"Haha, I knew it. This is what a classic song should sound like. Ting Yu truly lives up to his name; this song suits you perfectly. My next question is, how many vocal timbres do you have?"
Mo Yan nodded in satisfaction upon receiving an answer, his face beaming.
He made no attempt to hide his praise for Ting Yu, showing a clear favoritism. He then posed another question.
"Uh... you'll find out when the time comes." Su Yu didn't know how to respond.
Should he say he had countless variations?
That would ruin the surprise, so he opted for an ambiguous answer.
"Alright, I vote for you. I look forward to you winning the King of Songs title again this week."
Mo Yan didn't press further. He enjoyed surprises, just as the duet by Dark Night Rabbit with its two vocal timbres had surprised him once again.
With that, he directly put down his microphone.
From start to finish, he hadn't glanced at the Pale Faced Scholar.
Liu Huan, standing beside him, opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
However, the audience seemed displeased.
"Teacher Mo Yan's words clearly show favoritism, especially since Ting Yu wrote the song."
"He shouldn't be so biased just because Dark Night Rabbit sang Ting Yu's song. From the very beginning of his critique, he didn't even look at the Pale Faced Scholar."
"It's insulting. Even if he didn't want to acknowledge the Pale Faced Scholar, he should have at least mentioned him. The way he acted made it seem like he looked down on the Pale Faced Scholar."
"If I'm not mistaken, the Pale Faced Scholar is Li Yuan. Li Yuan became famous by writing and singing his own songs, and he's a top influencer. Teacher Mo Yan isn't giving him any face at all."
"Heh, what else can you expect from the God of Music? It's normal for him to look down on grassroots producers."
Since Li Yuan's identity was largely guessed, and many of Li Yuan's fans were present, they were quite unhappy seeing Mo Yan's differential treatment.
However, they only grumbled among themselves, and no one dared to question him directly.
After all, Mo Yan's status in the music industry was undeniable.
At this point, Liu Huan began his critique: "Pale Faced Scholar, did you write your own song?"
The Pale Faced Scholar replied, "That's right."
Liu Huan smiled and said, "Then I can basically guess your identity. I apologize, but I'm voting for Dark Night Rabbit."
Yin Na remained silent, afraid she might say something wrong. However, she directly chose the Pale Faced Scholar.
Dark Night Rabbit's song was too placid, even more so than their previous two songs. Even though Ting Yu wrote it, she still felt that way. Moreover, she had just publicly praised the Pale Faced Scholar's song, and to avoid contradicting herself, she bit the bullet and forcefully voted for the Pale Faced Scholar.
"Teacher Yin Na is a fair judge!"
"Exactly. I think Teacher Yin Na has great insight. Her choice to vote for Li Yuan affirms Li Yuan's compositions."
"I criticized her last episode, and I apologize. I suddenly feel she was very right. Dark Night Rabbit never sings high notes; they definitely lack vocal skill and can't reach them!"
"Li Yuan is a creative singer, how rare is that? Many singers don't write songs themselves. Li Yuan has a promising future!"
"Heh, what a bunch of fair-weather fans. When you praise Li Yuan, please don't drag Dark Night Rabbit into it. Li Yuan's song is clearly a mashup of Ting Yu and Gu Yun. Anyone with a discerning ear can tell."
"Why argue with these brainless fans? If they can accept this, Li Yuan would have already failed."
Next, it was time for voting.
On the large screen, the votes behind their names changed rapidly.
One minute later.
The final results appeared on the screen.
Dark Night Rabbit: 1588
Pale Faced Scholar: 812
The moment the final votes were revealed.
The audience stopped their arguments, and Li Yuan's fans were stunned.
Not just them; even on stage, under the mask, Li Yuan's face was filled with disbelief. He almost dropped the guitar in his hand.
He hadn't expected the vote difference to be so vast.
It was almost a two-to-one margin.
Why?
Did his identity as an original singer not add any points?
Was his song not as good as Dark Night Rabbit's earlier?
Damn it, was there some foul play?
However, he wasn't foolish enough to question the program team on the spot. After all, given his status, he wasn't qualified to make demands.
But Li Yuan's anger was simmering. He felt it was necessary to use his trump card.
After all, if he kept hoarding it, he might be eliminated.
"Congratulations, Teacher Dark Night Rabbit. Please proceed to the lounge to rest. After the final group's competition concludes, the second round of matches will begin."
After the host finished speaking, Dark Night Rabbit and the Pale Faced Scholar bowed to the audience and the judges' table and headed backstage.
...
In the waiting corridor, Sleepless Knight glanced at the Pale Faced Scholar and then let out a cold snort.
The Pale Faced Scholar paused, looked back at him without a word, and continued towards his dressing room.
"Next, please welcome Queen Balloon to the stage to perform her song!"
As the host's words fell,
Queen Balloon walked onto the stage.
Last episode, she sang in a rock style, and this episode was also rock.
As the explosive music kicked in, the venue instantly erupted in excitement!
Even Ina on the judges' panel showed a smile: "Now that's what I call vocal skill!"
This was another classic rock track.
Many audience members instinctively sang along.
"Based on Queen Balloon's song choice and voice, she should be quite old."
"She's likely a veteran singer, at least thirty years or older."
"A rock queen over thirty, could it be Zhao Yingying?"
"Probably not. Zhao Yingying's voice is a bit hoarser. However, Queen Balloon is likely to lose against Faceless Knight this time."
"She has bad luck. As the only female singer among the contestants, I quite wanted her to stay."
"How is she the only one?"
"Who else is there?"
"Damn it, did you forget about Dark Night Rabbit? We still don't know if it's male or female!"
"Uh..."
Queen Balloon performed exceptionally well, with only a minor flaw when hitting a high note, which was still within acceptable limits.
After her performance, it was time for Faceless Knight to take the stage.
This time, Faceless Knight chose a classic sentimental ballad, written by a veteran producer.
His choice of song was somewhat strategic, as familiar tunes like this easily resonate with the audience.
A song that can be called a classic must have been heard by many people, and countless times at that.
"Thinking of someone when listening to a song" isn't just a saying.
With the added resonance, it becomes very impactful.
The chorus of this song also features high notes.
Therefore, as long as Faceless Knight performed stably, his victory was almost assured.
However, to everyone's surprise.
Faceless Knight, who had always performed stably and possessed strong vocal skills,
actually made a mistake during a high note!
Yes, he failed to hit the high note, and it was very obvious.
Such a mistake is fatal in a professional competition like "Masked Singer."
Judges' table.
"What a shame..." Yin Na shook her head.
Mo Yan, however, frowned as he looked at Faceless Knight: "He shouldn't have made such a significant mistake."
If Faceless Knight was indeed the person he suspected, this song shouldn't have been difficult for him.
Regardless of whether it should have happened, a mistake is a mistake, and there are no second chances in competition.
Therefore, Faceless Knight ultimately lost to Queen Balloon.
Su Yu, backstage, was slightly taken aback by this dramatic turn of events.
However, he suddenly thought of something, raised an eyebrow, and murmured, "Interesting..."