Chapter 16: Having a crush on the boss at work, falling in love with a TV show...
Just when Lin Ke thought the other person would be just as burning with desire as she was, Zhao Gan suddenly withdrew his gaze, as if nothing had happened.
“In the chorus just now, the harmony went up three degrees, it was messed up.” Zhao Gan spoke, his voice deep and pleasant, yet carrying an unquestionable authority, directly pointing out the problem, “Lead singer of section A, lower your breath a little more, don’t let it float.”
Yu Qin was already a bit tired from guiding the previous groups, and Zhao Gan, who had just come to record some interview segments, was willing to come to Group D to give guidance, so she took the opportunity to relax and take a break here.
In the narrow and quiet training room, the contestants took turns singing their parts a cappella while referring to the sheet music, and any mistakes or off-key singing became particularly noticeable.
The PD, who was standing less than a meter in front of them, heard everything clearly.
Lin Ke's initial nervousness vanished completely upon seeing Zhao Gan, but she became anxious when she realized that everyone except him could remember the lyrics without any obvious off-key moments.
It was almost his turn, one of his few parts. Compared to the others, even with Zhao Gan there, he was still worried that Teacher Yu Cen would point him out and criticize him on the spot. If the production team aired this segment, where would he put his face?
Lin Ke deeply regretted why she had chosen to return to the dormitory with her teammates last night despite her instructor's attempts to persuade her to stay.
He originally thought that everyone's skill level was not much different, so he was unwilling to spend more time practicing, especially since it was a waste of precious sleeping time on the show. Who knew that he would ask each contestant to sing a cappella!
Lin Ke then realized that it wasn't her fault, but the production team's! How could they let the contestant sing a cappella with such a short preparation time?
Suddenly, he was no longer nervous and became confident and self-assured.
After Lin Suxing finished singing his verse, he nodded politely to Yu Cen and Zhao Gan.
“Su Xing, your technique here is quite good, but…” Zhao Gan rubbed his chin, revealing a greasy feeling that was unique to middle-aged fathers who were pointing fingers at the world, “The emotion in your voice! Emotion! It’s still a bit lacking! You know, especially for the kind of emotion your group has, to move the audience, the most important thing is emotion.”
He turned his gaze to Lin Ke and continued, "Like Lin Ke, your voice is full of emotion, which is great. It gives the song more meaning. Lin Ke, your timbre is very good. With just a little more technique, you can perform this part very beautifully."
Sure enough, Lin Ke smiled approvingly after hearing his words, but unfortunately, having received so many kisses, she couldn't muster a bigger expression: "Thank you, PD Zhao~ I'll do my best~"
Yu Cen almost lost control of her expression: ? This isn't right, is it?
Lin Suxing rolled her eyes inwardly.
By belittling Lin Ke, Zhao Gan probably heard from the staff that he had replaced Lin Ke as the center of the group, and was convinced that Lin Ke and he did not get along.
The system suddenly exclaimed, "Huh? How could Teacher Yu Cen's husband be like this? Unbelievable..."
Lin Suxing guessed that it must have gathered more gossip, so she asked, "What's wrong with her husband? I remember, he's also in the industry, a music producer, right?"
The system shook its head: "Host, you should worry about your own affairs first! If the part about Zhao Gan coming to the training room is released, you will be attacked by Lin Ke's fans, and you will easily be criticized for not being good enough to be in the center position."
"A side quest has been issued. Please obtain the approval of the original text regarding attacking Zhao Gan! Completing the quest will earn you 100 points!" The system selected to issue the quest.
"You're going to say again that you'll only tell me the truth if I get a good review, right?" Lin Suxing had been tricked by the system several times, and was gradually getting used to it.
system:?
Actually, the system just felt that it was no longer a gossip-eating system, but a comeback system, so it had to do its job well. The most important thing was to urge Lin Suxing to work hard and achieve a comeback, which is why it didn't want to always be with Lin Suxing to gossip.
However, the system was unaware that its silence was perceived as tacit agreement by Teacher Yu Cen, who had overheard the entire conversation.
Yu Cen was numb.
Her eagerness to know what juicy gossip her husband had about her outweighed her confusion about why she could suddenly hear the contestants' inner thoughts.
Yu Cen's current husband has been married to her for over ten years. The two met while making music and have two children together. They live a fulfilling and happy life.
Many people know that Yu Cen and her current husband are in their second marriage. The reason she divorced her previous actor husband was because he cheated on her and was caught in bed with another man by Yu Cen.
Since being betrayed in her first marriage, Yu Cen has become very insecure and often suspicious. However, her current husband is always able to comfort her gently and attentively, and he always talks to her about everything and shares secrets with her. Over time, this has helped her regain a calm and contented state of mind.
But now, she suddenly learns that her husband seems to be hiding something she doesn't know.
Some of the more impatient women from Northeast China gritted their teeth and interrupted Zhao Gan's continued praise of Lin Ke: "Zhao Gan, what you're saying is a bit of nonsense and alarmism! Although Su Xing still has some minor details to improve, the emotion in her voice is still very good!"
These words weren't fabricated just to find out what was going on. Yu Cen already felt that Zhao Gan's words were inexplicable and unreasonable. If it weren't for the cameras, she probably would have criticized Lin Ke for being off-key on the spot.
Upon hearing this, Lin Suxing looked up from her lyric book in shock and stared at Teacher Yu Cen.
He had always known that Yu Cen was a straightforward woman, but he never imagined that she would confront Zhao Gan in front of the camera for the sake of an unknown amateur like himself.
Yu Cen got more and more carried away as she spoke, raising her voice by an octave and adopting her usual mahjong-playing style: "And Su Xing's performance clearly shows that he practiced thoroughly beforehand. He can recite all the lyrics and keep up with other people's parts. How can that be considered lacking emotion? Even if he has emotion, if he sings off-key and sounds terrible, and he can't even remember the lyrics after several days, what's the use?"
Lin Ke's face was already as black as the bottom of a pot, and her left hand, hanging by her side, was clenched into a fist, with veins bulging on the back of her hand from the force.
Just now, when everyone was singing their part, he was the only one who forgot the lyrics.
Therefore, the person Yu Cen was referring to was undoubtedly Lin Ke.
Lin Ke didn't understand. She had no grudge against Yu Cen, and anyone with eyes could see that Zhao Gan was only saying a few good words for her because he knew her. Who would contradict Zhao Gan at this time and end up pleasing neither side?
Moreover, everyone in the industry knows that he comes from a privileged background and has access to a wealth of resources.
But Yu Cen did exactly that.
It was clearly because of his pleading with his parents that his parents had not yet revealed Lin Suxing's identity, and no one knew about Lin Suxing's relationship with the Lin family. Yet Yu Cen still spoke up for Lin Suxing!
Lin Suxing was bubbling with emotion when she was suddenly glared at by Lin Ke with a venomous look.
Lin Suxing: ? No, is he sick?
Even though Zhao Gan is currently among the top celebrities in the industry and is at the height of his career, he still doesn't dare to openly contradict Yu Cen, a senior figure in the industry.
Faced with the choice between offending Yu Cen and gaining a bad reputation for disrespecting his seniors, and letting Lin Ke continue to be subjected to scorn and ridicule, Zhao Gan decisively chose the latter: "Yes, Teacher Yu Cen is right. My understanding of this song is still a bit shallow, and I still need to learn more from you."
Seeing Zhao Gan's fawning smile, Lin Ke stared wide-eyed in disbelief: Zhao Gan wasn't even speaking up for him!
Meng Huaiwen pouted, trying hard to suppress a laugh; the thin lyric page was already crumpled from his forceful grip.
He could tell from Yu Cen's micro-expression changes that Yu Cen had heard Lin Suxing's thoughts, but Zhao Gan and Lin Ke had not.
Yu Cen overheard Lin Suxing's conversation with the system, which was precisely why she suddenly spoke sarcastically about Lin Ke and affirmed Lin Suxing's stance.
For some reason, Meng Huaiwen found it particularly funny whenever he saw Lin Ke, who was both pretentious and manipulative, being criticized.
Yu Cen, however, wouldn't let go of Zhao Gan: "So what do you think of Su Xing's singing just now? Be more objective, and stop using that emotional stuff to justify your actions."
Zhao Gan dared not disobey Yu Cen, who was straightforward and dared to speak his mind directly, and replied, "Su Xing's singing skills are excellent, he is very talented, otherwise the teachers would not have given him an A grade in the initial stage."
The system notified, dumbfounded: "Side quest complete, points awarded, please check, host!"
"This...Teacher Yu Cen is such a kind person," Lin Suxing exclaimed sincerely.
The system was dumbfounded: "How could this be? This side quest was completed too quickly. I'm a little flattered, a little overwhelmed, and a little speechless, host."
Lin Suxing laughed: "Now can you tell me what happened to her husband?"
Lin Suxing had also heard that Yu Cen's first husband had cheated on her with another woman and even went to court against her.
The paparazzi also captured photos of Yu Cen crying as she left the courthouse.
This strong woman has already been hurt by marriage once. If she were to go through it again... Lin Suxing was very worried that Yu Cen would not be able to withstand the pain.
The system bluntly stated: "Her husband solicits prostitutes, visiting several at a time. He told Yu Cen that he was going to a friend's place to discuss film and television score music, but in reality, he almost died from exhaustion on a yacht."
Yu Cen: !!!
Meng Huaiwen, Lin Suxing, He Jiayang, and other contestants: ! What the hell is going on?!
Yu Cen's face turned pale instantly, and his lips trembled. He seemed unwilling to keep emphasizing the contestant's mistakes, and quickly brushed it off: "Come on, let's do the harmony part again. The coordination wasn't quite there yet."
After giving instructions on the harmony section, Yu Cen hurriedly left as if there was something to do, leaving Zhao Gan alone in the practice room watching the contestants practice separately.
Meng Huaiwen and others greatly admired Teacher Yu Cen's dedication.
If it were them, they would have rushed out to confront their husbands as soon as they heard the news. But Yu Cen chose to finish guiding the contestants first and deal with her personal matters after completing her work.
Zhao Gan didn't look at Lin Ke, but his fingers "unintentionally" pressed heavily on the music stand in front of Lin Ke. He was so close that Lin Ke could smell the cool, mature scent of his aftershave, which was different from the sweat of a young boy.
It's likely that Zhao Gan noticed Lin Ke was upset because she had just been criticized, so he stayed to comfort her.
“Here,” Zhao Gan’s voice was low, almost a whisper, only Lin Ke could hear it, burning hot as it drilled into his eardrums, “I’ll teach you separately tonight.”
His little finger, hidden beneath the music stand where no one could see, quickly and provocatively hooked Lin Ke's sweaty palm.
Lin Ke shuddered, his ears turning bright red as if they were about to bleed. He quickly glanced around to make sure no one had noticed their secret contact before raising his eyes and glaring at Zhao Gan.
There was no anger in his eyes, only shimmering water and a hint of embarrassment from being flirted with in public, which was more like a seduction.
Upon receiving this look, Zhao Gan's Adam's apple bobbed, and the darkness in his eyes deepened.
He straightened up nonchalantly, resuming his mentor-like demeanor, as if he weren't the one who had been subtly provoking him.
"Keep practicing," he commanded, his voice returning to its usual cool tone. But as he turned to leave, his fingers pressed lightly on the most concave part of Lin Ke's lower back with a force that only the two of them could feel.
Lin Ke froze on the spot, feeling weak all over from the pressure, and a surge of heat rushed to her lower abdomen.
He stared intently at the sheet music, but couldn't concentrate on a single word. His mind was filled with the man's hot breath when he was close to him, and the words "I'll teach you separately tonight."
The singing in the practice room continued, but it felt as if there was a membrane separating them. All the noise became background noise, and only the silent, sticky, and scalding current between the two people crackled in the stuffy air.
Lin Suxing saw through the undercurrents between them clearly and couldn't help but roll her eyes. She said to the system, "Having a crush on the boss at work and then having a crush on a senior on a show is pretty outrageous."
Meng Huaiwen's lips curled into a smile, which he quickly suppressed.
After joining Produce as a teammate of producer Lin Suxing, he realized just how low his threshold for laughter was.
Meanwhile, the other trainees in the practice room were increasingly dissatisfied with Lin Ke: they had clearly seen the interaction between Zhao Gan and Lin Ke, even without Lin Suxing's complaints. The fact that a contestant and a mentor dared to do such a thing in front of everyone made them feel that the show had completely lost its fairness and credibility!
They're so uninhibited even in front of the camera, who knows if they'll be having a passionate night of lovemaking down there!
Even He Jiayang felt indignant on Lin Suxing's behalf: they had clearly seen Lin Suxing's excellent performance, but Zhao Gan deliberately said that Lin Suxing sang poorly in order to help Lin Ke suppress Lin Suxing!
This kind of biased and distorted view of right and wrong is completely unfair!
The protagonist, Lin Suxing, who was being targeted by others, remained calm. After noticing He Jiayang's expression earlier, he patted He Jiayang on the shoulder and said, "It's alright. I do have some areas that need improvement."
The system hesitated as it sized up Lin Suxing, seemingly trying to determine whether he was going crazy because he couldn't accept the facts or if he was serious: "Host, in the original story, you fell in love with the protagonist Zhao Gan at first sight. Judging from the timeline, you met and spoke at an event about two months ago."
Lin Suxing looked completely bewildered, her expression strikingly similar to the "black guy with a question mark" meme: "Me? I like him?"
A note from the author:
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[Rose] Stealing a kiss from my wives
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