumstance.

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