Su Yu stood on stage, his breath catching as he heard the cheers of the audience.
Then, as the lights flashed, illuminating his face, the brilliant colors made him stumble. Instinctively, he clutched his head.
A sharp pain shot through him.
The cheers still echoed in his ears, but fragments of memory gradually became clearer.
The faces in the images were indistinct; it was a simple, bare room.
He was playing and singing, his fingers aching and his voice hoarse.
...
In the cold night.
Unfamiliar streets.
Busking on a foreign street.
Passersby hurried past, not a single spectator in sight.
After finishing a song, he watched the snowflakes drift down.
With a sigh, he began his next performance.
So this was what he had experienced when he first entered the industry.
It was quite tragic...
Singing in a bar.
The deafening noise that made his head spin, filled with all sorts of clamor.
"Sing me 'Eighteen Touches'!"
"Sorry, I don't know that one."
"If you don't know how to sing, what are you doing as a bar singer? Get lost! Tell the boss to get a girl to dance. Who the hell wants to hear you sing this stuff?"
Cold stares and mockery pierced his heart like icy needles.
To be famous, for his dreams.
He desperately learned all sorts of songs. Big Wind Novel Network.
Ordinary people have no right to choose; it seems their lives are always about compromise.
...
In a stuffy rented room.
After his voice reached its limit, he collapsed onto the bed.
He no longer knew what his ideals were.
"I must make everyone in the world hear my voice!"
Every time, a voice appeared in his mind.
Oh.
So that was my ideal.
A grand, yet seemingly unattainable ideal.
Hitting wall after wall.
Falling down again and again.
It seemed this voice had always motivated him.
The memories stopped abruptly here.
Su Yu returned to reality.
The audience's cheers continued. Beneath the Dark Night Rabbit mask, the corners of his mouth curved into a bitter smile.
"So this is how my singing skills came to be?"
His vocal ability and technique were the only things he brought to this world.
They were also what "Masked Singer" valued most.
Versatile vocal color was merely supplementary to his singing skills; the true foundation was his vocal ability and technique.
The King of Songs stage was a competition between his own strength and the top singers of this world.
...
The audience only noticed a slight abnormality, assuming it was due to him singing too powerfully. Not many paid it much attention.
However, backstage, Lang Ya was completely thrown off.
This time, the Dark Night Rabbit had once again proven his all-around talent with his explosive stage presence.
The biggest difference between live performance and studio recording was the stage presence, the rendering of the live atmosphere, and the injection of emotion.
It had to be said that the Dark Night Rabbit had done perfectly in this performance.
The barrage of comments was extremely intense.
They flooded the screen.
"The Dark Night Rabbit once again showed us with his performance that he not only has standing-output power, but also a crazed style of singing."
"Hahaha, so awesome. I got goosebumps layer by layer just watching on my phone. No wonder the audience was so hyped!"
"Invincible. I just want to see him lift the God of Songs trophy!"
"That cold laugh was simply stunning, and the way he knelt on one knee sent shivers down my spine!"
"I truly love this rabbit. His performance in the later stages is more shocking than the last!"
Amidst the audience's discussion.
Lang Ya took the stage.
There was no other choice. It was late in the competition, and everyone was using their ultimate skills.
Lang Ya was no different. Even though the Dark Night Rabbit had performed stunningly, he had to grit his teeth and go on.
He had also chosen a song with an emotional progression this time, with three stages of build-up. By the end, he was singing hysterically.
However, the audience did not react much.
Just as he had expected.
"Looks like it's my turn to be the victim this time..."
He shook his head helplessly.
He had terrible luck, drawing to be in the same group as the Dark Night Rabbit.
This person was a bug in the competition; he always had something eye-catching in every round.
He was like a bottomless pit, with no limits.
To be honest, Lang Ya felt that without using his original vocal color, winning against the Dark Night Rabbit was wishful thinking.
Although his vocal color was not very recognizable, if he used it, others might not be aware, but Mo Yan would definitely recognize it on the spot, which was not what he wanted.
"Now, please welcome the judges for their comments."
As the Dark Night Rabbit returned to the stage, the host continued with the proceedings.
In fact, their vocal performances were quite similar this episode, but in terms of stage presence and audience engagement, Lang Ya was utterly outmatched.
Therefore, Liu Huan directly offered a very pertinent critique: "The Dark Night Rabbit's stage presence is too electrifying. I'll try his style for my future concerts."
Even the usually steady Liu Huan's comment showed how strong the Dark Night Rabbit's stage performance was this time.
"Teacher Mo Yan mentioned he wanted to comment on this song, and I'm really looking forward to it," Yin Na added.
She was genuinely curious about what Teacher Mo Yan meant by "stunning."
Moreover, Mo Yan kept muttering to himself, saying things like "Ting Yu is so bold," which Yin Na couldn't quite understand.
"Since that's the case, I'll offer a humble appreciation," Mo Yan said, nodding, and then adjusted his glasses. "I believe after listening to this song, many people's most memorable line is, 'The wolf hides its canine radical, as if it's reformed,' right?"
"But my favorite isn't that line. It's the last one: 'My original self, without pain, without itch.'"
"I think the word 'itch' is used exceptionally well here. And the song as a whole depicts the distorted values of people today, which is not difficult to understand."
The values of people in today's society are distorted; they seem willing to do anything for money.
Just like those internet celebrities, they can entertain to death for traffic.
They act foolish, have no bottom line, and do all sorts of unbelievably vulgar things.
Besides internet celebrities, the entertainment industry is the same, with constant gossip, scandals, and attention-seeking feuds.
This is a restless society, and all industries are restless.
Everyone is willing to wear a mask and become a clown to please others.
And this song, from the perspective of the person involved, reflects this societal reality.
"Therefore, Ting Yu's songs are worth savoring repeatedly."
As Mo Yan spoke, his throat felt dry.
The audience finally understood that this song actually carried such profound meaning.