One Hundred and Forty-first Day

But Fu Xunyan knew that all this was wrong.

The world was spinning violently in his pupils, and every face, near or far, was distorted into intricate lines, and then went into a state of shutdown like the snowy screen of an old TV.

He knew.

So, as expected, the glory of 2015 belonging to Fu Xunyan was just a dream.

His fingertips trembled slightly, relying entirely on his rationality and that last bit of hope to avoid losing his composure on this grand stage.

He wanted to grasp something, even if it was a dream, even if it was just a ray of light on this illusory stage.

However, his eyes tried in vain to penetrate the collapsing light and shadow, and only caught a piece of cold nothingness.

During those long seconds, with Jiang Sulin's ongoing interview and Shen Chi's familiar voice in his ears, Fu Xunyan's belief grew deeper and deeper.

He didn't hesitate any longer.

"Thanks."

He first hugged Da Pei beside him.

"Thank you and Auntie."

"Huh?" Da Pei hugged him, panicking and subconsciously looking for the camera, then tried to cover up his sudden movement. "Why are you suddenly saying this to me?"

"nothing."

He saw Fu Xunyan pursing his lips and smiling softly, and the paleness could be seen from under his lipstick.

Then the other side.

"Ye Lai, you are excellent."

"You're talking bullshit."

Ye Lai didn't know what Fu Xunyan was suddenly going crazy about, and seriously suspected that he was mocking him for not being able to get the C position in this show.

But I vaguely feel that Fu Xunyan is not such a bad guy, so what is he doing now?

Ye Lai had strong doubts in his heart, but the rhythm of the show continued. He was like a drop of water in the ocean current, and had no time to care about the emotions of other currents.

The "Dream" group came on stage and the two sides confronted each other.

On one side is a pure young man in white clothes, and on the other side is a group of artists with different shapes and colors, so exaggerated that they are eye-catching.

"Well, if we talk about the most eye-catching, it really has to be Fu Xunyan and his group." Lin Weiwei put down her pen and turned her head to talk to her employees on the phone. "Do we have a suit similar to Dongri's online? Go find it and find it. I need it when I get back."

In a blink of an eye, he sighed to the stage: "She is worthy of being my muse. I am constantly productive when I look at this face and figure."

Peter Li also heard Lin Weiwei's words and agreed deeply. "Although the young man in white is in line with the girls' aesthetic, in such a large-scale finals, it is still necessary to be bold and innovative to embody the spirit of an artist."

"I definitely voted for Fu Xunyan and his team."

He looked up while speaking.

The young men lined up on the stage all had good images, but the ones led by Fu Xunyan had a different kind of magic that caught everyone's attention.

He stood on the small round stage like a figurine on display, exquisite, dazzling, and star-studded.

"He's quite good at posing." Peter Li couldn't help but sigh as he saw Fu Xunyan's slightly furrowed brows.

The vote count was about to be announced. It was hard to say whether the boys' faces looked good or not, but they all looked quite solemn (except for the silly-smiling Liu Yongshan and the inexplicably confident Zhang Chi).

But Fu Xunyan's expression, while solemn, makes people feel a kind of sadness that is similar to resoluteness.

Why?

Peter Li shook his head, thinking that he was over-analyzing.

Fu Xunyan stood on his own small round platform.

He is center stage.

The side screen scrolls rapidly.

He could see Dal-bae running up the ladder, quickly leaving the Dream crew behind.

He saw Ye Lai following closely behind, and even stepped on Da Pei several times.

The rankings changed rapidly, but the only thing that remained unchanged was Fu Xunyan.

The first place that is firmly held, the eternal first place, the first place that cannot be threatened.

Bomi, who had been following closely behind him, seemed like an illusion. The moment Fu Xunyan appeared on the stage, his number of votes had already surpassed everyone else.

Unfortunately, everyone's attention was attracted by the red suit at that time, and no one cared about the number of votes - Fu Xunyan was first anyway, so there was no need to question this matter.

Not to mention other people, even his fans have forgotten...

The fanaticism in Chen Lianqing's eyes at this moment penetrated the camera and fell on the figure standing alone on the round platform. She didn't think too much about it, and she didn't have time to figure out the reason.

She only knew that the person in the camera at this moment was cold and broken, like a mirror under the moonlight, slowly rising and falling in the deep water.

Jiang Sulin held a hand card, his features etched with the charm of time. He wasn't old, but compared to the young men standing beside him, he was less ambitious and more steady.

"Dear producers, whether online or in person, please confirm your voting channel—it has officially closed."

A mixture of relief and even greater anxiety emanated from the audience. Even Liu Yu couldn't help but turn back to see if she had cast her votes. Under the glow of the blue light that belonged only to Fu Xunyan, her phone screen assured her that there was no problem.

Liu Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

The huge circular screen switched, reflecting the faces of all the trainees on the stage.

To be honest, most people don’t look as good as retouched photos.

On this hottest night in May, they sweated under the heat from the lights all over the stage, their cheeks became greasy, and their black eyeliner was too obvious.

To be honest, it's a bit... ugly.

But it doesn’t matter. In the eyes of those who support them, these occasional embarrassments, especially the embarrassments at critical moments, are nothing at all.

As long as they can make their debut, there will be many more moments of being fascinated by them in the future, which will be enough to cover up the loss of composure at this moment.

But... I'm still so jealous. What's going on with Fu Xunyan?

He was sweating too, but his sweat only appeared on his neck and slid across his Adam's apple, which actually made him more seductive.

Her face still maintains its exquisiteness.

Other fans could only sigh, force themselves to look away, and silently tell themselves not to compare themselves with him.

This is a natural born monster.

"Right now, what I hold in my hand is the final debut position for this year's 'New Century Idol'—the list of the top seven." Jiang Sulin's gaze slowly swept over each trainee on the stage, like a judge of fate. "This will determine which seven trainees will form our brand new idol group and officially debut."

The screen suddenly dimmed and then lit up again, with a single word in the center.

"Newera"

"New Century"

"Huh - fortunately the Chinese translation doesn't add 'boy' to the name. New Century Boy... would be really vulgar." Mint murmured.

Fans have no right to decide on the group name. The name was unilaterally decided by the program team and announced today.

"Now, I will announce the sixth place."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, as if one could hear the sound of the air solidifying.

The expressions of Chen Chi, Bai Wenji, Shao Ruzhou, Zhang Chi and others all became solemn.

One center, two lead vocals, two main dancers... and two rappers—Zhang Chi calculated this internally. He knew his popularity was a weakness, but fans of a group like Fu Xunyan, who was the clear leader, would always consider the group's composition and pull some people in.

Zhang Chi felt that he would be the lucky one, and he was looking forward to it.

The music rhythm became low and suspenseful, and the drum beats struck everyone's heart. The camera quickly switched between the faces of several mid-level trainees.

"He is a ... dancing machine who works tirelessly to always present a perfect performance."

The scope is narrowed down - only Jiang Han, Zhou Hengyu, Shao Ruzhou and Min Hai clearly define themselves as dancers.

Min Hai's fans dared not breathe. After referring to the debut list predicted before the game, they discovered a fact in despair.

Min Hai, who ranked so high in the third public performance, will only debut in sixth place...

"Congratulations... Min Hai! Congratulations on your debut with a sixth place finish!"

The magnificent music started, and Min Hai, who was being stared at by the camera, seemed to have no reaction at all and blinked twice.

Tonight he was wearing a shirt and a vest, his hands wrapped in leather gloves, and he looked surprisingly handsome.

Sweat wet the hair on his forehead. This boy, who had a pink crew cut and looked very unique when he first entered the show, had already revealed his gentleness.

This time, without Zhou Qi's support, Min Hai's ranking dropped.

Fu Xunyan frowned slightly.

But it's not incomprehensible.

So Minhae's fans just shed tears of joy and regret, without complaining or shouting.

Min Hai took a step, stumbling slightly. Fu Xunyan walked around and patted him on the back.

"You should be the first one to debut on our behalf."

Min Hai smiled at him, a smile that was extremely gentle.

Unexpectedly, he hugged Fu Xunyan, and the two boys' warm body temperatures were exchanged.

"Thanks."

"I'll go over first and wait for you."

Min Hai made his debut surrounded by his brothers - the people he liked. He walked to the end of the aisle, walked to the sides of mentors such as Jiang Pianpian and Ou Ruo, and hugged them one by one.

Then stand on the platform.

“It looks like a shop window.”

Ye Lai looked over there and sighed under the cover of the loud music.

Fu Xunyan could hardly see clearly. He felt that the lights on the opposite bank were too dazzling. Everything blurred in his eyes, even Min Hai was condensed into a small dot.

The huge cheers gradually faded, and after the tears, cries and screams, the atmosphere that had just relaxed became tense again.

After a brief relaxation, the tension rose again.

"Next, it's number five."

Without much preparation, Jiang Sulin went straight to the point.

"In every performance, his voice is truly heavenly and he is an indispensable vocalist."

Fans of Chen Chi and Yin Xingheng began to get agitated, and Zhou Qi's fans also wanted to join the "war", but their pre-match predictions that their family's chances of making the list had proven to be slim.

Wu Ruike's fans patted the difficult sisters on the shoulders and said, "It's okay. If it really doesn't work out, let's try and debut together and try to crush Newera after the competition."

Although fans have already predicted the results, the trainees themselves are not quite sure - or even if they are clear, they still have some unrealistic expectations.

Zhou Qi looked at the seven glittering seats on the other side and clenched his fists.

He is too old to delay his debut. If he fails to form a group this time, he doesn’t know where his next opportunity will come from.

Compared to the CP going viral this time, Fu Xunyan single-handedly brought the atmosphere back to brotherhood and group portraits. Unfortunately, he had ulterior motives at the beginning and failed to blend into the core group portrait.

Perhaps, at that time, should I have ignored Fu Xunyan and insisted on clinging to Min Hai?

Zhou Qi didn't know that he was wavering, but after that wavering he could only smile bitterly.

No matter what, there is no chance anymore.

Wu Ruike is much more calm than Zhou Qi. His popularity has never been in the top circle, so it is normal that he did not make his debut this time. If he debuted, it would be considered as shit luck.

The suspense music started again.

Yin Xingheng and Shen Chi held their breath at the same time.

Bai Wenji pulled Chen Chi, while Bai Zhen and Da Pei held Yin Xingheng on the left and right.

“He is—let’s congratulate Chen Chi!”

Shen Chi almost covered his mouth immediately, tears falling instantly.

He bowed hurriedly and was surrounded and hugged by his brothers.

He is the youngest here, even Yin Xingheng is half a year older than him. During this time of getting along, Chen Chi has always been silly and naive, an obedient and well-behaved younger brother, and the most cared for youngest.

"Thank you everyone, especially thank you Xunbao--" Chen Chi realized something was wrong when he started to speak, and embarrassedly covered his mouth to change the words: "Thank you, uh, brother Xunyan, brother Dapei, brother Yelai, etc. etc."

"It's not that I want to use wait instead, the director is urging me."

Shen Chi's speech was not very appropriate, but it was too real, with the recklessness of his age.

"Everyone has been tolerant of me all along, giving me opportunities and allowing me time to grow. I am grateful to my fans, myself, the production team and mentors, and all my brothers for giving me this opportunity."

The subject suddenly changed.

"But from now on, I won't let myself be tolerated by my teammates anymore. I will grow up as quickly as possible and not hold them back!"

Everyone looked at him with a smile.

Because of his determination, because of the maturity and determination he showed that no one had ever seen before.

As Chen Chi took the debut position and hugged Min Hai, the pace began to pick up again.

"The fourth place is a trainee who repeatedly surprises the audience with his unique personal charm and stage presence."

Jiang Sulin's words caused everyone to fall into a brief confusion.

Because no one can be excluded, nor can anyone be circumscribed.

Zhang Chi cursed in his heart, and his lip movements also showed it a little, but he managed to control himself and not lose his composure.

Fourth place is the highest position that the company and he himself can predict. If he is not fourth place, then he will have no chance.

If others knew what he was thinking, they would probably laugh out loud.

Fourth place – who gave his courage prediction so high?