The straight man in the entertainment circle

Kyoto, Zhengjie Media Company.

Lin Li was sitting on the sofa chair in the living room. Opposite him was a middle-aged man in his forties with a round face and a rich beard.

This person is Yu Hui, the chief director of Lychee TV's "The Masked Singer".

After Lin Li called him yesterday and said that he was willing to participate in "The Masked Singer" but needed to discuss it in detail, Yu Hui was so excited that he made an appointment with a media company that cooperated with Lychee TV and took a plane to meet Lin Li early this morning. .

After Lin Li rescued people at the New Year's Eve party, he had a real and fake battle with Fan Zhou. At this time, he was in the limelight. Lin Li relaxed. As the chief director of "The Masked Singer", he naturally would not let it go.

In order to express the importance of the program team, Yu Hui came to meet Lin Li in person today.

"Lin Li, I finally meet you. We also invited you a month before our show was launched."

Yu Hui told Lin Li what happened, hoping to make Lin Li feel his sincerity.

"I know this, but do you know why we didn't agree to participate in your show?" Lin Li asked.

"No schedule?"

"There were still some at that time," Lin Li said.

"Is... the appearance fee we paid is too low?"

Lin Li shook his head. Lychee TV, where "The Masked Singer" is located, is quite rich. After all, it is a TV station in Jiangnan Province, the richest country in the country. Moreover, the previous episodes of "The Masked Singer" had good ratings. He now has an appearance fee of 800,000. They are no longer worthy of mentioning it, let alone when they were not so highly valued before.

"Does that mean our program has a bad reputation?"

"At that time, your program hadn't been aired yet," Lin Lida said.

“Is that because our show is masked and we don’t think we have enough exposure?”

Lin Li nodded and said, "My mother...that is, my agent thinks so."

Yuhui smiled bitterly and said, "It is true that our show uses masks to attract the audience, but it scares away some singers."

The show "The Masked Singer" can be said to be masked both in success and failure.

The format of the program where a masked singer goes on stage to sing and allows the judging panel to guess the singer is quite novel. The audience will have a sense of participation and a sense of accomplishment if they guess correctly.

Because of this, the ratings for the first few episodes of "The Masked Singer" were among the best.

But after a few episodes, everyone found that this show was a bit fake. It was obvious that many singers were easy to guess, and some were even friends with the people who guessed the show. But the people who guessed the show just said they couldn't guess it.

In the first episode, everyone thought it was just a show effect, but in the second episode, everyone thought it was a bit too much. If the show is like this in the third and fourth episodes, the audience will definitely not be able to stand it.

"The Masked Singer" has been criticized for this, with many people feeling that the show crew was careless and deceiving the audience.

Seeing that Yu Hui was speaking sincerely, Lin Li said, "It seems that you know what the problem with your program is now."

Yu Hui was stunned for a moment, then sighed and said, "How could I not know that the netizens are saying bad things about it, isn't it because the show is too fake?"

"No, many singers can guess who they are as soon as they start singing, but even the professional guessing team said they couldn't guess. Their acting skills are so bad." Lin Li agreed.

Yu Hui said distressedly: "Then what can we do? Some singers have obvious characteristics and many fans, so they are recognized immediately. But if the guessing team does not perform, our singers will be recognized in every issue, and the ones that are harder to guess will be If you can guess it in just two or three episodes, then there will be no singer in the finals."

"And if we invite famous singers to this show, everyone will know who they are as soon as they hear it, and there is no need to guess. But if we invite singers that no one has heard of, the audience will complain that we can't invite them. Those kind of people are not called singers, so we are in a dilemma, so we can only invite some singers who are relatively famous and have masterpieces, and let the members of the guessing team perform."

The competition format of "The Masked Singer" is for singers to go on stage and sing while masked. After singing, seven judging panels will guess who the singer is. Each guest group can only give one name. If it is correct, the singer's face will be revealed. If not, the singer will be revealed. If it is correct, the singer will continue to appear on the stage in the next period. If the singer is not guessed in three periods, the singer will enter the finals. The singer will guess again in the finals. No matter whether it is correct or not, the singer will be revealed.

Because the show is positioned as a masked show, many singers who need to be exposed are not very willing to come. As a result, there are not many singers that can be invited to the show. If there are no backup singers, they will definitely be reluctant to let the guessing team guess directly. Except for those whose voices Except for very recognizable singers, the program team will arrange two or three episodes for other singers to be guessed by the judging panel.

This is why everyone in the show clearly knows who the singer is, but the guessing team treats the audience as fools and keeps saying they can't guess it.

But as Yu Hui said, the program team knew the problem, but they were unable to change it. The judging panel had to act according to the script.

Otherwise, if you guess all the singers, what about the "Masked Singer" finals?

Is it possible that all the singers in the finals are not masked?

Then don't call this show "The Masked Singer".

And the show always gives the audience some suspense, even if they may have already guessed the suspense.

For those who are really not easy to guess and have schedules, the program team will save them for the finals, which can be regarded as their best effort.

Lin Li had actually seen through the predicament of "The Masked Singer" a long time ago, and when Yu Hui said it, he felt a little sympathetic to him.

Like Li Shuai's "Tucao Pai", they all have their own difficulties.

It seems that program producers and directors are not an easy job.

"Well, I think I can understand your mood a little bit." Lin Li said.

Yu Hui felt a little relieved after hearing what Lin Li said, and asked tentatively: "Lin Li, let me ask, how many issues do you have...?"

Lin Li smiled and said, "Why do you ask this?"

Yu Hui smiled awkwardly. When he smiled, his face became much rounder and he looked a little naive.

"We need five or six singers for the finals, and we have only decided on two now. You have many singing styles, including rock, lyric, pop, and rap. It is not so easy to guess. If possible... I would like to arrange you Entering the finals…I didn’t know you…”

"That's four sessions, right?" Lin Lida said.

"Yes, don't worry, we will never ask you to reduce your appearance fee just because of the fourth period."

"Do you think the judging panel won't be able to guess me after I sing three times?" Lin Li asked.

Yu Hui thought for a moment and smiled: "Let me tell you the truth. The judging panel knows who the singer is in advance. Since we let you enter the finals, they won't guess you."

Lin Li sighed and leaned against the back of the sofa.

"Director Yu, you may not know me very well. If that's the case, I won't participate in your show. It's boring."

Yu Hui was startled, remembering Lin Li's reputation and knowing that he was not very cooperative with the show crew in acting.

"Well...we are willing to respect your wishes. If you have any requests, you can make them."

Yu Hui was not willing to go back without success. Lin Li was very popular now, and the show was lacking a topical singer.

Lin Li was waiting for his words and said: "I hope that apart from the two of us, no third person will know about my participation in your show, not to mention the judging panel, even the other people in the show team. .”

After hearing this, Yu Hui was a little confused and asked, "Why?"

"Don't you want to have a singer on the show that no one can guess? If you tell me, there will be rumors."

Yu Hui was stunned for a moment, looked at Lin Li, and thought to himself that he just said it was difficult for you to guess, but it was just a pretext, not that the guessing team really couldn't guess it. If he didn't communicate with the guessing team in advance, Lin Li would probably guess it in two or three rounds. Been guessed.

Lin Li suddenly changed his voice. His voice was very hoarse, like someone who had a throat infection for a long time.

"Do you think that even if you don't tell anyone, the guessing team will still guess me quickly?"

Yu Hui couldn't help but take a breath when he heard Lin Li's voice. He had never known that Lin Li had such a hoarse voice. Let alone Lin Li, in Yu Hui's impression, no one in the entertainment industry had such a voice.

After being slightly shocked, Yu Hui suddenly became excited. He knew why Lin Li asked him like this.

If Lin Li sang with such a voice, not even Lin Li's fans would be able to guess it, let alone the judging panel.

Yu Hui had done some homework on Lin Li before coming.

Lin Li's amazing performances in "The Voice", "I Am a Creator" and "Tucao Pai" can be said to have driven the reputation and ratings of these three programs. Even the cultural program "Chinese Studies Conference" also benefited from Lin Li's performance. appeared and broke ratings records.

Originally, Yu Hui thought that his stage would limit Lin Li's performance, and he was afraid that it would be difficult for him to excel. After all, he guessed that someone on the judging panel recognized Lin Li.

Now that he heard that Lin Li had such a voice, Yu Hui couldn't help but look forward to his performance in the "Masked Singer" program this time.

"Your voice..."

Lin Li still said in a hoarse voice: "You can sing."

Yuhui's eyes lit up and he said, "I didn't expect you to have such a unique skill..."

"So, do you agree to the conditions I proposed?" Lin Li asked in a normal voice.

Yuhui naturally hopes to have a topical singer on his show. It is best to sing good songs that no one will recognize.

But in the entertainment industry, people who are really good at singing are relatively famous, and famous singers are easy to guess.

So if you want to sing well and people can't guess it, it's really impossible.

But this time Lin Li gave Yu Hui some hope. Lin Li was afraid that like him in other shows, he would bring huge topics to his show!

Since Lin Li asked that no third person know about it, try to block the spread of gossip as much as possible. This is also a guarantee for the interests of the program team.

When everyone is guessing the true identity of a certain singer, the topic and popularity of the program group will increase accordingly, and the ratings will not be worried.

However, Yu Hui didn't agree to Lin Li outright, because it would be difficult to implement this without letting the third person know.

"The program team has some staff and make-up staff who receive the singers. They can be trusted, right?"

"No." Lin Li said firmly.

"Then...costumes and makeup..."

The singers of this show need to cover their faces, and most people also need to cover their figures, which requires the efforts of the show's costume and props team and makeup artists.

Lin Li didn't want others to know his identity, they couldn't hide it.

However, what Yu Hui never expected was that Lin Li said, "I can do this myself."

Yu Hui didn't expect that Lin Li actually said that he would do it by himself. He was a little worried that Lin Li would mess up. Don't let others recognize his voice by then. Lin Li's actions or revealing certain parts of his face would make people guess right.

"Are you worried that I'll mess it up?" Lin Li asked.

Yu Hui was stunned and realized that he couldn't hide anything he was thinking from Lin Li.

Yu Hui thought for a while and realized that Lin Li should have his own makeup artist and team of stylists, so he smiled and said: "You can save money for our program team. I'm not even happy about it. How could I not agree? It's just... you want me not to tell others." You came to participate in the show, but you must show up during the recording, and the people on the show team will still know you."

"Don't worry about this. I will dress up and then enter your TV station. When I enter the station, you need to find someone from the program team to take me in, but don't tell me my identity."

Yu Hui was stunned. This was the first time he met a guest like Lin Li. He did everything by himself.

"Okay, then I promise you." Yu Hui smiled.

Lin Li's method was indeed able to hide it from the people on the show. If Yu Hui and Lin Li didn't say anything, and Lin Li sang with the same hoarse voice just now, countless people would definitely be unable to guess this time.

Yu Hui suddenly became a little excited. The show has been running for so long and finally welcomed a singer like Lin Li!

"After you go back, tell the people on your show that we have not reached an agreement and I will not go to your show. In order to avoid everyone's suspicion, I will not go to the recording this episode and will go back in two episodes."

Yu Hui noticed that Lin Li had unique ideas and said with a smile: "Actually, most of the singers who come to our show hope that everyone can guess who they are. Only if you are really afraid of others will you come out."

Lin Li smiled and said, "Isn't this the biggest charm of your show? You have lost it now, and I will get it back for you."

Yu Hui was very touched after hearing this. Lin Li was not as difficult as the legend said. It could even be seen that when Lin Li participated in the show, he really thought about the show team. His vision and level were much higher than those singers who only care about cost and exposure.

"Then let's exchange contact information so that we can communicate easily."

The two exchanged contact information and chatted for a while before they dispersed.

On the way home, Lin Li saw the "Teen Idol" magazine hanging on the newsstand at the door.

Only then did Lin Li realize that the new year issues of major magazines had come out.

Different from other magazine cover photos, which are all pictures of celebrities with flawless facial features, this photo of Lin Li goes the opposite way, leaving only a cool and handsome back among the cover photos of arrogant and beautiful people. On the contrary, it is the most eye-catching.

The magazine "Teen Idol" has a very small audience in Kyoto. You can't usually see this magazine at the newsstands lined up at the door. It seems to be selling well. In places like newsstands, whatever newspapers and magazines sell well, they will You can tell which magazines and newspapers are popular by selling what they sell.

As soon as she entered the house, Song Wenjie held a copy of "Teenage Idol" magazine and shook it at Lin Li.

"It was sent from the magazine. Your cover became a hot search, making their magazine sell 200,000 yuan. They are still printing more copies. Their editor-in-chief called just now to thank you."

Lin Li took a look and said with a smile: "No wonder I saw this magazine at the newsstand at the door just now."

Lin Li's back photo on the cover was already eye-catching, and with his saving lives at the New Year's Eve party and his battle with Fanzhou Network, more people noticed this annual cover.

However, Lin Li didn't expect that his annual cover would be a hot search, so he sat down, turned on his phone and looked at the hot searches.

Hot search No. 8: Lin Li’s back cover.

Click on it to see Lin Li's cover photo on "Teen Idol".

There are many comments below.

"Just by the direction of his flowing hair, I identified the original owner of this impressive back photo as Lin Li!"

"Handsome, Lin Li!"

“It’s indeed much better than other magazine covers!”

"Lin Li is like a walking clothes hanger, with his own halo!"

"Teen Idol, right? Brothers, buy it!"

"Why are you taking pictures of your back? Your face doesn't look good."

"Why else? Isn't it just to get a chance to win!"

“Now I don’t even show my face when taking cover photos, haha.”

"Is it because Lin Li is too ugly to show his face?"

…………

What surprised Lin Li was that there were quite a few people scolding him in the comments.

It's normal after thinking about it. Fan Zhou's group of idiot fans have no place to vent their anger. Now that he is on the trending search again, they all come naturally.

Moreover, Lin Li's cover photo stole the spotlight from the other celebrities who appeared on the cover of the annual magazine. Those were all big stars, and there were always some idiot fans among them who couldn't see that Lin Li was monopolizing the limelight.

However, even though many people ridiculed Lin Li for being too ugly to show his face, it did not delay the sales of "Teen Idol" at all.

Normally, "Teen Idol" only sells about 150,000 yuan, but this month the magazine has been released for only three days and has already sold more than 200,000 yuan. Lin Li even learned from his mother that the magazine was also available on his official website and the sales were still high. Very good, it seems that breaking 300,000 is not difficult.

In the new year, sales suddenly doubled, which is a huge joy for ordinary magazines.

The "Teen Idol" magazine is naturally in a joyful atmosphere at the moment. Hou Haisen, the magazine's editor-in-chief, who was initially opposed by many people for choosing Lin Li as the cover character of the annual magazine, has now been praised by everyone in the magazine.