Ch128 - The Third Public Performance

Lu Xu still needed to practise. Seeing this, Ji Xiunian didn’t approach him to chat, instead he urged him to go in and practise.

Lu Xu looked deeply into Ji Xiunian’s eyes, as if trying to read something from his face. Ji Xiunian couldn’t help but lower his gaze, fearing that his thoughts might be exposed.

Just as he was feeling a bit uneasy and wanted to hurry Lu Xu to go in quickly, Lu Xu suddenly smiled and said, “I’ll go in first, Nian ge.”

Ji Xiunian nodded hurriedly, “All right, good luck!”

Once Lu Xu returned to his teammates, Ji Xiunian felt it wasn’t appropriate to stay there any longer. Of course, he could have used the excuse of caring about the trainees to watch Lu Xu’s rehearsal, but he felt that this excuse was too vague and seemed too intentional.

Speaking of this, when Ji Xiunian had received the message from Lu Xu, his first instinct had been to come and see him. The overwhelming desire to meet him suppressed everything else, and Ji Xiunian hadn’t thought too much of it at the time. Now that he thought about it rationally, he realised he had acted a bit too impulsively.

Fortunately in the eyes of others, their relationship had always been good, so it was normal for them to chat when they met.

Ji Xiunian pondered about this as he walked back.

In the practise room, Yao Yulong watched as Lu Xu entered and Ji Xiunian left. He couldn’t help but begin wondering.

Others might not think much about the relationship between those two, but as someone in the know, Yao Yulong could always sense there was something off about Ji Xiunian.

Although he didn’t know what their usual interactions were like, at least from what he saw just now, Ji Xiunian was quite serious about Lu Xu.

Lu Xu came back in a very good mood, and his smile was even brighter than usual when he spoke.

As they went upstairs together after finishing their training for the day, Yao Yulong walked beside Lu Xu, and upon seeing that nobody was paying attention to them, whispered, “Xu ge, Nian ge is really good to you.”

“Mhm,” Lu Xu responded and then asked him, “Why do you say that?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yao Yulong nodded vigorously, feeling like there was nothing to doubt about this.

Lu Xu was briefly lost in thought, then patted Yao Yulong’s shoulder and smiled, not saying anything more.

Yao Yulong, still puzzled, followed Lu Xu and assured him, “Xu ge, I’m only talking about it with you. I definitely won’t tell anyone else.”

“No need to promise me anything, I trust you.” Lu Xu turned around and smiled gently at Yao Yulong, his tone warm and friendly.

Lu Xu was naturally good-looking, and this smile made him look even more vibrant and handsome.

Yao Yulong couldn’t help but feel a bit dumbfounded, and his face felt a little warm when he regained his senses.

Even an extremely straight guy like himself was stunned by Lu Xu, never mind the others. Initially Yao Yulong hadn’t quite understood why girls liked guys who were gentle and soft, but after experiencing the visual impact of Lu Xu’s beauty up close, he suddenly understood Ji Xiunian’s perspective—

When your boyfriend was this good-looking, who wouldn’t be captivated?

Lu Xu was already accustomed to others observing him with various expressions on their face; it didn’t bother him. He simply waved at Yao Yulong and said, “I’ll head back to the dorm.”

Yao Yulong came back to his senses and nodded at Lu Xu, “Okay, goodnight, Xu ge.”

Lu Xu pushed open the dormitory door and before he even stepped in, he could hear laughter coming from the inside.

When he entered, Lu Xu realized that Tang Yanqing was already there, holding snacks and feeding Ba Mei.

When Lu Xu entered, the others in the dorm subconsciously turned to look at him. Tang Yanqing, who had been feeding Ba Mei, turned his head upon hearing the sound and smiled at him. “Lu Xu, you’re back. I hope it’s okay that I gave Ba Mei a few snacks.”

“Of course, Ba Mei has to have someone feed it,” Ba Mei had a big appetite. Even with Lu Xu and Xie An feeding it, it still went out often to mooch a meal off someone

Since it had moved into the trainees’ apartment with Lu Xu, everyone from the production team to the mentors and the trainees, were all eager to feed Ba Mei. To be honest, if they were to really think about it, Ba Mei might be the ultimate winner of this survival show.

Tang Yanqing really liked Ba Mei. After all, he had a crush on someone for two years without taking any action, and Ba Mei had helped them into a hug as soon as it arrived. Although it might have been because Yu Manman was afraid of cats, regardless of that, the two of them had at least gotten a bit closer.

With the idea of bribing Ba Mei, Tang Yanqing had bought a bunch of snacks and canned food. Still feeling that it wasn’t enough, he had found time to come to Lu Xu’s dormitory so he could interact with Ba Mei face-to-face.

Not long after Lu Xu returned, Tang Yanqing said he had some work to handle and left.

“It seems like Director Tang really likes Ba Mei,” Xu Haoming said as he picked up Ba Mei. Upon seeing its fluffy appearance, he couldn’t resist pressing his face against its cheek to give it a kiss. “Indeed, our Ba Mei is the most adorable in the world. No one can resist your charm!”

Listening to Xu Haoming’s exaggerated flattery made Lu Xu want to laugh. While others might not know, Lu Xu was aware that Tang Yanqing’s visit was likely due to him seeing Ba Mei as his wingman.

To be honest, he wasn’t very optimistic about Tang Yanying and Yu Manman’s relationship, given that they were of two different species.

But Tang Yanqing didn’t know, and it wasn’t good for Lu Xu to say much about it, so keeping silent was the greatest courtesy.

After these few days of intense training and coordination, the synergy between the trainees and the guest vocalists had grown stronger. At the same time, filming for the third performance officially began.

The public judges invited by the production team had already entered the venue with excitement and anticipation for tonight’s performance.

Lu Xu and the others were busy in the dressing room, doing their makeup and styling. The trainees bustled around backstage, creating a lively and busy atmosphere.

“Xu ge, we’re definitely going to be fine, right?” Yao Yulong sat next to Lu Xu, feeling a bit nervous about the upcoming performance.

“Of course,” Seeing that his teammates were a bit uneasy, Lu Xu adjusted his hair and stood up to encourage them. “Even if we don’t believe in ourselves, we should believe in shijie.”

Upon hearing this, the others immediately felt invigorated, especially after thinking about Yu Manman—

“Right, Manman jie is the queen of singing. With her here, there’s nothing to fear.”

“Indeed, she can carry the stage all by herself. The more this is the case, the more we should let loose and perform our best. After all, everyone’s attention will be on Manman jie, so we really have nothing to fear. We just need to charge forward confidently.”

“Exactly! Let’s charge together!”

Including Lu Xu, the six young people formed a circle, stacking their hands on top of each other towards the centre of the circle, smiling at and encouraging one another.

The 36 trainees were divided into six groups, about to embark on their third performance journey.

The competition gradually got more and more intense.

Tonight’s performance would directly affect whether they could make it to the finals later on.

Even the most composed trainees couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious in the face of such a situation.

Compared to the others, Lu Xu was one of the most composed.

Since the start of the competition, Lu Xu had drawn the performance number 4 every time, and this time was no exception.

Originally, the trainees didn’t like the number “4”, but now they felt it was truly Lu Xu’s lucky number. After all, Lu Xu always appeared as number 4, and whether it was performance results or popularity, he always ranked first.

There were in total six groups of contestants, and drawing fourth to perform wasn’t actually considered ideal. After all, being in the middle made it easy to be overlooked, and if there were standout performances before and after, it was easy to be forgotten.

But now they had Lu Xu, and the team members had an implicit trust in him. They all felt that as long as Lu Xu was there, there wouldn’t be any problems.

Very quickly, the third public performance of ‘Birth of an Idol’ officially began.

“Hello to the audience in front of the television and our friends here at the venue. Welcome to the live broadcast of the third performance of ‘Birth of an Idol’…”

As Liang Da took to the stage and spoke, the audience below erupted in cheers. Clearly, they were very excited and looking forward to tonight’s performance.

The host briefly introduced the performance lineup, and then announced the official start of the third performance.

The first to perform was the group led by Han Tianyu.

Their group’s guest vocalist was Sun Kexin, the popular female lead from a recent hit drama who had gained a following due to her outstanding acting skills on the show.

Many thought that she was a great actress, and seeing her as a guest vocalist made some people feel like the production team was trolling a bit. Even if she looked good, being among a group of boys wouldn’t make her stand out if she didn’t have the talent.

However when she began singing, everyone realised that some people were not only skilled in acting but also had exceptional singing abilities.

They all thought the program had brought in a porcelain vase just for show, but no one expected Sun Kexin to be so strong. She sang ‘Dreaming for Ten Thousand Years’ with Han Tianyu and the others, exuding youthful vitality everywhere and igniting the atmosphere immediately.

“This is too strong, right? They’re so strong right from the start?”

The other trainees couldn’t help but exclaim, feeling immense pressure.

But no matter what, they couldn’t avoid it. Rather than fearing the competition, it was better to give it their all to showcase themselves.

The second and third groups that followed also had their own strengths, leaving a deep impression on everyone.

As the fourth group of performers for tonight’s concert, Lu Xu and his team finally stood on the stage.

“Aaaaaaaaa, it’s Lu Xu!”

“Xu ge, spread your wings with confidence, we’ll be with you forever!”

“Ahhh, I’m suddenly so excited for the upcoming performance.”

“Yeah, yeah, my dear Manman is also here! What an amazing lineup. I’m so happy I could faint!”

It was clear that Lu Xu’s popularity was very high. Just as he stepped on stage, the audience below went wild, screaming uncontrollably.

The lights suddenly dimmed all around, Lu Xu stood with his back to the audience, and as the music started, their performance officially began.