Chapter 56 I’m Sorry!
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's all my fault! Can we retake the test? Why did I try so hard but still fail in the end? Brother Xingzhi, I'm sorry!"
Xu Chichi's face was pale and her body was shaking violently. Beneath her sobs, she apologized in panic. Her breathing was rapid and disordered, and tears had wet her face. Intense pain penetrated her whole body, as if a sharp knife had stabbed into her kneecap.
Xu Chichi clutched the corner of his clothes tightly with both hands, staring helplessly at his "troublesome" left leg, then looked at the crowd that gathered around him, and noticed Shen Xingzhi's figure. Xu Chichi wanted to struggle forward.
"Have you notified the doctor? It's just a small test, there's still a chance. Don't move until the doctor comes."
After Shen Xingzhi confirmed the situation with the staff nearby, he bent his legs and squatted in front of Xu Chichi, looking at Xu Chichi with a soothing look in his eyes, but without any accusation. He looked at Xu Chichi's left leg, and there was some bruises on the knee.
Chen Xingzhi looked at the red lights that still enveloped the stage. Just as he was about to stand up, he heard Ren Limeng's voice, "Director Li, could the lighting engineer please turn off the special effects? I remember there are ice packs in the training room lobby. Can the staff bring them over?"
Ren Limeng and Shen Xingzhi's eyes met in the air. The situation was urgent. The two of them just looked at each other and exchanged positions tacitly without saying a word.
Ren Limeng walked towards where Chen Xingzhi was, slowly squatted in front of Xu Chichi, and patiently comforted the self-blaming Xu Chichi, carefully checking Xu Chichi's wound, while Chen Xingzhi walked to the camera and continued to communicate with the on-site director Li Ming. Li Ming treated Chen Xingzhi seriously. It was obviously Xu Chichi who was injured, but everyone on the scene could see that the program crew was still focusing on Chen Xingzhi.
"Brother Xingzhi, why don't you talk to the production team and give us another chance to take the test? Since the doctor said Chi Chi only sprained it and needs to rest for half a day, we can wait until almost four o'clock and take another test to at least complete the performance."
The doctor arranged by the program team treated Xu Chichi on the spot and wrapped him with a white bandage. Then Shen Xingzhi and the other four returned to the training room. Yan Baiwei looked at Xu Chichi's left leg and couldn't help but sigh repeatedly, looking at the captain Shen Xingzhi with anticipation.
Their team's quiz results were not optimistic.
Completing the performance may not necessarily change the results of the quiz, but if Shen Xingzhi forces himself to come forward, perhaps considering Shen Xingzhi's face, the situation may turn around.
"Chi Chi, does your leg still hurt? Can you hold on?"
Li Qingzi sat on the left side of Xu Chichi, her eyes full of worry. Xu Chichi "got what she wished for" and became the focus of the team, but the bitter smile on her face was uglier than crying, and her hands were full of tissues to wipe her tears. Her left knee seemed to be slowly roasted over a low fire, and the dull pain made her anxious. Even though the doctor said that there was no bone injury and it was nothing serious, she acted like she could overcome it in front of the camera, but in fact it was still too difficult.
"...I can do it. I'm sorry, sorry everyone!! It's all my fault! How could I be so disappointing! I failed at the crucial moment!"
Yan Baiwei crossed her arms and wanted to watch coldly Xu Chichi's "performance" that was as surging as a string of beads, but she looked at the lens and finally walked over, stood in front of Xu Chichi, half-squatted perfunctorily, and comforted Xu Chichi together with Li Qingzi. Her agent had just warned her again through the program staff to be more restrained, and no matter how reluctant Yan Baiwei was, she could only "act" well.
It was obviously Xu Chichi who made the mistake on stage, affecting everyone, but the guests all knew tacitly that the camera at this moment was much more focused than when Xu Chichi fell, and the most important shot of the reality show might have just begun.
"The quiz is over, and we still have a chance tomorrow."
Shen Xingzhi didn't seem to plan to take another quiz. He looked at everyone calmly, then at Xu Chichi, "Recover from your injury well. If you have any questions, please raise them. The competition is important, but your health is more important."
"Brother Xingzhi, we can't just give up on the quiz!"
Yan Baiwei said with some reluctance, her voice filled with disbelief. The so-called extreme test was obviously a key part of the program set up by the production team, and they actually gave up without even trying? Shen Xingzhi had no shortage of shots and stories, but they still cared about him!
"Give up? The only thing we can't give up is the performance."
Shen Xingzhi's voice was sonorous and powerful. He looked directly into Yan Baiwei's eyes, his gaze filled with convincing calmness and strength. "Tomorrow's live performance is the most important thing right now. We only have 24 hours. Worrying about the quiz is just a waste of time. There's no second chance for the live broadcast."
Ren Limeng couldn't help but nod in her heart. What Chen Xingzhi said made sense. If they wanted to retake the quiz, everyone would be in a hurry before four o'clock this afternoon, and communicating with the program would take up most of the group's time. Although the quiz was a real simulation, it was still different from the live performance.
They don't have time to worry about it. Besides, it's not that they have given up. They just failed the quiz. What they can do now is to summarize today's problems and make tomorrow's live broadcast as smooth as possible.
"I agree with Brother Xingzhi's idea. There are still many details of our performance that need to be worked out. The live broadcast of the performance starts at 2 pm tomorrow afternoon, so time is tight. Let's practice first!"
"Xu Chichi, what do you think?"
Yan Baiwei glanced at Ren Limeng without saying anything. She turned and looked at Xu Chichi. There were only five people in the team. If she and Li Qingzi asked for a second quiz, but Ren Limeng and Shen Xingzhi wanted to accept the last place result, then Xu Chichi's opinion suddenly became important.
Xu Chichi looked at Yan Baiwei, then at Chen Xingzhi, her eyes filled with embarrassment. After a long pause, she finally spoke with difficulty, "I'm sorry, everyone. Everyone... stop arguing about me! I'm willing to take on any consequences after the first public performance. I'll participate in the solo competition and won't affect everyone's training. If I fail, I'll accept elimination. I'm still sorry for causing trouble for everyone!"
Under the camera, her expression gradually became fluent, her eyes became firm, and her bright eyes were full of responsibility. Yan Baiwei wanted to complain, "It was you who caused this", but in the end she just frowned and looked at Xu Chichi. She couldn't tell whether Xu Chichi really thought so or was just pretending during the recording.
But no matter what, Xu Chichi still expressed his attitude tactfully. Yan Baiwei lowered her head slightly, the corners of her mouth inadvertently turned downward, and a barely audible "snort" came out of her nostrils.
"Sister Chi Chi, we're on the same team. There's no need to blame yourself. You still have us! If we're notified that our team must participate in a solo, all four of us can participate. You don't have to force yourself. We're here for you! You should focus on taking care of your health these next two days. Just like Brother Xingzhi said, the performance is the most important thing right now."
Ren Limeng gently comforted Xu Chichi. She knew very well in her heart that if her team was really eliminated, it would most likely be just her and Xu Chichi. Xu Chichi could not influence the other three people, and she could only face this situation.
If she really had to be eliminated, she had to make the choice herself. Choosing Xu Chichi, who was unknown and injured, to go solo was undoubtedly a bad choice. There were obviously better ways.
"Preparing for a performance in 24 hours is indeed a very tight schedule, but such an opportunity is so rare that I believe everyone is willing to give it a try and challenge themselves!!"
"Li Meng..."
Ren Limeng continued speaking, her eyes wandering between Shen Xingzhi and Yan Baiwei. When she heard Xu Chichi's call, she smiled firmly, as if she didn't notice the hesitation in Xu Chichi's eyes.
In fact, it is intriguing that Xu Chichi took the initiative to play despite the injury. Solo only produces elimination spots for the team, and the elimination results are determined by the popularity ranking within the team. Whether intentional or unintentional, Xu Chichi's words blurred the rules, and her remarks did not seem to be spur-of-the-moment.
"Yes, Chi Chi, we have been training together for so long, you are treating us as outsiders! If everyone believes in me, I am willing to participate in the solo."
Li Qingzi's thoughtful gaze fell between Ren Limeng and Xu Chichi. She spoke slowly with a smile, her words less expressing the frustration of failing the quiz and more showing a positive and optimistic attitude.
When Li Qingzi heard Ren Limeng mention "opportunities" and "challenges", her ears suddenly moved, and she remembered that there was a similar segment in the previous season of "Mountains and Seas".
If you think about it carefully, the so-called solo performance is a thrilling 24-hour challenge for the team, but it is also an opportunity given by the program team to "potential" guests. High-profile celebrities like Shen Xingzhi and Chen He are unlikely to participate. Winning or losing has nothing to do with their stay or departure. It is only a temporary face for the team at most. However, if you lose to your opponent in solo, you will become a stepping stone for third-rate stars, which is not worth the loss.
Looking at it from another angle, failing the quiz can be an opportunity to perform.
Especially for actors like them who are not good at singing and dancing, winning is naturally a highlight, and losing also has reasons to save face. What's more, the situation in their team is a bit chaotic now. If they stand up at this time, their image of responsibility alone will win them a lot of fans.
"Yeah, Chi Chi, how could we possibly let you perform at this time? It's just a solo, I can do it! I'll just use the song we sang at last year's New Year's Eve party and modify it. I remember the response was really good!"
Yan Baiwei followed closely behind, smiling and recommending herself. She glanced at Li Qingzi and spoke without hesitation. Her concerned look seemed to be just about worrying about the team, and only her smart eyes revealed some of her thoughts.
We are not fools. Ren Limeng's reminder is so obvious. Even if it is indeed hard to prepare for the stage for 24 hours, considering the possible input and output, it is worth a try!
Ren Limeng's smile deepened. Yan Baiwei's singing voice was outstanding among the actors, and her fame and popularity were also among the top among the guests of the program. In her mind, she was the most suitable solo candidate in the team. She thought she still had to work hard, but she didn't expect that Yan Baiwei would not be confused and willful at the critical moment, and things went so smoothly that she was a little surprised.
Ren Limeng was just about to nod and agree with Yan Baiwei to finalize the matter when she heard Shen Xingzhi's cold voice.
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