Chi Yan refused. She said, “Although I really like Director Li Wei’s films, the director I most want to work with is not Director Li. I’m sorry.”
The host said regretfully, “Director Li Wei’s selection failed. Now, Director Luo Fangyan, please make your choice…”
“Chi Yan, don’t disconnect yet! I asked you before if you wanted to join my team, and you refused. Today, I’m going to ask you again.”
The livestream chat exploded.
“Director Luo asked before? And got rejected?”
“I’m a Yanhuo (Chi Yan’s fan), and I really want to shake her awake! Sis, what are you doing?! It’s Director Li Wei and Director Luo Fangyan! Do you know how many actors dream of this opportunity?”
“If she rejects again, this is going to be interesting.”
Chi Yan refused again. The audience was even more shocked, and the livestream chat surged to a new peak.
“At this point, nothing Chi Yan does will surprise me anymore. But seriously, she’s not going to reject all four directors, right?”
A netizen named “Duanduan is the Best” commented, “Impossible! All four directors picking her? You might as well be dreaming!”
Luo Fangyan was unwilling to give up and wanted to try persuading her again.
Before she could speak, Yu Jingming said, “Luo, asking again would be pointless.”
Only then did Luo Fangyan drop the matter.
But the director team hadn’t cut off Chi Yan’s connection yet. Everyone could tell that all four directors wanted her.
Director Wang Di raised an eyebrow and said, “Among all the performances this afternoon, yours was the most flawless. But I already knew you would refuse, so I’m choosing Duan Jing.”
Chi Yan smiled and said, “Thank you, Director Wang, for your recognition.”
The main screen switched to Duan Jing, and as expected, she agreed to join.
The livestream chat instantly filled with mockery.
“Where’s that ‘Duanduan is the Best’ person? Wang Di literally said he only picked her because he knew Chi Yan would refuse. Your Duanduan was just a second choice.”
Duan Jing’s fans went completely silent. Not a single comment from an account with “Duanduan” in its name appeared.
“Hilarious. Aren’t you guys usually all over the comments controlling the narrative? Why so quiet now?”
Since there was no response, people lost interest, and the chat slowed down.
The host continued, “Director Yu, it’s your turn to choose.”
“Chi Yan,” Yu Jingming said.
“Alright, let’s reconnect with Chi Yan!”
This time, Chi Yan let out a sigh of relief. She said, “Director Yu’s team, right? I’d like to join.”
In the livestream chat, someone suddenly commented, “They had dating rumors before. Is there really something going on between them?”
“Weak question, but… is anyone shipping the ‘ChiYu’ CP?”
These types of comments increased, and Chi Yan’s fans began controlling the narrative.
“A handsome man and a beautiful woman teaming up—it’s a great match, visually pleasing.”
“She probably chose Director Yu because they worked together before and she’s more familiar with him. If she joined a new director’s team, she’d have to adjust, and the next competition is just a week away. She’s just being strategic.”
“I’d choose Director Yu too! He looks easygoing, while the other three have a history of yelling at actors so much they ended up on trending topics.”
“Alright,” the host said, “Congratulations to Chi Yan for joining Director Yu’s team!”
“Now, we move on to the second round of selections. This time, Director Yu will go first!”
Yu Jingming smiled and said, “Ye Jiawen.”
Ye Jiawen was sitting alone in his room playing a game. When he heard the host’s voice, he was so startled that he flinched.
“Ah, I lost.”
The host asked, “Do you accept joining Director Yu’s team?”
“Which team did Chi Yan join? I’ve always wanted to work with her. Whichever director she picked, I’ll pick too.”
“She’s in my team,” Yu Jingming replied, unable to hide his smile. Of all the contestants, he had the highest hopes for these two.
Ye Jiawen nodded. “Oh, okay then. I’ll join.”
In the next round, Wang Di picked Han Xi, Luo Fangyan picked You Shan, and Li Wei picked Qi Kerong.
The directors had selected three rounds of contestants, totaling twelve people. After that, they still had to pick three backup candidates. Once the directors finished their selections, there would also be five popular vote slots.
Neither Xue Yi nor Xu Yi had been chosen.
Chi Yan looked tense. She turned to a staff member and asked, “Can I have my phone now?”
The staff refused. “Sorry, you can only get your phone back after the recording ends.”
Xue Yi said, “Chi Yan-jie, don’t worry. I think no matter what happens, this was a great experience. Just being here is lucky enough.”
“Yeah, and even if we get eliminated, we’ll meet again in other productions.” Xu Yi patted Chi Yan’s shoulder.
“Let’s not talk about that yet. There are still eight slots left. It’s not over yet,” Chi Yan said.
All the contestants were waiting as the four directors discussed the results.
When the host announced the outcome, Chi Yan held her breath, afraid of missing Xue Yi and Xu Yi’s names.
In the end, there was both joy and disappointment—Xue Yi made it, but Xu Yi didn’t.
Chi Yan clenched her hands tightly and comforted Xu Yi, saying, “Don’t worry, there’s still the popularity vote. You definitely won’t be eliminated.”
“I’m already happy that you both made it. Even if I have to say goodbye here, I won’t be too sad.”
Xu Yi felt lucky. The day she passed the preliminary round, stopping Chi Yan had been the best decision she ever made.
“For the past week, many viewers have been voting for our contestants. Excluding those who have already been selected, the top five remaining contestants will also advance.”
“Now, let’s reveal the results!”
The big screen on stage displayed the popularity rankings for the week.
At the top was Duan Jing, with three million votes. Chi Yan wasn’t surprised—after all, Duan Jing had been acting for over ten years. It would be strange if she didn’t have a fanbase.
Chi Yan was ranked second, trailing by only 100,000 votes. The voting had closed before the performances, otherwise, with her outstanding performance, she might have taken first place.
The good news was that all five contestants on the first page of rankings successfully advanced, which meant the remaining spots would shift accordingly.
Xu Yi’s name was at the bottom of the fourth page. At this point, only two spots were left, but three people on that page had yet to advance. Xu Yi was ranked sixth.
“Just this little bit?” Chi Yan was speechless for a moment.
Xu Yi, on the other hand, smiled. She said, “I guess this is fate. I was lucky but just not lucky enough. Honestly, if I had lost by a large margin, I wouldn’t feel so bad. But it’s this tiny gap that hurts the most.”
Xue Yi tore off a few tissues and handed them to both of them. “Here, wipe your faces.”
The entire room was filled with a heavy, sorrowful atmosphere.
Just as the host was about to announce the final list of contestants who had successfully advanced, a staff member rushed onto the stage and whispered something to the host.
The host then smiled and said, “At Xiyou TV, we ensure that our voting is always fair and just. However, our staff just discovered that one contestant was caught manipulating the rankings. We have decided to disqualify them and award the final spot to contestant #72, Xu Yi! Congratulations, Xu Yi!”
A shocking turn of events!
Xu Yi couldn’t believe her ears. Her eyes widened as she asked, “Did they call my name? Is it really me?”
Xue Yi and Chi Yan confirmed it for her. “Yes! Contestant #72, Xu Yi!”
At that moment, Xu Yi burst into both laughter and tears. A rush of overwhelming emotions hit her all at once. She threw her arms around Chi Yan and exclaimed, “I actually advanced! I actually advanced!”
Just a second ago, she had been devastated about not making it. But in the next, fate turned around, bringing her an unexpected miracle. This was even more thrilling than if she had been directly selected.
“Alright, alright, calm down. We still have to go on stage and confirm our mentors. The host is calling us,” Xue Yi said with a smile.
Chi Yan nodded, linking arms with Xu Yi as they walked together.
Xue Yi also extended his arm. Chi Yan laughed and placed her hand on his.
“What kind of group are we?” Chi Yan thought for a moment and then chuckled. “I still have my stage makeup on. It’s like a mother with her children.”
Xue Yi and Xu Yi both burst into laughter.
Once on stage, the advancing contestants stood in a line at the center. The show was now down to its final grouping phase.
They could see the four directors discussing at the judges’ table, but they were too far away to hear what was being said.
After all the contestants were in place, the host said, “Next, the directors will continue selecting their team members!”
What the host didn’t mention was that this round had an unspoken rule: contestants were not allowed to reject the director who chose them.
While it was unlikely that any contestant would refuse, considering how hard they had worked to get here, the production team had still made sure to explain this rule in advance.
This time, the selection process was much faster. Chi Yan barely felt like she had been standing for long before the results were finalized.
Xue Yi was chosen by Director Luo Fangyan, while Xu Yi, like Chi Yan, joined Director Yu Jingming’s team.
Although the three of them didn’t end up in the same group, Chi Yan felt only a slight disappointment. More than anything, she was happy. They hadn’t been eliminated and still had chances to work together in the future.
Yu Jingming’s team now consisted of Chi Yan, Ye Jiawen, and Xu Yi, along with another contestant who played the female lead in a ten-person scene. Chi Yan found her familiar but had never worked with her, so she wasn’t sure of her abilities.
The last contestant in their team was someone Chi Yan didn’t know. However, in the previous round, he had teamed up with You Shan, and since he had made it this far, he was probably quite capable.
Yang Yueyi was in Director Wang Di’s team. She stood not far from Chi Yan, staring intensely at her, as if trying to see through her.
Chi Yan could tell that Yang Yueyi wanted to ask her something, but she refused to make eye contact. Since the bet had already been placed, there was no way she was going to change it.
With the selections complete, the teams were finalized, and the episode officially came to an end. Contestants and mentors left the stage in an orderly manner.
As they walked down from the stage, Xu Yi sighed, “This week went by so fast. It felt like a dream.”
“Yeah, and thank goodness it’s over,” Xue Yi said. “But we need to keep working hard. If we can make it past the next round, the top ten, we won’t have to worry about eliminations anymore.”
“The ‘top twenty to top ten’ round only gives us a week to prepare. We should get a good night’s sleep tonight—we’ll have a lot of late nights next week.” Chi Yan rubbed her forehead.
“Xue, do you know the other people in your group? I’m fine since I’m with Chi Yan, but you’re on your own…”
Xue Yi smiled. “It’s fine. My group has my roommate, and we know each other pretty well.”
“Chi Yan, Ye Jiawen, Xu Yi, Cheng Yu, and Lin Shan—you guys, wait a moment.”
Yu Jingming called out to them. “Let’s have lunch together to get to know each other better. After you remove your makeup and change, meet me in my dressing room.”
