As the program neared its end, it was time for the Song King voting segment. Yin Na chose to vote for Crybaby, not Dark Night Rabbit. However, she was left utterly speechless by Dark Night Rabbit's icy demeanor, much to the audience's delight. Furthermore, when the votes were tallied, Dark Night Rabbit was declared this round's Song King, utterly humiliating Yin Na.
"First, she nitpicked the song, then she questioned the vocals. Does this Yin Na think she's so sophisticated?"
"Even Teacher Han Qi and Teacher Mo Yan thought Dark Night Rabbit sang well. Where does she get off saying second or third-tier singers could perform these two songs by Dark Night Rabbit?"
"Yin Na is notoriously a high-note enthusiast. When she was a mentor on 'The Voice,' she only turned for those who hit high notes; she'd completely dismiss those who sang more subtly."
Some viewers felt Yin Na's judgment was amateurish. Yet, Yin Na had been in the Mandopop scene for so many years, and she still had quite a few fans.
"Actually, I think Sister Na is right. Dark Night Rabbit became Song King this round by using the contrast of two different voices, and both songs were written by Ting Yu."
"This kind of approach won't last; you'll get bored of it after hearing it too many times."
"These two songs indeed weren't too difficult. Although 'Itch' has a very unique style, many singers could perform it."
"As expected, fans are just like their idols. It's all just empty talk. Find me a singer who can deliver the subtly alluring yet refined feel of Dark Night Rabbit, and I'll live stream myself eating shit!"
"In the Mandopop scene right now, only Dark Night Rabbit's vocal timbre perfectly suits this song."
"There are singers with alluring voices, but such captivating allure, without any trace of vulgarity, only Dark Night Rabbit possesses it!"
This was the kind of controversy the production team needed. Controversy generated buzz. Perhaps this was why they invited Yin Na. Those who supported Yin Na shared similar views: Dark Night Rabbit's songs this round were somewhat unconventional, relying on the stark contrast of two different vocal colors to become this round's Song King. However, this method was merely a surprising tactic; once everyone knew about it, the impact wouldn't be as strong next time.
Still, many felt that besides the two distinct voices, Dark Night Rabbit also possessed very stable vocal skills. Being able to imbue a song with one's own style made for a good singer. After the first episode aired, Dark Night Rabbit had already gained quite a few supporters.
...
Inside a certain internet celebrity company.
An emergency meeting was underway in the conference room. Their company's top internet celebrity singer, Li Yuan, was about to participate in the Song King competition. Li Yuan was a leading figure in the era of popular internet music, a singer-songwriter who could both write and perform. Even now, he remained active on short-video platforms. In an era where high-quality songs were prevalent, his survival was a testament to his abilities.
Li Yuan had always been known as an original singer, gaining fame with ancient-style songs and solidifying his position as a top internet celebrity. However, he was also quite controversial. Fans who liked him called him "Little Ting Yu." Many others felt his songs copied Ting Yu's style, especially his more recent ones, which showed increasingly obvious similarities. Perhaps it was due to these controversies that he remained so popular. Those who supported him outnumbered his critics, which explained why he continued to be a top internet celebrity.
The career of an internet celebrity was short, and Li Yuan was no exception; his traffic had shown a subtle downward trend recently. This time, the company had arranged for him to participate in "Masked Singer King" as a "Folk Master." If he could stay in the competition for a few more rounds, his internet celebrity career would be prolonged.
"I believe that even with a mask, Li Yuan, with his identity as an original singer, can at least last two rounds on stage."
"That's too few. Our goal is three rounds. Li Yuan has written six songs this time, and he has a chance to contend for Song King."
"Judging from the first episode, as long as he doesn't face Silent Knight in the head-to-head matchups, he should be fine."
"Dark Night Rabbit was the Song King in the first round. I think he's the biggest obstacle, especially since Ting Yu personally wrote songs for him."
"Dark Night Rabbit is nothing to fear. His becoming Song King was merely due to the novelty of his two vocal colors; this trick won't work next round."
Everyone was discussing the potential future scenarios for the Song King competition. If he could stay for three rounds without being eliminated, and then reveal his identity, the company could leverage this topic for publicity, allowing Li Yuan to shed his "internet celebrity singer" label and fully emerge as a skilled original singer. The value he would bring to the company then would be immeasurable.
In this era, there was still a barrier between the internet celebrity world and the entertainment industry; "internet celebrity" was often a derogatory term, and many internet celebrity singers scrambled to escape this identity. Li Yuan was no different.
"Don't worry. I've studied Ting Yu's 'Blue and White Porcelain' for so long, and I've already written a similar song. My other songs are also inspired by the ancient-style songs of Ting Yu and Gu Yun. They will definitely be eye-opening." Li Yuan said confidently, crossing his legs.
Ting Yu and Gu Yun were the pinnacles of the ancient-style music scene. Although Gu Yun lost in the final competition of the city qualifiers, his song had also become popular. Ting Yu was recognized as the best in ancient-style music, with Gu Yun second; this was universally acknowledged within the circle. What he did best was to break down the works of these two artists and piece them together into one song. These were already market-tested. Even though people accused him of plagiarism, his songs were still massive hits. For him, that was enough.
...
The program "Masked Singer King" instantly became a nationwide sensation after its first episode aired. Perhaps due to the success of the city qualifiers, the officials had gained experience with this type of professional competition and became increasingly adept at promotion. To foster a sense of public participation, the officials also created a singer ranking on Weibo under the hashtag "#MaskedSingerKing." All singers who had participated in the show would be listed, and netizens could vote for them.
The rankings were updated in real-time, but the rankings were purely for entertainment, reflecting popularity rather than competition performance, as Song King was about vocal skill, not popularity. Even so, as soon as this list went live, it attracted significant attention and participation from netizens. Everyone eagerly voted for their favorite contestants. As time passed, the rankings gradually stabilized.
First Place: Dark Night Rabbit
Second Place: Flower Fairy
Third Place: Silent Knight
Fourth Place: Crybaby
...
Surprisingly, the second place was taken by Flower Fairy, who had already been eliminated. However, upon reflection, it was quite understandable. After all, the Heavenly Song Empress Zhao Xiaowan had always been very popular in the entertainment industry. Now that her identity was revealed, her fans voting for her to climb to second place was quite normal. Zhao Xiaowan also posted on Weibo about her second-place ranking on the popularity chart: "I didn't expect so many people to support me! Thank you so much. I had originally prepared to sing Teacher Ting Yu's 'Love You,' but I didn't expect to be eliminated in the first round. What a shame..."
In reality, with her skill in singing sweet songs, she could have easily lasted another round. This was a typical case of hiding her strength and consequently hiding herself from the competition. However, Zhao Xiaowan did not complain despite her regret; losing was losing, and she was quite happy to receive such high support. Her only regret was not having the chance to sing Ting Yu's "Love You."