Chapter 56 Preparations for War
There is less than half a month left until the group’s formation night.
During this time, the contestants needed to complete the music, choreography, staging, costumes, and stage design for the performance, as well as assign and practice their parts. On top of that, they also had to practice the group chorus and the theme song, which clearly didn't leave enough time.
But there is motivation only when there is pressure.
Because of the tight time schedule and heavy workload, after the groups were assigned, the two teams of contestants immediately went to their respective practice rooms to prepare.
The 10 people in the red group that Mo Bei was in sat together and started their first group meeting after being divided into groups.
Except for Xu Tingchuan, with whom he had never worked together before, Mo Bei and the rest of the members were already quite familiar with each other.
Oddly enough, as both contestants were in the debut position and had gone through three rounds of performances, this was the first time that Mo Bei was assigned to the same group with the other contestant.
Xu Tingchuan, like Zhao Chen and Yi Chuheng, was also a contestant in Class B. Mo Bei's impression of him was that he was very good at dancing. During the second public performance, he seemed to be in the same group with Sheng Yanyu and Zhong Gaoyi, and they eventually won first place in the dance group.
He remembered that in the just-concluded third round of rankings, Xu Tingchuan rose from 6th to 5th. Yi Chuheng, who was originally ranked 5th, fell back to 6th. As for Chang Jun, after falling from 5th to 8th in the second round, his ranking fell to 9th this time.
His ranking kept dropping, and no matter how well Chang Jun tried to hide it, one could still sense his unhappiness.
Because of the internet outage, the contestants didn't know why Chang Jun's ranking dropped. However, for those contestants who were desperately trying to climb up, this was actually a good thing.
In contrast to Chang Jun, who started high and ended low, Xu Tingchuan has maintained a steady upward trend since the first round of rankings, rising by one place each time the rankings are announced.
This may be due to his outstanding dancing skills and relatively cool appearance and personality.
Unlike Mo Bei, who was a fake cool guy who had to be aloof due to his physical condition, Xu Tingchuan exuded a truly cool aura from head to toe.
His hair was a little long, almost covering his entire neck, and his unkempt bangs almost covered his eyebrows and eyes, which made him look a little gloomy.
But if you pull back his bangs, you'll find a pair of beautiful, distinctive almond-shaped eyes. Coupled with his high nose bridge and thin lips, his expression appears rather sharp when he's not smiling.
Coupled with the black skull earrings and the snake tattoo on his arm, even if he doesn't say a word, he still exudes the aura of a boss who is not to be messed with.
Not to mention Mo Bei, the temporary captain, even the other players in the group who were not familiar with Xu Tingchuan didn't know how to talk to him.
"Achuan, I've told you so many times, don't keep a straight face for no reason, it's easy to scare people!"
Yi Chuheng, who was most familiar with Xu Tingchuan, slapped him on the back, causing the cool guy with a cold expression in front of him to stagger.
Seeing this, everyone was suddenly shocked.
In their opinion, Yi Chuheng, who did this, was as bold and suicidal as a guy plucking hair from a tiger's butt.
However, facing Xu Tingchuan's murderous gaze, Yi Chuheng remained calm. He smiled at everyone and said, "Don't be afraid. Although this guy looks like a gangster, he's actually a good person."
Zhao Chen, who shared a dormitory with the two men, nodded in agreement: "Yes, Brother Chuan is a good man."
Zhong Gaoyi, who had worked with Xu Tingchuan in the same group, also echoed: "Brother Chuan is a good person, not scary at all."
Xu Tingchuan, who was labeled a good person by all three of them: "..."
Because of this little episode, the contestants who originally didn't know how to get along with Xu Tingchuan gradually relaxed their tense nerves.
After all, Yi Chuheng had obviously used a lot of force in that slap just now, but Xu Tingchuan was not really angry. Perhaps the other party was not as difficult to deal with as they thought.
After the jokes, the meeting got back on track.
The first thing to do is to discuss the concept style of this stage and finalize everyone's division of labor.
Although "Youth Travel" is a Chinese-style R&B dance song, the music, choreography and lyrics are all blank, so there are many things that the contestants can change.
The original demo's melody is catchy and memorable. Although it's not a grand and majestic song, it still carries the youthful vivacity and spirited spirit of youth.
In fact, after listening to the demo of the entire song "Shaonianyou", Mo Bei already had an idea for adapting it.
After his overseas debut, he began to try writing his own songs due to personal interest.
He studied like this for several years and gradually acquired the professional knowledge related to composition, arrangement and mixing.
However, boy group auditions usually only test contestants' singing, dancing and rap skills. If the program team had not changed the format this round, Mo Bei might not have had the opportunity to show off his arranging skills.
Because no one else in the "Shaonianyou" group understood professional music production, the task of arranging the music was given to Mo Bei.
The remaining choreography and lyrics were given to Zhong Gaoyi and Zheng Xingye respectively.
As talented contestants from Class A, the former is not only good at dancing but also has experience in choreography, while the latter, as a rapper, often writes lyrics. Giving them these two tasks is a testament to their expertise.
The music, choreography, and lyrics were assigned to three people each. Once the overall composition was complete, the entire team met to discuss and make final revisions. Once the final product was finalized, the specific parts were assigned.
Because the original composition was already excellent, Mo Bei already had a rough idea of the song's arrangement and mix when he got the demo. All that remained was to complete it.
Taking into account the special nature of this round of performances, the program team has opened up access to various musical instruments to the contestants. Anyone who needs one can borrow one by simply saying hello to the relevant person in charge.
After the group meeting, Mo Bei immediately asked the staff of the program team for an electronic keyboard and a guitar, and also borrowed a recording studio with professional music production equipment.
Lu Xiaoyin was a little surprised by Jiang Mo Nan's request: "You can actually compose music?"
Mo Bei nodded vaguely: "A little."
Fortunately, the other party did not ask too many questions and approved his request very readily.
Because the arrangement, choreography and lyrics have not been finalized yet, the other contestants are able to take a break from their busy schedule.
Seeing that Mo Bei was about to start arranging music, Yi Chuheng and Zhao Xi, who had nothing better to do, followed him. Since they couldn't practice right now, they might as well help him with some advice. This might even speed up the process.
Mo Bei was seen strumming the guitar for a while, then picking up a pen to write and draw on paper.
Yi Chuheng, with his sharp ears, immediately recognized that the melody he played was the demo of "Youth Travel". The difference was that the melody played on guitar had a more pop music feel.
"Brother Mo Nan, I didn't expect you could actually play the guitar."
Zhao Xi's face was full of admiration.
On the side, Yi Chuheng nodded in agreement. "You can play the whole thing after just one listen, and without any sheet music. Aren't you amazing?"
Facing the flattery of his teammates, Mo Bei smiled and said nothing.
"What other instruments can you play?"
Mo Bei was stunned when he heard Xu Tingchuan's question out of the blue. He said, "I know a little bit about piano, electronic organ, bass, and drums."
As soon as he finished speaking, the boy in front of him, who had a stern and cold face, suddenly brightened up his eyes, revealing shock and admiration that was inconsistent with his cool image.
Being looked at like this by the other party, Mo Bei unexpectedly felt a little funny.
"If you're interested, I can teach you someday when I have time."
As soon as these words were spoken, the joy on Xu Tingchuan's face became even more uncontrollable.
"good!"
This was the first time Mo Bei saw Xu Tingchuan smile. His originally sharp eyes revealed a completely different affinity than usual when he smiled, and at first glance, he looked a little cute.
Of course, if you ignore the tattoo on his arm and the skull stud in his ear.
Seeing this, Yi Chuheng couldn't help but smile with relief.
He and Xu Tingchuan were childhood friends. Others didn't understand Ah Chuan, but he knew him best. Although this guy looked fierce and seemed to have a rather cold personality, he was actually a very simple-minded person.
Whether it is learning street dance, getting tattoos or earrings, his motivation for doing these things mostly comes from the word "cool".
After learning that Jiang Mo Nan could compose music and play so many cool instruments, how could this middle school boy who likes to act cool not admire him?
Especially when he heard that Jiang Mo Nan was willing to teach him, he became visibly happy for a moment.
Often, it only takes a small opportunity to break down barriers, and a new friendship often emerges after this opportunity.
Because of his fierce gaze and reserved personality, Xu Tingchuan had drawn considerable misunderstanding in the past. During previous performances, most of his teammates, though polite on the surface, were secretly complaining about his personality.
But Jiang Mo Nan was different. He behaved extremely calmly from the beginning and was not scared off by his appearance. Now he even took the initiative to teach him how to play musical instruments.
More importantly, Jiang Mo Nan is a very reliable person.
When he learned that they needed to compose the music, choreograph the dances, write the lyrics and even plan everything on stage for this round of performances, he felt like the sky was falling.
Unexpectedly, after the team was formed, Jiang Mo Nan immediately made the assignment of tasks, which made him, who was originally at a loss, find his backbone all of a sudden.
Compared to the coolness that he created simply by outward appearance, Jiang Mo Nan was the real man who was extremely cool from the inside out.
Be calm, not afraid of difficulties, and be responsible.
Even Mo Bei himself didn't expect that a casual remark he made would unknowingly cause Xu Tingchuan to cast a terrifying filter over him.
And in the future, when they become teammates, this filter will become even thicker.
Of course, this is all in the past.
After the brief banter, Mo Bei once again devoted himself fully to the composition of the music.
At Yi Chuheng's suggestion, he added a flute piece at the beginning of the song, which made the arrangement richer and more flexible.
A few hours later, when Mo Bei played the final version to his teammates, everyone's face was filled with amazement.
"Oh my god! This is too awesome!"
Zheng Xingye, who had just walked into the recording studio to discuss lyrics with his teammates, couldn't help but marvel when he heard the final arrangement.
Zhao Xi waved at the person who came and said, "Brother Ye, how's the lyrics coming along?"
Zheng Xingye scratched his head and said, "It's written, but it may need some revisions. How about you give me some advice?"
Hearing this, everyone gathered around.
To align with the theme of "Youthful Travel," Zheng Xingye emphasized the youth's high-spirited chivalry in the lyrics. The lyrics are bold and dramatic, a true reflection of Zheng Xingye's style.
Seeing his teammates looking at the lyrics seriously, the usually carefree Brother Ye was a little nervous this time.
"...How is it? Is it not well written? I'll revise it."
"No. It's very well written."
Mo Bei was the first to give his approval. "It's just that some places need to be slightly changed to make it more rhyming, but overall there's no problem. What do you think?"
Yi Chuheng nodded, "This poem is indeed well written."
"You're worthy of being a rapper! You're really good at writing lyrics!" Zhao Xi patted his shoulder.
Seeing that his teammates gave unanimous praise, Zheng Xingye, who was originally worried, suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
Compared to the smooth writing of lyrics and arranging of music, the choreography that Zhong Gaoyi was responsible for was more demanding.
Because it is an R&B Chinese style dance music, in order to match the style of the music, he wants to add Chinese style elements to the dance, and it would be best to incorporate some classical dance.
But the problem was that he was a complete layman in this area, so just looking for information took him a lot of effort.
Adding 10 people to the choreographies, the dance movement arrangement becomes more complicated. It is still a bit difficult for one person to complete this task.
Fortunately, my teammates, who had finished arranging the music and writing the lyrics, came over to help. With everyone contributing, the flame grew stronger, and after two days of polishing, the final choreography was finally finalized.
At this point, the practice of the "Shaonianyou" group began to slowly get on track.
Because this round of performances involves 10 people, each person is assigned fewer words than before. This also means that the contestants need to complete their parts in a shorter time and leave a deep impression on the audience.
To this end, Zhong Gaoyi put a lot of effort into the choreography.
Based on each person's dancing ability and personal characteristics, he tried his best to maximize the visual effect of the choreography while ensuring the unity of the dance style.
Especially Bai Li, who has the worst dancing ability in the team. Because he has a poor dancing foundation but good looks, the choreography of his part emphasizes the stretching of the limbs. Everything is done to pursue a more beautiful visual effect.
As for Zheng Xingye, who has a more unrestrained image, the choreography of his singing part will emphasize more on the sense of power.
Because there are so many people, even contestants with weaker dancing skills can be hidden by their positions, thus achieving the effect of highlighting their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses. However, in contrast, the dance moves will also be much more complicated.
Fortunately, after experiencing the test of the first three rounds of performances, the contestants have long been accustomed to this high-pressure state. In addition, the program team gave them more practice time this time, so the contestants did not have to be in a hurry.
In addition to the choreography and movement, Mo Bei suddenly came up with an idea to add a highlight to the stage during rehearsal: to have the contestants bring folding fans on stage.
When the chorus begins and the 10 people walk forward together, they can open their fans. It's like a group of high-spirited teenagers on a spring outing, which also reflects the theme of the song "Youth Travel".
That's how it is. Everyone gives suggestions, and we work together to get in touch with each other and practice.
Slowly, the skeleton and flesh of a performance took shape.
The choreography of 10 people is much more complicated than before. In order to keep up with the progress, Bai Li has been actively practicing these days.
Because he practiced for too long and consumed too much physical energy, his appetite increased greatly these days, and he was almost catching up with Tao Xiaotie, who had always been a big eater.
However, no matter how much he eats, he never gains weight, which is something that makes Zheng Xingye, who was ordered by the production team to reduce fat and can only eat boiled vegetables and cucumber salad, very envious.
Zheng Xingye is not alone. Recently, many contestants who do not meet the body fat standard have been asked by the production team to eat diet meals. In the cafeteria, they can only get a variety of specially boiled vegetables or cold salads.
"Damn it! Why can't you gain weight no matter how much you eat?"
Looking at Bai Li and Tao Xiaotie eating with relish, Cui Junxi, who was passing by with a tray of food, couldn't help but drool in envy... Oh no, tears.
On the side, Lei Lie, who was also eating a fat-reducing meal, fell into silence.
The reason these two can't gain weight is simply because they're not human. One is a powerful fox demon, the other a gluttonous ancient beast. Even the little food on their plates isn't enough for them.
Brother Mo Nan is a zombie, and eating is just a disguise. Since he can't digest human food normally, he doesn't have to worry about gaining weight.
Only werewolves like him, who were not of pure blood, would worry about gaining weight.
But only he himself knows the truth.
Thinking of this, Lei Lie angrily took a big bite of the cucumber.
While the contestants were busy managing their body shapes and preparing for the performance, the program team also released the pre-sale link for the group night tickets on the official website.
Lu Yu, who had just finished the college entrance examination two days ago, was about to go online to check the current number of votes for his brother Mo Nan, but he never expected to see the ticket sales page in front of him.
He hadn't seen Mo Nan perform live since the auditions. Finally, after the Gaokao (college entrance exams) were over and he was free, it just so happened to be the group's debut night. Naturally, he had to go see him live.
However, before he could place an order to grab the tickets, he saw Zhuo Yanbin, the director of "Youth Project", sent him a message:
Are you free next Sunday?
Before he could wonder what the director meant by this message, he heard another message from the other side -
[That day was the group's debut night performance. All contestants were welcome to invite their friends and family to watch the performance.]
[Jiang Mo Nan would like to invite you and your family.]
There are only three family-based tickets available. If you're not available, I'll have to ask him to find someone else.
[I’m free! Of course I’m free!]
Lu Yu answered hurriedly, fearing that the other party would go back on his word.
[Director Zhuo: That's fine. Give me your address and I'll have the tickets mailed to you later.]
The surprise came so suddenly that Lu Yu breathed a sigh of relief when he looked at the ticket purchase page in front of him where he had not yet placed an order.
After sending the address to the director, Lu Yu jumped up from the bed in an instant and ran to the kitchen to announce the good news to his grandmother.
The old man had never been to a concert, and while he was delighted, he also started to worry about what he should wear on the day of the performance.
At the same time, Lu Yu sent a message in the group -
A fish that wants to sing: "Brother Mo Nan asked the production team to send me three tickets for the group's debut night, which will be next Sunday."
Not long after the message was sent, a reply popped up:
Blind your brother Yao: "I won't go. I have to help with housework."
Zhou Mingyao is the son of a factory worker. Just two days after the college entrance exam, his parents dragged him to the factory to work as a screwdriver. The excuse was: to earn tuition.
Then Fan Le replied below:
"Although I don't have a summer job, I need to get my driver's license this summer. I have to go to driving school next Sunday, so I can't go."
Lu Yu: "..."
Before he could even say anything, everyone refused.
Although he hadn't originally planned to invite them. He was just there to show off. But being rejected before he even said anything was not a pleasant feeling.
After thinking about it, he just replied: "Oh."
Just as he was about to exit the chat software, he suddenly received a message from his classmate Lu Tingting -
"Are you going to the group's debut night next week?"
Lu Yu was taken aback by the unexpected message, then replied, "Yes, go. Brother Mo Nan sent me three tickets. I'll go with my family."
As soon as the message was sent, a barrage of messages came from the other side.
Lu Tingting: "Did Jiang Mo Nan send you tickets? Three of them???"
Lu Tingting: "(Lemon)(Lemon)(Lemon)"
Lu Tingting: "I really envy you. We spent a lot of money to get tickets, but many people still didn't get them..."
Seeing Lu Tingting so excited, Lu Yu remembered that she was a veteran star chaser and show fan.
Ever since he campaigned for Mo Nan at school, he'd inexplicably become a "women's friend." These star-chasing female classmates would approach him whenever there was any activity related to "Youth Project."
But he didn't hate this feeling.
Lu Tingting felt jealous for a while before she brought up the idea of watching the performance together next Sunday.
Lu Yu originally planned to go to the group formation night and didn't mind going with his classmates, so he readily agreed.
Although only more than two months have passed, his mentality has undergone a huge change.
He no longer clings to the talent show, nor to becoming a singer. Jiang Mo Nan's success made him realize himself and the reality.
Talent is a very scary thing.
People with talent will always shine, but people without talent will just be wasting their time no matter how hard they try.
Although there are always some inspirational quotes on the internet telling you not to give up and that persistence is the key to success, some things cannot be changed simply by persistence.
Just like someone born tone-deaf can never sing a beautiful melody comparable to a professional singer, and someone born color-blind can hardly become a painter. Perhaps there are exceptions among them, but he is not one of them.
Although he used to brag about himself, describing himself as a hidden gem in the entertainment industry, he actually knew his true abilities very well. He refused to give up simply because he was unwilling to give up.
Now he has let go of his past obsessions.
After his mindset changed, his perspective on things also changed. He suddenly felt that instead of standing on the stage and performing, perhaps standing in the audience and watching those shining people was more suitable for him.
Now Brother Mo Nan has found a position that suits him. Perhaps one day in the future, he will also be able to find a field where he can shine.
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