Wake Up, This is Not a Dating Show! Chapter 18

Chapter 18 “Who is Singing” (Part 1) “A duet? With me…

As the popularity of Ye Nai’s trending searches and the clarification post continued to rise, the tone of the comments under Li Wan’s latest post and Ye Nai’s clap-back repost gradually began to align.

[Setting everything else aside, just based on these few lines of freestyle, is there even a need to debate who has more skill?]

[Ah? Why am I only seeing this clarification now? Looking at it this way, Ye Nai’s attitude towards them was already considered very polite, right?]

[So the villain filed the complaint first? This kind of person should be ruthlessly dissed! So satisfying and relieving!]

[I’ve been wanting to say this for a long time. Isn’t a diss back a very normal thing? Being dissed and humiliated, and you still have to play the “respect your seniors” card? Are you a rapper or a ninja?]

Whenever Ye Nai thought about how Li Wan had assembled a group of people to form a team to mock and ridicule him like a bunch of demons dancing wildly, only for it to not only backfire but have the complete opposite effect, he found it hilarious.

Li Wan was already hoisted up onto a pedestal now. He couldn’t easily delete the post, otherwise it would be tantamount to admitting defeat. He could only slap his own face until it swelled to look fat, bracing himself and toughing it out.

Was this the first step of Yi Xingzhi helping him “win it back”?

Ye Nai leisurely poured out two mints and popped them into his mouth.

Mhm, tasted pretty good.

Unsure whether it was due to the fermentation of this wave of public opinion or the certain degree of popularity Ye Nai had accumulated on Battle of the Defending Champions, despite being at the bottom of the scoreboard, he received an invitation from the program Who is Singing just a couple of days after the episode aired.

This was a highly well-known musical guessing variety show, gathering big names from the judging panel down to the guests.

Guests were required to completely conceal their faces using special makeup and costumes, and then complete a vocal performance while trying their best not to reveal their personal vocal characteristics.

The judging panel would then try to guess which singer it was, providing three possible candidates, followed by the audience voting. Ultimately, it would be revealed whether they guessed correctly.

If guessed correctly, the guest would take off their mask and sing another song. If not guessed correctly, the guest would continue to the next episode.

“I have a question.” No matter how Ye Nai thought about it, something didn’t add up. “If I don’t get guessed and advance, won’t my schedule clash with Battle of the Defending Champions?”

“Don’t overthink it.” Jiang Kuan dispelled his concerns. “They said it explicitly: you only need to go for one episode. They just happen to be short of people this episode, so just treat it as going to save the day.”

Ye Nai understood the underlying meaning behind these words: “So who advances and who gets guessed correctly are all predetermined?”

“Ah, yeah.” Jiang Kuan deliberately made his tone sound very light and breezy. “A lot of programs are like this nowadays. Just go and sing one set, don’t mind it too much.”

“There’s another problem.” Ye Nai didn’t dwell on that issue. “If I want to avoid being recognized, I definitely can’t do rap. So what is a rapper like me going there to do?”

“Sing other songs, of course.” Jiang Kuan activated his mindless flattery mode. “In the rap circle, who can beat you in terms of vocal skills? This is the perfect time to play to your strengths and show off your advantages! You can just sing a rap song after they guess you right live on stage, isn’t that it?”

“Save it.” Ye Nai could tell Jiang Kuan was coaxing him, knowing he disliked these scripted programs.

However, this was indeed a rare opportunity. The previous season had produced many spectacular stages that circulated widely. Going just for this point was worth it.

When Ye Nai agreed to take this job, he hadn’t expected the production team to contact him so urgently. The schedule was very tight. The recording time was squeezed right in the two days before the filming of the next Battle of the Defending Champions episode.

Before then, Ye Nai needed to go to the site first to finalize his makeup and styling, then confirm his tracklist and complete rehearsals.

He had to prepare a solo song, a duet, and a final unmasking track. The duet partner could be a guest who had advanced previously, or it could be a newcomer like him for this episode. They said it would be negotiated and confirmed on-site.

With almost no rest, Ye Nai embarked on the recording journey for Who is Singing.

Even though this program was scripted, the confidentiality work was exceptionally thorough. Until he arrived at the site, Ye Nai had no idea who the guests actually were.

As soon as he arrived, he was also brought into a closed room to communicate with the styling team and the directors about ideas for his look.

Before coming, Ye Nai had specifically watched a few episodes. The guests’ images were bizarre and varied—anime styles, cartoonish, ancient styles, exotic styles. The only commonality was that their faces were covered incredibly tightly, making them completely unrecognizable.

When asked for his thoughts, he already had a general concept: “Most of my previous looks were trendy and cool modern styles. Since we want to highlight contrast this time, of course I want to try a completely different image. It would be best if it could fit the song’s style.”

Setting aside the yet-to-be-determined duet track, the solo song Ye Nai chose for himself was Walking Coolly, and after revealing his identity, he would sing his original rap song Helpless.

After discussions between the parties, it was ultimately decided that Ye Nai would take the stage with the ancient-style image of a general.

Before meeting with the other guests, he needed to get his styling done and cover his face.

Ye Nai’s outfit wasn’t too complicated, and he was fully dressed in no time. The mask built into the helmet had reportedly undergone special processing to minimize its impact on vocal projection.

Looking in the mirror, even he couldn’t recognize himself. Wearing a set of silver-white armor paired with a pair of shiny black combat boots, with a red tassel inlaid on the iron helmet and eagle feathers soaring high atop it, he looked exactly like a high-spirited military general.

It was pretty cool—a different kind of cool from before.

Ye Nai walked out of the room. After waiting for a while, the guests gradually arrived.

Once there were more people, the scene became a bit comical.

A Little Witch, a Snow Queen, a Miao Maiden, Iron Man, a Pirate of the Caribbean, a Magician… It was as if the dimensional walls had broken, and factions from all walks of life were gathered here, curiously sizing each other up.

A staff member wrote down everyone’s codenames and solo tracks on a whiteboard in the center of the hall, allowing everyone to reference styles and scout for partners.

Ye Nai scanned them one by one, noticing that the song choice for a “Swordsman” at the very end was still blank. Moreover, there didn’t seem to be such a person in the crowd.

Just as he was looking around, he suddenly heard a conversation behind him.

“How about you think about it again? Although the few songs you picked are classics, they lack sufficient memory points and are very hard to ignite the audience’s emotions. They might not be very suitable.” A sister from the directing team was trying her best to persuade him.

“If I have to sing those folk songs you mentioned, I’ll definitely need to hold a guitar.” Another voice spoke with a flat tone, yet it was so resolute it seemed there was no room for negotiation.

Listening to that timbre, which sounded like a clear breeze blowing through a forest, Ye Nai felt it was quite familiar.

He turned his head and saw the speaker was a knight-errant wearing a bamboo hat with a black veil. A long sword was slung diagonally across his back. He wore a white robe tied with a black sash, revealing a slender figure and a superior waistline.

Presumably, this was the “Swordsman.”

The sister doing the ideological work on him had clearly been persuading him for quite a while, and she looked a bit tired. “But if you go on stage with a guitar on your back, your personal characteristics will be way too obvious. I’m afraid the moment you open your mouth, the whole venue will know.”

Hearing this, combined with the familiar voice, a person instantly surfaced in Ye Nai’s mind, and he couldn’t help but scrutinize the other party.

However, that wide bamboo hat covered half his face, and paired with the black veil and mask, it was truly impossible to see anything at all, making it impossible to identify him.

“If I don’t carry a guitar, then let’s just pick from the few songs I mentioned,” the Swordsman said in a light voice.

“Then what about Let the Past Go with the Wind?” The sister still hadn’t given up. “It suits your background perfectly, letting go of the past and all that. If you sing this, the topic will be there too.”

Why do these programs always love deliberately stepping on landmines? Ye Nai frowned.

“I don’t wish to have this kind of topic.” The Swordsman’s voice noticeably grew a few degrees colder, and his attitude of rejection became even firmer.

The situation fell into a cold silence.

Ye Nai basically concluded that this person standing right in front of him, covered up impeccably tight, was Yi Xingzhi.

Not only because the physical appearance, vocal line, and personal information matched, but just based on this stubborn streak alone, it would be hard to find a second person like him.

It really was a coincidence. They could run into each other no matter what program they recorded.

“What alternative songs does this great hero have?” Ye Nai turned towards them and said, “Shall I help advise?”

The sister glanced at him, perhaps also hoping someone could break the deadlock. With only a slight hesitation, she read out the few songs the Swordsman had selected himself.

Ye Nai weighed them slightly. “The Birch Grove works. The story is moving, the emotional appeal is strong, and… listening to this gentleman’s timbre, it suits this song quite well.”

The Swordsman slightly tilted his head back and looked towards his direction. Ye Nai finally saw the other’s eyes from beneath the hat brim. Calm as jade, just like always. It was indeed Yi Xingzhi.

Their eyes met, exchanging a look. He figured Yi Xingzhi probably knew who he was, too.

Seeing the sister still hesitating, Ye Nai continued, “Besides, this song can be considered a folk song incorporating Russian flavors. If he doesn’t play the guitar, it can also be performed with other instruments. Doesn’t that perfectly satisfy the thoughts of both your sides?”

“Alright.” The sister pondered for a while, finally convinced. She confirmed with Yi Xingzhi, “Then it’ll be this one?”

“Fine.” Yi Xingzhi nodded.

The sister went off to the side to find a staff member to inform them of Yi Xingzhi’s song choice, leaving only the two of them in place.

Ye Nai inexplicably felt that the two of them standing here wearing bizarre costumes was quite funny. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly heard Yi Xingzhi speak first.

“A duet? With me?”

This was far too sudden. Ye Nai was a bit dumbfounded. Yi Xingzhi hadn’t even met the other people yet, and he had already decided to sing a duet with him?

“Aren’t you going to go understand the other guests a bit more first?”

Just as he spoke, the directing team, who was coordinating the groups on the other side, happened to call out to Yi Xingzhi: “The ‘Swordsman’ is singing The Birch Grove. How about we have the ‘Snow Queen’ make it snow a little? Do you guys have any intention of collaborating, maybe mixing Chinese and Western elements?”

Among the people present, apart from the singers who had recorded a few episodes together and had roughly guessed each other’s identities, the rest were in an awkward state of not knowing who was who. Therefore, most were still waiting and watching on the spot.

“Sure.” The Snow Queen looked towards Yi Xingzhi’s direction without dodging or avoiding.

She wore a crown on her head, her chin slightly raised. The floor-length ice-blue gauze dress shimmered with a cold, rippling light, which actually complemented the icy aura of Yi Xingzhi’s white robes quite well.

Just two minutes ago, Ye Nai had also heard her find an excuse to reject the directing team’s proposal for the previous round of pairing. Agreeing so readily this time, aside from song choice considerations, she probably also took a liking to Yi Xingzhi’s outstanding appearance.

With those broad shoulders and long legs, even with his face covered, you could tell he was a handsome guy.

After all, handsomeness was a kind of vibe.

Ye Nai stood to the side with his arms crossed, watching the fun, curious how Yi Xingzhi would handle it.

However, before he could hear an answer, the Little Witch nearby seemed to have found inspiration. She walked over to him and said, “Hey General, look, I’m singing Take Me Away. Do you want to take me to ‘Walk Coolly’ and collaborate on a song with me?”

She had a bright red bow tied on her head, and even the pattern on her mask was very girly. Her round, almond-shaped eyes vividly interpreted the phrase “bright eyes and beautiful glances.”

“Unfortunately,” Yi Xingzhi spoke up, “I am also currently asking this General if he has any thoughts of singing a duet.”

With one sentence, the gazes of several people all focused on Ye Nai.

Ye Nai: “…”

Leaving the job of offending people to him, huh? If he had known, he would have just agreed to Yi Xingzhi directly from the start.

The Little Witch’s voice was the sweet type, clearly giving her an advantage in singing sweet little songs, but it absolutely did not match his style.

“I already decided beforehand to choose an ancient-style song for the duet.” Ye Nai prioritized sincerity as the ultimate weapon. “Among the people present, only the Swordsman and I are in ancient costumes. It’s a perfect fit.”

“I can sing an ancient-style song with you too.” The Little Witch was relentless, tilting her head. “Song choice doesn’t necessarily have to match the image.”

Ye Nai already wasn’t very good at dealing with girls, and encountering such a socially butterfly sweet girl left him with even fewer options.

Dealing with grown men, he could just be simple and crude, directly refusing. If he was in a bad mood, he might even walk away with a cold face. But he couldn’t treat a girl like that, could he?

He tried his best to word it tactfully: “There’s no need to force it. Originally, your timbre isn’t very suitable for ancient styles either.”

The Little Witch took a half step closer to his side, seemingly wanting to say something more, but was suddenly interrupted by someone.

“Sorry.” Yi Xingzhi imperceptibly turned sideways slightly, blocking horizontally in front of the Little Witch. “There’s always a first come, first served in everything. It’s not good to force things, right?”

Following that, he gave a slight nod to the Snow Queen to express his apologies, then turned his head back to Ye Nai. “If we’re confirmed to collaborate, I’ll report it to the production team so they don’t have to bother grouping us up again. What do you say?” He paused. “Partner?”