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!

5. 1001

I am Really a Superstar #Chapter 1001: King of Masked Singers premieres! - Read I am Really a Superstar Chapter 1001: King of Masked Singers premieres! Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 1001: King of Masked Singers premieres!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Noon.

At Old Rao's house, the place was full of the smell of medicinal herbs.

Zhang Ye yelled while lying on the sofa, "Is it done yet?"

Yang Shu speedily answered, "Senior bro, it's almost ready, it's almost ready!"

Zhang Ye howled, "Hurry up! I can't take it anymore!"

"Master Rao, please hurry!" Yang Shu urged from the kitchen.

Rao Aimin shouted across the living room, "If you make another sound, trust me, I will throw you out! Concocting the medicine requires proper heat! What are you so anxious for! It's still being bubbled!"

Zhang Ye stopped pestering Rao Aimin out of fear and turned to Chenchen, who was doing her homework. "Chenchen, fetch me a glass of water. I'm thirsty, so be quick."

Chenchen said, "Not gonna."

"In that case, I won't help you do your homework in the future!" Zhang Ye harrumphed.

Chenchen became flustered. "Zhang Ye, are you really that weak?!"

Zhang Ye rolled his eyes. "Get me some water."

Chenchen begrudgingly went to get the water for him and nearly even had to feed it to him.

Zhang Ye lay there all relaxed and gulped down two mouthfuls. Then he said, rather displeased, "Why is the water cold? Bring me warm water next time, understand?"

Chenchen got annoyed and ran to the kitchen to complain, "Aunt! Who does Zhang Ye think he is!"

But Yang Shu said, "Senior Bro's old injuries have relapsed and he's a sick person now. Why are you arguing with him?"

Chenchen was exasperated. "But he's such a bully!"

From the living room, Zhang Ye shouted again. "The food isn't done either? Why is it taking so long! I've been hungry for a whole day! Does anyone care about me?"

Yang Shu immediately replied, "Senior Bro, I'll serve you the food!"

Only Zhang Ye's junior martial sister would readily be at his beck and call to take care of him.

"Senior Bro, sit up and eat."

"I can't move."

"I'll feed you then."

"My junior martial sis is the best."

"Open your mouth."

"Mmm, the chicken wing is not too bad."

"Try some of the red braised pork."

"Mmm, it's good too, but a bit salty."

"Ah, a little salty? Then what should we do?"

"Forget it, I'll make do with it."

Rao Aimin could not stand watching this any further and took a few steps out of the kitchen and said to Yang Shu, "Ignore him. This fellow's just trying to score some pity points! Just place the food on the table. I'll see if he wants to eat or not!"

Chenchen added angrily, "Old Yang, don't care for him!"

But Yang Shu did not listen to them as she continued spoon-feeding Zhang Ye.

Zhang Ye lay there comfortable as a lord, opening his mouth and swallowing the food, then opening his mouth again with the next spoonful already waiting for him. After they finished eating lunch, the medicinal herb concoction was ready. His junior martial sister spoon-fed him again. But after just two mouthfuls, Zhang Ye cried out that it was too bitter and refused to drink anymore.

"Senior Bro!"

"This is not something a human can drink!"

"If you don't drink it, how can you heal your injuries?!"

"What's inside this?!"

"A soil dragon."

"What's that?"

"An earthworm."

"The hell! Are you guys trying to poison me!"

With great difficulty, Zhang Ye finally finished drinking the medicine. Rao Aimin then began to treat him externally. She gave him a traditional Chinese massage to help with his qi and blood circulation. But with just two massage rubs, Zhang Ye cried out again.

The entire time the sun was shining, there was not a moment of peace in the house as every one of them took care of Zhang Ye!

It wasn't until evening that this fellow finally ceased his antics. This was because the King of Masked Singers' premiere episode was about to begin!

Zhang Ye had taken over the whole sofa and occupied it by himself, lying there with his legs up. Be it Rao Aimin, Chenchen, or Yang Shu, they could only move some chairs over and sit beside him.

On Beijing Television, the commercials ended.

Yang Shu said, "It's starting!"

Zhang Ye said, "Turn up the volume."

...

His first uncle's house.

His first uncle and aunt brought out a fruit platter.

In the living room, Zhang Ye's three cousins were all sitting there watching the television. They had arranged to meet up today to watch the King of Masked Singers' premiere episode together as it was a new show planned by their cousin.

"Wow, it's starting, it's finally starting!"

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"The first contestant has appeared!"

"What? King of Oddity? What sort of name is this!"

"Holy shit!"

"Ah, he sang so well!"

"The pitch changes were really nice!"

"Who is he?"

"Greater China's Cui Long?"

"It's not him, it's definitely not him! The figure doesn't look like him at all!"

"Then could it be CAK?"

"The voice sounds super similar!"

The three cousins were excited and astonished by what they were watching.

His first uncle and aunt were seated near them and glanced at the screen. With this, they were immediately hooked on the show and joined in with their own guesses.

...

Peking University.

In one of the female dormitories.

Yao Jiancai's daughter, Yao Mi, did not go home for the weekend, instead staying in her dorm together with a few of her roommates to watch the broadcast of the King of Masked Singers. The more the merrier, they thought. Somehow, they'd gotten ahold of a 29-inch LCD TV, and they'd even hooked it up to an antenna in their dorm. There were a total of 11 people in the room, and all were watching the television in excitement, some of them even singing along.

"It's good! It's so good that I'm crying!"

"I really love Petal Shower!"

"There isn't anyone else in the music industry with such a falsetto!"

"Who exactly is she?"

"The panel of guest judges couldn't guess either?"

"Mimi, hahaha, your dad has spoken!"

"Your dad sure is funny! He definitely deserves to be a big shot in the crosstalk world!"

"It's sad that our Professor Zhang isn't around. It would be even more exciting to watch then!"

"When will Teacher Zhang come back and teach us again? Has he really been banned? Did the air pollution documentary affect him that greatly? How could they ban Teacher Zhang!"

...

Media College.

At the teaching staff's quarters.

Su Hongyan, once Zhang Ye's student counselor, was also watching the show on Beijing Television with some of her colleagues.

"This is really great!"

"Their singing is much more professional than those on The Voice!"

"It's gotta be. The selling point is different. The selling point of The Voice of China was its grassroots contestants, while for King of Masked Singers, the contestants are already famous singers, so of course their skills aren't the same! Frankly, the creativity of this show is great. Only someone like our Media College's Professor Little Zhang can come up with a show like this!"

"Sunflower sang well!"

"He's quite good, but I still prefer Sunset Glow. How did she lose to the others? Will she get eliminated? Who's gonna be crowned Masked King at the end of this episode?"

...

It blew up on the Internet as well!

Overwhelming exclamations and responses started appearing all over Weibo!

"This is really worth goddamn waiting for!"

"So this is King of Masked Singers!"

"Damn, it's 10,000 times better than I expected!"

"So this is what this show is all about! This group of people can really sing well, right? I bet they're all professional singers. And A or B-list big name celebs?"

"Who knows who King of Oddity is!"

"I really like King of Oddity too. His voice is really pleasant and his singing is pretty good, but compared to Petal Shower and the others, he doesn't quite measure up. Petal Shower and Sunflower, on the other hand, are gods!"

"Four contestants have already appeared onstage! And each one is more amazing than the last!"

"The next person is coming on right now!"

"The Clown?"

"I heard a rumor that he was this episode's Masked King?"

"That can't be! Probably a rumor?"

"Right, someone even said that Water Buffalo was the Masked King. Your sister's the water buffalo! There's not even a fucking contestant named Water Buffalo!"

"Look at how he's walking! He can't even stand straight!"

"Is he sick?"

The broadcast now cut to a different scene at an earlier time.

It was showing the moments in the infirmary.

Zhang Ye probably did not even know that while he and the program team staff were in the infirmary, someone had actually lugged a video camera in and recorded many of the scenes that had occurred inside!

A fever of 40 degrees!

A severe cold!

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Inflammation of the tonsils!

"Give me a cortisone shot!"

"Are you sure!?"

"Do it!"

"Give me another shot!"

"Shoot me up again!"

"Do it!"

Three shots!

A total of three shots!

The man in the clown mask did not even make a sound!

The scene cut again, back to the moment when The Clown appeared onstage!

At this moment, everyone who was watching the program in front of their televisions gasped in shock. Some of the music industry insiders were also surprised by this!

A madman!

This person must be insane!

"This…this…"

"He's really risking his life!"

"Why's he still singing when he's like that? How can he even sing?"

"Yeah, he's definitely not going to be the Masked King. Those must've been rumors."

"True. It's hard to walk around or even speak with a voice like that, much less sing a song! Can he even make any noise? He won't finish singing, right?"

"How could he possibly finish singing in that condition!"

It wasn't just The Clown who had behind-the-scenes footage edited into the show. There was also behind-the-scenes footage for the other masked singers. For instance, Petal Shower when she was rehearsing her songs and Sunflower's comments on the other singers' performances while he was in his waiting room. But clearly, The Clown's behind-the-scenes footage was more shocking than the others'. The program team definitely knew this, so they purposely edited this scene in.

However, when The Clown took the stage and started singing, a lot of people got a great shock!

Petal Shower's falsetto had shocked them!

Sunflower in the Starlight's tenor had shocked them!

Sunset Glow's gentle and soothing voice had shocked them!

But those were completely different from the shock The Clown thrust upon them. The Clown's song shocked them because it was pure and resonated with their souls!

"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."

Everyone's had a dream before.

Everyone's pursued those dreams before.

But for the sake of that grassland, that dream, a person like The Clown faced the biting winds while wounded and continued limping forward. No one could say that they had gone that far themselves!

So they were shocked!

Touched!

"Who is he!"

"This guy has such stage presence!"

"A wolf that comes from the north?"

"Doesn't that sound so cool?"

"Does it sound that great? I think it's just average."

"Me too. I'm not really moved. And his voice is too hoarse!"

"That's why it's good!"

"What do you guys know! This singing is filled with so much emotion!"

"The song itself is good too! What song is this, goddammit! Why haven't I heard before?"

...

At Old Rao's house.

Zhang Ye watched his onscreen self and had mixed feelings about it.

Yang Shu was fascinated by the song. "This song is really good, really!"

Rao Aimin did not say anything. Actually, she seldom watched television shows, but ever since she became Zhang Ye's agent, she started paying attention to them.

Chenchen pointed at the television and said, "Just look at him!"

Rao Aimin said, "He insists on taking the stage while badly sick. This perseverance and resilience is not something that just any ordinary person possesses. This man's not bad."

Zhang Ye was elated when he heard.

Hehe.

Good enough.

Yang Shu immediately said, "My senior bro is also someone with strong perseverance!"

Rao Aimin glanced at Yang Shu and pointed to Zhang Ye, who was lying crooked on the sofa like a slob. "You talkin' 'bout this guy?"

Yang Shu was stumped. She wanted to speak up but hesitated and hung her head in silence, apparently rather embarrassed by him.

Zhang Ye couldn't defend himself.

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Chapter 1002: The King of Masked Singers is on fire!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

On TV.

The Clown had narrowly defeated The Yak.

The netizens started an endless debate.

"Was there even a need to think? Of course the vote goes to The Clown!"

"It actually got decided by just a few votes?"

"This song that The Yak performed was much worse than The Clown's!"

"Yeah, what were the live audience members thinking!"

"Even a fool should be able to deduce which was the better song. How could The Clown have nearly lost this round? "

Next up, the three defeated contestants proceeded to the elimination round and battled each other.

The three contestants were: King of Oddity, Sunset Glow, and The Yak.

This segment was recorded after Zhang Ye had left the studio that day. He had not watched it yet and was naturally interested as he stared unblinkingly at the television.

King of Oddity kicked off the elimination round of performances.

He stuck to his beautiful portamento technique and rap, and he performed well.

After him was Sunset Glow.

"Do you remember what we used to have?

"Holding hands and living simply.

"We weren't yet 18 then.

"But we'd still speak our minds to each other."

It was a love song.

A slow but tasteful love song.

In this second round of performances, Sunset Glow performed rather stunningly. There were no higher pitches, none at all, but she still managed to capture the hearts of many in the audience!

The three contestants took their turns and finished performing.

Eventually, the results of the voting came out!

Sunset Glow easily remained in the competition while The Yak and King of Oddity were both eliminated!

"Take it off!"

"Take it off!"

"Take it off!"

The live audience all stood up and started shouting!

Chen Guang also stood up!

Amy also said excitedly, "Who are you!"

Dong Shanshan smiled and said, "You can choose to reveal your identity, or you can choose to exit the stage with your mask on."

King of Oddity laughed a little and thought for a moment. Then he grabbed his mask and took it off with everyone's attention on him.

When the television audience saw the face beneath the mask, many of them were startled!

Chen Guang was stunned. "Little Chi?"

King of Oddity smiled and said, "Hello, Senior Bro."

Amy also knew him personally. "Oh my god! How could it be you!"

Chi Yi! It was Chi Yi, who was from the same agency as Chen Guang!

The Internet also blew up!

"Damn! It's our Chi Yi!"

"Why is it him?"

"Man, that's a C-list celebrity!"

"In the music industry, Chi Yi was considered quite a big name some years ago. When he first debuted, he was known as a pretty boy to many and had also won an award for best song! He had a glorious past and surely counted as one of the top 30 people in the music industry at that time. But later, for reasons unknown, he stopped releasing albums and switched to acting in movies. Although he was also very popular in the film industry and is a C-list celebrity now, a lot of people still felt it sad that he did not continue his singing career!"

"Why would he be participating in this show?"

"Has Chi Yi gone back to singing?"

"He sang really well! His singing is as good as before!"

"Ahhh, my Little Chi!"

This was an extremely popular celebrity idol!

What's more, Chi Yi was a C-list celebrity as well!

After the astonishment faded, everyone thought of something. For someone who was so popular and good at singing, and had been even a professional singer, if this was any other singing show, he definitely would have been saved for a much later appearance. But on the stage of King of Masked Singers, Chi Yi had actually been eliminated in the first episode? What the fuck?! Then who the hell could the remaining masked singers be?! Thinking of this, the audience's curiosity suddenly erupted!

King of Oddity turned out to be Chi Yi!

Then who was the other one?

Who was The Yak?

The camera cut to The Yak.

Dong Shanshan asked, "You can choose to reveal your identity, or you can—"

"I choose not to reveal my identity," said The Yak before Dong Shanshan could finish.

The audience was taken aback.

Amy asked anxiously, "Why not?"

Zhang Xia persuaded, "I don't think it matters much as those who reveal their identities are definitely not considered losers. There aren't any losers at all here today. Also, we really wish to know who you are."

Wang Zhuishu added, "You sang really well!"

But The Yak did not say anything.

Dong Shanshan nodded and said, "OK, we respect your choice."

The Yak bowed to the audience and then mysteriously departed from the stage just like that, still wearing his mask. Perhaps no one in the audience would ever know who this man was.

The netizens were all vexed.

"Reveal your identity, dammit!"

"*faints* Why didn't he reveal himself?"

"How very suspenseful!"

"Who could that guy be?"

"*flips table* I'm so pissed!"

Everyone could only feel that way. If the contestant did not want to reveal their identity, there was nothing they could do about it!

"It's time for the next round!"

"Right, it's time to battle for the first episode's Masked King!"

"Who do you guys think has the best chance of winning?"

"Sunflower of course!"

"Definitely Petal Shower!"

"Right, it's basically just between these two. Although I also like The Clown, his voice is really not in good shape. It sounds quite hoarse, and judging from the earlier voting by the live audience members, The Clown stands no chance."

"But why are there people saying that The Clown was crowned the first episode's Masked King?"

"That's not possible."

"It's probably just a rumor."

"When he's like that, how can he fight for the throne of the Masked King?"

"Yeah, whether he can even sing his next song at all is questionable."

...

At Old Rao's house.

Zhang Ye had been through the final round of this episode's competition and already knew the results, so he didn't have much interest in the latter part of the show. As he watched, his eyes began to droop and he fell asleep unknowingly.

By the time he opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning. He had fallen asleep on the sofa, and someone had covered him with a blanket. The sky was bright and the chirping of birds drifted in from outside.

Zhang Ye got up from the sofa and went to the bathroom. He could feel that his body was in much better condition now. It seemed that Old Rao's medicinal herb concoction was actually quite effective, and he didn't drink it for nothing.

The front door opened.

Yang Shu came back carrying some things.

"Senior Bro, you're up?"

"Where'd you go?"

"To buy breakfast for you."

"Oh."

"By the way, here's today's newspapers."

Zhang Ye felt rather happy deep down inside. It was worth taking in this junior martial sister of his. Just look at all that she had done. "Where's Old Rao and Chenchen?"

"Master Rao took the kid out for morning exercises," Yang Shu replied.

Zhang Ye nodded then flipped open one of the newspapers.

"Chi Yi participates in King of Masked Singers!"

"King of Masked Singers' premiere episode! Chi Yi gets eliminated!"

"The Clown crowned first Masked King!"

"'Wild Rose' search term trends to top spot!"

"King of Masked Singers' premiere episode a hit! Trending #1 on Weibo! "

"Who is The Clown? "

"Speculation on Petal Shower's identity! "

The newspapers were all full of news regarding King of Masked Singers!

While eating breakfast, Zhang Ye browsed through Weibo and realized that there were also an overwhelming amount of discussions online!

"That was so fun!"

"King of Masked Singers' first episode was so damn interesting!"

"Much love to Petal Shower!"

"Much love to The Clown. I love him so much!"

"The Clown was so cool. That last song, 'Wild Rose,' made me cry for real!"

"Me too. 'I am a beautiful, beautiful wild rose.' I was totally pulled in and have already listened to it more than 10 times. Each time I hear it, I shed some tears!"

"Poor Chi Yi!"

"Chi Yi is supposed to be a really good singer and very popular too. How did he get eliminated!"

"The Yak is such a coward! He was too scared to even show his face!"

"Yeah, what a cheat! Even now, no one knows who he is!"

"When will the next episode be broadcast? Hurry up! I can't wait! I wanna continue listening to The Clown sing! His songs are so amazingly touching!"

"The next Masked King will definitely be Sunflower!"

"Get lost! It'll definitely be our Petal Shower!"

"Who's the most popular right now?"

"A poll shows that most people are interested in The Clown."

"The Clown? He only won because of luck."

"Nonsense! Go and check out today's Top Chinese Music Chart!"

Zhang Ye decided to do so. He found out that on the music industry's authoritative Top Chinese Music Chart, seven out of the top ten spots were taken by songs that were performed on King of Masked Singers!

#10: King of Oddity's "Idiot."

#9: A new song by a big name of the music industry.

#8: Sunflower in the Starlight's "Like Smoke, As Water."

#7: Sunset Glow's "My Past Lover."

#5: The Clown's "Wolf."

#4: Petal Shower's "On a Little Night Like This."

#3 was the song that Zhang Ye wrote and composed for Spring Garden—"Super Star." This song had already been charting for some time.

Number 2 was also another song performed by Petal Shower.

Then, impressively, at first place was "Wild Rose"!

Even on the monthly rankings of the Top Chinese Music Chart, although "Wild Rose" had only charted for a day since getting published last night, it had already shot up on the monthly chart to 11th!

In only a single day!

In the short span of barely a day!

"Wild Rose" had been shared and recommended like crazy!

Zhang Ye was sitting in the apartment and eating breakfast when he suddenly heard the tone-deaf singing of some men floating in from outside the windows. "I'm a beautiful, beautiful wild rose. / Hating the Heavens for being unfair."

There were already people who knew how to sing the song!

So you could imagine just how quickly the song had propagated through the masses!

Even Zhang Ye himself had not expected this. A slightly more niche song from his previous world had such a great influence and spread so quickly over here. Such news was very encouraging to him. Together with the newspaper articles and looking at the heated discussions online, Zhang Ye could already feel it clearly.

King of Masked Singers was on fire!

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Chapter 1003: Rankings and viewership ratings!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Later that morning.

His mother called him.

"Son, what are you up to?"

"Oh, I'm at Old Rao's place. How's your trip with Dad going?"

"It's quite nice and cozy here in Hainan. Oh right, I watched that new show of yours."

"Haha, so how was it?"

"It's fantastic! Your dad could not get enough and rewatched it."

"Which contestant do you like on the show?"

"I like Sunflower in the Starlight."

"Uh, what about dad?"

"Your dad likes Petal Shower."

"…"

"Son, what's the matter?"

"Ahem, nothing. Ai, enjoy your vacation."

After hanging up, Zhang Ye didn't know how to react. He initially thought that at least one of his parents would like The Clown. But as it turned out, neither of them mentioned him. He did not even have a chance to brag a little. What a failure! But that was just the first episode. Besides, his physical and voice conditions were not optimal during the recording of the episode. Zhang Ye was not worried at all since there were still plenty of opportunities to showcase himself in the future. As long as he did not get eliminated from the show, he would be able to bring out the songs he wanted to sing one by one.

Which song should he sing for the next episode?

An emotional song?

A happy song?

A song using his head voice?

Or something touching that would stir the hearts of the viewers?

He had to prepare two songs. What a headache that was!

Zhang Ye paced up and down Old Rao's living room as he started thinking and planning for the next round of competition. Now that he did not have any work or activities to keep him busy, he focused all his effort and time on the King of Masked Singers because this was his only way out after much brooding. He was left with no choice but to hide behind a mask and use a different method to roam the world with his pride.

Yang Shu looked at him and asked, "Senior Bro, are you feeling better?"

"I guess," Zhang Ye instinctively replied as he continued pacing.

At this moment, keys jangled from outside. Old Rao was back!

Yang Shu turned around and immediately opened the door. "Master Rao, Chenchen."

Rao Aimin grunted. "Where's Zhang Ye?"

Yang Shu said, "Senior Bro? Isn't he right here…" She turned around to point, but he was not there anymore. Zhang Ye was no longer pacing around the dining table.

"Eh? He's not up yet?" Rao Aimin looked to the sofa.

She saw Zhang Ye lying on the sofa, groaning and whining like he was about to die.

Zhang Ye pleaded, "Old Rao, get me a cup of water."

Rao Aimin said, "Fuck off."

"But I'm thirsty."

"Get it yourself!"

"Chenchen, get it for me. I can't move."

Yang Shu's jaw dropped!

...

Within the industry.

At a television station.

"If we had known—even if we had to pay 30 million RMB for the breach of contract back then—we should still have headhunted Zhang Ye from Central TV to join us! I'm sure that Central TV would've let him go for 30 million RMB!"

"Hai, it's useless to say anything now!"

"Zhang Ye's ideas are really creative!"

"Yeah, just him alone would be enough to sweep aside all of the production teams in the industry!"

"The King of Masked Singers is definitely gonna catch fire and will most likely subvert many of the things that we already know!"

"Yeah, just look at today's Top Chinese Music Chart. It's ludicrous. I have quite a few friends in the music industry and heard that there was an uproar there too. Songs performed on the show, which were broadcast just last night, actually charted on the Top Chinese Music Chart today? And many of the songs were covers too? They even occupied seven of the top ten spots on the chart? This is simply unbelievable. In the past, we had to go everywhere just to promote a new song. The companies would even have to throw money around in order to get an interview or get on a variety show. But now? They've achieved the same thing with just a TV show? And it even went further than that?"

"The ratings for 'Wild Rose' are too scary!"

"Who is this Clown person?"

"I don't know! Which big name in the music industry is he? He even managed to sing that well while sick?"

"'Wild Rose' has already stormed through the charts. It's already #1 on the daily Top Chinese Music Chart today. In a few more days, I suppose the monthly #1 spot is as good as theirs. How scary! This is insane!"

"What a subversive variety show!"

"Hai, Beijing TV has really gotten the most out of it this time!"

"There's no helping it. Zhang Ye is a Beijing local, after all! Dammit. With him there, who the hell can still vie with Beijing TV?"

"Has the viewership rating for their show been released yet?"

"Not yet, but it should be out sometime soon."

"Let's see what their viewership turns out to be first."

"Surely it won't be breaking another historical record, right?"

...

At an entertainment company.

"Little Xiao."

"Director Zhou."

"Did you watch the King of Masked Singers?"

"I did."

"What are your thoughts on it?"

"The contestants on the show are indeed very strong. I think that I may have identified one of them, but I'm not very sure. As for the others, I don't know since I really couldn't guess who they were."

"You're our company's highly prized newcomer. I have quite a good relationship with the King of Masked Singers' Executive Director Hu Fei and already communicated with him. You can go and try out for the show."

"Do you think I'm good enough?"

"You're also a professional singer, so you need to have confidence in yourself. This show will definitely become popular; rather, it has already become very popular. Many companies are eyeing for a slice of this pie right now and they're all vying to send their celebrities to the show. If we don't act quickly, we likely wouldn't have another chance."

"Alright, I'll do as you say."

...

At Beijing Television.

In the King of Masked Singers' program team office.

A lot of people from the other program teams came by to "visit."

"Old Hu, you guys were really impressive this time!"

"Hai, not really."

"Your show has already become so popular, yet you're still being so humble? Hurry up and treat us already. You must definitely do so. We won't show up if the restaurant is too low-class!"

"Hur hur, let's wait until the viewership ratings are out. It looks like the show is very popular, but we still don't know how the results will turn out."

"Come on, you. The online discussions are already so overwhelming, and everyone in the industry is talking about your show. If your viewership rating is bad, I'll twist my head off and give it to you."

"Then I'll be hoping you're right."

Previously, they were the program team for Do You Remember. Although that show was quite good too back then, but all it was was quite good. Hu Fei and the program team staff had never enjoyed such treatment before. A deputy station head and a station executive even made a visit to their office and sat around for a while before heading back to their own office for the day. Quite a few of their Beijing Television colleagues also came by to congratulate them, while a lot of media reporters bombarded the program team with calls.

Hou Ge said excitedly, "We're famous!"

Hou Di proclaimed, "I can't believe we got to see a day like this!"

"I feel like I'm living a dream." Xiao Lu was still getting used to this. "Did any of you receive any calls? I got two calls this morning from the other TV stations, looking to headhunt me. They offered me an annual package of 500,000 yuan! I was totally shocked! I've never even seen 500,000 yuan in my lifetime before!"

Dafei exclaimed, "Damn, why didn't anyone headhunt me?!"

Xiao Lu laughed and quipped, "'Cause you're ugly."

Dafei: "…"

Everyone laughed.

Hu Fei smiled and said, "Actually, we shouldn't be getting so carried away. For those of us who're involved, we know that this is all to the credit of Teacher Zhang."

Han Qi gave a wry smile and said, "Teacher Zhang is just too amazing."

Han Qi was a newcomer who had just transferred to the current program team. During the few times that Zhang Ye had come over, she had only seen him from a distance and did not have an opportunity to speak with him. At her level, she felt that she was not qualified to speak with him yet. This was Zhang Ye they were talking about, a big shot A-list celebrity and a very famous figure in the industry. As a result, she could only watch from afar even though she was a diehard Zhang Ye fan. However, Han Qi did not know that she had already interacted with Zhang Ye many times.

Suddenly, hasty footfalls came running!

One of the program team employees rushed into the office and shouted excitedly, "It's here! The viewership ratings are out!"

Hu Fei quickly said, "How did we do?"

Hou Ge immediately tensed up. "How much did we get?"

Xiao Lu said anxiously, "What's our nationwide ranking?"

When that person handed the viewership ratings chart to Hu Fei, everyone instantly gathered around him!

"Let me take a look!"

"Don't block me!"

"How much did we get?"

"Just how much is it?"

Then, the numbers on the form appeared before everyone's eyes!

When they saw the numbers, shock jumped onto the program team's faces!

The nationwide viewership ratings for the King of Masked Singers premiere episode was—2.51%!

They were the #1 show nationwide!

They led by double the #2 show's viewership rating!

The office fell silent.

One second.

Two seconds.

Suddenly, ear-piercing screams rang out!

"Ahhh!"

"Number one! We're number one nationwide!"

"Holy shit! 2.51%!"

"It's really become popular this time! Our show's really a hit!"

"Heavens!"

"This is ridiculous!"

"It's even higher than The Voice's premiere episode rating?"

"Oh my god!"

Han Qi jumped for joy!

Xiao Lu was shrieking with excitement!

Cries of joy!

Cheering!

The office devolved into chaos!

Hu Fei suddenly said, "Quick, inform Little Zhang about this!"

Dafei quickly replied, "Let me do it. I'll give Teacher Zhang a call!"

Beijing Television burst into an uproar!

The industry was shocked by the viewership ratings!

This was just the premiere broadcast!

The first episode of the show!

But this episode has already fucking achieved a viewership rating of 2.51%? What does this mean? Do you all intend to fucking break the 4% mark? How can it possibly be so high?!

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Chapter 1004: The Clown gets called out?

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

At Old Rao's house.

Zhang Ye was still playing dead on the sofa when he received the call.

"Dafei, it's out?"

"Yeah! It's out!"

"How much?"

"2.51%!"

"Ah? How much again?"

"The premiere episode's viewership was 2.51%!"

"Is that figure from a draft report?"

"It's not! This is the actual viewership rating! Teacher Zhang, we've gotten first nationwide. Our premiere episode has taken the number one spot in the nationwide viewership ratings! You're so incredible!"

Dafei called his coworkers over to the phone.

Xiao Lu ran over and shouted into the phone: "Teacher Zhang, you're so amazing! So, so amazing! Hurry over. Brother Hu says that he'll be treating us to a meal, and the Station Head has announced that they'll be holding a celebratory banquet just for our program team, right after they gave us a letter of commendation and published it to the entire station! We're just lacking your presence now!"

Zhang Ye laughed and said, "I won't be joining you guys today. I still have some things to attend to."

After hanging up, Zhang Ye kept quiet for a second before suddenly belly laughing!

#1 nationwide?

2.51%?

Another record has been broken!

In fact, Zhang Ye wasn't too sure how the show would perform before it was broadcast. It wasn't because he was not confident, but just that he was unable to put his finger on it. After all, the King of Masked Singers back in his previous world did not have that great of a viewership rating. It only managed around 1 to 2% tops. Zhang Ye had studied the shortcomings of the show closely in order to make the changes to the version in this world. Thus, he could not predict the results until the final moment when the results were released. From the looks of it, the viewership this time really did not disappoint him. In fact, it even exceeded the expectations that Zhang Ye had set for it by a great deal. It looked like the King of Masked Singers that he had made revisions to had been accepted by everyone. This was no doubt a boost to Zhang Ye, as even though he was neither the executive director nor the host, he was still part of the show. If the show became popular, Zhang Ye's popularity would get higher as a result.

He immediately went to check the Celebrity Rankings Index, hoping to see how much his popularity score had gone up by. He felt that it would surely be a sizable amount. However, when he checked the list, he was shocked to discover that his popularity score was actually dropping, although it was still within the A-list.

Damn!

What was happening?

Then, with a jolt, Zhang Ye facepalmed as he suddenly remembered that he was performing with a mask on, and no one knew that it was him who joined the competition. Therefore, it was impossible that he would be credited with any popularity as Zhang Ye. Having not been onscreen for some time and without a job, the A-list celebrities ranked behind him had started catching up relentlessly while Zhang Ye's popularity score was sliding back. Zhang Ye could only smile helplessly at this. After his fever yesterday, he was probably feeling a little mixed up right now, but that didn't really matter. He would just have to leave this issue of his popularity score aside for now. He was sure that on the day that he revealed himself, all of that accumulated popularity would come back to him. Thinking of the arrival of such a day, Zhang Ye could no longer control his laughter as he wondered when he would achieve that explosion in popularity. But first, he would have to continue singing and not get eliminated midway through the show.

Tired from laughing, Zhang Ye took a breather and suddenly realized that everyone in the apartment was looking at him.

Rao Aimin was looking at him.

Chenchen was also staring at him.

Zhang Ye rubbed his face. "Why you lookin' at me?"

Rao Aimin narrowed her eyes. "Rascal, you're quite full of energy when you're laughing, aren't you?"

With that, Zhang Ye immediately collapsed back onto the sofa and said weakly, "It's the last gasp."

Rao Aimin sent a kick flying at him!

"So you were only pretending earlier?"

"Aiyo, what are you doing!"

"Get up!"

"Don't kick, don't kick!"

Chenchen shouted angrily, "Zhang Ye, you're so shameless! I thought that you were actually seriously injured! I even went to get you a cup of water! You...why are you not behaving like a proper adult!"

Zhang Ye got chased around the apartment. "I'm always the one being ordered around! Can't I be the one to order you guys around for once? Aiyo, Old Rao, you're hitting me for real? Do you think I won't retaliate? Do you think that I can't beat you? You're more seriously injured than I am."

However, the facts had already proved that even if Rao Aimin's injuries have not recovered, even if her injuries were more serious than Zhang Ye's, he still couldn't beat her.

This fellow was actually much better, his injuries under control and regaining 40-50% of his stamina. He now had the foundation of a martial arts master, and his strength and stamina levels were maxed out after having eaten all those level 1 Fruits from the lottery draw. Once his injuries were alleviated and did not affect him as much, Zhang Ye's resilience and recovery rate would naturally be different from normal people's.

...

Medicinal herb concoction three times a day.

Traditional Chinese massage twice daily.

By the second day, Zhang Ye could already do some simple exercises.

By the third day, the rasp in Zhang Ye's voice started to disappear.

By the fourth day, Zhang Ye attempted singing two high notes and could practically hit them, except that he couldn't sustain them for long. If he did, his voice would end up trembling due to his vocal cords tightening.

By the fifth day, the side effects from the cortisone shots had almost subsided.

The doctor was right about the severe side effects of a cortisone shot, let alone the fact that he had received three shots. Even for someone with Zhang Ye's physique and condition, it still took him five days to recover from it. If it were a normal person, they would probably have taken more than a month to recover their voice.

His body was back to normal for now.

His voice had just about recovered.

However, Zhang Ye was still undecided on what songs to sing, and with the second episode's recording of King of Masked Singers coming up, he was starting to panic, too. Everyone knew that he was someone who always set very high standards for himself, so he would be much more stringent when it came to choosing a song. He couldn't even be a little unsatisfied with it.

Which songs should he choose?

He had absolutely no idea whatsoever!

Reuse the song he had rehearsed before he switched songs last time? No good!

Or should he bring out a classic?

...

At this moment, a heated discussion erupted online!

"It will be Saturday in another two days!"

"They'll be recording tomorrow, right?"

"I'm so looking forward to it!"

"King of Masked Singers is so good!"

"I love The Clown the most!"

"Who do you guys think will be crowned as the second episode's Masked King?"

"Petal Shower!"

"Sunset Glow sang really well too! It's just that a lot of the audience members could not understand!"

"It's definitely going to be Sunflower, without a doubt!"

"Eh, why didn't anyone mention The Clown?"

"He's already been crowned as the first episode's Masked King. And besides, everyone knows that his crowning was not exactly well-deserved. He only got it because he was being opportunistic."

"Ah, what do you mean by that?"

"Can't you tell? For someone as sick as him, everyone would surely pity him. A lot of people voted for him out of sympathy. Didn't any of you realize that? The Clown's singing and voice were totally appalling, even though he was really suffering from a cold too, which we won't talk about. His technique actually laid in his lyrics, claiming he was some wolf from the north looking for some beautiful plains, or how he's a beautiful, beautiful wild rose but for the unfair heavens. He only won on the technicalities of his song lyrics which he used to apply to his circumstances at that moment. It's no surprise that he won the vote to become Masked King. But he definitely has no chance in the second episode."

"Finally! There's someone else who noticed it! I also noticed it!"

"Yeah, those two songs by The Clown were good, and I wondered who wrote them too, but I can't help but feel that it wasn't a proper victory. He only did it by gaining pity points!"

"Is that so? I thought it was quite a proper win."

"That's because you're still too young to understand."

"That's quite true, to be honest. You can even say that The Clown's performance that day was the worst of the six participants, but his lyrics were good and he totally took advantage of that. If he really were to sing another song, even if he didn't have a cold and his voice was in the best possible shape, he still couldn't compare to Petal Shower and Sunflower. He probably wouldn't even last in a competition against Sunset Glow and The Yak!"

"Um, that's what I think too."

"There are two possibilities now. One is that The Clown's voice has not recovered yet and he'll continue playing the sympathy card but the audience does not get convinced. That would mean he is almost guaranteed to get eliminated. The second is that The Clown's voice has recovered and he performs to his best. But without the sympathy card, how many people will actually like his songs and singing? Rather than talking about his chances of becoming the second episode's Masked King, I think The Clown will find it hard to even stay in the competition."

On the Top Chinese Music Chart.

"Wild Rose" was already sweeping aside every other song on the charts.

#1 on the daily chart!

#1 on the weekly chart!

#3 on the monthly chart, but already making its way up to first place!

The performance of "Wolf" was quite good and did well on the charts too.

But what was surprising was that in the official poll created by Beijing Television's King of Masked Singers program team, the support for The Clown was dipping.

First: Petal Shower.

Second: Sunflower in the Starlight.

Third: Sunset Glow.

The Clown was ranked fourth.

Followed by the eliminated King of Oddity, who wasn't too far behind The Clown.

A lot of people had been affected by the discussions, or rather a lot of them had the same opinions regarding The Clown and felt that he had won the first episode only because he got lucky.

Some negative news also sprung up after that.

"How far can The Clown go just by relying on sympathy?"

"Sources claim that replacement masked singers on the King of Masked Singers' second episode will include a talented singer!"

"The Clown facing elimination?"

"Wild Rose sweeps the charts, The Clown sweeps the floor!"

"A singing competition or a songwriting competition?"

"Playing the sympathy card on King of Masked Singers gets called out by netizens!"

"The Clown: A flash in the pan?"

"The Clown revealed: Might be an unknown rookie!"

When a person gets popular, gossip will fly.

With the King of Masked Singers so popular now, it was difficult to avoid the doubting voices. But these doubting voices from the media and people regarding The Clown was something that was still rarely seen. In the era of speculation, lies, and sympathy cards, people were getting even more sensitive to it. Together with people fanning the flames behind these claims, everyone started believing it the more they heard them. They thought that it was rather true, since if it weren't for those lyrical verses that resonated with everyone's emotions at that time and gained their sympathy, who would have actually cast their vote for him? Perhaps the King of Masked Singers' program team also had such thoughts. Frankly, a lot of people did not even bother listening to The Clown's voice or heard anything special in his voice. Everyone was purely moved just by the lyrics of those two songs.

"I just dislike people who try to gain sympathy this way!"

"Yeah, it's so disgusting to watch!"

"Didn't he just get those good songs because of his company? It's not like he really has the talent to win!"

The opinions were getting more and more skewed!

...

Zhang Ye found out about this news and these opinions the night before the recording was about to take place.

Depending on lyrics?

Trying to gain sympathy?

He just smiled and did not get bothered by it.

He settled his mind then continued to select songs.

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Chapter 1005: The Clown's two songs!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Friday.

At around 8 in the morning.

Near the side door of Beijing Television's main building, Han Qi was standing alone at a spot she felt would not be eye-catching. She looked around from time to time and seemed to be waiting for someone.

Not too far away, Xiao Lu and Dafei were chatting and laughing as they walked over.

"Eh, Little Han?" Xiao Lu was surprised to see her here.

Han Qi smiled and said, "Sister Lu, Brother Fei, good morning."

Dafei wondered, "What are you doing here?"

Han Qi blushed and said, "I-I'm waiting for Teacher Clown."

Dafei asked, "The Clown's rehearsal is scheduled for 9 AM, right?"

Han Qi nodded. "Yes."

Xiao Lu smiled and said, "Then you better hurry. The other singers finished rehearsing yesterday except for Teacher Clown." Her smile then withdrew and she said with melancholy, "The public opinion during the past two days hasn't favored him much. A lot of people are already doubting The Clown for not winning the competition properly, saying he relied on the lyrics to remedy his situation and even chastised him for trying to gain pity points. We will start recording the show in the afternoon. When he takes the stage later, he'll definitely face a great deal of pressure and the audience will probably be affected by public opinion during the voting."

Han Qi said angrily, "What do they mean 'relying on lyrics'? They don't know a thing!"

"Just be a bit more attentive in regards to that. Also, the condition of Teacher Clown's voice is another problem, so follow up with him on that." Then Xiao Lu and Dafei went into the main building.

Han Qi was left feeling both angry and worried.

It was really infuriating!

What would those media people know!

What would those netizens know!

How could they criticize Teacher Clown?

Han Qi continued to look around as she waited for her target. She was here to "intercept" The Clown today. He had always been either appearing at the station or in front of her without getting noticed every single time, so Han Qi decided that she would just come out to the entrance to wait for him. She really wanted to know who the man behind The Clown's mask was. She was confident that with her past interactions with him, if The Clown stood in front of her, she would be able to recognize him as quite a few of The Clown's distinct traits came to her mind.

Celebrity.

Professional singer.

Charming.

Short haired.

Around 30 years of age?

In front of her, a celebrity and two of his assistants were walking over.

Han Qi immediately locked her eyes on him. No, not him. This man was invited to come for an interview today. Eh, another person was coming, but it wasn't him either. He was a host at Beijing Television.

In the end, she did not manage to spot The Clown, but instead saw her idol.

In the parking lot, Zhang Ye got out of his car and walked straight toward the building.

On his way over, there were quite a few people who greeted him.

"Aiya, Teacher Zhang!"

"Hello, Teacher Zhang."

"Good morning, Teacher Zhang."

"Good morning, Director Zhang."

Not only the King of Masked Singers' program team, even the other departments and program teams' staff who saw Zhang Ye were friendly to him. The King of Masked Singers that Zhang Ye produced had allowed Beijing Television to achieve the top spot in the nationwide viewership ratings of television shows for the first time ever. Even if they were not staff from the King of Masked Singers' program team, they still felt extremely excited. Due to the domino effect, the other program teams experienced a slight viewership increase for their shows. This proved that the King of Masked Singers was leading Beijing Television to move onto a bigger stage and journey to becoming a leading provincial satellite station. Naturally, a lot of the Beijing Television staff were willing to recognize Zhang Ye's merits because everyone knew that if it were not for Zhang Ye's contributions, even with the skill of all the program teams in Beijing Television combined, it was impossible that they could come up with a show that performed so outstandingly.

Zhang Ye smiled and nodded at them.

He arrived at the entrance in the blink of an eye.

Han Qi was already extremely nervous. She straightened instantly and mustered up her courage to greet him. She did not have any expectations that Zhang Ye would reply to her. "Teacher Zhang, good morning!"

When Zhang Ye heard that, he was surprised for a moment. Only then did he see Han Qi, to whom he smiled and said, "Morning to you as well." Then he went upstairs without saying anything else.

But Han Qi got very excited!

Teacher Zhang spoke to me! He spoke to me!

She was truly a diehard Zhang Ye fan and was the type who would argue with anyone if they said bad things about him online. She was in a very terrible mood today due to Teacher Clown's situation, but when Zhang Ye greeted her with a "morning to you as well," her mood immediately improved and she became much more spirited!

So she continued waiting.

Why hadn't Teacher Clown arrived yet?

10 minutes.

20 minutes.

30 minutes.

It was almost 9 AM and time for the scheduled rehearsal, but The Clown was still not here yet.

Han Qi quickly called The Clown, but no one answered the phone. As such, she had no choice but to call to Music Director Bai Yuanfei. She anxiously said: "Teacher Bai, Teacher Clown has not arrived yet, and as he might not be feeling too well, do you think we can arrange something regarding the rehearsal…."

On the other end of the line.

Bai Yuanfei said in surprise: "The Clown? But he's already here, isn't he?"

Han Qi exclaimed: "Ah?"

Bai Yuanfei said: "We're already rehearsing."

He already arrived?

What the hell!

When did you even arrive?

Don't tell me you can teleport?

Han Qi nearly fainted as her attempt to intercept The Clown ended in vain. The Clown was simply too mysterious. Could it be that he had entered from the back door or through the cafeteria's stairway entrance? Why are you doing things so randomly! Han Qi's curiosity almost exploded. Like a lot of the viewers in the country, she really wanted to know who The Clown was! Why wouldn't he show his face? Why did he have to hide his identity so carefully? Was there any reason why he couldn't show his face? That not even the program team staff could know about it? Uh, could it be that he was very, very…ugly?

She immediately set herself thinking.

Who were the ugly celebrities in the entertainment industry?

Crosstalk comedian Tang Dazhang?

Korea's Lee Anson?

Or those athletes from the sporting world?

Whatever it was, in Han Qi's eyes, those who had scolded Zhang Ye were all ugly.

See, this is what you call a diehard fan!

...

In the rehearsal room.

This was a rather big set allocated to them by Beijing Television. Other than musical instruments, there were cameras set up around the place. Some rehearsal scenes would probably end up being edited and broadcast in the episode. The entire time after the masked singers arrived at Beijing Television would be fully recorded, unless the contestants personally requested for them not to do so. For example, not placing any cameras in the waiting room. If that happened, the program team would respect the singers' wishes like what The Clown had just done.

By the time Han Qi came over, The Clown had indeed already arrived.

Music Director Bai Yuanfei said, "Let's rehearse once more."

The Miracle Wheels nodded.

The house band lineup for today was magnificent, with about eight old folk music teachers invited as well.

Han Qi did not go over to disturb them. She just found a seat in the audience and listened attentively.

The music started playing.

The band members looked at the score given to them by The Clown and started playing the accompaniment.

The Clown was wearing his mask and standing on stage, humming softly along with the music. "Hmm, mmm, hmmm…" He practiced his song by humming in a nasally voice the entire process.

Han Qi's heart skipped a beat.

Shit!

The teacher's voice had not recovered yet!

They finally finished with the rehearsal of the first song after a long very time.

The Clown said, "Thanks for helping me, teachers."

Han Qi was surprised. Eh, listening to Teacher Clown's speak, he sounded like he was in better shape than last week. He even spoke with his disguised voice? He was purposely hiding his voice? Or was it because his voice had not fully recovered yet?

Bai Yuanfei said worriedly, "Is everything gonna be fine?"

The Clown nodded. "The song is a bit difficult, so I can't do a proper practice run."

The band guitarist asked, "Was it because of the side effects from the cortisone shot? You really risked your life. With three shots, even the gods would not be able to bear with it!"

The drummer sighed while shaking his head.

The Clown said, "That's why I have to save my voice for the actual performance."

"Alright." Bai Yuanfei said, "We'll rehearse this way for now. You don't have to sing; it's fine to just hum along. Try your best to maintain your stamina. Let's start with the rehearsal of the second song!"

However, the second song went beyond their expectations as they spent almost two hours before just barely getting through the rehearsal. Every one of the band members were extremely tired from it.

What song was this?

Why was it so complex?

Was this even necessary?

Could it be that his voice was unable to recover in time, so he decided to use the accompaniment to make up for it? Using the music's charm to cover his mistakes?

Hai. The band members no longer held much hope for The Clown in this round of the competition!

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Chapter 1006: The Clown vs. Petal Shower!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Later that afternoon.

The recording was about to begin.

Backstage, the contestants started to draw lots to decide the order of their appearances and opponents in the first round. There were two replacement masked singers here, whose names and strength were unknown. As such, everyone placed a great deal of importance on this draw due to their results being affected by who their opponent was and in which order they would appear onstage. This was in direct relation to whether they could still remain on this stage or if they would advance further.

In The Clown's waiting room.

The door opened.

Han Qi and some of the program team staff came in.

"Teacher, it's your turn," Han Qi said nervously. She was hoping that The Clown would draw a good lot, the best being number six and would mean that he would be the last to sing.

The Clown reached his hand into the box.

The camera focused onto him immediately.

At the same time, the other contestants could clearly observe the ongoings at The Clown's waiting room in real time

Sunflower in the Starlight had drawn number three.

Petal Shower was number one.

New replacement masked singer "God of War" had drawn number four.

These were the results of the draw so far: Sunflower's opponent was to be God of War. During the drawing process that was shown live from God of War's waiting room earlier, all the other contestants saw how God of War practically broke down. At first, the man's voice sounded rather cheerful, but he ended up exclaiming "no, no, no" for the longest time after the draw. This was because anyone who had watched the first episode of King of Masked Singers would know exactly how strong an opponent Sunflower was. One was Sunflower, the other was Petal Shower. They were both opponents that no one wanted to be matched against!

It was now The Clown's turn for the draw. Everyone was glued to their TV.

The Clown's hand withdrew from the box, holding a small ball in his hand. The numbered side of it was then turned to the camera.

Number two!

He had drawn number two!

He would be the second one to appear on stage and his opponent was—Petal Shower.

Han Qi similarly broke down as well. No! No! No!

He would be appearing at the beginning and his opponent was going to be Petal Shower. This was the worst lot that could be drawn!

In the waiting room of the other replacement masked singer who had not drawn lots yet, he let out a long sigh of relief after seeing The Clown get matched with Petal Shower. That would mean that Sunset Glow had been confirmed as his opponent. Petal Shower was currently the contestant with the most popularity in the prediction poll on the official website. Hundreds of thousands of people had voted that she would be crowned the second episode's Masked King, with Sunflower in second place with 110,000 votes. This was the reason why no one was willing to fac off against these two in the first round; they had already gained a good standing in popularity. Even if they made some mistakes and did not perform up to their potential, the live audience voters might still cast their votes for them as there would be emotion involved in their decision. Competitions have always declared themselves to be fair, but how could there possibly be absolute fairness?

The door closed.

The program team staff left the waiting room.

Han Qi said in panic, "What should we do now!"

But The Clown did not say a single word. Petal Shower was indeed a strong opponent, and he honestly did not wish to face her for his first song today, yet this was exactly what happened.

The studio issued an announcement to start the countdown to recording.

Han Qi was in despair.

Petal Shower enjoyed a very good reputation while The Clown was attracting doubt from too many people!

They could not win this!

There was no way they could win!

When the house band and the program team staff found out about this matchup, they pitied The Clown. They knew there was no chance he could fight for the throne of the Masked King now and thought that he should be thinking of how to remain in the competition instead.

...

The studio was packed.

The audience gazed at the stage in excitement as recording began!

After Dong Shanshan took the stage and recited a string of advertising messages, she smiled at the guessing panel. "Judges, after the first episode, do you have any guesses on who the contestants are?"

Zhang Xia smiled and said, "I have no idea who's who."

Amy giggled and said, "Even at the moment when King of Oddity took off his mask, I still could not believe it. With the costumes wrapping them up so tightly and wearing a mask, who could guess who they are? But Sunset Glow's voice sounds a little familiar to me, so I'll just continue observing for now."

Backstage, Sunset Glow was watching the television. When she heard that, she raised a half-smile.

This is not good.

Did Amy really recognize me?

I've already deliberately changed the tone of my vocal register.

Chen Guang laughed and said, "I'll observe a bit more today."

Dong Shanshan asked, "Judges, are there any contestants you have a good feeling about?"

Wang Zhuishu smiled and said, "I still have my money on Petal Shower."

Chen Yidong said, "I think Sunflower is good. He has a great chance of becoming the Masked King today."

Chen Guang added, "If we're talking about singing, Sunflower and Petal Shower really do have the greater chance of becoming the Masked King. But this is a competition after all, so it's hard to tell."

Zhang Xia nodded. "Petal Shower is very good. I feel like I definitely know her."

Yao Jiancai looked at Chen Guang and joked, "Old Chen, could your wife have come to join the competition?"

Chen Guang's eyes twitched as he replied hurriedly with a smile, "I still believe that Petal Shower is Sister Zhang."

Amy laughed. "That's possible too!"

Everyone was making wild guesses. In truth, a lot of people really weren't thinking about the contestants as any of those famous big names in the music industry. They were all still confused.

After the atmosphere warmed up, the competition got underway.

The audience was also getting more and more excited.

"Hurry up!"

"Petal Shower! Petal Shower!"

"I wonder what kind of song Sunflower will sing today. I like him so much!"

"Eh, why didn't any of the judges mention The Clown?"

"I guess the program team must have informed them before the recording started."

"Yeah, the voices of doubts are getting stronger and they're all about the validity of The Clown winning Masked King on the last episode. No one really dares to bring up how he went onstage sick and could still sing in that way anymore. The judges probably know it themselves too that they were only moved by The Clown's songs last week out of sympathy due to how the lyrics were befitting of the circumstances. Didn't Grandma Zhang Xia and Chen Guang also say that if it were really down to singing technique, other than the two replacements today, the best would definitely be either Petal Shower or Sunflower?"

"The Clown was indeed just being opportunistic."

"The first episode's Masked King should have been Sunflower."

"Oh come on, it should have been Sunset Glow."

"Hur hur."

"Let's see how it goes this episode then!"

"Eh, it's starting!"

People in the audience were debating endlessly about their favorite singer or who they supported. However, The Clown's name was starting to get mentioned less and less.

Dong Shanshan's voice reverberated through the studio. "Let us welcome our first performer today—Petal Shower."

Immediate applause rang out!

"Wow!"

"She's the first one to perform!"

"Petal Shower, I love you!"

"This is great! The first one to sing is our Petal Shower!"

Quite a few people were shouting and screaming, raising the intensity in the studio!

During the first episode when the contestants were underneath masks and had yet to sing a song, people had no idea how good they were. When the contestants first appeared on stage, the applause was lukewarm at best. However, this time was different as everyone had watched the show once. In fact, there were even some people in the audience who were attending the recording for the second time. The atmosphere was clearly different than last time.

Under everyone's attention, Petal Shower walked onstage.

Applause thundered once again!

"You got this!"

"Come on!"

"You're the true Masked King!"

Just from this reaction alone, it could obvious how popular Petal Shower was!

Even the program team staff and the other contestants who were backstage and slated to appear later could only smile wryly to themselves. She was already this popular after singing just two songs in the first episode?

How could they still compete with her?

They should just crown her Masked King straight away!

However, they were willing to admit that Petal Shower was indeed a strong foe. Thinking of this, all the other masked singers felt some sympathy for The Clown for having drawn today's worst lot!

The lights dimmed.

The bowed notes of a violin floated through the air.

The audience hushed, with some of them closing their eyes to listen.

Petal Shower gripped the microphone and opened her mouth softly.

A gentle falsetto drifted out!

It was her signature technique on this stage, as well as the audience's familiar sense of shock!

"Lies repeated a hundred times.

"In return, just a false promise.

"A mask that's been worn a lifetime.

"Why can't I become the person I want to be?"

The audience knew from the moment they heard it!

This was "Face"!

It was a very slow and touching song!

Amy forced a smile and said, "How nice. She's singing it better than me!"

Zhang Xia looked at her. "It's not like you to sing endearing songs in the first place."

Amy said to convince her, "There's almost no one in the music industry who can sing like this. The range of her falsetto is enormous, so I'm a 100% sure that Petal Shower is a professional singer. She's most definitely a big name too!"

Wang Zhuishu agreed, "That's right. And I have a feeling that this woman must be such a big name in the music industry that we couldn't even start imagining it. But as long as she doesn't speak with her normal voice, there's no way that we can guess who she is!"

Yao Jiancai was enjoying the singing. "Whoever faces her is really down on their luck."

Chen Yidong said, "As long as Petal Shower does not make any mistakes, it'll be difficult for anyone to beat her. Her falsetto is so amazing that I don't think there's anyone who has a better technique than hers!"

Petal Shower sang a cappella.

"Ugly.

"A pretence.

"This is…

"What my face…is."

The performance ended.

Petal Shower lowered her microphone and took a slight bow in thanks.

Applause immediately rang out!

Even the backstage contestants were clapping for her!

The audience was screaming from every corner!

"It's so good!"

"I used to not like this song, but Petal Shower sang it really well!"

"That's what a charming singer can do!"

"She's definitely going to win!"

"Yeah, there's no need to listen to the next contestant!"

"Right, it doesn't matter who comes next!"

"Petal Shower!"

"Petal Shower!"

Petal Shower's performance today was as good as her last one. There were no mistakes and no voice cracking, although it wasn't as stunning as her first performance in the last episode. Perhaps this was due to the choice and genre of the song, but she still managed to perform it up to her level and it was still as enjoyable to listen to! But the most crucial point was that the entire song was sung with a varied falsetto, which further increased the charm of the song. After all, none of them had ever heard of anyone who would dare to sing like this. Due to it being very difficult to sing in falsetto, not too many singers had the capability to do so, nor would they dare to do something like this live! Due to such curiosity, this rendition of "Face" by Petal Shower had once again infected the studio!

Whether it was the audience?

The judges?

The backstage contestants?

Or the program team staff?

None of them felt that she could lose!

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Chapter 1007: A song without lyrics!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The studio was filled with the sound of applause.

The first song had raised the atmosphere to the highest point. None of the other participating singers hoped that they would be the next to appear, but The Clown was already standing at the door.

Han Qi gave a bitter smile. "Teacher."

The Clown grunted in acknowledgment.

Han Qi hesitated, then said, "Let's aim for the next song instead and focus on that. Don't try so hard on this song and preserve some of your stamina for later. After all, your voice has only recovered a little and you still can't perform to the best of your ability. We just need to ensure that you don't get eliminated."

The Clown smiled but did not speak.

Dafei came over. "It's your turn soon."

The Clown nodded.

Executive Director Hu Fei took some time to go over. He was worried about The Clown's voice and even more worried that the recent public opinion would strike a blow to him. "How do you feel?"

The Clown said, "Great."

Hu Fei sighed. "Ignore what the media is saying."

The Clown said, "Alright."

Hu Fei said, "Ignore them and don't let it get to you. Just sing the best that you can."

The Clown shook his head. "I don't mind what they're saying on the Internet and news."

"Right, just sing as you would usually sing. Your lyrics are your greatest weapon, so you can't just toss them aside. It's also a part of your strength," Hu Fei comforted.

The Clown smiled and said, "I do understand that."

When the program team staff heard this, they felt relieved.

He was indeed worthy of being someone from the entertainment circle as his mental fortitude seemed to be much stronger than most people. Even with so much pressure stemming from the public, he was able to easily brush it aside. This was something that most other people could do!

Good on you, Teacher Clown!

Don't let the gossip get to you!

Even if you lose today, no one will take you lightly!

From the stage, Dong Shanshan filtered in. "Then, let's welcome our next contestant—The Clown!"

The Clown exhaled, took a step, and walked out onto the stage at his own pace.

Han Qi felt a heavy sense of frustration as she watched The Clown walk off toward the stage. He was doomed even before he could take the stage or utter any lyrics. This feeling deflated her!

The audience was stunned!

Right now, many people were watching in shock as The Clown slowly walked onto the stage.

"What?"

"The next one up is The Clown?"

"Damn, why is it him?"

"Can he get any more unlucky than that?"

"Yeah, if it were any other opponent, The Clown might still somehow advance to the next round, especially if it was either of those two replacement masked singers since no one knows how well they can sing yet. But now that his opponent is Petal Shower, what competition is left? His voice has not recovered yet, right? Even if he were to bring out another two sensational songs, or if his company wrote him another two songs with lyrics that could move the Heavens, it's not likely that anyone would get convinced like last time."

"This round really boils down to their skills."

"It's no use even if The Clown's voice has recovered!"

"I really do like his lyrics, though. I was here for the last episode's recording and gave him my vote at that time, but if I were to disregard the meaning behind the lyrics, I doubt that The Clown could even clinch third place!"

"He's even being called out in the media right now."

"The previous Masked King should not have been him."

The audience was pointing at the stage and making lots of noise.

However, Zhang Ye was seemingly unaware of the situation. He quietly walked to center stage and closed his eyes as though he did not hear anything. He had witnessed this sort of spectacle too many times before, so much that he could not even count the number of times it had happened.

Chen Guang looked at him and sighed.

Zhang Xia said, "Things are very disadvantageous for The Clown."

The pressure from public opinion was too great and was practically the death sentence for The Clown.

The lights dimmed.

This was the signal that the next performance was about to begin.

Petal Shower did not return to her waiting room. She watched him from the wings.

Backstage, Sunset Glow, Sunflower, God of War, and the other contestants were also watching TVs without blinking. They were actually rather curious about what song The Clown would be singing today.

The music started.

The notes of a piano played.

But it wasn't Zhang Ye playing the piano today, because this song was too difficult and Zhang Ye would not be able to concentrate on playing and singing simultaneously. Even during the rehearsals, he did not practice the singing as he was afraid that his voice would be unable to hold up—yes, he was really going to challenge such a difficult song today!

The title of the song was displayed on the teleprompter overhead the stage.

Opera, Dedicated to Love.

The judges blinked.

The audience could not understand either.

Opera?

What is this?

Never heard of it. Are you going to sing another original? Do you intend to win us over with your lyrics again?

All of a sudden, right as the piano played the melody, The Clown opened his mouth.

"Ooooooo.

"Aaaah, uaaaaahh.

"Aaaaaah, oooh, aaaah."

The judges were shocked!

The audience was shocked!

The other contestants were also shocked!

When these vocals came out, a lot of people could feel themselves getting the goosebumps!

It was falsetto!

The Clown was actually singing in falsetto too!

Holy shit! Did The Clown actually intend to compete against Petal Shower through the falsetto?

No way! There was absolutely no way! He would definitely just be singing in falsetto for the first two verses before switching back to his normal voice!

Petal Shower looked up to the stage at The Clown in surprise and could not react!

"Aaaaahhh.

"Aaah, ahhhh.

"Aaaaaahh, ahhh, ahhh."

There were no signs of his normal voice at all!

It was all in falsetto!

The audience was dumbfounded from listening to this!

Zhang Xia was also dumbfounded. "This, this singing, this falsetto…"

Amy squealed, "How is this possible!"

Wang Zhuishu was also dumbfounded!

Chen Guang was dumbfounded too!

Right after Petal Shower finished performing, some people were saying that there wouldn't be another person who could sing in falsetto the way she did. But just a few minutes later, a great slap was buffeted across their faces with a loud smack!

Another person had appeared!

And it was even a person who could also wield his falsetto technique in such a superb manner!

The best aspect of Petal Shower's varying falsetto range was its exquisiteness!

But The Clown's falsetto was better in terms of vocal weight. It won in terms of carrying power and emotion and carved into everyone's hearts like a sharp knife. It left everyone unprepared for the shock they were receiving!

What was going on?

Just what was happening?

Han Qi and the program team staff were in similar states of disbelief!

No one had expected that The Clown would sing this way, nor could they have expected that he had such a good falsetto! This was terrifying! This singing technique was simply terrifying!

Zhang Ye continued singing.

"Aaaaaaaaah.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

"Ahhhhh, ahh."

All of a sudden, he raised the pitch of his falsetto so high that it felt like it had pierced through the roof!

Hearing this, the audience found it hard to hold their feelings in any longer!

"Oh my god!"

"This, this…"

"Can it get any more amazing than this?"

"Heavens!"

"What about the lyrics?"

"Where are the lyrics?"

"Yeah, why are there no lyrics? How can there be no lyrics?"

Zhang Ye was still singing.

"Aah, aaaaah.

"Ahh, ahhhhhh.

"Aaaaaaaaah, ahhhh.

"Ahhh, ahhh."

There was only one "ah" word on the teleprompter!

The audience was once again shocked by The Clown's choice of song!

There were no lyrics!

This was a fucking song without any lyrics!

The house band musicians were dumbstruck!

Music Director Bai Yuanfei looked like he was at a total loss for words!

They finally knew why The Clown had not opened his mouth to sing during the rehearsal. They finally knew why The Clown only hummed through the song when rehearsing. It was because this fucking song had no lyrics in the first place!

Was there even a song like that? Could a song…really have no lyrics? There wasn't any sort of a song in this world, not a single one. But in Zhang Ye's previous world, this song titled "Opera, Dedicated to Love" truly did not have any lyrics. The original version was performed by famous Russian singer, Vitas 1 , and was simply known as " Opera 2 ." Later, it was covered by Terry Lin 3 on the music show I Am a Singer. His performance shocked the entire audience and he got a very good result!

And today, Zhang Ye had brought this famous song from his previous world and presented it here on this stage!

It did not just shock the audience!

It terrified everyone in the audience!

Because no one in this world had ever before heard a song with no lyrics!

Everyone knew current public opinion basically doubted The Clown's win in the first episode, saying he used the meaning of his lyrics to win and that it was not a proper victory!

But today, The Clown had come onstage once more and actually sang an entire song with no lyrics. This was clearly a response to those people—this was clearly a face smacking!

And it was even a very harsh slap!

His singing was simply amazing!

There were no lyrics in it whatsoever, but why? How could this singing floating through the studio stir up image after image in their minds?

Why?

Why did they get the goosebumps from listening to his singing?

The audience was terribly shocked!

Especially when The Clown suddenly paused, then continued singing in a falsetto that increased in pitch for a good five to six seconds, even incorporating some portamento!

With that, many in the audience could not longer hold it in and started to stand up while screaming!

They were going crazy!

The audience had gone crazy!

Meanwhile, Hu Fei nearly passed out onto the floor!

Before The Clown went out on stage, Hu Fei tried to comfort him as he was afraid The Clown would be affected negatively by public opinion on how he had used lyrics to win. The Clown's response to Hu Fei and the program team was still very fresh in their minds. He had stated very firmly that he did not mind it at all.

Everyone who heard him say that had believed him at the time!

But now, the program team staff nearly vomited blood!

Didn't mind?

Didn't mind, your sister, fuck!

You minded it a whole fucking lot, alright!?

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Chapter 1008: Who on earth is this!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

There were two versions of this song that Zhang Ye was familiar with.

One of them was the original sung by Vitas 1 .

The other was by Terry Lin 2 , who made some changes to it.

These two singers had a very wide falsetto range, although their singing styles were completely different.

Today, Zhang Ye did not imitate either of their versions. This was because, similar to the differences between those two, Zhang Ye's falsetto was different from Vitas's and Terry Lin's. If he had purposely imitated their style, he would only be at a disadvantage and cause this song to lose its essence. Therefore, Zhang Ye also adapted it to suit himself and used his own style to interpret this song. His falsetto voice was even firmer and more carrying than Terry Lin's and Vitas's techniques, so he tightened the control of his high notes so that they would not sound too breathy. But he had to push his falsetto out and let it soar to the skies!

This song was too difficult!

Even for Zhang Ye, he had to expend all of his energy just to fully concentrate and focus on the singing. As a result, he had his eyes closed for the duration of his performance without even looking at the judges or audience once.

"Aaah, aaah, aaah, ahhhhh.

"Ahhhhhhh, ahhhhhhh.

"Ahhhh, aaaaaahhhh.

"Ahh, ahhhhhhh."

He did not look at anyone.

But everyone was watching him in utter shock!

Zhang Xia saw an image of a dancer dancing and their sweat dripping on a stage that was within a grand and majestic palace.

Amy also pictured an image. It was a forlorn, empty alleyway without any signs of people other than a person injured all over whose clothes were stained with fresh blood. That person had thrust their chest out and was gazing up at the moon and singing.

In the audience.

A female audience member felt like she was in an endless expanse of greenery, not knowing where to go or which direction to head toward. All of a sudden, singing drifted towards her from afar. She started running with all her might toward it. As she ran and ran, she saw her late mother waving at her while smiling and calling for her to return home. She suddenly started to cry and couldn't stop!

The Clown's singing felt like it was saying something. It felt like it was stirring up all kinds of emotions about love onto this stage!

Dedicated to Love.

This was exactly what the song was about.

It was as though he was telling everyone that even if they were scolding him or if he didn't have an audience, he would still give his all and dedicate himself to the stage!

"Ahhhhhhh, ahh.

"Ahhhhhhh, aaaah.

"Ahhhh, ahhhhhhh.

"Aaaaaahhhhh, ahhhh."

All kinds of images were conjured up in the minds of many of the audience members!

Han Qi saw it!

Hu Fei saw it!

Yao Jiancai saw it!

Petal Shower saw it!

Sunflower saw it!

Sunset Glow saw it!

The audience also saw it!

So they were shocked! So they were moved!

There were no lyrics!

Not a single verse!

However, even though this song had no words, it felt like it said thousands of words. In fact, it conveyed more than what thousand of words could say!

Several of the judges suddenly recalled the criticism in the news and online. They were suddenly very angered and felt that it was extremely insulting! Would a singer who could sing such a song need to rely on using lyrics to gain sympathy?

How could that be!

How could that be possible!

So what if there weren't any lyrics?

He could still shine in radiant splendor!

That was the charm of music!

That was this singer's charm!

...

Backstage.

In Sunflower in the Starlight's waiting room.

Sunflower watched the television and did not say a word.

...

In Sunset Glow's waiting room.

Sunset Glow abruptly turned to the side and gave a wry smile to the camera inside the room. "If he makes it to the next round, I wouldn't want to face him."

...

In God of War's waiting room.

God of War looked helpless.

What sort of people were these!

Who the fuck was this group of freaks!

...

In the studio.

The music stopped.

In the middle of The Clown's a cappella falsetto, he ended the song amid sorrow and love. He sustained the falsetto for a very long time and in a very high pitch. As it came to the end, it got lower and softer until there was no sound.

Silence.

It was so silent it was scary.

It wasn't until The Clown raised his head and bowed in thanks that the audience knew the performance had ended!

Applause then seemingly thundered with a sudden explosion!

The audience was shouting his name in a frenzy!

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

This was a song that could move people!

This was an unprecedented song!

Other than shouting, they could not find another way to express their emotions!

Dong Shanshan came onstage. "Let's invite our previous singer, Petal Shower."

Petal Shower walked slowly up onto the stage and nodded at The Clown. Her eyes were locked on him as though she were hoping to discover a clue to find out who he was!

The Clown nodded back at her.

Dong Shanshan smiled and said, "Will the panel of judges—"

"I don't know how to describe what I'm feeling right now! The Clown, you're so wonderful!" Amy did not wait and stood up before Shanshan could finish speaking.

The Clown gave a slight bow and said, "Thank you, Teacher Amy."

Amy quickly waved it off and said, "Don't you call me that. I don't deserve to be addressed as a teacher in front of you."

Wang Zhuishu was completely convinced. "He definitely has to be a big shot in the industry! There's no doubt!"

The Clown smiled but did not respond.

Dong Shanshan said, "Oh, Teacher Wang, who do you think he is?"

Wang Zhuishu said dejectedly, "The problem is I don't really know who this big shot is! I don't even have a potential candidate in mind!"

Chen Yidong said, "When he sang 'Wolf' and 'Wild Rose' in the last episode, he was in very bad shape and had lost his voice. Still, he managed to sing those songs in such an astonishing way. At that time, I was already wondering how good this guy's singing would be if his voice had recovered. I finally heard it today! He's really amazing! Seriously…you've really shocked me today!"

The Clown's voice came from underneath the mask and went through the voice transforming microphone. "Thank you."

Zhang Xia suddenly said, "But there's no such person in the music industry!"

The judges looked to Zhang Xia.

Zhang Xia analyzed, "Petal Shower sang her female falsetto to a perfection. Although I can't guess who she is because she did not reveal any of her real voice, I at least have some candidates in mind and it's possible to make a guess. However, I really can't guess who The Clown is. I've been in the music industry for a few decades now, yet I've never heard of any male singers who could sing in falsetto like this. There just isn't anyone I can think of. So I guess, yeah, I can only guess that this man is probably not part of the music industry."

Yao Jiancai said in surprise, "You mean to say that The Clown is not a professional singer?"

Amy instantly shook her head. "That's impossible. Can an amateur singer sing that well? If so, then professional singers would die out." This was how she was. She wasn't afraid to use whatever descriptions she liked.

Zhang Xia said, "I can only guess."

Wang Zhuishu asked, "Just who are you!"

The Clown smiled without saying a word.

Wang Zhuishu asked, "Can you tell us your age? Let's narrow down the range of our target."

Dong Shanshan quickly stopped the discussion. She smiled and said, "Teacher Wang, the contestant will not be answering any questions that are too specific. You must rely upon your own guesses."

Chen Guang spoke up, "Then can I ask a not so straightforward question?"

Dong Shanshan nodded.

Chen Guang thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Are you above or below the B-list?"

The audience was immediately energized!

The judges felt that this was a very good question and pricked up their ears.

As Dong Shanshan was not sure if this question was acceptable, she quickly communicated with the program team staff through her earpiece.

However, The Clown was already answering the question.

The Clown said calmly, "Above."

The entire studio flew into an uproar!

At least a B-list celebrity?

In other words, he was at least a B-lister?

Petal Shower looked at him with interest!

Chen Guang was dumbfounded!

Zhang Xia gasped!

The masked singers backstage were also extremely shocked!

They thought that King of Oddity, who had been eliminated last episode, was a big name since he was a C-lister. But who could have expected that The Clown, who hadn't been recognized by anyone and even thought by some to be a newcomer, would turn out to be an even bigger name, at least a B-list celebrity! Everyone was stunned by this revelation!

The audience was making a ruckus!

"Who is it!"

"At least a B-lister? There's over several dozen possibilities!"

"But the range isn't that large either!"

"Holy shit!"

"Is he really a B-lister?"

"He might even be an A-lister?"

"Heavens! He's that much of a big name?"

Dong Shanshan was stunned too. Clearly, she did not expect this either!

Amy instantly got excited. "Above the B-list—that's a very small range of possibilities. S-So why can't I guess who you are!"

The Clown smiled. He thought to himself that of course they couldn't guess who he was.

Yao Jiancai gave Chen Guang a look. "Are you Chen Guang's twin brother? And the one onstage is the real Old Chen? You guys are just teasing us, aren't you?"

Chen Guang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I'm an only child, Brother Yao."

Zhang Xia said, "Besides you, who else can sing as great that?"

Chen Guang gave a wry smile. "I don't know. Even if I go all out with my falsetto, it's quite impossible for me to sing better than him. Controlling my falsetto is not a strong point of mine."

At least a B-list celebrity?

A falsetto that has reached the peak of perfection?

Who is it!

Who the fuck could this big shot be! Goddammit!

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Chapter 1009: Voting!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

It was almost time for the voting segment.

This was the most anticipated part of the show.

Dong Shanshan's hosting style was improving. She could take control of a situation and her hosting had become very good as well. After all, she was someone whose grades were much higher than Zhang Ye's during their Media College days among their entire class. A lot of people constantly focused on Dong Shanshan's looks, her figure, and her long legs, but neglected to consider her skills as a professional host. On the stage of King of Masked Singers, she knew quite well that she was just a supporting role and acted as a link between the event proceedings and flow of the show. As a result, she neither had to steal the show nor the lines. But when it came time for her to speak, she would definitely not allow others to ignore her.

Dong Shanshan smiled and said, "I can see that a few of our judges are confused."

The audience laughed. In reality, they were confused too!

Wang Zhuishu said, "Yeah, I have no clue at all!"

Chen Yidong said, "It's the same for Petal Shower. I can't figure out who she is!"

Yao Jiancai gloomily said, "Is this a singing show or a game show? I'm not good at using my brain and my head is already swelling from all that thinking."

Dong Shanshan told them, "To improve your concentration and refresh your mind, please drink Bright Fruit Cocoa." Then she winked at the camera and emphasized, "It's free of preservatives too!"

With the title sponsor of the show being Bright Fruit Cocoa, she promoted it very naturally and seamlessly. The judges and audience found it funny.

It was time for the judges to vote.

Chen Guang declared, "I'll not vote. There's no way to make a choice."

Zhang Xia also found it very difficult. She said, "Both of them sang in falsetto and had flawless performances. It is indeed hard to choose. I won't be surprised no matter who wins today."

Amy immediately said, "I like The Clown's performance more. I became his fan last episode, and I really like him so much. Even though The Clown's song did not contain any lyrics, I imagined a lot of images because of it. His voice and the song were so vivid that it brought all those images to mind. From the difficulty of the performance and song, The Clown's 'Opera' is undoubtedly the more stunning performance for me."

The Clown said, "Thank you."

Wang Zhuishu thought for a long time before saying, "I'll still give my support to Petal Shower. Although The Clown has moved me as well, I still prefer the way that Petal Shower expressed herself with her singing."

Petal Shower's mask concealed her face quite closely, with her entire head covered up so well that no one could even tell what hairstyle she wore. It was the same for her expression too. They could only see from her eyes that she was probably smiling. "Thank you, Teacher Wang."

Yao Jiancai expressed, "I think that The Clown is a little bit better."

Chen Yidong said, "Petal Shower is good too. Hai, it's so difficult to choose from between the two of them."

Dong Shanshan smiled and said, "Then let's leave the final voting to the 500 audience members and let them decide the winner." Looking into the audience, she said, "Everyone, please pick up your voting devices to cast a vote for your favorite performance today."

The audience immediately got down to action.

Some of them voted without any hesitation at all.

Some of them were hesitating and couldn't come to a decision for a very long while.

"It's too difficult to choose!"

"Yeah, the two of them were incredible today!"

"If the two of them had gone against any of the other singers, I would definitely have voted for them. Why did these two big names have to compete against each other so early in the first round! How am I supposed to vote?"

"They both sang so great!"

"Agreed. Their ability to sing in falsetto is too close to call. Both of them are wonderful!"

"Then we can only judge based on the songs that they sang."

"Hai, I suppose I have to go with my gut then!"

"I still think that The Clown's singing was more breathtaking!"

"I think so too. A song with no lyrics? There's really no one else who can sing like this!"

"Petal Shower's singing was so full of emotion. Personally, I still prefer her."

All competitions were like this. Everyone had their personal preferences. Even for the best singer or song, it was impossible that everyone would like it due to everyone being different. For example, age, gender, and experiences would all create differences in the personality and perception of a person. This is very commonplace.

Backstage.

Several of the masked singers who hadn't appeared on stage yet took a vote as well.

The producer who was accompanying them asked for their opinions. "Who do you all think will win?"

Sunset Glow pondered the question for a moment. "The Clown."

Sunflower in the Starlight shook his head. "It could be either one of them since they're both so equally matched."

God of War did not hesitate. "The Clown."

The other new replacement masked singer called Lord Peacock said, "I'm optimistic about Petal Shower."

In the studio.

The voting had already begun!

The judges were all staring at the screen.

Han Qi, who was standing in the wings, was getting extremely anxious as she clenched her fists so tightly that her nails cut into her flesh. She was shouting in her head, The Clown! The Clown! It has to be The Clown!

However, The Clown did not turn to look at the screen. He did not seem like he cared.

It was the same for Petal Shower. She gazed forward and did not turn around.

Their mental fortitude and stage presence were very strong. Just by their attitude, people would not believe it even if they were told that the two of them were not big shots. They indeed had the demeanor of a big shot, unlike those new singers who would often try to show off their talent or make a commotion when they became too focused on the result.

The audience was shouting the names of the singer they supported!

"Petal Shower!"

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

"Petal Shower!"

"The Clown!"

5 votes!

10 votes!

100 votes!

Their two tallies were very close and evenly distributed!

Without a doubt, this was definitely the most intense pair of contestants for this episode's matchup. The two of them had given a near perfect performance for everyone!

Finally, the voting ended!

The results were displayed on the big screen!

When the audience saw the result, they exclaimed in surprise!

The judges were astonished too!

Petal Shower's tally: 241 votes!

The Clown's tally: 259 votes!

Everyone thought that their tallies would probably be quite close or even separated by only one or two votes. But towards the end of the voting, The Clown's tally gradually pulled away from Petal Shower. In the end, he led Petal Shower by 18 votes!

The Clown won!

Petal Shower immediately applauded. She looked at The Clown and gave him a gentle hug with open arms.

Zhang Ye hugged her back for courtesy's sake.

Suddenly, he heard Petal Shower whisper to him, "I won't lose next time."

Zhang Ye was stunned.

Eh?

This voice?

When the masked singers spoke into the microphone, the signal sent back would be transformed by a voice transformer before getting transmitted over the speakers. But of course, their voices would not be changed during the performance as that would sound very strange. But when they spoke, the program team staff would make some adjustments to their microphones. That was why Zhang Xia kept saying that she had not heard Petal Shower's real voice before. However, when Petal Shower whispered into Zhang Ye's ear, it was not said through the microphone. It was just her voice coming from directly underneath her mask and not transformed through the voice transformer. Perhaps she had completely forgotten about disguising her voice.

It sounded familiar!

This voice sounded really familiar!

Zhang Ye had felt that there was a very high chance that Sunset Glow was probably someone he knew. But when he heard Petal Shower's real voice, he was sure that he definitely knew this woman!

Who was it?

Which friend was she?

His mind went blank all at once!

When he realized that they definitely knew each other, Zhang Ye was afraid to speak. He just nodded and smiled to express his understanding. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, Petal Shower would instantly recognize him, although he was confident that nearly no one could guess who he was on this stage as almost no one would think to link him to this character.

This felt extremely nice!

Offstage.

The moment Zhang Ye came off the stage, he saw a dark figure rushing toward him!

"We won! We really won!" Han Qi was exclaiming incoherently in her excitement!

Zhang Ye felt his heart warm. "You're more excited than I am?"

Han Qi said, "But of course! The singer you won against is Petal Shower! She had the highest fanbase among all the masked singers! Nobody in the media and audience thought that you would get through to the next round! Everyone was doubting you! So how can I not be excited! How could I not be excited! This, this is so unreal!"

When the program team staff saw The Clown, they gave him a thumbs up raised high in the air!

Music Director Bai Yuanfei looked at Zhang Ye, and smiled and nodded at him.

The Clown was astonishing today!

The audience's understanding of The Clown had been flipped on its head!

This was The Clown after his voice had recovered?

This was his true skill?

No, that was not it. He still had not fully recovered yet. As someone who came down with a bad cold, fever, and inflammation of the tonsils and even took three cortisone shots, how could he possibly recover so quickly? If he had really recovered, then why did he not sing during the rehearsals? Instead, he saved his energy so that he could use it onstage? From that, it could be assumed that The Clown's voice was still not in the best shape!

With this thought, a lot of people were stunned by this conclusion they had arrived at.

Damn!

Could he perhaps be even more amazing than that?

Could he perhaps still sing better than that?

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Chapter 1010: The Clown's second song!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Backstage.

In the waiting room.

When Zhang Ye came back, he turned around and asked, "Water?"

Han Qi was caught off guard. "Huh?"

Zhang Ye cupped a hand and raised it to his mouth.

Only then did Han Qi understand what he meant and quickly went to get a bottle of mineral water for him.

When Zhang Ye finished drinking the water, he didn't say a word.

Han Qi said, "Teacher, for your next song…"

Zhang Ye shook his head and pointed at his throat, then waved his hand to signal that he could not say anything right now. In truth, it was not that he could not talk, it was just that he wanted to let his throat rest to the fullest extent. Having sung "Opera," his voice had reached its limits. If he sang it a second time, he might not even finish the song. Singing in falsetto was very tiring and caused the muscles in his nasal cavity and throat to tighten up. Moreover, he had only just recovered from his illness and stabilized his old injuries.

Han Qi understood, then got anxious. "Then what about your next song?"

Zhang Ye smiled and gave her a thumbs up, indicating that she need not worry.

He would not fight a battle that he wasn't sure of winning. As he had already anticipated this situation, he had arranged the order of his songs this way. The second song's style was decidedly unlike the first song's. Otherwise, there would be no way for him to sing it. There was still about an hour's worth of rest left, and he felt that he could use it to recover.

...

In the studio.

The competition was continuing.

Sunflower Under The Starlight had already stepped out on stage.

"Set aflame!

"I'm burning!

"I wanna see blood flowing!

"Set aflame!

"I'm burning!

"I wanna send souls flying!"

Sunflower had chosen a rock song and performed similar to the way he had in the first episode. The only difference was that this song was not as thrilling as his previous two. The audience was still very excited, but seemingly not as excited as they were during the first episode.

Next, it was one of the replacement singer's turn to appear on the stage.

A very tough-looking masked singer appeared before the audience.

God of War!

His mask had a postmodern style of design and incorporated many different artistic elements in it. With a black-gray color as the foundation, he looked like a singer with very explosive power.

He looked just as his name suggested.

The moment when this person opened his mouth to sing, a high pitch voice sounded out.

"Oh!

"You're the sun in my life!

"Lighting my path forward!

"Giving me endless power!"

By rights, if the audience was seeing a new contestant appear for the first time, they should anticipate it a great deal. But for some reason, today the audience's reaction was not that great. Everyone was surprised and still applauded, but it did not match up to the masked singers' expectations.

Some of the audience members even started talking about something else.

"Who do you guys think The Clown is?"

"I really don't know!"

"For those male celebrities above the B-list, who else could sing so swell other than Chen Guang and those Heavenly Kings?"

"That 'Opera' was damned fucking godly!"

"Yeah, who the fuck has ever heard a song without lyrics?"

"I've fallen in love with him!"

"Me too! The Clown is amazing!"

"I'm looking forward to his next song!"

"Indeed. And his voice has almost returned to normal. We couldn't tell from the last song since it was sung in falsetto, but if he sings using his real voice, we'll definitely know who he is!"

God of War finished singing.

The voting began.

Sunflower in the Starlight received 222 votes!

God of War had 177 votes!

About a hundred members of the audience abstained and did not cast a vote!

Sunflower in the Starlight won but did not seem too happy about it.

God of War gave a bitter smile since he could obviously feel that some of the audience members were not paying attention.

Then it was time for the last pair of contestants to come onstage.

The first to come out was the other replacement singer, Lord Peacock. Surprisingly, he sang a ballad song that was very pleasing to the ears as well as very popular.

The next to take the stage was the last singer for today, Sunset Glow. She maintained her style with the choice of a very calm song that she performed rather beautifully. Her performance today was even better than in the first episode.

"A song of yearning.

"Full of bitterness.

"A scene of loving.

"Full of sadness."

Sunset Glow had an overwhelming victory in the final vote!

Sunset Glow: 302 votes!

Lord Peacock: 115 votes!

There were still over 80 people who had abstained!

The program team staff could only smile wryly.

Zhang Xia looked to the judges next to her. "What's going on today?"

Chen Guang had figured it out. "The first pair's match was so spectacular that the audience's emotions have all been released."

Amy smiled and said, "Everyone has stopped paying attention to the other matches as they are trying to guess who The Clown is. After all, he revealed that he's at least a B-list celeb, which has decreased the range of possibilities."

Chen Yidong coughed and said, "I'm already browsing through the list."

His cell phone screen was illuminated and showed the latest Celebrity Rankings Index on it. He was scrolling through all the celebrities on the B-list and trying to match someone with The Clown.

If even the judges were doing so, what could be expected of the audience!

Everyone had been shocked by The Clown's non-lyrical song!

The filming of today's show was done according to the broadcast order. Next up would be the elimination round. Of Petal Shower, God of War, and Lord Peacock, only one could remain on the show.

Petal Shower was the first to perform. But after she stuck to using her stunning falsetto to finish singing the song, there was no doubt about the winner.

God of War sang with all his might.

Lord Peacock did not hold back either.

However, Petal Shower still clinched the victory with an absolute advantage. There was no other outcome as she had the highest support base among all the contestants on King of Masked Singers, and her singing was flawless as well. Unless a heaven-defying big name singer came along, it would be very difficult to shake her.

"Take it off!"

"Take it off!"

"Take it off!"

The audience shouted in unison!

God of War hesitated for a while.

Dong Shanshan looked at him. "God of War, please make your choice."

Eventually, God of War smiled and simply took off his mask.

When the audience saw who he was, they exclaimed in surprise!

"Brother Howling!"

"It's Brother Howling!"

"Damn, it's him!"

"I totally didn't expect that!"

"Ah!"

"I thought that it was his voice earlier when I heard it!"

Brother Howling was a nickname given by the netizens. His real name was Li Dongguo, a somewhat obscure name. But this man was last year's champion on a singing talent show that rode on the coattails of The Voice's popularity. Due to his singing style belonging to the type of screaming in which his voice would frequently explode in the extreme pitches, the netizens gave him this nickname. Since he was a very talented singer who came through the ranks of a talent show, a lot of people recognized him to be an elite singer. No one had expected that he would actually come onto the King of Masked Singers' stage!

"So he's still not good enough!"

"Brother Howling got eliminated immediately in his first appearance? He couldn't even make it past this episode?"

"Who said that he was an elite singer?"

"The professionals did!"

"Hai, not everything stands up to comparison!"

"Yeah, I did not think this way in the past and felt that Brother Howling was a fantastic singer. But when compared with people like The Clown, Petal Shower, and Sunflower, he's still not at their level. Is this the difference between an amateur and a professional singer?"

"God of War had the explosiveness, but the firmness of his voice is leagues away from Sunflower's control of his!"

"But Brother Howling is a champion who came up through the ranks of a talent show! How could he have lost so terribly?"

"What about Lord Peacock?"

"Take it off!"

"Take it off!"

The audience started to shout again!

After some time, Lord Peacock also chose to take off his mask!

"Wu Hefan!"

"Ah!"

"It's him!"

"It's Wu Hefan!"

"Damn, wasn't he overseas? When did he come back?"

Wu Hefan was another very popular celebrity. He was a professional singer who had won the Best Newcomer award in the Greater China region two years ago and was nominated for the Most Popular Celebrity award last year. He was dashing and was one of the best-looking people in the music industry. However, his singing and performance abilities had never been acknowledged or gotten the attention of the audience. This was due to the fact that he had always been singing relatively mainstream and catchy songs.

"So Wu Hefan can also sing quite well!"

"Yeah, I really did not expect for him to come and compete!"

"Aiyo, if I knew it was him, I would have voted for him instead!"

"Damn, he's my prince!"

"Our Wuwu got eliminated just like that? Nooooo!"

A lot of the female audience members' hearts were shattered by this reveal. Many of them stood up and started shouting Wu Hefan's name.

But Wu Hefan just laughed it off as he raised his microphone and said, "Actually, I am only here to participate and learn from my seniors. After this contest, I can say that I've indeed learned a lot from them." Then he gave a wry smile and said, "They really are amazing. I lost fair and square and have no objections."

Amy said in regret, "Little Bro, I knew it was you the moment you opened your mouth and sang."

Wu Hefan laughed and said, "Hello, Sister Amy."

Amy looked very young, just like the other members of Spring Garden. However, they definitely were not as young as they looked.

Amy sighed, "What a shame."

Wu Hefan was fairly cheerful. "It's alright, Sister Amy."

Amy said, "You chose the wrong song today. With your talent, you can easily sing much better than that."

Dong Shanshan suddenly smiled. "Actually, there's still a chance for the eliminated contestants to make a comeback."

Amy was taken aback. "Ah?"

Both Brother Howling and Wu Hefan looked at her.

Dong Shanshan smiled and said, "Before the grand finals begin, there will be a revival round for the eliminated contestants to compete for a spot in the grand finals."

Wu Hefan grinned. "I'll be back."

At once, Amy replied, "All the best, Little Bro. You can definitely do it!"

Chen Guang said, "All the best to you too, God of War. Your vocals are really good. Let's talk later if there's a chance."

When Brother Howling heard that, he got very excited as Chen Guang had always been his idol. "Thank you, Teacher Chen. I'll be very honored to hear your advice!"

Chen Guang quickly said, "It's not so much giving advice to you, but rather for us to learn from each other."

The contestants exited the stage.

Then it was time for the second episode's battle for Masked King!

Thinking of this, the judges were invigorated.

Some of the audience members shed their inattentiveness and concentrated fully on the next segment!

It was here!

It was finally here!

If the unmasking round was just a sideshow for many of the audience, then the following round was clearly the main event!

The Clown would be appearing onstage again!

And no one could guess what song he would be singing this time around!

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Chapter 1011: I wanna walk from south to north!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

In the studio.

Everyone was waiting in breathless anticipation!

The house band took their place and was joined by a group of folk musicians.

Intrigued, Chen Guang said, "Folk music?"

Amy wondered, "And what is he going to sing?"

Zhang Xia had already stopped talking. She was carefully observing the stage and waiting for The Clown to start singing.

Famous host Chen Yidong sat up straight. "I've been waiting for him for a long time. It's finally his turn again. As long as he uses his real voice, we can match it against those celebrities on the B-list and above, and we'll most likely guess who he is. I don't even wish to find out who Petal Shower and Sunflower are anymore! All I want is to know who The Clown is!"

Famous lyricist and composer Wang Zhuishu, who had a list of names in front of him, said, "For those on the B-list and above, ruling out all the female celebrities and those who cannot sing, there are only a few dozen possibilities left. I don't believe that I can't find out who he is. Even if he continues to hide or change the tone of his voice, there has to be a limit to how much he can do it. He can't possibly change it too much." But unbeknownst to him, he had already excluded that man right from the start.

Yao Jiancai interjected, "What if he's actually a woman?"

Amy burst out laughing, "Crossdressing?"

The Clown walked onstage.

Instantly, the sound of applause flooded the entire studio!

"It's starting, it's starting!"

"It's The Clown!"

"Hurry up and sing! I've been waiting for him!"

"Me too. Ever since his match with Petal Shower in the first round, I haven't had any interest in anything that happened afterward. Sunflower didn't manage to perform up to his potential either!"

"The key is that we know he's at least a B-list celebrity now, so that's really intriguing!"

"Right, who could it be!"

"Let's just listen to him sing first. He's recovered from his cold, and his voice seems to be back too. We couldn't hear him properly earlier because he sang in falsetto, but once he starts singing in his real voice, we'll definitely get a hint of who he is."

"Yeah, let's listen first."

"We have find out who he is, or else I won't be able to sleep!"

"That first song called 'Opera' was wonderful!"

"Rather than wonderful, it was spectacularly scary, OK?!"

"Yeah, even the godly Petal Shower was crushed by him!"

The contestants backstage were thinking the same.

Petal Shower was waiting with her eyes closed.

Sunflower in the Starlight was staring at the TV.

Sunset Glow did not blink as the names of a number of male celebrities popped into her mind, but all were shot down by her one by one.

Center stage.

Zhang Ye gripped the microphone as he glanced over to the judging panel and the audience. From the unbridled stares of the crowd, he could read many things. Everyone was waiting for him to start singing to find out who he was. A smirk emerged from the corner of his mouth beneath the mask. Do you guys really think that you'll be able to identify me? Do you really think you can hear my voice and guess who I am?

The spotlights sparkled.

Everyone was focusing on him.

Zhang Ye could already feel himself falling in love with this stage.

Here, no one recognized him.

Here, no one knew who he was.

He had come alone and would leave alone. This was a really great feeling!

The music played!

First, the notes of a dizi gently floated in.

Next, a guzheng melody harmonized with it.

They were obviously folk music instruments, but the tune that played was clearly rock, its rhythm standing out!

Just this intro alone was enough to give the audience a high!

Startled, Chen Guang said, "This is rock?"

Amy was stunned. "Surely not? Folk music paired with rock?"

"It's definitely rock!" Chen Guang himself was a rock singer and he'd definitely know it if he heard it. He was absolutely sure that this was a rock song, which was the reason why he was startled. He had never heard of someone using a rock rhythm in folk music, and there wasn't even a drummer or guitarist playing? Weren't the folk musical instruments just for supporting accompaniment? They were used for the main melody instead?

Could it even be played this way?

Could rock actually be done in such a way?

Deng deng deng.

Deng deng deng.

Deng deng deng, deng di, deng deng.

Under the gaze of over a thousand sets of eyes, The Clown tightened his grip on the microphone and placed it close to his mouth.

His voice instantly resonated through the studio!

"I wanna walk from south to north.

"I wanna walk from day til night.

"I want people to look at me,

"But not know who I am."

It was really rock!

He was really singing a rock song!

You want everyone to look at you, but not know who you are?

The audience was stunned!

"If you see me a li'l tired,

"Please pour me a bowl of water.

"If you've fallen in love with me,

"Then please plant a kiss on my mouth."

The title of the song was displayed on the screen overhead the stage.

" Fake Monk 1 ."

What song was this?

It was another song that no one had heard before?!

What the fuck! From where did you get so many originals?

The judges were all going a bit crazy!

Especially Wang Zhuishu, who was a famous lyricist and composer in the industry. He knew a lot of people and as long as it was a slightly more well-known lyricist or composer in the scene, he knew them. Just from the beginning of this song, he knew that it was absolutely not a simple piece and definitely not a song that could be written by a newcomer. So what was going on? Just what on earth was going on with these songs that would give anyone who heard them the goosebumps!?

"I have this pair of feet and legs. I have this far and wide journey.

"I want the all of everything, but not hate or regret.

"If you wanna love me, don't fear regret!

"Cuz one day I'll be going far away!

"I don't wanna stay in one place,

"Nor want others to follow me."

Chen Guang was about to erupt. "Just who the hell is this!"

This song was so good!

The lyrics were so good!

The Clown had already performed three songs on this stage, but the one that Chen Guang liked best was the one he was currently listening to. Although it was his first time listening to it, Chen Guang could already feel the rock 'n' roll blood in him surging with excitement!

Wang Zhuishu quickly scanned through the list of names. "Which guy is it? Which celebrity could it be?"

Amy asked anxiously, "Have you found out yet?"

Yao Jiancai said, "Is there anyone that matches his profile?"

Chen Yidong was also checking who could sing from the list of celebrities on the B-list and above. "Li Yu? No, it's definitely not him. Old Huo? It's not his voice either! Old Li? But he's currently on tour in Hong Kong! Who! Who is he!"

Wang Zhuishu said in exasperation, "Why don't any of these names match!"

The Clown used his explosive and impactful voice to continue singing.

"I wanna walk from south to north.

"I wanna walk from day til night.

"I want people to look at me,

"But not know who I am."

The audience was infected by the music!

This song was exceptionally fit for the stage!

Everyone could see him but did not know who he was!

With "Fake Monk," he had once again shocked the audience!

A lot of those in the audience no longer knew how to describe their current feelings!

The Clown was still singing. In fact, his voice was getting even higher. His real voice was different from that of his falsetto. It was not as clear, but when used in this song, it was the perfect combination!

"I just wanna see how pretty you are,

"But not know you are suffering!

"I wanna obtain Heavens' rains, but with none of your tears.

"I don't wanna believe there are really demons, or fight anybody."

The Clown walked forward a few steps and pointed upward.

"Don't try to figure out just who I am,

"And don't try to see through this lie of mine."

Every word in The Clown's lyrics seemed to be sung to them, but also felt like they were sung for himself!

In the waiting room, Petal Shower exclaimed, "He's singing great!"

Sunset Glow said in astonishment, "He can even sing rock?"

The already eliminated God of War who had came through from a talent show was also convinced now. Losing to someone like that was nothing to be ashamed about. Suddenly, he felt a little lucky that he had faced a slightly less capable Sunflower today. If he had been matched against The Clown in the first round, he might even have lost 500 to 0 during the voting! That would truly have been embarrassing and he might not have had the courage to take off his mask if that had happened!

Freaks!

These were truly a bunch of freaks in the music industry!

Especially The Clown, who was the freakiest of the freaks!

Amy was already standing up, slapping the table in front of her and shouting, "Aiyo! Just which senior came to this stage to tease us?"

The Clown sang with a smile.

"La la la la la la la la.

"I want people to look at me,

"I want people to look at me,"

The music came to a stop.

It was silent onstage.

With a pause, The Clown closed his eyes and used his slightly magnetic voice to sing in a cappella:

"I want people to look at me,

"But not know…who…I…am."

He sustained the last few notes before breaking off!

The song ended!

The Clown straightened and smiled, slightly bowing.

A burst of cheers erupted!

"Ahhh!"

"Bravo!"

"I love him to death!"

"Me too!"

"Isn't this song just fascinating?"

"How does he sing so well!"

"Who the hell is The Clown! Why can't I figure out who he is even after listening to his real voice!"

"I want to know so badly that I'm gonna go crazy!"

"His falsetto is unmatched, and his real voice is this amazing too?"

"The main thing is that his song is good too! It's really good!"

"The Clown! I dare you to take off your mask! Do you dare!"

"Aiyo, damn! I really want to know who the fuck he is!"

Backstage.

Petal Shower was nodding in approval and clapping!

God of War, who had already taken off his mask, was also clapping. He clapped so hard his palms turned red. "Bravo! This song is so perfect!" Then he looked at the camera and said to himself, "I'll definitely come back in the revival round! It would be such an honor to share a stage with this godly senior!"

Han Qi was shouting excitedly inside the studio, "The Clown! The Clown!"

The audience was screaming.

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

The Clown had left the stage.

Dong Shanshan retook the stage. "Thank you for performing, The Clown."

She had wanted to calm the audience down before inviting the second contestant to come out onstage. The next contestant was Sunflower in the Starlight, who was already waiting in the wins.

However, the audience's emotions could not be calmed at all.

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

A lot of people were still screaming!

Dong Shanshan had no choice but to keep quiet and wait for the audience to calm themselves down.

Sunset Glow, who was third in line to take the stage to battle for Masked King, smiled wryly when she saw this. The Clown was much too popular. How could they possibly compete against him?

A song without lyrics!

And a rock song!

At least for today, the stage belonged to The Clown. With those two songs, there was basically no question about who would be crowned as the Masked King today!

Among the present audience members, at least half of them had already become fans of The Clown!

The skills required to sing the song with no lyrics?

The spirit and idea behind "Fake Monk"?

Even if Zhang Yuanqi had worn a mask and come onstage, she might not necessarily have been able to beat him today!

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Chapter 1012: The Clown's live rendition of 'Our Villagers'

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

After leaving the stage.

The Clown walked off with the audience cheering him on.

Han Qi was almost jumped in excitement. "Teacher! That was a really great song!"

With his performances complete, Zhang Ye could finally talk without hesitation. "It wasn't too bad. I think I did alright." He felt rather satisfied.

The song was not that easy to sing. In fact, it would be easier to sing some other songs that required the belting of high notes. In contrast, this song's high notes were not that obvious and there weren't many pitch changes either, so that made it very difficult to sing and would require a greater skill to execute well.

It was a song that didn't exist in this world. But in Zhang Ye's previous world, "Fake Monk" was a very illustrious song by Cui Jian 1 . It was a decades-old song and enjoyed quite the high status within rock music and music industry. It was known by virtually everyone, and later often performed by many people on various variety shows and singing talent shows as one of the more classic songs around. Celebrities like Tan Weiwei 2 , Phil Chang 3 , Jeff Chang 4 had all covered it before, even Yu Qian 5 . It could be seen from this alone just how important and enchanting this song was to people of that era

Zhang Ye also liked "Fake Monk" a lot. The original version of the song used folk music instruments for its accompaniment as well. As one review had praised, Fake Monk had gone against tradition in the name of tradition with its accompaniment. Zhang Ye retained this arrangement as well as adding in some other things according his own understanding before presenting the song on this stage.

On the way back to his waiting room.

A continuous stream of program team staff were giving him the thumbs up.

Some of them even approached him to ask for a photograph.

"Teacher, can we take a picture together?"

"Please take a picture with me, Teacher Clown."

"I like you so much!"

"That song was great!"

The song had touched quite a few people, especially the older ones who had a rush of emotions evoked from listening to the song!

Thinking of those songs The Clown sang during the audition in front of the program team, everyone nearly vomited blood!

How glorious it is to be an oil worker?

As a fifty-year-old pro driver, you are all smiles?

Bullshit!

That was all just pretentious shit!

This was the real Clown!

This was who The Clown really was!

While Zhang Ye took a few pictures with the employees here, Sunflower in the Starlight's voice came from the stage behind him. His song selections today didn't seem that good as he couldn't perform to the best of his ability.

"Living in this tedious world.

"What am I meant to do?

"Vastness, loneliness, companionship."

However, a lot of the audience were still happy with Sunflower's performance and trying to guess who he was.

As Zhang Ye was not exactly considered as part of this world, and he wasn't too familiar with the people here, he gave up on trying to guess. At least he was quite sure that he wasn't familiar with who Sunflower was, although nothing was definite since they were all wearing masks. So on this point, Zhang Ye himself did not want to confirm anything.

...

10 minutes later.

"We're here,

"Dancing in the wind."

Sunset Glow also finished singing.

The applause was enthusiastic!

There were cheers coming from everywhere in the audience!

Dong Shanshan came onstage at this moment and said, "Let's welcome The Clown and Sunflower in the Starlight back onto the stage."

Sunflower, who had been waiting in the wings and listening to Sunset Glow's performance, returned to the stage very quickly.

Meanwhile, The Clown made his way back from the waiting room and took a bit longer to get back.

As Sunset Glow was the last contestant to perform, the judges started giving their opinions about her singing first.

Zhang Xia said in astonishment, "I've come to realize that Sunset Glow's singing is really amazing. She has performed perfectly to her potential. I listened to those two songs in pure satisfaction!"

Sunset Glow laugh lightly and said, "Thank you, Grandma Zhang."

Wang Zhuishu agreed, "Sunset Glow seems to be the type of singer who slowly warms up as her voice silently starts to infect us. When you first hear her sing, it doesn't seem like much, but it really does get much better every time we listen to it. It can really touch people's hearts, so that's really good. I've come to rediscover Sunset Glow today, and I believe that she's definitely a professional singer!"

Chen Guang added, "Sunset Glow's weapon is not belting out high notes but sentiment and subtlety. There aren't many like her in the music industry."

Amy stared hard at her and had a niggling feeling that she was very familiar. "Do we know each other?"

Sunset Glow laughed. "Guess."

Amy said in annoyance, "The problem is that I can't guess at all!"

The audience laughed.

Yao Jiancai could sense something, so he said with a chuckle, "Amy, from what she's saying, I think the two of you must know each other."

Amy said, "I already have a candidate in mind, but I can't be sure!" She stared at Sunset Glow and said, "Are you the person I'm thinking of?"

Sunset Glow shook her head. "I don't know who you're thinking of."

Amy looked at her and said, "I'm very close to that person, so close that we've even shared the same skirt before. But that person's voice isn't as low as yours and her singing style is different too. Did you change your vocal register on purpose?"

Sunset Glow stopped answering and just laughed.

Amy immediately said, "That won't do. I better give her a call now and see if she answers!"

Amy then took out her cell phone on the spot and dialed a number.

Du du du.

Du du du.

After five or six rings.

Amy set her phone down in shock. "She didn't pick up! Could you really be her?"

Zhang Xia laughed and said, "Stop speaking in riddles. Just tell us who it is."

But Amy did not speak.

Next was Sunflower's turn.

Chen Yidong was still praising Sunflower as usual, with only the utmost praise for him.

But Zhang Xia said, "Sunflower still sang very well, but I'll reserve my opinions on his song choices for today."

Sunflower chuckled and just nodded.

Amy analyzed, "From his accent, I think he's a singer from Hong Kong."

Wang Zhuishu said, "Yeah, I feel the same. There's a 70 to 80% chance. Although his accent isn't that obvious, the pronunciation habits of singers from Greater China are very difficult to change."

Amy bluntly questioned, "Are you a singer from Hong Kong?"

The synthesized voice of Sunflower sounded. "The director won't allow me to tell."

The contestants' answers were all very conservative as they did not want anyone to so easily guess who they were.

Finally, the conversation shifted to The Clown.

Dong Shanshan asked, "Do our judges have anything to say about The Clown's performance?"

Chen Yidong said, "There's nothing much left to say. All I can say is that I'm convinced!"

Wang Zhuishu smiled wryly and said, "He's definitely an excellent singer! The two songs today were good in both lyrics and melody, but the singing was even better. There's absolutely nothing to pick on! It was amazing!"

Amy asked anxiously, "Teacher Clown, which industry senior are you really? Can you stop teasing us like that? Just hurry up and let us know already!"

The Clown laughed.

Amy quickly asked, "Then can I ask you a question?"

The Clown thought about it for a bit before nodding.

Amy pointed at herself and asked, "Do we know each other?"

The Clown hesitated for a moment then gently nodded.

"We do!?" Amy scratched her head. She was going crazy. "Who on earth are you!"

Chen Guang quickly followed up, "Then do we know each other?"

The Clown coughed and then nodded again.

Chen Guang was going crazy too. "Among the people I know, there's not a singer who has a style like yours! I'm generally quite familiar with all the Mainland China singers, but there are some singers from Greater China I don't know. Could it be that you're from Hong Kong?"

Zhang Xia waved it off and said, "That can't be. How can he be with that kind of an accent?"

Chen Guang said, "He might have deliberately hidden his accent?"

Amy also said in surprise, "Oh yeah, he might really be from Hong Kong! We might know each other, but there's also a possibility that we don't know each other well?" Then she asked The Clown, "Are you a celebrity from Greater China?"

Wang Zhuishu asked, "Where are you from?"

Chen Yidong also continued questioning, "Right, where is your hometown? Can we ask that?"

Everyone was looking at The Clown, wanting to know the answer!

Dong Shanshan was about to help him fend off the questions.

But no one could have expected that The Clown would raise his microphone and start singing through the voice transforming microphone in Cantonese!

"My ol' home, hey, is right in this hamlet!

"I was born and raised here in this hamlet!"

The people in the audience were floored!

But the more The Clown sang the more animated he become.

"Though our village isn't much, we have hills, rivers, and forests.

"The villagers are friendly and everyone gets on well.

"So many things have happened inside this hamlet.

"Thinking back on them, it's speshly funny.

"If you friends are in-ter-est-ed, I can show you, show you around, and have you meet our villagers!"

Amy burst out laughing!

Chen Guang was floored!

Zhang Xia, Yao Jiancai, and a few others cramped up with laughter!

Beside him, Petal Shower's shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. She was obviously laughing beneath her mask as well!

Your ol' home is right in this hamlet?

Does Hong Kong even use the term hamlet at all?

Get lost! Just get lost! Who wants to meet your villagers!

And besides, doesn't your Cantonese sound too non-standard?

The audience was doubled over in laughter!

"Aiyo, I can't take it!"

"You can even come up with these sort of things on the fly?"

"I'm dying of laughter, hahahahaha!"

"Bro, what are you trying to do, imitating a Hong Konger like that!

"Pfft! I can see right through you and know that you don't have a rural residence!"

"Why is The Clown such a tease!"

"Who is he really?"

"I don't know!"

The program team staff were also amused. They thought to themselves about how these people did not see for it themselves when this person sang that "as a fifty-year-old pro driver, I am all smiles" song. He was truly an out-and-out troublemaker who could really come up with all kinds of nonsense! He pretended to be a worker once, and now, he's even pretending to be a citizen from Hong Kong?

Zhang Xia said with a laugh, "He's definitely not a singer from Hong Kong!"

Amy had to take her hat off to him. "Senior, don't pretend anymore. Really, stop pretending already!"

Yao Jiancai said, "If that's the accent of a Hong Kong singer, then I'll be flying out to Australia for a concert tomorrow! That Hong Kong accent of yours was way too pretentious!"

Amy laughed, "Hahahahaha!"

Chen Yidong said, "This personality of his has confused me even more!"

Amy said while laughing, "Yeah, this makes it even harder to guess who he is!"

A Cantonese version of " Our Villagers 6 " from Zhang Ye's world had tickled the judges and audience funny here!

Finally, the voting began!

The audience picked up their voting devices.

"The Clown!"

"The Clown!"

"Sunset Glow!"

"Sunflower!"

A lot of people were shouting the names of the contestants that they liked.

When the judges and contestants looked at the real-time tallies on the big screen, they couldn't help but give a wry smile. Right from the start, the difference between tallies pulled away!

The Clown was far ahead!

In the end, the results were decided!

Sunset Glow: 142 votes.

Sunflower in the Starlight: 101 votes.

The Clown: 257 votes!

The second episode's Masked King was crowned!

It was still The Clown!

The Clown continued to hold the title of Masked King!

The audience erupted into cheers!

The judges stood up and gave him their applause!

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Chapter 1013: The Clown gets popular!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Saturday.

At Zhang Ye's maternal grandma's house.

Today, Zhang Ye came over right after picking up his parents from the airport after they returned from their Hainan vacation. His grandparents had asked for their children to gather today for a meal as they missed them, with the food already prepared. In truth, Zhang Ye was planning to send his parents home first to sort out their luggage and rest for a while before coming over, but their flight was delayed. When they finally arrived, it was already five in the afternoon. Then, he got recognized at the airport by some fans and was trapped there for a long time. With the protracted delay, Zhang Ye was forced to go over right after picking up his parents.

"Brother!"

"Little Ye."

"Grandma, First Uncle, Little Sis."

"Why are you so late?"

"Hai, the flight got delayed."

"First Aunt and Uncle, how was the Hainan trip?"

"Hur hur, it was quite good. The air there was particularly refreshing."

"First Aunt, I'll take your luggage for you!"

"Look at our Dandan, she's becoming more and more sensible."

The entire extended family had essentially gathered by now. The moment they met each other, they started prattling and babbling on.

Zhang Ye greeted his grandpa and grandma, then enjoyed some time chatting with them. Shortly after, his three sisters approached him all atwitter.

His third sister giggled, "Brother, are you still unemployed?"

Zhang Ye rolled his eyes. "Yeah."

His eldest sister blinked and said, "Why haven't you caused any trouble then?"

"Cause what trouble?" Zhang Ye asked, not understanding.

His second sister said, "In the past, during times like these, you would always come out to scold and bombard those people who had offended you. It's not your style to keep quiet like this!"

Zhang Ye didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Just why do you three have such a terrible impression of me? Why would I scold people without a valid reason? I'm no longer the same as before."

His third sister looked down her nose at him. "C'mon, you?"

His grandma tapped her in disapproval. "Young girl, how can you speak to your older brother in that manner?"

His third sister shouted, "Quick, come and see. Grandma's playing favorites again!"

Everyone laughed.

Zhang Ye was currently the most precious child at home. If his parents even dared to say a bad thing about Zhang Ye in front of his grandparents, they would glare at them, much less his three sisters.

Zhang Ye was also quite enjoying these rare family get-togethers. The competition yesterday had really tired him out. Not only had he worried about his vocal chords, it also took a lot of his concentration. He appreciated getting a rare chance to relax like this.

Dinner was ready.

They split into two tables as there were too many people.

His first uncle suddenly asked, "Little Ye, I heard that the show you produced is getting quite popular these days?"

His third sister immediately said, "It is not just quite popular, it's very popular!"

His mother swallowed a mouthful of food and said, "You don't say. The singers they invited this time are incredible! Their singing is each better than the last. I think that Sunflower and Petal Shower are pretty good!"

His first aunt said, "I like Sunflower too!"

His second aunt said, "Their songs are too complicated, so I prefer Sunset Glow."

His eldest sister spoke up, "The Clown's very good too. He was voted to be the Masked King in the first episode."

His second sister shook her head and said, "The Clown isn't that good. The media's talked about how he won in spite of his talent."

His third sister suddenly banged the table. "Aiyo, I nearly forgot. The second episode of King of Masked Singers is about to start. It's already 7:50! Quick, turn on the TV!"

"Oh yeah, let's watch it!"

"Yeah, we nearly forgot about it with all that talking just now!"

"Little Ye, who will become Masked King today?"

"Hur hur, watch for yourselves."

"It's definitely going to be Petal Shower."

"I think it'll be Sunflower."

"Sunset Glow's chances are quite high too!"

Almost everyone in the family had watched the show, and they all had their own favorite singers they supported.

The only thing that made Zhang Ye feel dejected was that no one seemed to be supporting The Clown. This fellow felt quite helpless as he was wondered if it was because of the songs he selected being a little too non-mainstream? That the song's target audience was too niche? Should he attempt a more mainstream song for the next episode then? Speaking of which, as he was not considered to be someone from this world, all the songs that he brought out had never been heard before by the people of this world. This was his disadvantage, as well as his advantage. He had to slowly figure it out with every step that he took, without having any past experience to fall back on when choosing. Selecting which song to perform was very much like a test to him.

He would wait and observe what happened today.

To see what the reaction was after today's episode.

...

On Weibo.

It was whirling online.

"It's about to begin!"

"Holy shit, Petal Shower's popularity has reached 300,000 votes!"

"That's too fearsome!"

"She's been chosen internally as the Masked King for this episode, right?"

"More or less. The disparity is too much!"

"Did any news get leaked? Who got eliminated? Who took off their masks?"

"The Clown is sure to get eliminated, yeah?"

"There's no hope for him anymore. There's been too much negative press about him, with both the media and people bombarding him."

"Actually, I feel that The Clown is decent. Although his singing wasn't that good, that was due to him performing with a cold. We should to try understand that."

"He only became Masked King because of the pity votes cast by people like you! So what if he had a cold? This is a competition. It has to be fair."

"Let's see how it goes. It doesn't matter what The Clown does in this episode. Everything will depend on the performance of my Petal Shower!"

Suddenly, a Weibo user appeared.

That person posted with a chuckle: "I'll tell you guys something unfortunate. The Clown has retained his crown as the Masked King for this episode."

"Pfft!"

"Can you please stop teasing us?"

"That's impossible!"

"Don't go around spreading rumors!"

"Anyone can be the Masked King except The Clown. He's been criticized so badly it's impossible for him!"

However, someone else appeared out of the woodwork. "The Petal Shower you guys thought would be the favorite was eliminated by The Clown in the first round. Ai, just watch for yourselves, I don't have the heart to strike you guys with another blow."

"Are you kidding?"

"For real?"

"Even if The Clown resorted to his previous tricks or sang a song with even better lyrics, it's still impossible that the audience would buy it a second time."

"I don't believe it!"

"Fuck, I also don't believe it!"

"Petal Shower's popularity has exploded, with Sunflower in hot pursuit behind her. Even Sunset Glow's popularity is much higher than The Clown's, so how can it be possible for him to be the Masked King!"

"Don't believe the rumors."

"Don't believe the rumors1!"

"Don't believe the rumors1000!"

Nobody believed it.

Then the second episode of King of Masked Singers was broadcast for everybody's viewing pleasure!

The first contestant to sing was Petal Shower.

"Wow!"

"My Petal Shower is coming on!"

"She's gonna sing, she's gonna sing!"

"Ahhh, I love listening to her singing!"

"It's still her style of singing!"

"I love her to death!"

"Masked King, she must definitely get crowned as this episode's Masked King!"

"It has to be her!"

"The Clown is next?"

"Hahaha, it's so unlucky for him!"

"Yeah, there's no more suspense in this matchup!"

Online, wave after wave of exclamations erupted as the netizens all praised Petal Shower's singing.

Next, The Clown took the stage.

When The Clown began to sing, Weibo fell silent without warning!

"Ahh, ahh.

"Ahhhhh, ahh.

"Ahhhhh, ahhhhh.

"Ahhhhh, ahh."

...

At Zhang Ye's maternal grandma's house.

His three sisters were dumbfounded!

His parents, uncles, aunts, and everyone else's hairs stood on end when they heard him sing!

"This!"

"H-His cold is gone?"

"Why doesn't this song have any lyrics?"

"Aiyo, I can't handle this. I'm getting the goosebumps!"

"What's going on? What's with this song?"

...

Zhang Yuanqi's house.

A couple of her good friends in the scene had come over for a dinner party.

The latest episode of King of Masked Singers was playing on the television, and they were analyzing it.

Zhang Yuanqi smiled and said, "Who do you girls think Petal Shower sounds like?"

Ning Lan, sitting cross-legged, said, "I can't tell since I'm not involved in the music scene."

The Heavenly Queen's manager, Fang Weihong, swirled her glass of red wine. "This show is quite popular, and is very fun to watch. Sister Zhang, you can tell who she is?"

Zhang Yuanqi laughed. "I have a rough idea of who she is, but I can't be sure."

Then they heard different singing drift from the television.

At the start, they were not paying much attention to the show as they chatted among themselves. But gradually, their conversation came to a halt.

Fang Weihong was dumbfounded!

Ning Lan looked at the television in shock!

Zhang Yuanqi was slightly stunned as she turned to look at the television!

"Ahhh, ahhhh.

"Ahhh, ahhhh."

The voice filled the entire room!

Fang Weihong exclaimed, "Who the heck is this! Oh my god!"

Ning Lan was also in extreme shock. "Can this singing be any better than it is already?"

Fang Weihong asked, "Which song is this?"

Zhang Yuanqi replied, "There's no such song in the music industry!"

"It's an original?"

There were no lyrics!

Not a single line!

But they were completely caught off guard by the images that were conjured up in their minds!

...

A lot of the netizens on Weibo were going crazy!

Many of those who had called out The Clown last week for using lyrics to gain pity points were now feeling as though their faces had been slapped swollen. This was done on purpose! This man was definitely fucking with them on purpose!

"A song without lyrics?"

"Holy shit!"

"He sang it to such a godly level!"

"So this is what The Clown's real voice sounds like?"

"Dammit, this song made me cry!"

"Is it that good? How come I don't feel that way?"

"I didn't feel anything either, but his singing was amazing!"

"Didn't feel anything? You have to calm yourself when listening to this song. I was also moved by it. This song is simply an enjoyment to listen to! Who said that The Clown needed to rely on lyrics to win? Fuck their granny!"

"This face smacking is ruthless! I can already feel the pain on those media people's faces!"

"This song is fantastic!"

"Not even a single line of lyrics?"

"Who is this guy? Who is he?"

Many netizens threw a fit in an instant!

...

Within the music industry.

At an entertainment company.

A vice president was eating with his company's staff and some fellow industry professionals. When they heard that voice coming from the television in the room, they were all dumbfounded!

One second.

Two seconds.

The vice president shouted, "Little Li, go and check who that is! You must figure out who he is! If he's not contracted to any company, make sure to sign him to our company at all costs!"

The secretary, Little Li, hurriedly replied, "Understood!"

But it didn't take long before the question asked by the panel of judges was shown on television.

"Are you above or below the B-list?"

"…Above."

The table of people went quiet.

The vice president laughed bitterly. "Never mind. Don't bother trying to find out who he is. It's impossible that a big name who's at least a B-lister like him would not have a company."

A musician in the industry and seated at the table gasped. "Which famous person in the music industry went to compete on the show?"

King of Masked Singers was very popular!

It was so popular that many of those in the music industry—whether they be established singers or newcomers, including even the Heavenly Kings and Queens—were watching the show on TV!

A lot of people were shocked by the "Opera" The Clown had sung!

But without exception, no one was able to guess who The Clown really was!

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Chapter 1014: Becoming famous!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The tables had turned!

Countless people who were previously calling out The Clown and showing disdain for him fell silent when "Opera" was performed. The media outlets vomited blood at the turn of events! Quite a few people were touched by this song, while there were many others who did not get affected by it. But even those who did not like this song could not say that this man's singing was not good. His falsetto had reached the stage of perfection!

"B-list?"

"There are only a few possibilities on the B-list and above!"

"Fuck, who is this guy!"

"I think I've become a fan of his!"

"Me too!"

"From hater to fan! He's amazing!"

"Ah, The Clown won!"

"He beat Petal Shower!"

"Poor Petal Shower!"

"Yeah, if Petal Shower had faced any of the others, she would've won!"

"Could The Clown have really been crowned Masked King?"

"Quick, quick, quick! When will The Clown sing his next song?"

The show continued.

However, the audience seemed to have been affected by the lyricless song. A minority of the audience was not even interested when the other contestants came on nor cared about the identity of whoever was taking off their masks. They were simply waiting to watch The Clown sing his second song!

Finally, the second episode's Masked King battle began.

The Clown was the first to perform!

He was using his real voice this time!

"I wanna walk from south to north!

"I wanna walk from day til night!

"I want people to look at me!

"But not know who I am!"

The moment "Fake Monk" was performed, it made quite a few viewers' pulses race!

"It's someone famous!"

"This definitely has to be a famous person in the music industry!"

"I don't like this song. It doesn't sound good."

"It's clearly very good!"

"I like this song a lot! It's so good on a spiritual level!"

"Me too, I love this song to death!"

"Petal Shower was unexpectedly sent into the elimination round, and Sunflower did not fulfill his potential either with a very average choice of song today. There's no one else who can compete with The Clown on today's stage!"

"'Fake Monk' is a good song!"

"This song alone can sweep everyone aside!"

"He put so much emotion into his performance!"

"I'm not so smitten with the song. Although the lyrics were very well written, the melody was run of the mill. But for some reason, when The Clown was singing this song, it kinda got to me. If I was at the studio, I would definitely have voted for him! This guy is super charismatic!"

...

Within the music industry.

Quite a few key decision making people were shocked!

On a phone call:

"Old Hu, go and watch Beijing TV!"

"What's the matter? I'm recording a new song right now."

"Go and listen already. The latest episode of King of Masked Singers is really godly!"

"Who's godly?"

"The Clown!"

"With that voice of his, how godly can his singing possibly be?"

"Go and listen to it then! Listen to what his voice sounds like after he recovered from his cold! When did such an experienced veteran appear in the music scene! Go listen to it and tell me if he's one of our old friends."

...

At Zhang Ye's maternal grandma's house.

His mother and aunts did not feel much for this song.

But his father and uncles were mesmerized.

His second uncle said, "This song…is so well-written!"

His third sister suddenly shouted, "I'm defecting!"

"Ah?" His eldest sister did not get what she meant.

His third sister replied, "I'm not gonna give my support to Petal Shower anymore. From today onwards, I will support The Clown!"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "You can understand this song?"

His third sister said, "I don't understand it, but I like it anyway!"

His eldest sister said, "I like 'Opera.' His singing is so amazing. Brother, who is he? Hurry up and tell us!"

"I don't know either," Zhang Ye said happily.

his second sister said, "You must know who he is!"

Zhang Ye smiled but did not say anything.

His father suddenly spoke up. "Little Ye."

Zhang Ye turned around. "Yes?"

His father said, "Get two tickets to the live recording of King of Masked Singers for your mom and me."

Zhang Ye was stunned. "What for? Do you plan to go and watch?"

His father nodded.

His mother immediately said, "Right, get us two tickets!"

This was his mother's usual behavior. Zhang Ye was already used to it. But his dad, who was a calmer and more traditional person, had almost never asked for anything from Zhang Ye before. Since his dad surprisingly made such a rare request today, he naturally agreed to it.

Zhang Ye nodded. "Alright."

His third sister's eyes lit up. "Brother, I wanna go too!"

Seeing this, his second sister went over and tugged Zhang Ye's arm and said coyly, "Brother."

His eldest sister coughed and also said a little embarrassed, "Me too."

They tugged at Zhang Ye for a long time before he finally smiled and said, "Alright, alright, everyone will get a ticket each."

As the matter of the tickets was settled, the Masked King battle on the television came to an end as the three singers finished with performing.

His family immediately shifted their attention back to the TV, wanting to see who would be crowned Masked King this episode. But they got a surprise instead!

The Clown opened his mouth to sing again!

This was a song he came up with on the spot!

...

"Are you a singer from Hong Kong?"

"Where is your hometown?"

The netizens were made speechless at the next moment!

Their jaws dropped as they saw The Clown raise his microphone and singing passionately into it.

"My ol' home, hey, is right in this hamlet!

"I was born and raised here in this hamlet!

"Though our village isn't much, we have hills, mountains, and forests.

"The villagers are friendly and everyone gets on well.

"So many things have happened inside this hamlet. Thinking back on them, it's speshly funny. If you friends are in-ter-est-ed, I can show you, show you around.

"And have you meet our villagers!"

This Cantonese song blinded everyone who heard it!

A group of people were doubled over in laughter!

"Hahahahaha!"

"Aiyo, I can't take it!"

"How can he be so funny?"

"Where is this joker from?"

"Can he really be a celebrity that's above the B-list?"

"Pfft, judging from his manner, this fellow is probably bullshitting! You even proclaimed yourself to be from Hong Kong? Hong Kong, your sister! Aren't you just making things up! Hahahaha, I guess he's lying about being at least a B-lister too!"

"That's also possible. There isn't any celebrity above the B-list who matches his profile!"

"Masked King!"

"The Clown has been crowned Masked King!"

"Amazing!"

"He really deserved the win this episode!"

"Yeah, The Clown was truly without equal today!"

"I'm looking forward to the third episode!"

"The next episode will be even more exciting!"

"Yeah, Petal Shower and Sunflower were not in good shape this episode, but they'll definitely fight back in the next episode!"

"That was really exciting!"

"Why I can't find 'Fake Monk' online?"

"'Opera' can't be found either! What's going on here?"

"They're originals, so they can't be found online."

"Ah?"

"Does The Clown intend to sing his originals for the entire competition?"

"No way, right? His company or his musician friends should've only written these four songs that were good enough for him perform onstage. Once there are no more originals left to use, he'll have to start covering the songs of other singers."

The broadcast ended.

Night fell.

But the discussions online and in the homes of the country's people did not stop.

...

The day after.

Sunday.

The viewership rating for the second episode of King of Masked Singers was out!

It was a figure that would send the industry into an uproar again—2.98%!

At Central TV.

Department 1.

Director Jiang Naixiong was silent.

Scowling, Jiang Yuan lost his temper with his subordinates. "How many episodes has our new show been broadcasting for already? Huh? Why are you all just unable to bring up the viewership ratings for it? Just have look at the viewership ratings for yourselves! Ah?"

The Department 1 staff did not dare make a sound.

There's nothing we can do even if the viewership ratings are poor!

It was all because of your insistence on fighting that lawsuit with Zhang Ye and freezing him that led to this!

If our station had not forced him away, the King of Masked Singers would definitely have been ours! What's the point of blaming us now?

On the Top Chinese Music Chart.

The songs that were performed on the King of Masked Singers were doing brilliantly on the chart!

The Clown's "Opera" and "Fake Monk" had already climbed up to the top three spots of the daily chart, while Petal Shower and Sunset Glow's songs from yesterday's television broadcast had climbed into the top six spots!

The songs were on fire!

The entire music chart had almost become wholly occupied by the King of Masked Singers' songs!

The entire music industry's attention was now focused on King of Masked Singers!

And the most unexpected thing was that The Clown's Cantonese song he performed at the end of the episode called "Our Villagers" had also shot up to the top 15 songs on the daily rankings. Many of the netizens were repeatedly playing it, laughing as they listened to it each time! The song was hilarious! It was totally a prank!

At home.

Zhang Ye's popularity score was still slipping on the Celebrity Rankings Index.

In contrast, his Reputation Points in the game ring were increasing rapidly. It seemed that with glancing minute, his Reputation Points would shoot up. Since no one knew that he was The Clown, the popularity gained by The Clown would naturally not be added to his name. But the game ring did not have this limitation. Everyone who liked The Clown would give Zhang Ye additional Reputation Points without fail!

This was great!

He would just carry on like this!

It looks like this bro's decision to cross over into the music industry was the right one!

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Chapter 1015: Zhang Ye proposes! (First half)

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Monday.

In the morning, his parents arranged to have a day out at the Summer Palace with two neighbors.

Zhang Ye was bored and stayed home to practice his songs over and over again. As Mother's Day fell on this weekend, he incidentally thought about the song for this week and if he should perform one that transmitted a message of love for mothers. However, he did not have a specific idea of what to sing yet since there were still five days to go, and there was no rush to decide that quickly.

He checked the show's official website.

The Clown's popularity has leaped to first place!

First: The Clown (470,000 votes)

Second: Petal Shower (410,000 votes)

Third: Sunflower in the Starlight (320,000 votes)

Fourth: Sunset Glow (290,000 votes)

Although The Clown had jumped from fourth to first in the popularity poll, the gap was actually not that much. Besides, Zhang Ye had won the crown of the Masked King twice in a row. His momentum was ruthless, which made it difficult for him to lag behind in the competition.

Quite a few people were leaving comments on the official website.

"Who does everyone think will get crowned as Masked King in the third episode?"

"The Clown, of course. I love his songs so much!"

"I doubt it'll be him."

"Yeah, he's already gotten it twice."

"Right, everyone knows how strong he is and will therefore have higher expectations. The audience might be disappointed if he doesn't perform his next song perfectly, or if his chosen song is not that great, or maybe even if his next song is not another original. Considering all that, it's gonna get quite difficult for The Clown for the rest of the competition."

"We can't expect that every one of his songs are originals and that they'll be that good, can we?"

"Then does that mean Petal Shower's chances are better now?"

"Sunflower and Sunset Glow have some hope now."

"They're all pros and can sing really well, so that makes it really difficult to say who'll win."

Reading the reviews, Zhang Ye turned things over in his mind. He thought that the netizens were correct. In his current position, it was indeed very difficult for him to make any additional progress as no one person could keep getting crowned as Masked King forever. It wasn't a matter of singing skills, but the expectations of the audience. However, luckily for this fellow, he still had a trick up his sleeve. A very classic song from his previous world had yet to be revealed by him and was meant to be a backup. From the looks of it, he had to choose a more generic song this time—perhaps one that everyone would like the moment they heard it?

Which song?

It was really difficult to choose.

All of a sudden, his cell phone rang.

The caller ID displayed: Wu Zeqing.

Zhang Ye broke into a grin and answered immediately. "Old Wu."

The gentle voice of a woman came from the other end of the line. "Hur hur, you sound like you're in a good mood?"

"Haha, more or less," Zhang Ye said. "Isn't today Monday? What's the matter? Not working?"

"I just got back from a business trip and took a day off to rest."

Zhang Ye knew that she had gone on a business trip for many days. It was related to the aftermath of the air pollution documentary. At that time, Wu Zeqing had helped him hold off endless pressure from all sides and kept the air pollution documentary online for an extra day or two. She'd offended a lot of people and then left Beijing on a business trip. He didn't need to ask to know for sure that she must have gotten implicated in this matter. "Did the air pollution documentary cause you a lot of trouble?"

She laughed. "It's already been settled. It wasn't too troublesome."

On these official matters, Zhang Ye did not know much. But since Old Wu said it was already settled, then it must have really been settled. Unlike Dong Shanshan who was always deceptive, Old Wu would give it to him straight.

Zhang Ye felt reassured. "You're at home?"

"Yes."

Zhang Ye asked: "I'll go over to look for you then."

"Sure. What would you like to eat?"

Zhang Ye bluntly said: "Deep-fried mandarin fish and sautéed pig's kidney. You know how to cook them?"

"Yes."

"Alright, wait a little for me," Zhang Ye said.

"OK, then I'll go and buy the groceries."

Having not seen Old Wu in a while, Zhang Ye was very much so looking forward to seeing her again. He took a shower and changed his clothes, then groomed himself in front of the mirror for the longest time before finally going downstairs to his car and driving off.

Perhaps due to the morning rush hour, there was a small traffic jam outside.

Before a traffic light intersection, more than a hundred vehicles were stopped and could not move.

At this moment, Zhang Ye heard a man singing from a car beside his that had its windows rolled down. "I wanna walk from south to north! / I wanna walk from day til night!"

Has "Fake Monk" really become this popular?

It's only been two days and there were already people who knew how to sing it?

But then again, big bro, the traffic is all snarled, and you're still thinking of going from the south to the north? I'd bow to you if you could even make it to the traffic lights up ahead! But there was still a chance that you might be able to go from day til night!

All the best!

...

At 10 AM.

Taoran Pavilion's East Gate, Old Wu's place.

In the villa, Wu Zeqing was sitting on the sofa and reading the papers.

The door opened. When Zhang Ye entered the house, he immediately took a look at his girlfriend. The weather was getting warmer and warmer, and Old Wu was dressed in a more relaxed qipao today. It wasn't the type of long qipao she wore in the spring and autumn, but the short version of it. The color was very plain, but at the hem of the qipao above her knees, a pair of supple thighs were exposed and looked particularly alluring. The chest region fabric in the top half of her qipao looked like it full to bursting.

Zhang Ye swallowed hard. "Old Wu."

Wu Zeqing turned to him and said with a smile, "You're here?"

"There was a traffic jam, otherwise I'd have gotten here even earlier." Zhang Ye walked over. "What are you reading?"

"News regarding King of Masked Singers." She flapped the newspapers in her hand.

"You've watched the show too?"

"I have. It's quite good."

Zhang Ye blinked and asked, "Who do you like?"

"The Clown and Petal Shower, I guess. They're both pretty good."

Zhang Ye was very happy.

Look at this, just look at this!

It was still his girlfriend who had good insight!

Sitting down on the sofa, Zhang Ye took the newspaper from her. "Let me have a look." After flipping through a few of the pages, he didn't feel comfortable enough. He turned his head and glanced at Old Wu's thighs, then coughed and unceremoniously laid down onto them. Half of the back of his head was cushioned by the qipao, while the other half was lying directly on her thighs. His left ear vaguely touched her skin and he could feel the cooling smoothness and softness of it.

How comfortable!

Zhang Ye was enjoying it to the fullest extent.

Wu Zeqing did not say much and just smiled. "What have you been up to recently?"

Zhang Ye read the newspaper while lying down. He remarked, "I've just been staying at home."

Wu Zeqing said, "There aren't any TV stations willing to hire you?"

"Yeah," Zhang Ye replied.

Wu Zeqing gave a noise of acknowledgment. "I'll make some arrangements for you later."

"There's no need to, there's really no need. I've worried you enough already, and even given you a lot of trouble. There's no need to bother yourself with this problem for the time being. This bro can solve it by himself." Zhang Ye put the newspaper down and looked up at her. He did not manage to immediately see Wu Zeqing's face. From his angle, all he could see was Old Wu's dress protruding out in the region of her chest, and his view of her face got blocked. "I've been doing something that's been keeping me quite busy, so I can't actually find time to deal with other work. But as for what it is exactly, I'll keep it a secret for now. Haha, you'll know about it in time anyway."

"Really?"

"Just watch what I can do. Have I ever let you down before?"

"Alright, I'll wait and see then."

Since Zhang Ye wanted to keep her guessing, Old Wu did not continue with a line of questioning.

This was how the two of them had interacted for the duration of their relationship.

Keeping it simple.

Trusting each other.

Chapter 1016: Zhang Ye proposes! (Second half)

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Before noon.

A little after 11 AM.

Zhang Ye was still lying across Wu Zeqing's thighs with his shoes off. He was jiggling his arched legs and browsing Weibo on his cell phone with one hand. He would turn his head to the left for a bit, and after he got tired in that position, he would nudge his neck upward. His neck, ears, and face were all resting on a soft surface that felt far more comfortable than laying on a pillow. Zhang Ye was enjoying it so much that his eyes were just a thin line.

That was how good it felt!

That was how blissful it was!

Old Wu was conversing with him all this while.

"The issues with the air pollution documentary have almost blown over."

"OK."

"But you should stay low for a while. You've offended too many people this time, so some time needs to pass."

"No problem. I was already mentally prepared for this."

"The new policies have become much stricter, so take caution. Be it writing poems or novels, it will be best if your works don't involve too much pessimistic content or mention things like 'death' or 'massacre' in the title of the poem."

"New rules?"

"They're not out yet, but it should happen sometime soon."

"Alright, I understand."

"Is Ning Lan your friend?"

"Ah? I guess so. I do know her."

"She's wrapped up filming for her new movie, and it's been sent in for review. But it was not approved due to some scenes violating the policies."

"Then what can be done?"

"We've already told them to cut those scenes."

Mostly, it was Wu Zeqing who did all the talking while Zhang Ye listened. There were some matters that not even the talent agencies of celebrities could know about, but Zhang Ye would get firsthand information of it ahead of time. He was the only person in the entire entertainment industry who had such a privilege.

As he listened, Zhang Ye's neck got tired from the laying and he switched to a different position. This time he blinked before turning his head to face Old Wu's stomach, rolling his body over as well. With that, his face was now directly facing her qipao's slit and his eyelashes reflexively stirred as they came into contact with the fabric at the slit. This was how close he was to her.

His heart was pounding.

He also started breathing a little faster.

He now felt Old Wu shift. Then her long hair cascaded down and fell next to his ears and face, making him itchy.

Old Wu bent over and said, "Alright, it's time to make lunch."

Zhang Ye said, "There's no hurry. Let me lie here a bit more."

Old Wu did not say anything.

This made Zhang Ye even ballsier.

After laying there for another five minutes and having finally seen enough, Zhang Ye got up from her legs and sat up on the sofa. He breathed in through his "burning" nose and felt a little heated.

Wu Zeqing slowly stood up. "Go wash your hands and wait for lunch."

Zhang Ye said, "I can help you cook?"

"There's no need." Old Wu headed to the kitchen and got down to business.

It was an open kitchen on the first floor. Zhang Ye's gaze did not leave her. He simply switched to a different spot on the sofa and faced the kitchen as he stared at Old Wu, who was busy cooking. Having not seen her in a while, Zhang Ye really missed her quite a bit. He felt that it was not enough no matter how much he looked at her. After looking at her face, he looked at her hands; after looking at her hands, he looked at her legs; after looking at her legs, he looked at her feet; after looking at her feet, he looked back up at her hair. It felt to him that every part of her was just too beautiful.

How he loved her!

How he really wished to marry her!

Zhang Ye remembered asking Old Wu last year about getting married in the next year. She had not rejected him at the time, and it was now the next year. His thoughts were suddenly aroused again. Wu Zeqing was definitely someone he wouldn't find anywhere else in his entire life even if he tried his hardest. If he did not hurry, she might get away from him at some point in the future! Although Wu Zeqing was much older than him and was in the civil service, Zhang Ye was an A-lister now. Moreover, he had many statuses, such as associate professor at Media College and Peking University, poet, writer, famous host, famous TV show director, famous TV show producer, famous crosstalk actor, and so on and so forth. So he should be quite compatible with her, right?

The only thing was that there would be a conflict of interest.

Zhang Ye was from the entertainment industry.

And Old Wu happened to manage the entertainment industry.

Upon reflection, there were certainly a lot of problems with this. Would the SARFT allow it? Would Old Wu's family agree to it? Even Old Wu herself, would she agree to it?

Zhang Ye was utterly clueless and was in a bind.

Would it work out?

Would it not?

Would it work out?

This problem weighed heavily on his heart for a long time.

Suddenly, a delicious smell reached his nose. Only then did he realize that the food was served.

Wu Zeqing smiled. "Lunch is ready. Let's eat."

When Zhang Ye saw the food, he exclaimed as he walked over, "Wow, just looking at it makes my mouth water!"

"Have a taste." Old Wu undid her apron and placed it on the back of a chair. Then she sat down. "I don't usually eat kidney flowers 1 , so I seldom cook them. Try how they taste."

Zhang Ye grabbed some of the piping hot kidney flowers with his chopsticks and blew on them for a while before eating them. "Hoo, it's delicious!"

This cooking was the best!

How could it be so delicious?

During these days his parents were away at Hainan, Zhang Ye would either order takeout or cook himself a simple meal of instant noodles, whichever he could make do with. That made him lose interest in eating recently as he did not have an appetite for whatever other food he came across. But when he sampled the food cooked by Old Wu today, he nearly burst into tears. It was so delicious it was worth crying over!

He gobbled up the food at once and rambled as he ate, "It tastes great! Whoo…it's so delicious! The deep-fried mandarin fish is delicious too! Hoo…it's so savory!"

Wu Zeqing smiled gently. "Eat slowly."

"I can't." Zhang Ye did not listen as he ate even faster. Eventually, he realized that he was almost full, whereas Old Wu had barely touched her food. "Eat some too, Old Wu."

"I will," Wu Zeqing said as she ate her portions slowly.

Zhang Ye sighed and said, "If only I could taste your cooking every day, how nice would that be?"

Old Wu said as she slowly ate her food, "You can come over to eat anytime."

Zhang Ye looked at her. "You're usually busy working, and I have many things to handle too, so it's not easy to find a day where both of us have free time. Besides, even if we were free, it still isn't appropriate to come by your house so frequently. What happens if the neighbors see us? How would you explain it if your relatives and friends came to visit?"

A strong desire suddenly overcame him.

Zhang Ye readied himself as he picked up some kidney flowers with his chopsticks and put them into Old Wu's bowl. He did not know where he found the courage, but he said very suddenly, "Old Wu, why don't we get married?"

Wu Zeqing was startled, then broke into a half-smile.

Zhang Ye asked, "Shall we?"

Wu Zeqing said, "Is this a proposal?"

"Ahem, yes, it is," Zhang Ye said.

She pointed at the kidney flower in the bowl with her chopsticks and said, "This is the first time I've seen someone use a kidney flower to propose."

Zhang Ye felt extremely embarrassed!

Other people would either use a diamond ring or roses to propose. At the very least, he should have followed that classic scene in the movies of breaking off the pull tab of a soda can to use as a ring for the proposal, right? But just see how great Zhang Ye was to even try to propose with some kidney flowers! In fact, this fellow did not think or plan much at all. He was someone who did something whenever he felt like it. Despite being quite witty most of the time, he was actually quite a dense person when it came to romantic affairs.

"About that, um…" Zhang Ye just grinned as he did not know what else to say. Should he go out to buy a ring and come back afterwards? But that would be too late!

Wu Zeqing did not say a word.

Zhang Ye was quivering inside.

Old Wu lowered her head to continue eating. She picked up the kidney flower from her bowl and put it into her mouth. After chewing a little, she swallowed it, then ate some rice. A moment later, Wu Zeqing looked up at him.

She calmly spoke, "OK."

Zhang Ye was stunned. "Ah? What do you mean by OK?"

She said, "Didn't you propose to me?"

Zhang Ye said in a startled manner, "Yes?"

Wu Zeqing replied, "So I've agreed to it."

Aiyo!

You've agreed?!

Zhang Ye could feel the blood in his entire body coursing hotly. He used his pinky to pick his ear and said in disbelief, "Old Wu, can you say that again?"

Old Wu smiled. "I've agreed to it."

Zhang Ye slammed his chopsticks onto the table, at a total loss for words!

He had acted on impulse today and did not have any hope of achieving anything definite. All he had was only the strong intent in his mind, which was what made him propose. For anyone who was even a little prepared, they would never propose with kidney flowers. But he could never have expected that Old Wu would actually say yes! At this moment, even that mouth of Zhang Ye's that could bring someone back to life was unable to muster up any words to express himself!

Hahahaha!

He did it!

His proposal was a success!

Whoever said that roses had to be given when proposing?

A kidney "flower" was still a flower!

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Chapter 1017: A Masked Singer's identity is exposed!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Friday.

On the day of the recording.

In the morning, while his parents were still sleeping, Zhang Ye strolled downstairs, bought breakfast, and brought it home. Then he woke his parents up for breakfast, even humming a little ditty as he did.

Our people!

Are so happy today!

He had been humming this tune for several days now.

His mother wondered, "What's gotten into you?"

Zhang Ye asked, "Wha?"

His mother said, "You're like a completely different person these days, buying breakfast and doing the laundry. Did something happen to you? Tell us if you have any problems so that your dad and I can mentally prepare. I'm so unused to seeing you this hardworking out of the blue."

Zhang Ye laughed. "What problems could I possibly have? Mother's Day is coming up, so of course I've got to do a little something for you."

His mother did not believe his drivel. "Is it money you need? I still have some money in my account. Tell me if you need to borrow some. Don't feel embarrassed."

His father nodded and said, "Right, your mom is rich."

Zhang Ye was floored. "Why would I need to borrow money?"

His father said, "There's no shame in asking."

Zhang Ye saw red. "I don't feel ashamed!"

His mother asked, "So how much do you need?"

"I need…why would I need anything? You two have confused me." Zhang Ye did not know what to say or how to react. He spoke, "Alright, you two should eat breakfast quickly. I have to go to Beijing TV now to see how the production is going. I've already told them about your ticket requests, so you two can head over right after breakfast."

"Alright, we understand."

"I'll get going first then."

"You really don't need any money?"

"…I really don't need any!"

He shut the door behind him.

Zhang Ye was both amused and annoyed as he headed downstairs to drive off to the office.

But before he could drive out of the entrance to the neighborhood, he received a message on his cell phone. He received a 10,000 RMB transfer from the account with the last four digits of XXXX. This account number looked quite familiar and probably belonged to his mother.

Zhang Ye really had to take his hat off to her!

She was serious about lending him the money?

He was currently unemployed and had never taken any commercial appearances, so didn't have too much money, but at the same time, he didn't exactly spend money! He wondered to himself just how lazy he was in his parents' eyes. All he had done was by breakfast and do the laundry for two days, but his parents were already starting to get suspicious of him?

Where could he seek redress from?

He had just been really happy for the past several days since his proposal had succeeded, with Old Wu agreeing to marry him. Even when Zhang Ye was promoted to the A-list, he did not feel as excited as now. This was Wu Zeqing we were talking about here, the wife he had been dreaming of all this time. By achieving it just like that, he felt like he was dreaming. Even though the details of wedding planning, how to introduce their parents, and of when exactly to get married had yet to be decided, the decision to get married was already set in stone. Old Wu could no longer slip out of his grasp. As such, Zhang Ye felt the load on his mind being lifted. He was now full of energy and had never been so full of fighting spirit before! This sort of attitude naturally affected his daily life. It even ended up making his parents misunderstand him!

Some people would give presents or money during Mother's Day.

But not only did he not give anything to his mother, he even received a sum of money from her.

Hai, whatever, he should just accept it. Since it was a token of love from his parents, Zhang Ye shamelessly accepted it. It just so happened that his car needed some maintenance, so the money would come in handy.

...

At Beijing Television.

In the rehearsal room.

Zhang Ye had long since changed into The Clown's mask and costume.

"Musicians."

"Hi, Teacher Clown."

"Teacher Clown, you're here?"

When they saw The Clown, the band members went up and greeted him with great enthusiasm.

The Clown choked his voice and said, "You guys aren't busy, are you?"

The guitarist said, "No, Teacher Petal Shower's rehearsal isn't for another hour. Although we finished rehearsing with her yesterday, she said that she still needed another round or two of rehearsals to help her get into the rhythm."

The Clown said, "Then can you give this hour to me?"

The guitarist smiled and said, "Sure."

The Clown said, "I would like to rehearse another two songs."

He handed the scores to them.

Music Director Bai Yuanfei and the band members were stunned.

Curious, Bai Yuanfei asked, "Didn't you rehearse two songs yesterday?"

The Clown said, "I would like to add two more songs as backups since I haven't decided which songs to sing yet. I'm still considering."

"You really are striving for perfection." Then Bai Yuanfei looked to the band members.

The band members thought for a while before readily agreeing, "No problem, let's do it!"

Among the masked singers, only The Clown had truly gotten to know the band members. Be it "Wild Rose," "Wolf," or "Fake Monk," all those songs suited their tastes quite well. Since they had all started out by dabbling in rock music, and since only The Clown had performed a rock song on this stage, they naturally felt that they had something in common.

In the audience, Han Qi watched them nervously.

The rehearsal began.

During this rehearsal, The Clown once again did not sing the lyrics and just hummed along to the music. He mainly wanted to get a grasp of the rhythm to refine any details and problems with the arrangement. Zhang Ye was the type of singer who liked to do things spontaneously and would habitually surprise and shock the audience. As a result, he did not like to reveal the lyrics beforehand as that would make his performances meaningless. To the other singers, this sort of rehearsal was simply unbelievable. How could he just go onstage without even singing once? Only a person with such strong self-confidence as Zhang Ye would dare to do that. Back when he was still hosting, this fellow was famously known as a madman. He even had the courage to go on a live broadcast without preparing any lines or script to speak from. There was no one like him in the entire industry!

An hour later, Petal Shower arrived.

Zhang Ye ceded the rehearsal room to her.

Following, Sunset Glow came to do her sound checks.

Just when everyone was preparing for the afternoon's recording session, something happened in the outside world that no one could have expected. Zhang Ye, along with the other masked singers and the King of Masked Singers program team, were dealt a sudden blow!

A masked singer had revealed his identity!

...

The origin came from Weibo.

After King of Masked Singers became popular, many people started guessing who the masked singers were.

The Clown, Petal Shower, Sunflower, and Sunset Glow had continually dominated the last two episodes of the show, and had undoubtedly garnered the most attention from the audience as well. The netizens were all guessing as to who they were.

"I really can't figure out who The Clown is!"

"He's the hardest to guess!"

"At least a B-lister? But there's no one that matches!"

"He might only be joking and is probably not a B-list celebrity."

"Could Petal Shower be Zhang Yuanqi?"

"No."

"How is the singing of Spring Garden's Xiaodong?"

"Uh, she sings very well. But since I haven't heard Xiaodong singing these types of songs before, the chance of her being Petal Shower isn't that high."

"Sunflower in the Starlight has to be a singer from Hong Kong."

"Right, I'm 90% sure about that as well."

"A Hong Konger who can sing this well? Li Yu?"

"It's possible!"

"Or it could also be Li Nianhe!"

"Li Yu was a big name A-lister in the past. Although he has dropped to the B-list now, he is still extremely popular. Would he have come to compete? Surely not, right?"

"He hasn't sung any Cantonese songs yet, so we still can't identify him from his voice."

Everyone made all kinds of guesses.

Finally, someone went straight to Li Yu's Weibo to ask if he was Sunflower. In truth, there were several netizens who went to ask some of the other Hong Kong singers if they were Sunflower. Their guesses did not focus on Li Yu alone. Perhaps even those netizens did not expect Li Yu to actually reply on Weibo.

Li Yu posted on Weibo: "You could even guess that?"

He actually admitted to it!

This came without any warning!

With that reply, it exploded online!

The media reacted like they had been injected with adrenaline!

"It is Li Yu!"

"Damn!"

"Sunflower is Li Yu!"

"A former A-lister?"

"W-What a big name!"

"Oh my god! They even managed to invite Li Yu to the show?"

"He must be the most famous singer on King of Masked Singers!"

"That's impossible. If he really is Li Yu, with his talent, if there aren't any other big shots of the music industry like Zhang Yuanqi or Chen Guang on the show, shouldn't he be crowned Masked King every episode? Would he even have any competition? So why has he not come within reach of Masked King even though the third episode is about to air?"

"Are you dumb? That's because he hasn't sung any Cantonese songs yet!"

"Yeah, Cantonese songs are what Li Yu is best at!"

"He can still perform on par with those singers by singing Mandarin songs. If he had sung Cantonese songs instead, the throne of Masked King would definitely have been his!"

"I'm really looking forward to it!"

"It's really Li Yu!"

"Ahhh, I'm a braindead fan of his! I will definitely support him!"

"I'll be attending the recording today as I won a ticket from a lucky draw. Hahahaha, no matter what song Li Yu sings, I'll vote for him! I've always liked his songs and movies a lot!"

Awhile later, Li Yu posted on Weibo again. "I'll perform two songs to my best for everyone today. Thank you for your support!"

The fans went crazy!

"That's for sure!"

"We'll definitely give our support!"

"My idol, I love you!"

"Teach them a lesson!"

"Right, teach them a lesson!"

"The Masked King's crown will surely be yours!"

"We'll all vote for you!"

"So it's Sunflower who is the hidden god-tier contestant!"

"So will there be any suspense in this upcoming episode?"

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Chapter 1018: Petal Shower gets mad!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

This had come about too suddenly!

It came so suddenly that even the King of Masked Singers program team was caught off guard!

Hu Fei immediately flew into a rage. "What the fuck is he thinking!"

Hou Ge said angrily, "What is Teacher Li Yu trying to do?"

Dafei could not understand either. "W-Why did he admit to it just like that? No one really said anything much at all! Everyone was just wildly guessing! No one could have been so sure that Sunflower was him!"

Xiao Lu's expression shifted. "Isn't he trying to make trouble then? We told them before the show went into production that the contestants are not allowed to expose their identities! Even if others can guess it, they can't admit to it until the moment they take off their mask. It's written in the contract and the contestant is obliged to cooperate. What the hell is Teacher Li trying to do!"

"This…"

"This will be tricky to handle!"

"How can we deal with this? We can't hide it anymore!"

"Can we say that his account was hacked? Would anyone believe that?"

"Aiyo, he's totally making trouble for us! We're about to start recording!"

"Is Sunflower really Li Yu?"

"Yes."

In reality, most of the program team staff did not know who Sunflower was. But after they saw the Weibo post and then looked at how Hu Fei, Hou Ge, Dafei, and some others reacted to it, they knew that it had to be true. Sunflower in the Starlight was definitely the famous singer and movie star from Hong Kong who had been popular for many years, Li Yu!

Hu Fei yelled, "Is Sunflower here yet?"

"Not yet," the employee who was assigned to liaise with Sunflower replied.

Hu Fei immediately picked up his cell phone and contacted him.

The call went through, but it was Li Yu's assistant who picked up the phone.

Hu Fei bluntly said, "Assistant Xu, please inform Teacher Li Yu to delete his Weibo post. It's not too late to remedy the situation. Let's try to do whatever we can to turn this situation around as much as we can!"

Assistant Xu said, "But why?"

Hu Fei explained matter-of-factly, "Our show's selling point is that all of the contestants are masked. It's also stated in the contract that they are not allowed to reveal their identities to anyone. Otherwise, how can we still make the show? If everyone already knows about Teacher Li Yu's identity, what's the point of wearing a mask? Can we still produce the show that way? This will greatly affect the show's recording and broadcast. Besides, it's also unfair to the other contestants since with Teacher Li Yu's status and reputation in the music industry and with him being established, how can the other contestants possibly hope to compete against him? Would they even need to sing anymore? Teacher Li Yu might even get crowned as Masked King in every episode from now on!"

No one production would always be smooth sailing. There were always shows that encountered celebrity problems, people acting like a diva, finding fault with little things, or arguing. A lot of these problems were unpredictable, but if they happened, it could usually be resolved with some communication. However, the program team and Li Yu's assistant were unable to come to an agreement.

After Assistant Xu listened to his speech, she said, "Director Hu, first things first, it was the fans who guessed Teacher Li Yu's identity and not us who actively volunteered the information. Teacher Li Yu has never been one to speak against his conscience or to ignore his fans. Even if you want him to lie, he won't be able to do it, which was the reason he admitted to it. Second, you said that it would affect the show, which I agree with. However, it is a positive effect here. With Teacher Li Yu's reputation, your show's viewership rating will definitely increase! So I don't understand what it is you're unhappy about?"

With that, Hu Fei flew into a rage!

What sort of pretense is this!

Do you think we're stupid?

Hu Fei said, "Don't you talk to me about that. Our program team decides how the show is designed and how the arrangements are made. Am I the director or are you the director? Delete that Weibo post immediately!"

Assistant Xu said, "I can't make that decision. I can only inform Teacher Li Yu about it, so I don't know how things will turn out. I'm hanging up then!"

Du du.

The line was suddenly cut!

Hu Fei's face darkened as he let out an angry huff.

Next to him, Hou Ge had heard everything. He said angrily, "If he doesn't want to cooperate, then let's just disqualify him!"

Dafei said, "Right, it was Li Yu who violated the contract first!"

Hu Fei looked at them and said, "How can we disqualify him? It's going to be such negative press that it'll certainly affect the viewership rating!"

"Isn't he getting too cocky?" Xiao Lu said, "I actually used to have quite a good impression of Teacher Li Yu! How can he do this! He's really being too disrespectful to the others like this!" She held up her cell phone's screen which was displaying Weibo and said, "Look, not only did Li Yu give away his identity, he even publicly asked for votes and for everyone to support him. Isn't that as good as asking the audience who will be here today to vote for him? This, this…"

Music Director Bai Yuanfei and the house band's members rushed over upon finding out.

When Bai Yuanfei heard what happened, he said, "The way I see it, we might as well cancel the recording today and just crown him as Masked King. We won't even need to record the show from now and just give him the trophy for the finals as well!" Bai Yuanfei did not care about Li Yu's status at all as he also was a very big name in the music industry. "The idea behind the show was to wear a mask, and compare who can sing better without caring for an individual's popularity or looks. Now that that Sunflower has revealed himself, he's even asking for votes! What competition is left!"

If Hu Fei had known this was going to happen, he would never have invited Li Yu onto the show!

Bai Yuanfei said, "Now that the other contestants have found out as well, I don't even know how to explain to them. Director Hu, why don't you talk to them instead."

Suddenly, Xiao Lu cried out, "There's an outcry on the Internet as well!

Everyone's heart pounded as they jogged over to have a look.

...

Online.

There was a constant stream of news updates!

"Sunflower's real identity exposed!"

"Li Yu joins the King of Masked Singers!"

"King of Masked Singers' cut and dry champion—Sunflower in the Starlight!"

In the short span of an hour, just one single hour, the popularity of Sunflower in the Starlight on the official website had soared from third place to first!

Sunflower: 1.1 million votes!

The Clown: 670,000 votes!

Petal Shower: 540,000 votes!

Li Yu was already way out in the lead!

This was how popular he was. This was the result of his fans swarming in with their support!

Most important, there were many of Li Yu's good friends in the industry who helped him drum up support.

A famous movie star from Greater China said: "Haha, so Li Yu has gone to compete in King of Masked Singers, and he's actually Sunflower. He sings really well, so everyone, please give him your support."

Another celebrity said: "Teacher Li, I'm cheering you on. And here I was thinking about why Sunflower could sing so well. So it turned out that it was you. That completely answered my question. Since you didn't take it seriously the first two episodes, I believe you'll be serious in the third episode? Who can compete with you then? Remember to get crowned Masked King as much as possible!"

Quite a few celebrity friends voiced their solidarity for Li Yu.

And in turn, it created even greater support for Sunflower. His popularity votes kept rising!

Meanwhile.

Li Yu's fans started something.

"Go Teacher Li!"

"Love you to death!"

"What was wrong with the last two episodes? Why wasn't Li Yu crowned as Masked King?"

"There must be some conspiracy on the show, right?"

"Does the live audience there even know how to appreciate music? How could they crown The Clown as Masked King? Who is he to deserve that? Can he even compare to Teacher Li Yu?"

"Sunflower sang really well!"

"Right, The Clown, Petal Shower, and the others are nowhere good enough!"

"That Sunset Glow is nothing either. I don't even get it. How did she beat Teacher Li Yu by so many votes last week? That must have been because Teacher Li Yu did not take you guys seriously!"

"Hahaha. Now that we know Li Yu is Sunflower, do you guys think he'll become Masked King for every episode from now?"

"Definitely!"

"That's a must! Teacher Li Yu is incredibly popular!"

The opinions were totally skewed.

The people were also giving him their support.

Sunflower in the Starlight was garnering more and more support!

But this action of Li Yu's had created a negative impact on the King of Masked Singers. He was basically destroying the show that they all had worked so hard to make! His action was all for his own selfish purposes in a bid to create an advantageous situation for himself. But for the show and the other contestants, what he did was full of malice!

...

But there were also people in the industry who were understanding of the situation.

At an entertainment company.

Fang Weihong found Zhang Yuanqi. "Sister Zhang, Sunflower is Li Yu?"

Zhang Yuanqi said, "I heard that it."

Fang Weihong spread her hands. "He admitted it himself? What does that mean?"

"It means that Old Li cannot afford to lose," Zhang Yuanqi replied.

A female celebrity from the same company who was beside Zhang Yuanqi added, "He did not get crowned as Masked King for two episodes now, so Li Yu couldn't bear that any longer and decided to expose himself in hopes that it would aid him in becoming the Masked King? But would the program team allow that? Ever since Teacher Li dropped off the A-list celebrity rankings, he has been a bit anxious to make himself famous again. He must intend to make use of this show to get back into the A-list? Since King of Masked Singers has gotten really popular, his team must have given him that idea, I guess?"

Fang Weihong shook her head. "Even if they know he's up to no good, there's nothing they can do. With his popularity, as long as he doesn't sing badly, he'll certainly become the Masked King. Unless the other contestants can come up with spectacularly outstanding performances or also give away their identity, there isn't really any way they can compete against him."

...

At Beijing Television.

In the dressing room.

Chen Guang frowned, "What's there left to do now that this has happened?"

Wang Zhuishu grunted, "Is he really Li Yu?"

Chen Yidong was having his makeup done by a makeup artist. "Perhaps it won't affect the show as much as we think? The live audience members might not necessarily be Li Yu's fans."

In the dressing room next to them.

Zhang Xia kept shaking her head. "Looks like we'll be welcoming a new Masked King today."

Amy said, "I really couldn't tell from Sunflower's singing that it was him!"

Backstage.

In a small conference room.

Hu Fei, Hou Ge, and the others had gathered the show's contestants except for Sunflower for a meeting.

When they all got there, Hu Fei immediately apologized, "Sorry about this, everyone. I did not handle this problem well, so let me first apologize."

Sunset Glow's light voice came from under her mask. "Are we still carrying on with the competition?"

Hu Fei sighed. "We'll still go ahead and record the show, that's for sure. We've also considered disqualifying Sunflower from the show. But the fallout of that would be too great, which we know the station will definitely not approve of."

A new replacement masked singer asked, "Then does that mean we deserve this?"

It was a man's voice. His stage name was Yesterday's Daylily and he had a yellow flower on his mask. It was both quite unique and odd at the same time.

Hou Ge quickly said, "That's not what we mean. We understand that this is very unfair to all of you as contestants, but…"

The other new replacement masked singer was a woman.

Her stage name was Spinach.

Spinach said, "Could we get Teacher Li Yu himself to back out from the competition then?"

Hu Fei said, "He's currently staying in his waiting room and completely unwilling to communicate with our people."

Yesterday's Daylily said, "Isn't he cheating this way?"

Dafei, influenced by Zhang Ye, was more straightforward with his speech. "Right, he's cheating! And we can't do anything about it!"

Petal Shower did not say anything.

Sunset Glow was just listening.

The Clown was drinking tea and thinking about something else.

Yesterday's Daylily said, "This is a variety show where we pit our talents against each other. It's either we win or we lose. Does he have to go that far with those underhanded methods? And he's even a big name A-lister?"

"Former A-lister," Spinach corrected. "He was knocked off the list by Teacher Zhang Ye."

Yesterday's Daylily snorted. "Serves him right. With his behavior, he can't compare to Zhang Ye at all. They're on totally different levels."

The two of them were not very big names in the entertainment circle, or might even be newcomers to the industry, but they talked about this matter without any care or scruples.

Hu Fei apologized again, "I'm so sorry."

Spinach said, "Director Hu, it's not like this is your fault."

Yesterday's Daylily added, "We're just unhappy with his unscrupulous methods. We'll definitely record what we must, but his behavior has broken the rules of the show. Is there no way we can make him answer for it?"

Hu Fei did not say anything.

Petal Shower finally spoke up.

When she opened her mouth, what she said shocked everyone at the table. "The program team can't disqualify him? And Sunflower won't take the initiative to pull out of the competition?"

Hu Fei said, "Well…"

Petal Shower nodded and went on, "Alrighty then, why don't we just eliminate him instead?"

Everyone was dumbfounded!

Eliminate?

Get who eliminated?

Sunflower? Li Yu?

Damn, who can possibly do that? He's already revealed who he is! Even if he sings like shit, there will still be people in the audience voting for him!

Petal Shower tacked on, "When we draw lots later, I'll switch lots with whoever gets matched against Sunflower!" Petal Shower then got to her feet and left the conference room.

Sunset Glow looked at her and giggled.

Spinach gasped.

Yesterday's Daylily was too stunned to react.

Hou Ge, Hou Ge, Dafei, and the others looked at each other!

Eliminate Li Yu?

That would of course be the best way out!

But then, could that really happen? Would Petal Shower be able to do that? Could she really beat Li Yu who had already revealed himself? Fine, even if there was a one percent chance of that happening and Petal Shower really won, what about the round after that? Li Yu would surely still win in the elimination round! Who could stop him?

The Clown also chuckled. He was becoming more and more certain that Petal Shower was an old friend of his. Her temper was exactly what he liked!

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Chapter 1019: Showdown!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

At Beijing Television.

In the recording studio.

The audience gradually arrived and entered the studio.

Zhang Ye's parents and three sisters did not have to line up to get in. Xiao Lu had gone out to bring them in via the staff entrance. She politely invited them to the back row where it was less conspicuous. She even gave each of them a bottle of water and some snacks.

Zhang Ye's third sister said, "Thank you, Sister Lu."

Xiao Lu smiled and said, "You're welcome."

his second sister asked eagerly, "Sister Lu, is Sunflower really my Li Yu?"

"Li Yu is yours?" his eldest sister said in annoyance.

His second sister said, "But I'm his fan!"

Xiao Lu simply acknowledged, "It's him. Didn't he already say so himself?"

His second sister slapped her own thigh and exclaimed, "That's great! I didn't come here for nothing then!"

His third sister shouted, "I like Li Yu too! He's so handsome!"

His eldest sister said, "Didn't you say that you support The Clown?"

His third sister replied, "Hehe, I've defected."

Zhang Ye's father said, "Xiao Lu, go on and get back to your work. There's no need to stay here with us."

Xiao Lu said, "Alright then. You can find our staff anywhere, so if there's anything you need, just approach one of them." Just as she was about to leave, she spotted some people coming in and holding LED placards with Li Yu's name on them.

She immediately went up to them and said, "Hey, you guys can't bring that in!"

Those girls were very unhappy to hear that.

"Why!"

"You can use the contestant's stage names, but not their real names. If the cameras capture it, it will mislead the audience."

"How would it mislead the audience? Everyone already knows that Sunflower is Brother Li Yu!"

"This won't do. You guys can't bring the signs in."

"Why are you being so troublesome!"

"If you're here to attend our show, please respect our show's rules. Otherwise, we have to right to deny entry to you."

"I'm going to bring it in. What about it? Who are you trying to scare!"

A squabble broke out.

Several employees and security guards immediately ran over to take control of the situation.

Just one post from Li Yu on his Weibo had caused so much trouble to the program team's work. A well-planned King of Masked Singers was now screwed up by him from the inside out!

...

In a backstage hallway.

The other program team staff also had a squabble, this one with Li Yu's assistant.

Hou Ge asked, "When are you all going to delete that Weibo post?"

Assistant Xu was being quite unreasonable about it. "Are you all just going to keep harping on that?"

"You all have already affected the show from being recorded normally!" Dafei said angrily. "Just because of one person, the program team is now busy putting out fires. The other contestants were also badly affected by this. It's you who needs to get this clear. This show does not belong to you all, nor is it here to serve one person! Can you guys give some respect to others?"

Assistant Xu pointed at him and said, "Young man, don't speak to me in that angry tone. When I started out in the entertainment industry, you weren't even born yet. Do you think that the appearance fee that your show is paying us is a lot? Teacher Li only agreed to join the show because he thought you all were sincere. He doesn't usually participate in these Mainland China variety shows. The viewership that Teacher Li alone can bring to your show is greater than everyone else combined!"

"You broke the rules!"

"Teacher Li is helping your show get more popular!"

Their argument got fiercer and fiercer, with both sides' tempers flaring!

The employees on the program team felt a little grossed out by such behavior. They really could not accept that Li Yu could suggest that they were doing this for the good of King of Masked Singers and their program team when it was so blatantly obvious that he was just using them for his own gains by violating the rules with underhanded methods and asking for votes!

Wasn't this too hypocritical?

A former A-list celebrity would actually resort to something so despicable?

All of a sudden, Hu Fei came walking over from afar. "Don't bother trying to reason with them. It's about time to start recording, so let's get down to work!" He did not even look at Assistant Xu as he led the others away.

Hou Ge said angrily, "Brother Hu, aren't they pushing it too far like that?"

One of the staff members said, "I just heard from my friend that Li Yu's team has been buying and running PR campaigns to help promote their cause. There were already several media outlets predicting that the overall champion of King of Masked Singers would be him. All those reports were due to them dumping money to create hype! They even bought and ran campaigns here at Beijing TV!"

It was no wonder the media had reacted so quickly!

It was no wonder the public opinion had switched over to Li Yu so one-sidedly!

Hu Fei told them, "I've already reported this to the station. From now on, Beijing TV will no longer have any dealings with Li Yu and his team!"

However, that would be something for the future.

But right now?

What were they going to do about the show right now?

Now that they had arrived at this point, they could no longer use any unseemly means to kick Li Yu off the show. They were forced to let him continue taking part in the recording. Even if he were to take the crown of Masked King for every episode from now, they would still have to continue recording the show as usual. Li Yu and his team had probably accounted for this, which was why they were so daring and unscrupulous in their methods!

...

The drawing of lots began.

The contestants were all sitting in their individual waiting rooms and watching their TVs.

The first person to draw lots was Sunflower in the Starlight. But after knocking on his door for a long time, no one responded until the female producer shouted from outside, "It's time for the drawing of lots!"

The door immediately opened with that.

Assistant Xu allowed her and the cameraman to go in.

The female producer was furious. So you people were inside all this time? Then why didn't you open the door just now? Why did you act like you didn't hear us? What kind of people are these!

Sunflower's mask was already on and he was no longer indifferent as before. When the cameraman came into the waiting room, Sunflower's laughter rang out. "Am I the first to draw lots?"

The female producer said, "Yes, please draw lots to decide your order of appearance."

"OK." Sunflower put his hand into the box and took out a ball.

Number 2!

It wasn't exactly a good or a bad position.

The female producer nodded, then turned around to leave without saying another word.

The other contestants could observe the entire process on their televisions.

Yesterday's Daylily let out a quiet curse.

Spinach's face sank. She started complaining incessantly to the employee assigned as her liaison. She was not worried as this part would not be broadcast.

Sunset Glow was silent.

Petal Shower was calmly drinking from her thermos, possibly something she had brought to soothe her throat. With the mask covering her face, any expressions she made could not be seen.

The Clown was just as calm.

Before long, the draws to decide the order was complete.

Number 1: Spinach.

Number 2: Sunflower in the Starlight.

Number 3: The Clown.

Number 4: Petal Shower.

Number 5: Sunflower.

Number 6: Yesterday's Daylily.

Spinach was on the verge of tears.

First to appear?

And her opponent was going to be Li Yu?

There was practically no chance of winning. For a moment, she even thought about not going onstage. What battle could be fought against Li Yu, an elite singer who had cheated?

However, someone pushed opened the door to her waiting room not long after.

It was someone wearing a flower mask.

Petal Shower extended the ball in her hand and said with a smile, "Wanna switch?"

Ah?

We're really switching?

Spinach was startled. She thought that Petal Shower had just been making a passing remark back in the conference room!

The camera linked to the internal transmission cut to the scene in this room.

The other contestants could all see this!

When Sunflower saw this, his eyes narrowed. What was the meaning of this? Switching their order of appearance? Petal Shower intended to meet me in the first round? He found it a little funny and let out a laugh. He already knew about Petal Shower's singing. She could sing very well and her falsetto was very good too. However, she was at most as good as him. Now that he had revealed himself, and with the media talking about it, he knew that no one could beat him in this episode, in the next episode, and even the following episode. Even if the other contestants revealed themselves, he didn't feel that he would lose. He believed that he was the contestant with the best fanbase on this stage.

When the program team staff saw this, they did not say anything. There were no rules stating that the contestants could not change their order of appearance. They just needed the contestants themselves to agree to the change.

Spinach stood up quickly. "Big Sis, is this, is this really alright?"

Petal Shower nodded. "It is, although my number isn't that good either. Do you still want to switch?"

Petal Shower's number was matched against The Clown.

However, when Spinach heard that Petal Shower wanted to switch numbers, she immediately nodded furiously like a chick pecking at seeds. "Yes, yes, let's switch!"

"OK." On camera, Petal Shower and Spinach switched the little balls with their numbers.

Spinach said gratefully, "Thank you, Big Sis."

"You're welcome." Petal Shower twirled her hair and took large strides while walking away without any hesitation.

Everyone knew that Petal Shower had been angered. However, no one thought that she would win because they all felt that her opponent was too strong. Further, her opponent's identity had been revealed as well.

...

In The Clown's waiting room.

Han Qi was also very angry.

Today's main attraction should have been The Clown. Teacher Clown had taken the throne of the Masked King in two consecutive episodes and his popularity was the highest as well. In this third episode, he was initially the favorite to win. But with that stunt from Li Yu, the people's attention immediately shifted to him instead. No one cared about the other contestants anymore, whether it was The Clown, Petal Shower, or Sunset Glow. They had all become supporting characters to Little Yu, as everyone was shouting that Li Yu was the true Masked King!

Han Qi said aggrieved, "If Sunflower gets eliminated, that'll be such a face smacking!"

The Clown chuckled, "Yeah."

Still, Han Qi got discouraged again. "However, that's going to be impossible."

The Clown laughed. "It's not impossible."

Han Qi said, "Do you think that Teacher Petal Shower can win?"

The Clown thought for a moment before answering, "I don't know who she is, but I have an inkling of who she might be. If, and I'm saying if she is the person I think she is"—He then paused—"then the serious her will definitely win!"

Han Qi was surprised at this. "Really?"

Zhang Ye nodded.

But the prerequisite had to be that Petal Shower was that woman.

Could it be her?

Zhang Ye stood up. "Come, recording hasn't started yet, so let's go to the studio to watch."

Han Qi said, "I heard that Petal Shower has made a last-minute change for her choice of song. I wonder if the band can accommodate her."

Zhang Ye laughed and said, "Then all the more reason we ought to cheer her on."

The other contestants had the same thoughts as him.

Sunset Glow, Spinach, and Yesterday's Daylily also went to the studio to watch. Faced with Li Yu's despicable behavior, they no longer cared about their victory or defeat against each other. They were all hoping for a miracle, that Petal Shower would beat Li Yu, then for Li Yu to make some mistakes in the elimination round and get eliminated as a result!

But what were the chances of that?

Ai, none of them wanted to think about it.

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Chapter 1020: Petal Shower…surpasses the gods!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

In the recording studio.

The recording had not started yet; the equipment was still being tested.

But in the audience, a lot of people were already starting to warm up.

"Li Yu!"

"Li Yu!"

"Li Yu!"

"Li Yu!"

Someone shouted!

As a result, a number of others joined in and shouted!

Zhang Ye's second and third sisters stood up and shouted along with the others. Before Sunflower in the Starlight even sang or appeared onstage, his popularity was already through the roof. There were also many in the audience who were not Li Yu's fans, but when they saw what was going on, they got influenced by the atmosphere and started anticipating him as well. They were beginning to think that Sunflower would definitely be the Masked King today and thought that none of the other contestants could compete against him.

"He's really popular."

"Right, that's Li Yu we are talking about!"

"Looks like Petal Shower, The Clown, and the others will just be filling in today."

"This former A-lister is indeed deserving of his reputation!"

"Why isn't it starting yet?!"

"Will Li Yu be singing Cantonese songs today?"

"If he sings in Cantonese, he'll have no match!"

Zhang Xia, Chen Guang, Yao Jiancai, and the other judges had already taken their seats at the guessing panel and were whispering among each other. Although they knew exactly what had happened, as well as how Li Yu was a sore loser, they were still very uncomfortable with his underhanded behavior that was as good as cheating. With the trouble that you stirred up, how can the others continue competing? Who can compete for the Masked King against you? Will there be any point to this competition? It might as well be an individual stage for you to perform on?

Yao Jiancai asked, "Have the lots been drawn already?"

Zhang Xia said, "Seems so."

Chen Yidong smiled and said, "The first to perform will be Spinach, followed by Sunflower."

Amy spoke up, "It's no longer that order. I heard that Petal Shower swapped places with Spinach. She'll be the first to perform now."

Chen Guang was startled. "Huh?"

The others did not know about this either.

Zhang Xia was taken aback. "What's happened?"

Amy coughed. "Seems like Petal Shower has gotten angry!"

Angry?

She initiated a challenge against Sunflower?

Indeed. With Li Yu's antics, who wouldn't get angry!

Chen Guang smiled wryly.

Zhang Xia said, "She wants to stop Sunflower from being crowned as the third episode's Masked King? By bringing him down?"

Wang Zhuishu sighed, "Her courage is admirable, but Petal Shower's just about as talented as Sunflower. Although I've always liked her, I'm still not optimistic about her chances against Sunflower. Who can beat Sunflower today? Petal Shower won't be able to do it; The Clown's even further out of the equation." Then he turned to the camera and said, "Please edit this part out."

Suddenly, Dong Shanshan walked onto the stage with a smile after exchanging some quick words with the program team staff through her earpiece.

When the audience saw this, their cheers loudened!

"He's about to come on!"

"It's starting!"

"Li Yu!"

"Li Yu!"

Dong Shanshan said amid the cheering, "Welcome, everybody, to the King of Masked Singers brought to you by our sponsor, Bright Fruit Cocoa." She bent her knees and gave a playful curtsy to the audience. "I'm your host, Dong Shanshan."

Along with the explosive viewership ratings and the show becoming a hit, Dong Shanshan's popularity soared. But today, it seemed like no one was paying any attention to what clothes or glasses Dong Shanshan was wearing and what hairstyle she had. There was only one thing on everyone's mind: What song would Sunflower be singing and how he was going to get crowned Masked King!

After a string of advertising messages.

Dong Shanshan handed the stage over. "Then let's invite our first singer today—Petal Shower."

Petal Shower walked out onto the stage.

A few of the other contestants were standing in the corridor leading to the stage.

Spinach said, "Big Sis, all the best!"

Yesterday's Daylily said, "Please defeat Sunflower!"

Sunset Glow and The Clown were watching Petal Shower from behind.

Zhang Ye felt that Petal Shower had turned into a different person today. It felt like she was full of fighting spirit and that the anger suppressed within her was about to explode at any moment!

This was something to look forward to!

You had better not lose to him!

The audience still applauded for her.

"It's Petal Shower."

"Her singing is quite good."

"But it's only her falsetto that is good. How else can she compare to my Li Yu?"

"True that. Li Yu is a singing god in Greater China!"

"Yeah, there are only a handful of domestic singers who can be mentioned in the same breath as Li Yu. But I think it's unlikely that those people would come and compete on King of Masked Singers."

Zhang Ye spotted where his parents were sitting in the audience.

His father had a serious expression on his face.

His mother and sisters were very excited and shouting about something, but Zhang Ye was too far away to hear them clearly.

The lights dimmed.

The studio suddenly fell silent.

However, not everyone knew how to respect others. In the middle of the audience, a few girls were waving their LED boards and actually shouting Li Yu's name when Petal Shower took to the stage!

"Brother Li Yu!"

"Sunflower, go for it!"

"Li Yu, I love you!"

Then they started to giggle and laugh.

Executive Director Hu Fei's expression darkened!

The band had no choice but to stop and delay the start of the musical accompaniment.

A program team employee immediately ran over and gave them a warning!

In the wings, Li Yu's assistant gave a slight smile as she didn't find anything wrong with it. Look at this! This is what Teacher Li Yu's popularity is all about. In his presence, it will be useless no matter who comes!

Zhang Xia frowned.

Amy kept shaking her head.

What kind of behavior was that? Their impressions of Li Yu got worse!

Spinach said angrily, "Aren't they trying to stir up trouble?"

Yesterday's Daylily said, "All this happened because of Li Yu's Weibo post!"

However, Zhang Ye could see that Petal Shower was not affected by this. She stood at center stage and closed her eyes. Then, all of a sudden, she raised her microphone! With the ruckus occurring in the audience and with the studio not exactly quiet, no one expected Petal Shower to start singing in a cappella!

"Have you ever seen the sun rise?

"It's warm and cozy.

"When one day you see someone singing into the sunrise,

"Well, that might just be me."

In an instant, everyone in the studio fell silent!

Zhang Xia was taken aback!

Amy nearly jumped!

Wang Zhuishu was dumbfounded!

Waiting in the wings, Spinach, Sunset Glow, and Yesterday's Daylily were all dumbfounded!

The music played!

Petal Shower sang loudly.

"Have you ever seen the blue skies?

"They're clear and they're real.

"When one day you see someone laughing under the blue skies,

"Well, that might just be me."

It was her real voice!

Petal Shower was using her real voice!

Even Sunflower, who was in his waiting room, was a little shocked!

This voice could truly be described as a keen blade. When the first word was sung, it stabbed right into the hearts of the audience, followed by thrust after thrust. This voice was very special!

And it was powerful!

It was a kind of power that most female singers did not possess!

Zhang Xia figured out who she was!

With this voice and singing style, there wasn't anybody else like her among the female singers in the music industry!

It was her!

She actually came to the show!

Everyone's hair stood on end as they got shocked. All of them thought that Petal Shower could only sing well in falsetto and that it was her greatest weapon. But when Petal Shower started singing with her real voice, many of them were unprepared for the shock!

How was that possible?

It turned out that her real voice was even better than her falsetto!

So Petal Shower had not been serious all this while!

She had just been "playing around" all along!

Even Li Yu's fans who were causing trouble earlier were dumbfounded by what they heard!

Petal Shower was singing higher and higher.

"Have you ever seen the dark clouds?

"They're thick and gloomy.

"When one day you see someone roaring under those dark clouds,

"Well, that might just be me."

The audience was so stunned their jaws dropped!

Zhang Ye's parents gasped!

Zhang Ye's three sisters went slack-jawed and forgot themselves!

How amazing!

This singing was unparalleled!

Zhang Ye closed his eyes and could feel goosebumps rising all over his arms!

Spinach and Yesterday's Daylily had been stunned for a while already!

Meanwhile, onstage, Petal Shower went another octave higher!

"Have you ever seen the sunset?

"It's dusky and quick to vanish.

"When one day you see someone shouting their last cry into the sunset,

"Well, that might just be me.

"No, that's definitely me!"

Suddenly, her voice jumped another octave!

"Ah!"

"Oh, ah!"

"Oh!"

"Ah, oh!"

"Hey, ahh!"

"Oh, ahhh!"

Anger!

Tenacity!

Despair!

Petal Shower's cries took this song to its climax!

Many of the audience members could feel their bodies drenched with sweat!

It was spectacular!

It was wondrous!

Right then and there, the audience erupted!

Many of them stood up!

Many of them began to scream!

"That's Me" was not considered a popular song in the music industry but had blossomed because of Petal Shower's cover. She sang it in such a godly manner!

No one was a match for today's Petal Shower!

She had surpassed the gods with this song!

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