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For Jian Xingsui, today was truly… magical.
Somehow, someway, Actor Fu actually… asked to add his WeChat contact. Furthermore, it was the said actor who took the initiative.
Was he dreaming right now? It must be, right?
When he returned to his seat, Shen Xingchen sneered in annoyance: “Why are you acting as if you never added someone’s WeChat in your life before?”
Jian Xingsui glared at him angrily in response.
Shen Xingchen finally calmed down a bit, and leaned closer and said, “I’ll tell you a secret.”
Jian Xingsui said, “What secret?”
“If Fu-ge added you, then maybe… this contact isn’t like the one he gave to others,” Shen Xingchen quietly lowered his voice, as if he’s telling a big secret: “You know, some kind of work-only number? Business contact? It’s usually managed by his assistants and other staff, and he basically almost never reads through all the messages. Though, more likely, he doesn’t have the time to read all of it – he’s very busy, why would he do that, when his assistant can manage it perfectly anyways?”
Jian Xingsui’s heart suddenly beat uncontrollably, a hint of hesitant colored his voice: “Then what do you mean?”
“If he added you, it should be his private number.” Shen Xingchen said in a wise tone, in absolute contrast to his messy, spiky hair, “You are special to him, understand that?”
Hearing that, Jian Xingsui smiled subconsciously, “Really?”
Shen Xingchen nodded, “When have I lied to you?”
The hot pot was boiling, but no matter how hot it was, it was not as hot as Jian Xingsui’s heart. He felt that today might be the best day of his life. No matter how shitty his future ranking might be, it won’t spoil his good mood.
A mechanical female voice came from outside: “All trainees, please go to the hall on the first floor to gather after the meal.”
This voice was as terrifying as The King of Hell’s summoning order.
Everyone looked at each other, and they all saw the same determination in each other’s eyes. Some people took the lead to get up. With the current oppressive atmosphere, no one could eat anymore. Instead, they all went down to the lobby on the first floor. There were 56 seats placed on the opposite side of the lobby. The trainees were still standing nervously, as there were 108 of them. The meaning was obvious – half of them would be directly eliminated during this round.
The instructors stood in the middle and watched all the trainees stand up one by one.
Fu Jinxiao picked up the microphone, and spoke in a gentle tone: “Is all the trainees of ‘Starlight’ currently present?”
Everyone raised their voices: “All here!”
The voices resounded in unison throughout the gymnasium. Everyone came here with a dream and vigorous spirit. It might be the end for some of them, but they still put a brave face in front of the camera. They hoped the audiences would witness their fiery youth and brilliance.
Fu Jinxiao glanced at everyone, and whispered: “Now from left to right, start counting and introduce your name.”
This was also the last chance for all of the trainees to introduce their existence in front of the big screen. It was akin to a glorious last spark of a dying star – leaving your youthful mark on the show, hoping the glitter would be remembered in the hearts of many.
The first trainee, all the way on the left side, started shouting:
“’Starlight’ trainee Zhang Zhen, reporting for assembly!”
“’Starlight’ trainee Ji Beichuan, reporting for assembly!”
“’Starlight’ trainee Zhou Xun, reporting for assembly!”
It was also at this moment that many audiences gradually realized that under the camera, there were many unfamiliar faces. Those who weren’t given much screen time, yet they were still contestants who bet their future in the show. The audience might never see them again, as it was already time for a final farewell.
After everyone reported their names, many people felt very happy after shouting their names loudly on the top of their lungs. It’s as if they shouted away their anxieties alongside it.
Instructor Tuya took the microphone and said with a smile: “Now according to the order of your elimination in the previous game, please open the envelope in your hand. Please read your ranking aloud.”
Finally, this moment came.
For Jian Xingsui, he could feel that his roommate, Wen Shengge was trembling beside him. Since the start of the show, this person has always been very good-natured and humorous. In front of the camera, he always had a witty quip with a happy demeanour. But in private, he was actually mostly a silent man. And it’s clear that his clown-like persona was, well, a persona.
The first person to open the envelope came to the spotlight. He looked at his ranking for a moment, then he smiled a bright, joyful smile. He showed the content to everyone, while reading the words written there, “Ji Fei, your ranking in this stage is the 47th. Congratulations on entering the second stage!”
The other cheered for him, his happiness was infectious.
Ji Fei also hugged the others in a tight hug.
Although, everyone actually knew that the ranking 46 – 56 was actually on the bottom ten. That level of popularity was actually tepid, and their actual chance of debuting was slim to none. But currently, none of that matters. So long they could move up to another stage…
Tuya smiled and said, “Congratulations, please go to your ranking seat.”
Ji Fei ran to his own place, his happy smile made many people feel envious.
Soon, most of the people shouted. Tuya looked at the list and read the name of the next trainee: “Shen Xingchen.”
Shen Xingchen, who was standing next to his friend, nodded and opened his envelope. He was very confident. In fact, his popularity was also very high. There was nothing to worry about. Everyone guessed that he should be in the top 6, in the debut position.
After Shen Xingchen opened it, seeing the name, his expression was solemn at first, and then he curled his lips into a smile. He was born with a ruffian air, coupled with his spiky hairstyle’s unruly feeling, made him stand out among all the boys. His bad-boy appearance was a sharp weapon to attract little girls, so he played into that type as he spoke, “Shen Xingchen, your ranking in this stage is the 2nd. Congratulations on entering the second stage!”
Jian Xingsui looked at Shen Xingchen, and Shen Xingchen patted the younger man’s shoulders in return while saying, “This young master is waiting for you over there, you must accompany me, okay?”
He was always so domineering.
Perhaps under this dominance, there was a hint of gentleness and care.
Wen Shengge was the most nervous one among them, and Tuya read his name next: “Wen Shengge, please open the envelope and read out your rank.”
Finally at this moment, Wen Shengge opened his envelope and read it. After seeing the content, he covered his lips to control his emotions, but tears still fell on the paper. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down his shaky voice, and read: “Wen Shengge, your final ranking in this stage is the 57th. Unfortunately, you will stop here.”
There was a moment of silence at the scene.
There was nothing more depressing than almost, almost making it. It was a hair breath away from succeeding. He was 57th, while the cut-off was 56.
Wen Shengge was depressed, he couldn’t stop his tears, and couldn’t even hold the envelope with his shaky hands. Jian Xingsui, who was next to him, couldn’t bear looking at him and patted him: “I… Shengge… Don’t be sad… Yo–”
Wen Shengge hugged Jian Xingsui tight, using him as an outlet of his bubbling emotions. His tears fell on Jian Xingsui’s shoulder, wetting it with hot drops and choking sobs. Despite that, Jian Xingsui didn’t dislike it, even wiped the tears on his cheeks for him, and said in a soft, soothing tone, “Don’t cry… your… uhm… your makeup will be messed up. You don’t want the viewers to see it, right?”
What left unsaid was—
‘This may be the last – let’s not leave a bad impression on everyone.’
Ning Ze also came over and patted Wen Shengge. He’s not good with his words, so he couldn’t find the perfect words to comfort him. But he believed that his action was understandable enough.
Before Wen Shengge walked to the elimination area next to him, he gently gave his roommates another hug, and said, “You two – must stay and go on to the next stage for me.”
Jian Xingsui felt a little sad for some reason.
The audience was also a little sad out of sympathy. But they got an emotional whiplash when the camera turned to Jian Xingsui:
[Can 20,000 yuan Brother succeed in getting his 20,000 yuan this time?]
[It’s paid. It’s paid.]
[Hahaha, he looks sad on the surface, but he’s probably smiling inside.]
[Pretending to be sad~]
More and more people read out their rankings, and the situation started to get worse.
So far, all the people between the ranking 56-46 have finished reading, and almost all the people between the ranking 46-16 have been filled out. Even Ning Ze has entered his ranking position. Because Jian Xingsui was among the last to be eliminated in the battle royale game, his turn hadn’t come up yet. There were not many positions left for him now, so at this point, he was either on the top spot or eliminated.
The audience also gradually restrained their smiles from the initial teasing:
[It’s true!]
[Is 20,000 yuan Brother going to be eliminated?]
[Please not… I want to see him continue to be silly on the show.]
[I’m not the type to be overly emotional in this kind of scene, but even I think it’s a bit too sudden…]
Jian Xingsui himself was having a hard time. But what he didn’t expect was that Shen Xingchen, who was waiting in the auditorium not far away, looked as if he was going through a worse situation.
From the beginning, Shen Xingchen, who always liked to laugh, sat on the chair without saying a word.
Among the four members of their dormitory, currently two members were promoted, one was eliminated, and last one was in a precarious position.
Shen Xingchen never hid his emotions, his anxiety was written on the center of his brows. He might look like an uncaring person, but in truth, he was a very emotional person.
Even the audience started to get anxious:
[Can you hurry up?]
[20,000 yuan Brother is not really leaving.]
Just when everyone was getting nervous, Fu Jinxiao took the microphone, and he said: “Is there anyone who hasn’t opened the envelope yet? Please raise your hand.”
The contestants timidly raised their hands.
There were Anran, Jian Xingsui, Li Xu’an, Wei Jin and a couple of others who hadn’t been called.
Fu Jinxiao said: “Okay, Li Xu’an, you come first.”
Li Xu’an had always been a relatively popular contestant. At first, he opened the envelope hesitantly, but not long after, he smiled confidently, letting everyone see the envelope while he read it out loud: “Congratulations Li Xu’an, you have won first place in this stage and successfully entered the second stage!”
The audience was in an uproar, many players stood up to congratulate him. The atmosphere was very lively.
If Li Xu’an was the first place and Shen Xingchen was the second place, then Anran must be in third place. Many people think so, and according to the popularity ranking, it should be like this.
Fu Jinxiao raised his eyelids and glanced at Anran lightly, and said, “Anran, it’s your turn.”
Anran was called on, and he took a deep breath and walked forward. He was smiling when he opened his envelope, but when he saw the words written there, his smile was a little dull.
Many contestants didn’t understand what it meant, but their confusion was cleared when Anran read it loudly: “Jian Anran, your ranking in this stage is the 4th. Congratulations on entering the second stage!”