Day 65
Let’s go back a few days ago, the day after the second public performance was broadcast.
"To get warmth, we run towards the sun
Mud and hills, against the storm
We want to shine like shooting stars."
The prelude of the music sounded, the clear electronic sound was like the dawn light, and it gradually accelerated with the drum beats.
Twelve people stood in a triangle formation. The three at the front suddenly looked up, their eyes blazing, and simultaneously raised their hands to their hearts. The nine at the back instantly dispersed, their steps synced like gears meshing, leaving crisscrossing silver tracks across the stage.
In the verse, the six members on the left formed a flowing "wave" formation, their arms undulating like waves as they sang the first line of the lyrics: "To break free from the direction of gravity——"
The six people on the right suddenly leaped and, as they landed, joined in the chorus: "It's the shape of wings cutting through the clouds!"
The circular screen at the top of the stage simultaneously exploded with golden particle effects, pouring down like solar flares.
At the climax of the chorus, the twelve people formed concentric circles and spun rapidly, the fluorescent ribbons on their jackets drawing dazzling arcs of light in the darkness.
As they reached their hands to the highest point, the lights in the hall brightened, and an animation of a flock of eagles soaring through the clouds appeared on the background screen. They tapped their feet, like a knife-dancing group, to a dense rhythm. Before the lyrics "We're the light that never dies" had even finished fading, the twelve of them suddenly froze in a radial formation, each face a beaming smile.
Young and beautiful bodies are turning under the spotlight. Although the light here is not as good as that on a professional stage, the radiance of youth does not need any other unnecessary embellishments.
[Wow, what a vibrant stage! And I love these twelve people so much! Da Pei, Ye Lai, Fu Xun Yan, and Chen Chi, let's debut together!]
[Please don't leave my Xingxing and Xiaobai behind!]
[Add Minhae to the mix, perfect! This is the debut lineup!]
[It’s a pity that Min Hai and Fu Xunyan are in the same group this time, otherwise he would definitely have a place among the twelve people...]
[Ahhhhhhhh Fu Xunyan, you’re shaking me to death! Mommy is going to faint!]
[Although the new stage is pretty good...but I'm confused as to why they showed this to us all of a sudden? I've never heard of this reward for first place in the second public performance.]
[Whose cover is that upstairs? My brother's fame has made you feel really sorry. Why do you care whether the production team arranges it or not? Who can you blame for your brother not getting first place?]
[…So impulsive after taking some gunpowder?]
[I patted my head. I think everyone is a little impulsive because the finals are coming up. Let’s be considerate of each other.]
[Are you kidding me? The song selection for the third performance hasn't even been decided yet, and you're already making a fuss about it? Are you crazy?]
[I'm the one asking the question—I'm not a fan of any particular group, just a casual observer. I'm simply curious why this stage was suddenly filmed... Don't you think it's a bit rushed?]
[It seems so. A fan told me that even she couldn't get this part out of the staff. It was so sudden.]
[Why bother with so much? It's not like the neighboring country is doing this to block other people from trending topics, right?]
A prophecy came true...
What no one expected was that at noon that day, a sudden piece of news suddenly became a hot search, even squeezing "New Stage" of "New Century" to second place.
The news of a Chinese-American director surnamed Gu engaging in power-for-sex transactions has caused a stir. Although Director Gu is relatively unknown in China, the allegations of his sexual exploits have been widely publicized by those who have come forward one after another, leading to widespread online controversy.
"Wow, I'm just saying wow, this Director Gu is pretty good looking, why would he mess around with other men and women?" Liu Yu sipped her coffee and browsed her phone. Chen Lianqing beside her was originally sending her a new photo of Fu Xunyan, and upon hearing this, he opened the forum.
"Gu Tingchuan?"
"Huh?" Liu Yu tilted her head, her expression changing from confusion to shock to tentativeness.
"Chen Bao, you won't—"
"I do know him." Chen Lianqing nodded nonchalantly, but as soon as his eyes left the screen, he noticed a group of third wheel trains around him.
"Hey, can you guys stop looking so unscrupulous when you're eating melons?"
Chen Lianqing held his forehead with his hand.
Since becoming a fan of Fu Xunyan, Chen Lianqing has met several old friends in the fan club. After reconnecting with them, they recalled the good memories of chasing stars together. Now that they are in the same city, they often go out for coffee together on weekends.
"Just tell me - of course, don't tell me if it has anything to do with you." The girl whose ID is Paipai Sweetheart shook Chen Lianqing's arm.
Chen Lianqing threw his phone away and took back the camera to look at the photos with a look of disdain.
"Nothing, just my parents know each other. My parents told me a few years ago that you guys are both studying photography, but the kids from the Gu family are already directors, and you're still just hanging around."
"Come on, he's already in his thirties, and I just graduated. Besides, I'm not idle at all. I'm a famous photographer."
The girls criticized Chen's father and mother indignantly, but then signaled Chen Lianqing to continue.
"I told him at the time that he was definitely not a good person. You know, you can tell from his face that he's a hypocrite!"
"So, he got caught, didn't he? He not only had sex with women, he also had sex with men!"
The girls were a little disappointed. Chen Lianqing didn't come up with anything new...
"But I've heard about his playful ways before. Logically, given his family's strength, they should have been able to keep it a secret. Why did it suddenly come out?"
Yes, why? The girls followed Chen Lianqing's question and began brainstorming, but unexpectedly she suddenly opened her phone and made a call.
"Hey, brother, do you know what happened to Gu Tingchuan?"
"Ah, you're eating melons too. Why are you so lame? Shouldn't business people like you guys have grasped the trends long ago?"
"You said Uncle Luo helped? Why? Uncle Luo..."
"Huh? F*ck! Fucking...&%%...*"
Liu Yu glanced at the others in shock, and then looked at each other in bewilderment.
The usually calm and collected Chen Lianqing actually jumped up and down and cursed at her brother on the phone? This world is so fantastical...
Seeing Chen Lianqing hang up the phone with a gloomy face, everyone was a little afraid to ask what happened.
"My brother just told me an inside story." Chen Lianqing lowered his voice.
What's the inside story?
"Do you know why Gu Tingchuan was suddenly taken down? It was because of a Mr. Luo in the industry. Do you know why Mr. Luo took action? It was Cong He who asked for help. Do you know why Cong He asked for help?"
Everyone looked at each other and tentatively guessed, "Cong He? Isn't Cong He the senior who shot the magazine with Xun Bao? It is said that they have a good relationship."
"Is it possible?"
"Fuck! We're treasure hunters among the victims!"
The girl couldn't hold back and started yelling, startling the other customers in the coffee shop and drawing a lot of puzzled looks. The others apologized profusely and gathered their heads together furtively, like underground party members meeting.
The girls were very worried. "Is treasure hunting okay? It won't be..."
"No." Chen Lianqing calmed their hearts.
"My brother just found out about it, too. It was so dramatic. Mr. Luo just happened to ask my dad's company to help them make a small product. So, in the company office, my brother answered my call and mentioned Fu Xunyan. Mr. Luo thought he sounded familiar and asked if he was Cong He's friend. Then everything clicked."
"It's said that Gu Tingchuan tried to take advantage of Xunbao, and after being rejected, he spread rumors about Xunbao... Wait! Turns out that damn scandal was Gu Tingchuan's doing!"
"Really! No wonder Xunbao looked so worried and unhappy during the live broadcast. I thought he was tired, but it turns out it was all because of this!"
"Is Gu Tingchuan's account still there? I'm going to go there and curse him to death!"
"Wait!" Chen Lianqing hurriedly stopped him, "Don't involve the treasure hunt in this. It's good enough that Gu Tingchuan is in trouble now, don't let our treasure hunt be tainted by him."
Liu Yu clutched her phone. She originally felt that Gu Tingchuan was getting what he deserved for his evil deeds, but now that she knew the truth, she felt completely unsatisfied. What should she do?
She took a few deep breaths and let go of those urges.
"Chen Bao is right. Let's not dwell on this and don't reveal the truth. Let Xunbao remain invisible in this matter. This is not good news."
"Gu Tingchuan can't cause any trouble anyway. The most important thing right now is to get one last shot before Wednesday's deadline."
"Also, how's the song selection for the Sangong going?"
Liu Yu looked at her watch. "The results will be announced at five o'clock, but voting closed just last Friday."
Chen Lianqing also remembered this and said, "Xiaoxia, please pay attention to the results first. We need to be ready for the third public performance."
Sweetie raised her hand silently: "Ah, I'm the only one watching over here, I'm a little scared..."
Liu Yu comforted him, "Don't be afraid. We left a complete record this time. The records show that we surpassed the Ye Lai family by over a million votes. If they still cheat this time... I'm going to bomb New Century!"
Chen Lianqing also agreed: "Yes, we have already released the guidelines for the second public voting. Paipai, you just need to watch the voting in a few groups and pay attention to the trends. The vote totals will be reported to Liu Yu by each group leader every night, so don't worry. Tomorrow, just shout in the various groups and encourage family and friends to use their accounts to watch the voting."
"The choice of songs for the third public performance is also very important. Everyone knows that Xun Yan attaches great importance to the stage, so we don't have to choose songs we like, but songs that can expand his fan base and go viral..."
Although the song selection voting has closed, everyone is still worried about whether the decision they made is correct.
Which song from the third public performance can go viral?
The trainees present didn’t know, they just thought - every song was so good!
Fu Xunyan encountered changes again.
Last week's third public performance attracted some traffic due to the production team's malicious editing. Although the songs were good, not all of them were of high quality. But this time, it was completely different.
The program went viral, and it was obvious that many famous producers had submitted their works to the program team. Fu Xunyan had even heard a few of the songs while talking to the staff, and songs that would become popular in a few years also appeared in the options.
Fu Xunyan still did not interfere.
Fu Xunyan had never seen the five songs that appeared on the screen, but he did not feel disappointed.
Sometimes luck is also a part of fate.
The theater fell silent, and sixty boys sat in their seats, staring intently at the screen.
Jiang Sulin had just returned from a red carpet appearance, still wearing a haute couture outfit, and his handsome appearance drew the envy of the trainees. At such moments, they could sense the stark difference between being popular and not-so-popular in this industry.
"Next are five really beautiful songs. Everyone, please listen carefully, and then you can leave, because this time you have no choice at all."
"Also, today's music session will not be broadcast live. Let me calculate the time..." Jiang Sulin pretended to snap his fingers and smiled slyly.
"Looks like it'll have to be aired after the deadline on Friday, along with the three public performance rankings."
"But don't even think about slacking off this week. After watching the five songs, everyone has to move to the adjacent studio. The main event is coming up next..."
Zhang Chi raised his hand: "What's the highlight?"
Jiang Sulin smiled mysteriously, and the voice on the stage overlapped with Fu Xunyan's muttering.
"Collaborative Stage."
Jiang Sulin pretended to reprimand: "It seems that trainee Zhang Chi doesn't pay much attention to the schedule posted at our door. I will punish you by making you copy it ten times."
Zhang Chi held his head, his face full of pain, and vowed never to do it again.
"The matter of the collaborative performance—let's keep it a secret for now. You'll all find out later. Let's start by showing you five new songs. These are your first songs, completely yours. Besides 'Myriad Stars,' these are the first songs you can truly call your own."
"But..." Jiang Sulin attacked again, "It's a pity that you don't have the right to choose."
There was a sigh of loss from below.
"There's nothing we can do, kids. After all, you have to listen to the fans this time." Jiang Sulin watched the fun and said, "Guess if the fans will agree with you."
Bai Wenji's hand on Fu Xunyan's shoulder tightened.
Fu Xunyan turned his head and asked him what was wrong.
Bai Wenji's face, which had always been calm, suddenly showed a strange worry.
"Let's not talk about whether they understand each other or not—I'm afraid they might suddenly want to play a game..."
"Among these five songs, there must be a cute one, right?"
Fu Xunyan also suddenly realized this problem.
In his previous life, he had a small number of fans, so they could only use strategies to help him grab a song that he was sure to win and would not be voted out later, so he played a supporting role in a mediocre song.
But this time it’s different. With such a large fan base, his fans can get any song they want.
You don't want to see him change his style and cast him in a cute style, do you?
No way?
The two brothers suddenly held each other's hands and started to get nervous.
Da Pei still didn't understand, and asked with a grin why they were holding hands without him. Fu Xunyan and Bai Wenji looked at each other and silently took Da Pei's hand.
"I'm sorry to forget you. You are also in our small team."
Da Pei: What do you mean?
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