Gu Yueyue's fans were outraged and immediately went online to fight back.
—You guys are the old ones! No talent, no skills, no work to show for it, ugh, trash!
—Hilarious! Your brother is already twenty-seven? Oh my god, our Yueyue is only twenty-six.
—Hey upstairs, be serious! Our Yueyue is only twenty-five and a half! Her birthday is still six months away. Unlike her brother, who turned twenty-seven last month and is still acting like a twenty-seven-year-old sweetheart, hahaha!
—Well, what can we do? Our Yueyue debuted and became famous so early.
Gu Yueyue was unaware that the fans had already started arguing. She looked at the two buttons in front of her, pressed the circle for Zheng Wan, indicating that it was approved.
Fan Weiwei followed closely behind and took the microphone in front of her to comment on Zheng Wan's performance.
Zheng Wan bowed and thanked him, then turned her gaze to Yuan Beidu.
Yuan Beidu also said a few words symbolically, but then changed the subject and revealed some dissatisfaction. Just as everyone was anxiously waiting for her final result, Yuan Beidu mischievously pressed the red circle button.
"Of course you passed! Your performance was excellent. We hope to see you on many more and bigger stages in the future!"
Yuan Beidu smiled. His agent had already marked several key contestants for him to remember, and this one, who had been given instructions, had to be approved.
When Xia Lan saw that it was finally her turn, she raised her hand and slapped an "X".
"I'm sorry, I'm a singer, and your performance didn't showcase your singing ability at all, so I can only give it an X."
The internet was shocked by Xia Lan's decisive move of slapping the X on the contestant's head, leaving her no chance at all, not even allowing her to showcase her singing voice.
The online discussion was heated about Xia Lan's overly strict and bureaucratic approach, which led to her becoming arrogant and intolerant of newcomers.
Xia Lan's agent was so worried she almost pulled out all her hair. Before she arrived, she repeatedly told her not to cause trouble and to control her temper, but Xia Lan just wouldn't listen, and on her very first day, she made headlines.
In an effort to reduce the trending topic, Xia Lan's agent bought the hashtag "Gu Yueyue and Fan Weiwei had a pleasant conversation" to attract attention, which finally managed to shift the public's focus away from Xia Lan.
The selection process continued, and soon it was the eighth person to go on stage, Zhang Ya.
She had changed into a formal dress at some point and stood gracefully in front of the camera, showing no stage fright in front of several established seniors, as if this were her own home.
Zhang Ya's performance was a piano recital.
She's quite good-looking, with strong, handsome features. Among girls, she's both beautiful and cool. When she wears androgynous clothes, she exudes a cool, androgynous charm.
Now, in a formal dress, her feminine grace is accentuated.
She gained many fans in the live stream, and many casual viewers who came for the variety show followed her on Weibo, quickly increasing her followers from a few thousand to 20,000.
After the performance, Zhang Ya stood up, bowed, and waited for the mentors' comments and scores.
Fan Weiwei pressed the red circle first and expressed her high regard for her.
Zhang Ya's heart fluttered after being praised by the handsome man, and her attention, which had been focused on her idol Gu Yueyue, was completely stolen by Fan Weiwei.
Gu Yueyue looked at the girl in front of her. She had seen her twice before, once near her new home and once at an event yesterday. She seemed to have a good relationship with Xu Yi. She wondered if the girl was just a simple fan or a fanatic like Xu Yi.
If this happens, her sasaeng fans might continue to harass her.
What if I misunderstand and it doesn't pass? Should I let someone with a dream be rejected from the stage because of my misunderstanding?
Gu Yueyue thought of these things in a single breath, and then snapped out of those two thoughts.
How could you think like that, Gu Yueyue? You're sitting here, you're the mentor, and she's the student. Your job is to use your professional knowledge to judge whether her performance is up to standard.
"The music is beautiful, I really like it. I hope to see you shine even brighter on stage." Gu Yueyue gave her a passing grade.
Xia Lan, who couldn't hold back any longer, secretly rolled her eyes at Fan Weiwei. After Gu Yueyue finished speaking, she spoke up before Yuan Beidu could.
"I really like your voice!" As a rising star, she used her professional knowledge to evaluate Zhang Ya's performance, saying more than Gu Yueyue and more in detail than Fan Weiwei.
After finishing her sentence, she changed the subject and secretly glanced at Gu Yueyue. "I did pretty well, didn't I? Did my idol even notice me?" she thought. "Damn Fan Weiwei, I finally met someone who suited my taste, but he stole the spotlight."
Yuan Beidu thought about the names his agent had given him, and thought, "Very good... Miss Zhang Ya is also on the list that must be approved."
He said a few polite words and readily approved it.
Zhang Ya is the first and only contestant to receive four passes since the start of the competition.
"Please welcome contestant number nine, Xu Yi, to the stage."
Xu Yi.
Hearing a name she had heard many times before still made Gu Yueyue's heart pound faster, and her breathing became a little erratic.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 16:40:06 on December 10, 2021 and 20:45:39!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Kaoru Kamata (12 bottles); Chennuo (6 bottles); Inbusting (2 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter Fourteen
—Miss Number Nine is so pretty and cool!
—After reading the official website, I learned that she only turned 18 last month. You can't tell at all. I don't mean anything by it, I just want to say that the younger sister's aura doesn't match her age at all!
—I'm looking forward to seeing her talent.
Xu Yi was still wearing the same clothes as before. Because she had washed them so many times, her light-colored pants were almost faded to white. She didn't mind at all. When others first saw her, their attention was focused on her face, and they completely ignored the minor flaws in her clothing.
Gu Yueyue's gaze swept over her, and as she was about to look away, she noticed that Xu Yi was also staring at her. Feeling a little uncomfortable under Xu Yi's gaze, she coughed twice and asked, "Are you ready?"
"Yes. I've prepared a sword dance."
Xu Yi didn't take any unconventional approach; she followed He Xiaojing's advice and performed her sword dance in a conventional way, even though her sword dance skill was quite unique compared to other contestants.
At He Xiaojing's suggestion, she made further improvements to her swordsmanship. The swordsmanship she is practicing now is more visually appealing, but its actual killing effect is not strong.
Of course, it's just that she doesn't think it's strong.
After the groundwork laid in the first three episodes, and with the addition of this episode's strong lineup of mentors, the Star Idol Project has become incredibly popular, with even some people who don't follow celebrities being enthusiastically recommended to watch it by their friends.
Liu Wenxin, a descendant of a family of ancient Chinese martial arts swordsmen, is worried about how to prepare for her final exams. It's fine for her to practice her fist and foot techniques and sword skills, but asking her to understand formulas and memorize various theorems is too much for her.
In the days leading up to the final exams at the martial arts academy, almost everyone was trying to catch up on their academic subjects, making these the quietest days for them.
But today, when Liu Wenxin was reciting a passage from the little green book, forgetting it as she went, her roommate next to her was hiding on the bed, giggling and laughing, and soon bursting out one exclamation after another: "Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap..."
Liu Wenxin couldn't take it anymore. She threw down her little green book and asked her roommate, "What's wrong with you? Aren't you going to study?"
"Holy crap! Wenwen, come quick! There are some real masters out there... wait, they've put on a talent show!" Her roommate held out her phone to show her.
During her final exam preparation period, Liu Wenxin had long since turned off her phone and locked it in her cabinet in order to concentrate on her studies. Now, seeing the phone handed to her, she felt a sense of rejection. "I won't look at it. I want to study hard."
"You'll regret it if you don't watch! This is the most magnificent swordsmanship I've ever seen, holy crap! That sword sweep is amazing, it feels like the wind of the sword is blowing out..."
Liu Wenxin was itching to try it herself. Her roommate was so engrossed in watching the video that she was about to put her phone away to watch it herself. Liu Wenxin simply snatched the phone away and told herself, "I'll just take a look."
Xu Yi's dance was breathtaking. She sheathed her sword and looked at the four judges with calm, unwavering eyes.
Yuan Beidu was the first to react. He once dreamed of traveling the world with a sword, but unfortunately, his fantasy lost to reality, and he could only indulge in the fantasy of being a chivalrous hero in the play.
Yuan Beidu placed the red circle, his voice trembling as he spoke into the microphone: "How long have you been practicing?"
During the sword dance, there was a move where Xu Yi leaped into the air and swung his sword down, and the direction of the slash was exactly where Yuan Beidu was. He could feel the solemn killing intent coming towards him more directly than anyone else, which scared him so much that his heart almost ran away from home.
"I started practicing swordsmanship when I was four years old." Xu Yi deliberately confused him with her question; she couldn't very well tell him that she had been practicing for tens of thousands of years.
Yuan Beidu praised her highly, saying he wished he could just go over and ask for her contact information so she could give him some pointers. After all, he had recently taken on a role in a fantasy drama series, and as a disciple of the righteous path of cultivation, he wanted to become famous for his swordsmanship.
"You are undoubtedly number one in my heart, the center position..." No one but you!
"Cough cough cough, Yuan Beidu, you better watch out."
Yuan Beidu heard his manager's voice through his earpiece. He turned his stiff neck to look at the audience and saw his manager standing below the stage, making a throat-slitting gesture.
Yuan Beidu calmed down from his fright and smiled at Xu Yi, saying, "Center position, I really like you! Good luck!"
"Thank you, teacher."
Yuan Beidu looked at the judges beside him, indicating that they could speak now, as he had finished speaking.
Gu Yueyue looked at Xia Lan. Xia Lan was about to approve, but when she saw Gu Yueyue looking over, her hand trembled and she slapped the red X.
Xu Yi looked at the red X, then finally focused her gaze on Xia Lan's face. She scrutinized Xia Lan before silently looking away.
When Gu Yueyue saw that Xia Lan had rejected her, she unconsciously frowned. Although she did not understand swordsmanship, she was indeed amazed. Could such a superb performance not satisfy Xia Lan?
Xia Lan withdrew her trembling hand, tears welling up inside her. What should she do...? She messed up. Yueyue seems angry? Is it because I'm unprofessional? Would everyone believe her if she said she pressed the wrong button because she was nervous?
"Ahem. This contestant, your dance is great. I really like it... but I'm a singer, so I can't judge your dance from a professional perspective, and you haven't demonstrated your singing ability either, so I can't pass you. After all, this is a girl group audition."
The internet is in an uproar again because of Xia Lan's extremely high demands.
On the one hand, some believe that Xia Lan did nothing wrong. If it weren't for the need for her to pretend to know what she didn't, it would be unprofessional for a singer to judge someone else's dance.
On the other hand, I think Xia Lan is too pretentious. Even ordinary passersby can see that Xu Yi's performance was wonderful, not to mention Yuan Beidu's remarks just now, which made it seem like he wanted to send Xu Yi to the center position right away. Xia Lan's behavior is really just trying to grab attention and is despicable.
Another group of people tried to break up the fight, saying, "Stop arguing! Didn't Xia Lan do the same thing before? If she makes an exception for Xu Yi, it's not fair to the other trainees." "As long as two mentors choose to pass, that's enough. Xu Yi's performance was so wonderful, Yueyue and Weiwei will definitely let her pass. What are you worried about?"
Before Gu Yueyue could speak, Fan Weiwei preemptively clicked the red X, indicating that the application was rejected.
To everyone's surprise, even the audience gasped in astonishment.
While all the cameras were focused on capturing Xu Yi's subtle expressions, Fan Weiwei turned his head and raised an eyebrow at Gu Yueyue with a smile.
As early as when Xu Yi appeared, he could see that Gu Yueyue was averse to Xu Yi. He also saw that Xia Lan originally intended to pass the test, but after Gu Yueyue glanced at her, Xia Lan decisively rejected her, clearly having received Gu Yueyue's hint.
His keen observation meant that Gu Yueyue didn't even need to hint at it; she could sense his feelings and was sure to be moved by his actions.
Xu Yi's gaze fell on Fan Weiwei, and seeing him winking at the female tutor beside him, she impatiently looked away and lowered her eyelids. This person is really unpleasant.
Fan Weiwei gave a long, high-sounding speech, but the gist of it was that she couldn't let Xu Yi pass.
"We're a girl group, not a martial arts academy recruiting students. The audience wants to see singing and dancing, not you wielding a sword on stage."
—'No! We want to see her wield a sword!'
—"Help! What's wrong with Fan Weiwei today? Strangers are suddenly trying to criticize him, what should I do?"
"—'I understand why Xia Lan rejected it, but what's wrong with Fan Weiwei? Does he really think he's a mentor? He's just there to make up the numbers!!! Yuan Beidu already said he liked it, and Gu Yueyue hasn't even said anything yet, but he's already jumping around like this. It's so annoying. Can't we just kick Fan Weiwei out?'"
—'Fan Weiwei is completely unfit to be a mentor.'
Xu Yi is waiting for the final result, because if Gu Yueyue also disapproves of her, then she will be eliminated.