The backstage dressing room of the program.
Zhao De and Zhou Tao were getting their makeup done.
The makeup artist was very professional.
They were made to look quite presentable.
Zhao De, with his sturdy build, gave off an impression of honesty and sincerity.
Zhou Tao, for some reason, appeared somewhat insubstantial, and with his unkempt appearance, he was practically a shut-in.
Under the makeup artist's touch, both men looked much more spirited.
"Zhao De, are you ready?" Zhou Tao had changed into a retro school uniform.
"Of course. Brother Yu told me to watch more TV, so I watched 'Middle-Aged Man' ten times. It almost made me depressed!" Zhao De was in a handsome suit.
Their attire, one youthful and the other mature, was a deliberate choice by Su Yu.
In addition to this, the stage design was also custom-made for the song "Old Boy."
The two had rehearsed at the program site yesterday, and the results were quite satisfactory.
"Alright, they say outside that we are Brother Yu's worst duo. I'm not convinced. This time, we'll make them see us in a new light," Zhou Tao nodded.
"Even though that's true, I want to show them that even the worst under Brother Yu can bring them to tears!" Zhao De was straightforward.
Indeed, compared to Su Yu's other singers, they couldn't match up to any of them.
Even Zhang Yang had found his own understanding in singing love songs.
Only they remained.
Nicknamed "wildcards" and "bar singers" by netizens.
Seeing Zhao De's bluntness, Zhou Tao felt a bit speechless.
However, after a moment's thought, he extended his hand and smiled at Zhao De, saying, "Then our goal is to use this song to make the audience who look down on us cry. Let's go!"
"Let's go!"
At this moment.
The hands of the two good buddies were clasped tightly.
...
Internal chat group for "Ace Producers."
It was unusually silent today.
Even with the competition about to begin, no one was speaking in the group.
Suddenly, a message broke the silence.
"@Zhou Peng, please begin your performance."
This message was sent by Jin Lei.
He was the previous victim.
But now he had become "Phantom Lurker Number Four."
And now, his task was to get Zhou Peng, the opponent of Ting Yu, to utter the pre-match mantra.
"Damn it, is this funny?" Zhou Peng replied.
"Heh heh heh, it's not funny, but you have to say it, otherwise you're a mole in the group," Jin Lei found this excuse very effective.
After all, he had been tricked by Liu Quanlin!
"That's right, Zhou Peng, you're not a mole, are you?" Liu Quanlin also suddenly chimed in.
"I knew there was something wrong, so that's why it's not clean. It's you. Then let's settle the old scores," Li Shaojun also joined the conversation in the group.
"Holy crap, it's Zhou Peng. You really can't judge a book by its cover."
"Zhou Peng, how could you become an enemy's lackey!"
"Heaven's net is wide, and its mesh is fine!"
The group instantly became lively.
"Nonsense, how could I be a spy!" Zhou Peng couldn't take it anymore.
"Although Ting Yu is very strong, he picked two trash singers this time. I'll make him pay for his arrogance. After I eliminate him, don't be too impressed with me."
After Zhou Peng's statement.
The group fell silent for about half a minute.
Then it became lively again.
"Amazing, Zhou Peng!"
"Go for it, eliminating Ting Yu will make you famous!"
"Maybe you can really eliminate him this time, after all, his singers are two wildcards."
"If that happens, the damned Phantom Lurker can disband on the spot!"
Jin Lei, seeing the renewed hope in these people.
He chuckled twice and pressed the screenshot button.
Defeating Ting Yu is not that easy.
One might think that they could win based on their singers' advantages, but after actually confronting Ting Yu, they would realize that his strength wasn't in his singers.
It was in the quality of the songs and their suitability for the singers.
In other words, as long as the song was suitable, Ting Yu could win even with a dog.
These people were still fantasizing about defeating Ting Yu, truly naive.
...
The fifth episode of the Ace City Competition officially began.
As host Lin Han took the stage, the audience erupted in cheers.
"Lin Han, I'm your fan. Can you make more expressions? I don't have enough memes!"
"Please be more expressive when hosting, I'll make memes myself!"
"Haha, my mom says your memes are great. She wants a signed edition, she'd even pay to download them."
"The first host to become popular through memes!"
Hearing the audience's cheers,
Lin Han felt both happy and helpless.
Happy that he had become popular like this.
Helpless that it was through memes.
When his friends used his memes to chat, he felt a sense of social death.
Especially the meme of him trying to hold back laughter while interviewing Ting Yu, which had become widely circulated.
However, his workload was increasing, and the program's appearance fees were also rising.
This was also an affirmation of his popularity.
Furthermore, there were rumors within the program team that the original host for the main competition was his senior, but now the program team wanted to switch to Lin Han.
"Welcome everyone to the fifth episode of the Ace City Competition, exclusively sponsored by Xiang Guo Wu Yu. I am your host Lin Han, and next up is still the money-back segment... Please welcome our lovely trainees to the stage!"
After Lin Han finished speaking.
The audience burst into laughter again.
In the previous episode, the trainee segment was scheduled at the beginning of the show.
A large group of agitated audience members had shouted "Refund!" from the audience.
This had also become a meme among netizens.
One particular audience member was even singled out and affectionately called "Refund Brother" online.
However, for the program to continue, these promotional activities still had to be carried out, even if they were met with criticism, they had to push through.
On stage, a group of young trainees danced with all their might.
And in the audience, whether following tradition or moved by the moment, they were still shouting for refunds.
The trainee segment concluded amidst a chorus of polite and amiable voices.
"Cough cough... It seems everyone is enthusiastic, so let's invite producer Zhou Peng and his two singers, the Hat Duo, to the stage!"
Zhou Peng's two singers were a veteran duo.
With their seasoned, smoky voices, they were currently one of the hottest duos, and their fans were mostly over thirty years old.
This was also related to their singing style.
After introducing the song.
Amidst the cheers of the fans in the audience, the stage lights gradually dimmed.
The name of the song also appeared on the big screen.
"Dreams and Distant Places"
This song was one of Zhou Peng's most satisfactory works.
As the keyword drawn was "dream,"
He directly used it.
The story this song told was also very realistic, not a motivational song about dreams, but a realistic one.
It told the story of a man who gave up his dreams, went traveling, and eventually rediscovered his passion.
The story was cliché, with a touch of inspiration, but it focused more on the state of mind during the journey.
It could be called a soulful song.
Moreover, the Hat Duo's vocal tones had a natural advantage when singing such songs.
The sense of story and immersion was very strong.
When the last line was sung.
Many people in the audience had tears in their eyes.
Seeing this, Zhou Peng on stage gradually relaxed, his worried expression diminished, and he even wore a faint smile.
It seemed the song's effect was much better than he had imagined.
...
ps: I've been confined to a small black room, meaning only recommendations are stopped. This means there won't be any new readers for these few days. Old friends who have added the book to their shelves are unaffected. I'll ask the editor on Monday about the situation.