Chapter 196

"First!"

"Marking my spot!"

"So cool!"

"Awesome! In an instant, the feel of a big production is here."

"It really is different. The opening of this season is much better than the second."

"Xu Xiangdong is a veteran variety show director; he has real skills. The director from last season wasn't good enough."

"Came for a second watch after finishing the TV broadcast. Let me just say, Xu Xiangdong has more than just 'real skills'; this episode is practically legendary."

"Same here, came for a second watch after the TV broadcast! This episode is really too good, the songs are too good, especially... never mind, I won't spoil it. I can only say, it's beyond imagination!"

"..."

These comments made many viewers who hadn't seen the show yet feel itchy with curiosity, almost dying from it.

They became even more curious.

Xia Yan smiled slightly. Legendary? Others might not believe it, but she did.

After all, her boss was participating in this show.

You Mingyue had already become synonymous with legend; wherever they were, miracles happened.

"In this world, I'm afraid only giving birth is something that could stump them?" Xia Yan thought. As You Mingyue's assistant, she was now certain, definite, and positive that Youyue and Mingyue's sexual orientation was... female!

Or what is known in the streets as—lily.

She had never seen this pair of beautiful twin girls take a fancy to any handsome man.

And you have to know, there are tons of handsome men in the entertainment industry.

How could a normal girl at this age of budding romance not have any thoughts at all?

Only the "lily" explanation made sense.

Xia Yan thought.

She also felt a bit strange; if You Mingyue were into girls, why did they have no thoughts about her at all?

"Could it be that my charm isn't enough?" Xia Yan looked down at herself. That shouldn't be; although her scale hadn't reached an exaggerated level, it wasn't small either...

At the same time.

On the screen.

The show didn't go directly into the singing segment, but first played footage of each masked singer wearing their masks and custom-made costumes as they entered.

Purple Flower Rabbit.

Rusty Robot.

Queen of Hearts.

Innocent Little Dinosaur.

Wandering Mage.

They appeared one after another.

Of course.

There was also footage of the Ruthless Great Emperor.

And when the camera turned to the Ruthless Great Emperor, countless viewers' eyes lit up, and many *Shrouding the Heavens* fans even exclaimed aloud; in an instant, the comments exploded:

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!"

"So handsome!"

"A smile that is not a smile, a cry that is not a cry, the bronze ghost face mask—confirmed by the look in the eyes, it's definitely my Ruthless Great Emperor."

"I love this mask!"

"The figure is very tall, and the temperament is absolutely stunning too."

"Double fan joy! Is this the benefit for *Shrouding the Heavens* fans that people were talking about? Too handsome!"

"Great Emperor above, accept my bow!"

"Greetings, Great Emperor!"

"I say the Ruthless Great Emperor has the most stunning look among the six masked singers, does anyone have an objection?"

"Absolutely none!"

"This look kills me, no one else compares!"

"I don't know which singer is under the mask, they know how to play... I won't say anything else, once you reveal your face, I'll be your fan."

"What if it's a middle-aged auntie under the mask?"

"The kid doesn't know how to talk. Is that an auntie? That's clearly a charming, elegant older sister. Just looking at her height, it can't be that bad, and this is while wrapped in a cape!"

"..."

The comments scrolled by rapidly, forming a waterfall.

Among them, the comments praising the Ruthless Great Emperor's look were so numerous they could trigger trypophobia.

Xia Yan smiled. She had a hand in creating this look, though mainly it was the two sisters' aesthetic sense at work. She didn't know how they thought to restore the character design from their novel and use it on the masked stage.

Next.

The show entered the segment where each masked singer meets and communicates with their temporary agent; in this segment, the audience could see some of the masked singers' personalities.

For example:

Purple Flower Rabbit's innocence and cuteness, with a voice that had a slight "clipping" tone;

Queen of Hearts' arrogance and confidence—she is the queen;

The Robot's steadiness and dullness, not prone to smiling;

Innocent Little Dinosaur's goofiness, super love for acting;

Wandering Mage is a chatterbox;

But overall, the other masked singers' lounges were very lively and joyful, especially the two jokers, Innocent Little Dinosaur and Wandering Mage, who could make the audience laugh even while wearing masks.

But when it came to the Ruthless Great Emperor, the scene changed directly, standing out as incompatible with the other singers.

She wore the mask and just sat there quietly.

The room was terrifyingly quiet.

The temporary agent and program atmosphere-setter, the beautiful host Cao Dan, tried repeatedly to liven up the atmosphere but to no avail; the Ruthless Great Emperor's responses were always short and cold in tone.

Because the program's post-production team processed the singers' voices when they weren't singing, the audience couldn't tell who she was from her normal speech.

But the audience laughed uncontrollably instead.

This was also a kind of program effect.

"The Ruthless Great Emperor is so cold."

"My Blue Star version of the tsundere Great Emperor."

"Laughing to death."

"She must be deliberately playing the Ruthless Great Emperor persona. After all, the Ruthless Great Emperor stayed in the Desolate Forbidden Land for hundreds of thousands of years; she's clearly a shut-in. I just don't know which singer in the music industry is so good at playing around."

"Hahahaha, I can't take it, laughing until my stomach hurts."

"*The Love-Hate Relationship Between the Temporary Agent and the Masked Singer*"

"Cao Dan probably doesn't know the meaning of this Ruthless Great Emperor look, otherwise she wouldn't be so surprised and anxious. The Ruthless one being cold is truly normal."

"Cao Dan: I'm having such a hard time."

"..."

The audience was frantically posting comments.

Many *Shrouding the Heavens* fans understood the Ruthless Great Emperor and instead expressed understanding for this Ruthless Great Emperor on the show.

If the Ruthless Great Emperor had become a chatterbox or a joker, that would be the real dissonance.

Xia Yan watched the screen and smiled knowingly. She knew that in real life, this pair of twins were two shut-ins who wouldn't go out unless they had something to do.

Of course, they weren't as cold as the Ruthless Great Emperor appeared, especially when they encountered beautiful women.