Chapter 133: Surely They Haven't Actually Forfeited, Have They?

The grand finale of "King of Masked Singers" was held at the main venue of the Cultural Center. Since the finale was scheduled for a live broadcast on Saturday night, Yu's mother took the time to look after her granddaughter, allowing her son and daughter-in-law to attend the show.

At noon, under the pretext of escorting his wife, Yu Zhiyue, with his mother's cooperation, successfully headed to the Cultural Center with his wife. Upon arrival, Qin Haiyu parted ways with her husband and, accompanied by Xu Ling, went inside to rehearse. Since it was the grand finale and a live broadcast, all singers had to rehearse to ensure everything went smoothly.

Qin Haiyu had prepared four songs for this occasion, two of which were original compositions provided by her husband. During rehearsals, she only sang the two well-known songs. For the two original tracks, she let the band rehearse the accompaniment while she saved her voice; these were her secret weapons, and she couldn't risk exposing them prematurely.

After finishing her rehearsal and getting acclimated to the stage, Qin Haiyu noticed that "Patrick Star" was nowhere to be seen. She wondered if he was really going to skip the rehearsal at such a critical moment. In truth, Yu Zhiyue had no intention of rehearsing; if he did, his songs would be revealed to the other contestants, which would ruin the surprise. He was content with the band rehearsing the accompaniment.

Director Zhang was puzzled and asked Yang Bing, "What is going on with 'Patrick Star'? Don't tell me he’s too busy to attend the final rehearsal for such an important occasion!"

Yang Bing replied, "He is indeed busy, but you can rest assured! As long as the band plays the music correctly, whether he rehearses or not doesn't really matter. After all, it’s not like he’s never been on this stage before."

Director Zhang asked curiously, "Do you mean he has held a concert here?"

"Uh, something like that," Yang Bing replied vaguely.

Director Zhang grumbled, "What do you mean by 'something like that'? You’ve been hiding it from me for so long; now that it’s the finale, can you finally tell me who he is?"

Yang Bing remained tight-lipped. "Director Zhang, it's the final day. Just bear with it a little longer. When he wins the championship and unveils his mask, you’ll find out soon enough."

"I swear, I really want to strangle you!" Director Zhang muttered through gritted teeth. Throughout the summer, his curiosity about "Patrick Star's" identity had caused him to lose quite a bit of hair, all thanks to Yang Bing. Fortunately, it was the final day; just a few more hours, and the mystery would naturally be resolved.

However, a new problem arose. Director Zhang asked, "What if he doesn't win? What if he chooses not to unveil his mask?"

"Uh..." Yang Bing hadn't considered that. He said, "That shouldn't happen, should it? I think his chances of winning are over 90%!"

"You're dreaming!" Director Zhang retorted. "In my opinion, Qin Haiyu has a much better chance of winning than him! And with those original songs her husband prepared for her, she’s not afraid of him at all!"

Yang Bing chuckled. The irony was that "Patrick Star" was actually Qin Haiyu's husband. While her chances of winning were high, facing her own husband was a different matter entirely. "Just wait and see! Tonight, he will definitely be the most dazzling star on this stage!" Yang Bing was so confident in Yu Zhiyue that it only fueled Director Zhang's curiosity further.

By evening, the singers had rested in their private dressing rooms. Director Zhang still hadn't seen "Patrick Star," so he approached Yang Bing with a furrowed brow. "How is it that he still hasn't arrived? It’s already six o'clock; the live broadcast starts in two hours! If he’s late, can he bear the losses?"

Yang Bing said calmly, "Don't worry, Director Zhang! He’s already here, just not in the backstage area yet. That costume is quite suffocating, after all."

Director Zhang was skeptical. "Don't try to fool me at such a critical moment."

"I swear on my life!" Yang Bing insisted. "He really is already at the venue; he just hasn't put on the costume yet!"

"I'll take your word for it for now," Director Zhang warned. "The live broadcast of the finale cannot go wrong. Just ensure he isn't late or absent!"

"Don't worry, he won't be," Yang Bing reaffirmed.

An hour later, as night fell and the audience began to enter, there was less than an hour until the live broadcast. Backstage, the other four masked singers gathered. Qin Haiyu looked around, puzzled, "It's this late, and 'Patrick Star' still isn't here?"

"Lone Wolf" also wondered, "He didn't come to rehearse for such an important event; could he have withdrawn from the finals?"

"Masked Hero" frowned, "If that's the case, he'll have to compensate the production team for significant losses!"

"Old Boy" asked curiously, "Does anyone know who he actually is? The show has been airing for so long, and most of our identities have been guessed by netizens, but he remains a mystery. It's baffling!"

Qin Haiyu paused. Hearing this, she wondered if they had already guessed her identity too. Surely not? There weren't that many people online claiming she was Qin Haiyu. As for "Patrick Star," he was truly a mysterious singer; no one had been able to guess his identity until now.

Another half hour passed. Only ten minutes remained until the live broadcast. Backstage, the singers continued to speculate. "Is 'Patrick Star' still not here? What's going on? Has he really withdrawn?"

"There are less than ten minutes left before the live broadcast. If he doesn't show up, how will the show proceed?"

Just then, Yu Zhiyue walked in, dressed in the "Patrick Star" costume. When Qin Haiyu and the other three singers saw him, they breathed a sigh of relief, though they immediately felt the pressure return. In truth, for a fleeting moment, they had actually hoped he would withdraw!

Soon, with Yu Zhiyue present, the live broadcast of the "King of Masked Singers" finale began. The order of the performances was no longer determined by a draw, but by the singers' popularity rankings. Upon hearing this, Yu Zhiyue felt a pang of sympathy for his wife for three seconds—because the most popular singer in the program was none other than his wife, "Red Rose."