AITFYMIBP Chapter 17.2

TL: Hua

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Without a doubt, in both rankings and anticipation, this group was the least anticipated and least favored by everyone.

After watching the VCR and seeing the newly released data, the audience at the venue held their breath for Lin Yanran’s group of trainees.

The first three groups had several trainees who made frequent mistakes during their performances because of this mind-game segment.

Even in the most praised group, Pei Luo’s, one trainee performed poorly due to a low ranking.

Now, with their group at the bottom of the popularity and rankings and their difficult practice sessions, many people worried if they could even complete their performance normally tonight.

Just as the audience was filled with worry, the host spoke again.

He looked at Lin Yanran and, in a light tone, asked, “The trainees are about to perform. Yanran, as their mentor, do you have anything you’d like to say to them?”

The host, seeing the audience’s concern, deliberately prompted Lin Yanran to cheer up his trainees and try to get them some sympathy votes.

However, Lin Yanran didn’t sell them out or complain about how hard and difficult it was for them like the other mentors.

Instead, he lifted his chin and looked at the big screen with his beautiful eyes.

“I only have one thing to say to my team members.”

Lin Yanran gave a slight smile, his eyes filled with immense trust in the trainees.

“Even if no one expects you to succeed, you should still strive to be your own hero.”

His tone wasn’t intense. But to the trainees waiting to perform, it was so loud their eardrums throbbed.

Just like the countless times when they were lost, desperate, and wanted to give up, Lin Yanran always gave them encouragement and 100% confidence time and time again, patiently and at the perfect moment.

Even if no one expects you to succeed, you should still strive to be your own hero.

Captain Ji Shuai, like a warrior about to go into battle, tightly gripped the hands of the younger trainees on either side of him.

He bent to the left and right, looked at everyone, and then raised his voice to cheer everyone on, “Did you guys hear that? Don’t let your sweat go to waste; don’t let our mentor’s effort go to waste. Tonight, we are the best! Let’s go!”

The others also held onto each other’s hands, their eyes shining with a refusal to accept defeat.

“Be our own heroes! Let’s go!”

The stage lights dimmed, and Lin Yanran’s group of trainees finally made their appearance.

—

The performance began with an extremely eerie piece of music.

Amidst the swirling fog, a magnificent dining table in the style of 19th-century European nobility slowly rose.

It was set against a castle backdrop with layers of white snow.

Under a dim red light, four people—Lu Tianlang, Gao Yu, Ren Chuxi, and Lu Xiaomeng—dressed in European-style court shirts, appeared seated at the table, sipping coffee.

As soon as the four of them lifted their heads and the audience saw their makeup and styling for the night, a wave of screams erupted from the crowd.

[Ahhhhhhh!]

[Oh my gosh, my Lulu looks so handsome tonight!]

[The lighting, the ambiance—it’s perfect!]

They coordinated their dance moves, pushing their coffee cups back and forth in a fancy way. Then, they all turned to look at Ji Shuai, who was walking onto the stage, his eyes covered with a black silk scarf.

Ji Shuai elegantly pulled away the scarf. He looked like a noble from a 19th-century oil painting, giving others a playful look. Then he gracefully raised his hand, and the other trainees, dressed in various styles, entered the stage in pairs and groups, performing their solo parts.

Everyone looked toward Ji Shuai in the center, their eyes filled with a mix of curiosity, confusion, and a hint of wariness.

The drumbeats of the background music became faster. Combined with the dim blue light on the stage, the tense atmosphere was instantly heightened.

The audience’s hearts were now in their throats, just like the music.

At first, because there were no lyrics, the audience simply enjoyed their dancing.

But as the music, dancing, and the trainees’ expressions all came together, they gradually realized that the choreography for “Not Me” actually had a story!

Ji Shuai, who was in the very center with his elite, ascetic vibe, was actually a detective.

A murder has been committed in a castle hotel, and the detective has gathered everyone, announcing that the killer is among them.

The other fourteen people each have different identities. There are students on vacation, a writer seeking inspiration, a young aristocrat, a famous doctor, an elite lawyer…

Everyone’s profession and background seem so normal; no one looks like a murderer.

The first group to come forward is Lu Tianlang’s quartet. They state their position directly: they are young aristocrats on a relaxing trip and didn’t know the deceased at all. They were together all of last night, and no one left, so they can vouch for one another.

Next, Xia Xingxing, dressed as a student, and a few other trainees step forward. They look innocent and say they were just students on a sketching trip. One of their classmates felt ill last night, so they took care of him all night and even called a doctor for help. The doctor can prove it.

Subsequently, the other trainees, playing the roles of a hotel manager, a waiter, a lawyer, and tourists, all offer their alibis. At the time of the victim’s death, everyone has an alibi and an eyewitness.

“Not me, not me, not me.”

“Fake and real, real and fake—who can tell the difference?”

The chorus rings out, and the trainees have a sly smile in their eyes.

After a neat and handsome dance, everyone who has been cleared of suspicion prepares to leave.

The music suddenly stops. The detective chuckles, stopping everyone from leaving.

He reveals he never said the killer was just one person.

The victim, after being drugged, was stabbed dozens of times. The depth and force of each wound are different, which could not have been done by a single person.

The detective pulls out a fountain pen and a brooch from his pocket, tossing them to the lawyer and the young aristocrat, respectively, for an explanation.

The lawyer claims he lost the pen yesterday and thanks the detective for returning it.

The young aristocrat, however, grabs the student Xia Xingxing by the collar, his eyes fierce, accusing him of stealing the brooch.

The music’s tempo immediately quickens.

The detective then reveals the victim’s identity.

The deceased was a desperate fugitive who specialized in luring and killing minors.

Over ten years, he killed at least ten children but was acquitted due to a lack of solid evidence.

The fourteen people gathered here today are not who they claim to be. Some are friends of those children, some are their relatives, and others have received kindness from the victims’ parents.

They all knew the deceased and held a deep-seated hatred for him. They all had a motive for the murder!

The detective’s suspicion is like a fuse, igniting the seemingly unrelated group. Everyone starts to deny their motives, accusing and suspecting one another.

The lobby manager says the lawyer is lying, claiming he saw him walk past the victim’s room.

The tourist exposes the doctor’s and student’s lie, saying the doctor only went to help that morning.

The painter accuses the young aristocrat’s group of intentionally waiting for the road to be blocked by heavy snow instead of leaving the day before.

The young aristocrats counter that the lobby manager found the body, so who knows if he’s the one who killed him?

In the chaos, the detective observes everyone’s actions. He then pulls out the final, most damning evidence: he compares the handwriting of several people to the English letters “sinners” carved on the victim’s body.

As the detective is halfway through presenting his evidence, Lu Tianlang, playing the young aristocrat, steps forward and confesses to the crime.

Everyone looks at him in surprise, their movements stopping, their words caught in their throats.

The music slows, and the stage lights dim.

The detective shakes his head, insisting on giving his answer.

The young aristocrat raises a gun, pointing it at him, and insists he is the killer.

The detective, surrounded by everyone, slowly raises his own gun. He smiles faintly, unafraid.

The deceased had committed a crime, and the law would punish him.

The young aristocrat raises an eyebrow.

Do you think we haven’t tried?

As the two face off, the stage lights go completely dark.

A gunshot rings out in the darkness.

Bang!

The world seems to fall silent.

A few seconds later, the stage lights come back on. The fifteen trainees line up neatly and bow to the audience.

The audience, who were still immersed in the story and whose hearts were pounding from the tension and shock, finally came back to their senses.

They take a deep breath and then erupt into deafening screams.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

The viewers in the live stream room also can’t contain their excitement, typing furiously on their keyboards.

[I finally understand why Yanran was so confident.]

[If I had known they were this good, I would’ve been more confident too.]

[Ahhh, the creativity of this performance is absolutely amazing!]

[They managed to incorporate a story into the dance.]

[It feels like watching a mystery movie.]

[Is this how you can break down barriers between disciplines? It’s like a stage play, but it’s also a dance.]

[So what was the ending?]

[Who fired the gun? Did the detective die?]

[Wuwuwu, this idea is so brilliant!]

Having seen the first three performances, the audience knew that each group’s stage would present a different style based on their mentors’ characteristics.

Tangtang’s group focused on vocals, Han Zhe’s group had a cool and flashy style, and Pei Luo’s group emphasized synchronization.

They had initially thought Yanran’s group’s performance would be a mess, but they were completely blown away by how unique it was!

The vocals and dance were perfectly integrated into the storyline, and the stage design and concept were miles ahead of the previous three groups.

While the others were still stuck on traditional singing, dancing, and rapping, this group broke through and used a conceptual stage to showcase each trainee.

[The arrangement and choreography for this group are so unique. They gave everyone a character and a story.]

[After watching the other groups, I only remembered a few people, but after watching this group, I, a person with a terrible memory, remembered all fifteen of them!]

[When I watched Tangtang’s group, I thought everyone was so cute. When I watched Han Zhe’s group, I was so impressed by how cool they were. When I watched Pei Luo’s group, I thought they would be the best. But now that I’ve seen Yanran’s group… I suddenly think the previous performances were all so dull!]

[To be honest, I didn’t even dare to blink while watching, for fear of missing even a second.]

[Ahhh, they are so handsome. I love them so much. Can we vote for the team? I want to vote for all fifteen of them!]

[Awwww, if you like it, please vote for the kids quickly, or they’ll be eliminated!]

The performance was so explosive that everyone couldn’t help but want to discuss it with others.

At first, everyone’s attention was on the trainees and the plot. It wasn’t until a comment flashed by that everyone realized they had overlooked a very important detail.

[Is this stage a tribute to Murder on the Orient Express? If so, the real killers are all fourteen of them, and the young aristocrat confessed to protect everyone else.]

[OMG! There’s a twist!]

[The choreography is too good. It presented such a complex plot so clearly through dance.]

[I really want to know who choreographed this!]

[I’m so curious, too. They didn’t know anything on the first day, right? How did they improve so much in just two days?]

[Did some kind of master guide them?]

Amid the discussion, someone dug up a fleeting glimpse of the little brother in white from the previous teaser.

[Holy sh*t, I just remembered, wasn’t that dance the one Ji Shuai performed when he first appeared?]

[I went back and compared it, and it really is!]

[So, did the little brother in white help them with the choreography?]

[You might be onto something!]

[So who is the little brother in white???]

[Did Yanran invite an outside helper?]

[Ahhhh, not only is this group’s performance full of suspense, but the behind-the-scenes is too.]

[Who taught them? I’m so curious. Can the production team just tell us already?]

[Why didn’t you cut out the practice footage?]

[So the teaser was meant to pique our interest for this moment. You’re so cunning, production team!]

The little brother in white, who had already captured the hearts of many with a single glance in the teaser, now had everyone even more curious about his identity. They guessed he was likely the one who helped Yanran’s group make such immense progress.

While viewers on the live stream were using their eagle eyes to dig for more behind-the-scenes information, the on-site audience had already picked up their voting devices to cast their votes for Yanran’s group.

The voting channels for each trainee were continuously updating. After the host counted down from three, the screen froze. He then began to announce the live votes for each person.

“Lu Tianlang, 49 votes. Lu Xiaomeng, 38 votes. Xia Xingxing, 106 votes…”

As the host announced the votes, fans in the audience quickly used their phones to calculate.

After all fourteen trainees’ votes were announced, their group’s cumulative total was 631 votes.

Since everyone could vote for two trainees, the total possible votes were 1000.

Now, only Ji Shuai’s votes remain to be announced. The opposing group, Pei Luo’s, had a final total of 789 votes.

The decisive moment rested on Ji Shuai’s vote count.

If he could exceed 158 votes, they would win the competition and receive a bonus of 100,000 votes each, which was incredibly important for their group.

The fifteen people on stage were so nervous their palms started to sweat.

Xia Xingxing had already closed his eyes and began to pray.

Ji Shuai stared at the screen, his heart pounding.

Fans who had lost hope and then had it reignited held their breath, staring at the big screen without moving.

“Will this group’s votes exceed the previous group’s?” The host’s drawn-out words built the suspense to a fever pitch before he finally spoke. “Now, please announce the votes for the final trainee, Ji Shuai.”

“He has…”

“He has…”

The big screen flickered, and a number instantly appeared. When the fans below the stage saw the number, they jumped up in excitement.

“211 votes! The highest score of the night!”

“Let’s congratulate the trainees from Yanran’s group!”

“Congratulations on winning this competition and receiving the highest vote count of the night!”

The fifteen young men on stage, who had been holding their breath, finally relaxed.

All their hard work and effort were finally validated and recognized. They jumped for joy, hugging each other and crying happy tears.

“Is there anything you want to say?” the host asked.

Hearing the host, all fifteen of them turned to face Lin Yanran and bowed deeply to him.

“Thank you, Teacher Yanran!”

At that, Xia Xingxing couldn’t hold back and rushed to Lin Yanran, hugging him and sobbing loudly.

The other trainees followed suit, gathering around Lin Yanran and no longer holding back their tears.

Seeing the boys collectively thanking Lin Yanran and crying around him, the audience, who were already moved by their comeback, were suddenly confused.

Everyone had said the trainees disliked Yanran. So why were they all thanking him now? ?

And what exactly did they go through in those two days to achieve such a perfect reversal?

The audience became even more anxious and wished they could hack into the post-production computer to dig out the missing two days of footage.

[Ahhhh, I really want to know the truth! Production team, I’m going to pay now. I beg you, please release the full behind-the-scenes footage for this group!]

The live stream audience was once again driven crazy by the production team’s suspense.

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