Chapter 128: Audition begins, masked assembly
The next day, Cheng Cheng landed in Fuhai City quietly without notifying anyone.

After arriving in Fuhai City, he immediately found a post-production company and went into the editing room to start post-production of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy".

On this side, the 30 episodes of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" have been completed and the post-production has begun. On the other side, the 20 episodes of "Love Apartment" have only been filmed for a small part, and the actors are tortured by the mistresses every day.

In the editing room, Cheng Cheng took an energy pill and started editing intensively. He received a call from Jiang Nan less than half an hour into the editing.

Jiang Nan's energetic voice came from the phone, and she said excitedly:

"Orange, what are you doing!"

"The filming of The Legend of Sword and Fairy has been completed, and I'm in the post-production stage," Cheng Cheng replied.

Jiang Nan asked: "Is it Imperial Capital?"

Cheng Cheng nodded: "Yes, in the Imperial Capital."

In order to avoid being exposed, Cheng Cheng would claim that he was in the Imperial Capital for the next one or two months.

Jiang Nan said crisply, "When will you come to Fuhai City? The Masked Singer invited me to be a judge. I'll be waiting for you in Fuhai City! We can be on the show together again, it's really great!"

Cheng Cheng said: "I know, I was the one who recommended you to the program team, but I probably won't go to Fuhai City."

"Ah?" Jiang Nan's voice dropped. "Why?"

Cheng Cheng said, "It's enough that the TV station has people from our company watching over it. The filming of The Legend of Sword and Fairy has been completed and I'm editing it now. It will probably take more than half a month. After the editing of The Legend of Sword and Fairy is over, I have to edit Love Apartment. In short, the editing task is very heavy and I can't spare the time."

"No! I haven't seen you for a long time!" Jiang Nan said unwillingly, "Are the people employed by your company just eating for free? Why do you, as a boss, have to work so hard? Can't you let them cut their hair?"

Cheng Cheng explained: "The company has also trained some editors and post-production engineers, but they are all newcomers and still need to grow. Besides, this is my work, so I feel at ease when I edit it myself."

"Well then~", Boss Jiang Nan was unwilling, pouted and said, "Then I will go back to Dijing tomorrow. I have made a lot of money recently, so I will treat you to a meal~ Also, have you sold your previous cars? I will buy you one! Then I will tell the salesperson to swipe my card! Hehe, how domineering!"

Cheng Cheng was shocked: "You're buying me a car?"

The subtext is: Are we being too ambiguous?

"What's wrong with buying a car?" Jiang Nan reacted strongly, "Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with buying a car for a boy, right? Didn't you also give me two songs? We are brothers, it's normal to buy a car for a brother, right? And aren't cars big toys for you boys?"

Jiang Nan tried his best to explain, trying to prove that this was a very normal thing between brothers.

Cheng Cheng was a little flattered and said, "That's not necessary, I actually have a car."

Jiang Nan certainly knew what his situation was, and said:

"That's your company's car, it's different from your own car! Why are you being so polite to each other? Don't you consider me a brother?"

Cheng Cheng hesitated and said, "I am definitely a younger brother to my brother, but I am really busy these days and I don't plan to leave the editing room. You won't be able to see me when you come to the Imperial Capital."

Jiang Nan said: "Then send me the address and I'll find you in the editing room!"

Cheng Cheng: “I won’t tell you.”

Jiang Nan: “Hmm?”

Cheng Cheng: "I really can't leave. I will definitely find you after I finish editing. I will have fun with you for a few days. You can go wherever you want."

"Hmph!" Jiang Nan pouted and said, "Alright! You must accompany me when the time comes, accompany me to do handicrafts, go rafting, and watch movies! Most importantly, I will buy you a car!"

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Nan hit the phone with his white and tender fist:
snort!
Bad orange, stinky orange!
Why are you being so secretive? Why don't you let anyone see you? Ha, it's like no one wants to see you!
After I vented my anger, the crew of "King of Masked Singer" called me.

"Teacher Jiang Nan, this is the "Masked Singer" program team. I'm Yang Shuo. Are you free in three days?"

Jiang Nan: "Hello, Miss Yang, does the program team have any arrangements?"

"Oh, that's right, Mr. Jiang Nan, the judges for our show have been officially confirmed. Next, we need your cooperation in shooting some final photos and promotional videos."

"Okay, no problem, I have time!" Jiang Nan blinked and asked, "Oh, by the way, who are the judges this time? Can you tell me?"

"..."

-

For the next two days, Cheng Cheng worked day and night and didn't sleep for 48 hours.

The reason why he worked so hard was to not delay the editing work and to leave enough time to participate in "King of Masked Singer".

His strategy was clever: by showing his high-speed editing progress, he made people think that it was impossible for him to be on the stage at the same time. This way, even if someone guessed that the masked person on the stage was him, they would not be sure.

This is equivalent to him creating an environment where he is unable to be in two places at once, in order to clear himself of suspicion.

On the third day, Cheng Cheng changed his clothes.

He was dressed as a handsome Taoist priest, wearing a dark red mottled Taoist robe and a mask that fit his face very well.

There was a human face painted on the mask, with dark eyes that looked completely inhuman. Red dye was used on the forehead and around the eyes to create the effect of dried blood.

In the middle of the eye, there is a small hole with a diameter of two centimeters, allowing Cheng Cheng to look out. However, because the hole is extremely small and just happens to be in line with Cheng Cheng's pupil, it still looks pitch black from the front.

In the lower half of the mask, where the mouth is, there is a mesh area, which is where the sound is emitted when singing.

In addition to this, outside the mask, there is also a half-copper coin mask that covers the mesh area.

At the same time, Cheng Cheng was wearing a wig on his head, which was tied into a Taoist bun. The black silk was like a waterfall, with two strands hanging in front of his chest. The whole person looked very evil and weird.

This is Cheng Cheng's Masked Singer outfit - Dao Guiyixian, Li Huowang!
In fact, when deciding on the image, Cheng Cheng struggled for a long time. He wanted to choose Ultraman, Kamen Rider, Sun Wukong, Batman, Spider-man, etc., but after thinking about it, he still chose Brother Huozi.

Because Huozige is more in line with his mental state:
I'm not the crazy one!
The whole world is crazy!
And Brother Huozi is also a time traveler, and he is also a time traveler, which makes them even more compatible. Maybe they are both from the same parallel world.

After changing his clothes, Cheng Cheng stood in front of a full-length mirror, looked at himself in the mirror, raised his head and laughed a few times.

For a moment, the copper coin masks collided with each other, making a jingling sound, and the black hair fluttered in all directions.

Suddenly, Cheng Cheng was more satisfied with his image:
Very crazy, very insane, very beautiful!
Surely, no one would be able to recognize him just by his appearance, right?

After admiring himself, Cheng Cheng went out, took a taxi and went to Fu Hai TV Station.

-

On the other side, Xu Lin had already arrived at Fuhai TV Station.

The code name she gave herself was "Today I Meet the Person in the Cocoon", or "The Person in the Cocoon" for short.

The masked suit was designed by her herself and fits her code name very well.

The suit is white and oval in shape, with various white threads wrapped around the outside, just like wearing a giant cocoon on the body. The cocoon completely wraps her body, with her arms and legs sticking out from four holes.

The head is a white ball with a black "X" drawn on the mouth, designed to look like it's sealed with black tape.

"Hello, Teacher Jianzhongren, you must have worked hard along the way. Let's go to the lounge and wait for a while." A staff member came hurriedly. Her name was Cai Qing, the person in charge of Jianzhongren's special line.

"Okay." Xu Lin nodded, spoke sparingly, and went to the lounge with her.

During this process, Cai Qing had been observing Xu Lin and guessing her identity.

The true identities of all the participating artists are only known by three people: station director Huo Xiwen, director Cheng Cheng, and assistant director Zhang Yibai. No one else knows.

Although the TV station staff guessed that the participating artists were very famous and some even had very legendary experiences, they didn't know who they were exactly and were extremely curious.

"Teacher Cocoon Man, we're here." Cai Qing was very frustrated. She looked all the way but couldn't recognize who Cocoon Man was.

There were already four people sitting in the lounge, namely "Lemonade is the water of life", "My H key doesn't work", "Isolating myself by staying up late at night", and "Spider webs on the white wall".

The four people's names are all long.

"Lemonade is the water of life" has a lemon on his head, "My H key doesn't work" has a huge 'H' on his head, "Sleeping late at night and isolating myself" has a nightcap and pajamas on his head, and "Spider web on the white wall" has a face shaped like a spider web.

When Xu Lin appeared, the four people with strange heads looked at her.

Cai Qing quickly introduced everyone.

The Chinese have a special skill, which is the ability to accurately find a simple name from a long list of nicknames.

For example, “Lemonade is the water of life”, everyone basically calls it “the water of life” instead of “lemonade”; “My H key doesn’t work” everyone tends to call it “H key” instead of “doesn’t work”; “Staying up late at night and isolating myself” is more difficult, but after a little thought it should be called ‘late night’; “Spider webs on the white wall” has two nouns, it can be called ‘white wall’ or ‘spider web’, but because its facial design is a spider web, it can only be called spider web.

After the introduction, Cai Qing said to Xu Lin: "Teacher Jianzhongren, please sit in the lounge and take a rest. I will go get you a glass of water. What would you like to drink? We have tea, beverages, cola, and juice here."

Cai Qing mentioned seven or eight kinds in total.

Xu Lin lowered her voice and said, "Just clean water will do."

"Oh, okay." Cai Qing left in a hurry.

After a while, she came back with some water and found that the Cocoon Man was still standing, so she asked in confusion: "Teacher Cocoon Man, why don't you sit down?"

Xu Lin looked at her without saying a word. Soon, Cai Qing discovered the problem and apologized awkwardly:
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jianzhongren, I didn't realize that your clothes couldn't fit. How about you change your clothes first?"

Xu Lin shook her head: "No, I'll just stand there for a while."

Cai Qing said apologetically, "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Jianzhongren. Please wait in the lounge for a while. I will let you know when the audition is later."

Xu Lin: "Okay."

After Cai Qing left, the lounge fell silent. No one seemed to want to expose their voices. They all sat upright, with no one knowing what expressions they had under their masks.

But at this moment, "Water of Life" seemed to be unable to endure the silent and oppressive atmosphere, and took the lead in breaking the silence and said:

"I heard that there are six contestants competing in each episode. Now the five of us are waiting here for the audition. Do you think we are from the same episode?" As soon as he opened his mouth, the other four began to try to figure out his voice.

His voice sounded like that of a man between 25 and 40 years old. He spoke in standard English without any accent. His voice was clear and gentle, but not very recognizable. No one present could tell who he was.

Maybe he is not well-known, or maybe he changed his voice.

Xu Lin didn't know the answer to this question, so she remained silent.

At this time, Shen Ye spoke. His voice was deliberately disguised. Just by listening to the voice, it was impossible to tell who it was. He said:

"I asked my line manager before, and he told me that the artists appearing in each episode are ranked based on the results of the audition and their past resumes, so the five of us are not necessarily competitors."

When he said this, everyone understood:

In order to ensure the program effect, the program team will definitely distribute the strong players evenly into each episode to ensure that each episode has something to watch. Otherwise, if the strong players gather together, one episode may be interesting, but the rest will become a fight between weaklings, which will inevitably affect the ratings.

Seeing that two people were talking, the others stopped being reserved and started chatting tentatively.

Soon, the topic turned to Xu Lin.

Besides Xu Lin, H Jian was the only female present.

H Jian looked Xu Lin up and down and said, "I always feel like you look like a friend of mine, but I don't dare to recognize you."

Xu Lin said calmly: "You probably don't know me. I'm not famous in the circle."

H Jian shook his head and said, "No, your voice is too similar! Although you deliberately lowered your voice, I can still guess some of it. You are not unknown in the circle!"

Life Water listened to their conversation and said, "How about this, we each publish a piece of true information about ourselves?"

His words quickly sparked agreement.

H Key said: "Let me go first, I'm a singer!"

Life Water was dissatisfied: "Hey, it's boring if you do this. Who here is not a singer?"

But Spider Web said, "I'm not a singer."

Life Water looked at him and asked in surprise, "There really is someone who is not a singer? Are you an actor? Or a host?"

Spider Web said: "Neither, that's all I can say."

Life Water was puzzled: "Not an actor? Not a singer? Not a host? Then what is it? Is there anything else? Is it a director? Or a talk show host? That's not right. Talk show hosts are also considered actors! Oh, is it a dancer?"

Spider Web looked noncommittal and said calmly, "It's possible."

Life Water was very angry. It was so boring to chat with this group of people. They were all secretive.

At this time, Shen Ye said: "I have been in the industry for thirty-three years."

When he said this, the other four people were shocked.

Thirty-three years?

Doesn’t that mean he is a senior?

If he were a singer, he would probably be a king of singers!
H Jian looked at him in shock and asked, "Which senior are you?"

Late at night, he laughed and said, “I’m not a senior, I just debuted earlier, not that I sing better.”

Although he said so, others didn't believe it at all and started to guess from the big names in the music industry.

Who on earth is it?
Han Shi? Liu Xi? Or Sun Mu?

Or maybe the previous rumors are true, and this senior is Hou Caisheng?
The spider web asked the water of life: "You only ask us, what about you?"

Life Waterway: "I have been in the industry for 17 years."

Hey!
There are really many hidden dragons and crouching tigers here!

Finally, Xu Lin was the only one who didn't reveal her real information.

The other four people looked at her, especially H Jian, and almost wanted to pull off her mask to see what was going on!
Xu Lin thought for a moment and said, "I used to be under Glacier Records."

The first time I showed surprise late at night:

"What? You're from Hyoga?!"

No wonder I was so surprised late at night. Glacier International Music Co., Ltd. was founded in 1981. It is the largest independent record company in Asia, and its status is equivalent to the Rolling Stones in the previous life.

It can be said that Binghe Music is a pioneer in popularizing Chinese pop music and the ideal and belief of musicians of an era. As a top record company, it has cultivated singers from almost the entire Chinese music scene. Countless superstar singers have come from its ranks. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is the originator of the Chinese music scene!

If the person in the cocoon is really under Binghe's command, then her background must be very powerful!
Because there were no mediocre people in the glacier of that era!

Xu Lin said: "I was indeed under Binghe in the past."

H Key was even more certain: "Then I know who you are!"

The Water of Life asked, “Who is it?”

H Jian said mysteriously: "I can't tell you, I just need to know it myself."

Spider Web was a little depressed. He thought he would definitely make a splash this time, but what did he see after he arrived?
There are veteran singers who have debuted for 33 years, there are great singers who came from Glacier Records, and there is H Jian, a veteran who seems to know everyone.

He also sang a song called Jimao!
Even Life Water, who looks the most active and the least arrogant, has been in the industry for 17 years!

But at this moment, the door was opened at some point, and a red creature stood silently at the door.

The wind blew in, bringing a cool breeze.

H looked at the door and screamed, "Oh my god, who are you?!"

The staff member popped his head out from behind the "red creature" and apologized quickly:

"Dear teachers, I'm sorry to scare you all. This is Mr. Li Huowang who loves flying kites."

Not only did it scare the participating artists present, but Cheng Cheng also gave him a fright when he first appeared.

Cheng Cheng walked in with a wooden sword in his hand as if no one was around. He found a place to sit down, then placed the wooden sword across his knees and sat there without saying a word.

He is now disguising his identity in order to avoid being recognized and to have fewer attacks.

When other people looked at Cheng Cheng's outfit, they all felt that it was not in the same style:

Why do you dress so handsomely while we look so fat?

Life Water is a bit in the mood for a change of clothes.

Look at him, how handsome he is!
Sitting there, holding a wooden sword across his body, with his loose black hair and a unique copper coin mask, he looked like someone with a story. But he, with a big lemon on his head, looked like a three-year-old's doll, and his aura was a little weaker.

Shen Ye was also very interested in Cheng Cheng. From his physique, he judged that Cheng Cheng should be a young man. He inquired about his information and asked:
“Are you a singer too?”

Cheng Cheng spoke out word by word:

"singer."

"actor."

"Dancer."

His handsome looks and the way he speaks make him seem even more mysterious.

“Singer, actor, dancer?” I thought to myself late at night, this is an all-rounder! Are the young generation of artists in mainland China so well-rounded?
But this is not over yet, Cheng Cheng continued:
"poet."

"screenwriter."

“Bestselling author.”

“Parkour enthusiast.”

"A full face of gold."

“Disengaged company president.”

“A pianist who is about to become world-famous.”

“Amateur photographer.”

“Amateur electrician.”

“Amateur coder.”

"A person who travels between two worlds."

"The one who brought the dead back to life."

"One meter eighty-five."

Listening to this series of titles, Life Water was intoxicated: OK, another person who is full of nonsense. Is there any one of these titles that can be believed? And what the hell is a person who travels between two worlds and a person who brings the dead back to life?

What is a full face of gold?
Is it necessary to say that I’m 1.85 meters tall?
Late in the night, they realized they had been tricked, and everyone else was speechless.

(End of this chapter)