Immortal Koi Is Going To Debut - Chapter 19

 

Chapter 19: Zhiyan

Zhou Wenyuan is a very capable contestant.

He is prominently nurtured as an up-and-coming trainee at Huasen Entertainment, only waiting for the right opportunity to debut. It was Zhou Wenyuan who chose to participate in "All-Star Idol".

Had it not been for the variable that is An Zhiyan, Zhou Wenyuan would have not participated either. Initially, Hua-Sen Entertainment knew of the judges panel, none of them were popular and lacked influence, so they did not assign any contestant.

It was An Zhiyan who suddenly decided to join, and somehow adjusted his schedule to accommodate the program and participated in the first round.

Zhou Wenyuan took this chance when a previous contestant left, and became part of the show. Talented, visually striking, sufficiently tactful, and with a good character - Zhou Wenyuan undoubtedly emerged as a dark horse.

Based on Zhou Wenyuan's performance, he doesn't seem like he has trained for less than two days. The coordination with his group members and his stage performance skills are very strong.

Zhou Wenyuan's approach differs slightly from that of An Zhihan.

While An Zhihan stands out in the group and Wu Yu overwhelms, Zhou Wenyuan tends to collaborate as much as possible with other members.

After others have spoken, he doesn't strive for attention. Instead, he subtly encourages them, patting their backs.

Offstage, Zhou Wenyuan behaves in the same manner.

On stage, he doesn't show any flaws.

He seems to be a comforting presence who takes care of others with a charming personality.

An Zhiyan returns to an area where the competition can be observed, smiling as he watches Zhou Wenyuan perform.

If An Zhiyan were to comment again, he would still say, "Zhou Wenyuan's acting skills are quite good."

He is different than others. Having grown up in the entertainment industry, his company manages a lot of artists. From the very first day they join, they're shaped into a certain persona.

The behavior of these artists is often the product of packaging.

After seeing so many, An Zhiyan can easily tell.

In fact, Zhou Wenyuan is quite smart, but he seems weak in front of veterans.

If Zhou Wenyuan was honestly participating in the competition, An Zhiyan probably wouldn't think much about him. However, Zhou Wenyuan, with wit and stratagem, is trying to get his attention.

Could he have guessed that he's gay?

Through his earpiece, the voice of PD Zhang Heming echoes, seemingly encouraging all judges to give high scores: "We hope the scores could make him the number one contestant."

"I disagree," An Zhiyan responded, his decorous smile didn't let anyone suspect a thing.

Everyone is pretending, and An Zi Yan's act is just as good as anyone else's.

"It can attract more viewers that way," the PD explained and began arranging the scores for each judge.

"Don't set up a cliche come-from-behind storyline; it's repulsive and unfair to other contestants. Give appropriate scores," An Zi Yan still disagreed with the approach.

If Zhou Wenyuan made a mistake in the first round and then surged to first place in the second round, he would certainly capture the attention of most viewers.

This sort of underdog narrative is something everyone enjoys.

After three episodes, Zhou Wenyuan would be firmly positioned as a top-three seed.

This kind of story would spark interest, attention, and attract fans who feel for him.

What about the other contestants genuinely competing?

Why are they relegated to the role of extras, despite participating in the same competition?

"An Zhihan's score is also very high!" Frustrated by An Zhiyan's defiance, the PD couldn't help but blurt out.

"He earned that score based on his abilities."

"Our program needs to create highlights and attract attention to be successful. Sponsors like to see such scenes too, so I hope you can handle this situation calmly."

"Try and see the consequences if you make me feel disgusted."

There was a brief silence in the earpiece before the PD started his apology, "I'm sorry, Mr. An, you might have misunderstood my intentions. I only mean to create a highlight, not to rig things. You see, Zhou Wenyuan's performance is quite good, and he did very well in this round..."

"Then give him the score he deserves," An Zhiyan continued to insist.

"Okay," the PD compromised.

Then came voices from four judges in the earpiece, "Alright."

"Understood."

"Okay."

"Received."

This talent competition is no longer solely controlled by the program team, but is being manipulated by several hosts, sponsors, and people from Huasen Entertainment and Sejia Legend.

Although there are contestants from Boruo Pineapple, they do not seem to care much about the competition, and can thus be overlooked.

The program team's attempt to design a comeback scenario was gently thwarted by An Zhiyan's smile.

When An Zhiyan went on stage again, he continued to chat passionately with all contestants, acting as if nothing had happened.

In the end, Zhou Wenyuan scored 92 points.

It was a minor comeback.

The entire venue erupted in applause.

Zhou Wenyuan kept smiling, his smile particularly sweet.

Zhou Wenyuan has attracted enough attention already.

________________________

An Zhiyan stood on the stage, announced the rankings of today's competition, followed by the list of the 15 contestants in the pending zone, asking them to canvass for votes one by one.

In the end, the program team brought him a chair. He sat in it right away and asked with a smile, as if he was chatting with everyone, "Are you nervous?"

"Nervous!"

"Super nervous."

The responses from the audience were not uniform.

"If you were eliminated here, would you give up your dream?" An Zhiyan asked again.

"No!"

"We don't want to be eliminated." The contestants shouted in response.

An Zhiyan looked at them and continued to smile, "A long time ago, when I saw the plan of this program team, I wasn't very optimistic. In recent years, there have been too many talent shows, but fewer and fewer people are becoming famous. Many of them just fade away quickly, even before they get in front of the camera, they've already been eliminated."

The audience finally quieted down, knowing that An Zhiyan was speaking the truth.

"One day, as I was chatting with a female artist I was working with, I was surprised to find out that she had participated in a talent show before, and I had no idea. She told me that many superstars had started by participating in talent shows. Some individuals, due to having no connections, didn't even make it to the top rankings. Do you know who these superstars are?"

The contestants below the stage called out a few known names, and An Zhiyan nodded. Then, he mentioned a few more veteran names, which caused astonishment in the audience.

Even they didn't know.

"You all have talent and dreams, so you must persevere. Maybe in this competition, you won't achieve the results you want, but that doesn't prove you have no potential. No matter whether you're a contestant in the safe zone or the pending zone, don't show a disappointed face. Remember, the camera is pointed at you. If you become famous later on, these moments will be dug up as part of your dark history."

This time, the previously gloomy atmosphere finally improved a bit.

"Moreover, those of you who are currently highly ranked players, you cannot take things for granted. It's only that you started striving earlier than they did or you may have some talents.

There are many players, competing to surpass you. Like Lai Ningzhuo, who learned to dance in a week. Like Su Jinli, who has only practiced for half a year, but is still ranked in the top ten."

An Zhiyan also pointed at himself: "I'm not the typical fit for an idol. I am too tall and my dance moves look stiff and awkward. The only time I was brave enough to grab a microphone, I was heavily criticized to the point where I didn't dare to open Weibo. However, I've also made efforts to practice. During showers, I even practice singing. Let me demonstrate."

An Ziyan cleared his throat and began to sing, surprisingly choosing "An Unforgettable Love."

"The painful yearning of the past can't be forgotten, why have you returned to stir my heartbeat? How can I stop loving you? Tonight you should understand, the wishing bitter parting…"

An Ziyan's voice is magnetic and masculine, a bit deep — mature and restrained.

There was no accompaniment, no background music, however, it moved all the participants below the stage.

Truly enchanting.

Deeply touching.

Su Jinli stared at the big screen, where An Zhiyan's face was magnified, and couldn't close his mouth due to the shock.

Being the participant who performed this song, he was very familiar with it and naturally knew that An Ziyan's rendition was quite good.

After An Zhiyan finished singing and was about to continue speaking, the four judges surprisingly began to score his performance.

Averaging the scores, An Zhiyan's final score was 95 points.

"So I tied with Wu Yu, huh?" An Zhiyan asked with a smile.

"That's right. We were deeply moved by your performance," Cang Ai replied.

"Ah, I see. A mutual compliment exchange."

An Zhiyan finally returned to the main topic: "I just want to tell you all that with hard work, even a lip-syncing performer can score 95 points."

An Zhiyan's self-deprecation actually drew cheers from everyone.

He smiled and continued, "Entering the uncertain zone does not mean you will definitely be eliminated, and entering the safe zone doesn't mean you can become complacent. Even after this competition ends, I hope to see you in the entertainment industry. Ten years from now, interacting with me on Weibo will make it seem like I'm seeking heat from you."

"You all know that the theme song will be formally decided tomorrow, right?" An Ziyan asked.

"We know!" Everyone replied in unison.

"Time is very tight. This is also a kind of test. After you become famous, your schedules will be extremely tight. Sometimes, you may only have a few days to practice a song. During these days, you might still have to read through your scripts and act as usual. Just like now, you have to prepare for the competition and the theme song at the same time. Are you tired?"

"A little tired."

"Very tired!" The participants shouted in response.

"After you become popular, it will be even more tiring!" An Zhiyan answered decisively. "Do you want to become popular?"

The response this time was even louder and more unified: "Yes!"

An Zhiyan smiled again, pointing at the crowd below, and said, "Then you deserve to be tired, you deserve to become popular in the future!"

After saying these words, the whole audience cheered.

It seemed that everyone had been encouraged, and the team's morale was high.

Su Jinli lowered his head and saw a message from An Zhihan in the group chat.

An Zhihan: Finally feels like this guy is an actual host.

Chang Siyin: Ahhh! An brother is so handsome!

Just as An Zhiyan was about to wrap up, the show's PD suddenly halted everyone. He personally took the stage to announce something.

"We wanted to allow everyone to relax a little bit after the competition, so we've set aside two hours for entertainment," said the PD.

An Zhiyan hadn't heard about this, probably because the production team didn't want to interrupt his speech.

"We will hold a water splashing festival tonight, where our judges and hosts will participate alongside everyone else," the PD said, excitedly.

An Zhiyan: "...."

This wasn't in today's schedule! Can we not add projects out of the blue? Is there a pay raise involved?

Su Jinli: "!!!"

A water splashing festival?

Water splashing?!

Except for them, everyone else began to cheer.

________________________

Author's Notes:

Yes, a water splashing festival! A water fight! Exciting, isn't it? Are you thrilled?

Su Jinli: I dare not move... Is the production team the devil?

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