The show began. Music started playing, followed by fifteen seconds of special-effects footage. Then the camera showed a pretty woman in elegant dress, holding a microphone in one hand and cue cards in the other. "Hello, viewers. This is I Am A Singer, proudly sponsored by Sheng Ji Cosmetics. I'm the host, Yin Jia."
Cheers and applause erupted from the audience.
At the same time, Bullet Screen comments began scrolling:
"First!"
"Sons, tell your dad what number I am!"
"Fake Pig Set is Number One."
"Got my sunflower seeds ready. This melon-eating spectator is trembling with excitement."
"Yin Jia is as pretty as ever. I really want to sleep with her."
"You're late, buddy. Yin Jia was in my bed last night. [Manually funny face.]"
"I heard there are quite a few big-name stars this episode. That's what the promo said. Is it true?"
"I know. Xiao Ze, Mary, Kurai, Muto..."
"Whoever mentioned Xiao Ze, don't leave after school."
"Damn it, turning off Bullet Screen to preserve my IQ."
Yin Jia was not on the stage, but backstage. A sweet smile hung on her face as she said, "Now, come with me, everyone. Let's meet the first competing singer to appear."
The camera followed Yin Jia to a room. She knocked on the door and asked teasingly, "Is anyone in there?"
The door opened, and a young, handsome face poked out.
"Ahhh... it's Li Rongxing."
"My husband is here."
"Husband, I love you."
"Amazing, amazing."
"Oh my God, the production team actually invited Li Rongxing. They've got some nerve."
"The show's budget is burning. How much must this have cost? But I love it."
"What's so great about Li Rongxing? He's not even as handsome as me."
The Bullet Screen exploded.
Out of caution, the previous season of I Am A Singer had invited either washed-up singers or singers with little fame. No one had expected the show to become popular across the country. Advertisers flocked in with investments, and once the production team had money, naturally they could no longer invite faded minor celebrities. Li Rongxing was a popular male singer who had debuted only a few years ago and was still rather inexperienced. But he was handsome and sang well, making him extremely popular with girls. He had countless fangirls under his banner.
Listening to the ocean-like cheers, Qin Ze turned to Qin Baobao in confusion. "I've always been curious. Are these audience cheers recorded live, or added in post-production?"
He had wondered the same thing whenever he watched variety shows before.
"Of course they're added in post-production. The audience can watch what's happening backstage on the big screen, and the cheering is real. It's just edited and used here," Qin Baobao explained.
Qin Ze nodded and continued watching.
"Hello, Teacher Li."
"Hello, hello."
Li Rongxing opened the door and invited host Yin Jia inside.
"It is my honor to inform you that you are the first singer to perform. Before you go on stage, I'd like to conduct a brief interview." Yin Jia paused, then smiled. "I'm sure Teacher Li has watched our show before, so could you share your thoughts with us?"
"First, I have to thank I Am A Singer for inviting me. Honestly, when I received your invitation, I hesitated for a long time. For singers who have been famous for years, competing on a stage like this feels a little strange. If you lose, your lifelong reputation could be ruined in an instant."
"Do you lack confidence in yourself?"
"I Am A Singer is an excellent show. The guests from the previous season may not have been very famous, but their singing skills were impeccable. They were all very strong. This season surely won't be any worse, so I'm under a lot of pressure too."
"But you still chose to come in the end, didn't you?"
"That's because your appearance fee hit me too hard."
Li Rongxing made a small joke, and the Bullet Screen filled with praise.
Yin Jia knocked on the second door. A middle-aged man answered it. He had a square face and graying temples, but he looked energetic, and traces of his former handsomeness could still be seen between his brows. He was once an enormously popular singer, though he had gradually faded from the music scene over the past few years.
"It's Hong Jingyao..."
"I grew up listening to his songs."
"Unchanging Heart, an eternal classic."
"I'm his fan. Whenever he released an album back then, I'd steal my dad's money to buy it."
"I'm going to call my dad over. He's a diehard Hong Jingyao fan."
"Is the great god from back then about to return to the music scene?"
"I'm looking forward to the upcoming guests more and more."
Even someone like Qin Ze, who did not pay much attention to the Entertainment industry, knew Hong Jingyao. When Qin Ze was young, Hong Jingyao had already been famous. He had become popular throughout the country with Unchanging Heart and had been the Little Fresh Meat of that era. But times had changed. One generation replaced another, Little Fresh Meat replaced Old Bacon, and Hong Jingyao had not appeared on screen for several years.
In a large room, Li Rongxing watched the scene through the live video feed and slapped his thigh excitedly. "Teacher Hong is my idol, one of my favorite singers back then. I never expected to compete on the same stage as my idol today. Oh my God."
After a brief interview, Hong Jingyao opened the door and joined Li Rongxing.
Li Rongxing was very good at handling social situations. He practically dropped to his knees. "Idol, please accept my knees."
"Hello, hello." Hong Jingyao caught Li Rongxing, and the two shook hands repeatedly.
"I really never thought you'd come. I'm both nervous and excited."
"You've got a sweet mouth, young man." Hong Jingyao chuckled. "It's your young people's world now. The waves behind drive the waves ahead, and the waves ahead die on the beach."
"No, no, no. You're a tsunami. I'm just a tiny ripple."
"Who do you think the next singer will be?"
"Hard to say. As long as they can't invite a King of Pop or Queen of Pop, I don't care."
"Hahaha."
The two chatted like a comedy duo, and it was extremely amusing.
There was no need to wonder why two singers separated by a whole generation could get along so well, joking and bantering together. That was exactly the effect variety shows wanted. Who would believe it had not been rehearsed?
"This was rehearsed, right?" Qin Ze asked.
"Probably," Qin Baobao said hesitantly.
"What do you mean, probably?"
"Anyway, I didn't rehearse."
"Huh?"
Qin Baobao looked indignant. "I was only going on stage to test the waters. The company never expected me to become famous overnight, so I only went through a symbolic rehearsal. I hadn't even met these singers. We only came face-to-face during the competition."
"Explain it clearly."
"Our company had one spot, but it wasn't meant for me. That singer couldn't make it because of scheduling conflicts, so they sent me, the top student among the backups, to take the lead and serve as cannon fodder. That's all."
"I was wondering how a rookie like you could compete on the same stage as famous singers." Qin Ze suddenly understood.
The third singer's door was knocked on.
A young married woman with exquisite makeup appeared. She was above average in looks, but everyone recognized her.
"Damn, Chen Xiaotong."
"How could it be her? This is insane."
"A famous Queen of Pop-level figure. Oh my God."
"Didn't she marry a rich man and settle down to raise a family? Why is she coming back out? Is she here to make money?"
"Exactly. She hasn't sung in so many years, so her singing must be much worse than before. Nothing to look forward to."
"Get lost. When Chen Xiaotong dominated the music scene, you were probably still chewing on a pacifier."
"At her peak, her album sales ranked in the top three for two consecutive years."
"She's a true big shot."
Chen Xiaotong was a singer from Hong Kong. Calling her a Queen of Pop might have been a slight exaggeration. Everyone knew that place churned out Kings and Queens of Pop as if they cost nothing. Grab any veteran entertainer and they were either a King of Pop, a Queen of Pop, or, failing that, a Best Actor. Still, Chen Xiaotong really was very famous. Though she had retired for several years, she had not become outdated at all. The viewers all knew her.
The fourth singer appeared.
"Huang Yuteng?"
"Has the production team gone crazy? They invited a currently popular King of Pop? Good God."
"My mom asked why I was watching the show on my knees. I told her Huang Yuteng had come, so she knelt down too."
"666666"
"Idol, run! The show's budget can't support you. Run!"
"Leader Huang is here. This season suddenly has no suspense. The championship has to be his."
"Not necessarily. If it comes down to singing skill, none of the singers here are weak."
"Bullshit. Go look at the Music Billboard. Three of the top ten songs are his. With that kind of strength, if he doesn't sweep the competition, I'll livestream myself eating shit."
"Screenshot taken. Waiting for you to eat shit."
Huang Yuteng's appearance completely ignited the audience's enthusiasm, and Bullet Screen comments flooded the screen. Although many people already knew from the promotional video that this episode's lineup was impressive, none of them had expected Huang Yuteng to appear on the show.
He was a god-tier figure, on the same level as Chen Xiaotong and Hong Jingyao. However, the latter two's glory belonged to the past, while Huang Yuteng was at the height of his career.
The fifth singer opened the door.
"Li Zongde."
"Xiao De is here too."
"Just as expected. There were rumors online."
"Xiao De is pretty good. He's quite famous in Hong Kong, though I personally don't really like Cantonese Song."
Li Zongde was an up-and-coming Hong Kong singer. His reputation on the mainland was neither high nor low. He entered the large room where the singers had gathered and behaved quite humbly, shaking hands with the other singers. Everyone chatted and laughed naturally, without any awkwardness.
Huang Yuteng looked around. "Huh, aren't we missing someone?"
Chen Xiaotong nodded. "The last one hasn't appeared yet."
Li Rongxing laughed. "In Brother Huang's eyes, he's the finale."
"Hahaha!"
Li Zongde laughed along, then pointed at the screen. "The host is knocking on the door. Who's the final contestant?"
At that moment, the commercials began.
The Bullet Screen burst into curses. "Damn it, what a cliffhanger."
"Who's the last one? The finale?"
"Xu Kai?"
"Zhang Qian?"
"Ye Mingsheng?"
"Impossible, right? How could they invite two Kings of Pop at once? Hong Jingyao has the most seniority, Huang Yuteng has the highest popularity, and judging by Xiao De's placement, we probably shouldn't expect too much from the last one."
"It seems to be a newcomer. I saw it on I Am A Singer's official weibo."
"Right, right. The promotional video mentioned it too."
"A newcomer? What's a newcomer joining the fun for?"
"Which newcomer?"
"How the hell would anyone know which newcomer, you idiot?"
The image switched back to host Yin Jia. She smiled and said, "Viewers, our final guest is next. Who exactly is she? Here's a little hint: she is a talented woman. She has brought an original song, and on future stages, every song she performs will also be original. You don't need to guess. Yin Jia will knock on the door right away."
Before you continue