In order to increase the excitement of the competition, the third round of performances uses the method of drawing lots to determine the opponent.
Ji Zeyu prayed in his heart that he would not draw Lu Nanyun and Wei Yichen. After getting the lottery, he did not dare to open it. He held it in his hand and returned to the practice room.
Bai Shengjie grabbed the lottery and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Let me see... Wow, Captain, you are so lucky."
"Who was drawn?" Ji Zeyu asked cautiously, feeling uneasy in his heart.
The surrounding teammates also gathered around. In the eyes of everyone, Bai Shengjie showed the note in his hand in front of everyone, with four big characters appearing on it -
Lu Nanyun group.
Ji Zeyu took a breath and widened his eyes: "No, are you really afraid of who will come?"
"Are you afraid of him?" Qi Aodong looked at Ji Zeyu and asked calmly.
Ji Zeyu nodded, then shook his head: "It's not that he's afraid, it's just that he doesn't want to be a rival with Lu Nanyun." As a cannon fodder supporting actor, he still wanted to stay away from the protagonist, and he didn't even want to be a rival.
Qi Aodong looked straight into Ji Zeyu's eyes, with a hint of other emotions in his eyes. His intuition told him that Ji Zeyu probably didn't like Lu Nanyun, but he didn't dare to confirm this issue himself.
"It's normal to be afraid of Lu Nanyun's team." Bai Shengjie said, "After all, Lu Nanyun is the number one, and he is very strong, and the team members are all masters. Working with Lu Nanyun is Ling Chengjie of fmw, a member of the fmw team Apart from Zhou Cheng, he is the strongest, so we cannot underestimate the enemy."
Bai Shengjie was telling the truth. No matter who was drawn into Lu Nanyun's group, they would not dare to say that they would definitely win.
Ji Zeyu's mood also became heavy because of Bai Shengjie's words.
In the original work, Lu Nanyun was very strong and rose to first place in the rankings the night before the finals. And now, Lu Nanyun's ranking has risen to first place ahead of schedule, which means that he is stronger than in the original work.
Perhaps it was the butterfly effect brought about by Ji Zeyu's changes. No matter what, they did encounter a strong enemy and must not take it lightly.
"I passed by Lu Nanyun's practice room yesterday and saw them rehearsing." Teammate Ming Yijie said, "Their team has added a lot of extremely difficult moves, including front and side flips. It feels like the stage effect will be particularly explosive."
When everyone heard this, they suddenly fell silent. In comparison, the performance of their group is indeed relatively weak.
This puts more pressure on Ji Zeyu. He must ensure that his opening piano performance can surprise the audience, so as to increase the chips for victory in the game.
Fortunately, Zhou Cheng gave Ji Zeyu the note yesterday, which allowed him to make rapid progress in a short period of time. Now he can play the music fluently. He is already familiar with all the fingerings on the note.
"Captain, how are you doing with your piano practice?" Gu Rui suddenly asked, with a flash of schadenfreude in his eyes, "Can you perform on stage?"
Zhou Cheng happened not to be in the practice room, so he spoke boldly, and his words contained sarcasm towards Ji Zeyu.
When Ji Zeyu was practicing the piano, Gu Rui secretly went to see him. His playing was very bad, and it could be said that he could not perform on the stage at all. He deliberately asked this question just to see Ji Zeyu make a fool of himself.
Everyone looked at Ji Zeyu.
Ji Zeyu acted very calmly and said modestly: "I can finish playing, and I won't hold you back."
"Really?" Gu Rui pretended to be surprised, "Then you are very good. You can learn it in such a short time. I look forward to your performance then."
Gu Rui thought to himself, if you are still stubborn now, I will see how you will make a fool of yourself later.
Ji Zeyu didn't take Gu Rui's ridicule to heart. He had experienced too much ridicule like this before, and he just felt that it was a waste of time to argue with such people.
"I'm looking forward to it too." A voice came from the door, it was Zhou Cheng who came, "Why don't I play it for everyone now."
Ji Zeyu was slightly startled, looked up at the person at the door, and said hesitantly: "But I think I still need to practice a little more, otherwise..."
"It is necessary to let your teammates know your progress," Zhou Cheng said slowly. Under his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes looked gentle and sharp. "This way they can rest assured." After that, he also looked at Gu Rui One glance, with emotions that Gu Rui couldn't understand.
Seeing Ji Zeyu's hesitation, Gu Rui was even more sure that he couldn't play the piano, and echoed: "I think what Teacher Zhou Cheng said makes sense. However, if the captain is really bad at playing, there is no need to make him look bad." There was gloating in his tone. means.
Bai Shengjie looked at Ji Zeyu: "Captain, do you want to play it again and try it?"
Qi Aodong also asked in a low voice: "Can I play now?" There was a hint of worry in his tone.
Ji Zeyu looked at everyone's gaze, and finally nodded gently to express his agreement.
Everyone came to an empty practice room with a piano and closed the door.
Zhou Cheng said to Ji Zeyu: "Don't be too nervous. As long as you can finish playing, we still have time to continue practicing." He didn't want to put too much pressure on Ji Zeyu.
Gu Rui sat leisurely on the floor, already beginning to imagine Ji Zeyu making a fool of himself.
Qi Aodong and Bai Shengjie looked at Ji Zeyu seriously and said nothing.
Ji Zeyu sat in front of the piano and put the music score on the table without looking at it. He tried the note, paused for a few seconds, and then started playing.
After two or three notes, everyone slowly opened their eyes.
The young man sat in front of the piano. His playing posture was not as skillful as that of the pianist, but he showed a gentleness and calmness. There was no expression on his face, and the tunes played by his fingers were coherent and smooth, not like a beginner at all.
The prelude to "The King" was specially written by a famous artist. The jumping notes show the gorgeous style of the music, which contrasts with the young man's exquisite and handsome appearance. The long eyelashes between his lowered eyes are so beautiful that it takes your breath away.
The song was not long, and after it ended, everyone looked surprised.
Zhou Cheng looked straight at Ji Zeyu, his expression softened a lot: "It's better than I imagined." There was a sense of pride in his tone that one of his own students was admitted to university.
Bai Shengjie took the lead in applauding, and his palms hurt from the clapping: "Captain Niu, you are so awesome! The little musical genius!"
Qi Aodong's originally worried heart fell to the ground, and he breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes that were originally full of worry were now filled with admiration. He knew that Ji Zeyu worked hard, but he still underestimated his talent. No one expected that he could practice the piano so well in a short period of time.
Gu Rui was dumbfounded. He had thought that Ji Zeyu would stumble when playing, but he didn't expect that not only did he make no mistakes, but he also played well, which was completely beyond his expectation.
How could this be possible despite how badly I played before and how much progress I've made now? !
For a moment, Gu Rui looked at the people around him applauding Ji Zeyu, clenched his fingers, and felt filled with regret and unwillingness.
Gu Rui looked at Ji Zeyu with a bit of jealousy in his eyes. He thought to himself that he should have fought for the opportunity to play the piano in the first place. If Ji Zeyu could master it so quickly, then he must be able to do it too.
At this time, Ji Zeyu looked at Gu Rui calmly, and their eyes met.
Gu Rui thought Ji Zeyu was going to laugh at him, but he didn't say anything. He got up and left the dance studio with other teammates, completely ignoring Gu Rui's slightly embarrassed expression.
It was as if he didn't take Gu Rui seriously at all.
Gu Rui was ignored by Ji Zeyu and became even more angry. He thought angrily, isn't he just a newcomer praised by the owner of Xingyu Entertainment? What's so great about it.
After the training, Qi Aodong said to Ji Zeyu while eating: "I think Gu Rui is a little hostile to you."
"I see." Ji Zeyu said without raising his head, "I'm not really stupid."
Qi Aodong paused and continued: "With so many people in this competition, it is inevitable that you will encounter some who are not friendly. Don't take it too seriously." There was a hint of comfort in his tone.
Qi Aodong is always like this. Although he is younger than Ji Zeyu, sometimes he tries to comfort Ji Zeyu like an elder brother.
"I know." Ji Zeyu looked at Qi Aodong and gave him a piece of braised pork. "I won't be angry for irrelevant people. At the worst, just stay away from him. Aodong, you don't have to worry about me."
"Ah That's good."
After that, Qi Aodong looked at the piece of braised pork, and then gently raised the corners of his lips. Although he didn't like eating such high-calorie food, he still happily ate the braised pork.
At this moment, Gu Rui is on the balcony.
The person standing in front of Gu Rui is his manager, Sister Chen. Sister Chen is a veteran agent of Hongyun Entertainment Company, and her mission is to make Gu Rui famous.
"Don't worry, you will definitely make your debut." Sister Chen said to Gu Rui, "It doesn't matter whether you play the piano or not. If Ji Zeyu wants to show off, just give him the opportunity. Isn't he just being praised by Xingyu? His strength is not as good as yours almost."
Gu Rui nodded: "I know. I'm just not convinced."
"It's a good thing to be utilitarian, keep it up." Sister Chen raised the corners of her lips and said to Gu Rui, "However, your stage is not just as big as the talent show. Take a long-term view and don't think about going against Ji Zeyu."
"What do you mean?" Gu Rui frowned.
Sister Chen said: "Is it difficult to understand? Behind Ji Zeyu is Xingyu Entertainment, a leading company in the entertainment industry. He will definitely debut at a high position. It seems that he should be third at the moment. Although he is not as good as the first, as long as he can get along well with him Being close will also be good for your popularity."
Gu Rui was stunned.
Then, Sister Chen whispered in Gu Rui's ear again, causing Gu Rui's eyes to slowly widen, and incredible emotions flashed in his eyes.
"You mean to let me..." Gu Rui said in surprise, "But why should I do this?"
Sister Chen looked at him with hatred: "Why else, of course it is to strive for a higher ranking for yourself. You also want to debut at a high position, don't you? This is the best opportunity, you have to seize it ."
"But is this really possible?" Gu Rui asked with some uncertainty.
"Whether it works or not, you'll know if you try it." Sister Chen curled her lips, with a calculating light in her eyes.
The program team of "Stars Shine" attaches great importance to the third round of performances. After all, they spent a lot of money to hire fmw.
Two days before the performance rehearsal, the program team returned the collected mobile phones to the contestants and asked them to post on Weibo for promotion, and they had already prepared copywriting content.
Ji Zeyu took his mobile phone and sent a message on Weibo. He found that he had a lot of unread messages. He couldn't help but click through them. Most of them were fans cheering him on, and some blowing rainbow farts to express their love. He looked at them. He couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips.
Because they haven't used their phones for so long, the contestants seemed reluctant to leave after posting on Weibo, but the program team still put their phones away with a firm heart.
Ji Zeyu was reading the news with great interest when his phone was suddenly taken away and he immediately wailed: "Let me play for a little longer, just for a little while-"
Not far away, Wan Taki also screamed: "Hey, wait until I finish collecting that game gift bag, don't take it away—"
Xiao Huai was defending himself: "I didn't open Taobao. I really didn't. How could I buy food? You read it wrong..."
The contestants raced against time to play with their mobile phones. After Ji Zeyu had his mobile phone taken away, he sighed sadly: "It is only after I lost my mobile phone that I realized how precious it is. When will these boring days end..."
Qi Aodong sat next to Ji Zeyu and said casually: "You train every day, do you get bored too?"
"How could it not be possible?" Ji Zeyu slowly widened his eyes and said in surprise, "Mobile phones are simply human beings' newly grown organs. Don't you miss your own organs?"
Next to him, Bai Shengjie also said: "I can't wait to hide my phone. I haven't read the novels I've been reading for a long time."
Qi Aodong shook his head. He really didn't need a mobile phone. He usually just dazed when he had nothing to do and never played mobile games.
After Ji Zeyu learned about it, he looked at him like an alien: "Aodong, you are really an alternative among young people."
Lu Nanyun sat behind Ji Zeyu and others, not far away from them. He listened to their conversation the whole time and felt funny about Ji Zeyu's childish nature. On second thought, Ji Zeyu was only nineteen years old, which was indeed a playful age.
A novel app that has been running stably for many years, comparable to the old book-chasing tool, a source-changing app used by old bookworms, huanyuanapp.org
"It would be nice if there was a substitute." Ji Zeyu sighed, "For example, a handheld console or something. At least I can relax after practice, otherwise I would be bored to death in the dormitory every day."
Bai Shengjie nodded crazily on the side: "That's right, let alone the handheld device, just give me a deck of Three Kingdoms Kill cards."
Ji Zeyu had participated in many auditions in his previous life, but most of them were not closed programs. He was really not used to such completely closed programs.
Lu Nanyun was almost amused by Ji Zeyu. It’s also a handheld device, what a beautiful idea the little guy had.
Lu Nanyun looked at Ji Zeyu's back and saw his little head drooped, dejected, and suddenly felt a little distressed. He had the illusion that a parent saw his child suffering in a boarding school.
Somehow, Lu Nanyun tightened her fingers on the phone, and then clicked on a shopping app.
At this moment, the staff member responsible for collecting mobile phones walked up to Lu Nanyun and asked, "Xiao Lu, have you finished posting on Weibo?"
Lu Nanyun calmly locked the phone screen, looked at the staff, and said calmly: "I entered the wrong password just now, I will hand the phone over to you later."
Lu Nanyun usually works very seriously, and he behaves very calmly, so the staff did not doubt him. They nodded and said: "Then remember to bring it to me later." After that, he went to collect other people's mobile phones.
Lu Nanyun quickly unlocked his phone and entered the word "handheld" in the search box of the shopping software with his slender fingers. A bunch of game consoles popped up that dazzled him, and he didn't know which one to choose.
The staff had almost collected the mobile phones, and it would be too late if Lu Nanyun didn't buy them.
At this time, Lu Nanyun was attracted by one of the blue and white handheld consoles. When purchasing the handheld console, it would come with a lot of cartoon stickers, which looked quite cute. He looked at the price. It was neither expensive nor cheap, so he quickly clicked on the product page to place an order and fill in his address.
The staff collected other people's mobile phones and walked over to Lu Nanyun.
Lu Nanyun had never typed so fast in his life. He held the phone tightly with both hands and pressed the letters on the keyboard quickly with his thumbs.
"Xiao Lu, have you finished sending out?" The staff looked at Lu Nanyun with some suspicion. Isn't it just a post on Weibo? The copy has been edited in advance, so why does it take so long
Express delivery method... Choose the fastest expedited express, otherwise the little one will have to wait a few more days.
Lu Nanyun quickly changed the mailing method.
The staff member raised his voice and urged: "Xiao Lu, please hand over your mobile phone."
When Ji Zeyu heard the sound, he turned around and whispered to Qi Aodong: "Look, even Lu Nanyun can't bear to part with his mobile phone. Mobile phones are really harmful."
"… alright."
Lu Nanyun paid the money at the last second, turned off the phone and handed it back to the staff, then breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Nanyun was not nervous at all during the initial rating of "The Shining Star", but he was so nervous just now that he almost typed the wrong address.
After buying it, Lu Nanyun suddenly felt a little annoyed—
What is he doing
How could he do such a childish thing?
And more importantly…
How should he give it to Ji Zeyu after buying it? ?
According to the situation that Ji Zeyu has been avoiding him, if he gave it directly to him, he would probably be rejected.
Lu Nanyun pursed his lips, with a trace of distress and melancholy in his eyes.
After collecting the mobile phones, the director team sent someone to the classroom and said to everyone: "I understand everyone's desire to play with their mobile phones, because rehearsals have been very hard recently, and everyone has not had any entertainment projects for a long time..."
Bai Shengjie's starry eyes flashed: "So you want to return the phone to us?"
"I'm overthinking it, of course not." The director said with a smile, "In order to enrich everyone's lives, the program team has prepared a surprise segment."
"What's the surprise part?"
"Is it hot pot?"
"Director, stop showing off!"
Under the strong expectations of everyone, the director slowly said to everyone: "During this period, the program team has received a lot of gifts and letters from fans, and the staff are keeping them for you. Tomorrow, some of the gifts will be given to you. You open the package and use it as a way to cheer before the third round of performances."
As soon as these words came out, the whole classroom was filled with excitement.
"Wow, does everyone have one?" someone said, "What did the fans give as gifts?"
The director smiled and said: "There are all kinds of things. You can see them tomorrow."
Ji Zeyu didn't have many fans in his previous life and rarely received gifts from fans. After hearing the director's words, he couldn't help but open his eyes with an expectant expression.
Lu Nanyun's Adam's apple rolled up and down, his fingers tightened slightly, his thoughts wandered away in hesitation, and he was out of tune with the smiling players around him.
The third round of performances is approaching and training continues as usual.
The rehearsals of the "King" group went smoothly, and Ji Zeyu's piano performance was also practiced very well. The pressure on the team members was also much less, and Zhou Cheng became less harsh, although the main person he praised was Ji Zeyu.
Ji Zeyu's psychological burden was greatly reduced, and he seemed much more happy when resting in the dormitory. This is of course thanks to the piece of paper Zhou Cheng gave him, otherwise he would still be sitting in front of the piano practicing bitterly.
Wei Yichen and Lu Nanyun looked relaxed, but Xiao Huai was not so lucky. In Xiao Huai's own words, this is simply a kind of torture.
Xiao Huai's foundation was originally weak, but now he has become the C position because of his high popularity, so he has to work ten times harder. When he returns to the dormitory every day, his face looks like a bitter gourd, and he collapses on the bed from exhaustion and does not want to move.
Ji Zeyu sat aside eating biscuits and glanced at Xiao Huai: "How's your practice going?"
"I beg Xie Zhuoyu to give me a knife," Xiao Huai said. Xie Zhuoyu is fmw's vocalist and is also very good at dancing. "I feel like my life is hanging by a thread." His voice was a little hoarse, and it looked worse than the previous round. The performance was even worse.
Ji Zeyu wondered: "Is it that exaggerated?"
"He is not as patient as you. I was almost scolded stupid." Xiao Huai lay on the bed and turned to look at Ji Zeyu, "Xiao Yu, I really miss the days of training with you. At least I won't be like this now. , like a poor homeless child..."
"Stop it, stop it," Ji Zeyu had goosebumps all over his body, "I wanted to scold you at that time, but I couldn't bear it." He told the truth that broke Xiao Huai's heart.
"I gave you so many snacks, how could you be willing to scold me?" Xiao Huai weakly said to Ji Zeyu, "Xiao Yu, come here and step on my legs."
Ji Zeyu put down the cookies in his hand and said helplessly: "Can't you knead it yourself?"
Xiao Huai lay on his stomach, buried his face in the pillow, and muttered: "Please help me, I'm so tired."
Ji Zeyu had no choice but to take off his shoes, climbed onto Xiao Huai's bed, stood and lowered his head and asked, "Are you stepping on your calf?"
"There are still thighs," Xiao Huai said with a nasal voice, "please use a little more force."
Ji Zeyu was wearing socks and stepped directly on Xiao Huai's calf muscles. The next second, earth-shattering screams rang out in Dormitory No. 1.
"Be patient." Ji Zeyu continued to step on it.
Xiao Huai cried slightly: "Why should I suffer like this..."
"Don't cry, I'll give you cookies later." Ji Zeyu consoled him perfunctorily.
At this moment, the door of the dormitory opened, and Lu Nanyun came in from the outside, holding two large boxes in his hands, followed by two staff members, each holding a box in his arms, and finally followed by the photographer.
After Lu Nanyun entered the door, his eyes stayed on the two of them for a moment.
Ji Zeyu stopped stepping on Xiao Huai's legs and asked the staff curiously: "What is this?"
"Fan gift." The man replied.
Ji Zeyu immediately became excited and jumped off Xiao Huai's bed: "Which one is mine?"
The staff member raised his chin in the direction of Lu Nanyun: "One of the ones he is holding is yours."
Ji Zeyu was stunned. He didn't expect Lu Nanyun to help him carry the gifts. He walked over and said to him, "Thank you..."
"Just grab it." Lu Nanyun had no expression on his face. He put Ji Zeyu's box on the table as if it was just the smallest thing.
Ji Zeyu reached for the box, only to find that the box was very heavy and probably contained a lot of things. He couldn't help but be stunned: Lu Nanyun actually moved two such heavy boxes? And he didn't even take a breath
At this moment, Lu Nanyun walked to the cabinet, took out a fascial gun, and threw it on Xiao Huai's bed: "I will use this for massage in the future."
Xiao Huai was stunned for a moment and said hurriedly: "How embarrassing is this? I asked Xiao Ji..."
Lu Nanyun looked at him expressionlessly: "He is unprofessional and will step on you and cause trouble."
Xiao Huai tightened his fingers, remained silent for a moment, raised the corners of his lips and said, "Thank you then." But the smile did not reach his eyes.
Ji Zeyu thought to himself, isn't it just a step on his leg muscles? He didn't jump up with his whole body, how could something happen if he stepped on it? Lu Nanyun really looked down on him.
Not long after the staff put down the gifts, Wei Yichen also came back, and the next step was to open the gifts.
Ji Zeyu carried the gift to the bed and opened it carefully. What came into view were several letters.
Each letter is very thick and looks like it contains a lot of letter paper.
Ji Zeyu has never received so many fan letters. He said "Wow" in an unprecedented way. The smile on his face couldn't be hidden. He was happier than receiving a gift on his birthday.
"There are so many letters." Ji Zeyu said to the camera, "I'll open a few and take a look."
One of them was written by a senior high school student: "Dear Xiaoyu, I am very happy to have the opportunity to write you a letter. I wonder if you can read it. I am a person who has never been star-struck, but since I read you After the performance of "lookme now", I couldn't help but start following the show. Although I usually don't have time to vote, I will always support you. I hope I can become a dark horse like you... "
The rest of the letters also praised Ji Zeyu in various ways. Some praised him for his good looks, some praised him for being the king of the stage, and some said that he was their light and role model.
Fans are carefree. Maybe they will leave a star in the next second and rush to the embrace of the next wall.
Ji Zeyu has always believed that the relationship between idols and fans is short and fragile.
But at this moment, every word of these words is sincere, making Ji Zeyu's efforts during this period meaningful. He has brought a little light to those fans, and the fans' encouragement also gave him great warmth.
It is meaningless to measure this sincerity by length of time.
After reading the letter, Ji Zeyu continued to take out the gifts from the box.
There are stuffed bears, T-shirts with cartoons of himself printed on them, and a bottle of orange soda...
After taking out the gifts one by one, something blue and white suddenly appeared in front of Ji Zeyu, which made him stunned, and then an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
"Wow—" Ji Zeyu's eyes widened and he said in surprise, "Handheld?!"
Everyone else in the dormitory looked at him.
Xiao Huai looked surprised and envious: "No, how come your fans know you so well and actually gave you a handheld phone?"
Wei Yichen was stunned and said, "The program team didn't confiscate it?"
Lu Nanyun was calmly opening his gift box, but now his attention was entirely focused on Ji Zeyu.
Lu Nanyun's express delivery was delivered to the security office of the TV station just ten minutes ago. Thanks to his fast running, he was able to sneak the game console into Ji Zeyu's box before the program team gave gifts.
Last time Lu Nanyun gave Ji Zeyu his piano notes, Ji Zeyu did not say thank you to him because they were not signed.
This time, Lu Nanyun planned to leave a mark on the game console, hinting that Ji Zeyu had given it to him.
He took out the stickers given by the merchant and specially selected a few to stick on the body of the game console.
You should be able to tell this... Lu Nanyun thought to himself.
Ji Zeyu opened the game console in surprise and was about to try out the game functions when his eyes were suddenly attracted by the small sticker on it.
A jumping deer.
A round pumpkin.
There is also a white cloud.
Deer, pumpkin, cloud…
Ji Zeyu looked at these three stickers and fell into deep thought.
Lu Nanyun's Adam's apple rolled up and down, showing his current nervousness.
Can Ji Zeyu see it
It should be possible, right
After a while, Ji Zeyu took the game console and said to the camera: "This fan put stickers on it. It doesn't look like it comes with it. It should be put on intentionally. A deer, a pumpkin, a cloud ..." As he spoke, he showed the sticker on the game console in front of the camera.
Lu Nanyun held his breath and kept focusing on Ji Zeyu from the corner of his eye.
"So I guess, this fan..." Ji Zeyu pondered for a moment, then said seriously and seriously, "should be a junior high school student, right?"