Day 12
"Wow, did you choose a short one? It suits you very well."
"It's okay. After all, my face is short, so long styles don't suit me."
"They're quite humane this year, actually giving us three choices—but have you seen Ye Lai? He's completely different from ours."
"It's understandable. After all, he's the center."
The trainees stood on the stage in groups of three or four, chatting. With ten minutes left before the official shoot, everyone was feeling rather bored. But just then, a flash of white caught their eye.
The man took an extremely easy step and stood up from under the stage with a unique sense of freedom and agility.
"Fuck! It's him!"
"Fu Xunyan got a haircut? I didn't expect a slicked-back hairstyle would suit him so well!"
When he looked up, the young man's features were clearly visible. An afternoon was enough time for Cody to help him find a hairstyle that suited him.
The dark raven hair was thick and heavy, and the bangs were pushed back to fully highlight Fu Xunyan's facial features. The strong contrast between black and white made people think of ink painting in an instant, which was free and unrestrained, and made people forget the world.
Fu Xunyan is special with curly hair, and he looks even more special with his hair slicked back - in fact, compared to the silence with his curly hair slightly covering his eyebrows and eyes, he has a bright and sharp look with his face fully exposed.
One button of his white shirt was undone. Although everyone's shirts were similar, it fit Fu Xunyan particularly well.
Ye Lai rubbed the mirror-smooth floor with her feet out of boredom, lifted her bangs, and watched the dazzling lights around her light up and dim one by one.
Just like the past hundreds of days and nights in Country H.
What's the difference between domestic performances? Ye Lai couldn't quite put his finger on it. "New Century" was a revamp of "Project Idol," but after a two-year hiatus, it's no longer comparable in terms of financial resources, fame, or anything else.
Fortunately, the director is a good person. At least he spent all the money on the stage, so both the costumes and the performance environment are pretty good.
Haha - Ye Lai lowered his head and sneered meaninglessly - sometimes he didn't know what he was pursuing, whether it was fame or a perfect performance.
Everyone can act righteous in front of the camera, but who can truly be pure at heart when the lights go down? Those who confidently claim, "I'm just doing it for the stage," have mostly already achieved fame.
With nature, there is no need to make declarations.
Ye Lai narrowed his eyes, feeling a terrifying emptiness deep within him. With the music video shoot approaching, this hollow feeling grew stronger, chilling him to the bone. Even the pale blue lights took on the chill of midnight snowflakes.
In that vast space, a black-haired man broke in.
His style was extremely simple. His shirt was the most ordinary, his coat was neither too long nor too short, and even the one on his chest was—
"Hmm? Where's your tie?"
"There was a small problem, and the production team didn't have any backups. The director said it was okay to just go on stage like this." Fu Xunyan didn't care. He was in the back corner. Although he was in Class A, his personal camera was even worse than the center position in Classes B and C. In other words, no one would notice the problem with his tie.
Of course, straight shots will be exposed, but in fact, straight shots are taken separately, so you can just ask anyone to borrow them when the time comes.
"you……"
A sudden surge of blood rushed to his brain, sending emotions surging through him, leaving him dizzy. Ye Lai felt like he had lost control.
He repeatedly told himself that Fu Xunyan's affairs had nothing to do with him.
Who is Ye Lai? She's the ace of H-group Fever, a mature idol who's endured four years of training and two years of stage experience.
He is familiar with the rules, he is not impulsive, and his twenties are not passionate - he is perfect, a "commodity" that can be sold at any time.
But—hands clenched tightly, perfect nails digging into the palms…is this how it should be?
From the first day to now, is everything that happened before my eyes really real?
If it were real, why would it appear before his eyes? Ye Lai really didn't understand - was this ridiculous, non-existent fate telling him to do something? Otherwise, why would it repeat itself over and over again...
Over and over again--to challenge him
Belief
There was a raging fire in the young man's eyes, like a damp and rotten piece of wood that was suddenly lit. The suffocating smoke was filled with subtle flames and instantly sprayed towards Fu Xunyan.
Fu Xunyan was speechless, and before he could open his mouth, his wrist was clamped tightly.
"Are you a jerk? How come everyone can control you?"
For the first time, Ye Lai's expression was so vivid, his features seemed to have shifted, making him look like a grimace. Fu Xunyan thought that perhaps Ye Lai hadn't shown such emotion in so long that he had even forgotten how to express anger properly.
To be honest, it doesn't look good and does not fit the image of Liu Yue Qingfeng in the fans' minds at all, but Fu Xunyan still feels that for the first time, Ye Lai does not look like a fake person, but has become a real, vivid, living person.
Amid the surprise and cheers of the trainees, Ye Lai dragged Fu Xunyan to the program crew.
"Assistant Director, what's wrong with Fu Xunyan's tie? Out of 101 people, only Fu Xunyan's tie has a problem. This shouldn't be the case, right?"
The male assistant director, who was in his forties, had an indescribable expression on his face. He restrained his tone, mindful of Ye Lai's pre-competition popularity. "That's wrong, but the problem isn't with us, the program management staff. It's not appropriate for us to interfere in matters between you trainees, is it?"
Ye Laiduo was a smart man, but a lump rose in his throat and he choked up, "You mean, it was done by other trainees?"
The assistant director pursed his lips: "I didn't say that."
"Okay." His eyes darkened, the fiery red turning into a deep, silent resentment. Ye Lai took a breath, "Can you give us the surveillance footage? We can investigate it ourselves."
The assistant director showed an impatient expression and glanced at Ye Lai.
"It's okay." The person who had been silent for a long time finally took a step forward and stood between Ye Lai and the assistant director.
The assistant director looked over quietly. Although Fu Xunyan looked particularly mature, as long as he was willing to restrain his sharp temperament, the young man standing here would be as gentle and transparent as jade, beautiful but not irritating.
"No matter what, filming is the most important thing. As for the conflict, I believe that after I clarify the matter, everyone will put aside their misunderstandings about me."
"You!" Ye Lai tugged at the corner of Fu Xunyan's clothes from behind. Fu Xunyan turned around and saw the complicated emotions flowing in those eyes that had never shown true love. He suddenly felt a little funny.
I'm clearly the victim, so why is this guy even angrier than me?
——So, he also suffered bad treatment when he was in Country H, right?
For someone like Ye Lai, only empathy can break down his defenses, right?
Fu Xunyan no longer allowed Ye Lai to say anything. He held his shoulders and led him away from the assistant director's sight, demonstrating his "understanding" with his actions.
Ye Lai was cornered and angrily waved Fu Xunyan's hand away. With a "bang", the back of his white jade-like hand hit the wall, leaving a deep red mark.
Ye Lai opened his mouth, but the apology was swallowed back by an indescribable sourness when it reached his lips.
It's stuck in my throat, it's itchy, and my heart is empty.
Fu Xunyan felt that he had been caught in a complete misfortune. He touched the spot where he had been struck, and it felt like it was burning. He lowered his eyes and looked at the young man in front of him.
"This matter has nothing to do with you, right? Why are you helping me?"
Ye Lai raised his eyes. After only half a minute of silence, he had already calmed down as usual. However, behind the mirror-like surface of the lake lay a deep undercurrent. Fu Xunyan could see clearly that he was resenting himself.
"Shh——" As expected.
It was like schizophrenia. The young man who impulsively spoke for him before was no longer there. A sarcasm that was not common on Ye Lai's face appeared, making his phoenix eyes particularly cold.
"Yeah, I'm meddling in other people's business. Just think of me as crazy."
Fu Xunyan looked at Ye Lai quietly.
If he was really as angry with me as his expression showed, he should have left me long ago. Why would he be blocked here by me?
Thinking of this, Fu Xunyan couldn't help but laugh. Whether in his previous life or this time, he always thought Ye Lai was a mature and terrifying person, but now the facts slapped him in the face - Ye Lai was still a child, no matter how steady he was.
At his core, he is still a child.
"What are you laughing at?" Ye Lai glanced at Fu Xunyan and subconsciously folded his arms in defense.
Fu Xunyan was still smiling, which made Ye Lai even angrier, but the next second, his anger receded like a tide along with the other party's words.
"No, I just feel like I met you for the first time today."
Ye Lai was suspicious. He looked at Fu Xunyan, who was slightly taller than him. The other party's new appearance was full of oppression in the dimness, but because he was smiling, there was a vague and indescribable feeling.
"What do you mean by first time?" Ye Lai suddenly remembered what had just happened as if he had regained his memory, and he understood what Fu Xunyan meant.
He stammered and lowered his head, and the crimson color quickly spread from his neck upwards.
“How could I…”
Fu Xunyan patted his shoulder.
"I'm not saying you're meddling in other people's business. On the contrary, as the center, I'm very grateful that you can speak up for me like this. I also think you're a very good person."
"But that's not how this matter was handled, and it's not practical to ask for a resolution now."
"Why?" Ye Lai asked.
"Because..." Fu Xunyan looked towards the stage. Hundreds of people were moving back and forth under the blue lights. Trainees, stagehands, photographers...
"Because on this stage, everyone, including you and me, is like a piece of the pyramid. The difference is that you may be the core piece at the top, while I can be the front, but I can also be at the back, or on the side."
“If I make a mistake, the photographer only needs to adjust the angle to get the perfect shot they were looking for.”
"Do you think it's realistic for a photographer on a mission to put in the effort to plug this unimportant piece of wood when there are clearly all these options?"
Ye Lai was silent. Actually, what he should have thought about was...
“No one who is responsible for guarding the pyramids, restoring the pyramids, photographing the pyramids will be happy if I ask for the holes to be fixed, because I will not only increase their burden, but also bear witness to their dereliction of duty.”
"To sum up, the choice of reporting the problem is of no benefit to me at all, right?"
Ye Lai looked at Fu Xunyan. The other party spoke too calmly, so calmly that it seemed as if he was not the one who suffered the loss.
"So what? Are you going to let them move you to the back or to the side?"
Unexpectedly, Fu Xunyan's next words made him shudder. Ye Lai looked at Fu Xunyan and shook his head slightly, with a complicated smile on the corner of his mouth, which seemed to be happy but contained some kind of discomfort.
"It's really strange. Even though you've been in the industry for two years, you don't seem to be able to see through what's behind this."
"Can you please stop talking about these mysterious things?" Ye Lai really didn't understand why Fu Xunyan had been telling him riddles in just five minutes of conversation. "What does it mean?"
Unexpectedly, Fu Xunyan just glanced at him.
"I think you seem to believe in this show a little too much."
Is that so? Ye Lai was about to retort, but suddenly realized that it seemed to be true. He knew that the program represented capital and wouldn't be kind enough to protect the physical and mental health of all the trainees, but ever since he joined the program... he had always been positive about "New Century."
Because he saw that although the program was poor, at least money was spent on the stage and the selection of songs, so - so he thought the program as a whole was positive and upright.
But is this really true? Ye Lai broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't know when he started to let his guard down.
This show, that show, all shows, the ultimate goal is not to help trainees realize their dreams, but to gain popularity.
Pursue popularity.
Investing in the stage itself is just a strategy of "New Century", just like investing in hype is an option of "Go Forward".
The motive behind this action was not kind, considerate, or at least upright as he thought. Perhaps it was just a cold and ruthless plan, a direction proposed after balancing everything.
A good person does good things, a mediocre person does good things, a bad person happens to do good things - it's all possible.
Fu Xunyan watched Ye Lai's lips gradually turn pale, his eyes trembling.
"You don't have to be so shocked." Fu Xunyan put his hands in his pockets, his posture relaxed. "I didn't say how dark it was behind this. I just reminded you of a possibility."
Ye Lai raised his head in a daze, still feeling a little dizzy. He forced himself to divert his attention: "Then..."
"No matter what, let's finish the stage first." Fu Xunyan hooked his shoulders and pushed him from the darkness into the light.
Ye Lai turned around and saw the person still hidden in the darkness, his eyes shining.
“Only if you make yourself more valuable can you avoid being manipulated—this is our only solution at the moment.”
He was right. Ye Lai had to admit it. He looked at the busy crowd from a distance, and the stage manager was calling out the seats.
Ye Lai walked over, and his thin shoulders suddenly became broader than before.
"Tsk, the picture doesn't seem very harmonious." The chief director took some time to come to the rehearsal. He looked at the team from front to back with a very critical look, and then stopped at Fu Xunyan.
"Fu Xunyan, please stand second from the right."
The trainee who was originally standing in the second position was stunned and opened his mouth subconsciously: "Director, I..."
But he quickly realized that he shouldn't say too much, and awkwardly took a step back, giving his seat to Fu Xunyan.
Fu Xunyan didn't even show any surprise, which made the director realize that perhaps this young trainee had already guessed what he was going to do.
After the position adjustment, Fu Xunyan became the right protector, which can be said to be second only to the C position, and the amount of shots he had increased sharply.
Although the C position is definitely voted for collectively by the trainees, the position of Class A every year is not based on the recent votes of the trainees, but is allocated by the program team based on the current number of votes and re-evaluation results.
As for Fu Xunyan, he is definitely at the top of the list in terms of both the number of popular votes and the re-rating results, so from the very beginning he should have been one of the left and right protectors.
As for why the director put him at the bottom of the list in the beginning - everyone knows it, but their understandings may be different.
Those who did not know the truth thought that the production team must be worried about Fu Xunyan's "collapse", while the other trainees who knew the truth finally understood - it turned out that the production team had never given up on this explosive point from the beginning.
Ye Lai didn't look back at Fu Xunyan. He looked straight ahead with a dark look in his eyes.
The director cast a bait, and someone took it, and then, with the help of someone behind the scenes, the "bow tie incident" was created. As for whether Fu Xunyan knew about it...
Ye Lai felt that it was not important. The key to this matter lay in the intentions of those trainees. If they were not so vicious, this would not have happened.
After all, this is not really a "trial", it's just a coincidence, a coincidence that contains bad assumptions.
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