Chapter 45 Forgetting to wear a mask is wrong, but why is he looking at her like that...?
The next day, at seven o'clock in the morning.
Shi Yao arrived at the entrance of Yuyang Film and Television Base on time.
She stood with Jiang Yi's fan site admin Xiaoshu and Yingxu's fan site admin Xiaoniao, whom she had met offline before, all of them carrying cameras.
The film and television base opens its main gate at seven o'clock in the morning. Usually, there are already quite a few people at the gate at this time, just waiting for the security guard to come and open the gate so they can rush to Factory No. 1.
But there were very few people today. Apart from Shi Yao and her two companions, there were only four or five other people around, all holding cameras. Judging from their positions, most of them were strangers to each other and had come alone.
After all, today is a well-known "rest day," and no trainees are working. The fan site admins who are stationed offline to follow the schedules are well-informed and naturally won't come looking for nothing.
The few fansites who were alone were also puzzled as to why there were so few people waiting for the doors to open today. One of them kept her head down and tapping on her phone, looking rather unwell. After tapping for a while, she looked up, sighed heavily, muttered "What bad luck," and turned to leave.
The people next to her looked puzzled and were about to ask when she kindly said, "Today is a day off, they're not working, so they won't be able to take any pictures. You should all go home."
The group exchanged glances. The woman didn't care whether they listened or not; she was just trying to be kind. But before she could take two steps, she heard another voice behind her: "Don't go yet, they'll be at work today."
After getting Shi Yao's permission, Xiao Shu called out to the girl who was about to leave and pointed to the security guard who was approaching the gate not far away: "You asked the people in the fan club group, right? The previous two batches did not work, but this batch has something new, so they will work."
The girl looked surprised, as if she really wanted to ask, "How did you know?" She did ask a friend in the fan club group. That friend was someone she had known in real life for a long time and had been pursuing her offline for a long time, so what she said was very credible.
She missed it this time because she hadn't joined the group. She only planned to check in occasionally, thinking that she would know the news without joining the group since she had friends there. As a result, she missed it without realizing it.
But Xiaoshu spoke with such certainty that it made her hesitate again.
The few lone fansites who had been hesitant about leaving decided to stay. They didn't know any friends or groups, and it would be a shame to leave after coming all this way. They figured they might as well wait a little longer.
The girl who was about to leave thought for a few seconds, but ultimately chose to trust her friend. She knew her friend's personality too well; her friend was always very enthusiastic about following celebrities and wouldn't miss a single piece of news. If she had known she could get pictures today, she definitely wouldn't have missed it.
Moreover, there were so few people at the entrance today, and usually none of the big fan site admins are here. This alone is enough to explain the problem. No matter how well-informed these three girls are, can they really get information from those big fan site admins?
Xiaoshu was a little angry when she saw that the other person was still leaving despite her kind reminder. She turned away angrily and refused to look at the other person.
Shi Yao patted her shoulder, not stopping the person who wanted to leave, but said, "It's not easy to come here. Since you're already here, why not wait a little longer? Anyway, it's still early. You can leave if they really don't come later."
The few lone fans standing nearby nodded in agreement. The one thing that no one could refuse was, "We're already here."
It's really not easy for them to follow offline events. Unlike those big-name fans who live nearby and can come and go whenever they want, it's only 7 o'clock now. They can wait until 9 o'clock when no one shows up before leaving. If they leave and then people come out later, that's when they'll really regret it.
Moreover, very few people came offline today. If they can actually catch someone, they can release an exclusive article, and the fan site's data will definitely be very good.
Several lone fan site admins who were just watching the drama were completely convinced and didn't even ask what activities Shi Yao had today. The fan site admin who wanted to leave was persuaded again after finally making up her mind. She stood there hesitantly, her face full of struggle.
Just then, the security guard strolled over, carrying a large bunch of keys. He pulled out the key to open the gate, glanced at the crowd waiting at the door, and said cryptically, "You guys are really lucky."
The group of fans who were watching the drama were standing at the very front of the gate. They were completely bewildered by what the security guard had said, but they quickly realized that the security guard had just been looking at the cameras on their bodies!
Recognizing that they were all fan site admins there to chase after celebrities, I specifically remarked on their good luck. Doesn't this mean there really was a special recording scheduled for today? Doesn't this mean they actually managed to stake out the place and take pictures?!
One of the girls couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa, what do you mean by 'good luck'?"
The old man, who was unscrewing the cap of his thermos, gave a slightly teasing smile upon hearing this and said, "You've already bought such last-minute information, why are you asking me?"
The girl looked completely confused. What did she mean by buying information? Where would she buy information?
But before she could retort, the old man continued, "Hurry up and go, or you'll miss the time. Didn't you want to take pictures?"
The person next to the girl belatedly realized what the security guard meant. He probably meant that these people were able to come and monitor the itinerary today because they had bought inside information, and it was very last-minute inside information.
Moreover, they said it was about to start, which meant there was definitely a recording schedule, so I immediately reached out and tugged at the girl next to me, signaling with my eyes that it was more important for her to go in.
The three people next to Shi Yao rushed in the moment the door opened, heading straight for Factory No. 1.
Although the others behind them were still confused, they obediently followed, and only when they stopped at the gate of Factory No. 1 did they have time to think about the conversation they had just had.
The girl who was initially about to leave also came in. She had been very firm in her belief in her friend, but Shi Yao persuaded her again. Just as she was struggling with the fact that the security guard had come and said something rather suggestive, she had no choice but to come in and take a look.
The lights inside Factory No. 1 were not yet on, and the recording had not started, but there were several signs at the entrance. The group was standing quite far away, so they could not see the contents of the signs.
Suddenly, the girl saw a very familiar-looking staff member walk over from the side. After glancing at them, the staff member entered Factory No. 1 with a surprised look on his face.
Isn't that the show's assistant PD?
As he entered Factory No. 1, the lights in the lobby immediately turned on, followed by all the lights in the rooms on the first floor. There were quite a few staff members in the building, moving equipment back and forth.
Judging by this setup, it looks like there's actually a recording going on today!
The girl immediately took out her phone and messaged her friend, asking her to come over quickly, saying that there was a special recording today. Her friend either didn't check her phone or went back to sleep, because she didn't reply for several minutes. She was anxious to call her friend directly, but her action was interrupted by a soft scream from the person next to her.
"Aa ...
"Promise!!!"
"Jiang Yi! Ahhhhh!"
She looked up and saw three tall, thin figures walking towards her from not far away. They were the three most popular members of the show. She knew that they were roommates and often went to work together. Moreover, all three of them were very active and were usually among the first to leave for work.
All three were wearing the same short-sleeved work pants indoor training uniform, only slightly different in color. None of them were wearing makeup, but their skin looked great. Li Yuzhe had already put on a smile after hearing the voice and was waving in their direction, while the sound of camera shutters clicking around them filled the air.
The girl blankly raised her camera, then suddenly realized that none of the three were her models. But since they were all popular, it wouldn't hurt to take pictures. After taking a few simple photos, she took out her phone and sent a voice message to a friend. She didn't care whether the friend saw it in time or not; she had done all she could.
Now, I need to get busy making money!
Not many people came to the offline event today. The fansite admins have to buy photos if they want to release them. With so many trainees, how much money do they have to sell them for?
She glanced at the people around her and noticed that they were all holding their cameras very professionally. She quickly put her phone away, adopted a professional pose, and started taking pictures.
Shi Yao was surprised that Ying Xu would be working with his two roommates.
Good, it seems you're gradually making friends; that's progress.
Yingxu was wearing a simple pure white cotton T-shirt, paired with khaki cargo pants and white sneakers, looking very clean and refreshing. His two roommates were dressed in the same style, except that one wore a black and the other a blue short-sleeved shirt, and both wore black pants.
Before each round of stage performances in "Shining Idol," trainees could wear whatever color training clothes they wanted. After being divided into groups, each group had to wear the same clothes. This season's clothing sponsor is still the same old sportswear brand. The styles are simple and elegant, and the materials are very comfortable. Even though the price is a bit high, many fans still want to wear the same clothes due to the influence of the talent show.
None of the three wore makeup or styling. After all, it was only 7 a.m., and appearing fully made up at this hour would seem a bit too career-driven. A completely bare face best reveals each person's natural features. Trainees with less-than-ideal skin usually apply some foundation before going out to avoid being photographed looking terrible.
But these three don't need to worry at all. Even with the high-pressure schedule and staying up all night every day, they don't have any dark circles under their eyes, and their skin is very fair. However, Li Yuzhe and Jiang Yi's fair skin is more warm-toned, while Ying Xu's is cool-toned.
The superiority of fair skin needs no further explanation; it shines brightly under any lighting. This is the kind of white that is promised. His hair is fluffy, soft, black, and thick, which makes him look even whiter. He has a high nose bridge and prominent brow bones. Fine eyelashes cover his peach blossom eyes, and his lips are a healthy red.
Sigh, that's so unfair.
Shi Yao silently pressed the shutter, looking at the excessively beautiful little face in the lens, and sighed that God was too biased when creating people.
Last night, when she was talking to Fang Xuran on the phone, he insisted on asking what Yingxu looked like. She told him the truth, and he got upset again.
She hadn't lied, but when she explained herself carefully and said that Fang Xuran would know she wasn't lying when she saw her the next day, Fang Xuran became even angrier.
It's really baffling.
Fang Xuran is actually good-looking too. There are many examples of child stars who have grown up to be bad, but he and Bai Wenning are the kind of people who haven't grown up badly at all. They have grown up to have very ideal looks based on their childhood appearance.
Fang Xuran, in particular, has grown up almost proportionally, retaining all the advantages he had when he was a child, but he has grown much taller and his face has become thinner. He has lost some of his childishness but gained more handsomeness.
There are many handsome men and beautiful women in the entertainment industry, but there are also many ordinary-looking people. Judging from Fang Xuran's appearance, he can definitely be ranked in the upper-middle range among handsome men. Although he can't reach the level of a "face queen", he can still outshine many people.
Fang Xuran seemed to only want to hear her say that he was the most handsome, which was a bit unrealistic. She was a pragmatic person, and even when facing a sugar daddy, she could not compromise her principles.
Um.
Occasionally, I can barely move a little.
Shi Yao didn't care too much about Fang Xuran's anger. Anyway, that person would get angry every now and then, but she would get over it soon.
Shi Yao was helpless. Although this person's body and appearance had matured, his mind was still so childish. If it weren't for her help, how could he possibly outmaneuver his old rival, Cheng Muzhi?
I wonder if Fang Xuran will be paired with Ying Xu in this recording. If they are, I wonder how chaotic things will get.
Shi Yao thought about this issue seriously last night and finally decided to let nature take its course. If she really told Fang Xuran not to choose Yingxu, he would probably choose Yingxu instead.
It's better not to say anything.
Neither side knows the other's identity yet. It would be fate if they could choose to be together. Although Fang Xuran is naive, he is not completely ignorant. He understands the importance of recording a variety show better than he does.
Anyway, Shi Yao has made up her mind that if Fang Xuran really loses fans or new meme GIFs appear because of her appearance on the variety show, she will definitely post a close-up and laugh at her.
I feel like I've been led astray without even realizing it.
As for the other client who would be recording, Pei Zixuan, Shi Yao had not contacted him at all.
She wasn't sure if Pei Zixuan knew about this. Fang Xuran had only mentioned it to her briefly. Although the three of them knew each other, it hadn't been long since last night, so it was possible that Fang Xuran hadn't thought to inform her.
It's not currently her business period with Pei Zixuan; to be precise, Pei Zixuan isn't her client right now, so it's normal that they're not in contact.
Pei Zixuan herself came from a talent show, and as a senior who debuted in the center position, she will only be in her element here, and there is no need for her to worry about her.
However, Shi Yao always felt that Ying Xu was very likely to be in the same group as Pei Zixuan.
Although she didn't know who the remaining three guest stars were, she felt that there was probably no one who knew the talent show stage better than Pei Zixuan.
There are already few idols in China, and most of those who debut go on to film web dramas, with only a very few still releasing albums. Furthermore, based on the experience of the first season, the production team likely prefers to select currently popular actors.
Most artists know some basic singing and dancing, since they all came from the arts entrance exam. Some of their acting skills are also used in their performances. For example, although Fang Xuran complained that he didn't know anything about singing and dancing, he had participated in musical theater performances before. However, he rarely practiced after his sophomore year, so he wasn't tone-deaf or uncoordinated.
Although the mentor collaboration stage is a collaboration, the trainees are still the main focus. The mentors are just there to make an appearance and play a supporting role. The important thing is to show their approachability, patience and enthusiasm in the early practice stages, and not to drag the trainees down on the official stage.
But Pei Zixuan is different. When he came to "Shining Idol" in the previous two seasons, there was no mentor collaboration stage segment. However, as a substitute mentor, he still taught a lot of practice skills. He even uploaded a cover of one of the third public performance stages last year.
He himself also has some breakout works. In the first half of the year, he had a minor hit single called "Galaxy". A move he made at a concert inexplicably became popular on music streaming apps, making the whole song a hit for a while. The dance was also covered by many dance bloggers.
After the official announcement of the trainee list for "Shining Idol," a very interesting chart appeared in the group, which counted how many trainees had skipped Pei Zixuan's "Galaxy." The final result was more than sixty, accounting for two-thirds of the total. This was even before more than a dozen trainees had publicly shared their accounts, which shows just how popular this song is among trainees.
According to Shi Yao's speculation, the production team is very likely to choose "Galaxy" as the collaboration song for Pei Zixuan's group. At that time, this song will definitely be a hot topic among the trainees.
Whether it's collaborating with Pei Zixuan or dancing to "Galaxy", there will be many people who want to choose it, let alone dancing to "Galaxy" with Pei Zixuan himself.
In the first three performances, the first time they were blocked from the sidelines, the second time they chose a pretty good dance song for the dance group and danced very well, but the group members were a bit lacking, and the third time they chose the best and most suitable boy group song among the five songs. The styles of the three performances were not very different, but they had one thing in common: they all emphasized dance and the choreography was relatively difficult.
Then "Galaxy" is more in line with his aesthetic. The choreography of this song is very complicated. Pei Zixuan is an ace, and he is good at singing, dancing and rapping. He also likes to create. He participated in the creation of all three singles of the mini EP released after his debut. He wrote the lyrics and music for "Galaxy" and also led the choreography. It was created in cooperation with the choreographer he often collaborates with.
"Galaxy" isn't a typical boy band song. The arrangement has a slightly melancholic feel. Pei Zixuan's choreography is clear and easy to understand. Shi Yao didn't even need to know the background story beforehand. She just watched the choreography once and understood that the song was about self-discovery and growth. The choreography has a small framework but many details. This kind of story-driven choreography is most likely to go viral on short video platforms. Simply cut out a few movements, slow them down, and add some atmospheric effects to perfectly capture the audience's taste.
Since Yingxu has never performed this type of stage before, Shiyao is really looking forward to it. The dance for this song is a little sexy, and she wonders what Yingxu will do in a sexy style.
There should be no trainee who doesn't know Pei Zixuan, after all, he has always been known as the god of talent shows, and he has been the center from the moment he appeared until the end. Everyone wants to ride on his good luck, and there is a high probability that he will be selected for this group.
Besides choosing trainees, mentors also have to choose. Shi Yao feels that Ying Xu is the type of junior Pei Zixuan likes: hardworking, sensible, and resilient. To be fair, the two of them have quite similar styles in their training.
As for Fang Xuran's statement that he wanted to be in the same group as Pei Zixuan, Shi Yao didn't take it to heart at all. The production team would definitely not agree, and even if the production team agreed, Pei Zixuan wouldn't agree.
Although she didn't understand how the two became such good friends, she discovered over time that they would help each other with important matters, but would only sabotage each other with trivial ones.
While Shi Yao was lost in thought, Li Yuzhe had already walked up to the group, while his two roommates were a little behind.
This is also a tacit understanding that the trainees have long reached. Basically, when they go to and from get off work, even if they walk together, they will make a point of leaving some distance for each other to take individual photos, so that the fansite admins can choose the pictures.
As the eldest in the dormitory, Li Yuzhe was naturally the first to step forward. With a standard, formulaic smile on his face, he waved and interacted with everyone holding a camera. When someone asked him to make a heart shape with his hands or wink, he complied with all their requests.
After interacting with everyone in a relaxed and friendly manner, Li Yuzhe turned around and walked into Factory No. 1, where he waited for his two roommates.
Xiao Shu whispered to Shi Yao, "What I like most about Li Ge is this: he's always actively engaged with everyone, whether they're fans or not. He's never perfunctory. He's a truly sincere idol, making you feel like your trip was worthwhile."
Little Bird nodded in agreement and chimed in, "Actually, I heard from my friend who's a fan of Li that Brother Li has a great memory. He's amazing at recognizing people. He can remember almost every fan who has been to his offline events, and he knows who is whose fan. But he still does all the promotions for everyone and doesn't discriminate against anyone."
Shi Yao also admires Li Yuzhe's qualities. Although some people may think that Li Yuzhe is pretentious and like a wholesaler, at least he puts his heart into it, which is much better than those who are unwilling to do business.
"An expert in charming fans," Shi Yao commented.
Xiao Shu nodded emphatically, agreeing with the scathing comment: "Maybe what Brother Li is thinking is, I'll flatter every single one of my fans, whether they're fans or not. Even if you're not my fan, I'll just keep flattering you."
The little bird scoffed, "They're already following the offline trend, how can they switch allegiances?"
Which one who follows a couple offline isn't passionately in love?
"Hey, who said there aren't any? There are quite a few." Xiaoshu glanced around quickly and lowered her voice, "Let me tell you, that guy really doesn't like to work, especially on his way to work. Eight out of ten times he has a long face. His fansite admins can't get many smiling pictures at all. Some fansite admins got annoyed by his sullen face and switched to supporting Brother Li."
"Who is it?" the little bird asked, completely bewildered.
"Oh, who else could it be? It's that one, the one who was with your family at the beginning, umm..." Little Tree and Little Bird seemed afraid of being overheard, so they whispered a few secret signals to each other, and then Little Bird suddenly realized.
"He doesn't really smile much."
"Right, I understand being grumpy when you wake up, but you're an idol now, what's wrong with smiling for your fans? Do those who attend offline events owe you something?" Xiaoshu pouted and muttered.
Shi Yao agreed: "Exactly, if you don't like pandering to fans, then don't be an idol."
She had barely finished speaking when she looked up and found Ying Xu standing right in front of her, almost startling her.
Originally, Yingxu was walking behind Jiang Yi, which made her feel at ease chatting with the two of them. However, after a few seconds of not looking, Yingxu had actually come over first.
Perhaps because there were fewer people, Li Yuzhe stood closer than usual when he was on duty today, without worrying about being pounced on. However, Yingxu stood even closer than him, only a meter away from Shi Yao, almost within arm's reach.
Shi Yao quickly pulled the little tree and bird back, while the two people were dumbfounded and frantically fumbled for their cameras.
Shi Yao also raised her camera, thinking about what topic to talk about, but when she looked at the viewfinder, she found that Ying Xu was staring at her intently with a complicated look in his eyes.
Shi Yao: ?
Did she not wash her face?
She instinctively touched her cheek—oh no! She wasn't wearing a mask!
In her haste to leave home this morning, Shi Yao forgot the most important thing – her mask. She panicked for a couple of seconds but quickly regained her composure. After all, Ying Xu hadn't seen her face, so whether she wore a mask or not wouldn't make a difference.
No, then why is he looking at her like that?
Author's Note: Ahhhhhh, I'm so sorry I'm late! I worked overtime until 8 PM today (I'm so weak), and then I just kept writing as soon as I got home. My keyboard is practically sparking! Ahhhhhh, I hate working overtime!!!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 21:07:10 on July 3, 2024 and 23:38:55 on July 4, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Lala Lala 5 bottles; Xiangmomingxiaoxiangqingfu 2 bottles; Beizhi.Sake~, Tangyuanyuangungun 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
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