Chapter 689: Capricious Contestant
Clap clap clap!
The applause went on for a long time. The audience did not hold back on their praises.
Luo Sisi was right. That was a heavenly sound! Even then, they could still feel it ringing beside their ears.
Jay Chou could not resist picking up the mic and said with a smile, “I’m really curious as to who it is under that mask.”
“So am I,” Andy Lau chimed in.
Someone in the audience shouted, “Take that mask off!”
In an instant, a large group of people started going wild.
That live stream’s comments were also flooded with ‘Take that mask off’ as they all stared at Ye Lingchen expectantly.
Without needing Ye Lingchen to voice out, Luo Sisi was already trying to help him to diffuse the situation. “The mask is the essence of the King of Masked Singers. If you’re interested, please go ahead and make your speculations of the person under the mask. If we told you the ident.i.ty, that would just take away the fun.”
That statement calmed the crowd down as some of them were already letting their imaginations run wild.
[That voice and emotions, I think it might be Andy Lau.]
[Previous post, are you stupid? Andy Lau is sitting right there in the judge seat.]
[What do you know? The least likely possibility might be the most probable. The one sitting on stage might be a fake.]
[Even a TV series would not dare to make such a plot.]
…
“Next, let’s welcome Old Handsome Guy to the stage.” Luo Sisi continued to keep the program going. “Everyone, you can vote in the live stream. All the audience and our special guests will need to cast your precious vote too. Your vote will determine who enters the second round.”
Old Handsome Guy had his mask on. “To be honest, I don’t feel like coming back on stage since my opponent is really too strong. I’m just a side character.”
The humorous statement immediately triggered a round of laughter from the audience.
“Nice to meet you. The older generation is destined to be overtaken by the younger generation. You’re really talented!” Old Handsome Guy extended his hand to Ye Lingchen with a sincere gaze.
“Nice to meet you too. Sensei, you’re too kind.” Ye Lingchen returned the handshake.
This person did not put up any airs as a senior and had good sportsmans.h.i.+p. No wonder he would take on the nickname of Old Handsome Guy.
Right then, the vote ratio on the screen behind them started changing at an alarming rate.
[Who should I vote for? They’re both amazing.]
[Of course it’s Superman! His singing is just too good.]
[Old Handsome Guy is not bad either. His vote count is so one-sided. We can’t let him lose so horribly.]
[That’s true.]
[Sigh, this is so difficult. It’s a shame to eliminate either of them.]
…
Finally, the voting ended.
[Superman: 65 percent. Old Handsome Guy: 35 percent.]
The difference was huge.
Nevertheless, when Old Handsome Guy turned around, he broke into a smile. “This is better than I imagined. I thought I would get zero votes. At least this is not a bad loss.”
“Old Handsome Guy, before you leave the stage, would you like to reveal yourself to the audience?” Luo Sisi asked with a smile.
The King of Masked Singers did not enforce a rule to force partic.i.p.ants to unmask themselves. However, the contestants would lose their rights to be on stage after elimination, therefore they could choose to reveal their ident.i.ty if they wished to.
After some thoughts, Old Handsome Guy placed his right hand on his mask. The atmosphere in the hall turned serious as everyone focused their attention on him.
The next instant, the mask was taken off.
“Wow, it’s Sensei Luo!”
“Hahaha, I knew it. Such a shameless old man has to be Old Luo!”
“Old Luo is truly skilled. That voice changed so much that I was unable to identify him.”
“You’ve really hidden yourself well.”
“I’ve heard Sensei Luo’s songs growing up. It’s been a long time. Sensei Luo is advanced in age now.”
The hall immediately turned lively.
Sensei Luo waved at the audience with a smile on his face. However, his eyes were tearing up as he bowed time and time again.
After some pleasantries, Ye Lingchen returned backstage.
Su Mo was overjoyed, dancing about.
‘He won! He really won it!’
“Wow, Mr. Superman, you’re definitely a big shot, aren’t you? That singing is just too good. Can I have your autograph?” Su Mo ran to him excitedly. She never thought that she would be in charge of such a super singer. That was just too lucky.
Ye Lingchen received the pen and paper, then signed ‘Superman’ right before the excited Su Mo.
Su Mo was dumbfounded.
In the resting room, Ye Lingchen sat in front of the TV waiting for the live stream of the second round.
Su Mo said, “We’ve made it past the first part.”
Ye Lingchen nodded.
Su Mo arranged her schedule, then said, “Today’s compet.i.tion will go according to the order of the lots drawn and this will determine the four winners entering the second part of this compet.i.tion. After tonight’s rest, you’ll be starting the second half of the compet.i.tion tomorrow. All the best!”
Right then, her earphone rang as she exclaimed in surprise, “The second round has started. It’s Yu Hui and Lang Tao!”
Yu Hui was then seen appearing on the TV screen. Luo Sisi had already made way for him to take the stage. Although his entire body was covered up, one could feel the lack of youthful vitality in his movements.
‘Another singer of the older generation?’
Ye Lingchen continued watching the TV. He was respectful of most of the older generation of singers. The circ.u.mstances back then were much tougher than recent times, yet they were able to flourish and produce countless masterpieces. That alone was enough to prove the strength of the older generation. The future generation would reap the profits of its predecessors. The growth of the entertainment industry had everything to do with them.
Moreover, it was obvious from Old Handsome Guy that most of the older generation celebrities had great personalities.
“The heart of a flower is hidden in its pistil,
“Missing the blooming season.
“Your heart has forgotten the season,
“Never easily understood…”
The slightly hoa.r.s.e voice rang out with very strong control over his vocalization. It was another skilled singer.
When comparing King of Masked Singers to China’s Top Voice, it had a greater advantage because those who took part in King of Masked Singers were mostly seasoned singers whose strengths were confirmed. Because of its higher baseline standards, the excitement was even greater.
That was an old song. Hearing at such a time brought them an entirely different feel.
The audience were all clapping along with the rhythm and cheering along pa.s.sionately.
After Yu Hui, it was Lang Tao’s turn to take the stage.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
Unlike Old Handsome Guy, Lang Tao’s movements were very animated. His body jumped around wildly as he shouted with vigor and broke into a hiphop dance on the stage.
“Everybody sing along!”
The music was very loud, and Lang Tao’s voice was just as loud. It was almost like he was screaming his lungs out.
“Oh, Leo! Come on baby!”
The stage lights were going around him in a frenzy. Shortly after, Lang Tao made a body roll on the floor and stood up suddenly before showing his middle finger at the camera and the audience. He appeared to be wild and capricious.
Ye Lingchen’s brows tightened into a frown. ‘Just what is he singing? How can he go on stage with that?’
From the vocalization, he could not hear any techniques. They were just screams and shouts, followed by a series of frenzied twists and turns, just like someone suffering from an epileptic fit. Most importantly, that guy was extremely arrogant, behaving as though the whole world was beneath him.
However, the next instant, the corner of his eyes twitched extra hard.
He saw a majority of the audience actually stood up excitedly, shouting and screaming along, reaching even the backstage.
“Ah! It’s Taotao!”
“Lang tao is Taotao! I love you!”
“He’s so cool. This is awesome!”
“Dancing while flicking others off. That’s definitely Taotao. This is my prince charming’s specialty. Sob sob sob, I’m moved to tears!”