I'm Really a Superstar

On the King of Masked Singers stage.

The set was not fully constructed yet, but it was enough to accommodate the sound checks.

There were many people seated in the audience, such as the station heads, channel directors, and Hu Fei, together with most of his program team. They had already auditioned five masked singers, and it was time for the sixth contestant. They had to take into consideration the live performances as well as other various factors to determine the order of appearances, to know which contestant would start in the first round or act as a replacement in the second round. All of this were not yet decided, so it was particularly important today as they needed to understand each of the contestant's strengths and characteristics in order to make a decision.

Hu Fei lowered his head and jotted a few things down on his notepad.

Contestant #1: Recommended as opener, has explosive high notes.

Contestant #2: Recommended as opener, a big name celebrity.

"How amazing!"

"Yeah, these singers are way too impressive!"

"I've got the goosebumps!"

"This wasn't even rehearsed. If it were the day of recording, how much more shocking would it get?"

"Our show is gonna get super popular!"

"Who's the next contestant? Are they here yet?"

"Yup."

"The next one is 'The Clown.'"

"Who's The Clown?"

"It's that oil worker!"

As soon as those words were spoken, the program team staff all snickered!

"Pfft!"

"So it's him!"

"Why did he come up with that name?"

"Now I'm even more interested in him!"

"Me too. I can finally see him in person!"

"Observe him, everyone. See if you can identify who he is! Figure out just which industry seasoned pro he is!"

During the past few days, "I Offer Oil To My Homeland" had spread throughout the station. The program team staff would laugh until their stomachs hurt every time they listened to it. Even a few of the station heads didn't know whether to laugh or cry after hearing it.

In the meantime, a few of the station heads started conversing.

A deputy station head asked, "Is this the celebrity who claims to be a worker?"

Hu Fei laughed and said, "Yes, that's him.

Another station executive said, "He sings really well, but that song…"

Dong Shanshan was also seated with them. She smiled and said, "That was just an audition demo. He was just ribbing us. I'm sure he'll sing a proper song for us today."

The executive nodded. "Yeah, I'm quite looking forward to it."

Suddenly, everyone's gaze fell on a side door next to the stage.

The door swung open and a white mask appeared before everyone's eyes!

He had arrived!

The Clown had arrived!

Some people even stopped blinking and tried to guess who he was from his shape, but drew a blank. Who could this be? He had a figure that was very common and could match too many celebrities!

When Han Qi saw that so many executives were present, she got a little nervous. "Teacher Clown is here."

However, The Clown did not seem to be the slightest bit nervous. He took to the stage very gracefully and stood there while looking at everyone in the audience. He gave them a slight nod, but did not say anything.

The station heads, Hu Fei, and Dong Shanshan scrutinized him.

He walked in with great confidence!

He stood there with great confidence!

The first thought that they had was: This is definitely not a newcomer!

As Dong Shanshan was the host, she took charge of this segment. She raised the microphone in her hands and said with a smile, "Hello, Teacher. Out of all the contestants, you're the only one we have zero information about. You don't need to tell us your name, but could you please briefly introduce yourself?"

Zhang Ye felt very happy at seeing his old classmate speak to him in such a serious manner without recognizing him.

Zhang Ye was smiling to himself. He purposely spoke in a gravelly voice, "I am The Clown."

He was especially cautious when speaking to Dong Shanshan. After all, they had been classmates for a long time and knew each other very well. If he accidentally revealed anything, Dong Shanshan might begin to suspect who he really was. However, Zhang Ye was still rather confident in his acting chops as he had previously received quite a few skill experience books related to acting.

Dong Shanshan asked, "That's all?"

Hu Fei asked, "How old are you?"

Zhang Ye didn't even blink. "Fifty."

Hu Fei felt his legs give. "Are you also a worker then?"

Zhang Ye said, "Eh, how did you know?"

Dafei wiped his sweat away. "Teacher, can you please stop teasing us?"

Zhang Ye replied, "But I'm really a worker."

The program team staff rolled their eyes in unison!

Pretend!

Go on and keep pretending!

A station head said with a wry smile, "Since he does not wish to tell us, let's not force him."

A chairman looked at him, then commented, "He must be a big shot in the industry. Otherwise, why would he be so cautious as to not even reveal his age?"

The channel's director nodded. "Makes sense."

Dong Shanshan looked at Zhang Ye. "Then why don't we begin?"

The band was ready.

The Miracle Wheels' keyboardist asked, "Teacher Clown, what song do you intend to perform? We need to do some tuning."

Zhang Ye looked at him. "An original."

"An original?" That keyboardist was taken aback, but nodded and said, "That's fine too."

The drummer said, "Go ahead and sing. We can improvise."

Zhang Ye said, "Are you sure?"

The drummer smiled. "Of course, it's no problem. We're all professionals."

There had just been two masked singers who had arranged their songs. Whether they'd sustained high notes or slowed down the song, even when it was performed differently from the original, the Miracle Wheels could still accompany the performers. They were one of the best bands around, so how could they not do that? It was just improvisation. What was so difficult about that?

The guitarist said, "Let's hit it, Teacher."

In the audience, everyone was engrossed by the happenings onstage!

Hu Fei's ears perked up.

Dong Shanshan did not blink.

Han Qi was also eyeing the stage, hoping to catch a glimpse of something that would reveal The Clown's identity.

A worker?

You've been acting since the start!

This time, I want to see how you can keep pretending!

A love song? Or a rock song? Once you start singing, there will surely be something that gives you away. At that time, I will definitely be able to guess your true identity!

A lot of people were thinking the same thing as Han Qi, as everyone wanted to guess the identity of this man. They couldn't have it such that not even their internal staff knew who this guy was, could they?

However, when The Clown starting singing, they realized that they were too naïve in their thinking! They finally realized just how much of a seasoned pro they had encountered!

Zhang Ye lifted the microphone in his hands and started singing with enthusiasm.

"We workers have the strength and pow'r!

"We workers have the strength and pow'r!

"Working hard every single day!

"Building all these high-rise buildings!

"Laying railways for coal mining!

"Reforming the world, we've changed it!"

Two of Beijing Television's heads were floored!

The program team staff in the audience were all bowled over!

"Machines are started: rumbling loud!

"Raising our hammers: clink clank clunk!

"Making plows: the production's good!

"Forging guns: to send to the front!

"Heave ho, heave ho!

"A red glow shines on our faces!

"Our sweat drips down off our faces!

"For what? For the revolution!

"For what? For the revolution!"

The Miracle Wheels' band members' jaws all dropped. Throughout, they could not even accompany him with a beat. They just stared in astonishment at the masked singer onstage, feeling as though 10,000 grass mud horses were galloping past!

Improvisation?

I'll improvise your sister!

What the fuck is this song! How the fuck can we possibly improvise to that!

But listening to that Teacher Clown's voice, they couldn't help but admit one thing—his singing was so fucking good! That voice was marvelous!

The music stopped.

Well alright, there wasn't actually any music to begin with. The entire time, Zhang Ye had been singing a cappella. The Miracle Wheels, who had just bragged about their professionalism, ended up not even playing a melody.

Zhang Ye finished performing.

Everyone in the audience smiling wryly.

It was another workers' song?

Yesterday was oil workers!

And today? Railroad workers? Coal miners?

Geez, friend, can you stop being so inspirational?!

Can you please sing properly! How do you expect us to guess who you are this way?

Hu Fei cleared his throat, looked at The Clown, and said, "Teacher, you sing great and very professionally. We all recognize your singing and strength, but about that, um, can you please switch to a different song? Can you sing something that is closer to your actual job? Are you a professional singer? Or an actor? Why don't you do another song?"

Zhang Ye nodded. "Sure."

Hu Fei said, "Thank you."

Everyone was once again in full anticipation as they believed he would finally sing something proper.

Something related to my job?

Alright, then I have no choice but to reveal my real occupation to all of you!

Without even skipping a beat, Zhang Ye sang the next song loudly. The moment he belted out the first line, he made the 50 to 60 people present in the studio so angry they wanted to vomit blood!

"As a fifty-year-old pro driver, I am all smiles!

"I tend to get long-winded when talkin' 'bout trucks!"

Pfft!

Dong Shanshan had her face in her hands and was laughing uncontrollably!

Han Qi was floored!

Hu Fei stared blankly!

You've become a pro driver this time? And you're even a fucking fifty-year-old pro driver? You even fucking all smiles about it?

I'll smile at your second granny!

However, Zhang Ye was very into the song and painted a vivid picture.

"Thinkin' o' when I was 18 'n' learned how to drive, oh.

"Fid'ling with that foreign truck, I b'came an old hand.

"Since, of course, I have yet to see a Chinese truck.

"Praying to the moon and stars, praying for that truck to come! And, it did! Yo-o-o ho hey!

"Our working class wins glory for our country, hey!"

Everyone felt numb and watched him in stupefaction.

But the more Zhang Ye sang, the more enjoyment and excitement he got out of it.

"Full of pride, I have the power!

"Hey-hey-hey, hey-hey-hey.

"Heh-heh-heya.

"My-y-y country's la-a-and spans far and wide.

"I drive my domestic truck merrily along.

"In the blink of an eye, I've traveled all across China.

"Load up all the construction material onto my truck, oh.

"Night and day, no stops, hey!

"Shipping grain, lugging steel,

"Climbing mountains, crossing rivers,

"I will take it into my own hands to build our China! Yo-o-o ho hey! Hey!

"Even with 50 or 60 more years, I shall never come to a stop!"

"Hey-hey-hey!

"Hey-hey-hey-hey!

"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heyo!"

With one last deep breath, Zhang Ye sang in a sustained line in his head voice, "I shall never come to a stop!"

He finished singing.

The song ended.

In the audience, very few people were left "standing" as everyone had been bowled over!

Stop the truck!

Hurry up and stop the truck, bro!

Hats off to him!

They truly commended him!

Almost nobody could play dumb to his extent!

Oil workers? Coal miners? Railroad workers? And this time, it was a truck driver? Even if you live for another 50-60 years, you shall never come to a stop? Aren't you going to drive yourself to death then!

Truly, everybody was defeated by this masked singer who went by the name of The Clown!

" I Offer Oil to My Homeland 1 "?

" We Workers Have the Strength and Pow'r 2 "?

" Pro Driver 3 "?

What the fuck are all these songs!

Did you have to go that far to hide your identity? Just who on earth are you!?