The show begins.
Once the draw was announced, everyone thought the Balloon Queen was done for when she drew Dark Night Rabbit.
Originally, the Balloon Queen's strength wasn't particularly dazzling, especially when compared to the singers on the King of Songs stage.
In the previous episode, everyone thought she was at her limit, but her opponent made a mistake, allowing her to stay for another round.
However, facing Dark Night Rabbit this time, the Balloon Queen was unlikely to be so lucky.
Indeed, the reality was just as expected.
When Dark Night Rabbit took the stage to sing.
"The Wind Rises"
Performed by: Dark Night Rabbit
Lyrics by: Ting Yu
Music by: Ting Yu
As everyone had predicted, this Dark Night Rabbit was the singer Ting Yu intended to promote this time.
And this time, he surprised everyone again by revealing that Dark Night Rabbit could play the piano, and played it exceptionally well.
"It's quite normal for Ting Yu to choose him, as no producer can resist a singer with a versatile voice like Dark Night Rabbit."
"Indeed, his vocal technique is solid, he can switch between male and female tones, and sing various styles of songs. This is truly a unique existence in the Chinese music scene."
"I've stopped trying to guess whether he's male or female. I hope such an amazing singer is a girl, because then I'd have a new goddess. But I wouldn't mind if he's a boy, because that would excite me even more!"
"Now, it all depends on how many styles Dark Night Rabbit knows. I also feel like he's only shown a small portion of his abilities so far. Perhaps he's also a six-sided singer, with no weaknesses."
"There must be weaknesses, Dark Night Rabbit's styles have been mostly gentle so far."
"Haha, if you had been to the live performance, you wouldn't say that. Dark Night Rabbit's gentle style is the biggest joke."
The song "The Wind Rises,"
although customized by Ting Yu based on a fan's story,
its style and lyrics were very fitting for the anime and gaming community.
Li Liqun listened to the singing from the television.
and couldn't help but smile.
"I didn't expect Ting Yu's first song in December to be in my lane," he said, pulling out his phone.
This was an internal communication group.
The group consisted of successful producers who had created many hit songs.
There were only about thirty people in total, each being an outstanding talent in their respective fields.
"Haha, I didn't expect Old Li to be the one to clash with it first."
"It's quite surprising, Ting Yu also understands the anime and gaming community."
"What doesn't Ting Yu understand? He even understands games."
"Let's see how long Old Li can stay at the top of the new song charts this time."
"Haha, I bet he can only last a day."
"Your scope is too small, I bet half a day."
Facing the teasing in the group, Li Liqun couldn't hold back.
Wasn't this underestimating him?
"Even if I'm not that good, I can at least last for two or three days, right?"
He felt a bit indignant.
He was affectionately known as Uncle Li by the anime and gaming community. Anyone involved in that circle knew him.
"Old Li, are you sure?"
"Do you know who you're up against?"
Someone in the group retorted.
At some point, when comparing themselves to Ting Yu, people had shifted from questioning if they could win against Ting Yu, to how many days they could last against him.
This feeling, though somewhat helpless, was very real.
After so many chart battles, no one doubted Ting Yu's dominance over the charts anymore.
"At least one and a half days!"
Li Liqun thought for a moment, then stated his bottom line.
It was somewhat humble, a little sad, and also filled with helplessness.
...
The show continued.
Besides Dark Night Rabbit, the other singers also performed well this episode.
Since "Masked Singer" broadcasted the elimination rounds first,
people were still discussing the potential elimination of the Balloon Queen this week when an accident happened.
The Balloon Queen showcased her high-pitched vocal range, stunning everyone.
Perhaps it was her desire not to be eliminated that made her go all out, singing with an overwhelming sense of defiance.
Meanwhile, the otherwise strong contender, Red Dragon,
experienced an unexpected mishap.
While singing a high note,
he suddenly let out a hiccup.
Yes, a long, drawn-out hiccup.
The heartfelt emotion of the love song he was singing was instantly shattered like a bubble.
It even caused the live audience to burst into laughter.
Of course, the viewers watching on television couldn't help but laugh either.
Hiccups were quite rare in the Chinese music scene.
Due to this mistake, Red Dragon was ranked last in votes.
He was eliminated along with the other contestant, Butterfly Orchid.
During the unmasking,
the surprise was even greater.
Because Red Dragon was revealed to be from one of the four major entertainment companies.
Sun Yang, the King of Songs and ace producer for the organizing company, Yihai Entertainment.
No wonder his strength was so formidable and his identity so hard to guess. Sun Yang hadn't personally sung in many years.
It was just unexpected that he would be eliminated in such a way that no one anticipated.
As for Butterfly Orchid,
the shock after unmasking was much less.
Her long legs, just like Flower Fairy's chest before, were too distinctive.
And Li Xiaorui, the collaborating singer of producer Jin Lei during the city preliminaries.
It was no wonder her first song was "Big Fish."
With two elimination slots filled,
it meant the Balloon Queen secured first place in the elimination round, and she wouldn't be eliminated.
"Holy crap, the Balloon Queen's luck is absolutely incredible!"
"I really didn't expect her to not be eliminated."
"Is there a script involved?"
"Are you stupid? Sun Yang is a singer for the host company. If there were a script, Sun Yang would advance. The Balloon Queen's high note in the end, her identity is already very clear."
"If I'm not mistaken, she's the Queen of Songs, Zhang Xiaoqi."
"It's her? I suddenly feel like crying. She's really worked so hard and is so strong!"
Indeed, the Balloon Queen's luck was too good, so good that many of her peers envied her.
She had benefited from her opponents' mistakes for two consecutive rounds.
However, in the end, to avoid elimination, she had used her ultimate trump card, revealing her vocal range.
Many people had guessed her true identity, the Queen of Songs, Zhang Xiaoqi. Da Feng Novel Network.
In a simply decorated small apartment in Kyoto,
Zhang Xiaoqi leaned on the sofa, watching "Masked Singer."
When the bullet comments were filled with her name, she couldn't help but smile bitterly and shake her head.
There was nothing she could do. If she hadn't used her vocal range and sung her best song, she would have regretted it immensely.
She had initially thought she would be eliminated and unmasked after singing, but unexpectedly, her opponent made another mistake.
"Has her bad luck run its course, and she's starting to get lucky?"
Zhang Xiaoqi chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Her story was already well-known to the public.
She became famous at a young age, then due to health reasons, she wanted to temporarily withdraw from the music scene, but her mother opposed it. Even more absurdly, while she was on the operating table, her own mother slandered her on social media and secretly transferred her assets.
Since then, her singing career had been severely impacted.
Of course, those things were in the past. The accusations against her had been cleared up. She had been working hard since her comeback, but the results weren't significant. She couldn't become popular.
Being able to register for "Masked Singer" was also due to good luck. She happened to hear friends talking about it, so she tried applying, and to her surprise, she was accepted.
She had originally planned to just make an appearance on the show.
She never expected to last this many rounds. She realized her good luck had truly arrived.
"If I went to Teacher Ting Yu to write a song, would I be able to last another round?"
If it were in the past, she would only dare to think about it.
Dark Night Rabbit was a singer designated by Ting Yu. Even if she went to Ting Yu, he would likely refuse her, as no one would help their opponent.
But now, she wanted to give it a try. Perhaps her good luck would truly allow her to get a song from Teacher Ting Yu, giving her another trump card, and possibly allowing her to last another round!
With this thought, she immediately asked for Ting Yu's contact information in her friends' group.
...
ps: There is one more chapter coming, I will update it after finishing writing later.