Seeing Chu Tian accept the gift, Xu Qingqiu and Yiyi both heaved a sigh of relief. They exchanged glances and secretly smiled, looking as if their scheme had succeeded.

Seeing their expressions, Chu Tian also felt a surge of happiness. He could sense their thoughtfulness, and her cautiousness, feeling a warm and comfortable sensation in his chest.

"This car arrived just in time. I've just moved and was thinking about buying a car, but now I don't need to."

"You moved?!"

"You moved???"

Hearing that he had moved, Xu Qingqiu and Yiyi exclaimed in unison. Both of them stared at Chu Tian with wide eyes, full of surprise.

"Yeah, the previous one was a bit small, so I switched to a bigger place. What's up?"

Xu Qingqiu shook her head in confusion, her eyes clouded with uncertainty, but she subconsciously asked, "So, when you said you were at home earlier, you meant your new home?"

Chu Tian jangled the car keys in his hand and said with a grin, "Of course, what did you think?"

He wasn't a fool; Yiyi had made things so clear, how could he not understand? Xu Qingqiu had waited for him all morning, and even though she was angry, she'd only shown a slight temper. Now, she had given him the car without any resentment. If he still didn't get it, he'd be an absolute idiot. Recalling the feeling in his heart just moments ago, his first instinct was to clear up the misunderstanding, which was why he'd said what he did.

As expected, Xu Qingqiu's lips curled uncontrollably upon his decisive response.

"When did you move? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"What was there to say? I didn't have much stuff, and I finished moving it all yesterday. Besides, you guys weren't around."

"Well, okay, where's your new place? I'll drop by sometime to brighten it up."

"My new place is...um...I can't say."

"Why can't you say?!"

"Because...because I don't want someone standing by my bed early in the morning, waking me up."

PFFT!

After Chu Tian spoke, Xu Qingqiu and Yiyi were stunned for a moment, but they quickly realized what he meant. Both of them found it extremely funny when they recalled Sister Hua standing by Chu Tian's bed early in the morning to wake him up so he would lose weight. They had never imagined that incident would have left such a deep psychological mark on Chu Tian.

Watching them laugh incessantly, Chu Tian felt as if he was the butt of the joke, so he quickly changed the subject. "Stop laughing for now. You were in such a hurry to find me; there must be something else, right?"

Hearing him say this, Xu Qingqiu snapped back to her senses and quickly composed herself, saying, "Yes, King of Mask Singer informed me yesterday that the finals are starting soon. I need to prepare the songs in advance, and I wanted you to help me choose."

"Oh, that? Sure, no problem."

Chu Tian glanced at Xu Qingqiu with some surprise. He'd been so busy house hunting and moving lately that he'd almost forgotten about the show. If things were going as expected, they should be recording the fifth episode by now, right? Since it's continuous recording, the semi-finals are probably next week. Then there would be the breakout round, and finally, the grand finale. For the semi-finals, Xu Qingqiu would need to prepare three songs: one duet and two solos. Of course, three would be ideal, but two could also work, depending on the on-stage situation.

"Which songs are you considering?"

"Let's start with the two solo songs. I haven't decided on the duet yet; I'll need to discuss it with the other person."

"Alright, let's set yours first. Tell me your thoughts."

Once they entered work mode, both Chu Tian and Xu Qingqiu became exceptionally focused.

Yiyi, watching as the two professionals devoted themselves to the task at hand, suddenly found the crispy pastries in her hands less appetizing. She wanted to keep eating, but with both her boss and Boss Chu working, it didn't seem right for her to munch away. Reluctantly, she pouted and packed up the snacks from the table, starting on her own tasks.

On stages for shows like Mask Singer, performers generally adapt another singer's songs; original compositions are rare or almost never used. Since Xu Qingqiu needed to disguise her identity, she couldn't sing her previously released works, as they would easily give her away. Therefore, she could only choose suitable works by other guests to adapt.

In the following days, she and Chu Tian were immersed in busy work: selecting songs, adapting them, trying them out, and then revising. Even midway, they found some songs inappropriate and had to start the selection process all over again, but unfortunately, an unexpected problem arose at the last moment. The duet partner Xu Qingqiu drew was very domineering and even had a bad temper. He directly specified the song for the duet and wouldn't accept any of their adaptation suggestions. She checked it out, and the song was indeed quite suitable, so she had no objections. The other party provided the adaptation, which was well done, so she accepted it.

Meanwhile, the production team was also working at full throttle, practically around the clock. As soon as they finished recording one episode, they had to start preparing for the next one, sending the raw footage to post-production without delay.

「Before they knew it, the semi-finals had arrived.」

Xu Qingqiu, accompanied by Yiyi, once again checked into the designated hotel. The production team came to pick them up, bringing costumes that had been sealed away for nearly half a month. Chu Tian, on the other hand, had already arrived at the production team's location.

"How's it going, any problems with the recording?"

"None at all. The previous episodes went smoothly, and the live performances were impressive. It's safe to say the competition is fierce, and everyone's in their prime."

"Hmm, what about the guessing panel? Have they figured anything out?"

Wei Liangxiao gave a wry smile and shook his head. "No, not a single correct guess. They're not even close. The only clue they found was from 'Singing Dad,' and even then, opinions are sharply divided."

"Haha, that's what makes it interesting. If it were too easy to guess, the game would be no fun. Right, have the off-stage guessing guests been settled?"

"Almost. We've confirmed three so far, all significant figures in the industry: a veteran diva, a mega King, a rock titan, and we're still in talks with a 'Song Daddy.'"

"Alright, finalize the lineup as soon as possible. Then, take the episodes that post-production has completed to them for their guesses, and make sure to record that segment first."

"Got it, I'll arrange it later."

Chu Tian nodded and didn't ask further. Wei Liangxiao's capability was beyond doubt; he was just giving a gentle reminder.

Soon the production team was ready, and the recording began without delay. As per the King of Songs sequence, Xu Qingqiu's group was the first to take the stage.

Chu Tian sat in the control room, watching the stage with slight anxiety. Her duet partner was a male singer, code-named "What's Wrong with Being Dark." Though the codename sounded feminine, he was thoroughly masculine—an old-school domestic rocker and established singer, Zhao Zhengxian.

Chu Tian wasn't worried about either of their abilities; both Xu Qingqiu and Zhao Zhengxian possessed top-notch singing skills. What concerned him were potential on-stage mishaps. He had noticed during the earlier rehearsal that Zhao Zhengxian's team had prepared a modified accompaniment. In other words, the instrumental arrangement they had initially given Xu Qingqiu wasn't the final version. If the two singers in a duet couldn't unify their arrangements, significant problems could arise during the performance.

Zhao Zhengxian also realized the problem, and as it was their side's oversight, he boldly chose the version previously given to Xu Qingqiu. However, this meant all the later amendments he had practiced were nullified. This could even affect his current performance, as those practiced memories couldn't simply be erased. After practicing the new version for several days, suddenly switching back to the old one would undoubtedly feel awkward.

And as expected, during the performance, Zhao Zhengxian came in on the wrong beat! Even with his strong ability, he forcibly adjusted back on track, but a mistake was a mistake and was especially conspicuous. This was no minor stage; every participant here was a titan in their field. It was easy enough to stumble even without mistakes, let alone with such a glaring error!

"Sorry, it was my mistake..."

As soon as he stepped off stage, Zhao Zhengxian apologized to Xu Qingqiu. He might have a bad temper and be obstinate, but he at least understood right from wrong and was capable of reason. A subpar performance on his own wouldn't matter much, but this was a duet. His actions would undoubtedly affect his partner, potentially even leading to her defeat!

But nothing could be done now. Even though Xu Qingqiu was visibly frustrated, what else could she do but offer a few words of comfort and make a hasty exit?

In the control room, Chu Tian also looked grim. He was powerless in this situation; it was simply a matter of fate, luck not being on their side.

Indeed, after the four groups finished competing and the votes were tallied, Xu Qingqiu's group was, unsurprisingly, in last place and thus, regrettably eliminated. However, there was still the breakout round. If she performed well, she might still succeed. But if she faltered again, Xu Qingqiu's journey in the competition would likely end there.

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