In Chapter 50, which identity did they recognize?
The moment their eyes met, Shi Yao's brain almost stopped working, her mind racing with the question of whether to raise the camera in her hand to deceive herself.
Fortunately, Ying Xu only glanced at her deeply before quickly looking away, knocking on the door and entering the room where Pei Zixuan's group was located.
Shi Yao breathed a slight sigh of relief; there were cameras all around, thankfully.
The production team's recording method involved setting up fixed camera positions in each classroom and corridor, along with some accompanying cameramen. Shi Yao pretended to be one of the accompanying cameramen and mingled among the group.
Shi Yao originally planned to go directly into Pei Zixuan's practice room to film, but after being stared at by Ying Xu, she couldn't figure out whether Ying Xu recognized her or not. So she simply stood in the corridor and waited until more trainees came up before going in with them.
Pei Zixuan truly lived up to his reputation as the most popular mentor. Out of a total of thirty-five trainees, a full fifteen chose his group. Each mentor was assigned a practice room of the same size, while the others' rooms were still quite empty, Pei Zixuan's were already packed to the brim.
Even considering that many people could only choose one group and that the mentors would also choose the other group, many people thought that the competition for Pei Zixuan's group would be too fierce, and it was hard to say whether they could be selected. If they were not selected, it would delay their chances of going to other groups later. So they gave up on choosing Pei Zixuan and switched to other groups.
Despite this, Pei Zixuan still ranked first in terms of numbers and pulled far ahead of the other groups, demonstrating his popularity among the trainees.
Pei Zixuan's neighboring group, Ye Jingyu's group, was also doing well. Ye Jingyu's group had a total of six spots, but eight people signed up. The classroom looked very lively. Ye Jingyu herself was also surprised. She originally thought that she could just barely meet the number of people, but she did not expect that it would exceed the limit. She would have to kick out two people.
Both groups on the third floor were overcrowded, so the three groups on the second floor would definitely have insufficient numbers. Shi Yao slipped down to take a look and found that the situation was about as she had estimated.
Fang Xuran's group had a total of six spots, and he filled them all. It just so happened that six trainees chose to sign up for his group, and their appearance and style were all very suitable for the song. Fang Xuran seemed very satisfied.
Another female mentor wanted to take on seven trainees, but only four chose her. The room was a little empty, but it wasn't too awkward. The female mentor had a good attitude. She knew that she wouldn't be the most popular group, and she was already very satisfied with more than half of the trainees volunteering.
The most awkward group was Zheng Cong's group. His group had the highest number of members, with a full nine spots. Since it was the only rap stage, all members needed to write original lyrics. With him, there were a total of ten people, making it the largest stage among the five groups. However, when Shi Yao went to check on the situation, only two trainees in his classroom had volunteered.
Shi Yao stood at the door and glanced at the two trainees. She realized that they were both at the bottom of the rankings and were just coasting along with a negative attitude.
Knowing full well that they wouldn't advance, and having chosen the least promising song for the third performance, with no hits from the entire group, they were destined to be cannon fodder. So they started to give up, and even knowing there was a mentor collaboration stage, they had no intention of making any more effort. Since it was just a consolation stage anyway, they simply chose a rap stage that seemed the easiest to coast through.
Zheng Cong, sitting at the interview table in the room, didn't look too good. The empty room only had two trainees, and they didn't look very serious, which was in stark contrast to the other rooms next to it.
The doors to all the classrooms were open, so they could clearly see each other. In his opinion, the two students next door were just average and not nearly as competitive as him, but they were even more popular than him, and Fang Xuran had already filled all the available spots!
Hearing the lively conversations coming from the two classrooms next door, Zheng Cong's mood worsened. He glanced at the two trainees sitting on the floor in the middle of the practice room, and what he saw only made him angrier.
Seeing that the interview wasn't even ready to start, the two of them actually leaned against the wall and started sleeping!
Seriously, what kind of people have come here?
Zheng Cong felt indignant. These trainees were really blind; they didn't realize how many great opportunities he had missed.
Actually, the song the production team originally prepared for him on stage wasn't this one, but another boy band song, but he refused it. The production team tried to persuade him for a long time, saying they would arrange all the necessary setups for him, and he didn't have to worry about choreography or recording, but Zheng Cong insisted on choosing the current rap song.
He didn't have much experience with talent shows, wasn't familiar with the competition format, and didn't know much about the talent show stage. But he knew that talent shows also required rapping, so his choice was perfect. The rap stage was the easiest to shine on. Whether it was standing still and singing or showing off your dancing skills, nothing beats the rap stage with its combination of sight and sound to blow up the crowd. So he chose a rap song that he liked the most and was good at.
But to everyone's surprise, he was not popular with the trainees at all. Before Zheng Cong came, he talked to a friend who liked watching talent shows. The friend said that rap was also quite popular in talent shows, and a considerable number of trainees were there for the rap position. After all, there was a joke that rap was the easiest of the three to learn quickly. If you don't have the talent for singing and dancing, at least you still have rap as a backup.
As a result, Zheng Cong became more confident on his stage, but unfortunately his friend forgot to tell him that the rap group was usually left behind at the end of each performance. There were also trainees who couldn't rap at all who avoided the rap group. Furthermore, rap was easily seen as a fallback group, where people would go if they knew nothing else.
However, the rap performances in the mentor collaboration stage are usually not too obscure. With the mentors supporting them, even trainees who are not very good at it can easily pass by singing a few lines. The rap group in the first mentor collaboration stage was very popular.
That year, we were in the group of the show's rap mentor. We chose his most famous song and rearranged it. The mentor was highly skilled and easy to get along with, and the final stage performance was of very good quality.
The unexpected turn of events for Zheng Cong's group was something the production team hadn't anticipated. As the recording stalled and the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly awkward, the accompanying PD, sweating profusely, walked out of the classroom and took out his phone to urge the other mentors' PDs to expedite the group interviews and remove the trainees who had failed.
After finishing her melon on the second floor, Shi Yao glanced at the interviews of the other two groups before leisurely walking up to the third floor.
After going upstairs, Shi Yao discovered that Pei Zixuan and Ye Jingyu's group had just started their mentor interviews. She patted one of the cameramen stationed at the door and asked him for information.
It was learned that Pei Zixuan's group originally had more than 15 members. It was only after the number of members reached 15 that they began to tell each trainee who arrived later that the number of people was seriously over the limit and persuaded them to leave, which prevented the group from becoming even larger.
Since Ye Jingyu's group only had two more trainees than the quota, they decided to have each trainee interact with Ye Jingyu during the interview to decide who to choose. Since there were no familiar trainees in this group, Shi Yao did not continue to watch the interview process, but instead went to Pei Zixuan's group to watch attentively.
Pei Zixuan's interview question was very simple: everyone had to design a solo dance using the song "Galaxy" as background music.
The questions weren't difficult, but time was tight, especially since it was in front of the original singer. As a result, many people were nervous and made mistakes. Pei Zixuan's expression remained unchanged from beginning to end. He always watched the trainees dance with a blank expression and then wrote something down in his notebook.
When it was Yingxu's turn, Pei Zixuan's eyes flickered slightly, but only for a moment. Yingxu had skipped this song countless times, and he was always very calm. In the end, he performed very steadily. After finishing, he bowed, gave his name, and went down to sit and wait. Pei Zixuan, however, took a rare second look at his back.
Fifteen people is a considerable number, and even at the fastest pace, the interviews took more than half an hour. After everyone had finished their interviews, Pei Zixuan immediately made a decision and announced his preferred candidate.
Those who were selected were naturally overjoyed, while those who weren't selected were very disappointed and discouraged. Some were even unwilling to give up and wanted to try again. In the end, it was only under the urging of the production team, who said that if they didn't go to other groups for auditions, they would have no choice but to dance in groups that were short of people, that these trainees were finally persuaded to leave the room.
After leaving Pei Zixuan's classroom, the trainees who failed the interview found that Ye Jingyu's group next door had also finished selecting members. They were filled with regret again, thinking that if they had known that there were so many people on Pei Zixuan's side, they should have left and selected another group.
Actually, Ye Jingyu's group was also very good, but Pei Zixuan's stage had a bit of a "white moonlight" feel to it, so I couldn't help but compete for it. If I hadn't gone to Pei Zixuan's group first, I might have had a chance to be selected by Ye Jingyu.
But no matter how much they agonized, it was useless. The groups with the selected members would not change, and there were not many vacancies left in other groups. In the end, the trainees who were not selected could only be forcibly assigned to groups with vacancies.
With this in mind, the trainees immediately quickened their pace. When they got to the second floor, they found that the third most popular group was already full. Frustrated, they rushed into the female mentor's group. Almost all the trainees who had failed the interview chose to go to the female mentor's group first, rather than to Zheng Cong's group. Zheng Cong's group was silent for almost an hour before the trainees who had failed the interview twice finally arrived.
Entering this group was a situation where neither the mentors nor the trainees were happy. Zheng Cong's face darkened when he realized he was really unpopular. The trainees also felt a sense of despair when they learned that this was the only rap stage they could choose.
After each group finalized their lineup, they began practicing their performance songs. Perhaps because of the presence of guest mentors, the production team became very attentive, even bringing lunch to the practice room for everyone to eat. This not only saved time but also allowed them to choose their preferred dishes.
Normally, they can only eat the same few dishes in the cafeteria, so the trainees felt uncomfortable with this sudden change in the weather.
After lunch, there is a break of about half an hour. Some trainees choose to take a nap, some choose to continue practicing their dance moves by following the instructions on the tablet, and others gather together to play card games.
Fang Xuran and the trainees in his group were mostly the same age, so they had a lot in common. They could gossip endlessly when they got together. The atmosphere in the female mentor's group next to him was also good. The female mentor led the conversation, and the trainees exchanged personal information to get to know each other better and perform together more smoothly on stage.
Let's not even talk about Zheng Cong's group. From the very beginning of the selection and interview process, it was a lifeless atmosphere. The mentors of other groups had all gone through the process of interviewing and rejecting people, but he was the only one who hadn't. Apart from the two trainees who were just coasting at the beginning, the rest of the people in his group had been rejected twice and had no other choice before they came to his group.
In short, he not only had no choice, but was also disliked by the trainees.
Given such a stark contrast, how could Zheng Cong possibly be in a good mood?
He had even considered quitting, but his agent persuaded him to go back. There was no need to start the interview anyway, since he only had these few people to choose from, and he didn't even have the right to complain.
After finally calming himself down, Zheng Cong started leading the trainees in practice, but once he started this segment, he realized that what he had just experienced was only the beginning of the pain.
The people who come to this group are either very negative about the stage, very negative about him, or know nothing about rap. They all have a huge headache when it comes to practicing.
Zheng Cong had originally planned it perfectly: each person would be assigned a part, write their own lyrics, and follow the overall theme. They would write the lyrics they wanted to write based on the theme, and then the lyrics would be put together and revised and supplemented by each other.
However, the trainees in his group knew absolutely nothing about rap. The first step, filling in the lyrics according to the theme, stumped a large number of them. Some trainees hadn't even finished reading the book and had serious reading comprehension problems, let alone writing lyrics independently.
Seeing the group of people scratching their heads and unable to come up with anything, Zheng Cong wished he could take their phones back and let them find AI to help them write.
When it was lunchtime, Zheng Cong saw the staff who came to deliver his lunch as if they were his saviors. He couldn't wait to announce that he was taking a break, grabbed his lunch, and rushed into the break room, refusing to come out again.
Getting to know the trainees better? There's nothing to get to know them.
The accompanying PD looked bitter. The progress of this group was worse than he had expected, and he had no idea how to edit this group's storyline for this episode.
And with this group being so uncooperative, what are we going to do about the final performance?
Ye Jingyu's group was relatively quiet. Although her group's stage style was very bold, she herself was actually quite introverted. Fortunately, most of the trainees who came to this group really liked her group's stage performance, and there were also a few popular contestants. Communication was very smooth, and they had a strong understanding of each other, so the practice progressed smoothly.
Lunchtime was even quieter. Ye Jingyu found a corner to eat alone and declined the trainees' requests to chat.
Realizing that their mentor was genuinely socially awkward, the trainees stopped insisting and started eating their meals quietly, resuming practice after lunch break.
Pei Zixuan's group was just like any other students during a long break between classes. They formed small circles in twos and threes, eating and chatting, but each small circle faced the direction where Pei Zixuan was sitting. As they chatted, they would occasionally mention Pei Zixuan, and he would cooperate and answer almost any question. The atmosphere was very peaceful.
When Pei Zixuan saw Shi Yao appear at the door, he put down the lunchbox, walked out the door, gave her a look, and led her to an empty practice room.
"That trainee named Yingxu, is he your client?" Pei Zixuan asked Shi Yao as soon as she entered.
Shi Yao was startled. Although she had told Pei Zixuan that morning that he could recognize which of the trainees was her client, she did not expect that Pei Zixuan would actually take it to heart. After recording the show all morning, the first thing he thought of when he saw her was to talk about this.
"Yes," Shi Yao admitted frankly, but asked curiously, "How did you recognize me?"
“He is indeed very easy to recognize,” Pei Zixuan said succinctly, without giving a full explanation.
Although he did have a strong suspicion after seeing Yingxu that this must be the client Shiyao mentioned, he was certain of his idea after Shiyao appeared several times afterward.
Shi Yao wore a temporary employee badge and actually spent the whole morning adhering to her persona, carrying a camera and moving back and forth between classrooms like a photographer on a tour.
He noticed it the first time Yingxu peeked at Shi Yao. Although Yingxu's actions were very discreet, he still managed to catch the emotion in her eyes when she looked away, which she hadn't had time to hide.
Not to mention that Shi Yao came several times afterward, and each time she would make a point of looking at him. Her skill in avoiding scrutinizing gazes showed that she did this very often.
Furthermore, he noticed that when Yingxu looked at Shiyao, it wasn't just out of simple curiosity. The familiarity in his eyes didn't seem fake. He couldn't help but look at Shiyao as if he was concerned about what a familiar person was doing here.
He knew Shi Yao, and they were quite close.
Pei Zixuan also noticed that Shi Yao was intentionally avoiding Ying Xu's gaze. Although Shi Yao's movements were more discreet, he still noticed them.
These two people definitely know each other. Although I don't know why they seem a bit strange, they are definitely familiar with each other, but they don't seem to be that close.
It's not surprising that Xu Hui is Shi Yao's client. Pei Zixuan knows Shi Yao's selection criteria very well. Although she is the service provider and is doing things for others, she doesn't take just any job. She is actually very picky.
Trainees are not yet fully-fledged artists; they have only one foot in the door of debut, and those ranked so low haven't even stepped halfway in yet.
Even if Shi Yao were to choose a trainee as her client, she would still select the one with the most potential.
Then there's only the option of a promise.
It's no exaggeration to say that when Pei Zixuan saw Yingxu, he felt like he was seeing his past self through him. Back then, he was also focused on preparing for his debut, practicing every day without hesitation. He was very determined and never hesitated when choosing a stage and part.
Promise is also that kind of person.
But he is not quite the same as Pei Zixuan. Pei Zixuan rarely thought back to the past. He was actually better off than Ying Xu is now. After all, he had a company and was also promoted at the time, although it was just a side effect.
Before coming here, Pei Zixuan had researched the information of each trainee and had a general impression of Xu, knowing that he suddenly took off after Yi Shun, which is very rare in the entire history of talent shows.
It can be said that Yingxu's good fortune was entirely due to the help of his fan site admin, as well as some favorable timing, location, and people. He is definitely capable enough and has an outstanding appearance, but without the help of a promoter, he would not even be able to stand in front of the general public.
His video of a fan shouting out his message went viral in a very clever way. Pei Zixuan quickly watched it and admitted that it was indeed touching enough, but he couldn't believe that there was nothing strange about its sudden explosion in popularity.
When he first saw the promised path to takeoff, he wondered if it was Shi Yao's doing. Now that he saw her in person, he was completely reassured; it was indeed Shi Yao who had done it.
This was indeed her doing. She always seems to be able to manipulate public opinion. Fang Xuran did it back then, Ying Xu did it, and Pei Zixuan herself did it too.
Although the tasks were completely different and each presented its own challenges, she completed them all beautifully, without leaving any trace of effort.
That's where her brilliance lies.
However, there was still something strange he needed to answer, so when he finally saw Shi Yao appear after lunch break, he immediately went out to talk to her.
Pei Zixuan stared at the girl in dark green in front of him and said, "If he's a client, why does he seem not to know you very well?"
After saying this, Pei Zixuan paused for a moment, trying to find the right words in his mind. He didn't know how to say it properly.
Shi Yao and Ying Xu are clients, so they should be quite familiar with each other. If they wanted to peek at someone they knew, they would do so openly and even make eye contact. After all, no one would know or care whether they knew each other or not. Just like Fang Xuran always winks at Shi Yao whenever she sees her.
However, Shi Yao and Ying Xu were different. After Pei Zixuan observed them all morning, he found that Ying Xu was very careful every time he looked at Shi Yao, his movements were as light as could be, as if he was afraid that Shi Yao would find out that he was looking at him.
And what's amazing is that he doesn't care whether others will notice his actions; he only cares whether Shi Yao notices. Every time he peeks, he makes sure to turn away before Shi Yao notices.
It would be one thing if he were the only one acting strangely, but Shi Yao was the same way. Shi Yao spent the whole morning pretending to be an accompanying photographer, but every time she came to his classroom, she acted unnaturally, as if she was hiding from someone. After Pei Zixuan observed her, he realized that she was hiding from Ying Xu.
She didn't want Yingxu to see her.
Why?
If these two people were acquaintances, they would recognize each other immediately, even if they were disguising themselves. Hiding wouldn't work, but Shi Yao just wouldn't.
Similarly, if it were someone you knew, you could just look over openly if you wanted to peek, and there would be no problem even if you made eye contact. But Yingxu just wouldn't.
Pei Zixuan became increasingly confused as he analyzed the situation. After his analysis, he came to an incredible conclusion: from the perspective of the two people, neither of them knew the other, but they knew each other. Therefore, they had to avoid letting the other discover that they were present or spying on each other.
Why?
Isn't the promise a perfect customer?
Moreover, according to Shi Yao, the start time of this order was about the same as Pei Zixuan's first order, which means it started a long time ago. So why is there such strange behavior?
Pei Zixuan looked at Shi Yao, hoping she could answer his questions, but Shi Yao was more serious than him, her little face furrowed.
Wait a minute, does Pei Zixuan mean that he should recognize her?
Which identity did they recognize?
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