Chapter 22: Center
The next day was the test for the theme song.
At 5 AM, Su Jinli crawled out from under his blanket only to fall back into bed with a groggy head. No sooner had he done so, than he fell asleep again.
Over the years, Su Jinli seldom indulged in the luxury of staying in bed longer. He was genuinely exhausted and wanted to sleep a bit more.
Drowsily, he managed another hour and a half of sleep before Wu Yu roused him. "Get up and get ready. We have to practice," he told him.
"Mm..." Su Jinli responded vaguely, got up with a confused look in his eyes, and went to freshen up.
When he was fully dressed and ready to leave, An Zhihan, the last to get up, was just starting his morning routine. The other three were ready to step out.
The group headed out together for breakfast and brought back a steamed bun for An Zhihan. They arrived at the practice room promptly at 7:30.
Once in the practice room, they saw other contestants already practicing. They joined in without delay, practicing in front of the mirror.
After arriving at the practice room, An Zhihan sat in a corner, eating his breakfast. He watched the others practice while chatting with them, asking what time they had gone to bed the night before.
"So late? Didn't you get much sleep?" An Zhihan continued to inquire.
"Su Jinli managed some sleep, but I couldn't," Wu Yu replied.
"You're too goal-oriented and earnest. With your personality, you might get on people's nerves once you're in the entertainment industry," An Zhihan commented, relishing his breakfast.
Wu Yu adjusted his position, dancing solo towards An Zhihan and deliberately swayed his hips.
"Damn, you've ruined my appetite," An Zhihan immediately cursed. Having hips shaken in one's face was indeed unappetizing.
"Don't act like you know all about the industry. There aren't many good characters in this circle," Wu Yu retorted before walking away. His intention was simply to irk An Zhihan.
"Right, all of you from Boruo Pineapple are just like this!" An Zhihan’s words were particularly grating, drawing curious glances from many in the room.
This was a direct jab at the company.
Su Jinli moved towards An Zhihan, crouched down, picked up the bun in An Zhihan's hand, and stuffed it into An Zhihan's mouth.
"Just eat your food," Su Jinli said.
Fan Qianting, upon witnessing this, couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed only Su Jinli could handle An Zhihan.
And it's true — An Zhihan never seemed to lose his temper with Su Jinli.
In this round of evaluation, six participants formed a group. They had to sing and dance in front of a camera. After recording, the judges would score their performance. This score would serve as a basis for making the final selection.
The scores from the second round and this round would be averaged, and re-grouping would take place based on that average. This time, there would be 15 participants per group.
Upon arriving at the recording studio, Chang Siyin, with dark circles under her eyes, leaned despondently against Su Jinli's shoulder and said, "I was so nervous that I didn't sleep at all last night."
"Don't you feel tired?"
"I feel guilty even lying in bed now. My talent is lacking, and I have to work hard."
Su Jinli raised his hand and patted Chang Siyin's shoulder, offering encouragement.
At this point, An Zhihan leaned on Su Jinli's other shoulder: "I want encouragement too."
"I can't lift my hands under your weight," Su Jinli shook off, dislodging both of them.
The recording required ten groups and could be completed within an hour, in reality.
When it was Su Jinli's turn, he felt a bit nervous.
He knew he had a major problem. The only thing he could do was bounce a few times, adjusting his mood before the music played.
Standing in front of the camera, he even heard Zhang Caini cheering him on.
Nevertheless, he was not in the mood to pay much attention. He just adjusted his state, trying his best to dance well and sing the entire song once the music started.
The competition’s performances this round were really uneven.
Many contestants had focused on the previous round and weren't very familiar with the theme song.
For a new song, they had to memorize the lyrics, tune, and dance moves. By the time they reached the recording stage, they showed different performances.
Some people were just singing. Others tried to dance as much as possible, singing whatever part they could.
When they danced, they would sometimes glance at the people next to them, scared they might make a mistake.
Mistakes in their lyrics led to expressions they struggled to control due to their frustration.
Compared to them, Su Jinli’s performance was more than sufficient.
He was not like the others.
After all, Su Jinli had memorized the lyrics and dance moves early on. After practicing these past days, he had worked on his proficiency, adjusted his movements, and ensured that every pose looked good.
During the night's practice, he studied his facial expressions and expressiveness while performing.
His performance was a polished one, while the others had more of a perfunctory vibe.
Since Su Jinli was among the first groups to finish, he sat by the sidelines and watched other contestants record their performances.
When it came to An Zhihan, he realized that An Zhihan seemed to have forgotten the lyrics. An Zhihan danced throughout one part and only remembered the lyrics at the song's climax, then continued to sing.
Su Jinli held his breath in anxiety, and heard Wu Yu beside him say, "It's normal for him to forget the lyrics. He's too complacent and not hardworking enough. His movements were all messed up, not hitting the mark when he forgot the lyrics."
"Actually, Zhihan is very talented and an outstanding person," Su Jinli replied.
Wu Yu answered sternly, "Those who blindly praise him, like you, actually hurt him the most. It makes him even more arrogant, thinking he is invincible. He's spoiled by his family and needs to go through some trials and tribulations."
Su Jinli thought about it and nodded in agreement, "Yes, you're right."
After the recording was finished, there were no further tasks scheduled for them, and they were told to go back and rest.
Su Jinli let out a long sigh of relief, stood up to head to his dorm, and patted An Zhihan on the back before leaving.
It seems An Zihan was a bit upset, dodging momentarily before storming off in another direction.
"Don't mind him," Wu Yu glanced back, grabbing Su Jinli's arm to walk towards the dormitory, "You're not doing well, you should rest."
"Oh..." Su Jinli kept looking back as he walked but eventually returned to the dormitory.
Upon reaching the dormitory, Su Jinli didn't want to do anything else. He climbed into bed and went to sleep.
The dormitory was unusually quiet.
Wu Yu, who ended up staying awake all night, quickly fell asleep once back in the dormitory.
Fan Qianting must have been exhausted these past few days, as he fell asleep and started to snore.
An Zhihan didn't come back until after 3 in the afternoon. He thought Su Jinli might come after him, comfort him, something of the sort.
But, Su Jinli didn't pay him any mind.
This left An Zhihan feeling awkward, uncertain whether he should return. Then, in an attempt to save face, he got his hair dyed before coming back.
Before entering, An Zhihan was swirling with emotions, contemplating how to respond if Wu Yu chided him. But upon entering the dormitory, he was met with the sound of heavy, intermittent breathing. He then realized he had been making a fuss over nothing all day.
Upon returning to the dormitory and sitting for a while, he let out a long sigh.
Previously, when he asked An Zhiyan if he could re-record his performance, An Zhiyan hung up the phone directly.
Although An Zhiyan treated him well, he didn't pamper him unconditionally.
There weren't any good parenting methods in their family. The brothers were raised by their nannies, and he spent more time with An Zhiyan than their parents.
Since childhood, An Zhiyan would bully him. He even thought that his parents gave birth to a toy for An Zhiyan to play with.
As they grew older, he gradually realized that An Zhiyan was protective of him.
So he became arrogant.
His phone vibrated, and An Zhihan received a message from An Zhiyan.
An Zhiyan: The center position has been decided.
An Zhihan: Who is it?
An Zhiyan: Well, it's not you.
________________________
In the meeting room, An Zhiyan was seated in the middle, with the judges on both sides.
After reviewing the videos of 10 groups, they scored them individually. If they felt the review wasn't thorough enough, some would watch certain videos again.
A few individuals' performances were repeatedly watched five or six times.
These individuals were: Wu Yu, Su Jinli, and Zhou Wenyuan.
Originally, they thought An Zhihan might be among the candidates, but after witnessing An Zhihan forgetting his lyrics, An Zhiyan casually waved his hand, "He won't do, no need to hesitate any further."
Seeing that An Zhiyan took no steps to protect his brother, no one voiced any further opinions.
When reviewing Wu Yu's performance, the judges commented as such.
Gu Ju: "Wu Yu's performances have always been particularly stable. He has talent and works hard."
Han Kai: "He has been ranking first in competitions up to now. I knew from the beginning that he would definitely not be a problem."
Cang Ai: "With your attitudes, are you certain about choosing Wu Yu?"
Gu Ju: "We can watch Su Jinli's performance again. I'm somewhat looking forward to his show."
Xiao Yuhe: "His appearance is quite appealing, and he has potential as an idol."
An Zhiyan nodded: "His performance is indeed stable."
While reviewing Zhou Wenyuan's performance:
Cang Ai: "Oh my god, he has such a sweet smile, so adorable."
Han Kai: "He indeed has remarkable singing skills. His voice is great, and it's my first time seeing him dance like this. His dancing isn't bad."
Gu Ju: "However, he missed the beat on a few moves."
An Zhiyan nodded again, "It's slightly lacking, but not bad overall."
Everyone then looked at An Ziyan. It seemed that after seeing An Zhihan's performance, his mood had sunk.
Now he sat like a seasoned veteran, providing analysis on all the candidates.
When it came to Su Jinli, Gu Ju leaned forward specifically, resting his chin in his hand as he watched.
Cang Ai: "His performance ability has improved significantly."
Xiao Yuhe: "When he squinted his eyes just now, it was actually a bit flirtatious. I thought he would be just a cute-type contestant."
Gu Ju: "I coached them last night, and when I was teaching Su Jinli, his performance wasn't as good as this time. So seeing his performance now, I'm quite satisfied."
An Zhiyan finally adjusted his posture and asked, "Last night?"
Gu Ju: "Yes, at 2 o'clock in the morning, they were still practicing."
An Zhiyan: "Were there many people practicing?"
Gu Ju: "Combining all three groups, there should have been around twenty people."
An Zhiyan: "So, An Zhihan didn't participate in the practice, right?"
Gu Ju: "I don't know if he practiced before I arrived."
An Zhiyan: "Alright, I got it."
An Zhiyan was on the verge of losing his temper.
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