Chapter 62: I Refuse to Be Just Your Fan! (4K)

"Gu Jingyi, you need to pay attention to this movement as well."

Cheng Xiao stood behind Gu Jingyi, helping him adjust his posture.

The camera shot lasted less than ten seconds, but Tian Xiwei always felt as though something had been quietly passed from Cheng Xiao's hand.

She repeatedly rewound the progress bar and tried various playback speeds, yet she found nothing.

This left Tian Xiwei somewhat irritated, as if something was slipping out of her control.

She opened her fan group and began to read.

[Jingyi is so amazing. Stanning Jingyi is just such a comforting experience. He satisfies the demands of all strength-stans and popularity-stans at the same time; the title of Emperor Jing has never been unearned.]

[The first miracle in the domestic entertainment circle to have both drama fans and survival-show fans fighting to vote for him. This wave is the ultimate dream crossover between the cultivation system and the actor circle [Thumbs Up]]

[The prototype of a novel's male lead has been found! The real-life Jiangjin template of 'debuting at the peak / from campus to the stage / from ice-berg to a flirt' [Book]]

Tian Xiwei frowned slightly; she always felt that something was not quite right.

[Sisters, take a look. At 57 minutes and 20 seconds, did their hands touch for a second?]

[Ahhh, they really did! Damn Cheng Xiao, stay away from my idol!!!]

The fan group was practically boiling over, eager to purge every single entry on Cheng Xiao's trending topics list.

[Where is Sister Tian? Are you watching? Sister Tian, say something! @GuJingyi'sDoughnut]

Messages were being flooded out layer by layer. Whenever the morale of Gu's army was shaken, Tian Xiwei was always the first person they thought of.

[Getting pulled while dancing the theme song is completely normal with so many cameras rolling. What else could it be? It's hardly like a room key (laughing and crying).]

Tian Xiwei's fingers fluttered slightly, and her edited reply was sent out.

Only then did the anxious hearts of the casual fans settle down in relief.

[Everyone, don't just focus on the show. Have you used up all the voting accounts you claimed? Voting is a long-term task and we cannot slack off. If you are anxious, you can play "Idol Producer" as background music and watch when Gu Jingyi appears. After the show ends, I will release Gu Jingyi's solo cut.]

Tian Xiwei's new instructions were sent out, and the fan group instantly regained its vitality.

No one knew that several active accounts were quietly copying the chat logs and carrying them outside.

Meanwhile, Tian Xiwei was still intently watching the show. The rest were group shots.

The mentors went to five classes of different levels to conduct spot checks. Aside from Class B, which was somewhat decent, the strength of the other classes was rather mediocre.

This was followed by several interspersed large-class teaching sessions, but Gu Jingyi still had not made an appearance.

Tian Xiwei instantly felt it was completely insipid. She got up, went to the living room to grab a pile of snacks, and started eating.

It wasn't until the re-evaluation that Gu Jingyi's figure finally appeared in the frame.

It was just a brief glance before the camera swept past him again.

The bullet screen comments began to surge, and the audience, who had grown somewhat fatigued halfway through the show, perked up once more.

Yet "Idol Producer" only brought Gu Jingyi out for a fleeting glimpse, and what followed were the assessments of the other contestants.

"Who came up with this idea? Making contestants from five different levels dance together. That's too vicious; the A-class people are definitely going to crush everything."

The heater was turned up a bit too high, and Tian Xiwei pulled her over-the-knee socks down slightly. Red marks were pinched into her fair thighs by the elastic, adding a touch of allure.

Yet Tian Xiwei paid no heed, her mind completely focused on the show.

The level in Class A was indeed stronger than the other classes, but only to a limited extent—at least in the eyes of an old survival-show fan like Tian Xiwei who had watched all of "Produce 202" from start to finish.

"Jingyi, I'll go first."

With only two people left in Class A, Cai Xukun's somewhat cowardly remark thoroughly satisfied the fans represented by Tian Xiwei.

"There was only ever one Emperor Jing, and freeloaders should have the self-awareness befitting them."

Tian Xiwei curled the corners of her lips without comment.

The evaluations continued. Cai Xukun's strength within his group was indeed quite good. Once he took the stage, it was obvious that his ability level stepped up a tier.

However, everyone's attention was quickly hijacked by Dong Yanlei, who was singing, "The tentacles of luck, I've forgotten all about them."

Clearly, among these people, Cai Xukun's performance was the best, yet the viewers only wanted to watch the comedy.

Throughout the entire performance, all the memorable points were focused on Leizi's line about the "tentacles of luck."

As for Kun-Kun? His overall strength was indeed acceptable, but not to the extent of making people's hearts race or creating a love-at-first-sight moment.

Tian Xiwei was getting a bit impatient of waiting. Her curved fingers unconsciously stroked the elastic band of her sock. Urged on by some nameless irritation, she pulled the top of her sock down by the width of three fingers.

"Emperor Jing, we've come to be your contrast group!"

A tragic and heroic roar from a fellow trainee startled Tian Xiwei into pulling her fingers back.

The elastic band snapped back with a "swish," causing Tian Xiwei to let out a sharp "hiss" of pain.

A patch on her lower leg instantly turned red, looking rather severe against her fair skin.

Tian Xiwei had no time to care; she sat up straight again. Skillfully closing the bullet screen, her camera was already set up.

This was Gu Jingyi's solo cut, and she needed to record it promptly to upload to the fan group as spiritual sustenance.

On the very first second after the prelude ended, Gu Jingyi—without wearing an in-ear monitor—precisely hit the beat and transitioned straight into the choreography!

"So amazing! He smoothly slid into the beat without relying on an in-ear monitor. Not a single error—is Jingyi a monster?"

Jackson Wang's baritone sounded, his expression identical to his reaction when he saw Park Jin-young dancing adult dance at the MAMA Awards.

Zhang Yixing next to him also nodded repeatedly. "Gu Jingyi's strength is indeed on a completely different level from the others."

Yet every coin has two sides. Gu Jingyi's precise entry on the prelude made his fellow group members' hearts tighten as they frantically raised their arms in a panic.

With their minds blank from tension, they couldn't help but copy Gu Jingyi's moves. Failing to keep up with his rhythm, the stage dissolved into a chaotic mess.

Tian Xiwei's eyes lit up instantly—this was the familiar formula and the familiar taste!

Bu Fan and Wang Ziyi were also in the same group as Gu Jingyi. Their actual strength was not bad, but placed in the same frame as Gu Jingyi, the disparity was instantly clear.

Especially watching those two guys, who had previously shown disrespectful attitudes toward Gu Jingyi, trip over their own left and right feet while failing to keep pace with the choreography.

Tian Xiwei felt as refreshed inside as if she were drinking a cold, refreshing glass of cola in the middle of summer!

This was the man her little Tian had set her sights on; he would never resort to empty talk. He would use absolute strength to crush all petty villains on the frontal battlefield!

Watching the ashen faces of those two fellows, Tian Xiwei took an immediate screenshot.

Today's meme material: Acquired!

The footage of trainees being assessed only actually appeared in the main episode for dozens of seconds.

Hot contestants like Gu Jingyi and Cai Xukun, whose popularity dictated screen time, received over a minute of footage.

Amidst the chaotic dancing, Gu Jingyi, wearing the Class A uniform, remained entirely unaffected. Whether it was the rhythm of his movements or the transitions, everything was pleasing to the eye.

A series of toe-touch jumps were executed as smoothly as flowing water.

During the chorus of "EiEi," in the segment—"Let music going round～"—where countless trainees' voices cracked during their evaluations, Gu Jingyi effortlessly shifted up a key, reaching a female vocal range with his male voice.

The trainees being assessed alongside Gu Jingyi turned as pale as death, while Tian Xiwei felt a thrill that tingled all the way to her scalp.

"Emperor Jing, please leave us a way to survive!"

The behind-the-scenes interview recorded earlier with the trainees who danced alongside Gu Jingyi was broadcasted, with Wang Ziyi covering his face in agony.

The moment Gu Jingyi took the stage, he elevated the standard of the theme song to a realm it did not belong to.

The trainees performing after him were automatically relegated to cannon fodder.

"The music going round, hearing you cheer and scream for me."

Gu Jingyi finished singing the last line of lyrics, his left hand forming a aiming gesture while his right hand gently hooked the collar of his uniform, looking straight into the camera for a precise sniper shot.

It was merely an ordinary lyric, but when paired with the person who matched it with the highest compatibility, the effect was explosive.

Tian Xiwei abruptly yanked the power cord, instantly turning all the previous recording efforts on her phone camera into nothingness.

Amidst the silence, she heard her own disordered breathing and tasted a hint of rust on the tip of her tongue—she had bitten through her oral mucosa at some unknown point.

Crazy.

Truly crazy.

She couldn't help but lift the tablet before her eyes once more, rewinding the progress bar to watch it again.

"Hearing you cheer and scream for me."

Gu Jingyi on the screen danced the theme song tirelessly, wearing the Class A uniform and performing that classic sniper gesture once more.

"What the heck."

Tian Xiwei leaned forward abruptly, staring fixedly at that face.

She fell into a feverish and frenzied obsession, her suddenly rapid heartbeat proving with every thud this irrepressible emotional surge.

After a long while, she opened the bullet screen.

Staring at the large screen, she watched the reactions on the bullet comments.

When frozen on Gu Jingyi's segment, the bullet comments filled the entire screen densely, forming a sharp contrast with the empty screen before.

[No one can say no to a face like this!]

[Jingyi, please don't be so alluring. I'm a mom-stan, you're not allowed to smile, stop flirting like this—moms are women too!]

[Oh god, when I saw that sniper move, my heart did a shameful flutter...]

[Oh mother, my mind is completely blank right now—mom, he's seducing me!]

[Husband, husband, Gu Jingyi is the very embodiment of a husband!]

Seeing that "husband" comment, Tian Xiwei pressed her tongue against her cheek.

For some reason, she suddenly found such random comments calling him "husband" deeply irritating...

Had they even met Gu Jingyi offline? Calling him husband just like that!

Tian Xiwei rewound the video again and secretly reported every single comment calling Gu Jingyi husband.

As for the reason for reporting, she checked the option for implicit and suggestive content.

Seeing that the report was successful, a faint, delicate curve touched the corner of Tian Xiwei's lips.

Closing the bullet screen, she continued watching.

Next came the re-evaluation mentors discussing the results in a small room, with individual-cam straight shots projected onto the screen.

The first few were unremarkable, right up until Fan Chengcheng took the stage.

Compared to before, his dancing showed significant improvement, and Zhou Jieqiong's eyes lit up.

"Chengcheng is doing well. His performance today has improved tremendously. It's like he suddenly had a breakthrough, wonderful."

"His performance today deserves a B in my book."

Cheng Xiao also nodded, looking somewhat satisfied.

"Indeed, it looks different from before; it has the embryonic form of balance. As expected of Jingyi—look at some of those blocking movements, he modified them for Fan Chengcheng to better fit his rhythm."

Zhang Yixing laid out the truth in a single sentence, finally allowing the audience, standing at a God's-eye view, to understand the whole story.

Nothing more needed to be said; he was simply that gentle as a person.

Tian Xiwei recalled the snippets of her interactions with Gu Jingyi, and the curve of her lips was impossible to suppress.

Following the show's old routine, the individual-cam straight shots of Cai Xukun and Gu Jingyi appeared one after another.

Cai Xukun's overall fluidity was indeed fine, except when Leizi sang "The tentacles of luck," Kun-Kun's movements stiffened visibly for a moment, and his subsequent actions lagged by a beat.

It wasn't until a small section was finished that he managed to pull himself back together.

As for Gu Jingyi's straight-cam shot, his movements were textbook-level perfection.

"Very good. Among all the trainees, only Gu Jingyi's beat-hitting is this precise."

Li Ronghao smiled so hard his wrinkles showed, every word brimming with appreciation for Gu Jingyi.

"I'd definitely give an A for the dancing; his performance has the strongest infectious quality."

Cheng Xiao's expression remained neutral as she gave her evaluation.

Ouyang Jing was concise: "A!"

Zhang Yixing: "Another one for the inspection-exempt series, though I'd really love to watch his whole video. His singing is genuinely great and very stable."

Jackson Wang also nodded: "After all, he has five years of overseas trainee experience."

Finally, Gu Jingyi's freeze-frame pose that struck the hearts of countless people appeared once more. The sniper gesture emerged.

Zhou Jieqiong covered her mouth, exclaiming, "What do I do, he's too handsome."

Her face flushed red, and she deliberately collapsed against Cheng Xiao.

Cheng Xiao, who was still secretly pleased, stiffened for a moment before quickly regaining her composure.

The more Tian Xiwei watched, the more displeased she grew. To be honest, she truly despised female mentors who lacked a sense of boundaries.

At last, Zhang Yixing displayed Gu Jingyi's grade book to the camera: "He is the upper limit of A, an exceptionally wonderful performance."

By this point, the show was more than halfway through, and the screen gradually darkened.

When it lit up again, all the trainees were standing in the studio hall waiting for the re-evaluation results.

Zhang Yixing stood in the center of the stage, and the majority of the results had already been announced.

Lower-level trainees rushed forward, while Class A trainees tumbled down from the heights.

"Gu Jingyi, what do you think your ranking is?"

Tian Xiwei held her breath along with him, gazing infatuatedly at that figure.

"Regarding the rating of A, I am the standard."

In the close-up shot, Gu Jingyi's facial features were as sharply merciless as a blade.

Inside Tian Xiwei's heart, it felt like a popping boba candy had been bitten through.

All sorts of chaotic emotions surged forth.

They crept up into her mind bit by bit, making her unable to resist the urge to cross the line and learn more about Gu Jingyi.

When she first entered the fandom and became a fansite master, a very famous fansite master in South Korea had once told her: "You must treat being a fansite master like a job. Entering it with a fan's identity makes it too easy to lose your heart. There is only a thin line between sasaeng fans and fansite masters."

At the time, Tian Xiwei had only smiled and brushed it off, never taking it to heart.

Yet right now, Tian Xiwei found herself struggling to keep her own thoughts in check.

The playback of "Idol Producer" continued. She watched the young man accept the ranking evaluation envelope from Zhang Yixing's hands. Without the slightest hesitation or check, he drew the card printed with the grade rating straight from the envelope and displayed it to the camera.

A vivid and flamboyant "A" reflected into the lens.

On the letter paper, the bold black-and-gold characters "Gu Jingyi" shone brightly.

In her eyes was the high-spirited Gu Jingyi accepting the crown of glory.

In her ears were the praises and adoration of over a hundred trainees directed at him.

Tian Xiwei pressed her canine tooth against her cheek and bit down lightly.

The canine tooth broke the oral mucosa, and a fishy, sweet taste of blood rushed furiously against her taste buds.

"Gu Jingyi is so manly~, Xiaoxiao, I really can't take this anymore."

Instructor Jieqiong couldn't help but act coquettishly on the spot, causing Tian Xiwei to slam her hand heavily onto the table.

"Such a nuisance, always latching onto a guy to hype things up! What is wrong with these people!"

With the Sichuan dialect slipping out, Tian Xiwei's aura surged violently.

She sprang up in a flash and skillfully switched to her burner account.

"What Zhou Jieqiong, what Cheng Xiao, get lost already, a bunch of freeloaders."

"To hell with being a fan! Who the hell wants to just be a fan anymore! The only person qualified to stand by Gu Jingyi's side has always been me!"

From fan to lover, she could imagine nothing more romantic than that.