I'm Really a Superstar

The next day.

On the day of the recording.

In the morning at Beijing Television.

"Eh, where's Director Zhang?"

"I don't know."

"He was around a bit ago."

"Brother Hu, Director Zhang fell asleep backstage."

"Director Zhang didn't sleep all night."

"Aiya, the audience is already here. Tell him to persevere and work some overtime."

"Alright, I got it. I'll go and wake up Director Zhang then."

The audience had already been admitted into the studio.

The singers were all standing by.

Only the director was not here yet.

Zhang Ye got woken up, then forced himself to go wash and freshen up with some cold water. When he came out, he bumped into Xiaodong and Amy in the corridor as they came over to greet him.

Xiaodong asked, "Can you save the show?"

Zhang Ye nodded. "I've handled it."

Amy gave him a look. "Director Zhang, you're so bad. I saw your Weibo post yesterday, hahahaha. Central TV Department 1 must hate you to the bone!"

Zhang Ye laughed, "I got hacked."

"Yi!" Amy jeered.

A ways away, Zhang Xia spotted the three of them while heading to the bathroom.

Zhang Xia came over and asked, "Little Zhang, has the replacement singer arrived yet?"

Zhang Ye answered, "I suppose so."

"Who is it?" Amy immediately asked.

Zhang Xia also asked curiously, "Do I know who it is?"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Probably."

Xiaodong said, "What about me?"

"You probably know too," Zhang Ye said.

He didn't disclose much and quickly turned to head back to the front to get back to work.

Half an hour later.

The studio was packed and the audience was deep in discussions.

"Did you guys see Weibo yesterday?"

"I did, hahaha, it made me laugh my ass off!"

"Zhang Ye is itching for a beating! That was so ruthless!"

"He's a total quack."

"But that was such an outlet. Central TV deserved it for starting the fight."

"That's right. I wonder how I Am a Singer will turn things around today. The singers can't host anymore, right? Who will do it then? Dong Shanshan? Zhang Ye?"

"Who knows? But if they do it that way, the rules will have to be changed."

"I still prefer having the singers host."

"Yeah. If they change the rules now, it'll affect the viewership ratings."

"The issue is that everyone's gotten used to the singers guest hosting the show. It's been ingrained into the minds of the viewers."

Onstage.

The band was in position.

The staff were in position.

Counting down:

Three.

Two.

One.

Recording began!

The audience was already intently staring with wide eyes, wanting to see just how the show would deal with the change. Then they saw a person holding a microphone walking onstage from below. Cries of surprise rang out. Everyone was taken aback, with some of them laughing loudly. In an instant, everyone stood up and applauded thunderously!

It was him!

It was indeed him!

The singers backstage were also quite happy.

Zhang Xia said with a smile, "In the end, it's still Little Zhang hosting."

Chen Guang said, "I coulda guessed. It was either gonna be him or Dong Shanshan."

Xiaodong said happily, "He's both the executive director and the host. It's so hard on Teacher Zhang."

Zhang Ye stood onstage. He smiled and said, "Hello, everyone. Welcome to the stage of I Am a Singer, brought to you exclusively by our title sponsor, the leader in health products, Brain Gold. I am your host for today, a host with a 'license' to 'operate.' I've been awarded the highest honor in the hosting world—I'm a true blue and legal host. Oh, some of you might be curious about where Sister Dong has gone? Well, Sister Dong is illegal and had been reported to the authorities by someone. She's currently busy trying to get a host license."

"Pfft!"

"Hahaha!"

Laughter rang out in the audience.

This guy! He doesn't forget to get the jabs in when he comes on!

Zhang Ye continued, "So when Sister Dong found out that I'm the stand-in host today, she specifically came to look for me and repeatedly reminded me about one thing. She told me that I must let everyone know about this. As it's a very important matter, can those of you with a pen please note it down?"

Everyone was stunned.

What was it?

What was so important?

Everyone pricked their ears up.

Zhang Ye cleared his throat as his expression changed. Suddenly, he spoke speedily, "Thank you to the leading health supplement brand, Brain Gold Company, for being the title sponsors of our show. Thank you to Hubei Pharmaceuticals' strong support for us. If you're going to use a tablet, use Lilai's eight-inch tablet with multi-core technology. Honey Sweet fruit juice, so sweet that you can feel it in your heart!"

The audience burst out laughing!

Was that it?

This was what you meant by something important? Your sister!

Wasn't that just the fucking advertisements!

The singers backstage were also laughing hard, especially Xiaodong. While not knowing whether to laugh or cry, she was also quite impressed. She suddenly thought that the SARFT's issued article was not without reason. Seeing Zhang Ye's hosting and looking at her own hosting, there was obviously a gulf in their styles. That was the difference between a professional host who had won the Golden Microphone Award and a guest host like her. Be it the rhythm, humor, adaptability, enunciation, or stage control, she was still lacking by too much.

These lines by Zhang Ye fired up the audience!

Zhang Ye calmly said, "So then, let us get today's competition started. Today's first performer will be the replacement singer for this week, so let's hand the stage over to him."

Applause sounded.

Backstage, the singers all stuck out their necks in wait. Who could it be? Was it an old friend? They were all hoping that it wouldn't be someone too strong, because the people who were performing on this stage were already great singers.

The audience also turned to face the moon gate.

Who was it?

Why couldn't they see anyone?

But there were also some people in the audience who weren't paying attention.

"They changed the rules in the end."

"Yeah, what else could they have done?"

"Hai, Central TV Department 1 is really too wicked."

"Let's just keep watching."

"Yeah, Zhang Ye's hosting is still pretty good. Even if it's not a singer hosting, so be it."

"But it's still such a pity."

"With a singer as the host, the interactions backstage are more interesting to watch."

"This will definitely affect the quality of the show."

Some musical instruments were brought up onto the stage.

The microphone stands were put into place.

Gradually, around 20 men and women appeared. The men were all wearing black suits while the women were dressed in white. It looked like they were a backing choir? Or was it going to be a choral performance?

The audience could not understand.

Amy wondered, "What's all of that for?"

Zhang Xia said in anticipation, "Just who has come?"

Xiaodong smiled and said, "This is a pretty large ensemble. What are they going to sing? Could it be a bel canto singer? A friend of Grandma Zhang's?"

Everything was set and ready.

The lights dimmed.

Many of the people in the audience were getting too antsy to stay seated.

"Where's the singer?"

"Come on out!"

"But there's no one at the moon gate?"

"Eh, why is Zhang Ye still standing on stage?"

"Haha, that silly fool!"

"Teacher Zhang, please leave the stage."

"Why's that idiot still standing there like a fool?"

Everyone started poking fun at him.

The next second, orchestral music played!

With that, everyone was stunned. What's going on? What is happening? Why has the music come on? But where is the singer? The replacement singer hasn't appeared yet?

Zhang Ye, who was still onstage, slowly turned around to face the audience. He raised the microphone in his hand while looking very annoyed and exhausted. It was as though he was not fully awake.

Crows squawked through the sound system 1 .

"Caw, caw."

Then Zhang Ye actually started singing.

"Night has crept up on Chaoyang Park.

"The plaza dancers are all ready to start.

"I catch a glimpse of the trees outside.

"And wonder if this is all there is to my youth?"

The male backing choir sang, "As petals fall off flowers."

The audience was so shocked they all stood up at once!

Oh my God!

Zhang Ye!

The replacement singer is Zhang Ye!

Oh my God! Why didn't I think of it earlier!

So the rules had not been changed!

So they were still sticking with using singers as hosts!

It was Zhang Ye who had come to the rescue!

What the heck! This is going to be interesting!

Amy was dumbfounded. "No!"

Xiaodong nearly collapsed. "We're done for!"

Zhang Xia facepalmed. "Oh! Surely this isn't happening, right?"

Chen Guang had a headache now and forced a smile. "An extremely strong challenger has joined us this time. Before I agreed to come on I Am a Singer, I thought that whoever joined the show would be fine as long as it wasn't Zhang Ye."

Zhao Wuliu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Why is it Director Zhang? If he decides to sing seriously, he's going to be more than a handful for everyone here. This is really a tough opponent."

The singers all reacted in a similar fashion!

But the audience was really happy to see him and became very excited!

Zhang Ye sang abashedly, "I have a boss named Hu Fei."

The male choir sang, "Named Hu Fei."

Zhang Ye sang, "Who shows up at 6 PM every day with the eyes of a German Shepherd."

The female choir sang, "A German Shepherd."

SFX: "Woof, woof!"

Zhang Ye rolled his eyes as he sang, "Holding in his hands a steaming mug of coffee."

The male and female choir chorused, "Hey, hey, hey."

Zhang Ye sang, "Do you think we should hold a meeting?"

In the wings, Hu Fei, who was hearing this song for the first time, nearly spat out a mouthful of blood!

Beside him, Hou Ge, Xiao Lu, and a bunch of other staff burst into laughter. Hahahahaha! They could feel Zhang Ye's emotions through his singing! This fellow was still angry about it! He was reluctant and loath to be the replacement singer! It was only because of Hu Fei and them forcing him that he got dragged onstage!

…

The next day.

The episode was broadcast.

On the television at Zhang Ye's place.

"I said, 'It isn't convenient.

"'I still have to pick up my old man from the airport.

"'Haven't seen him in more than thirty years.

"'He hails from remote Siberia.'"

His parents were dumbfounded!

Haven't seen him in more than thirty years?

How old are you this year, you rascal!

…

Central TV Department 1.

"You've had nothing to do all day.

"I even caught sight of you streaming.

"Could it be that you don't have a family?

"I beg of you, please don't speak those words!

"—Sweetheart,

"Let's! Work! Overtime!"

When everyone here saw the latest episode, they were floored!

…

All over the country.

Zhang Ye's Peking opera style singing was heard in every household!

Some people were really excited!

Some people were dumbfounded!

"I can feel myself getting drained.

"I have become dog-tired.

"Gone 18 days without removing makeup.

"Worn monthly contacts for two years and a half.

"My life is a mess, and I'm getting fat."

…

Very quickly, this song turned the Internet upside down!

Countless netizens were left kneeling to Zhang Ye!

"It's Zhang Ye who has come!"

"When I saw that the replacement singer was him, I immediately got goosebumps all over!"

"It's so awesome; this song resonates so much!"

"Is it good? Pfft! Why is it so funny!"

"Hahahaha, when my family heard this song, everyone cramped up from laughing so much!"

"It was really well sung! I also don't wanna put in overtime!"

"Zhang Ye really must have been forced into this!"

"I'm kneeling to this song!"

"What a divine tune!"

"I'll fucking give him 10 out of 10 for saving the show like this!"

"I like Zhang Ye so much!"

"This bel canto singing is really nice!"

"Haha, this guy is even scolding his executive producer, Hu Fei!"

"Pfft, I think that's exactly how Zhang Ye feels. He definitely didn't want to be the replacement singer and must have been forced into it. That's how 'I Feel So Drained' came into existence!"

Executive director!

Vote counter!

Host!

And now, a contestant?

Pfft!

Anyone else would also feel drained if they were put into that situation!

This course of action would kill Zhang Ye from exhaustion!

In the history of making television shows, there hadn't been anyone who took on so many roles at the same time. If he didn't feel drained, then who would feel drained?!