“Unexpectedly, Jin Sui actually learned to slack off. Not bad, not bad. He’s finally starting to seem like a normal person.”
Yao Xin watched Jin Sui’s retreating figure after he hurried away following a phone call, and only after the office door closed did he sigh, “In all the years I’ve known him, this is the first time I’ve seen him wandering around outside during work hours. How rare.”
He was in the same school as Jin Sui in high school, and basically spent his entire student years under this guy’s shadow.
Fortunately, his stallion father’s brood of illegitimate children had honed his extremely strong mental resilience. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stood out from the crowd and tenaciously maintained a friendship with Jin Sui for over a decade.
You know, being friends with a genius who seems devoid of the seven emotions and six desires, who has engraved self-discipline into his bones, can easily make you feel frustrated and self-doubting.
In the eyes of others, Jin Sui’s image was so perfect it seemed unreal. Even the “coming out” incident from years ago, which had caused an uproar among everyone, friends and family alike, as time passed, most people in the know believed it was an excuse Jin Sui used at the time to avoid blind dates and arranged marriages.
After all, all these years, no one had ever heard or seen any suspected male partner by Jin Sui’s side… oh, and no females either, which is why Yao Xin said the man lacked the seven emotions and six desires.
If Yao Xin knew that over the past two months, this person had repeatedly left the house to watch the public performance stages of the boy group survival show, watched and edited related videos during work hours, made countless rainbow fart posts, and even used business trips as an excuse to go to Nancheng to coincidentally meet Quentin, who was filming a variety show there…
Then his perfect image would instantly collapse. He would probably deeply suspect Jin Sui had been possessed, and would earnestly try to drag Jin Sui to a temple to invite a master to perform an exorcism.
But Yao Xin, who currently knew nothing of these things, merely sighed for a while before turning his attention to the movie script Jin Sui had sent him, while simultaneously turning to instruct Qi Yang.
“Ah Yang, ignore the scripts I gave you before for now. Read this one carefully and write a few more character analyses. If you act well in this movie, your popularity might skyrocket instantly!”
As he read, he clicked his tongue in admiration. “Another tragic, devoted male supporting role. But this time it’s not a general, it’s a reporter seeking revenge, an artistic youth… Hey, what are you daydreaming about, Qi Yang?”
Qi Yang was silently replaying the two sentences Jin Sui had said to him before leaving.
That person had seen through it, right? Otherwise, why would he mention “matters of the heart” out of nowhere?
Although paparazzi tacitly don’t expose homosexuality, some speculative gossip can still spread throughout the fandom.
Once the fact that Qi Yang liked men is exposed, many completely unfounded suspicions would follow. In the early stages of a new actor’s career development, this would greatly impact his public image.
Qi Yang thought Jin Sui had seen that he liked men. When he said, “Put matters of the heart on hold for a while. The path for you in the entertainment industry can go further. Cherish your future,” he was implying that he should focus on his career first and not stir up homosexual scandals.
As long as he didn’t date, there was no evidence to prove whether he liked men or women.
But how could Jin Sui see it?
Qi Yang didn’t believe that Jin Sui would go to such lengths to investigate because he was just an insignificant small actor at Wanming Media.
Who would go to such trouble to investigate his past, let alone the company’s big boss?
Moreover, he felt that his sexual orientation would be difficult to investigate.
He had never dated, had no gay friends, and had certainly never been to any venues related to homosexuality.
The only person in real life who knew about this was his sister, and it wasn’t that he had told her, but that Mo Fan had accidentally discovered it.
The situation at the time was very complicated. Mo Fan was stunned on the spot, staring blankly at her brother. Qi Yang had shown no expression on the outside, but the hand holding his phone was clenched so tightly that veins bulged.
Mo Fan: Shocked! Her aloof, cool, male god older brother actually had a level 10 alt account in a gay discussion group!
Her older brother never posted. He had reached level ten solely through daily check-ins, likes, and comments accumulation…he should be a seasoned expert in the gay community!
Her brother? Gay? Really? She couldn’t tell at all!!!
It was precisely because she knew Qi Yang liked men that Mo Fan was so surprised when she saw Qi Yang’s face on the “NS” show.
An actor going to be an idol wasn’t a special case; Mo Fan could understand it somewhat.
But wouldn’t living with a group of handsome young men her brother’s age be a problem? What if someone caught his eye and they started dating… that would be a horror story that would enrage the fandom!!
For example, Zhong Qu, who withdrew at the beginning of the show. She heard that after leaving the show, he terminated his contract with his company and started working as an online streamer.
Recently, he had just fought a battle with Sheng Yuanxu, who was also streaming, drawing many survival show fans to watch. Fans of various trainees also joined in to eat the melon.
As a result… somehow, someone with great ability dug up a huge landmine. Zhong Qu actually had a boyfriend before participating in the boy group survival show!
Fans who were originally watching the drama instantly became enraged..
What the hell?! What the hell?! You have a boyfriend and still dare to latch onto my bias and engage in fan service? Get lost!! Stay away from my bias!!!
Putting herself in their shoes, Mo Fan felt that if Qi Yang actually got a partner and it was discovered on NS, his ultimate outcome probably wouldn’t be much better than Zhong Qu’s. So when she learned that Qi Yang had withdrawn from the competition, she sincerely breathed a sigh of relief on behalf of her brother.
Qi Yang, who hadn’t seen his sister since they last met at Lulin Ancient Town, had no idea what Mo Fan was thinking. He was still puzzled about how Jin Sui had found out about his sexual orientation.
But he quickly figured it out. Even if Jin Sui knew, so what? This big boss with a good reputation certainly wouldn’t spread his own artist’s private information around. Even if he did, there was no evidence. As long as he didn’t date, who could catch hold of his leverage?
Although society is now more open, for public figures, homosexuality remains an unsuitable topic for discussion.
This was a secret Qi Yang had hidden in his heart, one that had made him toss and turn throughout his entire adolescence.
But the 22-year-old Qi Yang had already come to terms with it and learned to accept it. So suddenly being seen through by someone… actually wasn’t a big deal.
Thinking of this, Qi Yang slowly relaxed and turned to respond to his manager. “I understand. I will act well.”
Yao Xin looked at him suspiciously for a few more moments, feeling he had overlooked something. “…Alright, you read for now. I’ll go contact Director Nie and see if any preparation is needed before joining the crew. If time allows, after you participate in the ‘NS’ debut night live broadcast, you’ll leave immediately for the northwest.”
Qi Yang nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked, “How long will it take to film this movie?”
Yao Xin had already flipped through the script. Scripts obtained before joining the crew were always incomplete, but based on experience, he estimated, “Your character dies early, so you can wrap up earlier than the other actors. Three months to half a year? You should be done by then.”
“But according to Director Nie’s habits, the confidentiality during filming will definitely be very strict. At least for the next six months, I won’t arrange any other work for you. Just in time. You’ll be in seclusion for half a year, and the withdrawal incident will probably have blown over by then.”
‘Three months to half a year…’
Qi Yang silently calculated the time and felt he probably wouldn’t be able to fulfill the snow mountain travel plan he had agreed on with Quentin and the others.
It felt… a bit regretful.
He unconsciously frowned, not understanding what this dull feeling in his heart was, or what had caused it. Was he the type of person to dwell on missing a trip?
While Qi Yang and his manager were discussing the film script, on the other side, the trainees at the “NS” filming base were about to start rehearsals for the final stage.
The top eighteen trainees in votes, plus the two lucky ones who stayed through the guaranteed admission card, totaling twenty people, would head to the debut night together to determine the final seven debut spots.
At this time, there was still one week until the final live broadcast day. The four mentors were rarely gathered in the practice room, announcing the details for the final performance.
“I believe everyone has guessed it. The performance format for the finals isn’t a group PK, but individual solo stages. And after nearly three months of living as boy group trainees, all of you here have personally experienced the entire process of a stage from creation to performance.”
“Therefore, in this music medley stage, with an average solo time of 120 seconds per person, I hope you can lead the rehearsals for your corresponding segments. This means…you yourselves will find the songs or dances you want to perform, you yourselves will communicate with the production team about song adaptations and copyright issues, and also discuss with the band teachers, lighting engineers, prop masters…”
“Trainees who have been team leaders might be more familiar with this process, but in fact, this is a responsibility that every member of a team must bear. Of course, you can discuss any ideas with us mentors or the partners around you. I hope everyone has confidence in themselves. You are not fighting alone. Behind every one of you are countless fans. Understand?”
After introducing the basic process, the mentors sat with the trainees on the wooden floor, patiently answering the questions raised.
The production team distributed the sponsoring brand’s phones and headphones to the twenty trainees, letting them listen to and choose songs from a pre-downloaded library. However, there weren’t many choreography videos to choose from. They would probably still have to rely on themselves and choreographers to create their own choreography.
As for rap, if you can’t do original work, why even bother with rap.
Quentin was still the same Quentin, wearing headphones, holding a laptop, and sitting against the wall typing away.
Since it was a solo stage with no song restrictions, he would definitely sing his own song. He just needed to carefully consider which one to choose.
After Cupid’s album was released, Quentin obtained his first pot of funds for development in this world, so the urgency to release songs wasn’t as great as before.
The songs he had written in his previous life were gradually being moved by him into the computer in the system space. However, it wasn’t a direct copy. No matter how good his memory was, he couldn’t possibly replicate all the songs one-to-one. Being able to recite most of the lyrics was already a blessing.
So he had re-rewritten almost all those songs, just waiting to slowly release them under the Cupid name in the future.
Quentin thought it over and decided not to sing songs from his previous life. The experience starting from the boy group survival show was another possibility for his life. Therefore, the songs he released as a boy group idol should also have a brand new look.
The song from his initial stage doesn’t count. He had just arrived then and hadn’t even figured out the situation yet. How could he have had the free time to write new songs?
It was different now. Three months of trainee life have been enough for him to spark new inspiration and write a new song that would serve as the starting point for his boy group career.
Consider it a gift to the boy group about to debut.
At lunchtime, Quentin unusually went to the cafeteria to eat with everyone. There were many of them, and one table couldn’t seat them all. So, just like the day they ate hotpot, they pushed two tables together.
Unfortunately, after Hotpot Day passed, the cafeteria food returned to the previous dismal, pitiful weight-loss meals. Eating was hardly a pleasure for the young trainees; it was merely about filling their stomachs and replenishing the energy expended during rehearsals.
When it came to the taste of weight-loss meals, it was better to just eat while chatting with friends at the table.
“Xinyi, you’ve already chosen your song? So fast?” Cui Yan raised his head in surprise. “Have you already discussed it with the director? There are no problems, right?”
Wen Xinyi had two cherry tomatoes skewered on his chopsticks. He was still chewing one, the sourness of the fruit making him squint as he inhaled and answered, “Mm… more or less. The song I want to sing… happens to be in Youth TV’s copyrighted library, no need to contact the copyright holder separately.”
Quentin picked up a piece of beef and asked curiously, “What song?”
Wen Xinyi said, “Teacher Chen’s ‘The Moon in the Water’. It’s an old song from over ten years ago. I need to compress it to two minutes. Mm… I’ll probably adapt it quite a bit.”
Quentin had heard this song. He had sampled works from all four mentors. ‘The Moon in the Water’ wasn’t Chen Shiyu’s most famous representative work, but it was a technically demanding song that tested the singer’s vocal skills.
Cui Yan had also heard it, so he said, “This song is very difficult to sing. And it’s a bit niche. Why did you think of singing this one?”
“It’s precisely because it’s niche that I chose it. Covering famous songs by established singers is even harder, right?” Wen Xinyi explained. “For those well-known songs, the original singers’ interpretations have already become deeply ingrained in people’s minds. No matter how I sing, it’s hard to break through the listeners’ first impression. I might as well take a niche song and cover it in my own style.”
Cui Yan took a deep breath and gave a thumbs up. “That makes sense!”
Wen Xinyi smiled and sighed, “Actually, singing my own song would be best. It’s just a pity that I don’t have many songs from before, and they’re too ordinary. There’s no way around it. Originality requires talent. I just can’t write.”
Yan Qiao thought of the company Wen Xinyi had signed with and asked with some doubt, “Xinda never gave you suitable songs before? You singers shouldn’t be like trainees, forbidden from appearing on camera without permission. If the company didn’t assign you songs, you could also contact musicians or small studios to collaborate, right?”
“…” Wen Xinyi scratched his cheek sheepishly, feeling somewhat ashamed. “I didn’t have time to think about that before. The company’s course schedule was very tight. And I still have my younger siblings at home.”
Cui Yan understood. “I know. You used to post videos of various cover songs, right? I’ve come across them. Recording videos and stuff is also quite time-consuming… Oh, right, Yan Qiao, what about you? You’re singing and dancing, right?”
Yan Qiao shook his head. “I’m only dancing. I’ll probably choose a relatively difficult dance track.”
‘Only dancing?’
Cui Yan was a bit surprised. Wen Xinyi was only singing because he wasn’t good at dancing. Why wouldn’t Yan Qiao, a trainee who is good at both singing and dancing, sing?
But seeing that he had already made up his mind, Cui Yan didn’t ask further. However, Quentin, sitting nearby, guessed the reason for Yan Qiao’s choice.
– He wanted to solidify his position as the “main dancer.”
Yan Qiao and Wen Xinyi were different. No one competed with the latter for the “main vocal” position. But the “main dancer” position had always been controversial.
In the first three public performances, to cater to the team’s average level, Yan Qiao had been unable to showcase the full potential of his dancing. The solo stage at the finals was the last chance before debut. He definitely had to seize it.
Moreover, Cheng Shaozhi would definitely dance only and not sing, because his singing ability was average, and there was no need to expose his shortcomings.
Therefore, Yan Qiao should choose to dance even more. Otherwise, he would fall behind in the dancer competition.
Quentin didn’t know the positioning of the main character group in the original story, but the title of main dancer would most likely end up with Cheng Shaozhi. Because Yan Qiao fell into the “Zhong Qu pit’ half a year after debut.
Although Cheng Shaozhi also fell into the pit after half a year… What unfortunate fates.
While eating, he silently looked around. Even without asking, he could guess everyone’s choices.
Xue Mingzhu would definitely rap. Cui Yan and Fang Xu would sing and dance. Wen Xinyi would only sing. Yan Qiao would only dance.
As for himself? Of course, original creation + singing and dancing.
However, for this kind of medley stage pieced together from multiple solo segments, the transitions between songs was very important. Just like many singers’ or idol groups’ concerts always include interludes, talking interactions, and VCR segments.
But on a medley stage, each person had limited time. Forget about talking.
Based on his experience, if he were to handle the transitions, he would probably need to call the person performing before him to discuss together, re-mix and rearrange their two adapted songs, and create a rhythm, harmony, or electronic sound effect that could perfectly stitch the two songs together.
If the order of performance for each person on the final stage was like a movie playback, in reverse order of ranking, then he would definitely be the last to perform. The person before him would be Yan Qiao, who was ranked second.
Since Yan Qiao was only dancing, could he do a short transitional duet dance in the middle?
Quentin lowered his head to eat his pasta. Five or six plans flashed through his mind, and he finally came to a very natural conclusion.
Yan Qiao wouldn’t reject this suggestion. He thought to himself.
“…After three months, this is the first time I’ve carried a phone with me! Although it’s not connected to the internet, and I didn’t download any fun apps, just listening to music is nice.”
Xue Mingzhu finished eating the fastest. A high school boy’s eating speed was perfectly demonstrated on him.
He crossed his legs, happily swiping his phone screen, and complained, “Tsk, the show’s song library hasn’t been updated in like a hundred years. The songs with free copyright are about the same age as me. There isn’t a single boy group song. Cui Yan, Fang Xu, what are you two planning to do?”
Cui Yan smiled and said, “I asked the director. He told me to choose first. The copyright issue can be discussed.”
“That’s true. Worst case, we spend money to buy them. We have so many sponsors! We’re rich!”
Xue Mingzhu said, then turned to look the other way. “Hey, Quentin, what about you? How’s your song writing going? Is it going smoothly?”
Quentin didn’t look up and mumbled, “So-so… I should be able to finish the track today.”
Xue Mingzhu wasn’t wearing headphones, and the sound of ‘The Moon in the Water’ drifted out from his phone.
The woman’s voice was clear and ethereal, like gauze or mist, just like the moon reflected in the water, shattering into specks of halo at the slightest breeze.
” It sounds good. It’s my first time listening to it. As expected of Teacher Chen.” He sighed, then looked at Quentin again, curiously asking, “You wrote a lot of songs before, didn’t you? Aren’t you planning to use any in this performance?”
They had all watched the movie. Having heard snippets of Quentin’s songs, they didn’t understand why he hadn’t released them. They clearly sounded great. Could it be that there wasn’t a single complete version?
Quentin didn’t react immediately, still thinking that the songs he wrote before should be released under the Cupid account. It took him two seconds to realize Xue Mingzhu was talking about the songs in the video.
He was silent for a moment, swallowed the pasta in his mouth, and slowly said, “Those songs… weren’t written well enough. They didn’t meet my standards for release.”
He knew himself. Even if it was himself who grew up in another world, he could still hear what that “him” wanted to express from the songs.
It was obvious. The snippets played in the video were all experimental products from the young man’s attempts at songwriting, full of traces of showing off, as if whatever he learned that day had to be immediately applied in a song.
For example, no novelist would post their exam essays or other homework on a novel website.
The reason those snippets sounded decent was purely due to the support of talent. Simply based on Quentin’s musicality, even if he knew nothing about music theory, it would be hard for him to create an unpleasant song.
However, to others, Quentin’s answer sounded rather Versailles-like. If they didn’t know Quentin’s personality, they might have misunderstood him as subtly showing off.
“Sounding Versailles” means boasting about wealth, looks, or achievements under the guise of complaining or modesty.
Xue Mingzhu bared his teeth, as if chilled by that sentence, and rubbed his arms. “Fine, fine, fine. I’m convinced. Isn’t it just writing a new song for the final stage in one week? Count me in!”
Wen Xinyi was helpless. “It won’t even take a week. Rehearsals need time too.”
Fang Xu quietly spoke up. “Isn’t it normal? Quentin has always been like this.”
Cui Yan put down his chopsticks and sighed in admiration. “You’re right amazing, Xiao Ting.”
Quentin, who was drinking water: “Ahem! Ahem!”
The young man put down his water glass, wiped his mouth, and calmly looked at Cui Yan. “No need… to call me that.”
Cui Yan blinked, his smile bright. “You’re not used to it yet? It’s very cute. You’ll get used to it after more times!”
“For some reason, it feels like calling a girl.”
“Tsk, speaking of which, Quentin is an English name, right…”
“I’ve asked this question before. It works for both Chinese and English.”
“So there really is a surname like Kun?” (Refer to the Chinese version of Quentin, Kun Ting)
“Then calling him Xiao Ting is normal. It sounds a bit sweeter than Xiao Kun. You’ll know if you try saying it.”
“Xiao Ting, Xiao Ting, Xiao Ting…”
“Wow, you’re actually trying it. Don’t put on that fake voice, bro. Ugh, disgusting. I’m going to throw up.”
“Xiao~~Ting~~~”
“Pfft…ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem!”
“…Xue Mingzhu, don’t spray your saliva everywhere.”
“Haha, so Xinyi can make that kind of sound too? It’s amazing! You could voice a radio drama!”
“By playing a female ghost? That would be very suitable.”
Quentin averted his gaze and continued drinking water as if nothing had happened.
Maybe he should switch tables to eat?
