Chapter 38: Roommate's Secret, Rehearsal and Fan Support
At this time, Mo Bei, who was isolated from the outside world, did not know that one of his former teammates would soon appear on the show and planned to become his partner in the next round of performances.
He is currently still at the training base, busy preparing for the second round of performances with his new teammates.
Because this round of performances only requires completing a single performance, the contestants' training tasks are much easier than the first round.
Of course, ease is relative. To achieve better results, the contestants naturally dare not let their guard down for even a moment.
After all, when you are resting, others are practicing. And it is precisely because of this time difference that you are likely to be surpassed by others.
Furthermore, every contestant's performance is recorded. If someone slacks off, the footage might be released during the next main episode. This footage is obviously detrimental to the audience's impression of them.
Therefore, the players who are ranked lower dare not stop, because the crisis of elimination is like a knife hanging over their heads at all times.
They knew clearly that this performance might be their last on the show.
It is precisely because of this that they want to try their best without leaving any regrets.
After practice, Mo Bei went to the cafeteria to eat as usual with his groupmates Yi Chuheng and the others. While waiting in line, he saw Tao Xiaotie and Bai Li sitting together. Tao Xiaotie was devouring a mountain of chicken legs on his plate, while Bai Li would occasionally snatch one or two from him when he wasn't paying attention.
Not seeing any familiar figures, Mo Bei couldn't help but ask, "Where's Lei Lie?"
Not to mention Bai Li, Tao Xiaotie and Lei Lie, the two dining companions, had always been inseparable. This was true even after they were assigned to different groups. But now, seeing only Tao Xiaotie seemed a little strange.
Tao Xiaotie quickly finished a large chicken drumstick, wiped his mouth with a tissue and said, "He suddenly said he wasn't feeling well, so he went back to the dormitory to sleep."
"Uncomfortable?" Mo Bei was a little confused. "Weren't you fine yesterday?"
Tao Xiaotie shook his head, "I don't know either."
"Maybe the weather has changed so much recently that I caught a cold while sleeping at night."
Meeting Bai Li's meaningful gaze, Mo Bei couldn't help but pause.
That unsettling feeling came back.
He always felt that Bai Li seemed to really know something.
It wasn't just his secret.
There seems to be another hidden reason behind Lei Lie's physical discomfort.
Concerned, Mo Bei quietly asked the system——
"Does Bai Li know something?"
[What does the host mean...? ]
"Does he know my true identity?"
[Host, you're kidding. I'm not a worm in his body, so how can I know what he's thinking?]
“…”
"Can't you tell what I'm thinking?"
"That's different. The relationship between the system and the host is one of parasitoid and parasitized. Without privacy protection mode enabled, the system can naturally interpret the host's thoughts. However, the system isn't parasitic on Bai Li, so of course it can't spy on his thoughts."
“…”
Unable to obtain any useful information from the system, Mo Bei had no intention of continuing to discuss this meaningless topic with it.
After lunch, Yi Chuheng and the others went back to the practice room first, while Mo Bei went back to the dormitory on the pretext of "checking on Lei Lie's condition."
Because the performance was approaching, most contestants chose to stay in the practice room, and few came back to rest even during lunch break.
Carrying a box of tomato scrambled eggs with rice, Mo Bei pushed open the dormitory door: "Lei Lie, I brought you lunch, you should eat a little. If you still feel unwell, let the staff take you to the hospital."
However, the people in the house did not respond to him.
"Are you asleep?"
Putting down the packing bag, Mo Bei quietly walked to Lei Lie's bed.
I saw the quilt on the bed bulge and vaguely saw a human figure.
"Lei Lie?"
Mo Bei stretched out his hand and pushed, but his palm did not touch the sturdy body as expected. He saw the bulging quilt suddenly collapse, and there was no one on the bed at all, only a pillow!
Where is Lei Lieren?
Didn’t you say you were not feeling well and wanted to go back to the dormitory to rest?
After being stunned for a moment, Mo Bei reacted.
Lei Lie lied.
But why would he lie?
It can't be that the reason is to avoid practicing, which is completely unreasonable as soon as you hear it.
Mo Bei paused when he thought of Bai Li's meaningful smile.
It turned out that he was not overthinking it before. The other party really knew something.
Perhaps he should go back to Bai Li to clarify the situation. But reason told him that the most urgent thing was to find Lei Lie first.
So Mo Bei went to the toilet, washroom and other public areas of the dormitory building, but did not find anyone.
He had no choice but to return to the practice room. As expected, when he asked the other people in Lei Lie's group, they also said they hadn't seen him.
Unable to find Lei Lie, and seeing that the afternoon practice was about to begin, he had to give up temporarily.
By dinner time, Lei Lie still hadn't shown up.
Just as Mo Bei was hesitating whether to tell the program crew about Lei Lie's disappearance, Bai Li suddenly called him and said something intriguing.
"Everyone has secrets they don't want others to know."
"Although you have good intentions, I still want to remind you that it's best not to interfere at this time."
Hearing this, Mo Bei paused and looked at him: "Do you know something?"
"Do you want me to know or not?"
Facing Bai Li's half-smile, Mo Bei pursed his lips and stopped asking questions.
For some reason, his intuition told him that if he continued asking, the other party might really expose his secret.
Although he failed to obtain any useful intelligence, he was certain that Bai Li, as an insider, must be someone extraordinary.
However, so far he had no intention of revealing other people's secrets. His previous words were both a test and a reminder.
If you don't want to reveal your identity, it's best not to meddle in other people's business.
In fact, if you think about it carefully, apart from Lei Lie's sudden disappearance, the attitudes of other people around him are also a bit strange.
Not to mention Bai Li for now, Tao Xiaotie, his roommate, Lei Lie, his teammates in the same group, and even the staff of the program team, no one seemed to care much about the other's disappearance.
Some are simply unaware, while others know but don't care.
This made him feel very strange.
Lei Lie is a contestant in the high-ranking circle after all, and his sudden and inexplicable disappearance should definitely attract the attention of the program team.
However, things did not develop according to normal logic.
Somehow, Mo Bei always felt that something unusual was happening quietly.
Just as he expected, Lei Lie still hadn't appeared until nightfall. However, his roommates Bai Li and Tao Xiaotie didn't show any signs of worry.
This is very unusual.
After a day of practice, the exhausted contestants soon fell into a deep sleep.
While everyone was asleep, Mo Bei left the dormitory as usual. Avoiding the security cameras in the corridor, he stood in front of the bathroom window, which was in a blind spot, and felt the energy of the full moon.
Looking at the bright full moon hanging high in the sky outside the window, Mo Bei suddenly remembered that today seemed to be a full moon. And it had been a month since he returned to the world.
Bathed in the light of the full moon, he tried to fill his empty Dantian. At this moment, he heard a faint animal howl in the distance.
“Ouch…”
Is it a dog?
Mo Bei suddenly shuddered.
He stared out the window nervously, but there was nothing outside except a large patch of dark bushes.
Maybe I was just hallucinating. After all, no one had seen a dog in the park for so many days.
Just as Mo Bei was about to continue, that strange howl sounded again.
“Ouch—”
It's not hallucination! There's something out there!
And the barking was not from a dog but a wolf!
For a moment, Mo Bei's face was full of surprise.
How come there are wolves in the park?
Extremely frightened, he mustered up the courage to look out the window and concentrate on listening to the direction of the cry.
...seems to be near the auditorium.
[You don't want to go out, do you?]
"Um."
Mo Bei did not deny it. He reached out to grab the window and tried to climb out.
They were on the first floor, and perhaps because the film and television park was very confident in its security, the windows on the first floor were not welded with anti-theft windows. This made it convenient for him to climb out the window.
"Are you crazy? What if there really are wolves out there?"
Unlike its previous attitude of indifference, this time the system was clearly quite critical of Mo Bei's actions.
"No. There can't be wolves in the park."
Jumping down from the windowsill, Mo Bei said with a confident look on his face: "I have a feeling that this sound might be related to Lei Lie's disappearance."
Before Lei Lie's mysterious disappearance, wolf howling had never appeared.
Coupled with what Man Yue and Bai Li said earlier, it is hard not to make associations when all these factors are added together.
To be honest, he already had a rough idea of the truth of the matter, but in order to confirm it, he needed to go out and see for himself.
It was late at night and there was silence outside the dormitory building.
With the dim light of the street lamp, Mo Bei followed the faint howling sound and walked quietly towards the auditorium.
As we approached the auditorium, the wolf howling became clearer.
After passing the main entrance, Mo Bei came to the open space behind the auditorium.
Under the moonlight, a werewolf with long silver-gray hair looked up and howled at the sky. Seeing the familiar pair of slightly golden amber eyes, Mo Bei's guess was confirmed.
"Lei Lie, is that you?"
Hearing Mo Bei's voice suddenly, the werewolf opposite him froze.
A furry wolf head turned around, its eyes full of horror and disbelief.
"Mo...Mo Mo Nan brother?"
"It's me."
Upon hearing this, Lei Lie's entire wolf body was instantly petrified.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
Mo Bei could probably guess what he was thinking at the moment. Without using too many words to explain, Mo Bei took back the energy that filled his body into his dantian.
Afterwards, the hair, nails and fangs that had been retracted all grew out.
Looking at Mo Bei like this, Lei Lie, who was already frightened by the exposure of his secret, looked even more dazed.
Oh shit...it turns out Brother Mo Nan is a zombie?
For a moment, countless alpaca horses rushed out of his heart.
After the shock, Lei Lie gradually calmed down.
Thinking back carefully, Jiang Mo Nan's previous behavior was indeed rather strange.
His expression and body movements were always cold and stiff. He was never seen taking a bath in the bathhouse with anyone, and he never ate.
Thinking of this, Lei Lie suddenly realized that the other party had avoided him not because they hated him, but to avoid eating human food.
However, this phenomenon has improved recently, and Brother Mo Nan has started to eat normally.
Did something change happen to him?
Although he was puzzled, Lei Lie was well aware of the boundaries of life. It was rude to pry into other people's secrets without their permission. So he kept the question to himself.
After showing his true self, Mo Bei retracted his hair, nails and fangs.
"Can you believe me now? I'm not human anymore than you are."
Seeing Mo Bei revealing his cards to him, Lei Lie's inner tension and vigilance gradually subsided.
"Brother Mo Nan, how did you recognize me?"
Mo Bei confessed: "You've been missing for a whole day, and with the full moon today and the sudden wolf howling, it's hard not to make connections. And the color of your eyes is the same as when you were in human form."
"Of course, the key is because of what Bai Li said, otherwise I wouldn't think about it in this way."
Hearing this, Lei Lie was startled. "Bai Li? What did the fox say again?"
"fox?"
Mo Bei was startled when he heard his name.
"He is a vixen. Brother Mo Nan, don't you know?" Lei Lie tilted his head, somewhat incredulous.
Mo Bei: "..."
He really doesn't know.
"That's not important." Lei Lie waved his hand and continued to ask: "What did he say to you?"
"Nothing. After you disappeared, I wanted to ask the production crew for help, but Bai Li stopped me. He said, 'Everyone has secrets they don't want others to know.' I guess he wanted me to stay out of his business."
Mo Bei paused and said, "I always feel that he seems to know my identity. Otherwise, why would he say these words to me?"
"Of course." Lei Lie said with a knowing tone, "Besides Tao Xiaotie, the only one with the most seniority in our dormitory is White Fox."
Lei Lie's words were cryptic, but Mo Bei still understood the meaning. The so-called qualification was most likely the time it took to become a demon.
only……
"Tao Xiaotie? Isn't he a human being too?"
"He's a glutton." Lei Lie hesitated, "Don't you find that he's a big eater?"
Mo Bei: "..."
I found it, but I didn’t expect it to be Taotie.
One night, Mo Bei learned that none of his roommates were human. He was so shocked that he couldn't say anything.
And in Bai Li's view, his painstaking disguise may have been just an act of covering up one's own faults.
Thinking of this, Mo Bei felt a little depressed.
...I feel so angry!
Lei Lie, on the other hand, became more calm. "I thought we were the only three non-humans in our dormitory. I didn't expect you, Brother Mo Nan, would be there too."
"But if you think about it, given the white fox's annoying personality, he probably wouldn't want to share a room with humans. Maybe this guy arranged for the four of us to share a dormitory from the beginning."
Hearing this, Mo Bei came back to his senses.
Suddenly, he remembered the others' unusual behavior the day after Lei Lie disappeared. Suddenly, the previously unexplained phenomenon seemed to have a cause.
Although Bai Li despises Lei Lie, she protects his secret with her actions. Is this the tsundere look of a hypocrite?
Lei Lie sighed and continued, "I thought a half-werewolf like me wouldn't react so strongly to the full moon, but I didn't expect the transformation to be so swift. It's a good thing there aren't many people around the auditorium, otherwise I wouldn't have found a place to hide."
Hearing this, Mo Bei looked over in confusion: "Half-werewolf?"
Lei Lie nodded slightly and said, "My father is a werewolf, and my mother is human. So I am half werewolf, which is what we call a mixed-blood."
Mo Bei: "..."
I could tell right away that he was half-blood, but I really couldn't tell that he was half-werewolf.
As if recalling some unpleasant past, Lei Lie's tone became somewhat depressed, "A half-werewolf like me is not welcomed by the other werewolves in the tribe."
"Is it because of impure blood?"
Mo Bei asked bluntly, but Lei Lie seemed to be accustomed to such topics and did not show much melancholy or sadness.
"I guess so. Because the transformation of a half-werewolf is very unstable. After I turned 10, I never transformed on a full moon again. Because I couldn't transform into a wolf, the other werewolves in the tribe looked down on me, and also looked down on my father and mother."
“That’s why I wanted to participate in this competition.”
"I want to prove myself. Even though I'm half-werewolf, I'm more popular than them!"
Unexpectedly, there was such a story behind Lei Lie's participation in the talent show. For a moment, Mo Bei didn't know how to react.
Words of comfort, asking him not to take his fellow tribesmen's words to heart? Lei Lie didn't seem to need it. Because he didn't consider himself weak.
After thinking about it, Mo Bei finally patted him on the back and said, "You have done it."
Lei Lie grinned with his fangs and nodded, "Yes, I did it."
"Brother Mo Nan, what about you? Why do you want to participate in the talent show?"
Hearing this question, Mo Bei was stunned for a moment and answered vaguely: "There is no special reason. Maybe it's because I like the stage."
To avoid Lei Lie asking him how a zombie could like being on stage and when he became a zombie, Mo Bei immediately changed the subject and asked, "How long will it take for you to return to your original form?"
"Wait until tonight's full moon disappears."
Hearing this, Mo Bei sat down on the ground: "Then I'll accompany you."
Lei Lie was a little surprised, "Brother Mo Nan, you don't have to..."
"Don't be moved yet. I'm a zombie, and I need to bask in the moonlight."
"……All right."
Perhaps because they knew each other's secrets, the atmosphere between them was even more relaxed than usual. With nothing else to do, Mo Bei took the initiative to bring up the topic -
"There's something I've been wanting to ask you."
"What?"
"Why were you like that on the day of the recording of the first evaluation?"
Lei Lie was a little confused when he heard Mo Bei's question out of the blue: "What?"
"He stared at me, not saying anything, just frowning."
Mo Bei paused and said, "At that time, I thought I had offended you in some way."
"cough……"
Hearing this, Lei Lie coughed awkwardly, "Well, it's all a misunderstanding. I subconsciously frown when I think about something seriously."
"It's mainly because you and Mo Bei look so much alike. At that time, I was wondering whether your face was born like this or was the result of plastic surgery..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lei Lie seemed to realize that what he said was inappropriate, and he immediately said, "Brother Mo Nan, I absolutely do not mean to discriminate against plastic surgery!"
Hearing his explanation, which was even worse than no explanation at all, Mo Bei remained calm and said, "It's okay."
“…”
Seeing that the person in front of him was not angry, Lei Lie hesitated for a while, and finally asked the question he had always been curious about.
"Um, Brother Mo Nan. Are you sure this face of yours didn't have plastic surgery?"
"..." Mo Bei: "Have you forgotten that I'm a zombie?"
Lei Lie was stunned when he heard this, not quite understanding what he meant.
Mo Bei held his forehead helplessly: "How can I get plastic surgery on a zombie? Do I have to go to the funeral home and find a makeup artist to ask 'Make me look like Mo Bei'?"
“…”
Lei Lie suddenly realized: "That's true!"
*
After the full moon, the atmosphere in Dormitory No. 5 changed slightly.
After knowing the true identities of his roommates, Mo Bei was no longer as nervous as before, always guarding against exposing his zombie identity in front of them.
However, Bai Li and Tao Xiaotie's attitudes remained the same.
By seeing through things but not speaking them out loud, Dormitory No. 5 has achieved a harmonious and delicate balance.
After the full moon period, Lei Lie returned to his team. His teammates and the production crew seemed to have no recollection of his disappearance and raised no questions.
Time passed quickly, and the rehearsal before the performance soon arrived.
First time is new, second time is familiar. Because of the experience of the first round of performances, the contestants did not have to stay up all night the day before the performance to prepare like last time.
Rehearsals began the day before the performance.
The venue for the second round of performances is the same as the first round, but the difference is that the stage design is more exquisite than the last time.
The contestants rehearsed in the order of their performances for the next day.
Because this time, the competition was divided into three groups. Considering the audience's response, the production team placed the vocal group in the middle. The rap group was responsible for opening and heating up the stage, while the dance group, which was mostly composed of high-ranking trainees, was placed at the end.
Because Lei Lie and Tao Xiaotie both chose rap and they are in different groups, they are bound to face off when their teams compete for the best performance in the rap group.
Admittedly, the two people in the debut position are not short of the 100,000 votes reward, but it does not prevent onlookers from being curious about which group will win first place in the group.
However, Lei Lie and Tao Xiaotie, the dining duo, still ate, drank, and practiced as usual.
As for the vocal group, with Mo Bei at number 1 and Yi Chuheng at number 6, there seemed to be no suspense about being first in the group.
But the vocal strength of other groups is also strong, so it is not impossible for a dark horse to make a comeback.
No matter what the result is, just enjoy the stage.
And this is also Mo Bei's original intention.
Winning or losing is not important; what matters is that he can still stand on the stage and perform like a living person. This is the true meaning of his rebirth.
While the contestants were busy rehearsing, the fan circle on the other side was also bustling with activity.
As the second round of performances is approaching, fans from all groups are busy with offline support.
Coffee carts, food trucks, human-shaped standees, flower walls, fans use all kinds of ways to express their support for their idols.
Looking at the flower wall, drinks, and food trucks prepared by Jiang Mo Nan's fans in the distance, Sheng Yanyu's fans couldn't help but grit their teeth.
During this period, the vote gap between Sheng Yanyu and Jiang Mo Nan further increased.
Before the first round of voting, the votes between the two were still tied. However, as the first episode aired, a flurry of backstabbing by Sheng Yanyu's fans and Jiang Mo Nan's haters caused the name "Jiang Mo Nan" to go viral. This not only attracted many casual fans but also severely criticized Jiang Mo Nan's fans.
In a short while, the vote gap that had been closing at all costs was suddenly overtaken by the opponent by 250,000 votes!
This gap has gradually widened since the first round of rankings were announced. By the time the second round of performances began, a gap of over 700,000 viewers had opened between "Jiang Mo Nan" and Sheng Yanyu. And this gap is still widening.
One family rejoices, another suffers. Sheng Yanyu's fans never expected that they would end up losing more than they gained. They had only intended to crush their rivals, but unexpectedly, they ended up giving them an advantage.
Although Sheng Yanyu's fans have been urging him to vote daily in their chats, it's had little effect. As a result, the already severely damaged fan base has lost even more energy and fighting spirit.
Nowadays, they are not even as active as their opponents in voting, let alone preparing for offline support.
Compared with the gorgeous food truck and flower wall support opposite, these human-shaped standees look particularly shabby.
Noticing the envy in the eyes of the sisters who shared the burden, the big sister "Xinyu" of Sheng Yanyu's family coughed heavily and said -
"There's nothing to envy. Everyone's been busy voting lately, so we haven't been fully prepared for offline support. But it doesn't matter, next time we will definitely do better than the other side!"
Hearing this, everyone was stunned, and then nodded.
"That's right! This is only temporary. We will definitely do better next time!"
That being said, some discerning people also understood that this wasn't a matter of insufficient preparation.
Because the other side was also voting during this period, but they still had the energy to prepare these.
It's essentially a question of money and people.
Jiang Mo Nan's fans are willing to spend money, and even ordinary fans who don't have as strong financial resources as other fans are willing to invest their energy in doing practical things. Whether it's helping offline or promoting online, these are all ways to expand the casual fan base.
On the other hand, their fans are mostly family members of the company, fans of seniors, and fans of celebrities who buy stocks. In addition, there are elementary school students.
They brag all the time, but when it comes to paying money or doing things, they keep silent.
Not to mention that some time ago, an extreme fan intercepted a video to mock Jiang Mo Nan for having plastic surgery but was slapped in the face, which affected passers-by's perception of Sheng Yanyu.
Even if the video smearing Jiang Mo Nan was only directed by fans, and Sheng Yanyu himself did nothing, the outside world still sees fans and idols as one. It doesn't make sense to be a fan just for good things and expel them for bad things.
The idea that fans' idols pay for their mistakes isn't just a casual remark. Fans' behavior can actually influence how passersby perceive their idols.
In addition, he was overtaken in the first round of voting, which caused many of his fans who were just following the trend to run away.
Today's Sheng Yanyu fan circle seems to have a tough attitude, but in fact it is weak inside and cannot be compared with the past.
But this is not a bad thing. The celebrity fans and the empty-talking fans have left. Most of the people who can stay at this time are fans who truly like him.
Of course, this does not include irrational and extreme toxic fans.
This kind of person would be disliked in any family.
Compared with the slightly depressed atmosphere in Sheng Yanyu's home, the fans in Jiang Mo'nan's home were as lively as if it were the New Year.
Originally, they were worried that the voting lead was only temporary, but they never expected that the gap between the two would continue to widen during this period, and there would be a small gap.
When idols work hard, fans will feel confident and work harder.
Just like the food truck support and flower wall support this time, they are masterpieces created by several wealthy fans and many individual fans.
Fans with art backgrounds were responsible for the conception and design of the flower wall, while the implementation and execution were left to others. In short, those with money contributed money, and those with strength contributed strength.
There's no forced spending, no preaching, and no cult-like pep talk. Everything the fans do comes from the heart. They genuinely like Jiang Mo Nan and support him with concrete actions.
It is precisely because of this that the entire Jiang Mo Nan fan circle is brimming with positive energy.
After hanging up the last decoration, Cai Shumin wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at the beautiful flower wall in front of him, and nodded with satisfaction.
Although it is not as big as the flower walls of some top fans’ support, it is also full of ingenuity.
The purple forget-me-nots and white lisianthus complement each other, and the beautiful star lights dotted in between make the scene even more dreamy.
In the center of the flower wall are some of Jiang Mo Nan's most viral fan photos: Under the spotlight on stage, greeting fans offline. Their styles are vastly different, but every moment is him.
To support the flower wall, several fans from Yuehai City came to the scene a day in advance to set up the scene. It took them nearly a day to get it to where it is now.
The location of the flower wall was chosen in the most conspicuous area opposite the main entrance.
Fortunately, the other contestants’ fans are not as large as theirs, otherwise it would be difficult to grab such a good position.
After happily taking a check-in photo with her sisters, Luo Xinyi clasped her hands together and said, "I hope Nannan will like our support."
Cai Shumin smiled: "I definitely will."
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