I am Really a Superstar

On this day.

Zhang Ye\'s mask and costume had arrived. It wasn\'t sent to his house because he didn\'t give his home address to the station. Otherwise, they might spot it and easily identify him as a result. The address he gave to the King of Masked Singers program team was his eldest younger sister\'s home address. The courier from Beijing Television had already reached her place.

His eldest younger sister\'s call came in.

"Brother, your package has arrived."

"Thanks."

"What\'s in it?"

"It\'s a secret, hur hur."

"You\'re acting so mysterious. Shall I send it over to your place?"

"There\'s no need. I\'ll go there in a bit to collect it."

By the afternoon, he had the package in his hands.

When he reached home, Zhang Ye shut his bedroom door before opening the package. Then he took the items out one by one. There were actually quite a few, as all the gear from head to toe was placed inside.

The mask.

The clothes.

The pants.

The shoes.

And a pair of gloves.

Zhang Ye lifted the mask and placed it over his face to check if it fit. He looked in the mirror and was immediately quite satisfied with it. Zhang Ye had had a fair number of specifications for the mask, and gave Han Qi a list of design details to pass to the costume designer. This mask was not exactly made to look like the stereotypical clown with a red nose and sharp facial features. It had only one color. White, pure white. It did not have any special edges or fanciful stylings. It was the simplest and plainest, pure white mask, but did not look plain at all when put on. Instead, it represented a return to innocence and appeared elegant and refined.

The Clown: this was how other people saw him.

White: this was how Zhang Ye saw himself.

A "clown" wearing a white mask. This was the inspiration behind Zhang Ye\'s design.

He also put on the costume. He was wrapped up from head to toe, and if he were to go outside now, absolutely no one would recognize him. Even he was unable to recognize himself, as all of the features and traits that distinguished him were covered up!

Fantastic!

This would do!

He took off the costume and placed everything back into the package. Then a call came in.

It was his other cell phone.

"Hello, Teacher. It\'s Han Qi."

"Hello."

"Have you received the mask and costume yet?"

"Yes."

"Does it fit? If not, I\'ll get the designer to alter it."

"It fits great."

"Great. So it\'s like this. Construction on the set has almost finished. We\'ll be doing some simple mic and sound tests tomorrow here in the studio. We would also like to have a look at all the participating teachers in their costumes. This is, after all, meant to be televised, so we need to do a check beforehand. There might also be an audition. The station has placed a lot of emphasis on the show this time and the execs are coming to inspect the production. If, if you\'re free, sir, could you please come and attend?"

"What time?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"OK."

"Th-Then please call me when you arrive, sir. I\'ll be waiting for you."

"OK."

An audition?

This was not unexpected.

Due to the special nature of this show, a lot of processes could not follow the standard operating procedures of previous shows. Especially for someone like him who would not even divulge his identity, how could he expect them to rest easy? He couldn\'t possibly assure them with just a recorded sample clip of his a cappella singing. They would have to at least listen to a live performance of his. While he was at it, he could familiarize himself with the stage and meet the program team staff. That was what it was all about.

Let\'s do it then.

He had been ready for a while now anyway.

...

The next day.

At 9 in the morning.

King of Masked Singers\' program team staff were in full anticipation mode. Those who knew which celebrities were coming all felt excited, while those who didn\'t know the identities of the contestants were all curious and looking forward to it.

"Are they here yet?"

"Five of them have already arrived!"

"Where\'d you arrange for them to go?"

"They\'ve all been put into different waiting rooms so that they wouldn\'t bump into each other."

"Good."

"Brother Hu, when do we start?"

"We can start now. Make them come out one at a time."

"OK, I\'ll go and arrange it!"

"Be alert, the station heads might be coming to have a look."

"Understood!"

Everyone got down to business.

They adjusted the audio as the band did their sound checks.

After that, the first masked singer came onstage. He gave himself the stage name "Sunflower in the Starlight," and in accordance, his mask was designed to look like a cute sunflower. Other than Hu Fei and Dong Shanshan, basically no one else on the program team knew who this person was. In an instant, everyone\'s gaze fell curiously upon him. He did not bring his agent or assistant along today, because it could have inadvertently revealed his identity. He came alone and walked to the band that the program team had invited. After communicating a few simple words with them, he stood onstage.

Although his face could not be seen through the mask, the moment he gripped the microphone, Teacher Sunflower in the Starlight\'s stage presence immediately changed!

The moment he opened his mouth, his voice shocked the entire studio!

This song was titled "Hope," and was a very famous song in this world!

The band members were under no pressure even though they did not have a prior discussion about the song with this masked teacher. They managed to sync up seamlessly to the meter and beat in no time at all!

They were all professionals, so it was no sweat.

Even though they were not familiar with the song, they could still easily play the accompaniment to the vocals. This was because they were the "Miracle Wheels," a very famous band in the industry. Most television shows would find it very difficult to invite them onto their show, so it could be seen how much effort Beijing Television had put into the production of this show!

...

Backstage.

In a waiting room.

Han Qi was waiting outside the room, restless and tense, unsure of what she was really feeling, though she mostly felt perturbed.

Why is he not here yet?

Where is he?

She made another call. "Hello, Teacher. Have you arrived yet?"

A voice came from the phone. "I have."

Han Qi said: "Ah? Where are you?"

That person said: "Turn around."

She suddenly heard the voice coming from behind her.

Han Qi turned around in consternation. "D-Did you come here wearing that?"

The Clown said, "Yes."

Han Qi had thought that she could finally see the man\'s real face today and find out who he was. But she didn\'t expect that he would make his way here while wearing his mask. "Uh, are you ready, sir?"

"I\'m ready anytime."

Han Qi coughed. "Teacher Clown, are you a senior of the music industry?" She began trying to sound him out.

"Guess."

"Uh, you must surely be quite the big shot."

"Not necessarily."

"What\'s your actual occupation, sir?"

"I\'m a worker."

Han Qi was speechless.

You\'re still saying you\'re a worker?

Can you stop pretending, please?

She knew that it was impossible to find out anything. This person was much too evasive and obviously did not want to disclose any information. He clearly did not want anyone to find out his identity!

But, but you still shouldn\'t say that you are a worker just because of that!

The two of them went into the waiting room and sat facing each other. The atmosphere was extremely awkward.

The Clown did not say a word. It seemed like he did not enjoy talking much.

Meanwhile, Han Qi did not know what to say. But as she didn\'t want things to be so awkward, she attempted to make conversation.

"Your mask is really beautiful."

"Thank you."

"You\'re not too old, right?"

"I\'m not young."

"Ah, last time you said you weren\'t old, sir."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh, then I\'m not old."

Han Qi was on the verge of tears. Talking to this guy was nothing but a goddamn exercise in smoke and mirrors. She couldn\'t tell which of the things The Clown said were true and which were false. Most importantly, he was still speaking in a gravelly voice, so how could she possibly guess who it was? She simply could not make out who he was!

This deadlock went on for a good half hour.

Suddenly, someone knocked gingerly on the door.

Dong dong. They heard an employee say, "Han Qi, it\'s time for the teacher to go onstage."

"Alright!" Han Qi felt a great sense of relief. "Teacher Clown, it\'s your turn."

The Clown nodded. "Let\'s go."

In the corridor.

Zhang Ye was walking out as someone came in.

Coming in the opposite direction was someone wearing a mask. The figure appeared to be a woman\'s.

As Zhang Ye and she passed each other, the two of them gave each other a curious glance. There was a hint of scrutiny in their eyes. Those eyes, that figure. Zhang Ye felt a hint of familiarity. He believed he had probably seen this young woman before, and may even know her. But as for who she was, he could not tell. Upon further consideration, he realized that the stars he knew in the industry were not small-timers. It looked like this competition was truly going to be a tough battle. In his first foray into the music industry, it had better not end up with him getting crushed within the first two rounds! That would be really embarrassing!

The two of them stopped in their tracks with unspoken agreement, and then looked at one another.

Han Qi wiped her sweat away and introduced them to each other. "This is Teacher Clown. And this is Teacher Sunset Glow."

Wasn\'t she pretty young?

So why did she call herself Sunset Glow?

Zhang Ye nodded his head in greeting.

Sunset Glow looked at him. "Do we know each other?"

Zhang Ye spoke in a gravelly voice, "I don\'t know."

Sunset Glow smiled. "How old are you?

Zhang Ye lied without blinking. "Fifty, and you?"

Sunset Glow said, "I\'m fifteen."

Zhang Ye blinked. "Your occupation?"

Sunset Glow said, "I\'m a student, and you?

Zhang Ye replied, "I\'m a worker."

Sunset Glow had no response.

Though they tried to sound each other out with all those questions, neither managed to identify the other.

Both Han Qi and Sunset Glow\'s Beijing Television assistant didn\'t know whether to laugh or cry. Why were all modern celebrities like this?

A worker?

A student?

Fifty?

Fifteen?

Would you two die if you ever stopped bullshitting?!