Jiang Xiao'e's BBQ restaurant.
Inside a private room, besides the Shen Qingfeng siblings, all the singers from the performance troupe were present.
"It's starting, Xiao'e, turn up the volume."
"Alright!"
It just so happened that everyone was free from their schedules today.
So they had all agreed to get together.
Coincidentally, today was the premiere of "King of Singers."
Gong Juren suggested they watch the show together.
As singers themselves, they were all very interested in such professional stages, and the participants were top figures in the industry. Learning how others performed was always beneficial.
The show began.
The judges made their appearance.
"Why is Yin Na on the judging panel again?" Jiang Xiao'e suddenly said.
"Do you have a grudge against her?" Zhang Wei asked curiously.
The others also looked at her.
Yin Na didn't have a good reputation in the industry, and the performance troupe all knew this.
Jiang Xiao'e pouted and said, "It's not exactly a grudge. It's just that last time I participated in a show, she walked out midway, which made us work overtime for several more hours."
Gong Juren chuckled, "Heh, well, she's a senior in the music scene. Throwing a tantrum is her privilege."
"I've also encountered her and was scolded badly. So not everyone is as approachable as Teacher Tingyu," Li Yunchuan sighed.
They were all friends, so he wasn't afraid of losing face. After mixing in the Chinese music scene for so many years, running into Yin Na wasn't a rare occurrence.
"Of course. Compared to Brother Yu, Yin Na is like dog feces," Gong Juren snorted.
The others present agreed wholeheartedly.
...
While everyone was chatting.
The first "Hat Man" had finished his performance.
The screen was filled with comments, all speculating about the singer's identity.
And when the second singer, "Faceless Knight," took the stage.
The comments section exploded!
Because they saw the song information displayed on the screen.
"Holy crap, 'Fireworks Fade Away'?!"
"Did Tingyu really participate in 'Masked Singer'?"
"Then there's no point in competing. King of Singers is already decided as Tingyu."
"Don't jump to conclusions. This stage values vocal technique. The song isn't that important."
After the intro.
When the first line was sung.
Everyone was stunned.
This pronunciation, who else could it be if not Tingyu?!
...
At the BBQ restaurant, the members of the performance troupe stared at the screen in disbelief.
Jiang Xiao'e stared blankly at the screen, "Teacher Tingyu really went to participate in 'King of Singers'?"
Zhang Wei's eye twitched wildly, "Damn, he didn't even say a word? He's been hiding this so deeply?"
Gong Juren, however, shook his head with a cold smile, "He's not Brother Yu."
Everyone turned to look at him.
Gong Juren blinked, "Although the pronunciation is very similar, the details are far from Brother Yu's. I can confidently say it's not him."
His words were filled with absolute certainty.
"If Little Gong says it's not him, then it definitely isn't."
"You scared me! I knew it, why wasn't there any news if he was participating?"
"Damn it, to think he would imitate Teacher Tingyu's pronunciation!"
A saying circulated among the performance troupe.
No one understands Tingyu better than Little Gong.
This wasn't said by others, but by Su Yu's "official wife," Lin Yanyu...
Therefore, if Gong Juren said it wasn't Tingyu, then it absolutely wasn't.
However, this "Faceless Knight" could imitate so well, no wonder there were rumors online that Tingyu was participating in the competition.
...
At the same time.
At the Lin family.
Su Yu was accompanying Lin Yanyu and her mother watching the show.
"Susu, he sings so much like you," Lin Yanyu said, hugging Su Yu's arm and leaning her head on his shoulder.
When she heard the first line, she was also startled.
Because it was indeed very similar.
However, upon closer listening, she could still discern the difference in their vocal tones.
Moreover, Lin Yanyu knew that Su Yu was "Dark Night Rabbit," the mask she had personally customized for Su Yu.
"Actually, I should thank him. With him stirring things up, it'll be even harder for others to guess me," Su Yu said with a smile.
When Su Yu saw this "Faceless Knight" imitating his pronunciation, he was also very surprised. However, after thinking about it, this was a good thing for him. With someone muddling the waters, it would be harder for others to figure him out.
As they talked, the first round of the competition concluded.
"Faceless Knight" defeated the "Hat Man."
Although Mo Yan, in his commentary, guessed that "Faceless Knight" was not Tingyu.
Still, many people believed it was Tingyu.
Regardless, the show had generated buzz.
With controversy comes popularity.
And the biggest controversy of the first episode wasn't here.
When "Balloon Queen" finished her performance.
And "Dark Night Rabbit" took the stage.
Lin Yanyu immediately sat up excitedly.
"Mom, this is Susu!"
She pointed at "Dark Night Rabbit" on the TV like a little fan girl and said excitedly to Chen Rong.
"So cute," Chen Rong nodded with a smile.
"Hehe, of course! This is the one I customized for Susu," Lin Yanyu said proudly, patting her chest.
Su Yu, meanwhile, watched the television, remaining silent.
He was thinking about what excuse to make to slip away when the song "Itch" was about to be performed.
...
As "Dark Night Rabbit's" performance began.
The audience discovered the song information.
"This is so good!"
"Tingyu's new song??"
"Holy crap, this show has too much Yu content!"
"Who is this person, to be able to sing Tingyu's new song? Could they be from the performance troupe?"
"The voice is so clear, but no one in the performance troupe has this tone. And they sing very steadily, a bit like Gong Juren."
"It's probably not Gong Juren, it doesn't sound like him to me."
"Maybe it's some King of Singers who commissioned Tingyu to write the song."
Besides these comments speculating about identities.
There were also a small number of comments that were hard to understand.
"Remember this voice. You don't have much time left."
"Haha, I'm really looking forward to when 'Dark Night Rabbit' releases his second song. What will these people's reactions be?"
"That voice is still in my head. I can't forget it."
While "Dark Night Rabbit" was singing.
Several shots of Yin Na were interspersed.
While the other judges like Mo Yan listened with great interest, Yin Na's bored expression, accompanied by yawns, seemed utterly out of place.
"This song wasn't written well during production. It should have ended with a powerful high note for perfection..."
"I think this song, like its name, is too ordinary. It wouldn't be written by any impressive producer."
Yin Na's consecutive comments.
Left the audience bewildered.
During the recording, there was no song information. The singers would take the stage and perform directly. However, during broadcast, before the performance, the producer of the song would be displayed in subtitles.
Therefore, with the audience already knowing that the song was produced by Tingyu, Yin Na's statements created an extremely awkward feeling that made the audience exasperated.
"Is he teaching Tingyu how to write songs?"
"Yin Na is an older singer, why does she still think high notes are the measure of vocal technique?"
"Even I, an amateur, know that vocal technique is judged on many aspects. This Yin Na is just spouting nonsense."
"So embarrassing. She actually said Tingyu's song wasn't written well..."
"Hiss... I've just cringed so hard I've bought a villa!"
Whether objectively or subjectively, there were no issues with the song "The Ordinary Road." Although it lacked the earth-shattering impact of a high-pitched explosion, it perfectly interpreted the "ordinariness" within the song.
"Tingyu's songs need to be listened to with your brain."
One comment perfectly captured Yin Na's evaluation of the song!