Day 5
At 10:30 in the evening, the entire building of "New Century Idol" was still brightly lit, and today's filming had not yet been completely completed.
All trainees changed into clothes corresponding to their levels. A was pink, B was blue, C was yellow, D was green, and the worst F was only a dull gray.
In their dormitory, only Da Pei was ranked A, and Fu Xunyan was ranked B.
Chen Chi and Bai Wenji were somewhat different. Chen Chi was good at dancing, while Bai Wenji was actually the heir of Kunqu Opera. His skills in singing, reciting, acting and fighting were all acquired since childhood, and were incredibly solid.
But when it comes to this show, he faces the challenge of not adapting to the local climate. Before overcoming these difficulties and finding a way to adapt, Bai Wenji will probably find it difficult to smile.
Both received a D in daytime ratings.
"Everyone." The assistant frowned as he held up his table card, trying to explain the rules in the simplest language. It was already late, and even in this industry where overtime was the norm, no one would mind leaving get off work early.
"The next five days will be for the re-evaluation of the initial stage. You will have five days to learn our program's theme song, 'Thousands of Stars.' After five days, Teacher Jiang Sulin and the other mentors will re-evaluate each contestant based on their recorded videos. Only trainees who receive an A will have the opportunity to participate in the selection of the theme song's center position."
Everyone's breath caught when they heard that word.
Even Fu Xunyan slowed down his breathing - the "C position", especially the "C position of the theme song", is as important as the apple hitting Newton on the head.
Of course, this is for this group of trainees.
An episode of the show is no more than 120 minutes long. Excluding group portraits, mentors, transitions, and procedures, the average time allocated to each trainee is less than half a minute.
What's more, the word "average" does not apply here at all.
A center position in the theme song doesn't just mean an extra three or four seconds of screen time; it means standing out. If one product out of a hundred gets an extra three seconds in front of people's eyes, everyone will be more impressed.
Fu Xunyan never had this ambition, so he failed.
Once again... He still had no obsession.
It's not that he doesn't care about the C position. If he does what he can and all the conditions are right, the C position will naturally be his. But if those conditions are not there, missing the C position doesn't mean he didn't try his best.
The young man with clear and elegant eyebrows and eyes of just the right shade had a casual look, which made him look very different from the young people around him who were eager to try. Da Pei, Bai Wenji and Shen Chi looked at him several times.
To be honest, they found Fu Xunyan very difficult to understand from the very beginning. He was like a prophet who could see through the danger before everyone else when they were having a party. No one could remove the deep thought from his face.
"So, trainees, please seize these few days to learn the theme song. Tomorrow, corresponding teachers will be stationed in each practice room. Please go to the class corresponding to your level. Every morning will be for group practice, and the afternoon will be for group study. After 7 pm, the practice rooms will remain open for free practice."
"I wish you all good luck in your studies."
**
Two years ago, the "H" trend began its massive influx. By 2013, after the lingering enthusiasm for H-stars faded, many Chinese audiences began to reflect on the state of the domestic entertainment industry. Amidst a wave of expectations and low self-esteem, audiences developed a rebellious mentality, yearning for a group in their home market that could rival the strength of Korean idols.
Capitalists seized this opportunity and began to learn from Country H to establish an idol development system. Suddenly, "idol experiments" appeared in the domestic market like mushrooms after a rain. This group of young people were capable but not outstanding. After a brief period of harvesting, they were quickly eliminated by the market.
During this period, talent shows were in full swing, but everything came to an abrupt end soon after - the industry's insider information and the pursuit of fame and fortune by some capitalists destroyed the overall rules. They exploited loopholes, and their short-sighted nature led them to destroy the Great Wall.
In order to curb the bad trend, the talent show was ordered to be suspended.
It was not until recently that talent shows were restarted, as loopholes in this emerging industry were filled and regulations were improved.
The performers who had been suffocated for many years seemed to be released from a cage and couldn't wait to breathe in the purified fresh air.
There are new idols in the country in the past two years, but how can the finished products created by the companies be compared with the growing ones that they have nurtured and encouraged along the way?
Major companies have long imposed strict rules and regulations on trainees. From the moment they debut, they are no longer simply "people," but rather packaged commodities. Only in talent shows, with their sheer number of trainees and the juggling of forces, do they retain some "authenticity"—even if that authenticity is sometimes immature and inappropriate.
Liu Yu, who just entered the society after graduating from college, was once a loyal fan of talent shows. Starting from the first internal talent show in H country more than ten years ago, she has watched no less than ten similar variety shows so far, and she is very familiar with the routines in them.
Although she has been following H-entertainment for ten years, Liu Yu has to admit that she still hopes that her country can establish an equally powerful industrial chain and launch idols with better quality and more national characteristics.
It’s a pity that two years ago, the program ended up being a mess after copying the original. The program was even cancelled within two years.
Liu Yu, who has already joined a new media company, is browsing her phone as usual. As her student days passed, her attention shifted from those idols to more long-term film and television stars.
"Huh? What is this?" The moment Liu Yu's eyes came into contact with the news, she couldn't help but exclaim.
The beautiful colleague next to me came over and said, "Oh, it's these two shows. There were rumors about them being aired two months ago, but I didn't expect them to be officially announced until now."
"Hey Xiao Yanagi, I remember you were pretty knowledgeable about the idol industry, right? Don't you know this?"
Liu Yu spoke faster than she could think. "Yeah, but you know, wasn't the policy against it two years ago? The talent shows back then were really over the top, practically ripping people off, so I haven't watched them in a while."
The beautiful colleague had just finished her work, so she took a break and checked her phone with Liu Yu.
"Even though I don't watch talent shows, I can still appreciate the handsome guys—wow, the ages of these young people are really scary. The post-90s generation dominates the market now. These guys were all born in 1995 or 1996. By comparison, I look like an old lady."
"...You know what, you really don't know. Even though these official photos look like ghosts, you can still see a few particularly handsome ones."
"Huh? Really? Why do they all look so greasy and powdered? Oh, there are two shows. Aren't you watching 'Go! Boys'?"
"Ah, that... well, that show had way too much pre-production marketing. I couldn't stand watching any of their promotions, and I didn't find any particularly good-looking guys. The hype was all hyped up by the production team themselves. I'm talking about New Century Idol. There were quite a few really handsome guys there!"
"Look at this guy, his name is Bai Wenji? He has such a decent temperament, just like a gentleman in ancient costume."
"This Ye Lai's name is quite unique and looks familiar—wait, is he a member of a Korean group? I seem to have some impression of him."
The beautiful colleague was muttering to herself, and suddenly fell silent. Liu Yu looked at her curiously.
"What's wrong? You look like your eyes are popping out of your head."
"this!"
Before Liu Yu could react, the other person's phone was almost directly touching her face. When Liu Yu took a breath and stepped back a little, a dazzling face came into view.
The official photo of the young man was particularly special, especially among a group of reserved trainees. Although he faced the camera with the same upright posture, his eyes seemed to be able to penetrate the lens and reach people's hearts.
The lowered eyebrows are long and thick, and the long eyelashes make the eyes look deeper. The fox eyes are beautifully shaped and of moderate size, always attracting people's attention and making them unable to leave.
The young man's hair was not very long, just above his shoulders, but slightly curled, looking particularly lazy and casual, very much like a wandering artist in a retro picture.
Her cherry lips are thin and gently pursed, captivating and charming.
"What a unique style." Even Liu Yu, absentmindedly, took her colleague's phone and continued to admire the face. "I've been following talent shows for so many years and have seen melancholic beauties, delicate beauties, and fragile young people, but I've never seen this lazy, languid type."
"Yeah, yeah, I think it's pretty special too," my colleague agreed enthusiastically, grabbing his phone to continue scrutinizing the face. "He's absolutely stunning. A little bit 'squishy,' you know, but thankfully he looks like he works out, so he's in great shape. He's very manly without looking overly cosmetic."
Liu Yu's phone was taken away from her, and she couldn't wait to type his name into her own phone, agreeing, "Indeed, that face is perfect for the big screen—the kind of band member in a youth pain movie, definitely a box office hit. What a shame, why did he become a trainee instead of just being happy?"
My beautiful colleague rolled her eyes and said, "Isn't it good to have a stage? No matter what industry you're in, you need to show up more often to have opportunities."
"Fu Xunyan? That's a nice name, too. I feel like he has an ancient temperament from beginning to end, a completely different ancient temperament from that Bai Wenji—wait, I'm already starting to like them both, what should I do? Don't you think one is like a hermit or a graceful young man, while the other is like an ambitious prince? In other words, the two of them can definitely engage in that kind of robbery drama, hehe."
“…Stop looking at those crooked ways!”
Liu Yu's heart skipped a beat. In that moment, her long-gone passion for talent shows and idol chasing seemed to rekindle. The young man before her, with just a face and a name, transported her back to the frenzied summer days of voting.
The cheers of my sisters are still ringing in my ears, and the thought of "Why can't our country have a representative idol" comes back to my mind.
If only he were the one—Liu Yu thought unconsciously, wouldn't it be suitable? He has both popular and classical charm.
It would be great if this Fu Xunyan not only had an outstanding appearance, but also had strong abilities and excellent character.
With such expectations in mind, Liu Yu followed the official Weibo account of "New Century Idol" and discovered that the show would officially air in five days. Currently, only the official photos had been released, but the theme song music video would be released in five days.
She suddenly had a strong anticipation for three days later.
After exiting the official blog, she followed the formula to take a photo of the only information available and found the account of @Baoyin Entertainment-Fu Xunyan.
He doesn't post a lot of updates, the earliest one being from a month ago. Of his sixteen updates, twelve are blurry, casual photos of him at work, while the other four are half- or full-body shots.
The background is invariably the company's practice room, and the young man standing in the empty room fills the entire picture by himself - these selfies are quite high-quality, at least aesthetically pleasing, and without any greasy movements or expressions.
Of course—almost every photo shows only a chin or a forehead or an eye.
Mysterious and attractive.
Liu Yu clicked the follow button without hesitation, only to find that among his 10,000 followers, there was actually one person she knew.
"Apeng?"
"Huh? What Apeng?" The colleague was startled by Liu Yu's exclamation.
"No, nothing." Liu Yu pursed her lips and didn't say anything, but her heart was in turmoil and even her heart rate was unbalanced.
She was not mistaken, it was Apeng - the lotus pod that loved to eat idols, the photography boss who had once chased the same group as her, and also the super powerful fan girl back then.
A wealthy and influential person, Apeng, who loves eating lotus seeds, may not be the most famous in the circle, but he has the best reputation. However, he temporarily gave up chasing idols to study abroad four years ago. After returning, the group he followed disbanded, and Apeng resolutely closed the website. It has been a year or two since then.
Unexpectedly...
Liu Yu's heart was moved, and her fingers slowly moved upwards, hesitating between the portraits of Fu Xunyan and Apeng.
Less than a day after Liu Yu followed Fu Xunyan, amid the overwhelming marketing of "Go Forward", "New Century" finally released some sporadic footage.
The short film, which lasted a total of half an hour, showed scenes of trainees choosing dormitories, Ye Lai visiting the dormitories and eating in the cafeteria.
[A newcomer from the entire school is online: #draft# Hehe, I just laugh, but the production team is so openly praising the royal family, isn't that too much? Why does he get seven minutes of material all to himself?]
My daughter is Ye Zi: #Award #@SchoolwideA Newcomer Royal Family! Isn't it normal for my daughter to be interviewed since she's the most popular? Otherwise, why not find your family?
[Universe Fairy: #Audition#@All School Online A Newcomer is like this, this show has 30 million hits, at least 20 million of which was contributed by the Ye family sister. I don't understand what you're all complaining about. You're happy if the show flopped, right?]
[I'm the passerby: #Award# Good fellow, please fight louder! It's been two years! I haven't smelled this familiar smell of war in two years! God understands me!]
[Keke's mom: #draft# Hahahaha I'm dying of laughter, you're the one up there, you're worthy of it!]
[Fish & Chips: #draft# Oh my god! That little brother in 3.22s! Give me all his information within a minute! Prprpr, this is so beautiful I'm banging my head against the wall! Don't you guys only have mouths to argue with and eyes to appreciate beauty?]
[Cheesecake Pie: #draft#! The people upstairs have sharp eyes! I went back and saw that handsome guy too, he's absolutely stunningly handsome! I want his info too! Squat!]
[What a white lotus: #draft#! Please give me some praise, I found it for you (attached .Jpg). With my good eyesight, this should be Fu Xunyan. His official photos went viral in our Xiufen group. Didn't you know?]
[French Fries and Fish: #draft#! Damn! I seem to remember a trainee who had zero followers before the competition, but then posted an official photo and his followers shot up to 10,000. Is that him?]
[Cheesecake Pie: #draft#! Oh, it seems so! I have that impression too.]
[Xiao Mihu: #draft#!]
[AABBCC: #draft#! !]
[Never Take an Exam: #Draft#! ! !]
[Three-digit deposit: #draft#Ahhhh! The way he looks at him is so affectionate!]
[Not called Silly: #show#smoke.jpg, I knew there were trainees trying to sell me out, but if it's this couple... I support them, please get married immediately!]
[A White Lotus: #draft# The sexual tension between the two of them is absolutely amazing. Hey guys, the others are looking for roommates, but you guys are clearly looking for wives!]
In the camera, two young men gazed calmly at each other across the bustling crowd. The flickering light illuminated their perfect profiles, making the few seconds of silence stretch infinitely longer.
One had a smile in his eyes, a frivolous but not annoying expression, like a beast aiming at its prey; the other's eyelashes trembled slightly, like a butterfly flying among decaying flowers, flapping its wings towards the light.
The other people gradually became out of focus, but their figures were so clear that it made people cry.
A website for the two of them was quickly established, named "Yanda Wensheng", which is just like the feeling this couple gives people, hazy and unreal.
Fu Xunyan's face is indeed very good, and his unconcealed sharpness directly increases his charm value to the maximum, and his wanton and dangerous temperament is fully exposed in the official photos.
Although many people say that he looks like a bad boy, there is no doubt that such an exposed temperament is particularly eye-catching.
Thus, the entry "New Century's Fu Xunyan, a Jade-Faced Scumbag" unexpectedly broke through the trending searches bought by the next page and climbed to the top of the trending searches, while "Fu Xunyan, a Glance in the Crowd" also took the second place. Even if it was just a few hours, it was enough for many people who had not previously known him to quickly become fascinated by him.
The director of "New Century" was overjoyed. He patted the shoulder of the girl who captured the shot of Fu Xunyan and Da Pei looking at each other, and praised her for her good vision.
But a faint sadness followed and clouded the director's heart - should he make this bet on Fu Xunyan?
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