Chapter 10
After the performance of this group of contestants, four judges will give scores. Then, the average score will become the final score of the contestant. After receiving their scores, they'll be grouped according to their ranking.
An Zhihan and Chang Siyin's temporary group consists of four people, and it was formed more than a month ago. Their coordination is not particularly great, but their foundation is solid, and their performance is commendable.
Don't be fooled by An Zhihan's usual appearance. He has some talent in singing and dancing, plus he has been training since elementary school. He is the most outstanding member of the entire group.
When the four judges gave their comments, they praised An Zhihan. An Zhiyan, who was beside him, announced the final scores happily.
An Zihan received 87 points.
Chang Siyin received 74 points.
Qiao Nuo, who despises Su Jinli, received 65 points.
The last team member received 63 points.
Everyone passed.
-----
Actually, not many people performed before Su Jinli. However, each contestant would introduce themselves, answer questions from the mentors, perform their act, and then receive scores. By the time it was close to noon, it was almost Su Jinli's turn.
When it was really Su Jinli's turn to perform, he was still a little nervous. He didn't know if he could show what he had learned in just six months.
Hou Yong and Brother De praised him, but they were both from the company. What would others think?
He had watched the performances of the previous contestants and suddenly realized his own shortcomings. There was still a certain gap between him and the others.
He was nervous about his first performance and also about the pressure from the previous performances.
Furthermore, he was afraid of An Zhiyan and An Zhihan. He really didn't know if they liked fish or not.
He walked through the passage and onto the stage, attracting the attention of all the judges.
An Zhiyan was not surprised to see him. He just thought Su Jinli's outfit was eye-catching.
Before going on stage, someone handed Su Jinli a microphone and whispered to him that it was already on. When he walked on stage, he heard An Ziyi asking him, "Your outfit is very interesting and memorable."
Su Jinli held the microphone and looked at him cautiously before answering with a simple "Hmm."
An Zhiyan had no experience as a host, so he didn't know how to respond in this situation. However, he found Su Jinli interesting, so he continued to ask, "What was the idea behind choosing this outfit for the competition?"
Su Jinli honestly replied, "It suits my style of singing, and... my agent also had this idea."
"What exactly was the idea?" An Zhiyan asked.
Su Jinli smiled shyly and answered, "Um... my agent wanted me to establish my character design from the beginning."
An Zhiyan was surprised that Su Jinli dared to say this. He didn't know if it was a joke or if the boy was really that innocent. He took a step closer to Su Jinli and asked, "What kind of image do you want to establish?"
Su Jinli was afraid of him, so he instinctively took a step back and said, "It's the kind of retro boy who is gentle, refined, and very handsome."
An Zhiyan seemed to be teasing him and took another step forward to ask, "Do you think you have established that character design?"
"I've only established part of it," Su Jinli replied, blushing.
"Which part?" An Zhiyan asked.
"The part about being a very handsome boy," Su Jinli answered, making himself even more embarrassed.
After hearing this, An Zhiyan burst out laughing and couldn't stop for a while. The judges also laughed so hard that they almost fell out of their chairs, thinking it was just a humorous joke.
An Zhihan sat in the audience and couldn't help but laugh out loud, "This kid is quite interesting."
Chang Siyin also nodded along, feeling a bit reserved because he knew there were cameras around, "I think his character design should be cute and silly."
Cang Ai looked at Su Jinli's file and asked, "How long have you been a trainee?"
"I've only been a trainee for less than half a year," Su Jinli replied.
"That's not very long. Did you study anything before?" Cang Ai continued to ask.
Su Jinli shook his head.
"Why did you decide to participate in the competition so early? I see from your file that you are only 18 years old. You could have waited a bit longer," Cang Ai asked.
"My company has been in a state of loss since its establishment, and they hope that I can come out and save the company," Su Jinli explained.
"That's tough. What do you usually practice?" Cang Ai asked.
"I ride my bike to nearby training classes and learn with other students. But they are not trainees like me. Some of them are just there to lose weight," Su Jinli replied.
Cang Ai was amazed by what she heard and was left speechless.
An Zhiyan also couldn't help but ask, "Has your company done any promotion for you?"
"What do you mean by promotion?" Su Jinli asked.
"For example, language and behavior training, image packaging, and maintaining your Weibo account. Also, writing your promotional materials and taking some photos for you," An Zhiyan replied while walking towards Su Jinli. He wanted to stand next to him so that he would look better in the camera.
However, Su Jinli avoided him again and replied after some thought, "My agent has bought me face masks before."
An Zhiyan looked at Su Jinli, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him back to the center of the stage, saying, "Don't hide. If you keep hiding, you'll end up offstage. What are you afraid of?"
"No! You... you are very nice," Su Jinli immediately denied, but he really wanted to retract his wrist.
Nice...
An Zhiyan didn't bother him anymore and let go of his hand when they reached the center of the stage.
At this point, Han Kai talked about his own experience when he was young. He had never trained before, but he pursued his dreams everywhere because he loved it.
Cang Ai nodded and said, "Actually, it's normal for amateurs like him. I just didn't expect that even the trainees sent by a company are like this... without any professional packaging."
Indeed, if he had been packaged, he wouldn't have said those things while answering questions.
Su Jinli said whatever came to mind, and his frankness made them all think that Su Jinli was very interesting. But in the eyes of some people, he might seem a bit foolish.
After talking for a while, they signaled Su Jinli to start his performance.
In fact, everyone was ready to watch a comedy-like performance.
After all, through the previous Q&A, they had positioned Su Jinli's company as unprofessional, and their impression of Su Jinli was not well developed.
However, after the performance started, the judges were shocked.
Su Jinli's voice was very clean, and even very light when he sang. His voice, which seemed to have been kissed by an angel, could sing to the depths of the soul and shake the heart.
He sang a traditional Chinese song with a beautiful voice, and his dance was not difficult. The highlight was when he suddenly pulled out a fan from his sleeve halfway through and danced with it.
The dance incorporates Tai Chi fan movements, balancing strength and flexibility, with fluid and graceful movements, and a hint of carefree spirit in the flowing clothes. His movements are forceful, with wide openings and closings, yet he can maintain balance, indicating a foundation in martial arts.
Especially at the end, with several aerial flips, even the student audience members were applauding.
You truly have extraordinary skills, young sir.
An Zhiyan stood by the stage, feeling a bit uncomfortable as he pinched his nose. He felt the fragrance on stage was too strong, making him feel unnatural.
The fragrance was intoxicating.
The strong fragrance, combined with Su Jinli's performance, made it hard for him to take his eyes off him. He kept staring at Su Jinli.
Su Jinli's movements were smooth and beautiful. At the end, he bowed to the judges with a touch of heroism.
Chang Siyin was secretly surprised. He had always thought Su Jinli lacked ability, which was why he was eliminated by Muzitao.
Just like what Teacher Hu said, Su Jinli didn't dare to sing.
However, as soon as Su Jinli started singing this time, they were all shocked. Su Jinli's singing was really good, which made it unbelievable that Su Jinli didn't make it to Muzitao.
"Why didn't he pass Muzitao's audition? Were the teachers in the company all blind?" An Zhihan asked.
Chang Siyin was embarrassed...
He was not only selling his brother, but also good at selling the company.
Next to him, Qiao Nuo's expression became a bit unnatural...
After a while, An Zhiyan finally came back to his senses and went back on stage. Han Kai had already asked Su Jinli a question, "I want to hear you sing a lyrical song. Can you sing a different style of song?"
Su Jinli had learned a few songs, so he sang the song that Brother De had played for him at the beginning. The judges nodded in agreement after listening to it.
Cang Ai was a dance judge and asked, "Can you dance other styles of dance?"
Su Jinli nodded and then asked cautiously, "Can I take off my jacket?"
"Is the costume too hot?" An Zhiyan asked.
"I felt cold this morning and wore long johns, but now I'm a little hot," Su Jinli answered truthfully.
This made everyone laugh again.
"Sure, take it off," An Zhiyan walked over and helped Su Jinli take off his clothes. Then he took his jacket and behaved very thoughtfully, without any airs.
Su Jinli's jacket had two layers. Inside was a white sleeveless shirt, and the pants were loose.
An Zhiyan stood beside him, holding his jacket, and took a few steps back before clapping his hands and saying, "Music."
Su Jinli didn't understand English, but he could hear the music. He had also learned street dance from his teacher during the training class.
After the music started playing, he performed an improvisational street dance to the beat of the music.
The music played was "Shudder". First, the first 20 seconds of the song were played, and then the progress bar quickly moved to 2:32 and continued playing from there.
Su Jinli also danced Popping to the music, even if it was fast-forwarded, he seamlessly transitioned and demonstrated strong improvisational skills, which earned him a round of applause.
This type of dance was very different from Su Jinli's initial Tai Chi fan routine. It required the rapid contraction and relaxation of muscles, creating a vibrating posture.
Despite only having learned for six months, Su Jinli danced with poise and precision.
"Wow!" Cang Ai couldn't help but applaud. "Handsome, handsome, handsome!"
After praising him three times, she lowered her head and wrote down his score.
"Are you sure you've made a decision so quickly?" An Zhiyan asked after watching Cang Ai's actions.
"Yes, I have."
An Zhiyan turned to Su Jinli, handed him his clothes, and asked, "Do you have any other special talents?"
"I do, but my agent told me to save it for when I'm in danger of being eliminated."
"I'm a little curious. What if you get eliminated for not performing it?"
"I've seen the rules, and there's no elimination in this round."
Realizing he couldn't deceive him, An Zhiyan asked, "Do you have any other talents?"
Suddenly, he remembered that Hou Yong had praised him when he mentioned that he played a musical instrument. So he replied, "I can play the xiao." (Note: This is a type of flute)
For a moment, An Zhiyan thought of something inappropriate and couldn't help but smile crookedly, even though he tried to hold it back.
An Zhihan saw An Zhiyan's subtle expression on the big screen and pointed at it, saying, "My brother's mind has gone astray."
Chang Siyin had never seen anyone who could sell their older brother as well as An Zhihan could.
"My brother really likes him," An Zhihan added.
"Huh? How do you know?" Chang Siyin was surprised and immediately asked, feeling a little envious.
"My brother doesn't like to talk to people he doesn't like. He's always quick to get to the point. But now he's chatting with him like a scoundrel."
Chang Siyin didn't say anything. He realized that all the previous conversations with contestants seemed to be quick to get to the point, including himself.
After building up suspense, the judges finally announced Su Jinli's score: 91 points.
It was the highest score so far in the competition.
-----
After bowing, Su Jinli walked towards the audience and saw An Zhihan waving at him.
He didn't want to sit next to An Zhihan, but... if he didn't go over now, wouldn't it be awkward for An Zhihan?
So he waved back at An Zhihan and then sat in the corner.
An Zhihan didn't mind that Su Jinli didn't come over and went straight to him. He sat next to Su Jinli and asked with a smile, "Can I borrow your coat?"
Su Jinli had no choice but to hand it over. An Zhihan put it on happily, but obviously didn't know how to wear it properly. Su Jinli whispered, "It's the other way around. This side should be on top."
"Anything else?"
"Yeah." Su Jinli reached out and helped An Zhihan adjust his coat.
After putting on the costume, An Zhihan asked Su Jinli, "Do I look good?"
"Uh, it's green and quite handsome."
"That doesn't sound like a compliment."
Soon after, another contestant came on stage and it can be said that he was the best among the contestants.
"The Boruo Pineapple Company does have some skills." An Zhihan commented while holding his chin after watching the performance.
"The Boruo Pineapple Company?" Su Jinli repeated.
"Yeah, one of the top three companies."
Su Jinli fell silent.
He realized that it wasn't just the Muzitao (Note: Peach) that had a fruit in its name, but there was also the Boruo Pineapple Company.
Did he stake out the wrong company before?
How could he be so stupid?
The Boruo Pineapple Company's Wu Yu scored 94 points in the end, surpassing Su Jinli.
Su Jinli was still immersed in despair, so he had no expression and didn't notice the photographer taking a close-up shot of him.
"The name, Wu Yu, is quite ridiculous." An Zhihan laughed and said.
"The dancing was really good..." Su Jinli finally snapped out of it and exclaimed.
"It was just okay." An Zhihan shrugged.
"He's also good-looking."
"He's just okay."
When Wu Yu went to the audience seats, Su Jinli couldn't express his feelings anymore.
Another energetic guy! It's just that he's not as terrifying as the An brothers.
All the performances were over and it was already night. No one in the audience took a break to eat or anything.
It is said that the first round of performances will be broadcasted in two episodes.
After all the contestants had taken their seats, An Zhiyan took the microphone to make the final summary and, at the end, announced something that shocked everyone.
"Perhaps many of you don't know that when you entered, many cameras were aimed at you."
Hearing this, many people in the audience felt confused.
"After entering, the corridor and the restrooms have one-way mirrors with cameras hidden behind them. As soon as you entered, the cameras recorded everything you said and did." An Zhiyan spoke into the microphone, and seemed to have intentionally glanced at An Zhihan.
An Zhihan was so shocked that he was speechless, and wanted to curse but held back.
Su Jinli suddenly understood what Bobo had hinted at.
An Zhiyan said, "The goal of our program is to select a high-quality national idol. Whether you are on stage or behind the scenes, you must be an excellent and polite person. Through the camera lens, the audience will see the real you without any disguise. Will your character remain consistent?"
The audience was in an uproar.
Then, An Zhiyan asked them, "Have you passed the first round of the national comprehensive test?"
Afterward, An Zhiyan spoke to the camera, "For all the viewers in front of the screen, you may have formed an opinion of these contestants through observation. If you have a favorite contestant among these young people, you can take out your phone and open...@￥@#...to vote."
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