Chapter 30: Heart Stirred
Su Jinli had been trying to explain to An Zhihan for a long time, but An Zhihan ignored him.
He squatted beside An Zhihan's bed, massaging his leg while expressing his thoughts.
"I still think that I should ask my agent's opinion," he explained, "and I need to consult the company too. It's always best to be sure. If it really comes down to it, you can have big brother ask my agent. Having them write me a letter would also do."
Su Jinli was taken advantage of by An Zhihan and became An Zhihan's brother.
And so, An Zhiyan automatically became Su Jinli's big brother.
With such a tactful explanation, An Zhihan finally softened a bit, replying, "Okay, my brother will be able to ask in a couple of days."
After Su Jinli had gone to bathe, An Zhihan insisted on bragging to Wu Yu, saying, "Even if my brother changes agencies, he'll go to the Sejia Legend."
"I don't particularly care."
"Isn't your company trying to poach him too?"
"Just carrying out the company's orders. In the end, it all comes down to their preference."
An Zhihan teasingly pushed Wu Yu's head with his hand, his paw quickly slapped away by Wu Yu.
"Get lost," Wu Yu said disdainfully.
An Zhihan's hand was mischievous, so he poked Wu Yu's head again. Wu Yu immediately grabbed his hand, which An Zhihan couldn't free from his grip for a while.
Wu Yu looked over and asked, "Do you believe that I'll chop off your hand?"
An Zhihan quickly got angry.
As Su Jinli walked out of the bathroom, he saw An Zhihan standing by the bed, pulling Wu Yu's quilt. Wu Yu, with a speechless expression, was holding his quilt while trying to control his anger.
He looked up and saw that a piece of clothing covered the camera.
As for Fan Qianting, he was standing nearby, grinning and watching the commotion without a care in the world.
Couldn't everyone in this bedroom just go to sleep early for once?
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There were two dress rehearsals.
They'd had a rehearsal the night before, and on the day, the contestants took turns having another rehearsal at the venue.
This time, the rehearsal incorporated lighting and stage effects.
Su Jinli jumped around on the lifting stage and excitedly asked his teammates upon looking out from the stage, "Will it automatically lift us up?"
"Squat down, if you mess this up, we'll all get scolded," An Zhihan reminded him.
Su Jinli obediently squatted down, only to see mist descending from the stage. Startled, he jumped up, "The mist... It's so cool!"
An Zhihan helplessly said to Su Jinli, "It's liquid nitrogen."
"What's that?"
"Well, it's a substance, used to create a smoke effect."
"I was so scared, I thought a deity had descended!"
An Zhihan helplessly covered his face and continued to wave his hand, "Squat down, squat down."
Su Jinli obeyed and squatted down again.
They went up onsite for the rehearsal, to perform this time's program.
An Zhiyan stood beside the stage, holding the script, occasionally observing the performances onstage.
"An Zhihan is showing significant improvement lately," Cang Ai followed suit, commenting about An Zhihan.
Most people believed the reason An Zhiyan took such an interest in this rehearsal was because of An Zhihan.
"Has he been slacking off?"
"It's quite amusing, Su Jinli manages to keep him in line. This time, An Zhihan has been practicing earnestly. His relationship with other contestants has been gradually improving too."
An Zhihan had a very arrogant and domineering character, he was so flamboyant that he seemed to be challenging everyone around him.
This kind of personality didn't really appeal to people at first.
Over time though, one would realize that despite An Zhihan's temper, he was quite like a child and very loyal. Whoever he disliked, he absolutely loathed. And whoever he liked, he liked wholeheartedly.
Gradually, people found that An Zhihan was quite adorable.
"This part is indeed awesome," replied An Zhiyan.
There were not many people who could control An Zhihan. At times, even their parents couldn't handle him.
The fact that Su Jinli could keep An Zhihan in check and make him obedient was indeed a commendable skill.
Once the dress rehearsal was over, the five contestants ran by the stage to watch the recording.
An Zhiyan approached An Zhihan and said, "You need to improve your singing."
"My singing is the voice of heaven."
"You can say that about Su Jinli."
"Right? My brother has a nice singing voice, doesn't he?"
An Zhiyan arched his eyebrows, it was rare for his younger brother to acknowledge someone else's talent.
He looked at Su Jinli again, and noticed that Su Jinli was entirely oblivious to the people around him, wholly focused on the screen.
He moved a bit closer to Su Jinli. Su Jinli didn’t take notice of him, but his body subtly shifted away.
Out of all the people Su Jinli had met, An Zhiyan's energy was the most assertive, and he was still unable to adapt to it.
Consequently, even if he hadn't noticed An Zhiyan's approach, he would subconsciously react when An Zhiyan got closer, which was to take a step away.
"Su Jinli, actually I think your clothes need some adjustments," An Zhiyan suddenly spoke up.
"Hmm?" Su Jinli came back to his senses and looked at An Zhiyan.
An Zhiyan raised his hand and tugged at Su Jinli's collar.
Su Jinli's attire was of European style, not only was it high-necked, its collar had many layers of ruffled decoration. As he slightly lowered his head, the chin was somewhat covered by the collar.
While wearing this sort of outfit, sure it looks high-end, but it's not suitable for dancing.
"Your in-ears could scratch against the collar when you dance, and I'm worried that this could cause issues onsite. Moreover, it might introduce noises, disadvantaging your singing performance," An Zhiyan advised.
"What should we do then? The outfit was prepared in advance." Su Jinli also felt that his outfit was somewhat uncomfortable, but he didn't want to cause troubles to others, so he never complained.
"Come with me."
Holding the stage script, An Zhiyan led Su Jinli to his own dressing room.
As this was a public performance, An Zhiyan had brought his personal stylist this time. Upon entering, he instructed the stylist to modify Su Jinli's outfit.
The stylist was a woman in her thirties, and she looked very trendy and friendly.
Those who could work closely with An Zhiyan were generally the ones who had built immunity to his energy. At the very least, they did not bother An Zhiyan, and the stylist, Lily, was one of these people.
"I'm Lily." (Note: The English name, Lily)
"Hello, Sister Li."
Lily was momentarily puzzled, but then laughed it off, saying, "Let me alter the collar for you. Please take off your shirt first."
"Okay..." Su Jinli took off his coat first, unfastened the buttons of his shirt, and quickly went into the dressing room and pulled the curtains closed.
"The young man is pretty shy, isn't he?" Lily said to An Zhiyan.
"Seems so."
After a while, Su Jinli came out, handed the shirt to Lily, and put on his jacket.
His jacket was a suit blazer, the kind that has a single-breasted button. Wearing it this way, most of his chest wasn't covered, revealing a hint of his collarbone.
An Zhiyan's gaze swept over him before quickly reverting back, lowering his head to play with his phone.
"I heard from Zhihan. Do you want to discuss it with your manager first?" An Zhiyan asked, while engrossed in his phone.
Looking around, the only seating available was the sofa An Zhiyan occupied, as Lily was busy altering the shirt in the dressing room.
Hesitant, Su Jinli eventually settled down on the sofa.
Their postures were distinctly different as they sat down.
An Zhiyan leaned back on the sofa like a lord, with his legs crossed on the coffee table. He was already tall, and his extremely long legs looked even longer in this position.
Su Jinli, on the other hand, sat upright, with his hands on his knees. He spoke reservedly, "Indeed, that's what I'm thinking."
"Mm, but why do you want to ask Shen Cheng's opinion as well?"
Su Jinli felt it — whenever Shen Cheng was mentioned, An Zhiyan exuded an intimidating coldness. Their relationship was indeed severely strained.
"May I ask, why do you dislike Shen Cheng so much?"
An Zhiyan pondered for a moment, put down his phone, and looked at Su Jinli. He finally explained, "Shen Cheng and I vied for the national representation of a brand. This brand is very cautious in choosing its representative, and the endorsement fees are high. It's the aspiration of many celebrities."
"Is it because he's a competitor?"
"I have many competitors, but very few are as loathsome as him. For this opportunity, he deliberately released negative news about me to damage my reputation, claiming that I was lip-syncing. Riding on this, he successfully secured the endorsement deal."
Su Jinli's eyes widened in disbelief. It seemed he simply couldn't imagine his brother behaving in such a way.
"I'm of mixed heritage, so my appeal as an actor is narrower compared to others. Many skilfully crafted dramas wouldn't cast me. Even if I were chosen, many scenes require makeup and enhancement. It was rare to have a role that I could play, and it came from a top-tier production team. I had engaged in many discussions about this role, even going through the script, only to have Shen Cheng swoop in and steal it."
An Zhiyan shared yet another incident.
"The role was stolen away?"
"I don't know what methods he used, but somehow he persuaded the investors to change their minds unexpectedly. I've been thinking about it for a long time and still can't figure out how he manages his relationships so well. There are a lot of investors who seem to... admire him? Why?"
In fact, Su Jinli knew that his brother was quite a golden koi immortal, and his power far exceeded his own.
If his brother wanted to help someone, his ability vastly surpassed Su Jinli's. He could save lives, mitigate family losses, and even change someone's fate. But such methods could harm his brother's lifespan, so they were usually avoided.
If his brother helped others, it would be natural for those people to reciprocate.
However, it was perceived differently from an outside perspective.
They couldn't just explain that they were able to do these things due to their spiritual nature. It felt very unfair.
Seeing Su Jinli's despondent state, An Zhiyan felt a pang of sympathy, "Sorry, I shouldn't have badmouthed your idol in front of you. However, I have confirmed the first point, that's why I mentioned it."
"I still want to see him in person and confront him about it."
"What exactly is going on between you two?"
Su Jinli shook his head, "I don't want to make groundless statements and cause him trouble."
An Zhiyan nodded, not pressing the issue further. Instead, he said, "After this round of competition ends, I'll go to your studio and talk to your agent. If you really can't bear to part with your studio, I can acquire it or affiliate it with Sejia Legend."
"Is that possible?" Su Jinli asked in surprise.
"Yes, it is. Because I see your talent and really want you by my side and nurture your career personally. Therefore, even if it's a bit complicated or requires extra expenditure, it doesn't matter as long as you're willing to come."
Seeing An Zhiyan's sincere gaze, Su Jinli felt a flutter in his heart.
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Author's Note:
[Of course, he wouldn't be swayed that easily, it's just that he was a little flustered. The worry continues...]
More than one person educated me that dry ice is used, not liquid nitrogen, so I've made an adjustment in this segment for scientific accuracy. (Note: This is a long note about the use of liquid nitrogen for stage fog. I recommend just Googling if you're curious about it because I'm not sure I was able to translate this correctly lol)
The use of liquid nitrogen on stage involves spraying it over the performance area. When liquid nitrogen contacts the air, it absorbs heat, causing the surrounding air to suddenly drop in temperature. This condenses the water vapor in the air into tiny droplets that create a cloud or fog-like effect. However, it's important to be cautious as improper use of liquid nitrogen can cause frostbite.
As for whether dry ice or liquid nitrogen produces a better smoke effect, it can be said that liquid nitrogen can create smoke instantly. As soon as the liquid nitrogen is poured out of the container, it forms white smoke. Generating it at a close distance on stage creates a quicker effect, but the temperature is very low. Dry ice smoke, on the other hand, can be remotely operated with a dry ice machine, and the smoke can cover an area of hundreds of square meters. Based on the different ways these two create smoke, one can choose according to their specific needs.
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