Chapter 51: First Public Performance (Part 2)

"Ahhh! Gu Jingyi!"

"Jing's reign across the realm, only Yi walks alone!"

"Emperor Jing! Emperor Jing! Emperor Jing!"

The recording of the show had started at noon, and more than two hours had passed by now. After watching so many group performances prior to this, a sense of aesthetic fatigue had inevitably set in.

Yet the moment Gu Jingyi stepped onto the stage, the sudden burst of screams instantly revived everyone's energy.

Many trainees looked toward the designated area, spotting the phalanx of fans holding light-up boards bearing the name "Gu Jingyi."

This was undoubtedly the contestant with the largest fan turnout in the entire audience.

Although the production team had limited tickets to fifty for Gu Jingyi's side in order to control the voting, they underestimated the resourcefulness of the head of his South Korean fan club. Using a translation app, the Korean fansite manager had posted this message in the core fan circle:

"Tickets for a massive hit like Jingyi are definitely hard to draw, and since he isn't one of the production team's 'royalty' favorites, it's even harder. However, we can grab ticket slots by posing as fans of those royal favorites like Wang Ziyi, Chen Linong, Wang Linkai, or Lin Xiaoju."

"666, we can do that? Is that really possible?"

"Of course it's possible, are you silly? Did we ever say we aren't fans of the 'royalty'? Emperor Jing is an emperor after all—well, how could he not be considered royalty?"

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Then we just need to bring two sets of support gear. I'll tie Jingyi's light board around my upper thigh; I refuse to believe the security guards dare to touch me there!"

Relying on the brilliant scheme devised by the South Korean fansite manager, Gu Jingyi's fans managed to secure another seventy slots.

As soon as they entered, they gathered together, discarded the light boards of the privileged trainees, pulled out Gu Jingyi's light boards anew, and waved banners and cheered for him.

Some wealthy fans who hadn't won the ticket draw simply threw money at scalpers to buy them.

After enduring countless hardships, Gu Jingyi's fans managed to piece themselves together and sit as one.

When they saw Gu Jingyi step onto the stage, the deafening screams threatened to blow the roof off the entire arena.

On the stage, everyone wore a uniform style of white shirts and black suit trousers. The design was identical, differing only in the collars and patterns.

As the center of the formation, Gu Jingyi wore an additional suit accessory draped gracefully over his collar.

Gu Jingyi was still looking down to adjust his collar when he suddenly heard a chorus of exaggerated gasps echoing from the audience below.

Spotting the fans holding up light boards with his name, Gu Jingyi smiled and waved a greeting to them.

"Ahhhhh—"

A single gesture instantly ignited the fans' passion, and cheers and screams erupted abruptly from the audience. Wave after wave of passionate shouting shook the heavens.

Zhang Yixing smiled and bantered a bit about his immense popularity before cueing the group to begin their segment.

Shortly after, the official recording of the first round of public performances commenced.

Gu Jingyi adjusted his in-ear monitor, and the director's voice came through the mic: "Get ready, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Start!"

"Can't stop me now..."

The moment Gu Jingyi began singing, the venue erupted in screams once again.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

The fans' cheers were so loud that they even drowned out the instructions in the in-ear monitor.

In fact, long before the fans entered, the production team had emphasized discipline: no cheering was allowed after the singing started so as not to disrupt the trainees' performance.

For vocal groups, emotional buildup was essential before the start of a sentimental ballad. Yet the sudden outcry from the live audience directly shattered the emotions they had just managed to cultivate.

The director was startled; inexperienced singers frequently cracked their voices under such circumstances. Would Gu Jingyi be able to remain unaffected by the interference?

He watched nervously from offstage, a thin layer of cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

"Can't stop me now..."

Gu Jingyi's expression remained calm as he continued to sing. His breath support was as steady as ever, delivering the next line to absolute perfection.

During those harrowing months in South Korea, it wasn't as though he had never led a team to perform at commercial events. While Gu Jingyi sang on stage, the audience below would be drinking and shouting boisterously. The environment of those past venues had been far worse than this; Gu Jingyi had forged an ironclad composure long ago.

In just two lines, he set the tone for the entire song. His exceptional performance once again instilled confidence in his teammates.

After finishing the opening, Gu Jingyi turned slightly, leaving the center stage to the other members.

"You're like the lazy scent of spring, lingering all around."

"Can't stop me now!"

"Can't stop me now babe!"

You Changjing caught the great momentum Gu Jingyi had established, and the beautiful imagery of the song was successfully conveyed to the live audience through his vocals.

With the first vocal verse concluded, Justin moved to the front of the stage according to the choreography.

He picked up the microphone and set the momentum:

"I've never even thought of refusing once."

"Loving you until I lose my mind."

"Maybe I'm going crazy, but my heart just..."

"Misses you so much I can't control it, miss u!"

Backstage, Li Ronghao was smiling so widely that his eyes creased shut: "Group A's performance is truly wonderful, and Gu Jingyi is so rock-solid!"

The trainees who had already finished performing were seated in the lounge, watching the show through a large screen, the camera occasionally panning across to capture their reactions.

As a contestant whose storyline had been edited by the production team as a "rival," Cai Xukun found the camera frequently focused on his face.

He was in no mood to make the exaggerated reactions for the camera like the other trainees; he didn't even have the energy to muster a smile.

Cai Xukun's led team for "PPAP" in Group A had won, but as the center, he had personally lost to Zhou Yanchen.

Losing to a minor trainee he had never even taken seriously left Cai Xukun feeling heavy and stifled inside.

Right now, he just wanted everything to end quickly so he could find a quiet place to be alone; he had zero appetite to watch anyone else's performance.

Yet the damned production team insisted on exposing him to every angle at a time like this. Cai Xukun's face was nearly stiff, and he refused to look.

On stage, the performance continued.

After Justin's part, Fan Chengcheng also brushed away his previous gloom. He stood sideways, looking grand and carefree.

"I will keep your love safe, and grow old slowly by your side."

"Watching time slip away secretly."

"How much you mean to me, I hope you can know."

For girls, rap possessed an irresistible charm. After this section was sung, the audience's cheers grew fiercely enthusiastic as well.

Fan Chengcheng also revealed a relieved smile, no longer wallowing in the successive failures of his initial stage performance.

As the second verse approached, Gu Jingyi led several vocalists in harmonic layering:

"I can't stop every single minute and second, I can't stop loving you."

Bathed in these gorgeous harmonies, the fans at the venue were completely immersed in the lovely mood of the song.

Just like the lyrics suggested, they found themselves utterly unable to curb their infatuation for Gu Jingyi.

Anchored by Gu Jingyi's vocals, even this song by a K-pop band was elevated to an inexplicably higher tier.

In the green room, Zhang Yixing nodded repeatedly:

"Gu Jingyi's vocal timbre is such a massive bonus. If Teacher Lee Soo-man knew about Xiao Yi, he would sign him at any cost."

Jackson Wang and Cheng Xiao couldn't help laughing; everyone knew of Lee Soo-man's obsession with top-tier main vocals and visuals.

Li Ronghao, however, disagreed slightly and immediately stepped up in defense: "Why should our Chinese kids go to South Korea to debut? With Jingyi's vocal tone and professional training, he'll do exceptionally well right here at home."

The performance on stage continued. Under the stage lights, moving in sync with the rhythm, their overlapping formations became all the more pleasing to the eye.

Compared to the other vocal groups who performed earlier and required backing tracks, Gu Jingyi's group performed entirely live with open mics.

Merely in terms of vocal texture and stage presence, no other group could compare.

As the song gradually progressed toward its latter half, it was swiftly nearing its end.

Jefferi from Group B heaved a sigh of relief, yet seeing the somewhat deflated morale left him feeling anxious.

With Gu Jingyi delivering such a stellar performance on stage, did Group B truly have any hope of winning?

Suddenly, the stage lights plunged into pitch blackness just as everyone was feeling puzzled. Then the lights flared back to life, and all the Group A trainees executed new choreography cues, moving into position. One by one, they unfolded and interlocked stools in the middle of the stage, forming a novel secondary platform.

Then, against the soothing prelude, they served as green foliage on either side of the narrow, makeshift stage constructed from silver stools.

"Can't stop..."

A clear, resonant male voice rang out, pitched one key higher than the original melody.

A solitary figure gently stepped onto the long bench, walking forward at an unhurried pace.

"...every single minute and second."

As Gu Jingyi stepped closer, the spotlight focused entirely on his face.

When the camera gave him a close-up shot, the live audience felt the breathtaking impact of Gu Jingyi's presence more vividly than ever before.

His makeup was extremely light, devoid of heavy eyeliner. There was merely a thin, translucent layer of base makeup on his face, complemented by subtle contouring and highlighting.

It felt akin to a fresh, natural look—soft yet exuding an ethereal grace.

Walking along the silver corridor, Gu Jingyi closed his eyes and gently raised a hand toward the sky.

"I can't stop loving u~"

The sudden high note was bright and soaring. The voice pierced the clouds, sending goosebumps rippling across the audience's skin.

The young man standing upon the temporary stage built from stools looked like an immortal descended from the heavens, breathtakingly fresh and refined.

Swept up in emotional excitement, the fans waved their support boards and shouted "Gu Jingyi" at the top of their lungs.

As if hearing them, Gu Jingyi slowly opened his eyes.

During the final vocal run, he cast his gaze directly upon the two hundred fans in the venue.

His voice transitioned from soaring and clear to rich, magnetic, and deep.

"loving~u~"

The youth standing on stage gazed affectionately at his fans, gently placing a hand over his heart as though making a silent promise.

As the final lingering note faded, fine, snowflake-like golden confetti drifted down from above.

Under the illumination of the spotlight, Gu Jingyi's dark hair seemed to carry a soft halo, and sparkling golden dust could faintly be seen resting upon his locks.

Below the stage, Tian Xiwei tightly clutched her chest, struggling to suppress the surge of romantic fluttering in her heart.

Oh no, this man was simply too bewitching. Her status as a "mom fan" was about to corrupt into a "girlfriend fan"...