Yang Xu was happily watching the excitement from the sidelines when he was suddenly called out, and the camera turned to him.
His smile vanished, and he stepped forward two paces, reaching his hand into the lucky draw box while saying, “Let me give you a heads up first, my luck isn’t that great, so I’ll just do my best to draw a question that’s better than the one from last time.”
He slowly unfolded the paper ball in his hand, looked closely, and his expression immediately relaxed: “Not bad, not bad, this one’s easy. But this netizen’s question is directed at two trainees, is that OK?”
Qin Miao replied, “It doesn’t matter, Teacher Yang, please read out the question first.”
“Alright, then Quentin and Yan Qiao, please pick up your microphones and answer the question…” Yang Xu turned to look at the large screen, joking, “Hey, that’s right, it’s you again, Quentin. I think you might as well not put your microphone down, who knows, you might need it later.”
The large screen was split in two, focusing on Quentin and Yan Qiao respectively.
In the frame, Quentin, hearing Yang Xu’s teasing and the crowd’s cheers, held his microphone and lowered his head slightly, looking somewhat helpless, or perhaps a bit embarrassed.
On the other side, Yan Qiao curled his lips into a smile and tilted his head to look at Quentin. His cloak slipped off one shoulder as he raised his hand to hold the microphone, revealing the dark brown leather bracer on his wrist.
[Hey, doesn’t anyone else think Quentin and Yan Qiao’s outfits look alike?]
[+1, I was about to say that earlier. Does that mean they have a duo stage later?]
[That’s impossible, the trailer said it’s solos.]
[CP girls, stop dreaming. One is Chinese style, one is Western style, where would a duo stage come from? The clothes are only a bit similar in color.]
[Heh, you solo fans need to work harder. The CP fans have already won two questions, this isn’t a good look [shocked].]
Yang Xu waited for the cheers from the audience to die down before clearing his throat and saying, “You two, please listen to the question. Please use three words to describe how the other person acts off stage! On the count of three, say your first word at the same time!”
“3, 2, 1! Please answer!”
He counted down very quickly. The audience on site hadn’t even reacted yet, and the expressions of the two people on the large screen were also a bit dazed. But fortunately, they reacted quickly. After glancing at each other, they spoke in unison…
“Enthusiastic!”
“Cute!”
“Hey, wait…who said enthusiastic, and who said cute?”
Qin Miao raised her hand to interrupt, smiling as she said, “Your voices are mixed together, we can’t tell who is who anymore.”
The live stream audience could hear more clearly than the on-site crowd, and the barrage flew across the screen.
[Quentin said enthusiastic, Yan Qiao said cute, right.]
[Do you even need to ask? Their voices are so different.]
[Just from the answers, you can guess that “enthusiastic” was said by Quentin. Would Yan Qiao really say that Quentin is enthusiastic in private? [Facepalm and bitter smile]]
[It’s really hard to imagine how Brother Qiao feels when he hears QT say he’s passionate. QT, if he wasn’t more enthusiastic, you wouldn’t even notice him.]
[3A owes everything to Yan Qiao’s initiative today.]
[Xiao Xue: ???]
[Cute is really… Well, not surprising at all. Who could say no to QT’s big, sparkling green eyes?]
[I would say handsome or cold and aloof. Cute is just too much of a filter (pointing and criticizing)]
[What filter? QT is really cute… The golden lion cub from the third public performance was too adorable]
Quentin first answered Qin Miao’s question: “I said enthusiastic, he said cute.”
Yan Qiao nodded in agreement.
Yang Xu quietly gave a thumbs up to the screen.
Qin Miao drew out her voice: “Oh…I see, you two continue.”
Quentin turned to look at Yan Qiao: “Off stage? Let me think a bit more… You can go first if you want.”
“Three adjectives are quite easy to say.” Yan Qiao counted on his fingers, “Look, cute is one, domineering is one, and strong sense of contrast is another. That’s already three.”
Quentin looked at him doubtfully: “What adjectives are you even using… For me, enthusiastic, eloquent, and sincere towards others. Those three.”
[Ah ah ah ah ah I’m laughing my head off.]
[Help… QT’s three words really don’t sound like they’re describing Yan Qiao [facepalm]]
[He said it’s the Yan Qiao in his eyes. Now I know what the CP fans are shipping. This is what Yan Qiao would be like when he’s chasing after a girl in the future.]
[Xiao Xue’s eyes are practically popping out of his head next to them… It’s exactly like me watching my best friend being seduced by an unreliable man.]
[Did anyone notice Yang Xu quietly giving a thumbs up? Teacher, are you also…???]
[Who doesn’t know that Teacher Yang Xu is the head of the Yan-Que CP fans? He’s liked Yan-Que CP videos by accident multiple times outside the show, and has even said in a live stream that Yan Qiao and Quentin are his two favorite kids.]
[Don’t overthink it. Actually, Yang Xu just likes watching handsome younger guys dance together [shrug]]
The audience’s attention was mostly on the adjectives Quentin said, but the host’s focus was on Yan Qiao’s side.
“Domineering? And a strong sense of contrast? Yan Qiao, are you sure you’re talking about Quentin? I really can’t see how you can see him as both cute and domineering?”
Yan Qiao shrugged his shoulders and laughed, “That’s why I said his sense of contrast is strong. You’re not familiar with him, but once you get a little closer, you’ll discover it.”
Qin Miao shook her head regretfully, “Alas, it seems I’m just not familiar enough with him. So, Quentin, do you agree with Yan Qiao’s description of you?”
In the backstage control room, the director gave the close-up shot to Quentin. The face-to-face view drew a wave of exclamations from the audience.
Truly young and handsome. Under high-definition pixels, his skin did not have a single flaw. His drooping, golden eyelashes cast a soft filter over his brows and eyes.
Being stared at so directly by him, let alone what the fans felt inside…
Just with these few seconds of footage, the CP-loving barrage was instantly drowned out by the fans’ screaming “ahhhhh.” The overwhelming rainbow farts made it impossible to distinguish between passersby and fans.
Occasionally, a few barrages like “Quentin’s fans eat too well”, “With a face like that, I’ll forgive him for being cold to my bias”, “I can’t imagine how happy the fan site managers must be, following him must mean never having to worry about finding perfect photos”… these kinds of barrages were clearly not from fans.
The trainees sitting in the waiting room could also see what was on the large screen through the TVs in front of them. Knowing that the camera might turn on them at any moment, they held back their urge to whisper to each other, only their eyes revealing the envy in their hearts.
—Damn it, they were the ones who wanted to live a day with that face the most!
Quentin didn’t know what the audience’s screams were about. He was still answering Qin Miao’s question: “That’s his view of me. Whether I agree or not doesn’t matter.”
He glanced at Yan Qiao as he spoke, “But… as for cute, I think he’s more suited to that word than I am.”
Qin Miao was surprised: “Huh?? Why?”
Quentin said matter-of-factly, “I’m more mature than him. Cute is usually used to describe younger people.”
Yan Qiao, who had been smiling the whole time, laughed so hard his chin rested on his microphone: “Are you sure? Did you forget that I’m two years older than you?”
Quentin paused for a second: “…I forgot, but at least in looks and usual behavior, I should be more mature and stable than you.”
Yan Qiao raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down: “I won’t comment on your looks, I’ll let the audience decide, but your usual behavior? Is there some aspect of me that makes you think I’m not mature?”
‘Every aspect, probably…’
Quentin thought to himself.
How could a mature and stable person constantly stick to others? And being immature could also be understood as youthful spirit. Only young people would talk about their dreams and look forward to the future so wantonly.
Quentin had never fantasized about what would happen to him after debuting as a member of a boy group, but the trainees around him really liked to talk about it. They didn’t know how bright their eyes were when they talked about the future.
If such pure, carefree longing only appears on the faces of young people, then this youthful spirit was even more precious and rare, especially to Quentin, who knew their future BE.
Influenced by his previous life experiences and the original ending, Quentin would subconsciously put himself in the position of a senior or an older brother. To go even deeper, his relationship with these boys was one of savior and the saved.
So he would be very tolerant of their behavior and would resolutely and assertively take on the power of a leader or captain.
The latter was the source of his “domineering” quality, a kind of domineering that everyone inside and outside the show could perceive.
And the so-called “cute” was probably the contrast between hus appearance and his elder-like behavior, giving people a kind of cute feeling of a child pretending to be an adult.
It was hard to say whether everyone else was willing to listen to Quentin’s arrangements simply because he was strong enough, or if part of it was because he was very handsome and very cute.
Solo fans would probably think it was because of Quentin’s strength that everyone was convinced. CP fans would automatically imagine it as “ahhhhh, they’re doting on him =w=.”
Quentin skipped over the explanation of specific behaviors, only saying, “Anyway, my mental age is older than yours.”
Yan Qiao deliberately muttered quietly, “Mature people wouldn’t say that.”
Quentin raised his other hand and silently pointed at him: “Don’t act cute.”
Yan Qiao couldn’t help it anymore. He supported his forehead with one hand and laughed out loud at his actions: “Who’s the one acting cute here?”
[Obviously, you two…]
[So cute, the two of you are so cute! [intoxicated]]
[They’re chatting. They’re just chatting in front of the whole nation like this… [stunned]]
[So there really are a lot of sweet moments between Yan and Que in private. The production team must have cut them all out [angry]. The main episodes are all about Xue and Que. Who wants a love triangle with you!!!]
“Stop, stop, stop. That’s enough, you two. If you keep chatting, we’ll be late for the next stage.” Qin Miao waved her hand to bring the audience’s attention back. “Let’s hurry and draw the last question. I’ll do it this time. Okay, let me see…”
She unfolded the ball of paper in her hand and relaxed her brow. “Good. This question is for is Cheng Shaozhi. Xiao Cheng, please pick up your microphone and listen carefully.”
“If you can form a group tonight, what role would you most want to take on in the group? Would it be the main vocal role, the visual role, or the main dancer role?”
As soon as this question came out, the murmuring on site quieted down considerably. Everyone’s attention focused on the white-clad young man holding the microphone on the large screen.
Cheng Shaozhi wasn’t like Yan Qiao, who had considerable knowledge of the boy group fan circle. He wasn’t very clear about the controversy surrounding the “main dancer” role. Hearing this question at that moment, he was also a bit confused.
He thought it over carefully for a moment: “If it were me, I would follow the group’s needs. Whatever role the group needs me to take on, I’ll try my best to fill it. Whether it’s singing or dancing, I won’t slack off.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the director’s camera immediately cut to Yan Qiao.
Yan Qiao, who had been listening intently, glanced sideways and noticed that he was on the large screen, so he sat up straight, nodded in the direction of the camera, and smiled politely.
[Damn, the production team really knows how to stir up trouble.]
[The CP fans’ smiles instantly disappeared…]
[Who asked this question? Would a solo fan ask something like this? Aren’t you afraid your bias will get criticized?]
[Heh, how could it be a solo fan? Who’s on camera now, that’s whose fan it is. Apart from a certain person’s fans, who would be thinking about the main dancer thing all day long, afraid that Xiao Cheng will steal the spotlight? [eye roll]]
“Wow…” Qin Miao shook her head and applauded, smiling as she said, “Well said. I don’t know if this answer will satisfy the netizen who asked the question. If I were Xiao Cheng’s teammate, having a partner like this would definitely make me feel very at ease.”
The host briefly summarized this Q&A session and quickly moved on to the next rap stage by Vinki.
Perhaps to balance the screen time for each trainee, the subsequent lucky draws for questions didn’t land on Quentin again.
The fans gladly accepted this. Compared to seeing Quentin get singled out in this kind of entertainment segment designed to generate buzz, they preferred to see him shine brilliantly on stage.
The reality was that the highly liked comments under the official post for collecting questions made the solo fans’ vision go dark. All kinds of CP fans were having massive parties, as if afraid they wouldn’t be seen.
And the solo fans’ questions for positive comment control were too safe and serious, lacking entertainment value. Even if they made it into the top ten in likes, it was very difficult for them to be chosen by the production team.
As for certain comments from black fans—”Quentin, why are you always so cold-faced?”, “What do you think about the fact that you have CPs all over the place?”, “Are you willing to form a CP with xxx?”, “Who do you think at the scene has the ability to compete with you?”, “If you’re not the center, who do you think could be the center?” and so on…
These were all reported and suppressed by fans. But even if they weren’t suppressed, these questions were child’s play compared to the bold remarks of the CP fans, so it didn’t matter.
After the four mentors’ stages, it was Inferno’s turn to perform. They performed the title track of their first album, which had been released the previous month.
Ironically, this was also the first time the title track of Inferno’s first album had been performed on an official stage. Before this, there were only the MV and a promotional stage recorded in the company’s studio. They had never performed it live with full vocals in front of the public.
Who would have thought their first performance would be during the live broadcast of another boy group’s debut night?
No wonder when the guest list was announced, many netizens were stirring up trouble in the comments, encouraging the NS production team to secretly remove Inferno’s backing track and put the rival group on the spot.
The members of Inferno were well aware of the netizens’ desire to watch the drama unfold. Their own fans, however, were full of confidence.
No one knew their bias’s abilities better than the fans. How could someone who successfully debuted from BKL possibly be inferior to a mere survival show group?
If the NS production team dared to invite Inferno, they better be prepared to be completely crushed and trampled into the ground!
Backstage, Ji Xu and his teammates stacked their hands together, cheering each other on.
He first said a bunch of clichés to cheer everyone up, then looked around, pausing his gaze on a few members, and reminded them, “No matter what, let’s complete this stage properly. Don’t disappoint our fans’ expectations.”
“Whether you’re arguing or in a disagreement, hold it in. Remember, on that stage, it’s not just you who will be embarrassed, but also your teammates and your fans…we are one. Got it?”
The teammates were silent for two seconds, then nodded seriously, pressing firmly on each other’s hands, and said in unison, “Inferno! Inferno! Inferno! Let’s go!”
