Chapter 126: None of Them Match [Fourth Update]
After the second round of performances in the third episode of "Masked Singer," Qin Haiyu finally got to be the King of Singers before advancing to the semifinals!
The crystal-crafted King of Singers trophy wasn’t large, but it was hefty and substantial—just like the weight her husband held in her heart.
She was overjoyed!
She longed to finish the recording immediately, hand the trophy to her husband, and win his smile along with a compliment.
“Congratulations!”
On stage, Yu Zhile congratulated his wife, but she only responded with a faint “thank you,” as if an iceberg stood between them.
This feeling oddly pleased Yu Zhile—it meant that in his wife’s eyes, there was no room for any other man, especially those who had ever hinted at or been mistaken for something inappropriate with her.
The more exclusive her attention was to him, the more quietly delighted he became.
When his identity was finally revealed, he wondered how shocked she would be.
Would she angrily throw herself into his arms and pound his chest with her little fists?
He was quite looking forward to that!
But it was still too soon.
They had only advanced to the semifinals, and it would be over a month before the semifinals’ recording, and at least two months before the finals.
…
After wrapping up the episode’s filming, Yu Zhile quickly slipped back into the car, waiting for his beaming wife to approach, trophy in hand.
Seeing Yu Zhile in the car, Xu Ling decided not to interrupt the couple’s display of affection. She got into her own car and waved as she drove off.
“Husband, praise me! Quickly! Hurry!”
Before Qin Haiyu even got in, she held out the King of Singers trophy with both hands to her husband, then playfully sought his praise like a little girl.
Yu Zhile chuckled at her antics and said, “Get in the car first! Otherwise, it’ll be embarrassing if someone sees you acting so coquettish!”
Qin Haiyu slid into the car, her face lit with a smile. “Praise me!”
Yu Zhile complied, “Wife, you’re amazing!”
“Flippant!”
Pouting happily, Qin Haiyu said, “Do it again. Praise me for singing beautifully!”
Hmm…
Yu Zhile thought for a moment, then said, “Wife, my ears are pregnant. The child is yours!”
“Pfft, is that supposed to be praise?” Qin Haiyu laughed radiantly.
Yu Zhile started the car and said, “Of course it’s praise! Don’t viewers often say their ears are pregnant when they hear a beautiful song? So, wife, you just got my ears pregnant—you have to take responsibility!”
“Alright then!”
Qin Haiyu smiled, “But you have to give birth first!”
Yu Zhile suddenly sighed, “They were pregnant at first, but after hearing ‘Patrick Star’ sing, my ears suddenly had a miscarriage!”
“Ha!”
Qin Haiyu laughed, “Husband, isn’t it unfair to blame him? Although I was a little confused by his song last episode, he’s not really annoying otherwise. Let’s be magnanimous and not single him out! That wouldn’t be nice.”
Yu Zhile said, “For the sake of my wife’s kindness, I won’t hold it against him! But he can forget about the championship! Otherwise, he’d get way too full of himself.”
Qin Haiyu put down the trophy and nodded, “Mm-hmm! Provided he even makes it past the semifinals! If he gets eliminated then, there’s no need to compete with him in the finals!”
Yu Zhile then asked, “By the way, wife, is that Yang Xuan very famous? I don’t even know who she is. Didn’t the producers invite singers who are both talented and well-known?”
Qin Haiyu said, “She was the lead singer of a girl group that was popular before. But the group disbanded two years ago, and since she went to university, she’s faded from the spotlight. She also got a bit chubby growing up, so if the audience didn’t call her name, I might not have recognized her.”
“No wonder I was so confused! But her singing is quite good—stronger than most female singers—it’s just her song choices that are a real flaw,” Yu Zhile commented.
Qin Haiyu then asked, “Husband, do you know the ratings for last night’s second episode?”
Yu Zhile replied, “The premiere had a 2.78% rating, and last night’s second episode was 2.96%. I think the next episode might hit 3%!”
“Impressive!”
Qin Haiyu said, “I didn’t expect the show’s ratings to actually reach 3%! If it keeps rising steadily, it might even hit 4%!”
Yu Zhile said, “I told you! As long as the producers film it well, with this show’s concept, it’s hard not to become a hit!”
…
A few days later, the third episode of "Masked Singer" aired. The popularity and buzz around “Red Rose” once again surpassed “Patrick Star,” reclaiming first place!
Countless viewers speculated about “Red Rose’s” identity. Since she portrayed the image of a creative female singer, few suspected she was Qin Haiyu anymore.
In this episode, her two original songs, “9420” and “Red High Heels,” exploded across the internet overnight!
Especially “9420,” whose unique numerical title went viral on short video platforms and social media.
Since they had advanced to the semifinals, Yu Zhile and his wife no longer needed to attend the recordings. With their advancement and Yang Xuan’s elimination, the three newly introduced masked singers sparked widespread anticipation and speculation online.
However, without “Red Rose” and “Patrick Star,” many viewers felt a bit disappointed and regretful.
After all, for three consecutive episodes, they had enjoyed such beautiful original songs. Now that these two original-singing stars had reached the semifinals, they wouldn’t appear in several upcoming episodes.
Consequently, the third episode hit a new high in ratings, just surpassing 3%, but a week later, the fourth episode’s ratings fell to 2.81%.
This showed how much “Red Rose” and “Patrick Star” boosted the ratings.
At this point, to further conceal the truth from his wife, Yu Zhile had Yang Bing arrange for someone to wear his mascot costume, creating a false appearance of “Patrick Star” on the show.
So when the fifth episode aired and the fake “Patrick Star” appeared on screen, Yu Zhile was surprised and curious: “Why is this guy so free? He’s already in the semifinals and has no part in this show anymore, yet he’s still showing up to grab camera time?”
His mother was dumbfounded.
When had her son slipped away to record the show? He hadn’t been out the past few days.
Qin Haiyu never suspected “Patrick Star” was her husband to begin with. Seeing “Patrick Star” appear on the show only deepened that certainty.
She wondered, “Wasn’t he supposed to be very busy? He didn’t even attend the rehearsals earlier; the director said his schedule was packed. So why does he suddenly have so much free time now?”
Yu Zhile explained, “Maybe his schedule just cleared up. But it’s strange—the show’s already at episode five, and many people are certain about other singers’ identities, yet his identity remains a mystery.”
Qin Haiyu said, “I’m curious too. A singer with such musical talent and beautiful voice shouldn’t be hidden away. So he must be somewhat famous, but no famous singer matches his style.”
Listening to their playful banter, Yu’s mother shook her head and sang a parody nursery rhyme to her beloved granddaughter:
“Two tigers, two tigers, running fast, running fast! One has no shame, the other no brain, how strange, how strange!”
…
P.S.: I’ll update one more chapter later to make it five updates total.