AITFYMIBP Chapter 16.1

TL: Hua

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The 500 audience members were selected randomly by the production team from online applications, and fans of every trainee were there.

When they heard the show was starting, they immediately turned on the light-up signs and glow sticks they had brought to cheer for their idols. In an instant, the once dark audience seating became a colorful, starry sky.

Amidst the audience’s excited cheers, the host gave a brief opening speech and then announced the names of the mentors, inviting them onto the stage one by one.

The four mentors were no strangers to the audience. Pei Luo, in particular, was a very popular idol, and many of his fans were present. When he came on stage, they screamed his name and cheered for him.

Pei Luo’s group had many popular trainees. When they heard the mentor’s fans calling out his name, they also shouted Pei Luo to support their idol’s mentor.

The fans in the audience heard the entire crowd yelling Pei Luo’s name, and not wanting to lose momentum, they also began shouting their own mentor’s names.

The trainees hadn’t even performed yet, and the audience was already in a battle of popularity between the mentors. The air was thick with tension.

The atmosphere at the venue also energized the live stream audience.

Since they couldn’t be there to scream, they spammed the chat with comments. The live stream room was instantly flooded with different names.

In this battle, no one could say for sure who won.

But it was very clear who had the lowest presence.

While the hot topics about his heroic deed and his role as a “traffic safety ambassador” had earned Lin Yanran some favor and attracted a few casual fans, it was insignificant compared to the years of accumulated fans and reputation of the other mentors.

Plus, his performance in the first few episodes had left a bad impression on many people, so the majority of the show’s fans still disliked him.

Even the fans of the trainees in his group felt that their idols were unlucky to be in his group and, just like everyone else, were unwilling to cheer for him.

Standing on the same stage wasn’t scary, but being rejected was embarrassing.

Lin Yanran stood with the other three mentors and clearly felt the audience’s unwelcome attitude.

However, he was mentally strong enough and had already become used to these kinds of situations. On stage, he remained calm, elegantly raising his hand to greet everyone.

The live footage was simultaneously broadcast to the trainees’ waiting area.

Most of the trainees in Pei Luo’s group felt honored and beamed with joy.

“Teacher Pei Luo is so popular.”

Xia Xingxing glanced at Xuan Yihan, who was smiling maliciously among the crowd, and took three deep breaths in anger.

After the mentors took their seats, the host solemnly introduced the super mentor for the night.

When the audience heard the name Gu Siye, the once-noisy venue suddenly fell silent.

From the dim backlight, Gu Siye slowly entered the stage.

He was dressed in a simple yet stylish black suit with the collar of his white shirt slightly turned out. He wore a pair of non-prescription metal-rimmed glasses, making him look sophisticated and alluring.

“Good evening, everyone.”

As soon as Gu Siye spoke, the audience in the studio seemed to snap back to reality, erupting in a chorus of piercing screams. At the same time, the livestream was flooded with comments, with every visible corner of the screen covered with his name.

[GU! SI! YE!]

[AHHHH! My husband is killing me! He’s too handsome tonight!]

[Is this what they call a cultured scoundrel and a restrained beauty?!]

[AHHHHHHHHHH Gu Siye! The super mentor really is Gu Siye!!!!]

[Long time no see, hubby!!!!!]

[I randomly tuned in to a livestream and ended up seeing Gu Siye. Should I go buy a lottery ticket tonight?!]

[My male god, please stop exuding your charm!]

In the entertainment industry, some celebrities resort to various tactics to grab attention and increase their popularity.

However, Gu Siye was different. He didn’t have to do anything; he was the attention itself just by standing there.

The news that Gu Siye was the super-mentor for Super Idol was announced on the livestream and quickly became a trending topic.

At the same time, Gu Siye’s army of fans also heard the news and rushed directly to the live broadcast room. The viewership, which was originally less than ten million, skyrocketed to thirty million and was still climbing.

As the super-mentor, Gu Siye was responsible for controlling the stage and following the program’s script.

As he interacted effortlessly with the audience, Lin Yanran’s eyes unconsciously fell on his black suit jacket.

He had planned to return the one he borrowed from Gu Siye earlier, but various things got in the way, so that jacket was still in his room.

Lin Yanran remembered Yingying saying that the jacket he had used as a blanket was the one Gu Siye had taken off.

So… did he change his outfit for the show?

On tonight’s stage, the mentors were just a bonus; the real highlight was the trainees.

The production team understood this, so after announcing the super mentor, Gu Siye, they quickly moved on to the main event.

The director, a fan of blind boxes, had the mentors draw another round of blind boxes, and based on the colors and numbers, the performance order for the four groups was determined.

The first group to perform was Tangtang’s.

Before the trainees took the stage, the program played a VCR showing their journey from forming the group to their daily practice.

It showed their difficulties, sweat, happiness, and joy.

Each group had its own story, and Tangtang’s group was edited to be heartwarming, focusing on the trainees’ mutual support and progress.

In the same style as presented in the VCR, Tangtang’s group’s performance was fresh, warm, and cute.

Following them was their opponent, Han Zhe’s group.

Han Zhe’s group performed a cool rock song called “Like Me,” and their stage was very flashy.

The trainees, dressed in biker jackets, leather, and sequins, instantly captured everyone’s attention.

After the two groups performed, it was time for the intense voting.

In addition to singing and dancing skills, the audience’s sensory experience and the stage atmosphere were also very important.

Although Tangtang’s group had stronger vocals, they weren’t as captivating as Han Zhe’s group, and they ultimately lost by 53 votes.

Through the first two groups, the audience understood that the theme for the night was a mentors’ battle.

With the trainees from the first two mentors having already performed, the remaining two were naturally the next ones to compete.

When the camera showed a split-screen of Pei Luo and Lin Yanran, the audience already knew the outcome before the performances began.

[Pei Luo and Yanran are in the same group?? LOL, this is a one-sided massacre.]

[Pei Luo’s group is basically all A and B class powerhouses. Their skills are on a completely different level.]

[I heard the trainees in Yanran’s group are all the ones the other mentors eliminated. So is their group just a simple addition of bad and bad?]

[What’s wrong with the previous comment? The mentor being bad is the mentor’s problem; what does that have to do with the trainees?]

[Fans can’t handle the truth? If the trainees were so great, why were they assigned to Yanran?]

[No way, no way. There’s no one who actually has high hopes for Yanran’s group, right?]

Before the performances even began, a war broke out in the comments.

But since Pei Luo and his trainees were more popular and Lin Yanran’s group’s fans were disheartened, they were completely overpowered in the online battle.

Soon, the big screen on the stage lit up again, and Pei Luo’s group’s VCR began to play.

The VCRs for the previous two groups showed a friendly atmosphere, with mentors and trainees getting along harmoniously with minimal conflict.

Based on this, everyone assumed the show was breaking away from the typical rivalry-filled reality show formula and promoting a positive message of unity and friendship.

Just when everyone expected the VCR for the strongest group, Pei Luo’s, to also have a “we-all-get-along” vibe, they were surprised to find that except for the initial selection process, the group was filled with constant conflict and an unpleasant atmosphere.

There was ongoing friction over everything, from lyric distribution to the selection of the center position.

The first two groups had also encountered these issues, but their members were more laid-back and quickly resolved things by making concessions.

Pei Luo’s group, however, did not.

There was a part with some high-note vocals that both Li Xinguo and Xuan Yihan wanted to sing.

After a heated argument, Pei Luo stepped in and gave the part to Xuan Yihan.

Next was the competition for the center position. Qiao Ye, Xuan Yihan, and another trainee all wanted it.

Some people felt that Qiao Ye, with his three years of training and excellent singing and dancing skills, was the strongest and most suitable for the center position.

But a clique led by Fang Su insisted that Xuan Yihan’s stage presence was better and that he was more suited to be the center.

The previous conflict over lyric distribution was never truly resolved, and the resentment has now carried over here.

So some of the neutral members suggested, “Why don’t you guys perform it on the spot, and we can vote as a team?”

The staff played a snippet of their song, and the three of them performed.

Qiao Ye, who had been a trainee for three years, was an excellent singer and dancer and was clearly the most outstanding of the three.

Everyone in the audience thought he was a sure winner.

But to everyone’s surprise, the results were announced, and Xuan Yihan had won the center position.

The video then cut to some shots of Xuan Yihan working hard, and the scene shifted to Pei Luo clapping and praising Xuan Yihan with a look of satisfaction. “You deserve this center position.”

This part completely stunned the audience watching the livestream.

[Pei Luo, are you blind? How does Xuan Yihan deserve it?]

[You’re the one who’s blind; can’t you tell it’s just editing?]

[Yes, and this was voted on by the trainees, not chosen by Pei Luo.]

[Even with editing, I can tell who performed better.]

[Seriously, don’t you have any shame? It was clearly group bullying. Do you really think we don’t know that the people who voted for Xuan Yihan were his close friends?]

[Saying Xuan Yihan deserved the center position in front of Qiao Ye. Isn’t Pei Luo just trying to disgust Qiao Ye?]

The comments exploded after this VCR, with fans of Qiao Ye, the mentor, Xuan Yihan, and other viewers all getting into an argument.

Everyone had expected Lin Yanran’s group to be the chaotic one, but to their surprise, Pei Luo’s group’s fans were the first to start a fight.

Qiao Ye’s fans, in particular, were upset after seeing him being ostracized and having the center position taken from him. He had to practice alone in a corner and listen to the mentor praise Xuan Yihan. Even though the show tried to make up for it by showing how hard Xuan Yihan practiced and then showing a scene of them comforting and encouraging Qiao Ye with the subtitle, “Despite the small frictions, we still work together to achieve our dreams,” to try to make this reversal storylinebecome warm and inspiring, the fans weren’t buying it.

[Xuan Yihan must be a royal family member.]

[He got the high-note part, the center position, and even the group’s entire storyline.]

[I’m so sick of seeing Qiao Ye being pushed into a corner to practice.]

[I was really looking forward to this group, but this is disgusting.]

Recognizing that Qiao Ye’s fans would likely be upset, the editor gave him his own scene at the very end of the video.

The large screen on the stage went dark, and a subtitle appeared:

[The practice room at 2 AM]

The scene then shifted indoors.

Xuan Yihan, holding his clothes and about to leave the practice room, turned to Qiao Ye, who was still there. “Qiao Ye, aren’t you going back?”

Qiao Ye shook his head without looking at him. “You guys go ahead. I want to practice a little longer.”

Xuan Yihan opened his mouth to say something but then smiled. “Okay, don’t stay up too late. Get some rest.”

Qiao Ye didn’t respond this time and simply started dancing to the music. The editor added a fast-spinning clock on the side.

Another subtitle lit up.

[It’s 3:15 AM…]

Qiao Ye, sweating profusely and clearly exhausted, repeatedly practiced his moves in front of the wall mirror, looking like a soulless robot. He eventually lost his balance from exhaustion while practicing a move, fell to the ground, and didn’t get up for a while.

Seeing this, his fans were heartbroken and angry.

[My family Qiao Ye might seem cold, but he’s really tough on the inside. He must be practicing so late because he didn’t get the center position and wants to make up for it.]

[He must be completely exhausted. I’m crying.]

[Xuan Yihan is garbage! I’m so mad.]

As the fans flooded the comments with complaints, the door to the practice room opened in the video.

An unexpected person entered.

[Yanran???]

[It’s 3 AM. Why is he here?]

Lin Yanran: “Are you okay? Did you fall?”

Lin Yanran: “You look a little tired. Have some water.”

The fans were touched by Lin Yanran’s concern for Qiao Ye.

[Wuwuwu thank you, Teacher Yanran, for your concern.]

[My baby must have been feeling terrible. Thank you, Teacher Yanran, for comforting him.]

Qiao Ye’s fans, who had been expecting support from Pei Luo, were now grateful to the mentor from the opposing team, the very person they had previously despised.

Not only Qiao Ye’s fans, but also many other viewers had a much better impression of Lin Yanran after seeing this clip.

[To be honest, when Yanran walked up to Qiao Ye, I felt a kind of halo around him. I know it’s an exaggeration, but it felt like he was bringing a ray of light into the darkness.]

[I’m similar to Qiao Ye in personality, so I really like how Yanran handled this. He must have seen that Qiao Ye was upset but didn’t ask too many questions. He just quietly handed him a bottle of water.]

[He seems so warm and has a high emotional intelligence.]

Seeing everyone praising Lin Yanran, the haters jumped back in.

[High emotional intelligence my foot! Have you forgotten how he made things difficult for Xuan Yihan before?]

[Come on, it’s just one scene. Who knows if it was scripted?]

[Giving a bottle of water is considered “warm”? How naive…]

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