On this day.
Zhang Ye's mask and clothes had arrived, but they were not delivered to his house. He did not give them his address as that would allow them to recognize him immediately. The address he gave to the King of Masked Singers program team was his eldest younger sister's house. The express delivery from Beijing Television had arrived at her place.
His eldest younger sister called.
"Bro, your express delivery has arrived."
"Alright."
The eldest younger sister asked, "What is it?"
"It's a secret, hur hur."
"Why are you being so secretive about it? Shall I deliver it to you?"
"There's no need. I'll go get it in a bit."
In the afternoon, the items were delivered.
When he got home, Zhang Ye closed the bedroom door and tore open the package. He took out the items inside one by one. There were quite a few of them. Everything from his head to toe was inside.
The mask.
The shirt.
The pants.
The shoes.
And the gloves.
Zhang Ye picked up the mask and put it on his face. When he looked in the mirror, he was immediately quite satisfied. This mask was not really designed according to the stereotypical image of a clown with a red nose and pointy face. Zhang Ye had more requirements, so he told Han Qi every detail of the mask design and got her to pass it on to the designer. There was only one color for this mask, and that was white. It was pure white and did not have any special edges or strange designs. It was just the simplest and plainest kind of pure white mask. But after wearing it, it did not look plain at all. Instead, it gave off a feeling of returning to its natural state and made it look very classy and cultured.
The clown — this was how others saw him.
White — this was how Zhang Ye saw himself.
A "clown" with a white mask. This was Zhang Ye's design philosophy.
He put on his clothes. He was wrapped up from head to toe. It could be said that even if he opened the door and walked out, no one would recognize him. Even he himself would not be able to recognize him. All of his unique traits and symbols had been covered up!
Very good!
This was it!
After taking off his clothes and putting them away, a call came in.
It was his second cell phone.
"Hello, Teacher. I'm Han Qi."
"Hello."
"Did you receive the mask and costume?"
"Yes."
"Does it fit? If it doesn't, I'll get the designer to change it. "
"Very good."
"That's good. Then, it's like this. The stage is almost ready. We would like to try out the microphones and sound systems tomorrow. We also want to see how the teachers will look in their costumes after they are masked. After all, they will be appearing on TV, so they will definitely have to go through it first. There might even be auditions later. The station is placing a lot of importance on this program. The station leaders will also be coming to inspect it.
"What time?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"Alright."
"Then, then call me when you arrive, I'll wait for you."
"Yes."
Audition?
This was normal.
Due to the uniqueness of this program, there were a lot of things that would be different from previous programs. Especially for someone like him who was not even willing to provide his identity, it would be a wonder if they would be at ease. Sending them a cappella recording would not make them feel at ease. No matter what, they had to at least listen to a live performance and familiarize themselves with the stage and the program team. That was the goal.
Come on.
In any case, he was already prepared.
…
The next day.
9 AM.
The King of Masked Singers program team staff were filled with anticipation. Those who knew which celebrities would be appearing today were very excited, while those who did not know the identities of the masked singers were curious and looking forward to it.
"Are they here yet?"
"Five of them have arrived!"
"Where have they been arranged?"
"They'll be arranged in different rooms, so they won't be meeting each other."
"Alright."
"Brother Hu, what time do we start?"
"We can start now. One by one."
"Alright, I'll go and arrange it!"
"Be more precise. The station leaders might come to watch as well."
"Understood!"
Everyone busied themselves.
They adjusted the sound system and tested the band.
Then, the first masked singer entered the stage. He gave himself the codename "Sunflower in the Starlight." The mask he wore was also a cute sunflower costume. Other than Hu Fei and Dong Shanshan, no one in the program team knew who this person was. In an instant, they all stared at him curiously. As his identity might be exposed, he did not bring his agent or assistant with him. He had come alone and went over to the professional band invited by the program team to speak a few words with them before stepping onto the stage.
Although his face could not be seen through the mask, the moment he held the microphone, Teacher "Sunflower in the Starlight" gave off a completely different aura!
The moment he opened his mouth, his voice shocked the entire audience!
This was a song called "Hope." It was a very famous song in this world!
The band did not feel any pressure at all. In fact, they had not even touched a score with this masked teacher before. However, their cooperation was still seamless as the rhythm and drumbeat were able to keep up with the song!
They were all professionals, so they still had that level of skill.
Even if it was a song they were not familiar with, they could still compose the basic accompaniment music on the spot. This was because they were called "Miracle Wheels." They were a very famous band in the industry, and it would be very difficult for most television programs to invite them. From this, it could be seen that Beijing Television had put in a lot of effort this time!
…
Backstage.
In a waiting room.
Han Qi was waiting there anxiously and nervously. She did not know what she was feeling, but she guessed that it was mostly anxiety.
Why aren't they here yet?
Where is he?
She made another call. "Hello, Teacher. Have you arrived yet?"
A voice came from the other end. "I'm here."
Han Qi said, "Ah? Where are you? "
The person on the other end said, "Turn around."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.
Han Qi turned around in surprise. "Y-You came here dressed like that?"
The Clown nodded and said, "Yeah."
Han Qi had thought that she would be able to see this person's true appearance today and find out who he was. Who could have expected that he would come here wearing a mask? "Uh, are you ready then?"
The Clown said, "Anytime."
Han Qi coughed. "Teacher Clown, you're a senior in the music industry, right?"
The Clown said, "Guess."
Han Qi said, "Uh, you must be a big shot."
The Clown said, "Not necessarily."
Han Qi said, "So what's your occupation?"
The Clown said, "A worker."
Han Qi was speechless.
You're still a worker?
Can you stop playing dumb?
She knew that she wouldn't be able to get an answer out of him. This person was too unreasonable. He was clearly unwilling to reveal any information and clearly did not want anyone to recognize him!
B-But even so, you're still a worker!
The two of them went into the waiting room and sat facing each other. The atmosphere was very awkward.
The Clown did not say anything. It seemed like he did not like to talk.
Han Qi did not know what to say, but she did not want an awkward silence, so she tried to strike up a conversation.
"Your mask is really beautiful."
"Thank you."
"You're not that old, right?"
"I'm not that young."
"Ah, you said that I wasn't that old the last time."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Oh, then I'm not that old."
Han Qi was on the verge of tears. When she spoke to this person, everything he said was a fucking smokescreen. She had no idea which of his words were true and which were false. Furthermore, the crux of the issue was that he kept speaking in a hoarse voice, so how was she supposed to guess what was going on? She had no idea who he was at all!
This stalemate went on for half an hour.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door cautiously.
Knock knock. A staff member said, "Han Qi, you can let the teacher in now."
"Alright!" Han Qi felt relieved. "Teacher Clown, it's your turn."
The Clown nodded. "Let's go."
In the corridor.
As Zhang Ye walked out, someone walked in.
A person wearing a mask was walking towards him. From the figure, it seemed to be a woman.
Zhang Ye brushed past her. The two of them looked at each other curiously, perhaps with a bit of scrutiny in their eyes. Those eyes and that figure felt a little familiar to Zhang Ye. He felt that he had probably seen this young woman before and might even know her. However, he could not tell who she was exactly. On further thought, the celebrities he knew in the industry were all pretty big names. It looked like this competition was going to be a tough battle. This was his first time in the music industry, so he hoped that he wouldn't get crushed in the first two rounds, right? That would be so embarrassing!
The two of them stopped in their tracks and looked at each other.
Han Qi wiped away her sweat and introduced, "This is Teacher Clown." Then she said, "This is Teacher Sunset Glow."
She looks quite young?
Why did she call herself Sunset Glow?
Zhang Ye nodded.
"Sunset Glow" looked at him. "Do we know each other?"
Zhang Ye choked and said, "I don't know."
Sunset Glow smiled. "How old are you?"
Zhang Ye lied through his teeth. "50. What about you?"
Sunset Glow said, "I'm 15."
Zhang Ye blinked. "What's your occupation?"
Sunset Glow said, "A student. What about you?"
Zhang Ye replied, "A worker."
Sunset Glow: "…"
The two of them exchanged pleasantries for a long time, but still could not recognize each other.
Han Qi and Sunset Glow's Beijing Television assistant didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Why were all the celebrities these days like this?
Worker?
Student?
50?
15?
Would it kill you to not brag?!
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