Chapter 131: Everything Is Under My Control [Fourth Update]

Phew! Yu Zhile let out a sigh of relief. It was a close call, but he had made it to the grand finals!

He thanked the judges and the audience, then shared a gentle hug with the other three eliminated masked singers.

And just like that, the semifinals were over.

Ni Qiqin had just finished congratulating "Patrick Star" when the audience could no longer contain themselves and erupted in unison.

"Reveal the masks!"

"Reveal the masks!!!"

Of the eight semifinalists, five advanced to the finals while three were eliminated.

The eliminated singers could choose whether or not to reveal their identities before leaving.

For the audience, the most anticipated moment was naturally the unmasking—it was the only way to finally know who these singers really were and whether their guesses had been right.

Without the reveal, viewers wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly after the show, their curiosity left unquenched.

Human nature is inherently inquisitive, and when it comes to mysteries like this, people tend to obsess over the details.

Yu Zhile stood to the side, eager to know who these three singers were.

One of them was "Polar Bear," a familiar contestant who had appeared in the previous episodes. It was surprising that he had made it all the way to the semifinals.

The other three masked singers were strangers, but after watching the show and following discussions, Yu Zhile had a rough idea of their identities.

Regrettably, while the other two unmasked themselves, "Polar Bear" chose not to, saying something that tugged at everyone’s heartstrings: "I’m ugly, so I won’t reveal my face. I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed."

He continued, "But this is actually fine! I really love this show. It’s been the happiest and most fulfilling time in my music career."

"I really enjoyed the song that Teacher Patrick Star sang earlier, so you don’t need to care about who I am. Just remember that there was once a singer called Polar Bear on this show. That way, I’ll have no regrets."

From the front row, a female fan who had guessed his identity suddenly shouted hoarsely, "You’re handsome!"

"Thank you," Polar Bear replied with an awkward, bittersweet smile. In the end, he decided to keep his mask on, maintaining the last shred of mystery as he left the stage.

Yu Zhile sighed. In today’s image-driven era, especially in the entertainment industry, it’s truly tough for artists who don’t fit conventional standards of beauty.

If it weren’t for a show like this, which doesn’t rely on looks or require revealing faces, Polar Bear probably wouldn’t have dared to participate.

After all, everyone has a heart of flesh; no one can completely ignore criticism, humiliation, or harsh comments.

Those who seem indifferent have merely grown accustomed to the pain—it’s not optimism but a heart so weathered that there’s nowhere left to be hurt.

In the audience, several female viewers were moved to tears, their voices choking as they called out, "Keep going!" while watching Polar Bear walk away with a mix of grace and loneliness.

Yu Zhile reflected, "This is why I love this show so much."

...

After the recording wrapped up, dusk had already fallen. The session had lasted over eight hours, and Yu Zhile was feeling hungry.

He quickly slipped out of the studio, changed clothes, and headed back to the car to wait for his wife.

Yang Bing suddenly exclaimed, "You scared me! I thought you were going to be eliminated—I was already preparing to cover things up for you!"

"Uh..." Yu Zhile replied, "I was just about to say, wasn’t the extra song in the previous round some kind of rigging? They must have let me sing another song just to boost the show’s ratings!"

"No way! I swear! Since the first episode, all votes have been genuine! No backstage deals!"

Yang Bing said seriously, "I was a bit surprised you lost to the Masked Knight in the earlier rounds. But that guy sang such a thrilling rock song, so it’s understandable he narrowly beat you. Luckily, you made it through the final breakout round—otherwise, that would have been really frustrating!"

"It’s fine. Everything’s under control," Yu Zhile smiled, taking the jacket Yang Bing handed him, putting it on, lacing up his shoes, and preparing to leave. "Let’s go! See you at the finals!"

Yang Bing encouraged him, "The finals are all about your performance! You’ve got two weeks to think about what songs to sing and to practice hard!"

"Don’t worry. Now that I’m in the finals, I’ll give it my all and aim for the championship!"

Yu Zhile pulled out his phone, replying to messages from his wife as he briskly headed back to the car.

...

"Honey, why did you take so long to come out?"

This time, Yu Zhile was late. His wife had already been sitting in Xu Ling’s car for several minutes, and he was only now rushing over.

He removed the standard mask issued to the crew and explained, "I couldn’t hold it in—I had to queue for the bathroom!"

"Oh," Qin Haiyu replied without suspicion. After bidding farewell to her close friend Xu Ling, she got into her husband’s car and immediately began complaining, "Honey! That Patrick Star is so arrogant! He clearly prepared two original songs, but when we competed, he didn’t sing either one. Instead, he covered some obscure song! It’s obvious he didn’t take me seriously and showed no respect!"

Yu Zhile agreed, "I think that guy is way too cocky! How dare he look down on my wife? Good thing he made it to the finals! We’ll show him a thing or two then!"

"Mm-hmm!" Qin Haiyu was excited. "Honey, I’ll give you the championship trophy!"

My silly wife, thinking that’s all it takes to win!

That trophy isn’t just handed out because you say so—it depends on my performance!

Yu Zhile thought to himself but encouraged her nonetheless: "Go for it! If you win the championship, I’ll give you a big surprise!"

"Really? What kind of surprise?" Qin Haiyu beamed, full of anticipation.

Yu Zhile kept it a secret. "You’ll find out after you win. If you don’t, then no surprise!"

"I definitely will!" Qin Haiyu said confidently, already wishing the finals would start tomorrow.

"Yeah, if my wife says you can, then you can," Yu Zhile smiled subtly, already plotting how to snatch that trophy from her hands to claim it himself.

Of course, besides his wife, the other three finalists were formidable as well.

The Lone Wolf was manageable since most people had already guessed he was Zhou Jian, so there was no element of surprise.

The Old Boy was an old rival Yu Zhile had faced since the first episode, so beating him wouldn’t be difficult.

The Masked Knight was the strongest opponent of all. Yu Zhile could only guess that the Masked Knight was a genuine rock singer, though his identity remained a mystery.

If the competition involved other genres, Masked Knight might be at a disadvantage, but when it came to rock, this guy was truly impressive.

Qin Haiyu sat in the passenger seat, watching her husband drive with a serious expression. She eagerly said, "Only two weeks left! I really want the finals to come already!"

...

P.S. There will be an additional update shortly.