Those clothes were obviously tastefully chosen by Chen Xiaoyan. She understood Ye Lingchen well and ensured that no part of his body was exposed.
It was perfect that way.
Ye Lingchen put away his clothes and the call came as promised.
“Hello, are you Superman Sensei? I’m a crew member from King of Masked Singers and I’m tasked with welcoming you. My name is Su Mo.”
“Hello there.”
“Have you received the mask and costume?”
“I have.”
“Does everything fit? I’ll tell the designer to replace them if they don’t fit.”
“It’s fine.”
“Alright then. I’m here to inform you that the preparations for the program crew are all done, if all goes to plan, your program will be scheduled for tomorrow. You can come over this afternoon to familiarize yourself with the place. We’ll be broadcasting the whole show live, so it’s best to prepare in advance in order to prevent any issues from happening.”
“This afternoon, is it?”
“Mm. Do you have time to spare?”
“I do.”
“Mm, okay then. I’ll be waiting for you here. You can call me anytime.”
“Sure.”
It was important to familiarize themselves with it. After all, the entire show would be a live broadcast that had no option of rewinding. Therefore, he ought to be prepared for it.
Everyone wore a mask, and the idea of the program was very special. Everyone’s identity was kept confidential and the program group had to be extra cautious. Should any mistake happen, it would surely turn them into a laughingstock.
Of course, those were all trivial matters for Ye Lingchen.
3.30pm in the afternoon.
The King of Masked Singers’ program team were all eager and excited. They knew that everyone who went there that day were well-known singers, and despite being in the dark over their actual identities, they actually looked forward to it even more.
“How’s things? How many people have come here?”
“We have six now.”
“Is everything in place?”
“Mm. Each person is in a different room and I made sure none of them bumped into each other.”
“Good.”
“This show is really mysterious. Even our own people have no idea who’s who. Only those who invited them know who they are.”
“Makes it all the more interesting, doesn’t it?”
“Hurry up and get ready. Let the one who came first test their mics.”
Everyone went to do their respective duties.
They had to prepare stage effects, sound debugging, and sound testing for the instrumentalists.
At that point, a staff member had led one of the masked singers onto the stage. The singer’s pseudonym was Sun. The mask was also a smiling sun, which was both cute and festive.
Everyone looked at him curiously since they did not know his identity. The star also disguised himself very well too, communicating in a fake voice that sounded quite funny.
Then came the mic test. The person’s comical theatrics vanished as soon as they started singing. Their voice was loud and full of character.
The mic test was very successful, and although no one could guess who it was, the person’s singing was commendable and had every right to be on that stage.
Backstage with the program crew.
A little girl held her mobile phone tightly and paced to-and-fro. She looked a little distressed and anxious.
Finally, she gritted her teeth and made a call. “Superman Sensei, are you here yet?”
“Oh, I just arrived,” Ye Lingchen’s voice echoed faintly.
“You’re here? Where are you?” Su Mo quickly asked.
“At your entrance,” Ye Lingchen smiled.
Su Mo raised her head and walked forward quickly. She then saw a masked man who was completely covered from head to toe standing at the door.
“You are… Superman Sensei?”
“That’s me.”
“You came here in this outfit?” Su Mo asked. She was expecting to see the true face of a certain star, but he came fully dressed.
“What’s wrong? Are you disappointed?” Ye Lingchen looked at the little girl.
“I thought you would change your clothes when you got here, I wanted to see—”
“You wanted to look at me while I changed my clothes?!”
“???”
Upon reaching the room that was prepared for him by the program team, Ye Lingchen found that it was spacious, well-equipped, and well furnished.
Su Mo poured him a cup of tea and handed it over to Ye Lingchen. “Superman Sensei, please have some water.”
She then stared intently at Ye Lingchen.
However, Ye Lingchen sat there like some old deity and had no intention of taking off his mask. He simply said, “I’m not thirsty.”
Not one to give up, Su Mo took a snack and gave it to Ye Lingchen. “Superman Sensei, please have something to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Su Mo bit her lip.
The two of them sat face-to-face in the lounge, staring at each other.
That pesky little girl was still determined to trick him. His identity was rather special, and the identity of Singer Y would likely be recognized. If parts of him were revealed there, it would amount to revealing Singer Y’s characteristics.
Su Mo remained steadfast after a few moments of patience. She sorted out her thoughts and asked, “Superman Sensei, you must be a major player in the music industry.”
“What do you think?”
“I think you must be a superstar.”
“Hmm.”
“You’re not that old, right?”
“Take a guess.”
“Have you ever released an album?”
“Can’t recall.”
Su Mo was irked. What did he mean by ‘can’t recall’? He was obviously not giving in to her questions and completely shut her out. Was it that hard for him to have a proper chat?
Fortunately for Su Mo, Ye Lingchen soon took the initiative to speak.
“You look young. You’ve just graduated?”
“Mm, I’ve just graduated from a music conservatory this year and I’m doing my internship here,” Su Mo replied honestly.
“Not bad of you to do your internship in such a program right after you graduate. Why did you study music?” Ye Lingchen continued to ask.
“I like music, and I can make money if I make music.”
“It’s a good thing to treat your hobby as a career.” Ye Lingchen nodded. The next moment however, he advised her earnestly, “Young people shouldn’t put too much emphasis on making money though. You must understand that the world is fair. The more you get, the more you lose. Do you understand what I mean?”
Su Mo nodded pensively. “Yeah, sort of.”
Ye Lingchen looked at her with satisfaction. “Like me, for example. I made a lot of money, but there’s plenty of things missing in my life as a result.”
Su Mo looked at him curiously. “What is it that’s missing from your life?”
“Troubles.”
“…”
The atmosphere froze immediately.
Fortunately, there was a knock on the door a couple of seconds later, which broke the awkwardness.
“Hello, Superman Sensei. Your mic test begins.”
“Alright, let’s go.” Ye Lingchen took a step forward while the slightly irate Su Mo followed behind him.
Ye Lingchen was not the only who went out. The door next to his opened, and a person wearing a black feather mask exited the room. The person was obviously a woman as she was dressed in a black silk dress.
She was also one of their mysterious guests.
Things became tense in an instant when two of them made eye contact.
They walked side by side in silence and Su Mo quickly introduced them. “This is Superman Sensei. This is Miss Feather.”
Ye Lingchen nodded. “Hello.”
“Hi.” Feather nodded in response. “How old are you?”
Ye Lingchen suddenly made his voice hoarse. “Eighty, how about you?”
“Eighteen.”
“Oh, what’s your occupation?” Ye Lingchen’s voice returned to normal.
“Student, how about you?”
“Superman. Part-time savior of the world.”
“…”
Could he be serious for once? Was it that hard to be serious? Did he think it was nice to be spewing nonsense every time he opened his mouth?
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