Chapter 46 Whose Fan Site Manager? Isn't this her ex-fan?!

I only found out about the mentor collaboration stage last night.

This format was only used in the first season. It was canceled in the following seasons because of the tight schedule. It was thought that this season would be the same, but it was unexpectedly added back at the last minute.

When the trainees were informed by the selection manager that there would still be a recording schedule the next day, the trainees complained bitterly, especially those who were more popular. During the period of the third public performance, they had to be busy with the stage and various derivative filming, and everyone was severely sleep-deprived. They were all looking forward to the three-day rest day after the third public performance.

Three days later is Samsoon. Who will make it to the finals and who will attend the fan meeting will all be decided. The finals are the last battlefield and the end of this talent show journey. Popular contestants are worried about their final rankings, contestants in the cutoff are anxious about whether they can secure a debut spot, and low-popularity contestants hope to stay a little longer.

Therefore, the production team specifically scheduled the recording of "Sam Soon" three days after the performance, instead of announcing the rankings the day after the performance, as was the case in the previous two rounds.

The long-awaited rest day was gone, and many contestants were dissatisfied, especially after hearing that the recording schedule included a mentor collaboration stage, which some popular contestants felt like vomiting blood.

I just finished the third round of performances, and then I had to finalize the collaboration stage within three days. Then came the ranking announcement, and after the third round, I had to choose the song for the final, while also preparing for the fan meeting and then the final stage. It was a non-stop grind.

The less popular contestants were surprisingly receptive. They had all thought that the third round of auditions would be their last stage in the talent show, and these three days of rest were not a respite for them, but rather their last chance to fantasize.

Now that they suddenly have another stage, they are overjoyed.

Yingxu didn't feel much. Although he was very busy during this period, he felt fulfilled and happy. He didn't quite understand the complaints of some popular contestants.

For them, isn't being busy a good thing?

When he was relatively unknown, he was quite idle, so idle that he didn't know what to do. No one cared or paid attention to him, and the staff subconsciously ignored him. This idleness did not bring him a sense of ease, but only a deep sense of unease.

His goal has always been to debut. During this time, his life has undergone tremendous changes. His dream of debuting is no longer out of reach. He suddenly gained many, many fans. At this moment, all he can do is repay them with the stage.

For Ying Xu, the mentor collaboration stage is not unfamiliar. He has watched all four seasons of "Shining Idol". Although this competition format only appeared in the first season, he is very clear about the process.

The production team only allocated three days for this stage, firstly because Sam Soon couldn't afford to delay, and secondly because this stage really didn't require much preparation time.

The mentor collaboration stage is a perk; there's no need for competition or voting, unlike the tense atmosphere of the previous performances. This stage allows them to fully enjoy themselves.

It's just that we don't know who the guest performers will be this time.

The five guest mentors invited for the first season were all popular actors at the time, both male and female, which did help attract viewers. However, the actors were not good at singing and dancing on stage, so the entertainment value was just average.

Will any idol-turned-seniors be guest stars this season?

After all, there have been four seasons of this show, and quite a few senior students have debuted. This season of "Shining Idol" is quite popular, so they should be able to attract a few more, right?

He silently made a wish in his heart that he had several idol seniors he admired and hoped that the program team could invite them to come and help him.

Originally, Yingxu thought that she wouldn't encounter any more fans camping out to take pictures during this recording. Sometimes, the fans are even more informed than the trainees themselves, knowing exactly when to record and what the schedule is. The collaboration stage was announced at the last minute, and the fans assumed it was a day off and wouldn't come.

And sure enough, we ran into each other, and even saw familiar faces.

When Yingxu saw Shi Yao's figure, he almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. His roommate had already rushed over to greet her, so he could only wait on the side.

While waiting, he kept glancing at Shi Yao out of the corner of his eye. He saw her taking pictures of Li Yuzhe very seriously and even interacting with him, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.

Didn't you say you were only going to be his fan? He's still standing here, and you're already eager to take pictures of others.

As Yingxu let his imagination run wild, he suddenly remembered the topic his roommate had discussed with him yesterday, and his heart skipped a beat.

Yesterday, Brother Li suddenly chatted with him about so many random things. Could it be because he knows that his fans have switched allegiances?

He couldn't help but secretly observe the two who were still interacting. Shi Yao was obviously experienced and had a lot of topics to talk about, while Li Yuzhe was very cooperative. The two were evenly matched in their exchanges.

Did they really climb over the wall?

That shouldn't be the case. His performance yesterday was pretty good, and she even praised him. Moreover, he checked Weibo yesterday and found that among the contestants in the debut positions, only one other contestant who ranked ninth in the previous round had fansite posts of photos from the performance. The others didn't.

Li Yuzhe didn't have any either. The few leaked photos of him were all cut out from the background of stage photos posted by fans of other mid-ranked contestants in the same group, and there was no high-definition frontal view at all.

He was the last group to appear yesterday. Li Yuzhe was in the first group. Given Shi Yao's photography skills, she must have taken photos in all groups.

However, it is said that the camera checks were particularly strict yesterday for the third public performance. You can tell from the number of fans who posted stage photos in the reports that those who took out their cameras in advance were basically caught.

In other words, if Shi Yao had taken a picture of Li Yu Zhe during the first group's performance, she would most likely have been discovered, and in the end, she wouldn't have been able to take a picture of Ying Xu.

However, in the end, the promised picture was not shown to Li Yuzhe, indicating that Yao chose the promised picture instead of Li Yuzhe.

Once she understood this, Yingxu's expression softened a bit, and her gaze towards her roommate no longer held the hostility she had just shown.

His position is still very secure.

There weren't many fansites at the event today; Shi Yao probably just wanted to take more pictures to resell, which is why she interacted with everyone.

Yes, that's it.

After Li Yuzhe finished interacting and entered Factory No. 1, Yingxu immediately took the lead and left his other roommate, who was originally slightly ahead of him, behind.

Although Jiang Yi found it strange that Ying Xu was suddenly so enthusiastic, he wasn't like Li Yuzhe, who enjoyed working, so he obediently continued to wait.

Shi Yao and her two companions stood on the roadside directly opposite the gate of Factory No. 1. To their left were several other scattered fan site admins. When Li Yuzhe walked over, he interacted with each of the fan site admins along the way before finally greeting Shi Yao and the others who were facing the gate.

Yingxu didn't have that much patience. He would wave and smile at everyone who greeted him, but he wouldn't be as accommodating as Li Yuzhe, fulfilling every request for interaction.

Fortunately, those few scattered fan site admins weren't that socially adept, and couldn't think of many topics for interaction. At most, they could only ask for a heart gesture. After quickly finishing their request, they walked straight towards Shi Yao's location, and even when they were almost in front of her, she didn't look up.

Shi Yao seemed to be chatting about something interesting with her companions. The group was whispering and laughing together. Shi Yao's smile was faint. She whispered a word in agreement before raising her head and meeting his gaze.

Seeing him seemed to surprise Shi Yao; a hint of panic even appeared on her face, but it quickly disappeared.

The two fansites next to them finally noticed that Yingxu had walked up to them. They hurriedly tidied up their cameras, and one of them even blushed, wanting to say something but unable to find the right words.

Yingxu glanced at the blushing fangirl and recognized her face. She used to come back often to follow the offline events. He had a good memory and remembered most of the people who had come to follow the events. So he smiled slightly at the fangirl.

The fan was so captivated by this smile that she was so excited that she forgot to take a picture. It was only after her friend couldn't stand it anymore and hit her that she finally calmed down.

Yingxu looked back at Shiyao, who had regained her initial composure and taken a big step back with her companions, her eyes filled with doubt and wariness.

Yingxu couldn't understand that look in her eyes. He knew that Shi Yao wasn't someone who would easily lose her emotions, but why was she so wary?

However, he couldn't initiate the conversation himself, since there were quite a few people standing there. It wouldn't be good if someone with ulterior motives seized on this and accused him of private contact and preferential treatment.

They were unaware of his true relationship with Shi Yao.

The two sides inexplicably confronted each other. Xiao Niao was too excited to speak, Xiao Shu wasn't a fan of Ying Xu and hadn't prepared any topics for interaction, and Shi Yao couldn't tell what she was thinking, but she remained silent.

The stagnant atmosphere was a stark contrast to the lively interaction with Li Yuzhe just moments before, and even the few scattered fans standing nearby felt something was off.

But Yingxu just stood there, not moving even when no one interacted with him.

The few scattered fan site admins found it strange, their eyes darting back and forth, wondering if these people were actually Yingxu's fans.

Judging from Yingxu's reaction, it seems so, but looking at those fans, it doesn't seem so. The one in the middle was interacting with Li Yuzhe so skillfully just now, so why is she silent now?

A kind-hearted fan site admin couldn't bear to just stand there like that, so she mustered up her courage to interact with him. A little tree next to her poked Shi Yao, and she suddenly spoke up again.

"Good morning, Yingxu. Did you sleep well last night?" Shi Yao held the camera upright, her eyes as determined as if she were about to join the Party.

"Good morning." Yingxu's slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and her clear voice rang out, "I didn't sleep very well."

Shi Yao: "..."

She had originally planned this as just a habitual greeting in the interactive topic, but since she agreed to this response, she had to change her words on the spot.

"Why didn't you sleep well? Was it because you were too tired from practicing?" The little bird finally calmed down and mustered up the courage to interact.

Yingxu shook his head, a hint of fatigue on his face: "No, I was just thinking about some things and had a bit of insomnia. It's nothing serious."

"Ah...you must get plenty of rest, don't overwork yourself."

"Why are you having trouble sleeping? Don't think about these things lately, okay?"

The little trees and birds were all attracted, and they chirped and chatted with each other.

Yingxu nodded earnestly and softly replied "okay," then looked at Shi Yao's camera.

Shi Yao: "..."

"Why do you suddenly have a recording schedule today? Can you give us a sneak peek?" she asked a very safe question.

The others also looked at Yingxu expectantly. Although they already had their guesses, they still hoped to hear a definite answer.

Unfortunately, it seems that the staff had given her instructions beforehand, and when she finally answered the question directly, she only said that it was a special case.

After answering this question, the interaction lasted a full three minutes. Although there was nothing particularly informative, it still took longer than that of Li Yuzhe, who was known as the king of business. No matter how curious he was, he could only leave.

As she walked through the gate of Factory No. 1 and stood with Li Yuzhe, Yingxu turned around, shifted her gaze to the outside of the gate, and silently observed the person not far away who was about to interact with another roommate.

Li Yuzhe's voice rang out as his roommate bumped his shoulder: "Why did you spend so much time interacting with people today? Have you changed your personality?"

Yingxu casually hummed in agreement: "There are usually too many people."

It turned out that it was still due to social anxiety. Today, there were fewer people and familiar fans, so I wasn't so nervous. Li Yuzhe understood, and his previous doubts disappeared.

Jiang Yi, who was outside the door, seemed to have been asked an interesting question and laughed along with several other fansite admins. Li Yuzhe found it amusing and nudged Ying Xu, asking, "Xiao Xu, is that girl in the dark green dress your fansite admin?"

When Yingxu looked up, she saw that among all the fansites outside the door, only Shi Yao was wearing dark green. She wore a dark green silk camisole on her upper body and a matching new Chinese-style pleated long skirt on her lower body, paired with a black cardigan. Her hair was gently tied up with a hairpin, looking natural and refreshing.

"Have all the fan site admins gotten so good-looking these days? I feel like she could totally participate in a talent show, and her personality is pretty good too. It's just that we haven't seen her often before." Li Yuzhe had just interacted with Shi Yao for a while and was quite impressed with her. The topics Shi Yao chose were novel and interesting, and they didn't make people feel awkward, which made her very likable.

Li Yuzhe, who claims to be an expert at recognizing faces, basically remembers all the fans who come to the event, but he is not very familiar with Shi Yao. Seeing that his roommate and this interesting new fan site admin interacted for a long time, he couldn't help but wonder if this fan site admin was his roommate's family member.

Outside the door, another roommate, Jiang Yi, was also interacting with Shi Yao and the other two. They seemed to be getting along very well. Li Yuzhe was far away, but the more he looked at Shi Yao, the more familiar she seemed. Even though it was only the first time they had met today, he couldn't help but say, "Why do I feel like I've seen her before? She looks so familiar."

Upon hearing this, Ying Xu immediately turned his head, his gaze intense, and asked, "Have you seen her before?"

Li Yuzhe was startled by the sudden increase in emphasis. He was a little confused, but still replied, "No, I definitely remember you if I've seen you before. I just think you look familiar, like I've seen you before."

Upon hearing this answer, Yingxu visibly breathed a sigh of relief, then looked away, saying as calmly as possible, "Oh, maybe it's because she's quite good-looking. It's normal to subconsciously feel that good-looking people look familiar."

He felt strangely familiar when he first met Shi Yao, and the same thing happened the second time. Although he later checked and found that the familiarity was indeed genuine, he had really seen her before, but she had never seen him before.

Upon hearing this reply, Li Yuzhe's expression turned strange. This was the first time Yingxu had given such a long explanation, especially to someone else.

Something unusual must be going on.

"So is she your fan site admin?" Li Yuzhe asked again. He had initially thought she was probably Yingxu's fan site admin, but her reaction and the natural interaction between her and his other roommate Jiang Yi outside the door made him think he might have made a mistake.

Yingxu merely glanced at him and nodded, saying, "Of course."

That voice sounded so proud.

Li Yuzhe: ?

He was full of questions. What was he so proud of? Why was his perfectly normal child acting so strangely today?

But before he could ask any further questions, another roommate walked in and interrupted him.

Jiang Yi met the familiar fan site admin, and the topics of their interaction were all within his acceptable range, so he was in a very good mood. He walked into the room with a smile, ready to go into the practice room with his two roommates, but found that the atmosphere here seemed a bit strange.

"What's wrong?" he asked cautiously.

"nothing."

"fine."

The two said in unison.

Jiang Yi nodded blankly: "Oh, it's good that you're alright."

The atmosphere is still strange; something must have happened between those two!

He tentatively asked again, "...Shall we go inside?"

"Okay." Yingxu nodded and walked towards the left corridor. Li Yuzhe followed as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Yi stood there, completely bewildered, then touched the tip of his nose and followed.

...

Those outside had no way of knowing what was going on inside, but they were also busy with something new.

Xiao Shu originally wanted to ask Shi Yao if Ying Xu knew her well after he went in, since he kept looking at her camera. But then Jiang Yi came over, and she quickly and excitedly raised her camera to interact with him.

Jiang Yi was shy and introverted, and her interactions were not as natural as Li Yuzhe's. She had prepared all the topics specifically for the conversation, but Shi Yao next to her surprised her as well. It was the first time Shi Yao had interacted with Jiang Yi, yet she managed to get Jiang Yi to answer very naturally and even make her laugh.

You should know that Jiang Yi has a video of being among the "Top Ten Most Awkward Moments"! Other fan site admins are too afraid to interact with him, for fear that it will make both of them feel awkward.

Once Jiang Yi went inside, Xiao Shu's earlier doubts were completely dispelled. It seemed that Shi Yao wasn't particularly familiar with any particular trainee, but rather that she was naturally good at socializing and could chat happily with anyone.

Yingxu kept looking at her camera just now, simply because he knew she was his fan site admin. He is also a rather introverted person, so he habitually interacts with people he is familiar with.

But strangely enough, Xiaoshu always felt that Shiyao interacted more naturally with the other two than with her own idol.

Is it just my imagination?

"Probably not," Xiaoshu quickly offered a reason for her, saying that it's probably because everyone is nervous in front of their own idols, and it's normal for the interaction not to be good.

Not long after Li Yingjiang and his two companions went in, the other trainees also came out one after another. With only a limited number of fansites present, the trainees were not as reserved as usual and actively greeted everyone, trying to get themselves photographed.

After a while, the group worked so hard that their hands ached from holding up the camera, before finally waiting for all the trainees to go inside.

"Hey, what are we recording today? Is it the sports meet?" the little bird asked curiously.

Xiaoshu pouted and shook her head: "I don't think so. The first round of the sports meet was already over, how could it be done again? And from what they said, the recording isn't just today, it's going to be over for the next three days. The sports meet won't take that long, right?"

"What's that? Is it a fan meeting? But I remember the fan meeting was for the top 20, and it only started after Sam Soon." Kotori looked confused.

Shi Yao sat between the two of them, took a sip of mineral water, and suggested, "It might even be a stage."

"Huh? That can't be right."

"Or the stage?"

Their conversation caught the attention of a few lone fansite admins not far away. After exchanging glances, they all jogged over and sat down next to them.

One of the girls, wearing black-rimmed glasses, asked curiously, "What stage were you talking about just now?"

Another girl wearing a fisherman's hat chimed in, "Yeah, what stage? There are only three days left until Sam Soon, there probably isn't enough time to set up a stage, right?"

The fan site manager sitting next to me, who was initially about to leave but was persuaded to stay, said after hearing this: "That's not necessarily true. It's not impossible to swap stages a bit. If we're only preparing a practice room version, three days should be enough."

After saying that, she looked at Shi Yao expectantly. If someone else had said this, she probably wouldn't have believed it, but she felt that it was very likely to be true.

The fact that the other party was able to mention the recording before even opening the door, and that they remained calm and composed throughout, clearly indicates that they had inside information.

She said there's a stage, so there probably really is.

Shi Yao was suddenly surrounded by a lot of people, and many expectant eyes were looking at her. She felt a little awkward for a moment. She cleared her throat and said, "I'm not sure what kind of stage it is, but there will definitely be a stage, and we will record a performance version, but whether or not we will select audience members is uncertain."

Shi Yao's words instantly excited the fansite admins present, especially the one who had initially wanted to leave. She quickly took out her phone and sent several more messages with exaggerated exclamation marks to her friend on the other side, hoping that the other person would wake up soon.

"What kind of stage is this? They even have to record a live version. Is three days enough time?" a fan site admin worried.

Another fan site admin, who was initially excited, became a little anxious when asked: "Yeah, they were already very busy with the third performance. They finally got a break, but now they have to prepare for another stage, and there's also a fan meeting later. Please don't get sick before the finals."

The atmosphere instantly became somewhat somber, and everyone present looked worried. Those who had gone to meet in person were genuinely concerned and worried about all sorts of issues.

"Don't worry, it won't be too busy. It's not as difficult as the previous performances. You'll see in a little while," Shi Yao reassured them simply.

"And if you can't even handle this much pressure, wouldn't you be even more unable to handle it after you debut?"

Her last words were a bit sharp, and two of the fan site admins looked disapproving, but Xiaoshu nodded vigorously and loudly expressed her support. Then the others also said they agreed, so they had no choice but to take back their words.

Not long after the group rested, new people arrived.

Watching the black van slowly drive towards Factory No. 1 in the distance, Xiao Shu nudged Shi Yao with her elbow: "Hey, what's with the car coming? And it's a van, no less. Did the production team invite some new guests?"

"Could it be a flight instructor!" Little Bird excitedly stood up. The fans around her, remembering Shi Yao's earlier reminder, also stood up and rushed to the starting spot, taking out their cameras and waiting in full force.

The van slowly pulled up in front of car number one. Amidst expectant gazes, the door slowly opened, and a tall, slender figure stepped out.

After seeing the face of the person getting off the bus, the scene fell silent. Xiao Shu exclaimed in a trembling voice, "Pei... Pei Zixuan?!"

Isn't this her ex?!

Author's Note: Here I am! I've been really busy with work lately, but I'll try my best to update on time. Please check the announcements section. I'll update on time unless I give advance notice, and even if I do take a break, it won't be for too long~

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:38:55 on July 4, 2024 and 20:55:25 on July 5, 2024!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Deer Seed 25 bottles; Go to Bed Early Tonight 20 bottles; Vegetable Pea and Want to Enjoy a Peaceful Life 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!