Chapter 48 Practice, Probe

Unexpectedly, the arrival of the two old friends did not cause any disturbance in Mo Bei's life.

No one had ever approached him alone to ask him anything.

This also made Mo Bei, who had been worried for a while, gradually feel relieved.

Without the burden in his heart, Mo Bei became more focused in his practice.

Lei Lie noticed that something was amiss with Mo Bei ever since the two guests arrived yesterday. Even though he tried to hide it well, he still noticed something.

Originally, Lei Lie was still hesitating whether to talk to him, but he never expected that the other party would quickly return to his old self.

This made him feel relieved, but he also felt confused. What on earth had happened?

Although he was confused, Lei Lie knew that now was not the time to dwell on these trivial details.

After all, up to now, there are still big problems with the performance coordination of their group.

The shortcoming is self-evident, and that is the guest star Xu Hexuan himself.

Although he had been assigned the simplest singing part, Xu Hexuan was still very lacking in dancing.

As contestants, they couldn't say anything to the guest stars invited by the production team. After all, they were actors and had never danced before.

Fortunately, Xu Hexuan himself realized his shortcomings. In order not to slow down the contestants' practice progress, he privately sought one-on-one extra training with a dance teacher.

While practicing, the other contestants also began to help Xu Hexuan improve his movements little by little.

"In this section, the hand must be punched straight out, not bent, otherwise the movement will not look good."

"Keep your core tight and don't let your waist sag."

As the team leader and the strongest dancer in the group, Sheng Yanyu took the initiative to shoulder the responsibility of helping the guests practice and correct their dance postures.

Even with a senior in the entertainment industry, he still taught strictly without giving any slack. After all, the stage was serious, and Xu Hexuan's performance was closely related to their upcoming performance, so it had to be treated strictly.

Fortunately, Xu Hexuan wasn't the type to be difficult or afraid of hard work. Facing the contestants' harsh instruction, he didn't show any dissatisfaction, but rather felt a bit guilty and worried. He worried that he might be holding the other contestants back, and at the same time, he was reflecting on whether he shouldn't have been a guest.

However, no matter how much he worried or reflected, it was of no use. Since he had already made the decision, he could only move on.

The only thing he could do now was to help them complete this stage as much as possible.

Difficulties always need to be overcome bit by bit. After four days of practice, even Xu Hexuan, who had no dance experience, could keep up with the others' dance moves without looking awkward.

The players also began to cooperate better, and no longer collided with each other while moving like they did in the beginning.

The only question is how to improve the overall performance of the stage.

"Tornado" is a dark hip-hop song. It's not explosive, but the arrangement and dance are very memorable.

Just like the song's title, it's very destructive and impactful. If the performer doesn't have a strong aura and stage presence, then the performance will come across as funny rather than cool.

Especially Zheng Xingye and Zhao Xi, one has an overly exaggerated expression, while the other feels that his style is not strong enough due to his fair and clean appearance, so he just widens his eyes and pretends to be fierce and aggressive.

After watching the contestants' performances, Xu Hexuan directly gave the two of them a constructive suggestion:

"Instead of pretending to be fierce and ferocious, it would be better to sing with a cold face, which might be more in line with the style of this song."

The background of "Tornado" is bass, drums and various low-frequency synthesizer sound effects, while the vocal parts are all in the mid- and high-frequency ranges, which will further highlight its sharpness.

As the saying goes, too much is as bad as too little. When the structure of the arrangement itself is rich and impactful enough, if the contestants do not exercise restraint during the performance and try to act fierce just to cater to the concept of the style of the music, it will be counterproductive.

If a thriller is filled with bloody and horrific scenes from beginning to end, it will numb the audience and cause visual fatigue.

Just like Chinese paintings always pay attention to artistic conception and blank space, they must leave enough room for the audience's imagination. Only in this way can the performance of the whole song not be too full.

Contestants can show themselves on the stage, but they must know how to be moderate.

Although Xu Hexuan is an actor, stage presence actually has something in common with acting. Both require the performer to convey the emotions of the work to the audience in a reasonable way.

What they should do is to perform with restraint.

After listening to Xu Hexuan's analysis, the two began to control their expressions. The other contestants also took Xu's words to heart and stopped trying to be shocking.

Gradually, the performance of the "Tornado" group began to improve a lot, and the group's style gradually became prominent.

With three days left until the performance, Xu Hexuan chose to stay in the evening for extra practice to save time. The other contestants also benefited from this and had another delicious meal.

"Try this bowl of red dates and wolfberry glutinous rice porridge. It's delicious. You don't have to worry about getting fat if you eat too much at night."

Looking at the bowl of food in front of him, Mo Bei instinctively felt resistance.

The reason is simple: this bowl of porridge contains glutinous rice. Zombies are not only afraid of black dog blood and peach wood, but also glutinous rice.

Although he has begun to slowly transform into a human being, he has not yet completely gotten rid of his zombie identity.

Mo Bei carefully pushed the bowl of porridge away and politely declined his old friend who was pitting corpses: "Sorry, Brother Xu... I have poor digestion and can't eat glutinous rice. Eating glutinous rice will easily cause stomach acid."

Lei Lie, who knew Mo Bei's true identity, seemed to understand something when he heard it and looked over subconsciously.

“…I see.”

A look of regret flashed across Xu Hexuan's face, but he quickly returned to normal.

"So what else do you avoid eating? I'll be more careful next time."

There will be a next time?

Upon hearing this, the contestants' eyes lit up.

What Teacher Xu meant by this is that they can eat for free again next time?

Seeing Xu Hexuan looking at him kindly, Mo Bei was stunned for a moment and shook his head: "...No more."

After saying that, he lowered his head and drank the soup.

Looking at the face of the person in front of him, which was covered in heat, Xu Hexuan suddenly remembered that many years ago, he and Mo Bei had sat face to face in front of a barbecue stall, eating skewers just like now.

Mo Bei likes to eat roasted lamb, the kind sprinkled with cumin. He always squints his eyes with satisfaction when he takes a bite.

In comparison, Jiang Mo Nan's eating manners were much more refined. Whether he was drinking soup or eating vegetables, he always took small bites.

Is this because she feels reserved when seeing him, or is it because she is too burdened by her idol image due to the cameras around her?

Mo Bei didn't know what the other person was thinking.

In reality, his elegant eating style was primarily due to the limitations of his zombie body. His muscles hadn't fully recovered, so he couldn't move much offstage. Furthermore, with Xu Hexuan sitting across from him, he was somewhat afraid his old friend would notice, so he kept his words and movements to a minimum, minimizing his presence.

Even though Xu Hexuan had never doubted his true identity so far and only treated "Jiang Mo Nan" as a close junior, for Mo Bei, who was burdened with a secret, this still did not allow him to let his guard down.

Although he knew Xu Hexuan meant well, right now he just hoped that the other party would not pay too much attention to him.

After the evening training session, Xu Hexuan took the initiative to ask for a group photo with the players, a request the players naturally accepted.

So a group of people took photos while talking and laughing.

Except Mo Bei.

Unlike the other players surrounding Xu Hexuan, he stood as far away from them as possible.

Noticing Mo Bei's actions, Xu Hexuan's lips moved slightly, but in the end he said nothing.

*

Late at night, Xu Hexuan's fans unexpectedly discovered that their actor Xu, who had not posted on Weibo for many years, had actually posted a picture and text blog for the first time.

Xu Hexuan V: My teammates were amazing during late-night practice (smiley face)

Although the text is simple, the picture below contains a huge amount of information.

Xu Hexuan not only posted photos of himself practicing dancing in the practice room, but also posted photos with a group of young guys.

Netizens who have watched "Youth Project" recognized the people in the photo at a glance.

Loves to eat crushed ice: "Oh my god! Jiang Mo Nan, Sheng Yan Yu and Lei Lie? So Brother Xuan is in the same group with them?"

Quickly bragging about it: "I didn't expect to see my new crush here with Brother Xuan. I'm so excited! Who understands?"

A sweet pumpkin: "I understand!"

A sweet pumpkin: "Sister upstairs, I guess your wall-hanger and my wall-hanger are the same person. (doge)"

Quickly bragging: "(Laughing sideways) My Weibo avatar says it all."

Sweet Pumpkin: "(Doge) confirmed through eye contact that he is the one who has knocked the 'Acquiescence'."

Although they weren't long-time fans who had been following Xu Hexuan for over 20 years, they knew that Brother Xuan and Mo Bei had a good relationship back then. Brother Xuan even mentioned on the show that when he was a rookie filming and was being harassed, it was Mo Bei who took the initiative to help him out.

It’s a pity that King Mo has passed away for many years, and these CP fans can only find sugar in the glass shards.

Now that Xuan Ge suddenly released a group photo with Jiang Mo Nan, it's hard not to get excited. Although there are other contestants in the photo, this is not a problem for those CP fans who automatically add filters to their eyes.

This is definitely the kind of literature you would expect from someone like you!

Otherwise, with so many contestants, why did Brother Xuan choose to go to the group that Jiang Mo Nan was in?

Of course, unlike the CP fans' revelry, Xu Hexuan's fans said: "Poor brother Xuan, after months of silence, finally posted a selfie!" Although the angle and technique of the photo are still hard to describe, at least he posted it.

Of course, more importantly, there are a lot of handsome guys in the photo.

Sure enough, handsome guys standing together are a pleasing sight!

Some fans who had not watched "Youth Project" became curious and rushed to watch the show to catch up.

On the other hand, fans of several contestants were so shocked that their jaws dropped when they learned that their idols appeared on Actor Xu’s Weibo.

He’s a billionaire movie star with 80 million fans!

Their idol, such a little Karami, actually collaborated with the movie emperor?

Although the program team had previously announced that Xu Hexuan would be a guest performer on "Youth Project", they did not expect that Xu Hexuan would be in the same group with their cast, and the cast even posted a special Weibo post to promote the event.

With such overwhelming popularity, they didn't feel so bad even though their opponents were in the same group with them this time.

Thanks to Xu Hexuan's promotion, the number of views of "Youth Project" has increased again. As a result, the number of fans of the eight contestants in the "Tornado" group has also increased significantly.

Among them, Jiang Mo Nan's number of fans increased the most.

However, the players who are still in closed-door training at this moment have no idea what is happening in the outside world.

Preparations for the third round of performances have reached their final stages. Every group is working hard to shine on this stage and secure a chance to advance to the next round.

Because there are only five groups competing this time, and there are also guest stars, there is more time for rehearsal than in the previous two rounds.

Unlike the "Tornado" group, the mentors for the remaining four groups are all professional singers.

Regardless of whether I can dance or not, there is absolutely no problem when it comes to singing.

In comparison, the non-professional Xu Hexuan wasted a lot of effort.

Fortunately, sharpening a sword before a battle is always better than sharpening a sword. Even with no basic skills, after a week of intensive training, Xu Hexuan was able to perform quite well.

Yan Xiaoya, who was suddenly invited by Lian Cheng to save the day a week ago, looked at Actor Xu dancing with the contestants on the stage, and then looked at President Lian with a sullen face in the audience, and couldn't help but feel suspicious.

She really couldn't understand why President Lian, who clearly didn't like Actor Xu, insisted on staying on the show as a special guest who played no role.

There should be no need to do this just to sign Sheng Yanyu back to the company, right?

Lian Cheng noticed Yan Xiaoya's confusion, but he didn't intend to explain. He simply shifted his gaze to the tall, thin figure on the stage.

Suddenly, he recalled the scene of him and his teammates singing and dancing on the stage after they formed a group through an overseas talent show.

Time flies, and he is already middle-aged.

The same goes for other teammates, some got married, and some retired from the entertainment industry.

Only Mo Bei's life came to an abrupt end, and he remained forever at the age of 23.

Looking at the familiar figure on the stage, Lian Cheng clenched his palms, as if he had finally made a decision.

"Can we talk for a minute?"

After the rehearsal, Mo Bei, who was about to remove his makeup, suddenly heard a voice coming from behind.

Mo Bei's heart skipped a beat when he saw Lian Cheng, but he remained expressionless: "What are you talking about?"

Looking at the corridor in front of him, which was temporarily empty but not a suitable place for conversation, Lian Cheng said, "Let's talk somewhere else."

Ever since Lian Cheng and Xu Hexuan suddenly appeared, Mo Bei had a vague feeling that something might happen, but a week had passed and he hadn't seen them take any action.

Now that Lian Cheng came to him on his own initiative, Mo Bei was unexpectedly relieved.

It's finally here.

Although he didn't know what Lian Cheng wanted to talk to him about, Mo Bei didn't resist as expected.

Perhaps it was because he had lost so much.

But the person in front of him was the only remaining connection between "Mo Bei" and this world.

Without rejecting Lian Cheng's invitation, Mo Bei followed him to the lounge.

"This is the lounge specially prepared for me by the production team. No one is allowed to enter or leave here without permission."

As if to reassure him, Lian Cheng explained to him.

Mo Bei nodded, without saying anything, and only asked: "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Such a casual tone really doesn't seem like a rookie in the entertainment industry... No, not even a rookie. After all, the other party is only participating in the competition and has not officially debuted.

However, it was precisely because of this that Sheng Yanyu, who had hesitated for several days, finally made up his mind.

Without beating around the bush, Lian Cheng looked at him steadily—

"Mo Bei."

Hearing this, Mo Bei's body suddenly froze.

Facing Lian Cheng's scorching gaze, Mo Bei felt the urge to escape from the room for the first time.

But reason told him that he must not escape.

The system had said that his identity as a zombie must never be exposed to the world. Otherwise, he would lose the chance to be resurrected as a human.

Since Lei Lie's roommates are not ordinary humans either, it doesn't matter if his true identity is known to them.

But Lian Cheng is different.

He is a human being, but also a teammate and friend who we used to spend every day together.

Although he knew Lian Cheng's character and knew that even if he knew the truth, he would definitely keep it a secret, he didn't dare to gamble. He didn't dare to gamble whether the "world" mentioned by the system also included Lian Cheng.

As his thoughts raced, Mo Bei's eyes changed rapidly, and he made an inexplicable expression.

"What are you talking about? I'm Jiang Mo Nan."

"Although I know that I look similar to my senior, we are ultimately two different people."

"If you have any misunderstandings about my appearance, I can only say, 'I'm sorry, I'm not him.'"

Looking at the serious expression on the face of the person in front of him, Lian Cheng narrowed his eyes.

After hearing what he said just now, the other party was clearly shaken. Although it was only for a moment, he still caught it.

There is no mistake, this Jiang Monan is Mo Bei.

Although I don't know why he came back to life and became what he is now, since he is unwilling to recognize him, there must be a special reason.

He didn't force the other party to admit his identity, he just wanted to verify his own thoughts.

Thinking about this, Lian Cheng's face suddenly broke into a smile: "Of course I know. I just wanted to say that you and he look so much alike. Even my old friend couldn't help but be dazed."

Mo Bei: "..."

"My condolences."

Mo Bei didn't know what to say and could only respond like this.

Hearing this, Lian Cheng was stunned, with a complicated expression.

"Is there anything else you want to talk to me about?" Mo Bei paused, "If not, I'll leave first."

Seeing that the other party was about to leave, Lian Cheng suddenly called him.

"Wait a moment."

Mo Bei paused to open the door and looked over in confusion.

Lian Cheng coughed lightly and said, "You don't have a contract with a company right now, right? Do you want to come to my place?"

Mo Bei was stunned by the olive branch suddenly thrown out by the person in front of him.

Lian Cheng continued, "With your current popularity, you will definitely debut if nothing unexpected happens. As far as I know, Pineapple Video will sign you guys to a group contract after your debut. This means your individual contract will be open."

"Of course, they might sign you individually. But Pineapple isn't a serious talent management company. For your long-term future, I suggest you sign with a legitimate talent management company."

Hearing this, Mo Bei understood the other party's thoughts.

"So the formal artist management company you're talking about is your Star Entertainment?"

"Of course." Lian Cheng said calmly, "I'm just suggesting it. If you have other better options, you can naturally cooperate with them."

Mo Bei was a little surprised. He didn't know whether Lian Cheng really meant it or was simply retreating to advance.

After thinking for a moment, Mo Bei put down his hand that was about to open the door and looked across at the opposite side seriously.

"What are the benefits of signing a contract with your company?"

Lian Cheng: "In addition to the treatment that top artists in the company should receive, we will do our best to help you release an album and connect you with various online and offline activities to give you sufficient exposure."

"But considering that you will have a group contract provided by Pineapple in the future, there may not be too many personal activities during the group period."

"But we will do our best to protect your personal rights."

"Of course, more importantly, we know each other very well. No matter what happens, I can help you keep it a secret."

Mo Bei frowned when he heard this suddenly.

He subconsciously wanted to retort, "What secrets could I have?", but reason made him swallow his words back quickly.

Unable to respond.

Wouldn’t responding confirm the other party’s speculation?

However, what Mo Bei didn't know was that it was precisely because he didn't refute that Lian Cheng became more certain that he was Mo Bei.

After all, Jiang Monan and Lian Cheng don’t know each other very well.

Only Mo Bei is.

Of course, Lian Cheng wouldn't be so foolish as to point out the problem.

He had already verified Mo Bei's identity, but there was no need to reveal the whole truth.

He just needs to continue cooperating with the other party and continue to play this scene.

After a while, Mo Bei spoke——

"Let me think about it."

Lian Cheng smiled suddenly upon hearing this, "No problem. Just give me your answer after this performance."

As Lian Cheng watched Mo Bei leave the lounge, the smile on his face never faded.

He knew Mo Bei, and this attitude of his was most likely an indication of his agreement.

All that's left is a little time.

Leaving the lounge, Lian Cheng ran into Xu Hexuan.

"What did you say to him just now?"

Facing Xu Hexuan's serious face, Lian Cheng crossed his arms.

"What do you think I'll say to him?"

Xu Hexuan frowned, "Poaching."

"Don't you already know? Why are you asking?"

"Besides wanting to sign him, you must have said something else." Xu Hexuan paused, "I want to know what else you said."

Seeing Xu Hexuan's concern, Lian Cheng felt a little unhappy, "Is it your business?"

"He might be Ah Bei's child. Do you think I can control him?"

Hearing Xu Hexuan's words, Lian Cheng was slightly stunned, with a look of confusion written all over his face.

"……ha?"

Seeing this, Xu Hexuan frowned, "Don't tell me you don't know."

Lian Cheng: "..."

He really didn't know.

I didn't know that you, a silly goose, had such a big imagination.

Mo Bei was only 23 years old when he died, and Jiang Monan's information also stated that he was 23. Seeing this, didn't this guy have any associations?

It's easy to tell that Jiang Monan couldn't be Mo Bei's son. After all, if you convert the time, Mo Bei was only 20 years old when Jiang Monan was born.

This means that when the child was conceived, Mo Bei was about 19 years old. But at that time, he and Mo Bei were still working hard overseas, and their team contract still had one year to end.

During that period, Mo Bei never returned to China once. Where did he get the child?

What's more, they went in and out together every day at that time, and Mo Bei never acted alone. If he had a girlfriend, would he not know?

Although he was shocked by Actor Xu's wild imagination, Lian Cheng did not intend to overturn his conclusion.

After all, it's kind of fun to watch annoying people do stupid things.

Lian Cheng's thoughts flashed through his mind, and he adjusted his expression, pretending to have suddenly realized something. "This... I really don't know. I just think he has great potential, and I simply want to sign him to our company. And..."

Lian Cheng sighed at the right moment: "He and Ah Bei are so much alike."

Although Lian Cheng's acting was somewhat clumsy, Xu Hexuan, being in the dark, didn't notice anything was wrong and simply said, "Now you know. Don't do anything to let Ah Bei down."

Hearing his sermon-like words, Lian Cheng was a little dissatisfied: "How do you say that I'm sorry to Ah Bei? Ah Bei is my friend!"

"I'm just reminding you." Xu Hexuan remained calm, "After all, you're a very petty person."

"Who is so petty?"

Lian Cheng discovered that he and Xu Hexuan really didn't get along. Even after so many years, they would still start arguing after just a few words when they met.

After calming down for a moment, Lian Cheng coughed lightly and asked casually, "You said he's Ah Bei's child. Have you done a paternity test?"

"Not yet. But it's hard to explain if two people who look so similar aren't related by blood."

“…”

Lian Cheng: Hesitant to speak.jpg

Lian Cheng: Are you sick?

Resisting the urge to complain, Lian Cheng said sternly, "There are so many people who look alike in this world. Aren't there people imitating you on the internet too? It's nothing."

"That's different."

Xu Hexuan said firmly, "It's not just the face that looks alike. He gives me exactly the same feeling as Ah Bei. How else can I explain it except that he's Ah Bei's child?"

Lian Cheng: "..."

You think they look alike. Is there a possibility that they are actually the same person?

However, Lian Cheng did not say this in the end.

Firstly, this matter concerns Mo Bei's secret, and secondly, Xu Hexuan would not believe it even if he told him.

In fact, if he had not encountered some strange things in the past, he probably would not have thought that Jiang Monan and Mo Bei were actually the same person.

Xu Hexuan was a stubborn person who only believed what he saw with his own eyes. Without actual evidence, he would never believe anything.

So it is better to have less trouble than more, so he might as well pretend that he knows nothing.

"What you said is indeed possible. But I have never heard Ah Bei mention it before."

"This shows that your relationship with him is just average."

Hearing Xu Hexuan's words, the veins on Lian Cheng's forehead twitched.

"Your relationship with him is fine now? Didn't you just find out about this?"

"Compared to you, he's definitely much better." Xu Hexuan replied shamelessly, "After all, I recognized this kid, and you just wanted to sign him to your company and make money."

Lian Cheng: "..."

How can he punch this annoying guy in the face?

"Can you stop thinking such dirty things of people?"

Holding back his anger, Lian Cheng said sternly, "Compared to me, your current actions are even more conspicuous. A movie star with 80 million followers on Weibo is joining an idol boy group talent show, even in the same group as them. Are you afraid that others won't notice Jiang Mo Nan?"

"If he is really Mo Bei's child, aren't you pushing him to the forefront by doing this?"

Hearing this, Xu Hexuan paused, "...I just want to see him and confirm my guess. If he really is, as his father's friend, I will definitely help."

"But there's no clear evidence yet to prove they're related." Lian Cheng frowned. "Are you really not afraid of causing misunderstandings by doing this? What if he's not?"

“…”

For a moment, Xu Hexuan, who was still arguing with Lian Cheng, fell silent.

After a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice: "I know, I will be careful."

Lian Cheng sighed silently.

How can I be more careful? This guy posted the photo on Weibo two days ago.

Although it is a group photo, there is always a lack of people on the Internet who like to make associations.

He remembered that a few days ago, a netizen had said, "Could Jiang Monan be Mo Bei's biological son? Otherwise, why did Xu Hexuan and Lian Cheng both go to the show?"

He admitted that he also had some responsibility in this matter, but if he was the only one present, netizens might not think so much about it.

After all, he's the boss of Zaoxing Entertainment, so it makes sense for him to participate in this show. Not to mention, the show also features Sheng Yanyu, a former trainee who left Zaoxing Entertainment. The outside world would simply assume that Zaoxing Entertainment regretted letting him go and wanted to sign him back.

But the appearance of Xu Hexuan made things much more complicated. His appearance also inevitably shifted the focus of the outside world to Jiang Mo Nan.

Because both of them are friends with Mo Bei, and Jiang Monan and Mo Bei are so similar, it is hard not to wonder whether they are related.

Otherwise, why would a movie star like Xu Hexuan, who has made tens of billions of dollars at the box office, suddenly participate in a boy group talent show like this? And even perform in the same group with Jiang Monan, who looks exactly like Mo Bei?

Netizens are not fools. If they say that the program team used their financial resources to invite Xu Hexuan, that would be nonsense.

The platform also needs to make money. It is not cost-effective to spend so much money to invite actor Xu to the show just to promote Jiang Mo Nan, a rookie contestant.

Although he is reluctant to admit it, Xu Hexuan has no need to participate in such a program with his current status. The fact that he is willing to come on his own initiative only means that there are people in this program that he cares about.

As long as netizens use their brains to think about these things, they can guess who is responsible.

But the spilled water has become an unchangeable reality, and now they can only take one step at a time.

Thinking of this, Lian Cheng felt a headache.

This old man named Xu is really good at causing trouble for him!

The two of them didn't know at this time that their conversation, which they thought was secret, was actually overheard by a staff member who happened to pass by.

Immediately afterwards, a huge uproar began brewing on the Internet, and then it exploded with lightning speed.