Chapter 43 First Appearance
Inside the spacious studio, seventeen teams were already seated.
With only one team yet to appear, a subtle undercurrent slowly stirred in the studio.
Some trainees were whispering with their teammates, while others had already started connecting with other teams and were chatting enthusiastically.
"That guy over there is so handsome, and that one looks like he's not to be messed with..."
"The pressure is immense; Bai He and Xingyu are both here."
"It's the last group's turn, I'm so excited."
"Could he really be a trainee from Will Company?"
"Who knows? Aren't there former trainees from Will Company here? They're practically Will's people, right?" The speaker glanced sideways at someone sitting in the upper back.
Who is it?
The man didn't say anything more.
They already knew who the last team was in the waiting room.
But in front of countless cameras here, they still pretended to be completely unaware or uncertain.
The teams mostly exchanged glances, subtly probing each other with unspoken signals, creating a very delicate atmosphere.
The electronic display screen hanging directly above the studio suddenly lit up again, and all eyes turned to it.
As two deep drumbeats sounded at just the right moment,
The logo of the Weir Company, shaped like a geometric crown, suddenly appeared on the screen.
The platinum logo seemed to glow, firmly capturing everyone's attention.
The entire audience gasped in unison, and then the teams began to stir.
"It really is Will!"
"People from the Will Company are here too..."
"I really don't understand why trainees from Will Company would come here."
Some people were filled with fear and anxiety, while others showed no sign of it on their faces, but their tone was somewhat disdainful.
One person said, "There are different levels among the trainees at Will Company, and not all of them are excellent."
Another person chimed in, "He's just a regular trainee, right? The really talented ones like Will wouldn't be exposed before their debut..."
Before he could finish speaking, six handsome and unruly young men in black, who appeared from the entrance to the stage aisle, stole his words.
The corridor leading from backstage to the stage was longer than expected. Meng Fanxi hadn't noticed this passage during rehearsals; it was probably a temporary structure built by the production team for the sake of effect.
The corridor was dimly lit, barely enough to see the path beneath one's feet.
The brightest spot in front of you is the studio.
They adjusted their pace appropriately, stepping towards the light with ease.
The studio lights were bright and dazzling, several times brighter than during rehearsals.
Suddenly moving from darkness to light, Meng Fanxi was a little dazzled, and Xu You subconsciously blurted out, "It's so bright."
However, they maintained their facial expressions and did not squint or close their eyes.
The studio was completely different from the rehearsal room; the original black curtain had been removed, revealing the original appearance of the entire Mushroom Park.
So many people!
The stage faced directly at the tiered seating, and the trainees in the seats stood up in unison.
That natural, downward gaze created a silent sense of oppression.
A variety of gazes converged on them: scrutiny, scrutiny, curiosity, hostility...
The six men showed no fear, calmly raising their chins as they scrutinized their future opponents.
After they stepped onto the stage,
The air fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly erupted with even louder applause as the trainees from the other teams welcomed the new team into the arena.
Beneath the applause were the rising and falling sounds of discussion.
"Who is that? Is it Lin Ruohe?"
"Isn't that Young from the Young & Rich channel?"
"Oh my god, it looks like him. He sings so well."
The trainees at Jiangzhen Music were all incredibly talented, and their reaction was equally exaggerated. The four of them huddled together and exclaimed, "It's Lin Ruohe! Lin Ruohe actually came!"
"Why did Young come here? I even follow him, no wonder his channel hasn't been updated."
"Why are they all so handsome? Ugh."
"That looks like Xu Cangyan's nephew."
"You know him?"
"...Didn't he get mentioned at Xu Cangyan's concert before? I remember that." Remembering his recording equipment, he couldn't just blurt out that he knew about it from the Chasing Light Alliance forum.
Meng Fanxi and his group politely bowed slightly to the applause as Lin Ruohe led them, and slowly walked from the edge of the stage to the center.
There was no person in charge of overseeing the process on site; it all depended on the interaction and reactions between the trainees.
Since they were the last team, there were no seats left to choose from.
The stage and seating area are connected like a bridge to form a T-shaped stage.
The sides of the runway were empty, and it was unclear what the arrangement was.
They stepped onto the runway, closer to the seating area.
Their opponents followed their movements, occasionally huddling together to whisper amongst themselves.
This was part of the show, and they were prepared for it. They paid no attention to the hushed voices and ambiguous discussions, focusing instead on finding their seats.
The seating arrangement in the first row is noticeably different; it's luxurious and high-end, clearly designed for the mentors.
They shifted their attention.
In the far right corner of the fifth row, there was an empty seat.
Lin Ruohe pointed in that direction: "Let's go."
Meng Fanxi and Gu Huailang were about to leave, but the other three seemed to be considering something and remained silent.
Lin Ruo turned around strangely, asking with her eyes what was wrong.
Xu You, with an unrestrained posture, leaned back slightly and curled his lips into a smile: "Since we're here, of course we should sit in the highest position." His gaze was fixed on the highest point, carrying a hint of hostility.
Zhang Yang remained silent, clearly agreeing.
Ren Yuchen surprisingly agreed: "If we choose the same seat, there should be some kind of seat-changing mechanism, right?"
A tense atmosphere suddenly arose in the seating area, and the other teams, eager for a good show, kept glancing between the highest point and the group.
Meng Fanxi, unaware of what was going on, exchanged a glance with Lin Ruohe and looked towards the highest seat.
His gaze suddenly tightened, and his body froze instantly.
There were seven people sitting in that spot.
He knows them all.
There was even someone sitting inside unexpectedly.
Meng Fanxi had no idea what his expression was like.
He couldn't contain his shock.
That person smiled, a smile that seemed perfectly calculated.
...Jin Ziran is actually here.
Shouldn't he be preparing for "Teen Idol" right now?
And the team he belonged to was clearly the same as Month from his previous life.
That is, Jin Ziran replaced all the members of the W1 team after him.
A sense of disorientation, confusion, and being played by fate followed one after another.
Lin Ruohe also noticed Jin Ziran. After a brief moment of surprise, he remained calm and smiled, trying to smooth things over, "Don't joke around. These seats aren't marked with any rankings, so they shouldn't be related to the group rankings. Let's take our seats quickly."
Xu You was about to speak again when Meng Fanxi, having recovered, realized the ubiquitous cameras. She put her arm around Xu You's shoulder and led him toward an empty seat, teasing him as they walked: "Okay, joke over. Your expression just now was quite intimidating."
Upon hearing this, Xu You puffed up his cheeks and remained silent, only then revealing a slightly adorable expression.
Meng Fanxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, they reacted quickly; otherwise, their actions would have made them seem like villains provoking someone for no reason, which might have been off-putting to viewers who didn't know the full story.
Lin Ruo looked at Zhang Yang and Ren Yuchen with a "gentle" expression. Zhang Yang suddenly touched his nose guiltily, while Ren Yuchen pretended not to see and followed them.
The tension dissipated without a trace, leaving the onlookers somewhat disappointed, while some more shrewd groups believed it was a ploy by the trainees from Will Company to grab screen time.
With so many teams recording for just entering the venue, there will definitely be some cannon fodder teams that get cut to only have one or two shots when the first episode airs, all in order to leave an impression on the audience in the first episode.
Many companies instruct their trainees to learn how to grab the spotlight.
Even the trainees from Weier Company were trying to steal the spotlight from them, and their moves were quite unexpected. While some trainees were indignant, they secretly learned these moves as well.
Jin Ziran's expression remained unchanged, revealing a hint of confusion as if she were being glared at by a stranger.
Zhang Ruizheng, who was next to him, whispered to him, "That scared me. I thought it would be like other shows where you have to compete against each other."
Jin Ziran nodded as if she agreed, her face full of innocence, "Me too."
The tense drumbeats resumed, and the suspended screen lit up again.
"Welcome to the mentor team of 'Team-Based Camp'!"
Everyone present held their breath in anticipation. Under the expectant gaze of the crowd, the screen on the main stage opened to both sides, and five meticulously dressed artist mentors walked out in an orderly fashion, exuding a powerful aura.
Walking in the middle is Yun Mengtao, the former captain of the national girl group Light and now a senior figure in the entertainment industry.
Both sides of her are currently very popular celebrities.
Some trainees covered their mouths in surprise, while others screamed. Everyone stood up and applauded enthusiastically.
Meng Fanxi whispered to Gu Huailang next to him, "Wow, the production team has invested a lot!"
The five people stood still, looking calmly at the seating area, and everyone interacted and waved to the trainees in a friendly manner.
Holding the microphone and smiling, Yun Mengtao, seemingly untouched by time, said, "Welcome everyone to the stage of 'Team Up.' I am Yun Mengtao, the planning mentor for 'Team Up.' Now, let me introduce the other four mentors who will help you realize your dreams."
"They are..."
"Instructor Fu Hanfei, who is in charge of guiding everyone's dance." A big boss in the Chinese dance world, the third-generation director of the internationally renowned Asia-Pacific Dance Company, he returned to China and worked at a professional dance academy, winning numerous awards. He is one of the best dancers who combines academic style with the new wave.
"Tan Yi, the vocal coach in charge of guiding everyone." A talented singer-songwriter with several chart-topping singles, who recently released an album that received rave reviews from all media outlets and is currently very popular, it's surprising that he was invited here. Zhang Yang and Xu You didn't show any particular expression, but the sound of their clapping grew louder and louder.
There's also Ye Ni, a performance professor at a professional film academy. She recently won a Best Actress nomination at a prestigious international film festival for a niche film. Although she didn't win, being nominated is already an honor for the Chinese film industry.
Zhu Lou is a rapper who recently won the championship in China's hottest hip-hop competition without any controversy.
These people were all very popular in their previous lives. Meng Fanxi was amazed by the show's extravagance in being able to invite such powerful seniors to record with them for several months.
After the other four people took their seats, Yun Mengtao remained on the stage, overseeing the process: "Without further ado, let's move on to the trainees' first stage performance."
"The initial stage results will consist of two parts, which I will reveal after all the stage performances are over. Before that, in addition to the five of us mentors as judges, your performances will also be evaluated by our special guests."
"Who is it?" she asked, keeping everyone in suspense.
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