After Dark Night Rabbit finished their performance, it was the turn of the third group's winner, Weeping Man.
This time, he sang a song called "Apostle." This song was different from his first song, "Brave of the Lonely." It was a very somber song. His emotions also shifted to a sense of vicissitude. This style, however, brought a feeling of surprise. It seemed that everyone had the same plan for the first episode, using two songs of different styles to highlight stylistic versatility.
However, because the audience was still savoring Dark Night Rabbit's previous performance, the enthusiasm on stage was still not enough, even though he sang very well. After finishing, the corners of Weeping Man's mouth, hidden beneath his mask, turned up in a wry smile. His luck was truly bad, being scheduled after Dark Night Rabbit. If he had performed before Dark Night Rabbit, the effect would have been at least fifty percent better.
"Please welcome Faceless Knight and Dark Night Rabbit to the stage!"
Next up was the voting segment for the King of Singers for this episode. When broadcast, the rankings would be announced uniformly after the comeback performances of the losing group, and the King of Singers would definitely be revealed last. Since this was a recording, the voting rankings for the winning group would be recorded first, and the losing group would be scheduled for a separate recording later.
"Please, judges, give your votes and reasons!" the host said to the judges' table as the three singers from the winning group took the stage.
"I'll go first then," Han Qi picked up the microphone and said with a smile to them. The other judges nodded in agreement. Han Qi looked at Dark Night Rabbit on stage, "Dark Night Rabbit, are you male or female?"
Su Yu heard this and shrugged, indicating that the question did not need an answer. "I suspected the production team had swapped performers earlier, but the director guaranteed us they would never do such a ridiculous thing, so your song just now completely blew me away."
As Han Qi finished speaking, a commotion erupted from the audience. In fact, many people were guessing if the production team had deliberately replaced someone for the sake of the show's effect. When Yin Na tried to stop the show earlier, all the judges could hear the director's voice from backstage. Therefore, Han Qi knew that no one had been replaced. When the audience heard Han Qi say this, they were even more astonished. If it wasn't a replacement, then this Dark Night Rabbit was simply terrifying!
"I've decided to cast my vote for you. I hope to be surprised by you again next week," Han Qi said, then smiled and put down the microphone.
"Thank you, Teacher Han Qi," Su Yu nodded to her. After Han Qi finished speaking, Yin Na was about to say something when she saw Mo Yan pick up the microphone, and she awkwardly put down her own. Mo Yan ignored her and looked at Dark Night Rabbit with a smile, "Is this song also written by Ting Yu?"
"That's right," Su Yu nodded on stage.
"He has found a good singer. Whether it's the song or the performance, I'll vote for you," Mo Yan's tone actually carried a hint of envy. It was said that a good horse needs a good saddle; a good producer working with an excellent singer could perfectly deliver a song. In Mo Yan's eyes, Dark Night Rabbit's ability to switch between male and female vocal timbres held infinite possibilities. As a fellow Music God, Mo Yan highly approved of Ting Yu choosing him.
When the audience heard that the song was once again written by Ting Yu, they also let out bursts of exclamations. "Another song from Ting Yu?" "I actually guessed it before. After all, only a genius like Ting Yu could write such a song..." "Damn it, how are we supposed to compete? This person has a god helping him!" "You can't say that. In competitions, you can sing anything you want. Other contestants can also sing Ting Yu's songs, and singing old songs is safer because they've been market-tested." "The judges' comments are focused on vocal performance, so the boost from Ting Yu's songs isn't as significant as imagined."
After several rounds of comments, the audience could also see that the show's focus was on the singers' vocal skills, and the song's contribution was primarily in terms of fitting the singer. Other contestants, if they wished, could find many suitable songs on the market. Even so, the contestants in the losing group backstage were incredibly envious.
Mr. Hat: "I really envy Teacher Ting Yu writing tailor-made songs for him..."
Queen of Balloons: "I'm so jealous..."
Flower Fairy: "If I can advance, I'll sing Teacher Ting Yu's song next."
"Thank you, Teacher Mo Yan." Su Yu also nodded to Mo Yan for his praise. However, he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Among these judges, Mo Yan understood him the most. Judging from their conversation, Mo Yan likely hadn't guessed his identity. Then others certainly wouldn't.
At this moment, Faceless Knight turned his head towards Su Yu, his gaze beneath the mask filled with a hint of melancholy. "My feelings are different from Teacher Mo Yan and the others," Yin Na suddenly said with a light laugh. Seeing the camera zoom in on her, she smiled and continued, "Dark Night Rabbit has two vocal timbres, which is indeed very impressive. However, neither of these two songs is particularly difficult; singers of the second and third tier could perform them. Even if they can't match Dark Night Rabbit in the details, the auditory experience is similar. I'm sorry, but I choose to vote for Weeping Man. Both his first song, 'Brave of the Lonely,' and his second song are quite challenging, and his performance was flawless."
After speaking, Yin Na looked at Weeping Man. Normally, if she chose a contestant who wasn't favored, that contestant would be immensely grateful to her. However, to her surprise, Weeping Man simply responded with a faint "Hmm" and nothing more. This almost made Yin Na spit blood with anger. But then she thought about how cold Weeping Man was to everyone, and she felt better. "You ungrateful wretch, I will never choose this Weeping Man next time. Let him cry alone!"
"Uh... I want to say a few words to Dark Night Rabbit," Weeping Man said, turning to Dark Night Rabbit. Although his voice was altered, the laughter in his tone was still evident, completely different from how he treated Yin Na. Su Yu hadn't expected Weeping Man to call out to him, and he tilted his head in confusion, his cute rabbit head looking at him.
"Are there any secrets to getting Teacher Ting Yu to write songs?" Weeping Man's half-joking question caused the entire audience to burst into laughter. Everyone thought he was going to say something harsh. To their surprise, he asked this question. Moreover, he had completely changed his previous aloof demeanor.
"This question speaks my mind!"
"I want to know too!"
The singers in the losing group backstage also expressed that this was a question they wanted to know.
"Uh... I don't think so," Su Yu didn't know how to answer. After all, he was Dark Night Rabbit now, not Ting Yu. He knew that saying too much could lead to trouble.
"What a pity..." Weeping Man said with some disappointment.
On the judges' table, Yin Na's face suddenly turned as dark as if water was about to drip from it. "He was so aloof to me just now, and now he's fawning over Ting Yu? What do you take me, Yin Na, for? Don't I have any pride?" Yin Na was considered one of the more senior figures among the singers, which was why she was active on the judging panels of various competitions. She felt this was the darkest day of her life. First, she was completely disregarded by Dark Night Rabbit, and then she was scorned by this Weeping Man. The most unbearable thing was that this show had too much backing, and she couldn't leverage her status to assert herself.