"What kind of monster is this guy? Even Wang Shu would pale in comparison!" Zhang Liangying thought to herself.
The man with the wolf-head mask beside him was also taken aback. His eyes were glued to the monitor, watching Wang Shu play the suona, his hands clenched, and sweat beading on his palms. He desperately wanted to know what kind of face lay beneath the monkey mask, because, in his experience, there weren't any famous singers in the music scene today who were this prodigious. Not only could they sing well, but they could also play an instrument as unrefined as the suona so soul-stirringly.
The suona solo ignited the entire audience's emotions. Wang Shu had captivated everyone. They listened intently to the entire song.
"Qi Tian Da Sheng, yyds!"
"So beautiful! Even though I'm covered in goosebumps, this song is not only creative but also incredibly good!"
"I'm going home to buy a coffin right now and lie in it tonight while listening to this song."
"I had a narrow perspective before. The suona sounds amazing, and the song is fantastic. I've already ordered a suona. The New Year's Eve party at school will be my stage!"
Although Wang Shu had finished the song, the audience was still left wanting more, especially the suona solo they had just heard.
"Can you play the suona again?"
"Yeah, I'm already lying down. I can't feel right without hearing it again!"
"This is the first time in my life I've found the sound of the suona so captivating. I just want to keep listening!"
Many audience members urged Wang Shu to play the suona piece again, as they hadn't had enough.
"Thank you all for your support! You want to hear it again?" Wang Shu deliberately asked the audience below the stage.
Hearing his question, the audience nodded and cheered, wanting Wang Shu to play the piece again.
"Next time! I'll play it for you when I'm attending a banquet!" Wang Shu said with a slight smile.
"???"
"Damn, you're a sly one! The 'next time' is when I'm dead and he's playing for me!"
"Unbelievable. I was already feeling down after hearing this song, and you're such a trickster!"
"Guys, don't vote for him. I need to know who this trickster behind the mask is!"
When the audience heard Wang Shu say he would play for them at the next banquet, they were stunned. They began to condemn Wang Shu's sly behavior. Wang Shu simply bowed as a sign of respect and left the stage, returning backstage. He wouldn't pay attention to these people. He had almost run out of breath while playing the suona. If he had to play it again, he'd end up in the emergency room! After all, he was a delicate terminal patient now! These audience members were heartless, showing no sympathy for the weak and infirm.
"Brother, can you tell me your name?" As Wang Shu was about to head backstage to have a chat with Zhang Liangying, the man with the wolf-head mask, who was waiting by the side of the stage, called out to him.
"It's not that I don't want to tell you, but didn't we sign a confidentiality agreement for this show? You'll find out who I am when you beat me!" Wang Shu deflected. His identity was so secret that even Zhang Liangying didn't know it, so how could he tell someone he didn't know?
"I can tell you my identity!" the wolf-head masked man said earnestly to Wang Shu.
"Sorry, I'm not interested!" Wang Shu said with a smile and turned to walk backstage.
"How strange," Wang Shu muttered as he walked.
As Wang Shu entered the backstage area, Zhang Liangying stared at him with amusement as he walked from the entrance to his seat.
"Is there something on my face?" Wang Shu asked with a smile, feeling a bit uneasy under Zhang Liangying's gaze.
"No flowers, but there's a demonic aura!" Zhang Liangying replied with a mysterious smile.
"What?" Wang Shu looked confused, unsure of what Zhang Liangying was implying.
"Come on, tell me, what kind of demon are you! Can a normal person pull off something like that on stage?" Zhang Liangying asked Wang Shu.
"Stop it, you're the demon, you big fox!" Wang Shu shook his head helplessly and mumbled in a low voice.
"Hmph, monkey, you've piqued my curiosity. I will definitely find out your true identity!" Zhang Liangying pouted seriously, looking at Wang Shu.
Wang Shu, however, no longer paid attention to her and shifted his gaze to the stage. The wolf-head masked man walked onto the stage and sang a classic old song. His vocal skills were excellent, and his rendition was uniquely his own, yet still stable. However, compared to the stunning performances by Zhang Liangying and Wang Shu earlier, it was somewhat lacking. After all, the song Zhang Liangying performed was uniquely hers, and her interpretation was the most heartfelt. Wang Shu's song, "囍," not only had an innovative theme but also incorporated a distinctive suona performance, igniting the entire venue. In comparison, the wolf-man's performance was rather conventional and lacked highlights.
Wang Shu, however, understood that anyone who had reached this stage was generally quite skilled. He didn't need to say much about himself. For instance, Zhang Liangying was eliminated in the preliminaries only because her opponent was him. But when her opponent wasn't him, she bulldozed her way through, catching up to him. The performer on stage now was likely also skilled but lacked a good song to accompany her. With this thought, Wang Shu's courage grew even bolder.
Later, after the wolf-head masked man returned backstage, Wang Shu walked up to him with a smile.
"Brother, you're quite talented, but the song you chose wasn't ideal!" Wang Shu commented as if he were giving serious feedback.
"I know, but finding good songs is so difficult now. My own creative ability isn't that strong, and the songs written by ordinary songwriters aren't as good as what I can write myself. So, I can only sing these old songs." The wolf-head masked man was also not satisfied with his performance on stage. With the exceptional performances of the two before him, his current stage presence was nowhere near theirs. As a professional singer, he was naturally dejected. When he accepted the invitation to participate in this show, he had wanted to showcase his vocal abilities. He had never expected that after smoothly advancing through several rounds, he would find such prodigious contestants waiting for him here.
"That's true, but I know someone who writes lyrics. Why don't you try approaching him?" Wang Shu directly revealed his plan.
"Who?" The wolf-head masked man asked in confusion.
"Do you know Wang Shu? He's that popular new artist recently. I heard he's hailed as a genius songwriter and the savior of the Chinese music industry!" Wang Shu said, without a trace of blush.
"Wang Shu? I've heard of him, but didn't I hear that he retired after losing to Wu Yifan?" The wolf-head man was confused.
"Who said he retired? Isn't that Wu Yifan spreading rumors? I'm quite close with him. Here's his business card, you can contact him." Wang Shu casually took out a business card and handed it to the wolf-head man, saying earnestly.
"Okay, I'll ask him about it later!" The wolf-head man accepted the business card with excitement. He had heard of this Wang Shu. He had also heard a few of Wang Shu's songs, both lyrics and composition were excellent. If he could buy a few songs from him, he might just make a comeback. Seeing that his goal was achieved, Wang Shu calmly returned to his seat, waiting for the competition results to be announced.
"What did you give him? Are you a one or a zero?" As Wang Shu returned to his seat, Zhang Liangying's gaze became playful, and she asked curiously.
"What one? My preferences are normal. I like beautiful women like you, with ample bosoms!" Wang Shu exclaimed, utterly speechless. He hadn't expected that simply giving the wolf-head man a business card would lead Zhang Liangying to imagine a gay relationship between them. What was wrong with society these days? Zhang Liangying's face turned red at Wang Shu's words. She had intended to tease Wang Shu, but instead of succeeding, she was flirted with. She even looked down at her chest. "Is it really that big?" Zhang Liangying wondered, as she felt her figure was only average.
Two minutes later, the voting results were announced. Wang Shu was still in first place. Many audience members looked disappointed when they saw Wang Shu had secured the top spot.
"What a shame. I originally didn't want to vote for him so I could see this sly guy's true face. But my hand wouldn't obey."
"Me too. My wife snatched my voting device early on, woohoo!"
"I voted for someone else, but then I felt a bit bad, so I snatched the voting device from the kid next to me and voted for Da Sheng!"
The audience members expressed their disappointment, but most of them, despite their words, honestly cast their votes for Qi Tian Da Sheng. Zhang Liangying ranked second. Despite her exceptional performance today, she couldn't surpass Wang Shu. Thus, she had to settle for second place, though her votes were not far behind Wang Shu's. In contrast, the wolf-head masked man, who ranked last, had an awkward number of votes, less than even a tenth of theirs. According to the show's rules, the last-place contestant had to reveal their identity.