Chapter 104: Husband, You’ve Been Exposed!

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If I wanted to join the show, I could just tell Old Yang straight away. After all, this is Yang’s program.
Of course, neither Qin Haiyu nor Xu Ling knew that Masked Song King was actually planned by Yang Bing, and that the principal person in charge was Old Yang, not Director Zhang. Since Yang Bing had no directing experience, everyone naturally assumed Director Zhang was in charge, and they overlooked Yang completely. So only the insiders and Yu Zhile, who knew the backstory, were aware that Masked Song King was really a Yang Bing project.

Yu said, “If I join too, then it’ll become a show where our couple do a little public display of affection on screen. The impression would be awful. The audience would tear us apart.”
Qin Haiyu replied, “You’re all in masks and full-face disguises. We can just pretend we don’t know each other, just don’t act affectionate.”
“Even so, it’s torture,” Yu said. “So never mind.”
“Fine…”

Qin Haiyu didn’t push too hard either. Given who he was, pretending not to recognize each other and not exchanging glances of tenderness would be too difficult for them.

Yu did want to be on Masked Song King, and he had already told Old Yang as much, so Old Yang had reserved him a spot. Now it was just a matter of what he decided in the end.

In truth, with his own singing ability and level, he didn’t think he’d be the first to be eliminated from such a polished program, but winning outright would be extremely unlikely.
Even with her heavenly voice and beautiful tone, Qin Haiyu would still find it hard to take the title. In terms of vocals, they were top-tier at most, but this show would naturally attract singers of truly elite level. The competition would be fierce.

Without brain-dead fanatics and backstage manipulation, any singer who reaches the finals is basically among the peak of the music world.
Because he understood music so well, Yu knew exactly where he stood, and exactly where his wife stood.
They were better than most singers, but compared with the true elites, they’d still seem lacking. Some people are simply born for music. Some things are beyond what effort alone can build.

Yu said, “Wife, if you join this show, it seems you shouldn’t sing the new songs I wrote for you. It’d be too easy for people to recognize you.”
Qin Haiyu, eyes brightening, asked, “Husband, you wrote new songs again? Weren’t you busy lately with children’s songs and fairy tales?”
Yu answered vaguely, “Just one or two in my spare time. But to avoid being recognized by the audience, you should do covers on this show. Drop your pitch a little and they still probably won’t identify you.”
Qin Haiyu nodded. “Mm. So this time I’ll switch up my song style. When I join, you’ll have to rearrange the songs for me.”

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Yu asked curiously, “Switch to what?”
Qin Haiyu said, “I want to try folk and rock.”
Yu teased, “Folk suits you. But rock? What on earth is that for you? Wife, your nature is so gentle—rock doesn’t fit at all.”
She pouted, “How is it not? I can hit high notes, too. A woman in rock can be so cool. I never dare to try it normally, but this program doesn’t require us to show our faces. I can finally let go and try.”

After a moment, Yu said, “Wife, starting today, change your look first.”
She frowned. “How is that related?”
“Of course it is! If you go for rock, you need a style with enough impact. You, with that soft, delicate look, have zero rock vibe. In a few days I’ll teach you a bit of a hard rock dance. First I’ll pick out clothes for you, to shift you from a gentle, lovable cute-wife image into a cool, sharp, confident woman.”
Qin Haiyu looked at him, suspicious. “Husband, why do you suddenly sound like you’re up to some other scheme?”
Yu, selecting clothes online, explained, “Nonsense! I’m not into uniforms or that kind of thing. I’m doing this so you can perform better onstage.”
She laughed. “There it is—you just gave yourself away.”

Qin Haiyu gave in with a grin. She thought maybe her husband had developed a new fancy…
She remembered the day they returned from shooting that “Mightiest Buffalo Sour Milk” commercial. She’d worn a school uniform with twin braids. Then he had stared at her as if frozen. They were so exhausted after that shoot they could barely get out of bed to nurse the baby.

Now he was suddenly shopping her stylish, hard-rock outfits. Her sixth sense whispered that once these arrived, his masculine instinct would finally come out in full force.
Still, she had to admit, she was oddly looking forward to it.

The next day, the clothes arrived, and Qin Haiyu realized she really did understand her husband well.
Changing image, adapting to rock style, learning power dance—none of it would be that easy.
“Be a bit more domineering. Think of a cold, commanding lady boss making an entrance.”
“Like this?”
“Mm. That’s getting closer. But your eyes are still full of kindness. No sign of that disdainful edge.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Cough. This is fine already. Keep going, don’t stop. More rough, more commanding!”

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“Bad girl.”
Qin Haiyu, half-annoyed, tapped Yu on the shoulder, but she obeyed and kept going.
Yu lay back, relaxed and comfortable, with an odd certainty in mind: his wife was right in her ovulation window, and after this she would almost certainly be pregnant with a second child.

An hour later, the two of them, tired from too much effort, lay exhausted but content and fell asleep through their noon nap.
Fortunately the baby had not woken yet, or they would have had to crawl off the bed to handle the child.

After resting well for two days, Yu truly began teaching his wife to dance.
He had come from a music school, so being good at both singing and dancing was no novelty to him—he simply hadn’t done it in a while.
Choreographing a short rock-style routine was no challenge for Yu. Of course, because Masked Song King required masks, the dance couldn’t be overly risqué.

So his choreography focused on footwork and movement. He imagined her black stockings and long legs as she sang and moved onstage—
elegant, sexy, and explosive.
The visual impact alone would win plenty of viewer votes.

Vocally, however, rock was still a challenge for Qin Haiyu. Her voice was naturally sweet and delicate; the rock style went against those traits.
But she had studied broadcasting, and she had an innate ability to color and shift her tone, so even singing with constrained power she could still deliver a touch of rock grit.
Just more practice was still needed.

After several days of rehearsing both singing and dancing with his wife, Yu had made up his mind.
After she finishes Masked Song King, she’ll basically step away from the music scene for a year or two. They both felt the second child was arriving at about the right time, so from now on they would switch roles.
He would handle the outside world; she would keep things at home.

So Yu sent Old Yang a message: he had decided to join Masked Song King. When the time came, he’d need his mother to help cover it from Qin Haiyu, because if he was going to take part, he had to give his wife a romantic surprise first.