Chapter 32: A Viral Sensation Before Premiere

While Gu Jingyi and the others were busy with intense rehearsals for the theme song stage, the promotional campaign for *Idol Producer* finally launched in full force.

It seemed that the shimmering, five-character logo of *Idol Producer* could be seen everywhere. It appeared on the Weibo splash screen, on the promotional pages of Kiwi Video, and was even inserted into the commercial breaks of variety shows and dramas.

After noticing that Gu Jingyi’s fan-taken photos had gone viral, the official *Idol Producer* account released the official headshots of all one hundred contestants ahead of schedule. These photos were arranged in alphabetical order and accompanied by detailed personal information, ranging from height and weight to date of birth, blood type, and educational background, available for any viewer interested in the show to peruse.

Among the sea of trainee headshots, Gu Jingyi’s hair fell naturally across his brow. He wore no makeup, his features appearing detached and indifferent. Yet, his visually striking appearance locked everyone’s gaze firmly onto him. Like a living contradiction, he stirred a deep curiosity in the audience. Within a single day, several search terms related to Gu Jingyi climbed the charts once again. The constant exposure was so pervasive that even fans who only followed dramas couldn't help but secretly save his handsome photos.

However, the subjects themselves, confined within the training base, remained completely oblivious to this popularity.

During practice the next day, Fan Chengcheng and Justin entered the Class A studio together. The two boys stood beside Gu Jingyi, grinning sheepishly. "Brother Jingyi, we're here."

Progress in classes B and C had been lagging; aside from the lectures given by mentors during the re-evaluation, the trainees were largely left to master the theme song choreography on their own. As the others noticed their arrival, the cameras positioned around the studio turned to focus on Gu Jingyi.

In truth, he hadn't intended to refuse them from the start. He was, after all, quite familiar with these boys from Yuehua Entertainment.

The formation and blocking for the theme song were already set, and the official recording was scheduled for that evening. The tension that comes with stepping onto a stage to be judged by an audience was inevitably spreading among the trainees. As the center, Gu Jingyi did not have it easy. Per the rules announced by Zhang Yixing, the center had a solo dance segment of significant length—literally a moment where he danced alone. When the stage platform rose, every camera would be following him and him alone. For the past two days, Gu Jingyi had been perfecting his new choreography. When the other members of Class A saw him refining his moves with the choreographers, they couldn't help but voice their envy. Even so, the members of Class A also had their fair share of screen time in the theme song.

Cai Xukun and Zhu Zhengting, who acted as "guardians" behind Gu Jingyi, were able to catch some of the spotlight that fell on him.

Justin and the others had arrived at the perfect time; Gu Jingyi had already mastered the movements he had conceived for his solo part. His progress was the fastest in Class A, so he didn't refuse such a simple favor.

"Alright, come here," Gu Jingyi beckoned, signaling Justin and Fan Chengcheng to stand in front of the mirror. "Dance right here. Watch yourselves in the reflection. Let me see how far you've progressed."

After they finished, Gu Jingyi hesitated, unsure of what to say. The disparity was too obvious. Justin had been training longer than Fan Chengcheng, so his issues were merely minor flaws, such as turning a fraction too early during jumps. For Fan Chengcheng, however, the biggest issue was a lack of familiarity with the theme song.

Being in Class C wasn't entirely a disadvantage; when they forgot the steps, they could always look toward the front at Class A to "copy their homework." However, Fan Chengcheng’s popularity was quite high—second only to Gu Jingyi and Cai Xukun this season. The theme song lasted over three minutes, and if the production team decided to edit maliciously, Fan Chengcheng could easily be branded a "vase," with his cracked notes from the initial stage and forgotten rap lyrics from his individual audition spliced together. He would become the season's biggest "blood bag," nailed to the show's pillar of shame.

Precisely because of this, when Gu Jingyi’s expression turned serious, even the usually smiling Fan Chengcheng realized the gravity of the situation.

"Justin, just pay attention to the rhythm; wait until the accompaniment is about to drop before you turn."

"As for Fan Chengcheng, you still have a lot of room for improvement..."

His tactful phrasing made even Zhu Zhengting want to laugh. It was the most "aggressive" he had ever seen Gu Jingyi speak.

"There is half a day left before the theme song shoot. I will put you through special training. I should warn you, my training method is a bit Spartan. If you can't take it, you can stop at any time."

Fan Chengcheng nodded as if he had grabbed onto a life raft; at this point, any help from Gu Jingyi was a blessing. By the time Fan Chengcheng regained his senses, he had already followed the instructional video on the tablet provided by the production team, dancing the theme song over twenty times without a single break. He was utterly exhausted, collapsing onto the floor and splaying his limbs.

"Fan Chengcheng, get up. After high-intensity training, you can't just lie down."

The practice room wasn't heated, and Fan Chengcheng was drenched in sweat, gasping for air on the floor.

"Brother Jingyi, I'm so tired. Let me rest for a while."

"Fifteen minutes."

After fifteen minutes, Gu Jingyi called him right on time. "Time's up. Get up and let’s keep going."

Fan Chengcheng slowly crawled up from the floor like a turtle flipped onto its shell. After spending the entire morning training him like this, Fan Chengcheng’s movements had become much more fluid.

"Brother Jingyi, thank you." Feeling the progress, Fan Chengcheng was truly grateful. Gu Jingyi waved his hand, indifferent.

Correcting Fan Chengcheng’s movements was essentially just watching him dance and pointing out errors. Why help him? Perhaps it was merely the mercy the strong felt for the weak. With a little time left before the filming of the theme song, guiding a junior was just a way to pass the time.

Soon, evening arrived. The staff escorted the trainees to the dressing rooms for hair and makeup. The Class A trainees had a private room with dedicated makeup artists providing one-on-one service. Trainees from other classes had to crowd into the main hall, waiting for the public makeup artists to attend to them. In terms of styling, they were already at a disadvantage compared to the Class A contestants.

*Idol Producer* emphasized this gap from the very beginning, rooting the concept that higher rankings and higher levels meant better treatment deep within the heart of every trainee. Once the show aired, these injustices would become the fuel for the fans' passionate support. They would scramble to generate data on various leaderboards just to get their favorite contestants a few extra seconds of screen time, and they would even set aside their pride to beg for votes.

*Idol Producer* would ride this wave, its popularity only continuing to soar.