TL: Hua
After a short break, the Super Idol production team contacted Lin Yanran with a new filming task.
Since the trainees were divided into four mentor teams, the show wanted to improve the bond between the mentors and their mentees. To do this, they asked each mentor to secretly prepare a mysterious gift for their team.
The next day, the cameras would film the mentors giving the gifts to the trainees, and the footage would be edited into the main show and behind-the-scenes clips.
After hearing the task, Lin Yanran already had an idea for a suitable gift. Still, he first confirmed with the staff, “Are there any requirements for the gift?”
The staff, thinking Lin Yanran didn’t know what to give, explained, “There are no requirements. It’s just part of a storyline to show the mentors caring for the trainees. You can just give them your old albums or something like that, as long as you wrap it up with a good reason when you give it to them.”
The subtext was that the gift didn’t need to be very thoughtful; it just needed to exist.
With the staff’s confirmation, Lin Yanran felt slightly relieved.
He then rushed to a department store late that night.
After buying the gifts he wanted to give to the trainees, he wrote down an address and asked the store to deliver them the next day.
So, at 3 p.m. the following afternoon, outside the Super Idol dorms, everyone saw a truck from a department store parked there, with movers carrying a constant stream of packages into the trainees’ dorms.
Learning that the packages were gifts from Lin Yanran, the camera crew for his team immediately followed them to the dorm to film.
The gifts were packed in large cardboard boxes with no logos on the outside, so no one could tell what they were.
However, the sight of 15 large boxes neatly stacked together was quite impressive.
The other three teams’ mentors had already finished filming their gift-giving segments, so they came over to join the fun when they saw the last mentor, Yanran, had also sent gifts.
“Wow, how grand!”
“I’m so jealous!”
“I wonder what’s inside. I want to know right now.”
All the young men peered over curiously.
The 60 trainees were divided into four groups. While they appeared to be good friends, they secretly compared themselves to each other.
They compared their mentors and the price of the gifts their mentors gave them today.
Yanran was a mentor disdained by most people. Many knew he was poor and unsophisticated, so his gifts were genuinely looked down upon.
Many people simply assumed that someone like Yanran couldn’t possibly give any good gifts.
But today, he suddenly sent these huge, seemingly high-end boxes. The other trainees were so curious they couldn’t wait to see what was inside.
However, each group had its own storyline, so after Lin Yanran and his team’s trainees arrived, the staff closed the door and began filming separately.
The directors were also very curious and wanted to see what surprise Yanran had brought everyone.
With everyone watching in anticipation, Yanran opened a box.
A few seconds later, a brand-new foot spa machine appeared before everyone’s eyes.
Everyone on set was stunned when they saw what the gift was.
Seeing the trainees’ surprise, Lin Yanran explained why he chose the foot spa machine as a gift.
“You guys work hard with all the dancing and practice. Soaking your feet before bed can relieve fatigue and help you sleep.”
He then went to the corner of the room and opened another large box, taking out many herbal foot-soaking bags.
Lin Yanran handed one to Xia Xingxing. “You have trouble sleeping at night and get insomnia, so you can use this soothing one.”
Xia Xingxing was ecstatic that his idol’s first concern was for him.
He was so happy that he forgot to ask how his idol knew he had trouble sleeping.
Next, Lin Yanran handed a foot-soaking bag to Ji Shuai. “You’re prone to acne, so you can use this herbal tea bag with goji berries, chrysanthemum, cassia seed, and honeysuckle to clear heat and reduce inflammation.”
Then he took out a bag of mugwort foot-soaking bags and gave them to the others on the team.
“This one removes dampness.”
Then he took out another bag.
“This one promotes blood circulation.”
And then another.
“This one soothes the mind and nourishes the body…”
Lin Yanran, who was methodically handing out the bags, seemed like a wellness expert. He knew the effects of each bag like the back of his hand, as if he had personally soaked with every one of them!
The director, who was watching the filming of Lin Yanran’s team on the monitor, was so tempted by his descriptions!
He turned to the young staff member next to him. “Are these foot-soaking bags really that good? I should buy a few bags to try.”
The young staff member: “????”
“Do you think someone my age would know about this?”
The director pointed to Lin Yanran on the screen. “Yanran is younger than you, but he knows a lot about it.”
The young staff member resisted the urge to roll his eyes. What the hell…
If he didn’t know, he didn’t know, but why did the director have to attack his age?!
The young staff member silently complained in his mind, then glanced at the thermos bottle that Lin Yanran was carrying in the corner of the shot. He began to wonder the same thing as the director.
Why is Yanran, at such a young age, more concerned with wellness than a middle-aged person?!
The foot-soaking bags Lin Yanran bought were all chosen based on the health conditions of each person in his team.
After he finished his introduction, the trainees came forward one by one to collect their foot spa machines and foot-soaking bags.
Of the 15 people, some were surprised by the gift, some were happy, while others were incredibly disappointed, and they couldn’t hide it.
Gao Yu and Jin Letian looked at each other and smiled wryly.
Their honest thoughts were that they wanted to throw away this embarrassing thing immediately.
But because the cameras were filming, they had to force a smile and thank Lin Yanran.
Lin Yanran saw their expressions but didn’t say anything.
He could understand why the trainees felt the gift wasn’t cool enough.
However, he believed this was the most practical and suitable gift he could afford.
After all, his bank account balance was only in the four digits.
The money for the gifts was his entire fee from the traffic safety video he filmed the day before.
The moment the money hit his account, he paid the store for the items before it had time to get warm.
Among the trainees, Xia Xingxing was the most visibly happy. As a devoted fan of Yanran, he loved whatever his idol gave him.
He joyfully held the foot-soaking bag and immediately wanted to get some water to soak his feet.
“Sister, can I use these right now? I was exhausted from the dance practice all day yesterday.”
After the staff member agreed, Xia Xingxing immediately went to use it.
Seeing that the filming was done, the trainees from the other groups also came over to look at their gifts.
But seeing Xia Xingxing excitedly getting ready to soak his feet and realizing what Yanran had given his team members, they immediately dispersed.
And just like that, the news of Yanran giving away foot spa machines and foot-soaking bags spread among all the trainees.
In a corner away from the cameras, many people gathered to gossip about it, which then led to a burst of laughter.
“Poor people really are classless.”
“I’m dying of laughter. What kind of gifts did Yanran give? They’re so tacky and low-class.”
“I thought Han Zhe giving us his album was the worst, but it turns out there’s something even worse.”
Xuan Yihan, who was passing by, was pulled into the conversation.
“Don’t say that. Actually, his intentions were good, it’s just…” Xuan Yihan smiled slyly. “His personal taste and style are just bad. There’s nothing we can do about that.”
After his misstep with the necklace, he was furious with Lin Yanran.
Seeing how embarrassing the gifts were today, Xuan Yihan really wanted to mock him along with everyone else.
But after being warned by the production team for falsely accusing Lin Yanran of theft, he had to keep a low profile.
So he could only subtly make sarcastic remarks about Lin Yanran to his close friends in a corner.
After Xuan Yihan spoke, someone looked at him with envy. “Your mentor is so much better. He gave you cake, milk tea, and hot pot. Snacks are so much more practical. Brother Pei is so thoughtful.”
Xuan Yihan smiled proudly, but what he said was, “It’s all right. Your team’s skincare products are more expensive and useful. You can come to my room later, and I’ll share some snacks with you.”
The snacks were actually given to their team under the guise of a gift because he wanted to eat them himself.
After dinner, a new episode began filming.
The trainees were called to the studio, where the director appeared before them.
“Hello, trainees. It’s only been a few days, but I feel you’ve grown a lot.”
The director stood in the center of the stage, scanning everyone with a kind and amiable smile.
However, to the trainees, his smile felt ominous, as if he was about to lay a trap for them at any moment.
Their premonition was not wrong. The new rules for this round of competition that the director was about to announce were truly awful.
“Next, you will face your first live performance.” The director paused on purpose before slowly continuing, “This performance is different from previous ones. The performances of all trainees will be presented to the audience live on the day of the show.”
Hearing the word “live,” all the trainees were stunned.
Not only the trainees, but also the mentors were surprised.
Tangtang quickly tapped Lin Yanran next to her and spread her hands in disbelief.
“This rule is so exciting…”
Lin Yanran nodded to her. “It’s very challenging.”
Not just for the trainees but for the mentors as well.
The previous episodes were prerecorded. If a dance was not good, it could be edited. If the singing was off, it could be auto-tuned.
But in a live broadcast, whatever happened was what the audience would see. Any mistake would be seen by everyone, with no chance to salvage or correct it.
Thinking of how terrible it would be, the trainees on stage began to hold their heads and wail.
They all understood that a live broadcast could be an opportunity, but it could also be a nightmare.
The director seemed to have anticipated the trainees’ reactions and remained unfazed, instead smiling like a cunning old fox.
“As idols, you will eventually face a live broadcast one day. Not just live broadcasts, but you also have to face your fans in person. So this is a mandatory lesson for all of you. I hope you can adapt quickly.”
The trainees felt the director made a valid point and finally calmed down a little.
However, just as they had recovered, the director announced another piece of bad news.
“The first live performance is in three days. You only have three days to practice.”
Hearing how short the preparation time was, the trainees’ mindset, which had just stabilized, collapsed again.
“What????”
“Did I hear that right????”
“Only three days!!!”
“Are you for real…”
The director listened to their wails and asked them, “Do you think that’s all?”
After the director said this, some trainees almost stopped breathing.
Is he seriously going to add more difficulty to this???
“For the next three days, the production team will no longer provide vocal or dance training for the trainees.”
This news was like a bolt of lightning, leaving the trainees speechless.
Han Zhe, from the mentor’s seats, spoke up for them. “If the production team doesn’t provide training, then how are they supposed to perform?”
The director looked at Han Zhe, nodded to him, and said, “That’s a good question, Teacher Han Zhe.”
Lin Yanran looked at the director and had a guess in his mind after hearing this rule.
Sure enough, the director’s next words confirmed his suspicion.
“This is where our mentors’ battle comes in.” The director then put away his smile and officially announced to the trainees, “In this round of performances, all trainee performances will be led by their mentors. The production team will only provide auxiliary help like costumes, makeup, and stage design. Everything else, including daily training and stage performance, will be the sole responsibility of the mentors.”
After hearing the rules, there was a deafening silence.
If cursing really worked, the director in the middle of the stage would have died and come back to life countless times.
Not a single trainee on stage was thinking happy thoughts.
Three days to train, relying entirely on the mentors, and then a live performance.
This set of rules was absolutely insane.
At first, the trainees were very upset, with some even shouting that they wanted to quit the show.
But the anger and frustration were temporary. After calming down, many people began to understand one thing.
Since the mentors were fully responsible for this performance, it meant that the more reliable and amazing the mentor was, the greater the team’s chance of winning.
So, gradually, some trainees, after understanding the meaning behind this rule, didn’t feel so bad anymore.
The atmosphere on the set began to lighten up again.
But the trainees on Lin Yanran’s team were at their lowest point.
They felt hopeless, like they were drowning in an ocean with nothing to hold on to.
At a glance, Lin Yanran’s entire team had no morale at all, as if they were a pile of dead ash.
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