Chapter 19 The Maliciously Edited Trailer (5k Nutrient Solution) Now, ...
The German girl didn't understand Korean at all, and her English was also terrible. Jiang Tinghan didn't know how she had argued with Kong Yanshu before, but she finally learned that her real name was Lena.
Lena communicates with them using a translator, while Lin Zhixia uses her broken Korean along with a translator. However, since they are roommates, they seem to have created their own method of communication.
Lin Zhixia gave Lena a friendly smile: "What a coincidence! Luckily, I have you as an acquaintance, Sister Lena. I'm a little socially awkward and afraid to communicate with people I don't know well."
Lena smiled and said, "It's such a pleasant surprise to see you here."
The term "older sister" doesn't sound very affectionate at all. Lin Zhixia and Lena are the same age, and their birth months are only one month apart.
Jiang Tinghan silently observed the situation, and it seemed that both of them were implying something in their conversation.
Lin Zhixia seemed to be feigning weakness. When she first met Jiang Tinghan, she spoke quite normally and didn't seem to be "socially awkward." Lena also didn't seem to really want to team up with Lin Zhixia, saying something like, "I didn't expect you to stay until now."
Jiang Tinghan's team in the first performance was generally harmonious, without the classic conflicts and arguments that often occur in talent shows. However, the second performance gave her this kind of setup, which suggests things won't be peaceful.
Jiang Tinghan looked at Lin Zhixia and Lena, while Pei Xiuwen was looking at Jiang Tinghan with a complicated expression. She had originally wanted to tag along with Jiang Tinghan, but he didn't appreciate it. Moreover, Coldy and Yin Zhicai's CP had quickly become popular, so all she could think about was surpassing Coldy.
Unexpectedly, the second male lead ended up with Coldy.
Song Yamin, the only one who wasn't very familiar with the four of them, raised her hand and said, "Shouldn't we elect a team leader?"
She didn't back down because of Coldy's popularity and volunteered, "I want to continue being the captain. I'm good at setting the mood for the team. I was trained as a captain in the company before, so I'm also good at finding the right part for each member."
Jiang Tinghan readily agreed, "Okay, then I'll vote for you."
Song Yamin was a little confused. She had prepared herself to compete with Coldy, but judging from her appearance, it seemed that she didn't want to compete with her.
Bae Soo-min voiced Song Ya-min's doubts directly: "Coldy, don't you want to be the team leader?"
What's the point of being a team leader if you don't have a special stage?
Jiang Tinghan stretched and said casually, "I don't want to, the captain is too tired."
Bae Soo-min: "You can actually be afraid of getting tired..."
Jiang Tinghan retorted, "Otherwise what? I'm not a Super Saiyan."
Bae Soo-min was silent for a moment: "I also want to be the captain."
Then he looked at Jiang Tinghan, seemingly wanting to see if she would change her vote.
Jiang Tinghan didn't care who the captain was and didn't want to get involved in the conflict: "Then I'll vote for you too?"
Bae Soo-min didn't say anything, but her eyes lit up immediately.
Neither of the two students from Class B volunteered to be the team leader, but they didn't want to offend Pei Xiumin or Song Yamin, so they didn't know whose side to stand on.
Seeing that the team was deadlocked, Jiang Tinghan looked at Pei Xiuwen and said, "I'll take back the vote I cast for you."
Bae Soo-min immediately asked, "Why?!"
Jiang Tinghan: "Song Yamin has already given a long speech about her strengths, so you have to say something too. After you finish, I'll seriously consider who to vote for."
The other two realized that the captain must be the most capable person, and they would vote for whoever's words could move them the most.
Bae Soo-min calmed down: "My advantage as the leader is, well, it's not really an advantage, but I'm quite strict. I absolutely won't allow anyone to slack off and will supervise everyone's training until we present the best stage performance. Also, I have a fairly balanced range of skills and no major weaknesses, so I can provide you with some help."
After she finished speaking, Lin Zhixia and Lena were still hesitating, while Jiang Tinghan remained silent, observing the situation.
Immediately, Jiang Tinghan spoke up: "One person, one vote. Let's cast our votes again. I'll give my vote to Sumin."
Twice now, Song Yamin has said she's good at setting the mood, but she hasn't spoken up either time she's fallen silent, so the authenticity of this skill remains to be seen.
In comparison, Pei Xiuwen's words were more truthful. Jiang Tinghan knew her quite well; she was indeed a very meticulous person.
Hearing Jiang Tinghan's words, Pei Xiuwen was pleasantly surprised. In fact, if Coldy hadn't voluntarily withdrawn, she would have been the most suitable person to be the team leader. Song Yamin only expressed her desire to be the team leader, and Coldy organized the rest of the process.
Furthermore, Coldy always seemed indifferent to everyone, never appearing reserved in front of anyone.
Does Coldy think he's popular enough and is giving up his chance to shine to someone else?
Bae Soo-min quickly dismissed the idea, based on her understanding of Coldy, it was highly likely that he was "too tired," just as he himself had said.
Losing a vote made Song Yamin panic, and she immediately looked at the other two with hope in her eyes.
Listening to the German spoken through the translator, Lena pointed at Song Yamin and said, "I want her."
She wouldn't be able to handle overly strict team management.
Song Yamin breathed a sigh of relief, but was still nervous.
Lin Zhixia, the last one, glanced between Song Yamin and Pei Xiumin, then glanced at Coldy, who had voted for Pei Xiumin, and immediately made up her mind: "I'll choose Yamin."
Song Yamin gave a slight clenched fist and whispered, "Nice."
Bae Soo-min felt a little disappointed, but when she thought that the only person who voted for her was Coldy, she didn't feel so bad anymore.
This time, the ten teams did not choose songs based on ranking. Instead, the program team designed a song selection game segment. A screenshot of a popular song's music video would be played on the screen, along with keywords. Different teams would compete to answer the song title, and the final ranking would determine the selection order based on scores.
The first question was an easy one: Charlie Puth, also known as Broken Eyebrow, was sitting at the piano, the scene frozen on the moment he was playing and singing with deep emotion. The scene was gray and gloomy, and the keyword was "car".
Jiang Tinghan quickly pressed the buzzer, but the newly appointed team leader, Song Yamin, was a little slower and missed. Seeing that Jiang Tinghan hadn't given an answer yet, she answered instead, "See you again."
The theme song of "Fast & Furious".
"Bingo! Congratulations to team one for scoring one point!"
Song Yamin excitedly raised her hand and gave Jiang Tinghan a high five: "We cooperated so well."
Lin Zhixia's face darkened. She had thought Song Yamin would be unhappy because Coldy hadn't voted for her, but unexpectedly, Song Yamin seemed to want to get along with Coldy.
They're all trying to cling to Coldy; it's disgusting to watch.
The next question is still an easy one. The screenshot shows five men dancing in the street, with Bruno Mars in the middle wearing a pink suit. The keyword is "Hot".
Jiang Tinghan continued to grab the song, his hand speed so fast that he almost always succeeded. After hesitating for a moment, Pei Xiuwen said, "Uptown Funk?"
Host: "Correct!"
Group A's score has risen to two points.
Pei Xiuwen followed suit and raised her hand in front of Jiang Tinghan as well.
Jiang Tinghan didn't understand why they were so enthusiastic about high-fiving, but it was normal to high-fiving a teammate.
"I'll just grab it. Whoever knows the answer, just say it. It's okay if you're wrong, the rules won't deduct points anyway."
After she finished speaking, she thoughtfully translated it into both Chinese and English.
Lena nodded very slightly, with a hint of awkwardness: "OK."
Because Coldy and Kong Yeon-seo are close, Lena implicated Coldy as well, disliking her. But now it seems she's actually a pretty good person.
Jiang Tinghan's tactics were very effective. Her group had a significant lead in points, and only when she answered incorrectly could she slip a few points to other groups.
This led to other groups jokingly protesting to the production team, "We want to report them! Coldy keeps taking the lead without answering; his hand speed is comparable to that of an e-sports player, how can we possibly compete with him!"
"Hey, Coldy must be really good at snatching concert tickets, can you help me out next time?!"
Jiang Tinghan shrugged, looking innocent, and said, "The rules don't say it's not allowed."
The players continued to protest: "Shining World is the most cunning game ever!"
The word "Coldy" is the perfect synonym for "anything not prohibited by law is permissible," as was the rap section added during the selection of the center position for the theme song last time.
The production team checked the score differences and found that many groups were still at zero, making it difficult to determine the rankings. Therefore, they decided to listen to public opinion: "Whoever presses the answer button first must answer."
Jiang Tinghan was forced into the ban list. She basically only watched the music video once when listening to songs, and she couldn't remember much of it. Especially as the program team's questions became more and more tricky, she had no choice but to give up. However, their scores should be enough to win first place.
Seeing that Jiang Tinghan had stopped attacking, the other contestants felt as if they had successfully defeated the Great Demon King, and they rallied to catch up.
Ska is a veritable "global music encyclopedia," befitting a YouTuber. She not only covers Western hits but also has a deep understanding of K-pop, instantly making up for any shortcomings in her ratings.
By the time the show's producers announced the "last question," she had already tied the score.
Jiang Tinghan looked up and saw Sikai flashing her a bright, sunny smile, a hint of harmless provocation, as if to say, "If you don't make a move soon, I might take your first place!"
When Skye went to record that famous quote from Chaplin, Jiang Tinghan accompanied her the whole time, listening to Skye record it again and again. He became very familiar with her voice and now he could almost automatically dub Skye's expressions in his mind.
She remained calm, her gaze steadily fixed on the large screen, where the last image appeared.
There are no people in this picture, only a dangling public telephone receiver on the street, with the telephone line twisting and turning, the color hazy, and the wall behind the receiver also has a very old-fashioned gray color, it must be an old song.
Although it was very difficult, many people present felt that the scene looked familiar, and this music video was bound to be a classic.
In a flash of inspiration, Sikai made her move.
The buzzer sounded, but Sikai's fingertips were still millimeters away from the buzzer.
Unsurprisingly, Jiang Tinghan answered the question correctly.
The other contestants held their breath; was the competition really that intense? Judging from Skye's confident demeanor, if Coldy didn't answer correctly, Skye would most likely be in first place.
All eyes once again focused on the black-haired beauty who, in her stillness, resembled a delicate piece of porcelain. Her lips parted slightly, and her clear, crisp voice echoed through the studio via microphone: "Bigbang's 'Lies'."
Jiang Tinghan almost said "GD's 'Lies'", but luckily she corrected it at the last minute.
Yesterday, while Jiang Tinghan was studying the melody of "Lies," she watched the music video several times. Even Kwon Ji-yong didn't dare to look at himself, who looked like a hooligan without his teeth straightened. Only Jiang Tinghan could appreciate it herself. At the end, she even saw all five of them locked up in jail.
Could it be that the bullet fired more than ten years ago has now hit me right between the eyebrows?
The scene shown in the program is the one where Kwon Ji-yong calls the female lead and gets arrested, and the phone receiver is hanging down on the street corner. Those familiar with Bigbang will probably recognize it in a few seconds.
The group's score changed again, rising by one notch, and they retained their first place.
The audience gasped in surprise, and Song Yamin excitedly hugged Jiang Tinghan as if they had already won the second round.
It took her two seconds to realize what had happened and let go of Jiang Tinghan. She quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just couldn't control myself when I got excited."
"It's nothing." Jiang Tinghan's gaze swept aimlessly, just happening to pass over Audrey's group. Kong Yanshu was staring at her in disbelief, as if questioning, "Didn't you say before that you didn't want to see GD because you wouldn't get paid to see him? How could you answer so quickly in front of a picture like this?!"
Jiang Tinghan immediately looked away, pretending not to have seen anything, but a slight feeling of guilt still welled up inside her.
She even paid extra money to see GD...
Of course, the value of what she received far exceeded the money she paid.
She answered almost instantly. It was as if Bae Soo-min understood Jiang Ting-han a little better, and she couldn't help but sigh softly, "I didn't expect you to be so familiar with Bigbang."
Are you a Bigbang fan? I didn't know that before.
Jiang Tinghan: "I'm not very familiar with Bigbang, but I saw this MV yesterday and have some impression of it."
She also cautiously added a background information about Bigbang, wondering if Kwon Ji-yong would watch this episode, or if the production team might suddenly cut out the conversation and release it. It's best to be careful.
I can't say I'm close to my teacher, but I can't say I'm unfamiliar with them either.
Bae Soo-min: "...Oh."
Okay, so she said Coldy didn't seem like the type to follow K-pop.
Host: "Absolutely correct! Okay, now everyone can watch the big screen to check their group's ranking. After you've confirmed it, you can watch the song list for our second performance."
Ten songs appeared on the big screen at once.
First, K-pop tracks:
Ailee's "Heaven"
Tara's "Roly Poly"
Girls' Generation in "Into the New World"
sistar19's "Because of Going From Something to Nothing"
Gfriend's "Rough"
The first public performance featured trendy K-pop songs, many of which were hits this year, while the second public performance had a nostalgic feel, as most of the contestants were still children when these songs were released.
This time, the selection slots were given to international pieces.
Besides the question mark, there are four other songs.
The first song is their mentor Megan's new single "Her," released more than two months ago. The first line of the lyrics, "I don't care if those bitches don't like me because I'm gorgeous..." has become very popular, and the whole song has achieved considerable success.
However, the drawbacks are also quite obvious. The entire song is almost entirely rap, which is not suitable for a team to perform, and on average, every line of the lyrics has to be "beeped" to pass the censorship.
The remaining three songs are Taylor Swift's "Style", Avril Laviagne's "Rock N Roll", and Alie X's "Love Me Wrong" (Ft. Troye Sivan).
The last song is relatively obscure compared to the previous ones, but it is a very heartfelt ballad. If sung well, it will definitely be very moving on stage.
Each of the nine songs had its own unique characteristics and was of high quality. The fifty contestants below started discussing it and felt that only the rapper-exclusive song "Her" needed some consideration, while all the other songs were acceptable.
Coincidentally, Kim Seo-hee's team had two other rappers besides her. At first, they were all despairing when they saw the lineup, but unexpectedly, "Her" seemed to be a godsend and saved them.
The five members of their group began to suspect that the production team had set them up.
On the other side, team leader Song Yamin also urgently convened a strategy meeting: "Because we have international contestants this time, I tend to choose 'Style' and 'Rock N Roll'. Both songs are well-known, quite difficult, and have explosive power. What do you guys think?"
While Lin Zhixia and Lena were still struggling to wait for the translator to start working, Jiang Tinghan spoke first: "Personally, I prefer the songs 'Heaven,' 'Because of Nothingness,' and 'Love Me Wrong.' I think we shouldn't limit ourselves with the idea of 'accommodating international contestants.' Lin Zhixia sang a Korean song in the last episode and performed well. If Lena could sing a K-pop song, it would also win over the audience, since there are quite a few Korean viewers watching our show."
Bae Soo-min quietly added, "We can still snag the self-selection option."
Song Yamin took Jiang Tinghan's words to heart and hesitated for a moment: "The five of us all have good vocal abilities, so I think we can choose a song that focuses on vocals."
"Heaven or my own choice, I'm fine with either."
Where are the three of you?
Lena could barely keep up with their conversation. She was indeed more familiar with English songs, and she was hearing several K-pop songs for the first time today. But she also felt that Jiang Tinghan was right. Only by challenging herself could she go further.
"I want to try Korean songs." The machine-translated female voice came from the phone. Lena had made her choice, leaving only Bae Soo-min and Lin Zhi-xia.
Bae Soo-min said coolly, "Whatever."
Lin Zhixia actually liked "Heaven" too, but when she heard Jiang Tinghan say that he liked "Heaven", she didn't want the song anymore. She showed a struggling expression, looking extremely conflicted: "I want an English song more. I sang a K-pop song last time. Will it be the same song if I sing it again this time?"
After she finished speaking, she kept staring at Jiang Tinghan because Coldy's previous song was an international piece, and if Jiang Tinghan refuted her, that would be selfish.
Jiang Tinghan seemed to see a hint of schadenfreude in Lin Zhixia's eyes, but he just found it a bit funny. The trap he had set for her was filled in with a single step, and it had no effect whatsoever.
"Then let's vote. That's the fairest way, okay, Captain?"
Song Yamin went along with it and said, "Then let's all vote for the song we want to choose the most."
"Of these songs, I still prefer 'Heaven'."
Jiang Tinghan raised her hand slightly: "Heaven".
Bae Soo-min glanced at the question mark. While choosing their own song was certainly a freedom, finding a suitable song would take extra time and involve negotiating copyrights, which could easily lead to several setbacks.
After thinking for a moment, she replied to the ticket: "Heaven".
The results for the remaining two candidates are already known, no need to vote.
Lena had no objection: "Heaven is fine, it's my favorite of these five Korean songs."
Lin Zhixia gritted her teeth secretly. Oh well, she had originally wanted to choose this song too, but she still had to put on a very regretful look: "Okay, this song is a bit too difficult for me. I may need to practice more to sing the high notes, but I will definitely try my best!"
Pei Xiumin glanced at Lin Zhixia and felt that this person talked too much and always had a stubborn and innocent look. She thought she was acting in an old Korean drama.
They easily won Heaven thanks to their first-place finish in the game, while Skye team won World Reunited, seemingly wanting to challenge themselves as well.
After choosing the group's song, Jiang Tinghan still needed to choose a song for the collaboration stage. She didn't hesitate for long before choosing a song she really liked, Utada Hikaru's "e back to me".
This is an excellent example she found while researching how to perfectly combine piano music and pop music; the intro is a piano piece.
Choosing this song means that the idol she collaborates with must have a strong vocal ability. The chorus of this song keeps repeating "Babye back to me", which is full of emotional high notes.
Jiang Tinghan also felt that she was going against the grain. She was just a trainee, yet she had requirements for the guest performers.
Her courage didn't stop there; she bravely submitted her chosen song to the production team and asked them to help find a suitable guest singer, specifically requesting that they must have excellent singing skills.
She didn't want any of her collaborating guests to sing off-key on stage, practically writing "Only those with real talent should come, otherwise you'll be the one who embarrasses yourself" on the submitted song list.
The production team only replied with a simple, "We'll do our best."
In fact, they have already begun enthusiastically sending invitations to various companies.
Coldy is the show's hot commodity; they have to treat him like royalty.
In the control room.
Yoon Shin-hye instructed the director next to her: "Pay close attention to the group that Coldy is in."
Director: "I know, Director-nim, this group just had a conflict."
Yoon Shin-hye became curious: "Oh? What happened?"
The story begins not long after Jiang Tinghan returned to the practice room.
While she was away, Song Yamin was thinking about how to allocate the parts. The song was 3 minutes and 35 seconds long, and there were only five of them. Each person could be assigned a certain amount of content, but it was obviously impossible to divide it equally.
Song Yamin first assigned the intro to Coldy. Her voice, clear and sweet like a spring flowing from a snow-capped mountain, was sure to capture the audience's attention from the very first second.
The verses were given to herself, and the first chorus was none other than Coldy's. After hearing "Polaris" in the first performance, Song Yamin knew that Coldy's voice had a powerful infectiousness and penetrating power.
The second verse was given to Lin Zhixia, the chorus to Bae Xiumin, and the angelic bridge of "Heaven," which was just as amazing as the chorus, was given to Lena, giving her a chance to shine.
The final chorus is sung by all five members.
This was just the initial division. After she explained the general division, Lin Zhixia was the first to offer her opinion: "Captain, the verses and choruses are both very long. It doesn't necessarily have to be sung by one person. Two people can complete one part to add a sense of layering."
Song Yamin: "Then I'll sing these few lines of my verse, and Sumin will sing the next few lines, followed by Coldy's chorus. Then, for the second verse, it's still Summer, and Sumin will sing the first half of the chorus. The second half will be a duet with Coldy. The bridge doesn't sound good when sung by the two of us, so we'll leave it as is, and the duet will also remain the same."
Lin Zhixia said this because she felt that Coldy had too many highlights. She was surprised that Song Yamin had actually reduced her own part and added another highlight for Coldy!
Lin Zhixia was furious. She bit her lip and couldn't help but curse in her mind, "Damn it!" Is it so hard to give her a separate chorus?
When Jiang Tinghan returned, she heard Song Yamin's improved version. She pointed out, "I think it would be better to have Lena sing the intro. Lena's voice is very rich and sounds like she's singing the Bible. She should be quite amazing at the beginning."
Song Yamin hadn't paid any attention to Lena's performance in their previous collaborations, but Coldy noticed Lena's unique timbre instead.
"I think it's a good idea, but what about the bridge?"
She had unknowingly begun to rely on Coldy; whenever Jiang Tinghan spoke, she felt as if she had gained confidence.
“It’s still Lena. Neither Sumin nor I have a loud voice, so she’s just right to take over. Lena’s deep voice can also lift up the momentum of our duet.”
Lena hadn't expected Jiang Tinghan to give up so readily, without any hesitation. Looking into Jiang Tinghan's calm eyes, all the resentment in her heart vanished, leaving only gratitude. She sincerely said in Chinese, "Thank you."
Kong Yanshu had previously learned a few Chinese phrases from Lin Zhixia, saying she would tell them to Coldy. Lena heard them too, and they came in handy today.
Jiang Tinghan felt that the "thank you" sounded not only like a foreigner's non-standard pronunciation, but also seemed to have a Taiwanese accent. She smiled slightly and said, "Keep it up, I believe you have the ability, Lena."
Seeing Lena's clearly moved expression, Lin Zhixia was even more speechless.
What rubbish! What kind of seductive vixen is Coldy? She's already moved by just a few words and seems ready to give anything for her. Can't she have some self-respect?
And she even tried to use the Chinese she taught her to curry favor with others—get lost!
She felt like she had entered a terrifying cruise ship. Before they went to film that electronic product commercial, Kong Yeon-seo and Yoon Ji-chae were both fine, but everything changed after they came back. Kong Yeon-seo would run away every few days, and when she came back, all she could say was "Coldy". She used to say Kim Seo-hee twice a day, but now she had to say Coldy at least ten times a day!
Yoon Ji-chae used to ignore everyone, but when Kong Yeon-seo mentioned Coldy, she actually started chatting with her for a bit.
In just one day, the two people's attitudes toward Coldy completely changed, and Yin Zhicai didn't even say a few words to Jiang Tinghan!
Lin Zhixia found it truly terrifying. Considering that Jiang Tinghan won the opportunity to play two roles simultaneously through rock-paper-scissors, she boldly guessed that Jiang Tinghan might be some kind of enchantress who knew how to manipulate people's hearts.
In this group now, Lena is showing signs of becoming a new simp, Bae Soo-min has been one for a long time, and Song Ah-min is so easily swayed that she agrees with whatever Coldy says. What's the point of her being the leader then?
Lin Zhixia looked at them one by one and felt that her future was too bleak.
When Jiang Tinghan offered his opinion again, saying, "The last verse should ideally be sung by one person per line, or at most by a duet, not by five people, as the effect won't be good," and Song Yamin complied and changed it again, Lin Zhixia finally couldn't hold back any longer:
"Captain, I have a question."
Song Yamin's gaze was gentle as she listened attentively: "What?"
Lin Zhixia, seething with anger, asked, "Who exactly is in charge of our team?"
Song Yamin vaguely understood what Lin Zhixia meant, but still tried to ease the atmosphere: "Aren't we discussing this?"
“You approved everything that Coldy said without even asking for our opinions. Where is the discussion? Bae Soo-min, Lena, and I didn’t say a word.”
Song Yamin remained calm: "Zhixia, so what are your demands now? Are you dissatisfied with Coldy's revisions?"
"I didn't approve of everything. I think Coldy's suggestion is reasonable and will result in a better stage performance, so I accepted it. If you have any better suggestions, you can also bring them up, and I will consider them as well."
Jiang Tinghan was slightly surprised; indeed, Song Yamin was more suitable to be the team leader.
The scene of the two arguing while using a translator was really hilarious.
Lin Zhixia was getting anxious. If she said she wanted a chorus, she would definitely be ridiculed for "going through all this trouble just for herself, making it sound so noble." She softened her tone and said, "I just think that talking about these things now is just theory. Let's try it out first. Maybe I can't handle the verses."
Song Yamin suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. What Zhixia said makes sense. Let's sing it together then."
Lin Zhixia: "Lena hasn't listened to this song many times yet. Shall we practice for about ten minutes first?"
Song Yamin nodded. Just as she said, Lin Zhixia's words made sense and she would accept them: "Okay."
This was Lin Zhixia's chance. She practiced quietly once or twice, then stood not too close to Song Yamin and sang the verses steadily. When it came to the chorus, she raised her voice a little.
Lin Zhixia's vocal ability is genuinely good, even better than Lena's. All those things she said about not being good before were just an act to create a contrast between her past and present performance.
Jiang Tinghan listened silently to the original singer Ailee's song, but Pei Xiumin, who had been silent all along, leaned over and asked in a low voice with her back to the camera, "Why don't you refute her?"
Anyone with eyes could see that Lin Zhixia harbored ill intentions towards Jiang Tinghan, and she refused to believe that Jiang Tinghan was a treacherous person.
"There's no need. I know what she wants. We'll find out by comparing the two."
Bae Soo-min: "It's rare to see you so gentle."
That poisonous mouth of his didn't utter a single word.
Jiang Tinghan simply chuckled.
Pei Xiuwen felt somewhat aggrieved. If it were her, Jiang Tinghan would have already given her a sarcastic rebuke, but she couldn't say anything: "Do you want to rearrange this song?"
"The original song is perfect as long as it's not changed. Changing it would be redundant."
"oh……"
Seeing that Jiang Tinghan seemed unwilling to continue the conversation, Pei Xiuwen could only start practicing as well. If she tried to chat with Jiang Tinghan during practice time, he would definitely be even less interested in paying attention to her.
Soon, the first group rehearsal began.
Song Yamin played the original song, and Lena's singing sounded very tragic in comparison to the original singer. However, her voice did amaze everyone. The original singer sounded like she was praying for redemption, while she sang as if she were the one who gave redemption.
Letting her import it was definitely the right choice.
Song Yamin took over the verse and tried her best to sing the original key. Bae Soomin took over, initially lowering the key, but then adjusted it back in the next line.
She looked at Jiang Tinghan and seemed to feel the original singer's seemingly happy yet subtly painful sentiment: "You are my paradise."
This vocal performance elevates the entire song's emotion, signaling the approach of the chorus.
"You're my only way."
"I only want you."
Jiang Tinghan's singing voice was even more melodious, like a bird soaring across the sky and striking the heavens, giving all the listeners a sense of enlightenment and comfort.
Her voice was clear and cold, but her singing was passionate, like a flame burning in a blizzard. It seemed to be a tremendous force bursting forth from extreme pain, so powerful that it seemed to pierce through a hard chest, making the heart below tremble.
This classic song, "Heaven," is meant to be inspiring, passionate, and redemptive, but the more you listen, the sadder you feel. Sad people will cry while listening, and happy people will feel warm.
Jiang Tinghan reached the high notes with ease, her voice perfectly matching the original singer's tone as she lingered in the practice room. Her expression remained unchanged, as if singing such a high key was a piece of cake for her.
This stands in stark contrast to Lin Zhixia's performance, which barely managed to reach the level of the original singer despite her best efforts.
Lin Zhixia felt the gap, a deep gap. She was stunned for as long as Jiang Tinghan sang the chorus.
It turns out that, aside from the fancy stage setups, Coldy's talent remains impeccable.
Lin Zhixia forced herself to remain calm. The verses, which she had just practiced smoothly, were now becoming more and more desperate. To make matters worse, after Pei Xiumin sang two lines solo in the chorus, it was time for her and Coldy to sing together!
That nightmare is back!
Pei Xiuwen and Jiang Tinghan sang a few lines together, but stopped before finishing.
Only when Jiang Tinghan sang "Heaven Heaven Heaven Heaven Heaven Heaven" continuously did she softly echo "Heaven" twice, seemingly willing to be her supporting character.
The final chorus, lacking specific lyrics, sounded chaotic for a moment. The four of them fell silent, allowing Jiang Tinghan's singing to permeate the entire performance, like a ray of light breaking through the darkness after a long, solitary journey.
After she finished singing, Lena immediately applauded Jiang Tinghan, and Song Yamin was also extremely excited, itching to hug her again.
Lin Zhixia felt her legs go weak for no reason. She bent over and punched her calves twice. Her heartbeat was louder than the sound of her fists hitting her calves.
If I remember correctly, Jiang Tinghan had never sung the song before the rehearsal; she had only listened to it.
Her gaze fell on the clean floor, her heart filled with jealousy. What kind of monster was this person?!
Suddenly, a shadow fell across the floor, enveloping her head. When Lin Zhixia looked up, she saw Jiang Tinghan's dark, inky eyes, as if she had stumbled into a bottomless, cool pool.
Jiang Tinghan smiled at her, his eyebrows curving into crescent moons, but the smile was devoid of warmth; instead, it sent a chill down her spine, and even his voice was as cold as years of accumulated snow.
"Now, will you listen to me obediently?"
Lin Zhixia looked up at her, her pupils trembling, whether from anger or fear, she couldn't utter a single word.
A few seconds later, Lin Zhixia's eyes reddened. She immediately covered her face and cried out in a sob, "I know you're amazing, but you don't have to do this..."
She didn't say "humiliate me" before running out of the practice room.
Jiang Tinghan and Pei Xiuwen were left staring at each other in confusion: "...?"
Why not just say "okay" and move on? What kind of script is this? It's like a stubborn, innocent girl being forced to give money by a domineering CEO, and then yelling, "Don't humiliate me with your stinking money! I have dignity too!"
But President Jiang is very poor. If he wants to act, he should at least pay some of the fee in advance.
*
This week's update for "Shining World" was a recording of the first performance, with more stage camera work than the live broadcast. Fans didn't hesitate to click in to relive it and enjoy Coldy's performance again, which was truly delightful.
Interspersed throughout are clips of practice sessions and dormitory conversations, revealing a strong sense of coldness.
The same applies to Kwon Ji-yong. When Shining World updates at noon Korean time, it's 4 AM in Paris.
After watching the nearly three-hour program, it was already dawn. Kwon Ji-yong felt that he didn't need to sleep and could get up directly to put on makeup and go to the show.
He looked down at the tablet that had been brought across the ocean and discovered that after the recorded theme song added in post-production, there was a preview for the next episode.
"The top five most popular members will have the opportunity to invite guest stars to collaborate on a stage performance."
"Coldy got the chance to answer the question again!"
"I didn't expect Skye's K-pop repertoire to be so deep. She's really keeping up, and the battle is extremely fierce."
"Who will be the final winner?!"
The trailer flashed through scenes of the competition format announcement and game battles, but just as the results were about to be revealed, the camera suddenly switched to capture the contestants' astonished faces, maintaining the mystery.
Then, Bae Soo-min's voice rang out: "I didn't expect you to know so much about 'beep beep'."
Jiang Tinghan replied coldly, "Not very familiar."
A few shots from other groups flashed by, then the camera switched to another group.
Lin Zhixia hesitated for a moment, then said gently, "Captain, I have a question."
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Tinghan looked down at Lin Zhixia from above, his upward gaze conveying contempt and arrogance. His dark eyes appeared particularly cold and oppressive in the shadows, making him look like a cold-blooded, ruthless, and cruel villain from a story. There was no trace of the angel he had portrayed in his first public performance of "Polaris".
In the next scene, Lin Zhixia covers her face and runs out. Through her fingers, you can see her red eyes and hear her soft, tearful voice saying, "I know you're amazing, but you don't have to do this..."
Finally, Jiang Tinghan and Pei Xiuwen sat comfortably against the wall of the practice room, and Jiang Tinghan even chuckled softly!
Later, several lines of bloody text were added: "Arguments and conflicts..."
"Where will the team go in the end?"
It seems like Captain Coldy didn't like Lin Zhixia's suggestions and wanted to turn the team into his own personal fiefdom, eventually bullying Lin Zhixia until she cried.
And then they even laughed! Isn't this blatant bullying?!
Kwon Ji-yong: "..."
Has the production team gone mad?
He immediately recognized that this was definitely malicious editing by the production team. The confusing editing and the big reversal in the main episode are common tricks used in talent shows.
This cannot be generalized to mean that the production team had malicious intent towards Coldy. It could also be a tactic used by the production team to manipulate Coldy's fanbase and purify his die-hard supporters. However, Jiang Tinghan will have to endure a whole week of criticism.
Kwon Ji-yong hadn't contacted Jiang Tinghan for a whole week, but after watching this trailer, he couldn't help but take out his phone and open Jiang Tinghan's text message box.
It's been almost two months since they first met, and they still haven't exchanged KakaoTalk accounts. It's a very traditional way of communicating. I thought it was still 2012.
But here's the question: Does Jiang Tinghan have KakaoTalk?
He decided to offer a polite greeting.
[Ya! How's your practice going this past week? Have you encountered any difficulties?]
It should be around 3 or 4 PM in South Korea now, and they're probably still training. Kwon Ji-yong was prepared to wait several hours for a message, and he was already up and standing in front of the bathroom mirror. Unexpectedly, only half a minute later, Jiang Tinghan replied.
No, senior, I've solved all the problems (smiley face)
Looking at that smiling face, Kwon Ji-yong inexplicably felt that the person who had become a problem had been solved by Jiang Tinghan, and suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
That's good. Feel free to ask me any questions.
On the other side of the screen, Jiang Tinghan looked at Quan Zhilong's reply and raised an eyebrow in a noncommittal manner.
Really?
Kwon Ji-yong only needed to swipe up, or even just move his gaze upwards, to see a message Jiang Ting-han had sent him a few days ago.
[Senior, I saw the airport map for your flight to Paris. Wishing you a safe journey (flowers)]
But Kwon Ji-yong hasn't replied yet.
She thought it was a time difference issue, but after waiting all day, it was still quiet.
Jiang Tinghan thought about it for a moment and concluded that this might be a sign that the master-disciple relationship was coming to an end, so he didn't send any more messages.
I didn't expect to receive another message from Kwon Ji-yong today.
Jiang Tinghan narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking to himself that Quan Zhilong was a very strange person.
One second he might be very affectionate towards you, the next he might be cold and distant.
It's like he can go for days without replying to messages, even though you can see there are unanswered messages when you open the chat box, but he ignores them and starts a new topic; he can also type "Ya!" which is equivalent to "hello" or "hey" in Chinese in Korean, he must think he has a good relationship with Jiang Tinghan to send it like that, otherwise it would seem too impolite.
This person is exceptionally complex and contradictory.
Jiang Tinghan typed and sent: 【Is there something you need from me, senior?】
The other party replied instantly: 【No】
Kwon Ji-yong lightly tapped the screen, and Korean characters danced in the input box: 【Just…】
I feel a little sorry for you.
Kwon Ji-yong glanced at the words he had typed, then deleted them one by one.
It was changed to—【It was just a simple expression of sympathy】
Click to send.
-----------------------
The author's note: "Ordinary"
Xiaohan saw right through this bad man's true nature.
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