"This world's impermanence,
Destined for those who dare to love, a life of pain..."
As the final line faded, the accompaniment slowly diminished.
When the entire song concluded,
The venue remained silent.
This silence lasted for about five seconds.
Then, a roar!
Applause erupted like a tidal wave.
"Dark Night Rabbit is awesome!!"
"Damn, those last two consecutive climax falsetto transitions, they completely disoriented me."
"So, so awesome. To control one's voice so perfectly, who else dares say he only knows unconventional methods?"
"Haha, that felt great. I bet this song was written by Ting Yu again!"
"I have that feeling too, but now I finally understand why even Ting Yu would write songs for Dark Night Rabbit. He's truly incredible!"
"Exactly, who can refuse an all-around singer?"
"I believe Dark Night Rabbit still has hidden cards, only revealing a fraction of his iceberg now."
The audience rose to their feet, applauding with excitement.
And those who had previously criticized Dark Night Rabbit's vocal skills were now at a loss.
Damn, this slap in the face came so fast!
Why does this feel like the city qualifiers all over again?
...
Backstage.
Faceless Knight stared blankly at Dark Night Rabbit on the lounge screen.
He remained motionless for a long time.
Then, he suddenly flinched.
He blurted out, "Damn it, this Dark Night Rabbit is truly f***ing awesome!"
Although there were cameras in the lounge, the cameraman felt this segment definitely wouldn't be broadcast.
Even if it were, the audio would be censored.
The cameraman stifled his laughter from behind.
He developed a new understanding of Faceless Knight.
So professional singers also curse when they are shocked...
...
After Dark Night Rabbit finished singing,
"Please welcome Balloon Queen and Red Dragon to the stage."
Following the host's voice, Balloon Queen and Red Dragon returned to the stage.
They stood on Dark Night Rabbit's left and right.
"Please, esteemed judges, give your votes and reasons."
The host, Lin Han, said with a smile to the judges.
Then he stepped aside.
This time, the judges were all somewhat silent.
Finally, the elder statesman Liu Huan broke the silence: "Dark Night Rabbit, how many vocal tones do you possess?"
Su Yu responded with a wry smile, "This question has been asked before."
Liu Huan realized he had asked a redundant question and continued, "I intend to vote for you. I hope you can continue to surprise me."
He directly stated his voting choice and then commented on Red Dragon and Balloon Queen.
The audience chuckled at his straightforward approach of voting before commenting.
He was too honest.
Next, Mo Yan began to comment on the singers: "Red Dragon, have I written a song for you?"
Red Dragon was momentarily stunned, then nodded, "I was fortunate enough to have Mo Yan teacher write two songs for me."
Mo Yan nodded upon hearing this.
Then he looked at Su Yu, "I am surprised again. Your vocal skills are excellent, worthy of this song by Ting Yu."
He no longer questioned whether the song was by Ting Yu, as he had already concluded that Dark Night Rabbit was the singer chosen by Ting Yu. After all, a singer with such versatile vocal tones and solid skills would be highly sought after, even by himself.
After speaking, he looked at Su Yu with a smile.
"Thank you, Mo Yan teacher."
As they were all wearing voice changers, Su Yu's gender and emotions were undetectable. Therefore, he bowed slightly to Mo Yan.
After Mo Yan commented on Balloon Queen, it was Han Qi's turn.
Han Qi also expressed his surprise at Dark Night Rabbit's vocal prowess this time, but didn't say much else.
When it was Yin Na's turn, she hesitated and finally declared with resolve, "I choose to vote for Dark Night Rabbit. He has truly shocked me this time."
She had previously believed that Dark Night Rabbit only knew unconventional methods, using vocal shifts to sing simple songs and seeking attention through flashy performances. However, this song, "Moonlight," had redefined her perception of Dark Night Rabbit. This vote was one she had to cast for him.
As for Red Dragon, when both performed songs with falsetto transitions, he was clearly a few steps behind Dark Night Rabbit.
The judges' votes were all cast.
The outcome was becoming increasingly clear.
All four mentors had voted for Dark Night Rabbit.
Barring any unexpected turns, Dark Night Rabbit might retain his King of Singers title for two consecutive weeks!
"Next, please welcome the jury to cast their votes!"
The host announced.
On the big screen,
The vote counts behind the names of the three singers rapidly increased.
Finally,
The votes were tallied!
Dark Night Rabbit: 1233
Red Dragon: 728
Balloon Queen: 439
Dark Night Rabbit had a slight edge!
Securing the King of Singers title for the second week!
Since the premiere of this season's "Masked Singer King," Dark Night Rabbit had won two consecutive King of Singer titles!!
"Damn, Dark Night Rabbit is awesome!!"
"Sh*t, I can't wait to see the expressions of those who said Dark Night Rabbit's vocals were bad after this episode airs."
"I originally thought Yin Na was deliberately targeting Dark Night Rabbit, but it turns out she's just not good enough. It seems in her world, only high notes count as vocal skill..."
"There are still people online saying Dark Night Rabbit's first King of Singer title was due to his male and female vocal ranges and wouldn't last. Now he's won another one, let's see what they say!"
"Haha, this comeback by Dark Night Rabbit has that Ting Yu vibe. No wonder Ting Yu keeps writing songs for him."
"It's a shame, without the Phantom, something is missing."
Amidst the audience's discussions, Su Yu and the others exited the stage.
Next would be the elimination round for the losing group.
One out of the three singers would remain.
Su Yu did not leave immediately this time.
He wanted to confirm if his conjecture was correct. If it was, he would essentially know the identity of that Faceless Knight.
...
The first contestant from the losing group to perform was Crying Man.
He sang "Youth China Says," a song by Ting Yu.
His voice was passionate and spirited, and compared to Gong Ju Ren's original version, which was full of youthful vigor, his rendition conveyed a deeper sense of seasoned experience.
After he finished singing, Su Yu finally detected a familiar feeling. Crying Man must be using his original voice, and Su Yu was sure he had heard this voice somewhere before, but couldn't recall where for the moment.
After Crying Man finished, it was White Faced Scholar's turn.
He still appeared on stage with his guitar.
"White Faced Scholar, go!"
"Li Yuan, go! Looking forward to your new song!"
"You must win!"
Li Yuan, being a top influencer, naturally had very high popularity online, and there were many of his fans in the audience.
These fans hoped he could stay on stage for a couple more episodes so they could hear more songs.
Amidst the audience's cheers, White Faced Scholar approached the microphone, resting his hand on it, and said in a "traditional opera style": "This humble one greets you..."
After he spoke, a wave of cheers erupted from the audience.
Then, holding his guitar, he began his performance.
"The sunset fades as parting souls share their thoughts, where has the one who abandoned me gone?
This night is too long, making longing hard to bear..."
Another ancient-style song.
And in the chorus, it featured a traditional opera style.
However, this song was clearly more catchy than the previous one, and it also incorporated more of the opera style.
At the judges' table.
Mo Yan listened for a moment and then cleaned his ear with his pinky finger.
"Yan Hua Yi Leng?"
Liu Huan, sitting next to him, heard his murmur and his brows gradually unfurrowed, a look of understanding dawning on his face...
...
ps: Many people have likely noticed that for each episode of "Masked Singer King," I plan to use real-life singers and their representative works. I am soliciting suggestions for singers and their representative works. So far, I've covered Pu Shu, Xu Song, Huang Ling, and Hu Yan Bin. Xue Zhi Qian, JJ Lin, Xu Wei, Stefanie Sun, Terry Lin, and Jonathan Lee will follow. Please recommend some more male and female artists...