Chapter 68: Whose Fan
The sudden exposure of Xi Leng’s fake fan identity startled Rong Xingyi, sending him into a cold sweat.
Fortunately, Xi Leng said it was all in the past, turning his late-night phone call into an emotional rollercoaster.
Come to think of it, it was the first time he had seen Xi Leng so concerned about his relationship with someone, even Luo Jiayan paled in comparison. When Xi Leng still lived at home, Luo Jiayan would always take the initiative to visit, while Xi Leng remained indifferent.
Back when Xi Leng confessed to pretending to be a fan, his attitude was already very strange, saying that he and Min Zhi got along well, that he wanted to be friends with him, that he had finally adapted, so he didn’t want this relationship to end too soon.
And the arrogant Min Zhi, after learning about the deception, his reaction was also unexpectedly strange.
Was that anger? Not responding, but putting flowers in his hair, remembering to call him while on a business trip to Nandao, if this was anger, then his harsh criticism of the trainees could only be described as madness.
As for why he described those strange actions as “flirting,” it was naturally from the Air Conditioner CP super topic, nothing more, after all, he was only 15, he hadn’t even held a girl’s hand, still a child…
After his unintentional “flirting” comment, Xi Leng on the other end of the line was silent for a long time.
“How are you doing recently?”
Finally, an awkward and formal inquiry about his younger brother’s well-being.
Rong Xingyi, unsuspecting, poured out everything: “I chose the dance category, I’m even the leader, but our team isn’t very strong…”
Xi Leng, not good with words, simply listened quietly, finally saying: “Jiayou.”
Rong Xingyi still didn’t want to hang up, murmuring, “I wish you could come to the performance.”
Xi Leng was silent for a few seconds before saying: “I tried getting tickets when they were released, but I couldn’t. Anyway… jiayou, if you make it to the finals, I’ll definitely find a way to be there.”
He paused, then, not receiving a response from Rong Xingyi, added, his voice gentle in the night, “Even if I come, you probably won’t be able to see me, there will be so many people in the audience.”
“I’ll definitely be able to see you!!” Rong Xingyi said with certainty, “Isn’t there a big screen that captures the audience’s reactions? It’s like that at all the concerts I’ve been to, it would be strange if you’re not filmed!”
These words seemed to be praising his brother’s looks, and Xi Leng chuckled: “Wouldn’t it be more troublesome if I’m filmed, I’m currently…”
He didn’t finish his sentence. He was currently involved in a scandal with Min Zhi.
Rong Xingyi, ignoring his concerns: “Hmph, just come, then worry about the trouble later.”
“Then I’ll hang up?”
“Mm-hmm, bye.”
In the middle of the night, Rong Xingyi, after finishing his call, his phone fully charged, felt like he could practice for another two hours.
Unfortunately, his teammates couldn’t keep up and had gone back to the dormitory to rest. Only Liang Zhun was still there, fiddling with his tablet, memorizing lyrics in a foreign language.
Frankly, the prejudice against independent trainees was understandable. Liang Zhun was the epitome of all the stereotypes. He struggled even with memorizing lyrics. The only reason he was in Class C was because the mentors saw his potential, he had only trained for two weeks, and he was only a year older than Rong Xingyi.
Seeing Rong Xingyi approach, he put down his tablet, glanced at the time, and said with surprise: “You actually talked for a whole hour!”
Rong Xingyi was stunned, he just realized that too.
How could he have talked to Xi Leng for a whole hour? This was unbelievable.
Liang Zhun then said, “You and your ge have such a good relationship?”
“That’s right.” Rong Xingyi raised an eyebrow and grinned proudly. “Jealous?”
Rong Xingyi’s excitement lasted until the next day, the day before the performance, the last rehearsal, when his newfound friend at the training camp completely crushed it.
Liang Zhun secretly told him that he was the nephew of the famous actor Liang Shu, who would be coming to the performance with his parents, front row seats. And they would find a chance to bring him some snacks backstage afterwards, including some for Rong Xingyi.
Rong Xingyi: “…”
The sound of his heart breaking was like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.
Liang Zhun heard this from Lin Yanran, the host, during rehearsal today. It was said that Lin Yanran and Liang Shu were rumored to be dating, and seeing their interaction, Rong Xingyi figured the rumors were probably true, his first firsthand experience with entertainment industry gossip.
Min Zhi was also present at rehearsal today.
Although he had confidently told Xi Leng, “This is clearly flirting!”, seeing Min Zhi in person, after Xi Leng’s fake fan identity was exposed, he still didn’t dare approach him, just diligently practicing with his teammates.
It would be normal for Xi Leng not to come; if he did, it would be a pleasant surprise, there was no need to keep asking…
Rong Xingyi reassured himself, unaware that after Xi Leng ended their call, he saw several messages from Zhu Minglang.
A few screenshots with simple explanations: flight tickets, hotel reservation, and a ticket to the first performance, all meticulously arranged.
Just as Rong Xingyi was having his last rehearsal, Xi Leng was departing from Beijing.
The next day at 2:00 pm, the first public performance of “Shining Boys” officially began.
The audience started entering at noon. The large screen on stage played behind-the-scenes footage of the trainees preparing, changing clothes, getting their makeup and hair done, being interviewed, greeting the audience.
Xi Leng was heavily disguised, hidden among the excited fans.
Today, he wore a wide-brimmed bucket hat, along with those black-framed glasses from last time. It was a bit stuffy inside, so he didn’t wear a mask, but he was still sufficiently covered up, with a mask, he might be mistaken for a top star like Min Zhi by the fans around him.
He had only been on one variety show, his fame not that exaggerated yet.
The audience entered according to their ticket tiers. He was among the first batch, free to choose any seat around the T-shaped stage. He looked around and chose a spot between Liang Zhun’s and Rong Xingyi’s fan groups.
At exactly two o’clock, Lin Yanran, the host, appeared on stage, just a few meters away, clearly visible even without the big screen.
“Aaaaaah!!!”
Regardless of which fan group they belonged to, everyone screamed for the host.
Someone even shouted: “Yanran-jiejie! Did Liang-ge come!?”
Asking about her rumored boyfriend.
Gossip was human nature. Whether they were Lin Yanran’s fans or not, everyone wanted a piece of the fresh gossip.
Lin Yanran on stage maintained her smile, following the script.
The four mentors appeared, the audience erupting in cheers, and no one cared about Lin Yanran’s love life anymore, Min Zhi became the new center of attention.
Xi Leng clearly heard several shouts, such as,
“Min-ge, are you dating? Say something if you’re not!!”
“Min-ge! Did your girlfriend come!?”
“Min-ge’s silence means he’s admitting it!”
Xi Leng silently lowered his head, ready to put on his mask.
But the scene was far more chaotic than he had imagined, surrounded by people. The lights were focused on the stage, the audience seats dim, only illuminated by light sticks and fan signs. It was difficult to even tell men and women apart, let alone recognize faces.
His height, however, made him stand out.
“Aaaaah, I can’t see!!!”
“Dude, can you move? You’re too tall!”
He was blocking their view.
Xi Leng: “…”
The first group of trainees appeared on stage, and the mentors’ fans finally calmed down. The cunning program team deliberately arranged for the less popular trainees to perform first, most of the audience could only wait quietly for their favorites.
The dance group, the most popular category, was arranged to perform last.
The first ranking would be announced after the performances, so Xi Leng could only roughly guess based on online discussions, Rong Xingyi’s Group A had higher popularity, while Ren Xu’s Group B was stronger in terms of skills, but looking at the crowd behind him, Group B also had quite a few fans.
Each of the 1001 audience members had a voting device. From the beginning to the end of the team battles, they could vote for either team at any time, abstentions also allowed. The winning team would receive five thousand bonus votes per member, and the team with the highest overall votes would automatically advance.
An outstanding performance could completely reverse a month’s worth of accumulated popularity disadvantage.
Rong Xingyi’s current ranking was around 20th, so Xi Leng wasn’t worried about him being eliminated, but he was the leader, and the elimination of any teammate, at his age, would be a hard blow.
Xi Leng tightly gripped his voting device, his heart racing as he watched the first six teams perform, also voting for a few teams he liked.
Finally, it was the dance group’s turn, both teams appearing on stage together for self-introductions.
The camera filming the audience shifted to the area where the two teams’ fans were gathered, sweeping over the sea of lights, then suddenly stopping, zooming in, unexpectedly giving a few excited fans close-ups.
The girls, noticing the camera, some startled, covering their faces with signs, some even more excited, their faces flushed as they shouted encouragement.
The 22 trainees on stage relaxed somewhat, enthusiastically responding to their fans.
Just then, the camera shifted again, capturing the only calm face in the crowd, zooming in until only a close-up remained on the big screen.
A wide-brimmed bucket hat covering most of his face, dressed in a low-key black windbreaker, no fan merchandise.
Even so, he was still incredibly eye-catching, and the audience started whispering.
“A male fan!”
“Whose fan is he?”
“So handsome! Such a small face, so photogenic…”
Xi Leng belatedly realized he was being filmed.
Those further away looked at the big screen, those nearby looked at him directly.
“Aaaaah, look at the camera!”
“Smile! Smile!”
The girls around him excitedly urged him.
Xi Leng looked up, revealing his face. Black-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose, a few strands of black, curly hair falling from beneath his hat, accentuating his fair skin.
Then—
“Aaaaah, holy shit!?”
“What? What? Who is this handsome guy?”
“It’s Xi Leng, right? Right!?”
“Aaaaah, Leng Leng in the flesh!”
“Whose fan is Leng Leng? Yi Yi’s?”
“Who doesn’t know Leng Leng is Min-shen’s fan?”
“Coming to the performance for his mentor? I’m dying…”
“Min-ge is also looking at the screen, aaaaah, mutual pining is the best!”
The big screen on stage was showing close-ups of the trainees. Everyone started whispering because of this unexpected interruption, only Rong Xingyi stood there, stunned.
Xi Leng, before the camera moved away, smiled slightly, silently mouthing, “Jiayou.”
Rong Xingyi, nudged by Liang Zhun, finally snapped out of his daze.
“It’s Xi Leng!” Liang Zhun was so excited his eyes were sparkling. “I’m a huge fan of ‘Unlimited Escape Room’!”
Rong Xingyi, realizing this, looked away, scoffing nonchalantly: “Focus on your performance.”
Liang Zhun shut his mouth.
The cameraman quickly zoomed in on the two, not forgetting to capture this interaction.
“I don’t care, Leng Leng must be a fellow fan! Otherwise, why would he be here?”
“Actually being able to chase stars with my idol, aaaaah, once in a lifetime!”
“Leng Leng definitely came for Min-shen, just check out his Weibo, he’s such a big fan!!”
“I don’t care, Leng Leng is our fan!”
“He’s a fan of the mentor! Stop dreaming!”
“He’s clearly our fan!! Your future sister-in-law!!!”
“Hahahaha, true—”
Xi Leng, the person involved: “…?”
Amidst the new round of heated discussions (arguments), the stage lights dimmed, and the performance officially began.
