After Jian Xingsui returned to the dormitory, Wen Shengge was carrying her luggage.
Seeing Jian Xingsui return, Wen Shenge smiled warmly and said, "Suisui, I'm leaving now."
Jian Xingsui was already feeling down after receiving a call from her agent while she was outside. Seeing her longtime friend and roommate leave now made her feel even worse.
Jian Xingsui took a deep breath and said to him, "We'll keep in touch after we go out."
Wen Shengge nodded: "Definitely."
Shen Xingchen sat on the edge of the upper bunk and said, "Don't worry, I won't be leaving. I'll have to come back for the group formation night."
This sentence shattered the originally warm atmosphere into pieces.
Wen Shenge, carrying her suitcase, looked around at her friends and said, "Although I was eliminated, I really hope you can go further. Actually, you don't need to be sad for me. My agent has helped me get a few small web dramas, which should be pretty good. I still have some work, and I will also participate in other programs later. I can make a living no matter what. I don't need to pretend to be crazy for the audience here. Actually, I'm quite relaxed."
Wen Shengge then looked at Jian Xingsui and said, "As for Brother Chen, there's no need to worry about him. He'll definitely do well. What I'm most worried about are Suisui and Brother Ze."
Ning Ze sat on the edge of the bed and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry about me."
“No.” Wen Shengge shook her head: “Ze-ge, you are already 28 years old this year. You are the oldest among us. I know that this variety show is your last chance. If you fail to debut, you will give up the stage.”
At 28, he's considered quite old for a boy group formed through a talent show.
Ning Ze is usually quiet and reserved, and perhaps not many people notice him. But Wen Shengge knows how difficult it has been for Ning Ze over the years. Because he doesn't accept unspoken rules, because he's not good at sweet-talking, he's clearly so talented, and he clearly loves the stage so much, yet he always ends up being eliminated.
This is Ning Ze's last gamble with the Starlight.
Wen Shengge said, "Ze-ge, you must not give up. You should also try to get more screen time for yourself. I heard that there is one spot out of the six debut spots that is not completely decided and is reserved for the most popular contestants. You must work hard to get it, okay?"
Ning Ze smiled and finally nodded.
Wen Shenge looked at Jian Xingsui again, sighed and said, "Suisui, actually I'm most worried about you."
Jian Xingsui asked softly, "What's wrong?"
“You’ve always been under a lot of pressure, haven’t you? Now that you’re in this position, you’re even more of a target.” Wen Shenge understood him: “Especially since your company hasn’t been very supportive of you, your path ahead won’t be easy. Sometimes you’re very thoughtful and tend to keep things bottled up inside. I always see you looking preoccupied, so I don’t press you. But you need to have some self-confidence. When something happens, you need to learn to discuss it with others. Brother Ze and Brother Chen are people you can trust, you know?”
Wen Shenge's words softened Jian Xingsui's heart.
Jian Xingsui felt a lump in her throat and said softly, "I know, I know. Take care of yourself too."
Shen Xingchen, lying on the bed, said, "Don't act like you're going to die and never see each other again. After this show, we can get together often."
That being said, everyone knows that after leaving this show, their status and situation are completely different. The days of living together in the same dormitory and laughing together every day will not come often.
Such farewells happen in every dormitory.
Before all the contestants could even react, the second day began with song selection and team formation. All the contestants were called together to wait for their teams to be chosen.
When we arrived at the assembly square, a place that usually feels crowded, it suddenly felt much more spacious. Before, everyone complained about the crowding, but now that it was spacious, few people showed happy smiles.
The mentors are already in place.
Fu Jinxiao usually wears white sportswear, but today he changed into black. The loose black jacket made him look calm and composed, while also adding a touch of elegance and refinement. His hairstyle was also much more casual than before, with wispy bangs reaching his ears. His 4/6 parted hair wasn't deliberately curled, so it looked fluffy and natural. Today, he was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, making him look like an ancient nobleman, giving people a refreshing feeling.
A man who could easily make a living based on his looks, but chooses to rely on his abilities—this is practically the thought that pops into the minds of every student right now.
Fu Jinxiao picked up the microphone and asked, "Is everyone here?"
The trainees snapped out of their daze and exclaimed in unison, "Everyone's here!"
Fu Jinxiao responded and began to speak: "First of all, congratulations on entering the second stage, but this is not something to relax about, because what you will face next is even more brutal training and more rigorous selection than before. I hope that everyone can realize this from today onwards and be mentally prepared."
When he's serious, no one dares to be unserious.
At that moment, almost all the trainees put aside their extraneous thoughts, stood at attention, and answered, "Yes!"
Teacher Li then stepped in to ease the tension, speaking into the microphone: "Today we're going to select songs for the second performance, but this time the assessment is a little different from before. We've added competitions between groups, meaning you'll have group matches this time. Also, we've added a songwriting group this time."
Many trainees were quite excited after hearing this.
"The composition group is a very special group. There are no songs to choose from. The students in the group have to complete everything from writing the lyrics themselves. There are only seven days in total. Students who choose this group should be mentally prepared." Teacher Li put it out in advance: "If you do not complete it well in these seven days, we will still broadcast it live. Please bear the consequences yourself. Do not joke about your future and say, 'I'll give it a try.'"
The viewers in the live stream laughed:
"Teacher Li truly deserves to be called a comedian."
"Try it and you'll die."
"The people who chose this group must be incredibly brave."
Fu Jinxiao took the microphone, and when he did, the entire venue fell silent. This was the majesty of the movie star Fu.
Fu Yingdi glanced at everyone and said, "Now, according to the ranking order of this stage, please choose your group and song."
This rule is undoubtedly the best for the top-ranked students.
Li Xu'an was the first to go, and he chose the creative group.
The second place went to Shen Xingchen. He chose a song that suited him well for singing and dancing. He doesn't have much talent in songwriting, so he cleverly played to his strengths and avoided embarrassing himself.
When it was Jian Xingsui's turn, he chose the creative group almost without hesitation.
Tuya nodded and smiled with satisfaction. She had always felt that Jian Xingsui had a high talent for creation, but he didn't show it well during the first performance. Instead, his dance skills were questioned. Now that he has set up a separate creative group, it's the perfect time for him to show his talent.
Jian Xingsui joined the creative team.
Li Xu'an smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to work with you."
Jian Xingsui shook hands.
To his surprise, the creative team was in high demand. An Ran, who came in fourth place, joined the creative team almost without hesitation. He smiled sweetly at everyone and said, "I'm here."
Jian Xingsui smiled as well.
He wasn't as afraid of An Ran as before; after experiencing so much, he had become much calmer.
In this ranking, Zhou Xun's ranking was not very low, which was not surprising. In order to follow An Ran, he also joined the creative team. The remaining two people were people that Jian Xing Sui was not familiar with.
With six people harboring different thoughts, this group is destined for a turbulent path.
After everyone was divided into groups, the six of them went to the training room assigned to them, sat on the floor, and began to introduce themselves and get to know each other.
The remaining two people introduced themselves:
"Hello, I'm Zhang Jiajia, and I really enjoy singing."
"Hello, I'm Zuo An. I usually rap, do street dance, and write my own songs."
Jian Xingsui and the others also introduced themselves.
As the highest-ranked person here, Li Xu'an had an inexplicable sense of superiority, and quite a considerable one at that. Even though the team leader hadn't been elected yet, he had already started giving orders: "Alright, everyone has basically gone through the first public performance and is familiar with each other, right? Seven days is a tight schedule, so I won't say much more. Since we've all chosen the creative team, we must all have our own ideas, right? Let's decide on a theme first, and then create together. Do you have any ideas?"
Zhou Xun said, "I think we should choose a team leader first."
Li Xu'an was very confident: "Then let's vote on who should be the captain? I have experience as a captain before, and I think I should be able to lead everyone well."
An Ran smiled slightly: "I also think Brother Xu'an is capable."
In the past, Jian Xingsui would have agreed.
But not long ago, he learned that he probably wouldn't be able to debut, and that the second performance might be his last stage, which changed the meaning of everything.
In countless unknown days and nights, he poured out his pent-up emotions onto paper. He composed many, many songs, but none of them saw the light of day and could only gather dust on the bookshelf.
In his past life, An Ran shone brightly, while he died of depression at the height of his career. In this life, he knows he may not be a shining star, but this stage may be his last chance to sing in front of Actor Fu and everyone else, to sing the songs he wrote.
Wen Shengge said, "You must carry on this path well in my place."
He wanted to perform well on his last stage. He had already disappointed many people, and this time, he wanted to live up to his own expectations and those who had placed their hopes in him.
Jian Xingsui raised her hand and said, "I also want to run for captain."
The crowd turned their heads in slight surprise.
Chien Hsing-Sui took a deep breath and bravely expressed himself: "I have experience in songwriting and composing. Please believe in me and give me a chance."
Li Xu'an gave him a deep look and smiled: "We both have experience, Xiao Jian."
Jian Xingsui pursed her lips
Seeing that Jian Xingsui was going to run for election, An Ran said, "Sui Sui, Brother Xu'an is very experienced. He has also composed many songs. You just graduated not long ago, so you definitely have less experience than Brother Xu'an."
Jian Xingsui persisted: "Although I haven't been out of school for long, I'm not much worse than others..."
After hearing this, Zhou Xun scoffed, deliberately trying to stir up trouble: "If that's what you're saying, then you and Brother Xu'an could each create a song in a day, and then we could just hold a public vote."
Jian Xingsui knew that Zhou Xun and An Ran, as well as the other two people, actually knew each other.
They won't vote for themselves.
But this was his last chance, and he had no choice but to nod and say, "Okay."
Li Xu'an was caught in a dilemma. He didn't actually have particularly high creative talent. Most of his previous compositions were ghostwritten. He had already planned to secretly have his manager write a song outside and bring it in, so that he could establish a good reputation as a talented and musical genius.
But Zhou Xun, that troublemaker, suddenly suggested this, leaving him nowhere to find a well-composed melody in a single day?
...
Jian Xingsui, unaware of the intricacies involved, went to the side to begin doing what she had decided.
An Ran comforted Li Xu'an, saying, "Brother An, just do your best. I believe you can do it."
Li Xu'an's smile was forced.
He had no choice but to bite the bullet and sit down in front of the computer, pretending to write lyrics and music. At first, he could put on a show, but later he found that he couldn't control his random thoughts or lack of inspiration. He would keep going to the bathroom or talking to other people. But when Jian Xingsui was creating, he seemed to be completely immersed in it, sometimes not moving at all for an entire morning.
By evening, many contestants had left, but Jian Xingsui was still there.
Around four or five in the morning, Li Xu'an couldn't stay awake any longer and came over to ask, "Sui Sui, aren't you going to rest?"
As if pulling herself out of her own world, Jian Xingsui smiled and said, "No, Brother Xu'an, you go to sleep. I'm not sleepy."
At this moment, Li Xu'an suddenly felt that Jian Xingsui had a tenacity and a ruthlessness. This person was actually a little scary. He seemed to have a state of mind where he would fight you with everything he had, even his life, to win and to perform well.
"..."
Are these two public affairs really that important to him?
Li Xu'an really couldn't understand it, but now that he was in a difficult situation, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.
Day 2
When the deadline arrived, the six people gathered together. Jian Xingsui and Li Xu'an, who were vying for the team leader position, both presented their original compositions. Li Xu'an's composition was a rather energetic song called "Battle Peak."
The lyrics are also quite radical.
A large portion of the lyrics consist of cool parallel sentences, giving off a "I'm going to be awesome" vibe.
Jian Xingsui's song is called "Faint Light".
When everyone received the song and saw the title, they thought it would be about love. However, they did not expect that the lyrics of the song would be very subtle and restrained yet powerful. What's more, it even takes into account the rapper. There is no deliberate piling up of words like "power" throughout the song, but it still evokes an indescribable feeling of emotion.
"Perhaps I am a glimmer of light, but I also want to give you simple illumination."
"Perhaps I am just a glimmer of light, but I still want to give you a radiant glow."
"Among the many stars in the sky you see, I may be a glimmer of light, but in the dark night, I will quietly illuminate your lonely path."
"In moments of loneliness"
"No matter where I am, I will shine, giving you endless glimmers of light."
The lyrics are simple, yet the power they contain is overwhelming. There's almost no need to choose; the difference in quality is immediately apparent. Jian Xingsui's song is more captivating.
Li Xu'an smiled slightly and said, "I already have a clue about the arrangement of 'Battle Peak,' and we will have teachers to guide us later."
This statement sounds like a subtle hint about soliciting votes.
An Ran silently put down the lyrics, gave Jian Xingsui a meaningful look, and said, "I also think Zhan Feng is good."
Zhou Xun had been reading "Glimmer" but after hearing An Ran's words, he finally put down the lyric sheet and said, "I also support Zhan Feng. I think this song is very inspiring and great."
The other two trainees felt that Weiguang was better, but since the other three had already chosen that path, they couldn't disobey and had no choice but to follow suit and choose Zhanfeng.
Holding the songbook, Jian Xingsui said, "Although I haven't arranged 'Glimmer' well, I can create and arrange it according to everyone's own situation."
He was still thinking of trying to make a comeback.
What he didn't expect was that the reason people didn't choose him had nothing to do with the arrangement.
The other two students laughed it off, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. You're making things easy for yourself, Zhan Feng and Xu An have already arranged everything for us, haven't they?"
Jian Xingsui clutched her lyric book tightly, reluctant to let go.
This is the culmination of his hard work, and the result he presents to the audience.
Li Xu'an, however, began to finalize the plan. He said, "Since we've decided, let's start creating together. Sui Sui, you can come over and help me revise Zhan Feng's lyrics. Actually, I also think there are some parts that aren't quite right."
Jian Xingsui knew that the matter was already settled, so she had no choice but to put it aside and join the team.
As for the division of labor, Li Xu'an asked Zhou Xun to choreograph the movements, An Ran and Jian Xingsui to compose the music, and the others to assist. However, soon, a drawback appeared. The lyrics of the song "Battle Peak" were too difficult to memorize and had a lot of high notes, which meant that the dance movements also had to be difficult, which was a double whammy for Zhou Xun, who was in charge of choreographing.
Around three or four in the morning, Jian Xingsui came to the training room from his dormitory.
"Squeak"
The door opened, and he walked in.
Zhou Xun, who was hiding in the corner smoking, was so startled that he dropped his cigarette on the ground.
Jian Xingsui gave him a deep look and said, "Hurry up and pick it up, don't burn the floor."
Zhou Xun then realized what was happening and tentatively asked, "You didn't tell the production team, did you?"
The production team does not allow trainees to smoke during training, especially not in the training room. The monitoring is turned off for a period of time in the early morning. Zhou Xun was under a lot of pressure, so he secretly smoked.
Jian Xingsui said calmly, "I'm not that bored."
Zhou Xun was taken aback. He saw Jian Xingsui sit down at the computer desk and came over to say, "Why did you come over at this hour?"
Jian Xingsui put on her headphones and, while preparing to continue composing, replied, "There are only five days left out of the seven days. Only by doing a good job with the arrangement can I help you with the choreography. I checked during the day and your progress is very slow."
Zhou Xun also has a fiery temper. He said, "How can you blame me? There are so many parts in the chorus of this song, and they're all so energetic. The choreography must be incredibly complex!"
Jian Xingsui said, "I know, so I'm arranging the music as soon as possible."
Zhou Xun hadn't expected that despite his difficult treatment of him, he would still take the stage seriously and even seem to be helping him.
So he hesitated for a moment and asked, "Why do you want to help me?"
“I’m not helping you, I’m helping myself.” Jian Xingsui didn’t expect him to be so confident: “Teacher Fu said that you only get one chance on stage, so you have to seize the opportunity no matter what the outcome is.”
Zhou Xun choked up.
He sat down next to Jian Xingsui and suddenly realized that this person didn't seem so unreasonable anymore. It seemed that he had changed from the person he remembered at some point. Moreover, he hadn't been nice to him before, but this time he had caught him doing something wrong and didn't complain.
Zhou Xun thought of "Glimmer" and suddenly had a thought. He said, "Did you arrange the music for your 'Glimmer'?"
Jian Xingsui paused, nodded, and said, "Yes."
"Sing it for me," Zhou Xun said tentatively. "There's no one else around anyway."
He was just joking, but Jian Xingsui took it seriously.
He took off his headphones and picked up the notebook of "Glimmer" again. When he was creating "Glimmer," he already had the melody and lyrics in his heart. Now, he hummed it softly and it went exceptionally smoothly. The young man's voice was somewhat deep but not hoarse. On the contrary, it was very clear and mellow. He sang with great emotion, just as Tuya had said, and he had a special charm.
Under the lamplight, he lowered his eyes, exuding both gentleness and strength.
The gentle vocals soothe fatigue in the opening notes, then become incredibly energetic in the middle notes. Zhou Xun was captivated and completely immersed in the song, even imagining choreography moves in his mind. He had a feeling that this song would create a fantastic stage performance.
Jian Xingsui said, "I've finished singing."
Zhou Xun, still wanting more, said, "Is that all?"
“Yeah.” Jian Xingsui put the lyric book aside and then stopped looking at him, saying only, “You smoked, which will hurt your throat tomorrow. I always keep throat lozenges in the drawer, you can have some.”
Zhou Xun opened the drawer, and there really was candy inside. He put a piece in his mouth, and it was sweet and refreshing.
Just like Jian Xingsui, whose outer shell is hard, but if you suddenly look at her quietly, you'll find that she's actually not bad, and she even seems a little sweet.
Zhou Xun was terrified by his own thoughts.
Jian Xingsui noticed he was still holding the candy box and instructed him, "Put it back after you're done eating."
Because Fu Jinxiao has a throat problem, he always keeps throat lozenges on hand, thinking that if he ever needs them, he can help his idol.
Zhou Xun remarked with some emotion, "You're quite good at taking care of people. I never realized it before."
Jian Xingsui chuckled self-deprecatingly: "How much did you really know about me before?"
This statement startled Zhou Xun.
He had always felt sorry for An Ran, thinking she was pitiful and had always had a hard time. He thought Jian Xingsui was too vicious, always bullying Ran Ran, even though he was so well-off, he still wouldn't let Ran Ran have an easy time.
However, when Jian Xingsui suddenly said that, Zhou Xun reacted a beat late. He had always known Jian Xingsui through An Ran's words. An Ran always said that Jian Xingsui bullied him, but in reality, he had never seen it with his own eyes.
Zhou Xun's feelings suddenly became very complicated: "...I don't really understand you."
“It doesn’t matter.” Jian Xingsui didn’t want to look at him: “He’s just a stranger, no need to know him too much.”
Zhou Xun felt a lump in his throat. He didn't know why he found it so hard to let go. If Jian Xingsui wasn't that bad, then wasn't it absurd that he had been targeting him all along?
If he wasn't that bad, then why did "Glimmer" fail to be selected?
After that night, when he looked at Zhanfeng again in the second half of the night, he felt that everything about it was just average, and something was wrong with everything. He even felt that if they didn't sing "Wei Guang", they would lose the competition with the other groups.
In the morning, An Ran was the first to notice something was wrong with him and asked softly, "A-Xun, what's wrong?"
Zhou Xun walked beside An Ran and tentatively asked, "Ranran, what do you think of Jian Xingsui's 'Glimmer'? To be honest, I think it's pretty good."
An Ran's smile froze.
He slowly replied, "I think it's just average, not as good as Brother Xu'an's."
Zhou Xun frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled: "Really?"
Seeing Zhou Xun like this, An Ran felt uncertain. He didn't know when it started, but he found that everything around him was slowly slipping out of his control. That's right, it felt like many things were not getting better, but worse than in his previous life. Yes, he was reborn, and he had some glorious moments in his previous life.
Since being recognized by the Jian family, he learned about Fu Jinxiao through some things in Jian Xingsui's study. He was quickly attracted by the man's excellence. "Star Show" helped him a lot, and with those materials, he successfully gained the appreciation of the movie star Fu. From then on, his life went smoothly.
But then, an accident happened. I don't know what went wrong. It seems that one time, when he took Fu Yingdi to visit his home and mentioned the deceased Jian Xingsui, and for the first time frankly admitted that everything in the room was actually Jian Xingsui's belongings, Fu Jinxiao's attitude towards him changed. Originally, their relationship was very good, and they were only one step away from confirming their relationship, but everything suddenly changed.
Fu Jinxiao's aloofness was a fatal blow to An Ran.
It seems that his good luck came to an end from that time on. His career in the entertainment industry was mediocre, and he had no choice but to marry the son of a wealthy businessman and live an ordinary life. I don't know if God chose to give him a second chance. When he woke up again, he was back at this point in time!
This time, An Ran was determined to win over Fu Jinxiao.
There were some things he couldn't understand in his past life. Why did Fu Jinxiao's attitude towards him change so much after he revealed his belongings? Although he hadn't figured it out yet, he did understand one thing: it was best to keep Jian Xingsui away from him and Fu Jinxiao. His subconscious told him that it would be very dangerous if he didn't do that.
Therefore, Jian Xingsui must be eliminated from the second round.
An Ran said to Zhou Xun, "Xun, I think Brother Xu An's songs are great, and the other two think so too. What's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"
Zhou Xun sighed: "It's nothing."
An Ran smiled, trying to distract herself: "You might be under too much pressure. Let's go to the cafeteria for breakfast."
Zhou Xun said, "But shouldn't we go to the training room early to clean it up? The production team will have staff checking it at 8 o'clock."
An Ran was preoccupied with something, so she didn't think much of it and just casually said, "It's nothing. Jian Xingsui can do those things. He's the one who cleans."
"..."
The people around him fell silent.
An Ran suddenly realized that she might have said something wrong, and turned around to meet Zhou Xun's deep eyes.
Zhou Xun stopped and took a deep breath, saying, "Ranran, I feel like you're not quite the same as before."
An Ran's heart tightened.
“Nothing is anyone’s obligation to do. Those cleaning chores weren’t his responsibility either.” Zhou Xun took a deep breath. “I always thought you didn’t get up early to help because you were too tired. Turns out it was because you thought it was his job.”
An Ran realized she'd been caught red-handed, but she still tried to argue, leaning closer to him: "Ah Xun, that's not what I meant, let me explain..."
This time, Zhou Xun took a half step back.
Author's Note: It should be noted that "Glimmer" is not Jian Xingsui's original work; it was only designed for the needs of the plot.
The original singer of "Glimmer" is Hua Chenyu.
If I have offended anyone, I apologize to Mr. Hua Chenyu and his fans.
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