Chapter 1087: The concert begins!
Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
Friday.
In the afternoon.
There was a sea of people at the Beijing Stadium.
"Where are the Fan Wenli fans?"
"Zhao Qiquan's fans, please gather under the billboard!"
"Over here!"
"Here!"
"Come with me!"
"Where are the Zhang Ye fans?"
"Coming!"
"We're here!"
"Hurry, it's time to distribute the items!"
"Glow sticks for everyone! They're free!"
"Don't buy from those people out there. They're so expensive!"
Even before entering the stadium, the bustle outside was spectacular. Vehicles had already occupied all of the underground parking garage spots and roads around the venue. There were no more free spots and the roads were no longer accessible other than the one that was leading west toward the suburbs. The roads in the other three directions were jam-packed. At the entrance, it was as though the entire population of Beijing's merchants and peddlers were gathered here. There were people selling celebrity posters, glow sticks, scalped tickets, and even the King of Masked Singers contestants' "genuine" autographs. The media outlets' vehicles also arrived one after another!
It was a flurry of activity!
The place was heating up!
...
On Weibo.
The netizens also made a racket.
"Who still has tickets for the concert?"
"It's beginning soon! I can't wait!"
"Haha, I'm already at the venue and waiting to get admitted."
"Previous poster, bragging like this will only end up with you getting beaten up!"
"How I wish I could go and watch them perform live! Especially Zhang Ye's songs. Why do I like him so much! I wonder what song he'll sing today!"
"Our Xiaoxian is quite good too!"
"Everyone knows that Zhang Ye is good at writing songs, but I'm still finding it difficult to accept that the guy can also sing this well!"
"It's impossible to measure a person like him with common sense."
"He was born to be a star!"
"You're wrong. Zhang Ye wasn't born to be one."
"Yeah, he was never meant to be a celebrity at all. He had to fight so hard to be where he is now. This has been a very difficult journey for Teacher Zhang Ye, and everyone knows that! I wonder how he has managed to survive for this long! I heard that the SARFT has not said anything either this time and allowed Zhang Ye to take part in the concert. Does that mean that Zhang Ye has been unbanned? I'm so happy for him!"
"Yeah!"
"The ban has finally been lifted!"
...
Inside the stadium.
The singers had already arrived for some time.
There were not only Zhang Ye, Fan Wenli, and those other singers who had taken part in the King of Masked Singers competition. Even Chen Guang, Zhang Xia, Amy, Celery, and several other celebrity guests were also backstage and getting ready for the concert. They too would be taking part in the concert today.
Executive Director Hu Fei said, "We've been preparing for this concert for quite some time now. We practically started preparing for it since the broadcast of the first episode and had the stadium booked since that time. The entire country's attention is on us now, so I hope we can make this industry's first concert based on a variety show a great success. I'll leave all that to you, so let's execute this beautifully." With a pause, he reminded them, "By the way, there's something else to note. It wasn't reported on yesterday's weather forecast, but this morning's forecast predicted that there could be rain today. So, everyone, please be aware of this possibility."
Hou Ge came over to look for him. "Director Hu, we need you over at the stage."
Hu Fei nodded, then said to the other staff members, "I'm going to the front for a bit. If there's anything urgent over here, ask Director Zhang for advice. He can take charge of the things here."
Xiao Lu replied, "Yes, sir!"
Han Qi replied, "Understood!"
Everyone responded in kind, thinking it was a matter of course.
However, Zhang Ye did not seem to care for anything right now. He lowered his head and continued texting.
Zhang Ye: "Are you here yet?"
Wu Zeqing: "I just arrived. There was a traffic jam."
"Zhang Ye: "Are you lining up to get in yet?"
Wu Zeqing: "Yes, I'm passing through security now."
Zhang Ye: "Let me get someone to bring you in."
Wu Zeqing: "There's no need. Don't alarm too many people. Most of your staff knows who I am, so it's better for me to keep a low profile. After all, I'm here in my own personal capacity today."
Zhang Ye: "OK."
Chen Guang came over. "Director Zhang, who're you chatting with?"
Zhang Ye looked up and smiled. "What's up?"
Fan Wenli looked at her husband. "Stay away. Don't come over here and try to pry any information from us."
Chen Guang yelled, "Must I, Wenli?"
Li Xiaoxian also smiled. "We belong to different camps today."
Amy rolled her eyes. "Teacher Chen, let's give our best and sing well today. We'll stamp them down!"
Chen Guang harrumphed. "Alright!"
Zhang Xia laughed and shook her head. "You people."
Today's opening song was going to be an explosive and attention-stealing showdown between the contestants and the celebrity guests. Each side was a team, the contestants' team versing the celebrity guests' team. Everyone was looking forward to this matchup. Just look. Even before going onstage, the competitiveness from both sides was picking up.
Half an hour later.
People gradually filled the stadium.
In the blink of an eye, the seats were packed with over ten thousand people!
Some of the audience members were shouting their favorite celebrities' names, some were holding up LED lightboards and waving them around, while others were bursting into songs performed on King of Masked Singers.
"Sunset Glow!"
"The Clown!"
"Flowing Time!"
"Petal Shower!"
"I am what I am! / A firework of different colors!"
"Why is the concert still not beginning?"
"I can't waaaait!"
The scenes were very chaotic!
The audience was reaching a fever pitch!
Wu Zeqing finally got into the stadium at this point in time. She found her way to the second row of front row seats and checked her ticket to find her seat. As she made her way across the row, she smiled warmly. "Excuse me, coming through."
But a little ways in, someone called out to her.
It was a middle-aged married couple.
"Hey! President Wu?"
"President Wu!"
The couple looked at her, startled.
Wu Zeqing turned around in confusion and asked, "You two are?"
Zhang Ye's mother stood up excitedly. "I am Zhang Ye's mother!"
Wu Zeqing said, "Oh, it's Auntie."
His father asked, "Why are you also here?"
Wu Zeqing smiled and said, "Well, I'm off today. So I came to watch the concert."
"Aiyo, thank you so much for taking care of our Little Ye. You've helped him a lot. We've been wanting to visit you to express our thanks, but we just didn't have the chance to do so," his mother said.
Wu Zeqing said, "Auntie, you're too kind."
His mother immediately said, "Sit here with us, sit. Little Ye gave us three tickets, but we have an empty seat now because his cousin was unable to make it."
Wu Zeqing thought over the offer for a moment, then smiled and sat down. "Alright."
His mother was very enthusiastic. "President Wu, wait, I should be addressing you as Chief Wu instead."
Wu Zeqing immediately said, "Don't call me that, Auntie. You can just call me Little Wu."
"That would be so inappropriate."
"It's not."
"Hur hur, can I really call you that?"
"Of course."
And so, Wu Zeqing started chatting together with Zhang Ye's parents, talking and laughing throughout their conversation.
Taking some time out, Wu Zeqing quietly sent a message to Zhang Ye. "I've found a seat, I'm sitting together with your parents."
Very quickly, she got a reply. "Ah???"
Wu Zeqing: "Hur hur, I've wanted to meet your parents for a while now. What a coincidence. I won't be replying anymore. I want to chat some more with your parents."
Zhang Ye: "*sweats* OK."
At this moment, the host, Dong Shanshan, came out!
When the crowd saw her, they gave her warm applause immediately!
"She's here!"
"It's starting!"
Dong Shanshan announced, "Welcome, everyone, to King of Masked Singers, brought to you by our sponsor, Bright Fruit Cocoa. I'm your host, Dong Shanshan. How are all of you?"
The audience cheered in response!
After a slew of opening remarks, the main event finally kicked off.
Dong Shanshan smiled and said, "Backstage today, there was so much going on. Two groups of people nearly clashed, with one side claiming that they could sing really well, while another side claimed that they could sing even better. They bickered so much that when I was asked to give my opinion on who was better, I was too scared to answer. I believe that we should let our audience decide!"
Clashed?
Hahaha!
The audience chuckled!
Dong Shanshan said, "Next, let's welcome the All-Stars onto the stage to perform ' I Believe 1 ' for everyone!" She handed over the stage.
Applause thundered!
The music started playing!
Spinach, Liao Yiqi, took her microphone and went out onto the stage. "I wanna fly to the sky, walk beside the Sun. The world waits for me to change it!"
At the other end of the stage, Zhang Xia appeared and sang, "Never been afraid of others seeing my dreams. Here, I can make it happen!"
Back on other side, Fan Wenli strode onto stage. "Laughing loudly, let's walk side by side. Isn't happiness everywhere!"
At the other end, Amy appeared. "Casting off all worries, I stride forward bravely. Now I am taking center stage!"
Li Xiaoxian: "I believe I'm me, I trust tomorrow!"
Celery: "I believe that youth has no limits."
Zhang Ye appeared. "Whether sunset at the beach or the crowded streets, it's the prettiest paradise for me."
Chen Guang sang loudly, "I believe in freedom. I believe in hope! I believe I can reach out and touch the sky!"
They sang altogether.
"With you by my side!
"Life is more exciting!
"Every moment so wonderful!
"I do believe!"
The contestants were in one group!
The celebrity guests were in another group!
They sang one line one after the other as they appeared and took the stage!
The two groups of people were apparently competing, trying to outdo and outsing the person before them!
The atmosphere in the stadium flash ignited!
Screams!
Shouts!
Clouds darkened the skies as the multicolored glow sticks started to come to life!
This song was the theme song for The Voice. Back then, Zhang Yuanqi, Zhang Xia, Chen Guang, and Fan Wenli sang it together. Zhang Ye wrote this song!
Translator's Thoughts
Legge Legge
I Believe - https://youtu.be/OIVBozo3fTk