Chapter 85 Chapter 85 November Assessment

Sheng Yushu glanced at the trainees and finally stopped his gaze on Lu Yao.

Just like the short videos seen online, Lu Yao now has long hair and wears clothes with ancient charm. He sits on the ground. He does not look sloppy, but rather has a unique sense of elegance.

It was very strange. Sheng Yushu didn't know where he saw the elegance of a fourteen-year-old boy, but when his eyes fell on Lu Yao, the words jumped out of his mind this time.

They were clearly at the assessment site, surrounded by many teachers and staff, even company leaders and seniors like them, but Lu Yao didn't feel nervous at all. He just sat on the ground leaning against the wall. When Sheng Yushu looked over, he met his eyes without flinching or avoiding.

Sheng Yushu frowned slightly.

Si Quan greeted everyone with a smile, showing his concern. He noticed Sheng Yushu's expression from the corner of his eye. After greeting him, he leaned over and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Sheng Yushu shook his head.

The moment he looked into Lu Yao's eyes, he suddenly had a strange feeling.

Those eyes just now didn't look like those of a fourteen-year-old child. They looked more like... a newborn puppy? Observing the world with a blank and ignorant gaze.

A dog sculpture for the junior apprentice he first met? Sheng Yushu only then realized that he had such an interest.

The senior brothers' observation of Lu Yao soon came to an end. As the person in charge of the fifth generation, Ding Ling took the microphone and began to give her opening remarks.

"Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend the fifth-generation trainee assessment. As the final assessment in the trainee process, I hope that all the teachers will be strict with the trainees and help them understand their own level. I also hope that all the teachers can understand the level of the trainees through this assessment."

Of course, the teacher’s understanding is not the most important thing. What is important is the understanding of the leaders and seniors.

When deciding on the group roster, the opinions of these people will also be taken into consideration.

Without the support of makeup and stage, relying solely on strength, who can make a big splash and leave an impression on the leaders and seniors?

Ding Ling felt that she might have the answer in her heart.

The order of the assessment had been decided by drawing lots this morning. After Ding Ling finished speaking and signaled the trainees to go on stage, Cong'an, who had drawn the first lot, went up with the microphone.

You can't tell anything from his face, but if you look closely, you can see that his legs are still trembling a little.

Standing in the center, facing the gazes and cameras, he took a deep breath.

"Hello, seniors and teachers. I am Cong'an." The ending tone was still a little floating.

Luo Wenbo sat down on the sofa silently, raising his height so that he could see Cong'an's performance more clearly.

Cong An noticed his own nervousness and tightened his grip on the microphone. When he spoke again, his voice was much deeper: "The assessment items I chose are singing, dancing, and singing and dancing."

This assessment is much stricter than the previous ones. All trainees must participate in the assessment for both singing and dancing, and must also choose one to participate in the assessment between singing and rap.

There is no option to give up.

This is a big test of the trainees' strength and physical fitness.

Cong An first took the singing test. He chose a pop song with a light melody and a low pitch. The song was generally within his comfort zone. Combined with his cute face and sweet smile, many people couldn't help but smile after he finished singing.

This is the power of cuteness.

Cong An also looked relieved.

But as soon as vocal teacher Yang Hui raised the microphone and started speaking, Cong An and the other trainees' expressions instantly tensed up.

"I'm very disappointed."

Luo Wenbai sat up straight.

"I don't hear any improvement in your performance in this song," Yang Hui said seriously. "Not only compared to your last assessment, but even compared to last year, the year before, or even when you first joined the company, I might even prefer your first assessment. At least back then, you were truly lovable."

Yang Hui continued, "Have you learned how to pretend to be cute all these years? Pitch, breath, control, emotion. I spent so much time preparing for this test, and this is the level you're performing at?"

Cong An had put down the microphone at some point and stood there at a loss, not daring to move, even trying to restrain himself from blinking.

Yang Hui said a lot more, so much so that the trainees sitting in the corner couldn't help but lower their heads, afraid that they couldn't control their expressions.

They didn't expect the assessment to be so strict, and they didn't expect Yang Hui to criticize Cong'an in front of everyone.

Although it is Cong'an who is standing at the top, everyone judges others by themselves and does not think that they will be any better off standing at the top, and they may even be criticized more harshly.

Is this the last test?

The scale is too big, they can't bear it.

Cong An listened to Yang Hui's comments with trepidation, but this was just the beginning. There were many teachers this time, two from each direction. After Yang Hui finished speaking, another vocal teacher followed, but maybe because Yang Hui spoke more harshly, this teacher's tone was much softer.

But compared with the usual assessment comments which were mainly encouraging, it was still very harsh.

Finally, the two teachers finished their comments, and then Cong An discovered in despair that Ding Ling turned her gaze to her senior brothers.

No way, senior brother also wants to comment?

But Sheng Yushu, the team leader, had already raised the microphone under Ding Ling's gaze.

He didn't want to either, but wasn't this what his senior brother came here for?

The team members didn't want to play, so he, as the captain, had to take over.

"Cong An, huh? I quite like your performance."

As soon as Sheng Yushu's gentle voice came out, Zong An's eyes became hot and tears almost fell.

He quickly opened his eyes wide.

Sheng Yushu was really gentle. His soft comments and considerate encouragement swept away the rather harsh atmosphere just now. After he finished speaking, he looked around to make sure that none of his members had anything to add before putting down the microphone.

Thus, Cong'an's vocal assessment ended.

Then comes the dance assessment.

Cong An quickly adjusted his mood and silently cheered himself up.

The dance for this dance assessment was something he had just learned recently. He had practiced for many days, and Cong'an himself also hoped to have a decent performance in the assessment.

When the music started, the movements that had already been memorized by heart were performed naturally without thinking.

Unlike singing, dancing can make people more immersed and forget about their surroundings. After the music ended and the applause sounded, Cong An started to get nervous again.

The dance teacher raised the microphone.

The results were very similar to the vocal assessment. The teacher's comments were very strict, and he listed all the mistakes in detail. After listening to the whole thing, it seemed like he was only criticizing me, and there was not a single thing worth praising. Then the seniors started to comment, which was much gentler and mainly praised me.

Up and down, it's like riding a roller coaster, which makes people feel very bad.

There was no time to rest, and the singing and dancing assessment followed immediately. After the performance, the criticism from the teacher was even harsher.

Compared with pure singing and pure dancing, singing and dancing require higher skills and are more likely to reveal the shortcomings of trainees. At the same time, after two consecutive assessments, the trainees' physical strength will decline, and their control over singing and dancing will become worse, so it is not surprising that they will receive more criticism.

Cong An walked back to the trainees' corner with a stiff expression and sat back in his seat silently. Lu Yao glanced at him sideways and saw Cong An lowering his head. He could faintly hear sobbing.

Lu Yao lowered his eyes.

In his opinion, Cong An's strength has improved a lot compared to four months ago.

My breathing is steadier, my stamina is stronger, and my singing and dancing performances have improved significantly compared to four months ago.

Wanyuanzhou, the next candidate for the test, has walked in front of the camera and started to introduce himself to the teachers.

Wanyuanzhou's performance is not much different from Cong'an.

In fact, as far as the entire fifth generation is concerned, there was no absolute gap in strength between the trainees before Lu Yao came.

Qiao Sinian's dance is very good, but the dances of Bai You and Qiu Yuge are equally good. Then, the dances of Cong An, Jiang Mu, Wang Mingzhi and Luo Wenbo are also remarkable.

Wan Yuanzhou is the lead singer and has good vocal skills, but equally good ones include Zhu Xiangming with great singing quotient, Bai You with outstanding timbre, Wu Hai with skillful technique, and Wu Anyi with a clear voice. Although his voice is a little thin, his singing also has a unique style. Huang Xi and Lu Jianian are temporarily behind, but their breathing, control and other skills can be slowly improved through time and practice.

When it comes to vocal music, besides absolute talent, hard work is also equally important.

In addition to individual singing and dancing, which is a very important project for trainees, Bai You and Qiu Yuge can be considered outstanding in the fifth generation. Cong'an is still young and has a little less physical fitness, so he finds it a little difficult to control the intense singing and dancing. However, this is not a problem for Cong'an alone, others have the same trouble.

RAP singers such as Yin Hongxue, Cang Zizhen, and Luo Wenbo also have their own merits.

There is no outstanding good, nor is there any outstanding bad.

Everyone has strengths in their respective fields, but also has weaknesses in other areas.

In this assessment, Wanyuanzhou demonstrated his strengths, but also revealed his weaknesses.

Facing the dance teacher's comments, Wanyuanzhou lowered his head, and his tall body seemed a little thin at this moment.

Immediately after Wanyuanzhou's assessment, Wang Mingzhi walked up. Lu Yao saw Wang Mingzhi holding the microphone and introducing himself with a smile.

Wang Mingzhi is used to hiding his emotions and always puts on a smiling face, but the trembling ending of his singing cannot be hidden by any amount of smiling.

The vocal teacher's criticism was equally harsh.

In terms of vocal skills alone, Wang Mingzhi's level is slightly lower than Cong'an, but in terms of dancing, the difference is not much. As for singing and dancing, their styles are completely different.

Wang Mingzhi is taller, has longer limbs, and has a pretty face, so he would have an advantage in dancing with softer movements. However, An's lively personality makes him prefer dynamic dance, and this is indeed the case in the final performance.

Afterwards, Wang Ming's dance and singing and dancing assessments also showed many mistakes according to the teachers. Then Sheng Yushu raised the microphone and gave his junior a gentle comment.

It's quite hard work. Everyone has to give comments, and each comment has to be different. It's really a test of one's expressive ability.

After Wang Mingzhi, it was Qiu Yuge.

Lu Yao saw a group of leaders and senior brothers from the fourth generation sit up straight and cheer up silently.

It was obvious that before coming to take the assessment, these people either knew the list of fifth-generation trainees themselves or had heard certain names from Ding Ling.

Qiu Yuge didn't seem very nervous. He held the microphone and introduced himself to everyone with a standard smile.

Bow, look up, and smile.

This is a fixed pattern that has been practiced for many years. Qiu Yuge knows it by heart. The arc of the smile on his face is fixed like a standard template. Even if he is excited, his expression will not change at all.

"Hello, teachers. I'm Qiu Yuge."

At the teacher's nod, Qiu Yuge took a step back, closed his eyes, raised his eyes, put away the smile on his face, lowered his eyebrows slightly, and pursed his lips. The sixteen-year-old boy transformed himself into an idol who occupied the absolute focus on the stage.

The music starts and the RAP assessment begins.

Sheng Yushu put down the pen in his hand and watched Qiu Yuge's performance intently.

Qiu Yuge, this name is well-known even to them.

Since the fifth generation was first released, Qiu Yuge has attracted much attention with his absolutely dazzling appearance.

Since then, Qiu Yuge has always interacted with his senior brothers at every family concert and sports meet.

Either they perform together or are assigned to the same team.

It is obvious that the company has high hopes for Qiu Yuge.

Qiu Yuge did not disappoint the expectations. During his years of training, he gradually became a perfect idol, whose every word and action seemed like a standard template.

After the prelude ended, Qiu Yuge sang the first line of the lyrics.

Lu Yao leaned against the wall with his head slightly tilted back. This angle allowed him to see Qiu Yuge performing through the gaps between the teachers.

Qiu Yuge's singing skills are not very good. Lu Yao had seen a video of Qiu Yuge singing before, and someone left a comment below: "She sings really beautifully."

This shows that when people look at Qiu Yuge, they pay more attention to his face than his strength.

So during class and practice, Lu Yao could often hear the teachers' requirements for Qiu Yuge, which mostly focused on controlling facial expressions.

Sing beautifully and dance handsomely.

As long as you don't sing out of tune or break your voice, then you are singing well.

After all, Qiu Yuge is not the lead singer.

Just let the singer sing the singing part.

So when choosing his positioning, Qiu Yuge chose RAP and dance based on the recommendation of his teachers.

Compared to vocal music which requires talent, being a rap leader in a boy group seems to be a position that can be accomplished with just hard work.

And Qiu Yuge did make efforts.

After years of study, he can be regarded as one of the best RAP artists in the fifth generation.

When the song ended, the teachers smiled.

The breath, flow, pronunciation... of course there are flaws, but for a boy band, it's good enough.

For the first time, the teachers' comments were much milder, but still harsh compared to previous assessments.

After the teachers finished their comments, Sheng Yushu raised the microphone again.

He also gave gentle encouragement, but only Sheng Yushu himself knew the sigh in his heart beneath his smile.

He was clearly singing lyrics that expressed his attitude on the stage, but there was no trace of his own attitude in Qiu Yuge's eyes.

Sheng Yushu now understood why the company favored Qiu Yuge so much.

It's not just because of his appearance, but also because of Qiu Yuge's obedience.

Sheng Yushu put down the microphone, and then, without surprise, he saw the company's leaders speak for the first time.

The smile on Qiu Yuge's face, who was being commented on, did not change at all. She stood there smiling, looking well-behaved and pretty.

In the following dance and singing and dancing assessments, Qiu Yuge performed at his usual level and his progress was also evident.

The feeling of ease became clearer and clearer. He was no longer trying hard to perform the movements, but could see something that belonged to him.

The teacher noticed this very keenly and specifically mentioned it for praise.

Judging from the leaders' expressions, they were obviously very satisfied.

After Qiu Yuge, the next person to be assessed was Bai You. Bai You's progress was even more obvious. He had always worked very hard, and four months was enough time for him to specifically make up for the weaknesses revealed in his last assessment.

He also prepared for the BREAKING that the dance teacher mentioned last time, and specially inserted a section at the end of the dance assessment, which made the dance teacher very happy.

The leaders wrote and drew on the forms in front of them, and after watching Bai You's performance, they whispered to each other.

People from the upper circle came one after another, and the next one to be assessed was Zhu Xiangming.

He walked in front of the camera, and the leaders turned over a page of the documents on the table. After he finished introducing himself, they also looked at it seriously.

Zhu Xiangming's choice of song for this vocal assessment perfectly played to his strengths, an R&B song with a strong sense of rhythm.

The clear drum beats, complemented by Zhu Xiangming's mid-bass, are a perfect blend of technique and emotional expression. His slender limbs and deep eyes add color to the song visually.

After the song ended, the vocal teacher asked a few trivial questions, and soon it was Zhu Xiangming's turn for the dance assessment.

Zhu Xiangming's dance is very similar to his songs, compared to Bai You's toughness, his is more gentle.

Just like him, although he has tough edges and corners, there is softness in his eyebrows and eyes. When he smiles, he is as cute as when he was a child. His eyes seem as clear as before, and there is no sign of growth.

This time, the dance teacher asked a lot more questions, and was not very polite. However, after being assessed by so many people before, everyone who took the stage later was mentally prepared, so when Zhu Xiangming heard these questions now, he was not sad, just a little frustrated.

However, he also knows that he is not very good at dancing. He can only try his best to practice more and do his best.

Zhu Xiangming's subsequent singing and dancing performance was mediocre, far less outstanding than the vocal part. Everyone made a few comments in a mediocre manner, and Zhu Xiangming's assessment ended.

Then, it was Cang Zizhen's turn.

Cang Zizhen is different from Qiu Yuge. When choosing his positioning, Cang Zizhen decided to choose RAP early on. In addition to his unique smoky voice, he also loves RAP himself.

Different from the always obedient Qiu Yuge, Cangzi really likes the "attitude" in RAP, other people's attitude and his attitude.

And using this form to express his attitude is what he wants to do.

Step out of your own perspective and use songs to look at yourself and others.

Therefore, Cangzi's rap had its own style very early on. Although he sang passionate lyrics, there was a nonchalant smile on his face and his eyes were indifferent.

Very contradictory, but also very attractive.

After the song ended, Sheng Yushu was unusually calm when commenting on it.

Cangzi's rap really gave him a lot of ideas.

He didn't expect that after removing the childish filter of his junior brothers and abandoning the cute style of singing and dancing on the stage, in this test that tested the success of years of practice, these junior brothers would actually adopt such a style, which surprised him a little.

Compared to the 'orthodox' RAP singer Qiu Yuge, Cang Zizhen is a little 'deviant', and those who love him will love him very much.

Afterwards, Lu Jianian, Jiang Mu and Qiao Sinian also took the assessment. All three of them chose singing, dancing and singing and dancing.

In the fifth generation, Lv Jianian and Jiang Mu, who were positioned as the singers, were not particularly strong. They had talent, but not much; they worked hard, but not outstandingly. So year after year, they were at a disadvantage in terms of strength.

Faced with such an assessment, the teachers were not so harsh in their words.

The problem has been mentioned long ago, and how to work hard has been taught long ago, but their performance over the years is enough to speak for itself.

As for Qiao Sinian, although his vocal skills are very average, his dancing skills are indeed outstanding. In addition, he has now been admitted to a dance academy. Considering his love for dance, it is not difficult to imagine that he will continue on the path of dance.

Faced with such a talented, hardworking child who has always been on this path, teachers can no longer criticize him.

After Qiao Sinian finished his assessment, it was Yin Hongxue's turn.

Lu Yao saw that as Yin Hongxue introduced herself, the leaders began to look through the materials in front of them again, and their attitudes were a little more tense than when Lu Jianian and others were assessing them just now.

Yin Hongxue stood in front of the camera, facing so many pairs of eyes. Although he had not come to the company to practice for a long time, and had not performed for a long time, he was surprisingly relaxed now.

Maybe he figured something out, or maybe he knew he couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it.

The future is long, but the present is right before our eyes.

After Yin Hongxue finished her performance, Sheng Yushu was very surprised when he raised the microphone.

Yin Hongxue's RAP style is quite different from Qiu Yuge and Cang Zizhen. If Qiu Yuge is "good" and Cang Zizhen is "cold", then Yin Hongxue is "hot".

A 'hot' feeling that is completely opposite to Yin Hongxue's appearance.

It was so hot that it even felt scalding, burning Sheng Yushu who had a brief eye contact with Yin Hongxue.

It was as if all the passion in his life was condensed together and expressed on the stage.

So Yin Hongxue's stage performance is very passionate, very hot, and very crazy.

A cute face, crazy eyes, a stronger sense of contradiction than Aoko Shin.

It is the personal charm that belongs to Yin Hongxue.