Seven years after transmigrating, he was cornered at the head of the bed by a cold and aloof empress

Chapter 104 Masked Singer Auditions? Lin Zhou Forced into Participation by the Production Team

Early morning at Genting Manor.

Lin Zhou casually tossed the Nokia phone, which not only had no SIM card but whose back cover was almost falling off, into the deepest part of the drawer.

The lock clicked shut.

It was as if the ruthless "Seventh Brother" from last night had also been locked inside.

He turned around, tied on the apron with pink pig prints, and picked up the spatula.

He can switch back to "stay-at-home dad" mode in a second.

"Honey, Nuonuo, wake up and eat!"

His voice was loud and clear, radiating a carefree joy.

It was as if the man who had been smoking on the balcony last night, with eyes as cold as knives, was not him at all.

Su Qingge came downstairs with her long, messy hair.

There were some dark circles under her eyes, clearly indicating that the dream about "Seventh Brother" last night had made her sleep restless.

"morning."

She took the hot milk Lin Zhou handed her, her gaze lingering on his face for two seconds with a complex expression.

That face is still handsome, still sporting that smug smile.

No matter how you look at it, it doesn't overlap with the special forces soldier in my dream who was covered in blood and had wolf-like eyes.

"What's wrong, honey? Are you swooning over how handsome I am?"

Lin Zhou touched her face, grinned, and leaned closer. "Have you realized that your own husband is still the most handsome?"

"Narcissism."

Su Qingge rolled her eyes at him and lowered her head to drink her milk, concealing the probing look in her eyes.

Just then.

"Ding-dong—Ding-dong—"

The doorbell rang so urgently, it was like a death knell.

Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow.

coming.

He went over and opened the door.

really.

Yan Min's old face, which was grinning like a chrysanthemum, was directly in front of the camera.

Behind him followed a large group of cameramen carrying long lenses and several staff members wearing name tags.

This display is even more intimidating than checking the water meter.

Good morning, Lin Zhou's father!

Yan Min held a megaphone, her voice as excited as if she had just been injected with two pounds of chicken blood:

"Surprised? Unexpected?"

Lin Zhou leaned against the doorway, holding a spatula in his hand, looking disgusted.

"The surprises were more plentiful than shocks. Director Yan, doesn't your production team get any sleep this early in the morning? Or are you trying to freeload on breakfast?"

"We'll talk about getting a free meal later!"

Yan Min squeezed into the room, sat on the sofa as if they were old friends, took out a red-headed document from her bag, and slammed it on the coffee table:

"I have some important news to announce!"

"Given the phenomenal popularity of our show 'Where Are We Going, Dad?', the station has decided to make a big move!"

"We're going to collaborate with the hottest music variety show next door, 'The Masked Singer'!"

"A collaboration?"

Nuonuo, who was eating a fried egg, looked up with yolk on her lips and a blank expression. "Are we going to cook the masked uncle and eat him?"

"We're not going to cook it, we're going to sing karaoke!"

Yan Min waved his arms, spittle flying everywhere:

This episode's special feature—the masked challenge for dads!

"Four fathers will appear as 'mystery challengers,' wearing masks to participate in the auditions for 'The Masked Singer'!"

"Whoever passes the auditions will advance directly to the main competition and compete on the same stage as professional singers!"

The moment these words were spoken, the live stream chat exploded.

"Holy crap! I give this dream collaboration a perfect score!"

"I want to see Lu Ming get humiliated! With his singing skills, he'd probably be eliminated in the first round if he wore a mask!"

"Where's Lin Zhou? Is Lin Zhou going? I want to hear a live version of 'Simple Love'!"

"Forget about the previous stuff. Lin Zhou already said that's just humming nonsense. Going to a professional music competition is practically suicide, isn't it?"

really.

Lin Zhou shook his head vigorously without even thinking after hearing this:

"I'm not going."

"Absolutely not going."

He turned to walk towards the kitchen, waving his hand as he went:

"What's the point of a cook like me singing? That's like showing off my skills in front of an expert!"

"I don't want to embarrass myself by going there; I still need to stay home and take care of the kids."

That refusal was incredibly decisive and swift.

His performance was flawless.

If it weren't for that phone call last night, Yan Min would almost have believed that this guy really wanted to be a salted fish.

"Cough cough."

Yan Min tactfully cleared her throat and slowly pulled a contract from under the file folder.

That was the "contract of servitude" that Su Qingge signed for Lin Zhou back then.

He pointed to Article 18, Supplementary Clause, Item 3 of the contract, and grinned like a cunning old fox who had stolen a chicken:

"Lin Zhou, I know you are indifferent to fame and fortune."

"However, it is written in black and white: 'Party B shall unconditionally cooperate with Party A and all recording arrangements of Party A's related programs.'"

"If you don't cooperate..."

Yan Min held up three fingers and shook them:

"The penalty for breach of contract will be doubled."

"Six hundred million."

Lin Zhou suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He turned around stiffly to look at the contract, his expression a fascinating mix of emotions.

From shock to anger to helplessness, it finally turned into a tragic feeling of "I'll endure it to save money".

"Yan Min, you schemed against me!"

Lin Zhou gritted his teeth and pointed at Yan Min's nose, "This is forced buying and selling! It's an unfair contract!"

"Hey, you can't say that."

Yan Min put away the contract and spread her hands with a smile. "This was personally signed by President Su. If you have any objections, go find your wife."

Lin Zhou fell silent instantly.

He turned to look at Su Qingge, his eyes filled with "Wife, save me."

however.

Su Qingge was holding her phone, looking at a WeChat message she had just received.

That was an invitation from the director of "The Masked Singer".

We cordially invite Ms. Su Qingge to serve as a special guest judge for this season of "The Masked Singer".

Judges?

Su Qingge was stunned for a moment.

If she were a judge, and Lin Zhou were a contestant…

She looked up and her gaze fell on Lin Zhou.

Seeing his desperate resistance, as if singing would be the death of him, Su Qingge suddenly recalled the dream about "Old Seven" from last night.

That man who is omnipotent yet mysterious in my dreams.

And then there's the song that made her cry her eyes out, "Legend."

I don't know why.

A strong intuition or some kind of secret expectation is growing wildly in my heart.

She wanted to see.

On this completely enclosed stage, where faces are ignored and only voices are heard.

How many secrets does this man still hold that she doesn't know about?

"Go."

Su Qingge put down her phone and elegantly wiped her mouth with a tissue.

Her voice was soft, yet it was decisive.

"Huh?" Lin Zhou looked at her with an expression that seemed to say, "Wife, how could you betray me too?"

"Six hundred million, our family can't afford to pay that."

Su Qingge stood up and walked to Lin Zhou, reaching out to straighten his slightly disheveled collar, a playful smile playing on her lips:

"And I also received an invitation."

"I am a judge."

She leaned closer to Lin Zhou and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Honey, don't let me down."

"If I get eliminated in the first round... I'll kneel on the keyboard when I get home."

Lin Zhou: "..."

This is like forcing a duck onto a shelf!

...

Two hours later.

Backstage at the Beijing TV station's studio.

The audition for "The Masked Singer" was quite lively.

All sorts of demons and monsters... oh no, all sorts of masked singers gathered together.

Lu Ming had already arrived.

He chose a glittering tuxedo and wore a peacock mask studded with rhinestones, as if afraid others wouldn't know he was a top star.

"Brother Lin! You're here too?"

Upon seeing Lin Zhou, Lu Ming immediately approached him in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, this outfit... is quite plain."

Lin Zhou was wearing a black hoodie he'd bought from a street stall, with the hood pulled low, and loose cargo pants.

The main character is just a passerby.

"There's nothing I can do; my family is too poor to afford rhinestones."

Lin Zhou casually retorted, too lazy to pay attention to this peacock, and went straight to the props area to choose a mask.

The prop shelf was filled with all sorts of strangely shaped masks.

There's the adorable "Peppa Pig," the domineering "Monkey King," and even the hilarious "Husky."

Chen Kai chose a wild "wolf head," while Wang Lei chose a憨厚 (honest and simple) "giant panda."

Lin Zhou's gaze swept over the colorful masks one by one.

At last.

His gaze was fixed on the corner.

There, hanging all alone, was a pure black mask.

There are no patterns or decorations whatsoever.

Only the eye sockets were two narrow openings that exuded a chilling aura.

That was—Lanling Wang.

One of the four most handsome men in ancient China, and also the most mysterious war god. He always wore a mask when going into battle to conceal his beauty and intimidate the enemy.

"This is it."

Lin Zhou reached out and picked up the mask.

A cool sensation spread through my fingertips.

He looked at the empty eyes on the mask, and a cold smile slowly crept onto his lips.

Plan B?

Ok.

Since you want to see a show, I'll put on a big one for you.

"Lin Zhou, are you sure you want to choose this?"

Yan Min leaned closer, somewhat disapprovingly, "This dark stage effect isn't good! How about we change it to 'Sailor Moon'? That would definitely create a cute contrast!"

"Need not."

Lin Zhou put on the mask.

That instant.

The lazy, carefree, and joking "gold digger" has disappeared.

Instead, there was a mysterious and dangerous man in black who exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay.

His voice, muffled by the mask, carried a chilling, oppressive quality.

"Black is nice."

"Dirty".

"and…"

Through the eye openings of his mask, he looked at the brightly lit stage in the distance with a gaze as sharp as a knife:

"When someone kills, the blood splatters on the skin, so you can't see it."