Chapter 61: Sister Tian!

Outside the cabin window, the sea of clouds was kneaded into shattered gold foil by the twilight.

Gu Jingyi adjusted the brim of his baseball cap, yet a few streaks of rosy light still filtered through the edge of his sunglasses. The air conditioning in the cabin blew a chill against the back of his neck, and a flight attendant pushing the meal cart noticed something unusual about him.

Thoughtfully, after serving his meal, she returned a moment later, bringing him a blanket and earplugs, which she handed to him properly.

"Thank you."

Gu Jingyi smiled as he accepted them. The flight attendant walked away, forcing herself to maintain composure. Once her back was turned, she couldn't help covering her mouth with a giggle, walking all the way back to the break area with a buoyant mood.

"You're quite lucky, Xiao Ya. You actually ran into Gu Jingyi? Quick, tell me, what is he like?"

A fellow flight attendant who was on good terms with Xiao Ya asked with a gossipy tone. *Idol Producer* had become an overnight sensation upon release, and Gu Jingyi was the most dazzling presence among them. Although his screen time in each episode wasn't particularly massive, every time he showed his face, he gained a wave of loyal fans.

This particular flight attendant held an immensely high level of fondness for Gu Jingyi and was impatient to learn everything about him from as many angles as possible.

The third episode wasn't going to air until tonight, and those seven days of waiting felt like years to the fans who had just fallen down the rabbit hole.

After seeing Gu Jingyi on the flight, Xiao Ya's elation had soared to its peak.

Yet, she still remembered her professional code of conduct, leaving right after delivering the blanket to Gu Jingyi. She didn't overstep with disturbances, nor did she cross the line to ask for photos or autographs.

Recalling the way Gu Jingyi’s brow and eyes curved when he turned his head to say "thank you" to her, Xiao Ya’s face flushed red. She felt as though her heart had been struck, still thoroughly immersed in that exact moment.

"I can only put it this way: anyone who hasn't seen Gu Jingyi in person will never understand just how unphotogenic he is! He is super handsome in real life, and very gentle too. There is a reason he is the undisputed center by a landslide; he leaves all the other trainees miles behind in every single aspect."

Xiao Ya covered her face, speaking with a hint of excitement.

"I finally understand why Sister Tiantian is so utterly captivated by little Gu. Neither *Produce 202* nor *Idol Producer* are worth it—only Gu Jingyi is!"

"Who is Sister Tiantian?" her colleague asked, looking puzzled.

"Oh, you wouldn't know even if I told you. She's a veteran fansite master for Gu Jingyi, and she's insanely talented at editing photos and videos. I really admire her self-control. Having seen him in person countless times yet still managing to uphold her bottom line as a fan, Sister Tiantian is simply too awesome. She is the woman among women, the ultimate female!"

Whenever Tian Xiwei was mentioned, Xiao Ya’s face was full of admiration. Every fandom had its prominent big fans, and beneath those big fans were countless casual fans acting as their loyal followers.

She was one of them.

Meanwhile, in Langshi, Tian Xiwei, who was waiting for the release of the third episode of *Idol Producer*, sneezed one after another.

"Achoo! Which scoundrel of a son is talking trash about me?"

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Tian Xiwei took a large bite of crispy fried chicken, savoring its crunch while constantly refreshing the page, waiting for *Idol Producer* to drop.

"Oho, it's out!"

Tian Xiwei excitedly clicked into it, skillfully adjusting the bullet comments to the transparent anti-block mode.

[Breaking through thorns and brambles, walking alongside Jing!]
[Jing commands the realm, only Yi reigns supreme!]

Watching the rows of golden VIP bullet comments flashing past, the entire screen filled with cheering slogans for Gu Jingyi, Tian Xiwei nodded in deep satisfaction. This level of grandeur was the only thing worthy of Emperor Jing.

The first half of the third episode featured Lay Zhang explaining the rules for re-evaluation. The meaning was quite simple: following the initial rankings, new grades would be determined based on how well the trainees mastered the theme song within three days.

Those three days caused the bullet comments to scroll frantically, with people complaining that it was far too difficult, practically an impossible mission to accomplish.

Some fiercely protective fans were already making excuses for their idols even before things began.

Tian Xiwei, however, maintained a composed demeanor, firmly believing that Gu Jingyi would never let her down.

And the facts proved her right. During the collective master class, Li Ronghao showered Gu Jingyi with praise.

When inspecting the theme song progress class by class, the segment where Cheng Xiao and Zhou Jieqiong vied with each other, leading to a surprise raid on Class A, was also broadcast.

The Class A trainees, who had been in contact with the theme song for less than 24 hours, were summoned to gather in the practice room and perform it together.

*Idol Producer* had exploded in popularity upon release, and the theme song *E.I.E.I.* had countless cover dances posted on Bilibili during this period.

All the UP hosts who did covers had mentioned that the theme song was actually extremely difficult. The choreography was fragmented with numerous details, and being able to dance through the whole thing seamlessly required immense effort.

Among all the trainees wearing the Class A uniforms, Gu Jingyi was subconsciously guarded by the others into the center position, with everyone else trailing behind him and watching him dance.

Although the voices of the nine individuals blended together somewhat chaotically, it was barely passable to listen to—except that Gu Jingyi’s voice still stood out far too much. His vocal timbre was exceptional, and his strength was outstanding.

The further the song progressed, the more chaotic the others sounded, which only served to make him appear even more steady.

This applied not only to the vocals but to the dance as well. Once the chorus ended, it was basically just Gu Jingyi standing at the front dancing alone, while the rest of the members stood behind him, rushing around in a fluster.

The scene was chaotic for a moment, and the expressions of the two dance mentors gradually turned unsightly.

Even harder to endure than this was the upcoming individual assessment.

The Class A trainees rushed forward one after another to accept the mentors' inspection, all of them wary of Gu Jingyi, terrified that if they went too late, they would end up as the foil in the comparison.

"Lin Chaze, you're putting too much force into your hands. Every movement of yours is standard, but when they connect, it just feels wrong."

"Cai Xukun, too fast, you're getting faster and faster. You need to hit the beats accurately. Also, you sang major parts of the song with your voice cracking. Over the next period, you need to seriously practice your vocals. The theme song assessment evaluates singing and dancing simultaneously; you cannot have such lopsided weaknesses."

"Zhu Zhengting, do you even know the choreography?"

"Justin, your movement pathways and arm lines didn't reach their proper positions."

After finishing her critique of all the trainees, Cheng Xiao’s expression remained bland.

By this point, the fans of various trainees in the bullet comments had already started hurling abuses, claiming she was being far too strict. Very few people could excel in such a short span of time, calling Cheng Xiao a witch who couldn't bear to see their beloved idols succeed.

Zhou Jieqiong also furrowed her brow: "Up to this point, Class A... makes me feel less than impressed."

"Next, Gu Jingyi."

Hearing his name called, Gu Jingyi stepped out of the formation and stood alone.

The entire song lasted three and a half minutes without a single second to catch one's breath, posing a major challenge to a trainee's lung capacity, especially during the lines in the chorus:

*'A fortunate perspective, all focused on me.'*
*'Every decision you make is the pride I crave, let hesitation walk away.'*

*'Just choose me, please scream for my hard work!'*

"Scream" was a high note that heavily consumed lung capacity.

While hitting the high note, the trainee also had to execute a mid-air spin, a minor motion of pulling at their left tie with their left hand, and deliver a large wave gesture toward the camera.

It was during this exact section that Cai Xukun completely fell apart, his voice cracking severely.

Yet every single spot where Cai Xukun's voice cracked, Gu Jingyi handled with absolute ease.

Without accompaniment or any auxiliary pitch-matching beat.

Gu Jingyi effortlessly soared up to the high notes, and even had energy to spare after hitting them. He methodically completed the mid-air spin, tugged at his tie with his left hand, and slid his right hand down his chest in a shooting pose, executing two large wave motions.

Finally, he even added a customized, exclusive memory-point action he had designed himself—simulating shooting a sniper rifle directly at the camera.

The bullet comments fell into absolute silence. The other fans who had just been making excuses for their own idols all retreated into their shells in defeat.

Only Gu Jingyi's fans were brimming with pride, wildly hyping him up.

[Gu Jingyi is entirely too bewitching; there's a reason he has so many delusional girlfriend fans.]
[Thank you, damn crooked production crew, for inviting Gu Jingyi to compete. Who understands this—such a great handsome guy used to go to my school! He was so ice-cold! To actually see him working hard on a show feels so damn good!]
[I'm a K-pop fan, and I have to say Gu Jingyi really stands out. He truly deserves to be someone who dominates the center position by a landslide in South Korea; both his strength and his looks are the kind that make your heart skip a beat at first glance.]
[Thank you, damn crooked production crew. Even though you kept trying to suppress my Gu, you still let me discover Gu Jingyi. My homepage often recommended him before, but I never clicked.]

Seeing Gu Jingyi's fans acting so casually arrogant, the fans of other idols watching the bullet comments felt as disgusted as if they had swallowed a fly.

Tian Xiwei also slapped her thigh excitedly. Following a crisp sound, a red handprint was left on her fair thigh.

It looked somewhat alluring, stirring the imagination.

Fortunately, Tian Xiwei was the only one here; no one else saw it.

With the demeanor of a spectator enjoying a good show, she typed out a message of her own:

[Emperor Jing is too awesome, Concubines of Jing are truly too blessed. Falling for Gu Jingyi requires no public relations control, no need to go against your conscience to whitewash him. Emperor Jing will use his raw strength to slap faces in person, it's so satisfying!]

As soon as the message was posted, a flurry of likes rang out in the backend.

"Giggle, giggle..." A crisp, silver-bell-like laughter echoed inside the room.