Chapter 77: Sleeping Posture
After Su Jinli returned to the bedroom, he appeared a little absent-minded, but still moved to the lower bunk under An Zhihan's urging.
"Do you two think Wu Yu is hiding something from us? I always feel that there are many things he hasn't told us," Su Jinli couldn't help asking the two of them.
"Keeping secrets..." An Zhihan murmured and started chuckling; his smile was laden with insinuation.
"It's actually normal for him to do so. He's right. In the entertainment industry, friends can turn into competitors in the blink of an eye. We're not particularly close to him, so it's unlikely that he would share all his secrets with us," Fan Qianting commented as he sat on the upper bunk shaking his leg, which in turn made the lower bunk where An Zhihan was sitting quake too.
"I consider him as one of my best friends," Su Jinli replied.
"That's because you don't have many friends," An Zhihan chimed in.
"I consider both of you friends too," Su Jinli added.
An Zhihan promptly raised his thumb in approval: "Exceptional perception."
"Indeed, you have a discerning eye," Fan Qianting agreed from the upper bunk.
They were about to start a new round of song selection, and their phones had been returned to them.
Fan Qianting, on the upper bunk, was continuously scrolling through his phone, looking for a suitable song. An Zhihan on the lower bunk was more laid back; he decided to directly ask Jiang Pingqiu for suggestions, awaiting their picks to make his life easier.
Su Jinli was chatting with Shen Cheng on his phone for a bit, but soon Shen Cheng urged him to go to sleep.
Sighing, he set down his phone with the intention of sleeping when suddenly, An Zhihan burst out laughing, "Su Jinli, check out the show’s official Weibo. They've posted a personal video of you."
Su Jinli was not so tech-savvy; it took him a while to navigate Weibo and find the official account.
Fan Qianting, from the upper bunk, had already seen the video and was laughing uncontrollably, which only made Su Jinli more curious.
He went silent when he finally saw the latest Weibo post from the official account...
[National Idol: Fans have been waiting, and here it is — Su Jinli's sleep special! [Video]
The entire video contained clips from the bedroom’s surveillance camera.
Since the camera was fixed at one angle, it showed most of the other people sleeping quite peacefully, only occasionally turning over.
However, Su Jinli on the upper bunk was constantly moving, twisting his body in remarkable positions, and ultimately switching directions surprisingly.
The highlight was a segment where Su Jinli got stuck in the bed frame, which Fan Qianting noticed. He came over, pulled Su Jinli's leg, and finally he was freed.
After Fan Qianting went back to bed and settled down to sleep, Su Jinli resumed his twisting and turning with eyes closed.
There was also a clip where Su Jinli suddenly turned over, his entire body draped over the upper bunk’s railing, face down, with one hand and one leg dangling over the edge and reaching Wu Yu's area.
Wu Yu got quite a shock when he opened his eyes during a midnight rollover, causing his body to shudder. After calming down, he got out of bed, went over to examine Su Jinli, and even checked his breathing.
Confirming that Su Jinli was still alive, Wu Yu didn't immediately adjust his sleeping position. Instead, he circled the bed from different angles, pondering how on earth he ended up sleeping in such an odd manner.
It's hard to say if he figured it out — he pushed Su Jinli back onto his bed, and stunningly, all throughout this, he remained asleep.
Even Su Jinli was shocked upon seeing the video. He had to stare at it for a good while before he was sure that it was actually him.
"My goodness... how is this even possible?" Su Jinli pointed at his phone and asked.
"Are you asking us?" An Zhihan amusingly responded.
"I always thought I slept without moving."
"Right, the amazing part is that you always managed to return to your original position every day!"
When Su Jinli opened the comments, he felt his cheeks burning in embarrassment.
[Qing Xing Brewed Yogurt: My son, you seem so calm and composed during the day. I never expected you to be this energetic at night. But no worries, Mom loves you regardless.]
[Mu Qi Shuang: Is he swimming in her dreams? This level of restless sleep is simply exceptional.]
[Hu Ludan: Praying for good luck in daily life.]
[Tian Ya Ye Die: Freestyle swimmer Su Jinli is now on the bed, this move is a 2.0! All the judges are stunned! Any expert would know that the difficulty coefficient for this sleeping swimming posture is very hard to grasp. Who would have thought that the young contestant Su Jinli already possesses such skills!]
[Douhua Jiaodai Hui: Everyone, don't worry. When I sleep with Su Jinli, I hold him tight. He won't hurt me. We're very harmonious on the bed.]
"Why do I feel so embarrassed?" Su Jinli couldn't help but ask.
"I think it's rather interesting. Your sleeping posture has become a trending topic," An Zhihan replied, still on his phone, sending messages to An Zhiyan.
An Zhihan: Have you seen my younger brother's new video?
An Zhiyan: Yeah, I did. He sleeps so restlessly?
An Zhihan: Exactly, I've seen it with my own eyes.
An Zhiyan: What should we do then? Won't he fall off the bed?
An Zhihan: He's moved to the lower bunk today. By the way, have you decided what to do about Fan Qianting's issue?
Fan Qianting wanted to switch companies, but his current one is refusing to let him go easily. After all, Fan Qianting has become quite popular now.
Fan Qianting's company is of a similar scale to Muzitao Entertainment, mainly shooting TV dramas and concurrently utilizing their own artists.
Most artists at this company primarily focus on acting. The company likes to buy the rights of novels from platforms like Jinjiang Literature Network, adapt them, and then film the adapted stories starring their homegrown talents.
However, Fan Qianting is a singer and not a good actor, which makes him quite an awkward fit in the company.
His contract is nearing its end, and he hasn't made any significant impact yet.
In the past few years, at best, he was a singer with modest fame online, and his fan base mainly came from his own livestreams.
The company didn't expect this contest to make him popular. They just sent him to get more exposure.
Since the show became unexpectedly popular, the company, of course, is not willing to let him go. They recently tried to negotiate new terms with Fan Qianting, but he's not optimistic about the future of the company.
It's natural for people to look for ways to advance themselves, just like switching to a more suitable job.
The problem lies in that, an artist switching agencies after gaining popularity can be seen by the fans as ingratitude, leading to backlash. If we truly bring Fan Qianting into our company, we must prepare our PR team to handle this.
Recently, An Zhihan also tried to help Fan Qianting by suggesting that if An Zhiyan doesn't want to hire Fan Qianting, he would recommend him to Muzitao. If all else fails, Su Jinli could suggest something to Shen Cheng.
An Zhiyan: Next time, I'll personally talk to Fan Qianting when I visit the program crew. The most important thing is to understand his personal views.
An Zhihan: Okay.
Meanwhile, Su Jinli was also chatting with An Zhiyan. An Zhiyan has been repetitively asking, and Su Jinli reluctantly re-added him as a friend.
Unfortunately, their conversation is a bit awkward.
An Zhiyan: Are you asleep yet?
Su Jinli: I'm just about to go to sleep.
An Zhiyan: Can we chat a bit?
Su Jinli: I can't. I’ve already said goodnight to my brother. I have to obey him.
An Zhiyan: Can you learn a bit from An Zhihan in this regard?
Su Jinli: In what specific part?
An Zhiyan: The part where you don't listen to your brother.
Su Jinli: I can't do that. If I learned that from An Zhihan, my brother wouldn't let me play with him anymore.
An Zhiyan: Alright then, have an early rest.
Su Jinli: Okay, goodnight.
An Zhiyan: No 'muah' this time?
Su Jinli: You didn't show any care for me this time.
An Zhiyan: Last time when I saw your little video, I got excited for quite a while. But not long after, I found out that every one of your fans got a copy of your animated 'muah' gesture, and the video was retweeted all over Weibo, just like it was the Lunar New Year.
Su Jinli: Why is that?
An Zhiyan: It will take a long time to explain, better go to bed earlier.
Su Jinli: Mmm.
Su Jinli put down his phone and peacefully fell asleep on his bed. After a while, he suddenly wakes up and checked if An Zhiyan replied to his message.
Seeing An Zhiyan sent a smiling emoticon, he suddenly felt conflicted about whether or not to reply.
After some thought, he eventually gave up and continued sleeping.
________________________
The seventh round of the competition will determine the champion and runners-up.
National Idol is an individual competition. The final result will also be individual standings. Only the top three will have the qualifications to make a solo debut. The show promises that they will get a three-million-yuan endorsement deal.
In fact, many people know that given the current popularity of these contestants, they could easily get these offers. This prize is just an incentive mechanism.
As for the top nine contestants, they will certainly have the chance to debut in their respective companies.
The day after the results were announced, someone visited the set, making the top nine feel a little constrained.
The visitor was Shen Cheng.
Upon arriving, Shen Cheng smiled at everyone, showing a friendly demeanor towards all. However, his aura seemed distant, keeping people at arm's length.
He appeared like a natural-born king, so divine and untouchable.
He sat next to the practice area, watching them train. There would be a group dance in the seventh round of the competition, and they all needed to start learning it today.
When it was time for a break, Shen Cheng suddenly walked over, squatting beside Su Jinli and pressing on his shoe tips: "Are your shoes pinching your feet?"
"No, they're not."
"Your big toe is hitting the tip of the shoe when you're making moves."
"That's because my feet unconsciously move forward during the moves."
"Take off your shoes and let me see." Shen Cheng's concern was quite natural because after Su Jinli's feet started to grow, they were fragile, and his physical constitution wasn't great, leading to frequent injuries. Therefore, Shen Cheng rarely let him walk too much.
Seeing Su Jinli move like this, he naturally became worried.
"Oh..." Su Jinli leaned on Shen Cheng's shoulder and took off his shoes, raising his feet for him to see.
Zhang Caini on the side shook her arms while pretending to pass by, lingering near Su Jinli and Shen Cheng. Her cheeks flushed with excitement, and she exclaimed to An Zhihan and Fan Qianting, "I can't take it, this is too handsome, oh my gosh."
"Go and ask for an autograph. After all, you're his little brother's CP," An Zhihan said with a grin.
"No, no, no. I don't dare go. It's like I would be tarnishing his beauty if I were to talk to him."
"Why are you talking to us then?" someone inquired.
Zhang Caini was beyond excited, fanning her face with her hand: "I'm breathing the same air as Shen Cheng in the same room. I feel like I'm going to faint."
"Right, and Su Jinli even took off his shoes. Does the smell make you dizzy?" Fan Qianting chimed in.
Zhang Caini immediately shot them both a glare.
"Speaking of which, Shen Cheng may not be so great, but he's much better to his younger brother than the wastrel in my family," An Zhihan evaluated, looking at the state of the interaction between Su Jinli and Shen Cheng.
At this point, a crew member from the show walked in. After signaling to Shen Cheng, they turned to Su Jinli, saying, "During the final round, we will arrange several fan-favorite songs. Fans voted this time hoping you would perform a duet with An Zhiyan, called 'The Bird and the Fish'."
An Zhiyan was referred to as "Little Swallow" by fans.
Su Jinli, on the other hand, was referred to as "Little Fish".
Together, they indeed made the ensemble of "The bird and the fish".
Standing nearby, Shen Cheng immediately asked, "Can we change the song?"
"Change it to...what?"
"Hands Off."
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