Jian Xingsui stood on the stage, looking somewhat nervous. He took a deep breath, seemingly hesitant.
"I...the reason I came to this show..." Jian Xingsui stammered, as if she had gotten stuck halfway through her sentence, which only made people more curious.
Some viewers in the live stream were getting bored and sleepy after watching the first few episodes, but the sudden appearance of a remarkable person like Jian Xingsui immediately captured their attention.
"I'm so anxious."
What is it?
"Haha, this is so frustrating!"
Li, the host who was originally in the comedy industry, joked on the judging panel, "You still need to think about it for so long? You need to hesitate and give such a serious answer. I suspect that your ideal is not to debut, but to go straight to the Oscars."
The others laughed too.
Because everyone thinks that what other ideals could the trainees who come here have? It's nothing more than debuting or becoming an excellent trainee.
Fu Jinxiao seemed to see through Jian Xingsui's hesitation. The movie star picked up the microphone, raised his sharp eyes slightly, and slowly said, "Just tell the truth."
Perhaps the big-name actor's words were meant to comfort the contestant and reassure him, but what he didn't know was that while other contestants would hear these words as encouragement, Jian Xingsui heard them in a completely different way.
It can even be automatically translated as:
Be honest, tell the truth, did you hear me?
The imposing presence of Actor Fu lies in the fact that he doesn't need to make any threatening gestures; even a casual remark can make you feel apprehensive.
It was this sentence that finally made Jian Xingsui decide to tell the truth. Under the pressure, he finally decided to go all out, took a deep breath and said, "I came here because I heard that you can get 20,000 yuan in the first audition, and I'm short of money."
"..."
The entire scene fell silent.
This was originally something that sounded a little outrageous, but for some reason, it became inexplicably funny when it came out of Jian Xingsui's serious mouth.
Teacher Li was the first to burst out laughing.
Tuya initially wanted to chuckle, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. Her silvery laughter rang out clearly on the stage where the mentors were sitting. Only Fu Jinxiao remained calm. The elegant and dignified man had no extra expression on his face. He just glanced at Jian Xingsui with an ambiguous look.
Teacher Li was overjoyed: "Really?"
Jian Xingsui nodded resignedly.
Teacher Li refused to believe it and pressed on, asking, "So you're not doing this for any ideal, or because you love the stage?"
Jian Xingsui gave a bitter smile. Since he had decided to tell the truth and had anticipated the consequences, he bowed deeply and decided to accept everything: "Ideals can only be pursued when living conditions allow them. I don't have that condition right now. I'm sorry to all the mentors and to the stage."
As soon as he finished speaking, the production team did something ridiculous: they showed the surveillance footage of Jian Xingsui during her job interview on the big screen.
On screen, the director asked him what his requirements were for the production team. He asked if food and accommodation were included. When asked if he had any other questions, he asked if the 20,000 yuan was real. Later, when the production team staff took leave, he actually asked the production team if they were hiring temporary workers. He must really be short of money. He wasn't lying.
The three images played in turn, accompanied by funny and quirky music, making the whole audience burst into laughter.
Teacher Li jokingly said, "Others come to audition, but you're here to make money!"
The entertainment value is excellent.
But for some reason, it also felt a little sad. Although Jian Xingsui's reason was funny, it also felt a bit real. These days, only those with the means can pursue their ideals and the stage. Most people are struggling even for 20,000 yuan.
The live stream audience activity reached its highest level during this period, and the number of bullet comments also skyrocketed, filling the screen with:
"You're so honest, buddy with the buzz cut."
"Twenty thousand yuan, that's too real."
"Haha, only you are a true working person."
"The director must have been stunned too, hahaha."
It was all by accident, and nobody was really angry.
Jian Xingsui was sweating profusely, but he couldn't lose face in front of his idol, so he forced himself to stay composed and looked nervously at the mentor's stage. He thought Fu Jinxiao would look down on him, but the man simply turned on his microphone and said in a deep voice, "What talent have you brought?"
Jian Xingsui replied, "It's 'Extraterrestrial Objects'."
This song is very popular, but it is very difficult to sing. Few contestants dare to choose it on stage because it is difficult to master, let alone on a live broadcast.
Fu Jinxiao nodded: "Let's begin."
The mentor spoke, and the performance officially began. The stage fell silent, the spotlights flashed, and the accompaniment started. Before this, Jian Xingsui on stage was somewhat reserved and shy, and his short haircut made him look a bit simple-minded. But when the music started, the person standing on the stage seemed to suddenly change his aura. It was the kind of aura that is particularly attractive when a boy is serious.
The soothing and melodious intro slowly began, gradually calming the previously restless atmosphere.
Jian Xingsui held the microphone, his expression calm, his long eyelashes drooping, and his originally clear voice now somewhat low and slow:
"You landed so suddenly, I just happened to be passing by."
"The opportunity is rare, and I subjectively feel like I want to snatch it, but I can't touch it..."
Reborn, he never expected to end up in such an entertainment variety show. At first, he was reluctant to interact with the Jian family and the main character's group of people. He thought that if he went to the Zhang family and changed his environment, his life would be much better. But in fact, no matter what he did, he could not be accepted by others. He wanted to leave this city, so he wanted the 20,000 yuan. But he never expected to have such an opportunity to meet his idol here.
Actually, it wasn't just on this occasion; he's never been very popular.
Although he was once the young master of the Jian family, seemingly fawned over by many, in private, these people were quite different:
"Jian Xingsui is just a good-for-nothing rich kid."
"I won't play with him if he doesn't have money."
"Hahaha, do you remember last time? He acted like an idiot!"
He might have friends, or perhaps he didn't. He hated their hypocrisy, yet he feared being disliked and abandoned by everyone. When there were many people around, he lived in a false sense of excitement; only when there were few people around did he truly face himself. In junior high, he happened to hear Fu Jinxiao's song, and the song brought him strength and a little comfort.
The stage music was playing, and he sang softly: "You brought me joy and added color to my life. Treasures should be cherished, but you are not mine..."
Everyone says he's a good-for-nothing, living a wealthy life and having everything he wants. Only he knows the fragile and lonely heart beneath his seemingly lively exterior. What is the power of believing in an idol? Perhaps it's the other person's strength and independence that inspires admiration and gives rise to positive energy. He is a star, but his brilliance is not just directed at himself.
"You are as desirable as something from another world, and your name in the secular world is no longer important..."
On stage, the boy sang softly, his voice low and gentle. His singing lacked mature technique but was full of emotion. When he opened his mouth, his low voice easily drew people in. After the first half of the song ended, the music began to rise. Jian Xingsui's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he finally looked up, meeting the eyes of the judges. He was singing to the audience, yet it was as if he was singing to someone else. The intense emotion contained in his high notes sent chills down people's spines and shook their souls.
"You've taken over my happiness; I have nothing to do with this world anymore. Only you are the blue of the sky."
It's like singing, but also like venting emotions:
"Anyway, I'm ridiculed in the secular world, and anyway, my hidden personality is that I can't live without you..."
When he began to sing, the entire venue was quiet. Such intense emotional engagement was rare. As the music reached its climax, a powerfully sorrowful melody was sung out, making one's heart tighten. And as the music ended, the key suddenly dropped, and the deep, soothing male voice also gradually lowered: "Until all those with ulterior motives are transparent, I will be not too far away, not too near, trading tomorrow for you... to come closer to me."
When the song ended, the entire venue fell silent for a moment, followed by a thunderous applause.
Even more outrageous is that because his songs are so emotionally moving, some trainees in the audience were wiping away tears, perhaps thinking of someone they had lost in the past.
Jian Xingsui bowed to the judges: "Thank you, teachers. My performance is over."
Tuya spoke first, and the woman's eyes even reddened slightly. She was organizing her thoughts when she said, "Okay, I think that although your singing style and method haven't reached a particularly professional level, and there may be some parts that you haven't handled well, I think your singing has its own unique characteristics."
Teacher Li said from the side, "He sings, he sings with a lot of emotion!"
Even hip-hop artist Liu Shuang chimed in, saying, "This is a talent. You sang really well. At first, when I heard that you were doing this for the money, I wondered if you were just trying to get by, but you sang this song quite well."
Jian Xingsui's tense mood eased slightly. His gaze fell cautiously and nervously on Fu Jinxiao, as if he couldn't get a verdict until the movie star Fu spoke. What he didn't know was that when he looked at Fu Jinxiao, he couldn't hide his eagerness and expectation, but he tried hard to restrain himself and dared not show it.
This awkwardness amused Fu Jinxiao. It was as if a puppy that had been bullied and disciplined by many people had seen her and wanted to rush over for recognition and praise, but then remembered something and dared not show it, so it could only stand there pitifully.
Tuya glanced sideways and asked softly, "What does Teacher Fu think? What rating would be best? I think B would be appropriate."
Liu Shuang, who was on the other side, heard this and came over: "Isn't a B too high? An Ran performed well before and only got a B. So far we only have two Bs. And don't forget, he can't dance."
Teacher Li nodded and whispered, "Indeed, wouldn't this be unfair to the other trainees?"
It seemed that only Tuya supported B, so facing the two votes from the two mentors, Tuya turned her attention to Fu Jinxiao, the most senior and influential mentor, and asked in a low voice, "Teacher Fu, what do you think?"
Author's Note:
The lyrics mentioned in the article have been slightly modified; the original version is Xue Zhiqian's "Extraterrestrial Object".
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