All-rounder Artist

Chapter 466: Chapter 444: Playing with Tickets_1

It was clear that Hu had lost, whether by the public comments on Starry Sky Network or the subtext of the fairy tale authors’ reactions. Despite some stubborn Yan people denying the reality, the results were undeniably clear when the sales volume of “Shuke and Beta” came out the following day. They could no longer muster a counterargument because the outcome was so evident.

It was not an overwhelming win.

But it felt like one.

Chu Kuang’s work didn’t completely crush Hu’s, but in the context of this regional battle, he played two roles in the Qin-Yan fairy tale dispute –

The story began with him.

The end came from him.

Even without intentionally belittling Hu, there’s an air of “I’m still your superior” about him, which undoubtedly added a legendary aura to Chu Kuang. It further reinforced everyone’s understanding of his ability to write fairy tales.

“The old rascal is still strong!”

“The old rascal is indeed awesome! Only these Yan people never learn. After being thrashed by the old rascal in short stories, they thought they could challenge him in the realm of novels, and the old rascal won’t have the capacity to handle them?”

“Offenders of Qin shall be executed, no matter how far they run!”

“Although Chu Kuang isn’t as explosive in writing novels as he is in short stories, he’s still among the most formidable writers on Blue Star. Hu’s defeat is justified. I personally think Chu Kuang’s novels are about 70% as powerful as his short stories.”

“Shouldn’t it be 80%?”

“It’s a shame that Chu Kuang didn’t completely crush Hu this time. If he had, Chu Kuang should now be known as the Fairy Tale King instead of merely the King of Short Fairy Tales. Am I having too high expectations for the old rascal?”

“…”

Yan people collectively spat blood.

These statements were too heart-wrenching. Was being the King of Short Fairy Tales not enough? Did they want Chu Kuang to also claim the title of Fairy Tale King in the realm of long fairy tales? Even the bravest of souls need limits. Do they really think the Blue Star fairy tale world revolves around Chu Kuang alone?

Pure greed!

Despite their burning anger, the Yan people couldn’t counterattack. Unless another stronger Yan person stepped up to defeat Chu Kuang, but that required a more powerful long-form fairy tale author to emerge in Yan and make a move.

Such people were rare in Yan.

To be more specific, there was only one.

So even though the Yan people were still unwilling to admit defeat, at least for now they had completely ceased their attempts. Both short and long form fairy tales had been dominated by Chu Kuang, and in the short term, no one would dare to directly challenge Chu Kuang again.

And there was no reason to!

Chu Kuang had already written so many fairy tales consecutively. Challenging him to a literature duel was equivalent to constant attacks. Shouldn’t they let him rest a bit?

The Yan people had a sense of honor.

Even after losing the regional battle, they didn’t show much rage. Instead, some Yan people went on to buy Chu Kuang’s works and read them, contributing to his sales.

“Our own kind.”

Some Yan people calmly stated, “The different continents of Blue Star are, after all, a family. There’s no need to emphasize differences. The core purpose of fairy tales is to weave dreams for children’s childhoods. Battles have no real meaning.”

The Chu people: “…”

The noble Yan people could bend or stretch?

After being pummeled by Admirable Fish and Shadow in music and comics, the Chu people said the same thing, that nothing came out of battles. But everyone on Blue Star knew – no one loved battles more than the Yan people!

Let’s get back to the point.

After Lin Yuan posted “Shuke and Beta,” he didn’t pay attention to the fairy tale circle anymore. He didn’t even know that he had become a hero for the Qin people. It was his sister who told him about it, and only then did he realize that another regional dispute had ended.

This gave Lin Yuan some food for thought.

It seemed that the path to a united Blue Star was still a long way off. Even though Qin, Qi, Chu, and Yan had merged, they weren’t wholly united. Often, they couldn’t resist comparing themselves. No wonder the higher-ups decided on the grand unification scheme. If they didn’t infuse the various continents, in the future, each might start governing independently and even become separate nations.

“The situation is settled!”

Lin Xuan excitedly informed Lin Yuan that Chu Kuang’s long and short stories set her performance in stone. When the company selected the editor-in-chief, she would probably be the top candidate.

“Congratulations.”

Lin Yuan said with a smile.

His sister shook her head: “I didn’t actually do anything. You pulled Chu Kuang onboard. Without him, I would’ve never been able to compete against those two rivals. Chu Kuang truly is a GOAT who can prop up a whole department by himself…”

“Yeah.”

Lin Yuan took the opportunity to remind her: “Chu Kuang will probably focus on writing detective novels and won’t touch fairy tales for now. When he regains interest in writing fairy tales, I’ll ask him to give you the works for publication.”

“Of course!”

Lin Xuan nodded seriously.

She knew that Chu Kuang wrote fairy tales solely because her little brother had asked for his help privately. Now that her situation was temporarily stable, Chu Kuang certainly needed to focus on his own affairs. However, the outside world would never imagine that the reason behind Chu Kuang writing fairy tales was so offhand, right?

Lin Yuan also nodded.

He didn’t plan to write any more fairy tales in the short term. He’d pick up this genre again in the future. After all, he needed to complete the many stories in the Hercule Poirot series. Moreover, he was going to participate in The Masked Singer competition next!

Indeed.

As the regional turbulence in the fairy tale circle settled, The Masked Singer finally sent out news about upcoming recordings. At the same time, Lin Yuan received his custom-designed mask and costumes.

“Try them on!”

When Lil Goodoong brought the clothes to Lin Yuan’s office, her eyes shone. After all, the custom designs for the clothes and mask cost a whopping 120,000. The anticipation for how they would look on him was high!

“Okay.”

Lin Yuan agreed.

Gu Dong stepped out momentarily. Once Lin Yuan had changed into his custom-made clothes and put on his glamorous mask, she re-entered the room. Upon seeing Lin Yuan’s new look, her mouth formed an ‘O’.

“What do you think?”

“That’s so cool!”

“Should I tone it down a bit?”

“Please, wear it just like this!”

To Lin Yuan’s surprise, Gu Dong even bowed to make her request.

Lin Yuan hesitated for a moment, but didn’t say anything. This outfit looked far better than the ones he saw in those Prince of Lanling type dramas on Earth. The effort put into this outfit worth tens of thousands was evident. He took off the mask and asked:

“Have we finished registering?”

Gu Dong nodded, “The show enforces strict rules. Ideally, the singer’s identity should be hidden tightly. However, the director of the program needs to know who the singer is. So, they want to have a video call with you.”

“No problem.”

Lin Yuan nodded.

Gu Dong made a video call. The person who answered had a very ordinary face, but his surprised expression at seeing Lin Yuan’s new look was anything but ordinary.

“Teacher Admirable Fish?”

“Yes, I’m Admirable Fish.”

Lin Yuan replied through a veil of discomfort.

The person on the other line sighed, “Hello, Teacher Admirable Fish. I’m Tong Shuwen, the director of ‘The Masked Singer’. You really are as young and handsome as the internet rumors suggested. We initially planned to invite you as a guest judge for a few episodes, not expecting you to participate as a contestant. Of course, I won’t reveal any more details. Are you planning to wear this outfit for the competition?”

“Yes.”

Lin Yuan donned his mask and let Gu Dong use her phone to take a spin around him, letting the other party familiarize themselves with his appearance, before continuing the conversation.

“Has the time been confirmed?”

“Yes, it’s confirmed.”

He laughed and said, “The official filming will begin in February. We’ll inform you in due time. Please prepare yourself, because you’ll be performing in the first episode!”

“Okay.”

Lin Yuan didn’t continue the conversation with him. A few short words and he ended the call — it was enough to let him know who he was.

On the other end.

After the call ended, Tong Shuwen couldn’t suppress his excitement any longer — his body began shaking involuntarily from exhilaration!

Admirable Fish!!!

He hadn’t expected Admirable Fish to join as a contestant. Tong Shuwen could almost imagine the explosive reaction when the mysterious Admirable Fish took off his mask on the stage of “The Masked Singer.”

This was going to be explosive news!

He specifically arranged for Admirable Fish to perform in the first episode with this intent in mind. The sooner a contestant like Admirable Fish unveiled himself, the better it would be for the show!

After all, Admirable Fish was just a composer.

Most of his opponents were powerhouse singers. It was possible that Admirable Fish might bomb out in the first episode, and if that were to be the case, the ratings for the first episode would explode!

Of course.

If, due to strong skills, Admirable Fish is slow to reveal his identity, that’s also a good thing. The longer the build-up, the more dramatic the reveal will be when it finally happens!

But how could that be possible?

Admirable Fish was not a professional singer, this competition could hide the past glories of the singers, but it could not hide the singer’s inherent singing skills!

Unless…

As a composer, Admirable Fish also possessed singing skills comparable to a professional singer. But as for something like this, Tong Shuwen certainly didn’t have high expectations. Just based on Admirable Fish’s looks, if he really had strong singing skills, why would he compose for others?

He should have debuted himself.

In this circle that valued both skills and appearance, if Admirable Fish had even a bit of singing ability, combined with his terrifying composing prowess, he could easily become a sensation.

That was Tong Shuwen’s thought.

Recently, a lot of people have been contacting Tong Shuwen, like Admirable Fish, other composers as well. Many actors have also joined the fray. There are even sports stars who want to participate in the show. Tong Shuwen understood the mentality of these people.

They only participated for fun while hiding behind masks.

Admirable Fish was the same.

Even if Tong Shuwen’s brain was kicked by a donkey, he wouldn’t refuse Admirable Fish. He’d even considered privately inviting Admirable Fish to be a judge on ‘The Masked Singer’ after his reveal.

“So, who’s the celebrity contestant this time?”

The assistant director next to him, curious at Tong Shuwen’s excitement, couldn’t help but ask. Although he didn’t know which people were participating, the director had previously revealed some names, giving the impression of a chaotic fight.

“Indeed, it’s a celeb.”

After some thought, Tong Shuwen added, “But I have to keep his name a secret. I guess it won’t be a secret for long. He’ll probably reveal himself soon. You’ll know by the time we finish recording the first episode.”

Assistant Director: “…”

It seemed like this was another non-professional singer who’d come to the show just for fun. But if Tong Shuwen nodded in approval, it meant this playful person must be a big shot.

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ps: Thanks to [Dora-AKM] for becoming the 32nd alliance hierarch of this book, my sincerest thanks! Another task to add more updates has been added, ●█▀█▄Kneel before the alliance hierarch ~