The advertisement suddenly ended.
The show featured a replay of the previous episode's highlights.
Lang Ya's signature classic song performance.
Wu Mian Qi Shi's new Chinese-style song by Mo Yan.
An Ye Tu sang "Noble," expressing twisted values.
A song titled "Losing You, Winning the World, What Then," cleverly interpreted the touching scenes of Mo Yan and his disciple.
And the soaring high notes, along with the explosive rage in his voice, earned his singing much recognition.
After the highlight reel, it was time for the interview segment.
Everyone had expected an interview with An Ye Tu for this episode, but it turned out to be with Lang Ya.
"Please, what would you like to say to your supportive audience after winning the loser's bracket match last week?"
"I'm very grateful for everyone's support. Although unpleasant things happened on this stage, I firmly believe that with your support, I can overcome all difficulties and continue on this stage!"
As soon as Lang Ya said this.
The barrage of comments exploded.
Some supported him, telling him to keep up the good work, saying he had received unfair treatment, and expressing concern for him.
Others called him manipulative and told him to get eliminated soon.
After all, since the last episode aired, he had been portraying himself as a victim online, posting his experiences on Weibo numerous times and sharing his struggles with depression.
Perhaps Lang Ya truly wanted to seize this opportunity for fame and gain support, but his frequent activity on Weibo had also aroused the resentment of many, ultimately achieving the opposite effect.
"Hello, everyone, and welcome to... sponsored 'The Masked Singer,' Episode Ten..."
The number of sponsors for this episode was incredibly high.
Even the host, Lin Han, struggled to finish listing them after taking two deep breaths.
As the show progressed, its popularity grew with each episode.
"The Masked Singer" had now become a national-level competition.
Naturally, the host Lin Han's status in the hosting industry also rose with the show's success.
He was now considered one of the top hosts in the Chinese entertainment industry and had appeared on several talk shows.
In his interviews, he often recounted his experiences and invariably mentioned Teacher Ting Yu, almost as if Ting Yu were his benefactor.
Everyone was accustomed to this.
It seemed that anyone who became famous through Ting Yu transformed into the ultimate sycophant, showering him with praise in every conceivable way.
This also highlighted Ting Yu's reputation within the industry; he had never had any unpleasant disputes with his collaborators.
This was a testament to his personal charm.
"The sports circle is here to support Ting Yu's new song!"
"That's right, I almost forgot about that. Ting Yu is going to write a song about Zhou Xiang this time!"
"It's not specifically about Zhou Xiang. Ting Yu liked an official Weibo post during a previous athlete retirement event, saying he would release a song about chasing dreams this episode, dedicated to everyone who strives for their dreams."
"Ting Yu's inspirational songs are always great. Like that song 'Stubborn,' I've had it on repeat ever since."
"And 'The Initial Dream,' it's still our class song, and our school plays it all the time."
"Indeed, we've heard these songs so many times, is Ting Yu finally going to give us a new class song?"
A major highlight of this episode was the song about chasing dreams that Ting Yu had promised the official sports association.
Simultaneously, it had drawn the attention of many from the sports community.
Everyone was eager to hear what kind of song about chasing dreams Ting Yu would create.
...
Soon.
The draw results were announced.
1. Mi Lu vs. Bai Zhou Tu.
2. Xue Mu Ou vs. Hai Tun Wa Wa.
3. Lang Ya vs. An Ye Tu.
When these results came out.
The camera smoothly panned to Lang Ya in the lounge.
Drawing An Ye Tu in the same group for two consecutive episodes.
He could definitely try his luck with a lottery ticket.
Lang Ya stared blankly for ten seconds before slumping onto the sofa.
"This rotten luck!"
However, last time he performed after An Ye Tu, and this time, the improvement was that he would perform before An Ye Tu.
Then, many people noticed a name appearing in the first group.
Bai Zhou Tu!
Upon seeing this name, many viewers were bewildered.
Bai Zhou Tu and An Ye Tu were definitely like a matching couple.
Could it be that after choosing An Ye Tu, Ting Yu had also selected another singer?
"I'm done for, what's going on?"
"Who is Bai Zhou Tu?"
"What is Ting Yu doing? An Ye Tu is already so strong, and he's found another Bai Zhou Tu to compete..."
"It's not necessarily that Bai Zhou Tu is Ting Yu's singer. Although the coincidence is small, I think we'll find out once Bai Zhou Tu sings."
"Whoa... are they giving us such a big surprise right from the start!"
Amidst the audience's discussion.
The competition officially began.
Mi Lu had already sung all of Ting Yu's songs with Peking Opera elements in the previous episodes.
For this episode, she chose not a Peking Opera-style song, but a love song.
Her song choice indicated that she had likely used up her trump cards.
However, her performance of this love song still showed that Mi Lu was not only skilled in Peking Opera styles but also sang love songs movingly.
Especially in the final section of the song, her vocal prowess earned her much applause from the audience.
"I'm already very satisfied to have been on stage for so many episodes. Thank you all for your support!" Mi Lu said, bowing to the audience.
She had come into this episode prepared for elimination.
After all, she had showcased everything she could. All that was left was to unmask and let people know her identity, garnering a massive wave of popularity.
This was especially true since she drew Bai Zhou Tu in the lottery. Although this rabbit hadn't performed yet.
Mi Lu shared the same thought as many audience members.
Bai Zhou Tu was likely a singer chosen by Ting Yu. Being selected by Ting Yu meant her singing skills were probably not much worse than An Ye Tu's, so losing wouldn't be unfair.
"Please welcome Bai Zhou Tu to the stage for a wonderful performance!"
Under the host's cue.
Bai Zhou Tu entered the stage.
However, when the song information for her performance appeared.
All the audience members were dumbfounded.
"Loneliness"
A folk song.
"You always said loneliness is a kind of medicine..."
As the husky voice emerged, everyone was surprised once again!
A style no one had ever imagined.
Bai Zhou Tu was actually a folk singer!
And she wasn't singing a song by Ting Yu.
Had they guessed wrong?
It's important to note that folk music rarely achieved success on such a stage.
This was a realistic problem; folk music was suited for sipping a glass of wine, savoring the emotions, and letting one's heart experience profound yet simple stories.
But this stage required igniting the passion of the entire audience.
Even An Ye Tu, in the later stages of the competition, chose songs that leaned towards showcasing vocal techniques in every episode.
Bai Zhou Tu, who had only just joined as a replacement, surprisingly chose a folk song.
Not only the audience, but even the four judges were stunned!
...