Chapter 1059: ‘The Internationale’!
Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
Three contestants asked for a last-minute song change!
An hour later, the fifth episode’s elimination round of King of Masked Singers officially began recording.
The three contestants who advanced into the battle round were Petal Shower, Sunset Glow, and The Clown. The remaining contestants of Flowing Time and the two replacement masked singers had all lost in the first round.
Onstage.
One of the replacement masked singers was singing “The Colors of Youth” loudly.
“Don’t expect too much of some people.
“Don’t be too stubborn with some things.
“Maybe someday, we’ll look back on the past.
“And you’ll realize that some things can’t be changed.”
The audience’s eyes lit up!
“It’s not a children’s song!”
“This is great!”
“I was so sick of listening to all those children’s songs today!”
“What’s going on? Why did they started singing this type of song as well?”
“This should be a pessimistic song, right? Right?”
“They were all affected by The Clown! Everyone is finally angry! They’re just singing as they should now. What censorship? What guidelines? They’re not going to listen to them anymore!”
“We’re finally listening to a proper song!”
“The song that The Clown sang was not for nothing. Everyone has been awakened!”
“All those lousy associations know is how to give arbitrary directions!”
“That’s right. A nice, world-class variety show was nearly wrecked by their meddling!”
The elimination round ended and Flowing Time managed to keep his place in the competition with a Hokkien song.
Next up was the fifth episode’s battle to be Masked King.
The first contestant to take to the stage was Petal Shower, followed by Sunset Glow.
The two of them had also changed the songs they were to perform. They stuck to their previous approach in the competition and sang in their same respective styles. The audience was largely enjoying their performances as they completely differed from their performances in the first round.
Sunset Glow finished her part of the recording.
Dong Shanshan went up on stage and announced, “Next up, let’s welcome the last contestant—The Clown.”
However, even before the audience could applaud, a group of people suddenly arrived and interrupted the entire recording process. Eight or nine people dressed in suits had barged right into the studio!
Xiao Lu was startled and immediately went to stop them. “What are you people trying to do!”
The leader of the group was a middle-aged man who said coldly, “I’m from the Television Show Association!”
Dafei also went over. “We’re in the midst of recording a show!”
“I don’t care about that!” Another middle-aged man said, “We were here two days ago and made the guidelines very clear at that time. And what’s happening here and now? You didn’t listen to a single word we said, did you?”
The people from the association were here!
No one knew how they received the tip, but they rushed over immediately to deal with things when they found out about the discordant factors that had occurred during the recording of King of Masked Singers.
Hu Fei was angry. He strode forward and confronted them. “This is a recording studio! Unauthorized personnel are not allowed in here! Whatever you have to say, you have to wait until we’re done recording!”
That person from the association said, “You don’t have to record the show anymore!”
“What do you mean?” Hu Fei sneered.
Behind them, an executive from Beijing Television rushed over after hearing about this interruption.
The middle-aged man from the association said firmly, “We stated the guidelines clearly the other day. Are you all deliberately trying to cause trouble? Alright then, let’s see whose backing is stronger!” He turned to his secretary and said, “Issue an order to the relevant departments, then get in touch with Director Zhou and immediately notify him about this!”
The secretary said, “Understood!” Then he stepped to the side to make the call.
The Beijing Television executive asked, “Old Hu, what’s going on?”
Hu Fei did not know how to answer him.
Sunset Glow, who had just finished her song, was frowning.
Petal Shower’s face sank.
The judges on the guessing panel looked over.
Zhang Xia frowned. “Those people are from the authorities?”
Amy said, “What are they doing here at a time like this? Will recording still continue?”
Wang Zhuishu said angrily, “The cameras are still rolling. How can they just charge in like that? What is happening? Even if they’re higher-ups from the authorities, there’s no need for such behavior, is there?”
The audience was not having any of this either!
“Fuck!”
“These bastards!”
“They’ve really come?”
“Fucking hell, what are they doing!”
“Are they here to cause trouble?”
“That’s what I’m wondering too. It’s just singing. Why are they making this so difficult!”
“It’s over. We won’t be able to finish the recording today.”
“What the hell is going on!”
“How infuriating!”
“Are they really going to impose all those regulations on the music industry? Aren’t they a little too hell-bent on that?”
“This move doesn’t make any sense at all!”
“The people won’t even have the right to listen to the music they like anymore?”
“Do we really look like such pushovers to them?”
“We have our own thinking process and we know how to judge right from wrong. We don’t need you people poking your nose into our business!”
“They’re taking us for slaves!”
“Ai, don’t bring that up. We’re just a bunch of powerless folk, a bunch of shitty workers. How can we possibly stand up to them!”
Dong Shanshan looked down into the audience.
Over there, the group of people from the association were arguing with the program team!
Flowing Time walked over.
The two replacement masked singers also appeared there.
But right at that moment, a shadowy figure suddenly took the stage as if no one were present. The figure stood in front of the microphone stand and adjusted it, then looked over to Music Director Bai Yuanfei and the band.
They instantly understood.
Bai Yuanfei hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Straight away, a drumbeat kicked
The guitar strummed!
Hu Fei, Xiao Lu, Dafei, and the others from the program team were stunned. Music? Where did the music come from? They looked over to the source of the sound and realized that The Clown was standing on the stage!
Petal Shower was stunned!
Sunset Glow was startled!
Flowing Time widened his eyes a bit and stared!
Meanwhile, those people from the association were angered.
“What is that?”
“Get him off the stage!”
“Why is he still singing!”
The audience was caught off guard too. No one knew what The Clown was planning or what he was going to sing. But for some reason, when that passionate music started playing, excitement surged through the crowd!
Then The Clown opened his mouth!
With that, the studio was shocked!
The first sound that came out when his mouth opened was a roaring high note!
The Clown pointed to the ceiling and screamed 1 .
“Arise!
“ye pris’ners of starvation!
“Arise!
“ye wretched of the Earth!
“For justice thunders condemnation:
“A better world’s in birth!”
Arise?
Prisoners?
Arise?
Condemnation?
The program team staff were dumbfounded!
Petal Shower and Sunset Glow were staring with mouths agape!
The audience felt the rush of hot blood course through them!
What was this song?
Just what the fuck was this song?
Someone looked at the teleprompter screen!
“The Internationale”?
Rock?
The Clown was singing loudly and angrily in a high pitch. He had never sung in such a way on this stage before. Today was the first time he was doing so. It was as though he wanted to use this song to sing the anger in his heart!
“No more tradition’s chains shall bind us!
“Arise, ye slaves, no more in thrall!
“The Earth shall rise on new foundations:
“We have been naught; we shall be all!”
The faces of those people from the association darkened as they got infuriated!
However, the live studio audience was brought to a blood boiling high from listening to the song!
The Clown pointed at them and sang loudly.
“‘Tis the final conflict;
“Let each stand in his place.
“The International working class / Shall be the human race!”
The Clown raised one of his hands high in a clenched fist 2 —the universal symbol of industrial workers all over the world!
International?
“The Internationale”?
The International Workers’ Association?
This was a song of the workers?
This was a song for ordinary folk like them?
Chen Guang was visibly moved!
Amy was listening in disbelief!
The Clown sang loudly.
“We want no condescending saviors
“To rule us from their judgment hall;
“We workers ask not for their favors.
“Let us consult for all.”
No one can help us!
But neither do we expect a savior to come forward!
We have ourselves!
We have weapons!
Arise!
Don’t be afraid!
Arise!
People who are like me!
The Clown screamed.
“To make the thief disgorge his booty
“To free the spirit from its cell,
“We must ourselves decide our duty,
“We must decide, and do it well.”
Suddenly, a middle-aged man in the audience raised his hand high and displayed the gesture of the International Workers’ Association, then stood up silently!
A young man beside him also proudly raised a fist as The Clown did earlier as he slowly stood up as well!
Then a third person!
Followed by a tenth person!
A fiftieth!
A hundred people!
The Clown sang loudly.
“‘Tis the final conflict;
“Let each stand in his place.
“The International working class / Shall be the human race!”
Chen Guang stood up and raised his right hand!
Amy stood up and raised her right hand!
Wang Zhuishu!
Yao Jiancai!
Petal Shower!
Sunset Glow!
They all raised their hands in a clenched fist!
Han Qi also raised her right hand. She was bursting with emotion and could not help herself, having been influenced by the mood in the studio.
Dafei raised his right hand proudly!
Xiao Lu slowly brought her hand up as well!
A hundred people!
Three hundred people!
Five hundred people!
At this moment, no one in the studio was sitting down!
Even some of the backstage staff stood up with their right hands raised as hot tears welled up in their eyes!
The Clown sang loudly.
“How many on our flesh have fattened;
“But if the noisome birds of prey
“Shall vanish from the sky some morning,
“The blessed sunlight still will stay.”
All of a sudden, without anyone leadership, without anyone saying a word, and with the entire audience seeming to have discussed it beforehand, everyone started singing loudly along with The Clown.
“‘Tis the final conflict;
“Let each stand in his place.
“The International working class
“Shall be the human race!”
Petal Shower was singing!
Sunset Glow was singing!
Bai Yuanfei was singing!
Chen Guang was singing!
Zhang Xia was singing!
Amy was singing!
“‘Tis the final conflict; / Let each stand in his place.
“The International working class / Shall be the human race!
“The International working class / Shall be the human race!”
The nearly thousand people present were singing with raised right fists!
If someone witnessed such a scene, they would be deeply shocked. This shock was something that simply could not be described in words. The source of this shocking scene originated from something known as dignity!
