Lin Yuan returned to the dressing room.
The competition on stage continued.
The fourth singer to go on stage was referred to as the âWizard,â clothed in a black robe, even the mask was black.
It became obvious.
The prowess of the first three singers made the Wizardâs performance seem average.
The audienceâs reaction after his performance was lukewarm, though the judges gave reasonable reviews.
Actually, the âWizardââs abilities werenât weak.
He just seemed off a bit, affected by the sequence of the competition, and unable to demonstrate his full potential.
The fifth singer was called âPiggy Qiqiâ.
This was a character from the fairy tale âThree Little Pigsâ from the Qin Continent.
The singer dressed up as a cute pig, with a distinct female voice, and as soon as she started singing, many audience members burst into silent laughter.
âItâs Lu Yumengâs voice!â
Tongtong, in the dressing room, also subconsciously said this, mentioning the name of a top tier singer from Qin Continent.
Some singersâ voices cannot be concealed, regardless of their technical skills.
Interestingly, during the interactive session, Piggy Qiqi asserted that she wasnât Lu Yumeng and even explained earnestly:
âMany people have said that my voice sounds like Lu Yumengâsâ¦â
This statement left the panel of judges uncertain since Piggy Qiqi had slightly altered her voice. It sounded like Lu Yumengâs, yet there was a slight difference.
This uncertainty was one of the fun aspects of âThe Masked Singerâ.
Nevertheless, it was interesting that the judges had a low opinion of Piggy Qiqi.
But the audience seemed to quite like Piggy Qiqi!
Then came the sixth singer, who was also the last contestant in the first round.
This singer was called the Wanderer, possessing very artistic wardrobe and scoresâ¦
The result was the opposite of Lu Yumengâs.
The judges gave reasonable remarks about the Wanderer, yet the audienceâs reaction was comparatively lukewarm.
Strange?
Not at all.
The judges listen to songs from a professional viewpoint, they consider many factors in a comprehensive way.
But the audience on site doesnât have such professional knowledge. They judge whether they like a song only based on the melody.
Compared to them, the panel of judgesâ opinions differ substantially.
Take the Wanderer for instance.
Some people especially liked Wanderer, while others found it to be quite dull.
This even caused a dispute among the panel of judges and the judges holding different opinions argued fiercely.
Different strokes for different folks!
This was the best way to describe âThe Masked Singerâ. Maybe it was due to the judgesâ influence, the star judges became quite bold in their evaluations of the singers.
The result was unpredictable!
Even Lin Yuan couldnât guarantee what his result would be. All he could be certain of was that he wouldnât come last. The reaction of the audience and the judges towards his song was quite good.
âAlright then!â
An Hong, in the spotlight on stage, showed a smile: âAll six mystery singers have finished their performances, and weâre currently counting the votes behind the scenes.â
On stage, the host interacted with the audience.
Backstage where the singers were.
The directorâs voice came from the loudspeakers: âPlease ask all singers and their temporary managers to gather in the main hall. Weâre going to announce the rankings of the first round of the competition in the main hallâ¦â
In the various dressing rooms.
The singers stood up nervously.
In the Prince of Lanlingâs dressing room.
Tongtong also stood up, her face was extremely nervous.
But when she turned around and looked at the Prince of Lanling, she amusingly found that he hadnât reacted at all, as calm as ever.
The Prince of Lanling isnât worried, but his chambermaid is.â
Tongtong made a ruthless comment to the camera.
â¦
The main hall.
Under the guidance of the temporary managers, the mysterious singers gathered.
Everyone couldnât see each otherâs faces, so they simply greeted each other and took their seats on individual sofas. The temporary managers stood behind their assigned singers, like lackeys of the singers.
âPrince of Lanling, will you perform a duet by yourself in the next round?â
After sitting down, Piggy Qiqi curiously looked at Lin Yuan.
Robot joked: âSo cunning, trying to find out the competitorâs strategy in advance.â
Everyone laughed, making the atmosphere among the singers much lively.
Lin Yuan said: âNot sure.â
He wasnât being evasive, but he really hadnât decided on the song for the next round.
âI like your song.â
The White Swan looked at Lin Yuan and said.
Lin Yuan said: âThank you.â
Robot pretended to be dissatisfied and said: âWhite Swan, are you saying that we didnât sing well?â
The White Swan laughed and said: âAt least not as good as I did.â
The singers all gave bitter smiles. This White Swan was indeed quite conceited.
After they chatted and joked for a bit, Tong Shuwen showed up.
Tong Shuwen held a card in his hand: âEveryone performed spectacularly, but there has to be winners and losers in a competition, and now itâs time for me to announce todayâs results. Weâll start from the third placeâ¦â
The singers suddenly tensed up.
Tong Shuwen smiled and said: âThe third-place singer in the first round of âThe Masked Singerâ isâ¦â
Tong Shuwen paused deliberately.
This was a typical suspense creating segment in variety shows.
When the singers became perturbed, Tong Shuwen finally revealed: âThe third-place singer received three hundred and eighty votes from the audience, twenty-eight votes from the professional panel, and seventy votes from the judges, totalling five hundred and six votes. He is our Robot!â
Everyone applauded.
Robot sighed in relief: âI thought I was going to bomb today.â
Robotâs remark was quite revealing.
Perhaps he was really the mystery singing king the crew had hyped up in the promotionâ¦
Tong Shuwen smiled: âAnd the singer who ranks fourth today, she received three hundred and ninety-two votes from the audience, thirty votes from the professional panel, and thirty votes from the judges. She is our Piggy Qiqi!â
Everyone clapped again.
Piggy Qiqi was relieved and said: âIâm glad I came in fourthâ¦â
The fifth is to be determined!
The sixth is eliminated!
She was almost about to be on hold.
The Magician and the Wanderer looked at each other, as if they could see a bitter smile under each otherâs masks, and sighed in unison.
Perfect synchronization.
Everyone laughed.
The Magician helplessly asked, âAm I the fifth or the sixth?â
The Wanderer replied with a lost tone, âI guess I should be the sixth.â
These two people had a clear understanding of themselves, knowing they couldnât score higher than the White Swan and Prince of Lanling, whose performances today were stunning.
âLetâs announce the fifth first.â
Tong Shuwen picked up the card in his hand: âThe singer ranked fifth is the Wanderer, and your vote count isâ¦â
After reading the vote count, Tong Shuwen said, âIâm sorry, the Wanderer is now on hold. The singer on hold must enter the top four in the next ranking, otherwise they will be eliminated.â
âUnderstood.â
The Wanderer breathed a sigh of relief: âI thought I would be sixth, which is better than being eliminated directlyâ¦â
The Magician muttered with a bitter smile, âCongratulations.â
He must be the sixth.
His vote count will definitely be less than that of Prince of Lanling and the White Swan.
As expected.
Tong Shuwen announced the result for the Magician: âThe Magician is ranked sixth this round and will be eliminated. Unfortunately, you need to go on stage for the unmasking ceremonyâ¦â
âThatâs okay.â
The Magician sighed, âDrawing lots is a profound scienceâ¦â
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The Wanderer should have been eliminated, but the Magician performed after Prince of Lanling, and due to the Magicianâs failure to excite the audience, he was affected.
This is the characteristic of live competitions where factors beyond performance can also affect the singers.
Everyoneâs eyes turned to the White Swan and Prince of Lanling.
Which of these two would be the first?
Tong Shuwen said, âAt such a tense moment, should we cut to a commercialâ¦â
Everyone laughed again.
The director said to cut to a commercial, but there were no commercials during recording.
After saying this, Tong Shuwen continued to discuss the competition results:
âAfter a thrilling commercial break, letâs announce todayâs first place. This mysterious singer received four hundred and fifty-two votes from the audience, fourty-three votes from the public judges, and one hundred and fifty votes from the judges, with a total of 688 votes!â
Everyone gasped in surprise!
Out of the five hundred audience members, 452 votes, incredibly high!
Out of the fifty public judges, also, forty-three of them voted for this singer!
The four judges together held a total vote count of four hundred, and they gave 150 votes to this singer!
A very impressive vote count!
Who is this person?
The White Swan or⦠Prince of Lanling?
Tong Shuwen smiled, âHis performance of the song gave the audience an unprecedented novelty, he is..the Prince of Lanling!â
The applause immediately rang out, and everyone started to congratulate him.
Tongtong screamed with excitement: âWe are first!â
âCongratulations.â
The White Swan also looked towards Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan nodded and said, âThank you.â
âItâs not over yet.â
Tong Shuwen humorously looked at everyone.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Everyone was stunned. Why wasnât it over? The first place had been announced, so wasnât the second place the White Swan?
âNow I will announce the vote count of the White Swan.â
Tong Shuwenâs face looked slightly strange, âFour hundred and fifty audience votes, thirty-nine public judge votes, and one hundred and sixty judge votes, for a total vote count of 688 votes!â
Everyone: ââ¦â
White Swan: ââ¦â
Prince of Lanling and the White Swan actually had a tie!
âYes, after congratulating Prince of Lanling, letâs not forget to congratulate the White Swan. In the first episode, the two of them are tied for first place!â
Everyone hurriedly clapped their hands.
Tong Shuwen declared with a serious yet solemn expression, âI know you may think the vote count is too coincidental, but this is a vote conducted under the supervision of the Literature and Art Association. Every single vote is completely genuine, there is no possibility for manipulation from the program group, the incredibly low probability of this happening is one of the fun aspects of âMasked Singerâ, itâs a show destined to be filled with miracles!â
Incredibly low probability!
This is indeed a miracle!
Nobody would question the impartiality of the Literature and Art Association, it can only be said that the ranking of this episode was very interestingâ¦
âThe Magician, please come to the stage for the unmasking.â
âAlso, the rankings of the other singers will not be announced. The audience will only know after the program is broadcasted to retain the suspense.â
Everyone laughed.
Completely understood.
Under everyoneâs gaze, the Magician was already on his way to the stage, and when he unmasked himself amidst the music, the entire audience gaspedâ¦
The Masked Singer is a first-tier actor from the Qi Continent, Tan Kai!
In the gathering hall.
The singers were dumbfounded.
âTan Kai!â
âIâve seen many of his TV shows!â
âIâve seen his movies!â
âHis singing is so good, not inferior to second-tier singers!â
ââ¦â
Lin Yuan also looked puzzled.
Tan Kai had just been seated not far from him, and he didnât recognize him. This was someone he had collaborated with before!
When he had gone to Qi Continent to get a tailored order, he had written a theme song for a movie called âDistance Between You and Me.â
The song was called âLike You.â
The song was performed by Tan Kai, who played the leading male role. This selection was made by Lin Yuan himself.
The studio was already in uproar!
And as the host wrapped up the show, the first episode of âMasked Singerâ came to an endâ¦