Chapter 40: Team Showdown
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Gu Jingyi had no idea how many copies of Bazaar magazine had been sold. He had already done everything he could; the rest could only be left to his fans.
The trainees who had gone out arrived back at the training camp in the afternoon, but the production team did not give them much time to rest.
About two hours later, all the trainees were summoned to the studio.
The trainees, dressed in different uniforms, had only just arrived in the broadcasting hall when Zhang Yixing and the other mentors walked in as well.
Among the many figures, Gu Jingyi raised his eyes and met Cheng Xiao's gaze before quickly looking away.
Since filming for Idol Producer had begun, his schedule had been packed.
The previous week had probably been the only two days during which he, the "weekend boyfriend," had been absent from this relationship.
Today, Cheng Xiao wore a vintage cardigan with a short skirt in an academic style. The hem was barely long enough to cover her thighs.
When she noticed Gu Jingyi's gaze, she glared at him angrily. Then she quickly took her seat among the mentors, refusing to let him look at her for even one second longer.
Zhang Yixing was already standing onstage as he announced the next stage of the competition:
"All right, trainees. The second mission of Idol Producer will be... group battles."
"All the trainees will be divided into sixteen groups. In the form of boy bands, two groups will face off against each other in a stage performance and undergo the test of the national producers present here today!"
"During the group battles, the audience will vote. The eight groups with the highest combined votes will become the winning groups, and every member of each winning group will receive a bonus of ten thousand votes!"
Boy-band format! A live audience! National producers! Bonus votes!
These earth-shaking announcements instantly caused an uproar among the trainees. Gu Jingyi clearly felt Cai Xukun trembling faintly beside him, his entire body brimming with excitement.
Cai Xukun believed that he was the only trainee present who had ever actually performed in a boy band. For a public performance of this kind, would he not be completely in his element?
Unfortunately, in his previous life, Gu Jingyi had been a member of the top Asian boy band Wanna One.
Whether in stage experience or performance presence, he was leagues ahead of Cai Xukun.
Cai Xukun was destined to see his dream shattered, serving only as a foil to highlight Gu Jingyi's strength.
Once Zhang Yixing had finished explaining the rules, he worried that some trainees might not understand the importance of the first public performance.
He deliberately emphasized once more, "After this performance, nearly half of you will be eliminated. The group assignments this time are crucial for every trainee."
The announcement sent the trainees into an uproar.
The ten-thousand-vote bonus meant little to those already ranked near the top, but to those struggling on the brink of elimination, it was practically a pardon from death.
No one wanted to fall in the first round. Everyone wanted to remain in the competition for as many rounds as possible.
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Before long, some trainees understood the situation and looked toward Gu Jingyi with hopeful expressions.
An elimination rate of nearly fifty percent was simply too brutal. They had to team up with popular trainees to borrow their screen time and attention.
Joining Gu Jingyi's group meant that receiving the bonus votes was almost guaranteed. They had to seize this final opportunity.
As for Cai Xukun, when the best option was right in front of them, who would choose the backup?
After losing to Gu Jingyi twice in a row, Cai Xukun had gradually lost his credibility among the trainees.
More than a hundred scorching gazes nearly seemed to roast Gu Jingyi over an open flame.
Everyone knew that in a survival show, the center position in the theme song and the first Grade A ranking attracted the most attention. As long as they followed Gu Jingyi, even if they merely lingered at the edge of the team, people would remember them.
"Brother Jingyi, can you choose me?"
A trainee from Grade F asked outright, prompting Zhang Yixing to interrupt repeatedly.
"Since when do people nominate themselves for groups? The Grade A trainees will be the ones choosing."
With the situation descending into chaos, Zhang Yixing, the host of the process, brought things back on track. "Gu Jingyi, please choose one of the eight songs onstage."
The trainees had just listened to the demo sections of all eight performance songs. In front of them were sixteen neatly displayed song title cards made from cardboard.
"I choose 'Can't Stop.'"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present was somewhat surprised.
The original version of the song had been performed by a band. Although it was extremely catchy, it contained very little choreography.
Back when Gu Jingyi had appeared on Produce 202, he had been the main dancer. Choosing a song with almost no choreography made it seem as though he would be unable to fully demonstrate his dancing ability.
Most people had assumed he would choose songs such as "Code: Name of the Contra" or "Get Ugly," which offered more opportunities for a striking dance performance.
"May I ask why?"
Zhang Yixing voiced the question on everyone's mind.
Gu Jingyi merely replied, "I want the national producers to see more possibilities in me."
Just a few words, concise and to the point.
Some of the trainees still did not understand what he meant, but Zhang Yixing understood immediately.
It seemed that Gu Jingyi's ambitions were greater than anyone else's. He was gradually shedding the label of "main dancer" that had been attached to him, giving the audience more to anticipate.
During the selection process, Gu Jingyi's gaze lingered for a few seconds on Grade B, where the trainees wore blue uniforms.
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"Justin," he called out the first name.
This was someone Gu Jingyi had already chosen beforehand, so he did not need to think before saying it.
Gu Jingyi chose Justin because of his kindness.
That stage outfit had indeed helped Gu Jingyi escape an embarrassing predicament during the opening performance of the overseas survival show.
Justin was delighted when his name was called. He flashed a victory sign with his fingers, pushed past the two trainees in front of him, and took off from the spot, leaping down the steps.
As the first teammate chosen, Justin was extremely happy. He quickly took his place behind Gu Jingyi and began offering advice to his big brother.
With the clever young Justin's suggestions, Gu Jingyi selected You Changjing, Lin Chaoze, Fan Chengcheng, Zheng Ruibin, and Zhu Zhengting as well.
With that, all seven members of Group A for "Can't Stop" had been assembled, and their strength was not to be underestimated.
The group included four trainees from Grade A, two from Grade B, and one from Grade C.
With two vocalists, three dancers, and one rapper, the lineup was exceptionally well balanced.
Once Gu Jingyi had finished assembling his group, the other trainees took their turns choosing.
Cai Xukun chose "PPAP." Among the members, he selected Wang Ziyi and Bu Fan, though no one knew what he had been thinking.
Wang Jiaer raised an eyebrow and began stirring things up. "Kun Kun's group is pretty interesting. Are you forming an Avengers alliance to go up against Gu Jingyi?"
Cai Xukun's expression turned awkward. Covering his face, he laughed until it was bright red.
He had indeed intended to compete at first. But after seeing Gu Jingyi finish selecting his teammates, Cai Xukun quickly abandoned the idea of forming Group B for "Can't Stop" and chose "PPAP" instead, avoiding Gu Jingyi's锋芒.
The trainees onstage gradually finished selecting their songs. In the end, Jeffer chose Group B for "Can't Stop."
After the opponents had been selected, the group assignments were finally complete.
By then, it was past three in the morning.
Yet the trainees still could not return to the dormitories to rest. They had to film the selection of the center and the team leaders.
The lyrics to "Can't Stop" had already been distributed to every member. They were now choosing the center and the team leader.
Gu Jingyi asked directly, "Does anyone want to volunteer for the center position?"
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