Chapter 105 Second Sequence Release 1.0

As the night deepened, on the lawn after the party, without any instructions from the production team, the contestants spontaneously assisted the staff in finishing work.

Because the waterproof mat was laid in advance, the cleaning work became much easier - the ribbons and petals were picked up one by one, and the special huge waterproof mat was neatly rolled up with everyone's cooperation.

After returning to the dormitory and washing up briefly, Xie Qingyu bent his knees and half-sat on the upper bunk, with his back leaning against the wall.

There was an A4 paper spread on his knees, which he had asked for from the staff. At this moment, he was concentrating on writing on the paper under the warm yellow light.

The pen tip made a slight rustling sound when it touched the paper, which was particularly clear in the quiet dormitory.

"Benefactor, what are you writing?" Wei Liangchen held onto the edge of the bed with both hands and poked his head out with some curiosity.

Xie Qingyu's pen tip just dropped the last symbol, and he snapped the cap shut and handed the paper over: "Judge down some of your thoughts."

This is his personal habit - whenever his heart is deeply touched by sincere emotions, he will record them immediately.

These words may be composed into a song in the future, or they may just be kept quietly.

But no matter what, he can always keep the most genuine touch and excitement of that moment.

Seeing that Xie Qingyu really didn't mind, Wei Liangchen took the paper and his eyes widened as soon as he glanced at the first line: "Benefactor, what's wrong with your head? It's written so well~"

He gestured exaggeratedly, "I've been trying for three days and still can't write a single sentence! Are you going to release a new song?"

Xie Qingyu smiled and shook his head: "I'm not sure yet, let's talk about it later."

Hearing the noise here, the other people in the dormitory also gathered over silently.

Wei Ran was the first to clearly see the contents on the paper and unconsciously muttered:

"The corner of the letter is a little wrinkled,

Like a hand that was clenched and then released by someone.

You said, 'Don't be afraid, no matter how long the night is',

And the clouds suddenly stumbled and retreated—"

His voice gradually lowered, as if he was afraid of disturbing the artistic conception between the lines.

The words on the paper seemed to come alive:

Did you see that…

A certain word suddenly spread out,

Like tears, but more like the sea.

(So ​​here we are…)

The handwriting is hot in the breath,

Like unnamed starlight,

Arrived in my hand before the dawn.

………

When the lens goes out,

We are still written—

Through the gaps in the clouds,

With a slash that never falls.

"These words... seem to breathe." Wei Ran murmured, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the paper.

The others also held their breath, as if they were once again in the starry night described in the poem.

Xie Qingyu looked at their focused profiles and suddenly felt that perhaps this poem should not be kept privately.

"Are you really not going to publish it? It's really well written." Gu Qi tapped the paper with his fingertips. It was rare to see him take the initiative to suggest something. "I brought a guitar. I can try to compose a song first."

You can see that he is really interested.

Xie Qingyu looked around and pretended to think for a moment. Meeting everyone's expectant gazes, he finally couldn't help but smile and nodded in agreement.

He turned over and got out of bed. Everyone hurriedly took out the advertising paper from the Guoduoduo gift box, spread it on the ground, and sat in a circle.

Gu Yan tuned the strings of the zither, plucking them skillfully with his slender, clean fingers.

When the first melody sounded, Ding Zai couldn't help but shake his head slightly to the rhythm, and ended up bumping into Liu Xiu next to him.

"Sorry, sorry, Xiu'er, I didn't mean it." Ding Zai covered his head, but smiled so hard that his teeth were showing.

At this time, Liu Xiu just laughed it off and didn't bother with him too much, which made Ding Da Nao, who was always scolded by him every time he met him, feel uncomfortable.

Just like that, amid the rustling of advertising papers, occasional off-tune humming and laughter, an immature song gradually took shape.

Although the chords are simple and the beat is not precise enough, it reveals a clumsy sincerity, just like -

"Like the letters we received tonight." Wei Ran said suddenly.

Xie Qingyu looked up when he heard this and met Gu Qi's gaze. The two smiled at each other and nodded in agreement.

The hands of the wall clock quietly pointed to 1:30 in the morning, and everyone prepared to go to bed reluctantly.

"Hey, that guy!" Liu Xiu wrapped himself tightly in the quilt, his eyes glaring sharply at Wei Liangchen, who was making the bed across from him. "If you do anything else tonight, I'll never let you go. Do you hear me?"

This sentence instantly awakened everyone's memory of the night of Yishun's release, and also reminded them of the immoral things Wei Liangchen had done.

For a moment, the eyes of the entire dormitory were focused on him, and even Xie Qingyu cast a suspicious glance at him.

The main reason is that I didn’t get enough sleep and the feeling of staying in front of the camera all day was worse than death. I felt like I could lie on the ground and take a nap at any time. No one wants to experience this again.

Wei Liangchen touched the back of his neck awkwardly, his fingers unconsciously twisting the straps of his pajamas: "I promise..." Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by several arrogant and cold snorts.

He could only climb onto the bed and curl up under the quilt with a wronged look on his face, like a little pig that was despised by everyone.

Liu Xiu suddenly seemed to remember something, took out a small bell from under his pillow, pulled a string and tied it to the head of the bed.

Amid the crisp jingling sounds, Wei Liangchen's resentful eyes became even sadder - was this to prevent thieves?

——

The next morning, the familiar morning call sounded on time. With the experience from the previous time, everyone was much more relaxed this time, washing and changing clothes in an orderly manner.

In the corner, the sound of Liu Xiu silently packing his luggage was particularly harsh.

Ding Zai couldn't help but stepped forward and pressed his suitcase: "Xiu'er, don't rush to collect it, the results are not out yet."

Several people found it hard to accept such a separation, even though they had some disagreements at the beginning and didn't like each other very much.

But having to face all this so soon after the relationship had eased, or...

"Shhhh!" Liu Xiu let out his signature sneer, his hands moving non-stop. "Last time, we were ranked 46th, and this time, only 35 remain. Do you think I'm some kind of flying monkey?"

He slapped Ding Zai's hand away, "Don't block the way. Just looking at you makes me angry. I'm not like you guys who can advance steadily..."

It still tasted like the same little green tea as when we first met, with a sharp and pungent tone, but the slightly trembling ending betrayed that his emotions were not as indifferent as he appeared.

"Is this a parting gift?"

Wei Liangchen sat on the edge of his bed, his ankles swaying nervously, and continued, "What if I'm not eliminated in the end? Wouldn't it be embarrassing if I told you too early?"

He is not very good at comforting people, but think about it, their 122 'feng shui' is so good, everyone is very popular, no matter how you think about it, Liu Xiu shouldn't leave, haven't you heard that there are some dormitory fans in the talent show?

Liu Xiu did not respond, but just quietly packed his luggage.

When he picked up the "Green-headed Fish" creative cup, his fingers paused slightly, then he pulled out a piece of Guoduoduo advertising paper from the cardboard box next to him, wrapped it carefully, and put it in the suitcase.

The suitcase was already packed to the brim. He pushed down the lid with force, and the zipper closed with a click, as if putting an end to a short journey.

"So you still have it?" Wei Liangchen's eyes lit up, his voice filled with unconcealed surprise. "I've never seen you use it. I thought you just threw it away!"

He specially distributed these cups to everyone in the dormitory according to their personality characteristics.

Other people's cups could occasionally be seen on the table, but Liu Xiu's cup had never been seen since the day he received it.

Wei Liangchen still remembered his expression when he took the cup - the corners of his mouth were tightly clenched, his eyes were as cold as ice, and he felt like stabbing himself with a knife.

He thought the cup should have been destroyed long ago, but he didn't expect it to be kept so well that it was even packed and taken away when it was considered to be discarded.

"Tsk, you say one thing and mean another!" Wei Liangchen couldn't help but grin and bumped Liu Xiu with his shoulder. "Look, you obviously like it."

Xie Qingyu glanced at Liu Xiu's gradually darkening face, and calmly took a step forward to stand between the two of them.

"Alright," he reminded in a low voice, poking Wei Liangchen's lower back with his finger, "It's almost time to go."

He testified that Liu Xiu really didn't like the cup, and he had seen Liu Xiu standing in front of the trash can holding the ugly cup more than once, his arms tensing and then relaxing, and finally stuffing it back into the deepest part of the cabinet with gritted teeth.

They went to the cafeteria to have a simple meal together, and then walked slowly towards the auditorium.

Compared with the last time when we were in a tense situation as if facing a great enemy, it was so much more comfortable that even our steps became lighter.

When we arrived at the auditorium, many contestants were already seated.

Xie Qingyu glanced at the side of the podium, where the pyramid-shaped promotion chairs were still placed, but the number had been greatly reduced.

There are only 35 chairs left out of the original 60. The vacant seats are like wounds that have been cut open, silently announcing the cruelty of competition.

The atmosphere in the auditorium was completely different from last time. Perhaps because of the fan letters from last night, there was less anxiety and restlessness.

At this moment, the air was filled with an almost stagnant silence. No one whispered, no one fidgeted. The contestants simply waited in silence, as if even breathing lightly, fearing to disturb the impending "judgment of fate."

Xie Qingyu found a random seat and sat down. Not long after, other contestants arrived one after another.

When Leo arrived, he noticed that there was an empty seat next to his brother. His eyes lit up immediately, and he rushed over in two steps. He sat down and asked, "Brother, this seat - isn't it reserved for me?"

Xie Qingyu smiled, but before she could say anything, she saw Leo nodding seriously, mumbling to herself, "Of course, that's right! Is there any need to say more?"

Well, there is no need for him to answer at all. This kid has already completed a whole set of self-strategies.

As the last few contestants entered the stage, dry ice mist suddenly spurted out from both sides of the stage.

The initiator Qu Qinghuan walked over with a cue card and a microphone in hand, amidst the curling white smoke. At this time, the contestants had already started to praise themselves skillfully.

"Good morning, Teacher Qu!"

"Sister Qinghuan is in great shape today!"

"Teacher is so beautiful today!!"

"Nonsense! Is there ever a day when Teacher Qu isn't beautiful?!"

"Teacher Qu is getting more beautiful every day!!!"

These deliberately brisk voices created a false sense of excitement in the auditorium.

Qu Qinghuan's eyes swept across the faces that were forcing smiles. The clenched fists, the unconscious rubbing of toes, and the flickering and evasive eyes all silently exposed this clumsy performance.

The fingertips holding the cards in her hand felt slightly cold - these children were obviously terrified, but they still had to cooperate in packaging the upcoming elimination match into a joyful tea party.

The spotlight is too bright.

Qu Qinghuan lowered her eyelashes, casting a small shadow on the script.

The competition rules are clearly written in black and white, but when you really have to watch these young people who have been together day and night leave one by one.

She was shocked to realize that the "heart of stone" she had prepared had already been cracked.

Sitting in the audience, Xie Qingyu could clearly see that the initiator, who had always been rational and generous, was also feeling unhappy, but he still had to follow the program process.

"The second round of releases for "Road to Star Dreams" has officially begun."

Qu Qinghuan's voice remained clear, but she paused slightly as she announced, "25 people will be eliminated this time," and then, "The final number of qualified players will be 35."

The same old routine, the last qualifying spot, the 35th place, is special and will be announced after the first place is announced.

The first name called was Lan Feifei, ranked 34th.

When Qu Qinghuan clearly announced the number '3,930,221 votes', there was an immediate commotion in the contestant booth.

Xie Qingyu noticed the glances exchanged between the contestants across from him. The last time the rankings were announced, there was no live vote counting session. The votes were only presented in the form of subtitles during the post-production editing.

This sudden change... naturally has a reason.

After the first ranking announcement was broadcast, fans from all the shows united and flooded the comment section of the official Weibo account of the program team, which had only been opened for two days.

There are all the same questions in there:

"What serious talent show wouldn't even dare to announce the vote counts on the spot?"

"Doesn't not counting the votes make it easier for you to tamper with the results?"

"Did you do anything secretly? Come out and talk!"

When it comes to talent shows, the "vote-rigging theory" that everyone knows about but is the most sensitive issue, hasn't it just admitted defeat?

It's not easy to argue about this. If they don't announce it, I'd think they're guilty.

Instead of being chased and attacked by fans, it is better to take the initiative to add this insignificant segment - it is just a matter of reciting a few more numbers anyway.

It's just adding a process, no big deal, don't get so angry.

(Fans of various groups: You are so thick-skinned, if you don’t do anything serious, you might think we are playing coquettishly with you!)